A recurrent motif in Gothic fiction, the doppelganger or double has
both symbolic and psychoanalytical implications. In the case of the former,
the duplication or division of a character may serve to emphasize
polemically the moral dilemmas or social disparities around which a didactic
or cautionary narrative may revolve—for example, the fate of one
who resists temptation, as opposed to one who succumbs to it; or, the
lifestyle enjoyed by a character born into privilege, set against the parallel
experience of another raised in poverty. In psychoanalysis, the motif may
emblematize the polarity of the unrestrained id against its ego and superego
counterparts. Thus, the doppelganger may become, variously, a figure
that enacts taboo desires, a seeker of arcane knowledge, or one who
pursues the drive of thanatos rather than that of eros. In both symbolic
and psychoanalytical incarnations (though these demarcations are, inevitably,
capable of definition as much by the critic as the author), the double
may be formed by duplication (where two entities effectively parallel
each other’s actions) or division (where a character is split, physically or
psychologically, into two alternating personalities). Situations such as
disguise, cross dressing, or mistaken identity may also produce contextual
implications that are analogous to doubling.
Hughes, W. (2012) Historical Dictionary of Gothic Literature
Showing posts with label literature. Show all posts
Showing posts with label literature. Show all posts
Wednesday, 9 October 2019
Friday, 4 October 2019
Abjection
The concept of the Abject, theorized by the French critic Julia Kristeva (1941–) in Powers of Horror (1980, trans. 1982), represents a significant advance over the binary logic of self and other that is characteristic of earlier psychoanalysis.
Conventional psychoanalytic thought proposes the oppositional integrity of subject and object, thus maintaining a number of apparently logical mental boundaries between the two. Kristeva’s theory, however, sees the subject and the object not merely as terms locked in opposition to each other, but also as discrete identities in and of themselves. This reconfiguration has an inevitably radical effect on the boundaries through which the self effectively demarcates itself from its other. In questioning the reassuring wholeness and integrity of ego-identity, abjection effectively erodes these borders, and thus proposes that the other, the taboo, the desired but dangerous, may already form part of the self.
Kristeva suggests, moreover, that there exists a tense relationship between the body and the mind, and that certain excretions and secretions from the former cause psychological distress within the latter quite simply because they are graphic reminders of how the self and the other are intimate. The body, as it were, is constantly engaged in abjecting—that is, repelling or rejecting—substances from out of its illusory wholeness. Yet those substances are, or have been until recently, part of the living tissue of the self and are intimately engaged in its survival or reproduction: their retention in certain circumstances, however, is traumatic, and in many cases pathologically dangerous in a literal or physiological sense. The classical abject excretions of the body include, in no order of precedence, blood (which has long been regarded as subject to religious and moral taboos), tears, saliva, and perspiration.
Conventional psychoanalytic thought proposes the oppositional integrity of subject and object, thus maintaining a number of apparently logical mental boundaries between the two. Kristeva’s theory, however, sees the subject and the object not merely as terms locked in opposition to each other, but also as discrete identities in and of themselves. This reconfiguration has an inevitably radical effect on the boundaries through which the self effectively demarcates itself from its other. In questioning the reassuring wholeness and integrity of ego-identity, abjection effectively erodes these borders, and thus proposes that the other, the taboo, the desired but dangerous, may already form part of the self.
Kristeva suggests, moreover, that there exists a tense relationship between the body and the mind, and that certain excretions and secretions from the former cause psychological distress within the latter quite simply because they are graphic reminders of how the self and the other are intimate. The body, as it were, is constantly engaged in abjecting—that is, repelling or rejecting—substances from out of its illusory wholeness. Yet those substances are, or have been until recently, part of the living tissue of the self and are intimately engaged in its survival or reproduction: their retention in certain circumstances, however, is traumatic, and in many cases pathologically dangerous in a literal or physiological sense. The classical abject excretions of the body include, in no order of precedence, blood (which has long been regarded as subject to religious and moral taboos), tears, saliva, and perspiration.
Orifices are especially significant in this context, because they are themselves abject, being both part of the body and an entry into (or out of) its integrity—they represent, in other words, the very fragility of the boundary of self in such a way that unbroken skin could never. The boundaries that separate life and death are themselves psychoanalytically abject: the moment of birth is saturated with fluids and excretions, the child itself being one of these at the moment of its emergence, neither an independent being nor an unequivocal part of the mother.
Death, too, brings dissolution and a gateway into another state of being, be it an afterlife or extinction. When the corpse decomposes, of course, the perceiver is reminded that he or she, too, is corrupt, destined to dissolution, a potential source of disgust or infection for those who themselves will, in turn, eventually perceive the dead and abject self. There is more to the abject, therefore, than a simple reflex of distaste or disgust. Dracula, for example, is particularly concerned with the dissolution of boundaries, and its specific focus on blood as an icon of individual, racial, and sexual identity makes Bram Stoker’s novel a frequent reference point in criticism.
Hughes, W. (2012) Historical Dictionary of Gothic Literature. Plymouth: The Scarecrow Press
Wednesday, 2 October 2019
The Uncanny
The colloquial meaning of the word uncanny—denoting that which is supernatural or merely mysterious by known standards—has been eclipsed in Gothic criticism by a specific Freudian deployment of the term. In a 1919 essay titled “Das Unheimliche” (“The Uncanny”), Sigmund
Freud (1856–1939) distinguishes between the Heimlich (literally, “the homely,” and by implication, the familiar) and the Unheimlich (literally, “the unhomely,” and usually translated from the German as “the uncanny”).
The latter is capable of inducing fear precisely because it is not known or familiar to the perceiver, though Freud extends the range of fearfulness by suggesting that unknown (and thus fearful) things may lie concealed within the most familiar of environments, institutions, and individuals.
Thus, the Unheimlich may be an ambivalent, possibly occluded but certainly frightening, aspect or component of the Heimlich.
The Unheimlich is a concept that is widely applied in modern Gothic criticism because of the genre’s historical associations with the representation of concealment and deceit, its frequent recourse to dramatic modifications in character or behavior, and its effective interposition of the supernatural or the marvelous as a functional presence in the supposedly normal world.
Arguably, the most Unheimlich institution of all is the human body— always on display and yet concealing not merely its mechanisms but its projected disorders also. The body’s uneasy oscillation between health and illness, life and death, and its liminal status as nominally part of humanity yet individual in its destiny, also align it psychoanalytically with the whole mechanism of abjection.
Freud (1856–1939) distinguishes between the Heimlich (literally, “the homely,” and by implication, the familiar) and the Unheimlich (literally, “the unhomely,” and usually translated from the German as “the uncanny”).
The latter is capable of inducing fear precisely because it is not known or familiar to the perceiver, though Freud extends the range of fearfulness by suggesting that unknown (and thus fearful) things may lie concealed within the most familiar of environments, institutions, and individuals.
Thus, the Unheimlich may be an ambivalent, possibly occluded but certainly frightening, aspect or component of the Heimlich.
The Unheimlich is a concept that is widely applied in modern Gothic criticism because of the genre’s historical associations with the representation of concealment and deceit, its frequent recourse to dramatic modifications in character or behavior, and its effective interposition of the supernatural or the marvelous as a functional presence in the supposedly normal world.
Arguably, the most Unheimlich institution of all is the human body— always on display and yet concealing not merely its mechanisms but its projected disorders also. The body’s uneasy oscillation between health and illness, life and death, and its liminal status as nominally part of humanity yet individual in its destiny, also align it psychoanalytically with the whole mechanism of abjection.
Hughes, W. (2012) Historical Dictionary of Gothic Literature. Plymouth: The Scarecrow Press
Wednesday, 11 September 2019
Romanticism
The “Romantic Period” is usually taken to extend approximately from the outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789—or alternatively, from the publication of Lyrical Ballads in 1798—through the first three decades of the nineteenth century.
A movement in European art, aesthetics, literature, and philosophy, romanticism influenced popular as well as elite taste between the 1770s and the mid-19th century. A reaction to the controlled and implicitly secular and predictable world of the Enlightenment, Romantic thought drew on the energy and radicalism perceived in the early days of the French Revolution of 1789, and the lingering influence of the progressive politics exposed by the American War of Independence (1775–1783).
Romanticism is a movement premised on imagination and introspection rather than functionality and the collective mind. It values the selfconsciousness that comes with walking or thinking alone, and the wanderer who is “lonely as a cloud” in the verse of William Wordsworth has his literary parallel in the Gothic Hero who contemplates, alone and obsessively, his sins of excess, neglect, or incest. Such gloomy figures punctuate the Romantic poetry of Lord Byron in particular, but have their novelistic parallel in figures such as the monk Schedoni in The Italian by Ann Radcliffe or Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights (1847) by Emily Brontë.
The Romantic wanderer, though, may equally appreciate and be uplifted by the sublime scenery he encounters in his travels. This convention, certainly, is protracted from the Romantic and into the Gothic, where particularly in the 18th century, authors, most notably in the Female Gothic tradition, favored the spectacular geography of the European Continent. The Burkean Sublime, with its conventions of horror and (more emphatically) terror, may be associated in both Romantic and Gothic thought with an interest in the uncanny and the occult. Supernatural figures such as the ghost enjoy neither place nor function in Enlightenment thought, though they gain emblematic status as affirmations of the enduring mystery of the world even in the context of progressive modernity.
Characteristics:
1. The prevailing attitude favored innovation over traditionalism in the materials, forms, and style of literature.2. In his preface to Lyrical Ballads, Wordsworth repeatedly declared that good poetry is “the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings.” According to this view, poetry is not primarily a mirror of men in action; on the contrary, its essential component is the poet’s own feelings, while the process of composition, since it is “spontaneous,” is the opposite of the artful manipulation of means to foreseen ends stressed by the neoclassic critics.
3. To a remarkable degree external nature—the landscape, together with its flora and fauna—became a persistent subject of poetry, and was described with an accuracy and sensuous nuance unprecedented in earlier writers.
4. Romantic subjects were the poets themselves or other people, they were no longer represented as part of an organized society but, typically, as solitary figures engaged in a long, and sometimes infinitely elusive, quest; often they were also social nonconformists or outcasts. Many important Romantic works had as protagonist the isolated rebel, whether for good or ill: Prometheus, Cain, the Wandering Jew, the Satanic hero-villain, or the great outlaw.
5. What seemed to a number of political liberals the infinite social promise of the French Revolution in the early 1790s fostered the sense in Romantic writers that theirs was a great age of new beginnings and high possibilities. Many writers viewed a human being as endowed with limitless aspiration toward an infinite good envisioned by the faculty of imagination.
Abrams, M., Harpham, G. (2012) A Glossary of Literary Terms. Boston: Wadsworth
Hughes, W. (2012) Historical Dictionary of Gothic Literature. Plymouth: The Scarecrow Press
A movement in European art, aesthetics, literature, and philosophy, romanticism influenced popular as well as elite taste between the 1770s and the mid-19th century. A reaction to the controlled and implicitly secular and predictable world of the Enlightenment, Romantic thought drew on the energy and radicalism perceived in the early days of the French Revolution of 1789, and the lingering influence of the progressive politics exposed by the American War of Independence (1775–1783).
Romanticism is a movement premised on imagination and introspection rather than functionality and the collective mind. It values the selfconsciousness that comes with walking or thinking alone, and the wanderer who is “lonely as a cloud” in the verse of William Wordsworth has his literary parallel in the Gothic Hero who contemplates, alone and obsessively, his sins of excess, neglect, or incest. Such gloomy figures punctuate the Romantic poetry of Lord Byron in particular, but have their novelistic parallel in figures such as the monk Schedoni in The Italian by Ann Radcliffe or Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights (1847) by Emily Brontë.
The Romantic wanderer, though, may equally appreciate and be uplifted by the sublime scenery he encounters in his travels. This convention, certainly, is protracted from the Romantic and into the Gothic, where particularly in the 18th century, authors, most notably in the Female Gothic tradition, favored the spectacular geography of the European Continent. The Burkean Sublime, with its conventions of horror and (more emphatically) terror, may be associated in both Romantic and Gothic thought with an interest in the uncanny and the occult. Supernatural figures such as the ghost enjoy neither place nor function in Enlightenment thought, though they gain emblematic status as affirmations of the enduring mystery of the world even in the context of progressive modernity.
Characteristics:
1. The prevailing attitude favored innovation over traditionalism in the materials, forms, and style of literature.2. In his preface to Lyrical Ballads, Wordsworth repeatedly declared that good poetry is “the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings.” According to this view, poetry is not primarily a mirror of men in action; on the contrary, its essential component is the poet’s own feelings, while the process of composition, since it is “spontaneous,” is the opposite of the artful manipulation of means to foreseen ends stressed by the neoclassic critics.
3. To a remarkable degree external nature—the landscape, together with its flora and fauna—became a persistent subject of poetry, and was described with an accuracy and sensuous nuance unprecedented in earlier writers.
4. Romantic subjects were the poets themselves or other people, they were no longer represented as part of an organized society but, typically, as solitary figures engaged in a long, and sometimes infinitely elusive, quest; often they were also social nonconformists or outcasts. Many important Romantic works had as protagonist the isolated rebel, whether for good or ill: Prometheus, Cain, the Wandering Jew, the Satanic hero-villain, or the great outlaw.
5. What seemed to a number of political liberals the infinite social promise of the French Revolution in the early 1790s fostered the sense in Romantic writers that theirs was a great age of new beginnings and high possibilities. Many writers viewed a human being as endowed with limitless aspiration toward an infinite good envisioned by the faculty of imagination.
Abrams, M., Harpham, G. (2012) A Glossary of Literary Terms. Boston: Wadsworth
Hughes, W. (2012) Historical Dictionary of Gothic Literature. Plymouth: The Scarecrow Press
Pathetic Fallacy
A phrase invented by John Ruskin in 1856 to signify any representation of inanimate natural objects that ascribes to them human capabilities, sensations, and emotions.
The attribution of human feelings and responses to inanimate things or animals, especially in art and literature.
“Pathetic fallacy” is now used mainly as a neutral name for a procedure in which human traits are
ascribed to natural objects in a way that is less formal and more indirect than in the figure called personification.
The attribution of human feelings and responses to inanimate things or animals, especially in art and literature.
“Pathetic fallacy” is now used mainly as a neutral name for a procedure in which human traits are
ascribed to natural objects in a way that is less formal and more indirect than in the figure called personification.
Abrams, M., Harpham, G. (2012) A Glossary of Literary Terms. Boston: Wadsworth
Friday, 19 July 2019
Wednesday, 17 July 2019
Film: Mary Shelley
If you found Mary Shelley's life intriguing, you can watch this film based on her life.
Friday, 12 July 2019
Friday, 21 June 2019
Thursday, 20 June 2019
Assignment #1: Literary Essay P&P
Language and Culture III – Literary Essay
Choose ONE of the following tasks and develop it thoroughly in an essay.
It should include an introduction, the main body and a conclusion.
Develop the corresponding theory, and account for it quoting from the novel.
1. “Pride and Prejudice” is a novel about women who feel they have to marry to be happy. Taking Charlotte Lucas as an example, do you think the author is making a social criticism of her era’s view of marriage?
2. Define what power is according to the theory of Michel Foucault. Describe the struggle for power between two characters throughout the play.
3. Explain how social class determines the decisions that people make in “Pride and Prejudice”.
4. Explore Austen's portrayal of the women in the novel
5. Explore Austen's portrayal of the women in the novel. In what ways does she sympathize with their plight, and in what ways is she unsympathetic?
6. How are gender roles represented in the novel within Patriarchal Society?
7. How can characters' behaviour or narrative events be explained in terms of psychoanalytic concepts (Id, ego, superego)?
8. How do Elizabeth Bennet's ideas on marriage differ from social ideas? Which characters in the novel share Elizabeth's views of marriage and which characters reflect society's perspective? Expand on this theme.
9. How do Elizabeth's simplicity and independence represent an attack on the conservatism of characters like Lady Catherine De Bourgh?
10. How do the characters in the text mirror the archetypal figures? (Great Mother or nurturing Mother, Whore, destroying Crone, Lover, Destroying Angel)
11. How does “Pride and Prejudice” criticize customs of the period?
12. How is patriarchal society represented through discourse in “Pride and Prejudice”? Choose two characters from the play to illustrate your point.
13. How is the relationship between men and women portrayed?
14. In what ways does Austen show that family and community are responsible for its members?
15. What conflict can be seen between the values the novel champions and those it portrays?
16. What does the work reveal about the operations (economically, politically, socially, or psychologically) of patriarchy?
17. What elements of the text can be perceived as being masculine (active, powerful) and feminine (passive, marginalized) and how do the characters support these traditional roles?
18. Which social class does the novel “Pride and Prejudice” claim to represent?
Any other: ____________________________________________________________
Wednesday, 19 June 2019
Essay Writing
Introduction
Almost all students will at some time be expected to write an essay, or some other kind of argument, e.g. a review or discussion section, in a longer piece of writing. In English, an essay is a piece of argumentative writing several paragraphs long written about one topic, usually based on your reading. The aim of the essay should be deduced strictly from the wording of the title or question (See Academic Writing: Understanding the Question), and needs to be defined at the beginning. The purpose of an essay is for you to say something for yourself using the ideas of the subject, for you to present ideas you have learned in your own way. The emphasis should be on working with other people's ideas, rather than reproducing their words, but your own voice should show clearly. The ideas and people that you refer to need to made explicit by a system of referencing.
According to Linda Flower (1990, p. v), "students are reading to create a text of their own, trying to integrate information from sources with ideas of their own, and attempting to do so under the guidance of a purpose."
Organisation
Your essay should have the following sections:
1. Preliminaries: Title
2. Main Text: a) Introduction, b) Main Body, c) Conclusion.
3. End matter: References
1. Preliminaries: Title
2. Main Text: a) Introduction, b) Main Body, c) Conclusion.
3. End matter: References
Visit this website for more on this.
References:
Gillet, A. (2009). Genres in academic writing: Essays. Retrieved from: http://www.uefap.com/writing/writframgenre_essay.htm [22ns September, 2017)
Wednesday, 12 June 2019
Wednesday, 5 June 2019
Wednesday, 15 May 2019
Pride and Prejudice (Crash Course Literature)
"John Green talks about Pride and Prejudice as a product of Regency England, gives you a short biographical look at author Jane Austen, and familiarizes you with the web of human connections this book spins"
Friday, 26 April 2019
Wednesday, 10 April 2019
P&P: Getting started - Social Classes and Titles
Class difference was of course a fact of life for Austen, and an acute observation of the fine distinctions between one social level and another was a necessary part of her business as a writer of realistic fiction (Copeland, 1997: 115).
Although in her own life Austen did have some dealings with royalty, however mediated, when she was graciously invited to dedicate Emma to the Prince Regent, she never presents royalty in her fiction, nor any of the great aristocrats who still owned great tracts of the country, and were prominent in its government.(Copeland, 1997: 116).
Royalty (Your Majesty/ Your Highness)
Nobility (Lord/Lady)
Commoners (Sir/Lady, Mr/Mrs)
To distinguish a nobel lady from a non-noble lady, the first name of the noble women was used.
Eg: Lady Catherine de Bourgh is a noblewoman whereas Lady Lucas is the wife of a commoner.
Other Gentlemen (Mister or rank title such as Captain, Colonel)
References:
Copeland, E.; McManter, J. (1997) The Cambridge Companion to Jane Austen. Cambridge: CUP.
Warren, R. (2008). Rank and Class of the Regency Period. [Online] Retrieved from:
https://www.janeausten.org/rank-and-class.asp (Accessed, April 5th, 2019)
(2011) Titles and Precedence. An Explanation of English Titles. [Online] Retrieved from:https://www.janeausten.co.uk/titles-and-precedence/ (Accessed, April 5th, 2019)
Although in her own life Austen did have some dealings with royalty, however mediated, when she was graciously invited to dedicate Emma to the Prince Regent, she never presents royalty in her fiction, nor any of the great aristocrats who still owned great tracts of the country, and were prominent in its government.(Copeland, 1997: 116).
Royalty (Your Majesty/ Your Highness)
- King
- Queen
- Prince
- Princess
Nobility (Lord/Lady)
- Duke
- Duchess
- Marquis
- Marquise
- Earl
- Countess
- Viscount
- Viscountess
- Baron
- Baroness
Commoners (Sir/Lady, Mr/Mrs)
- Knight
- Landed gentry
- "Pseudo" gentry
To distinguish a nobel lady from a non-noble lady, the first name of the noble women was used.
Eg: Lady Catherine de Bourgh is a noblewoman whereas Lady Lucas is the wife of a commoner.
Other Gentlemen (Mister or rank title such as Captain, Colonel)
- Affluent businessmen
- Navy and army officers (Follow this link to know more about hierarchy within this group)
- Clergymen
References:
Copeland, E.; McManter, J. (1997) The Cambridge Companion to Jane Austen. Cambridge: CUP.
Warren, R. (2008). Rank and Class of the Regency Period. [Online] Retrieved from:
https://www.janeausten.org/rank-and-class.asp (Accessed, April 5th, 2019)
(2011) Titles and Precedence. An Explanation of English Titles. [Online] Retrieved from:https://www.janeausten.co.uk/titles-and-precedence/ (Accessed, April 5th, 2019)
Friday, 5 April 2019
Fanfic, participatory culture and Transmedia Storytelling
Fanfic is writing by fans who either want more of their favorite works; or who want more from their favorite works.
Students live in what Jenkins (2009: 5) named Participatory culture in which individuals are not mere consumers but prosumers.
Jenkins defines participatory culture as one with
1. relatively low barriers to artistic expression and civic engagement,
2. strong support for creating and sharing creations with others,
3. some type of informal mentorship whereby what is known by the most experienced is passed along to novices,
4. members who believe that their contributions matter, and
5. members who feel some degree of social connection with one another (at the least, they care what other people think about what they have created).
Thus, participatory culture is one possible road into meaningful, genuine and connected learning. We can lead our students to take an active role in this creative and decision making process. If we think of reading as sharing, meaning making, deconstructing, then we can exploit the potential for transmedia storytelling: "Transmedia stories at the most basic level are stories told across multiple media"(Jenkins 2009: 86). Eg: Pokemon (cartoon) Pokemon Go (videogame), Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and the vLOG "Lizzie Bennet's diaries", Breaking bad & Better Call Saul.
Transmedia storytelling represents a process where integral elements of a fiction get dispersed systematically across multiple delivery channels for the purpose of creating a unified and coordinated entertainment experience. Ideally, each medium makes it own unique contribution to the unfolding of the story.
Jenkins defines participatory culture as one with
1. relatively low barriers to artistic expression and civic engagement,
2. strong support for creating and sharing creations with others,
3. some type of informal mentorship whereby what is known by the most experienced is passed along to novices,
4. members who believe that their contributions matter, and
5. members who feel some degree of social connection with one another (at the least, they care what other people think about what they have created).
Thus, participatory culture is one possible road into meaningful, genuine and connected learning. We can lead our students to take an active role in this creative and decision making process. If we think of reading as sharing, meaning making, deconstructing, then we can exploit the potential for transmedia storytelling: "Transmedia stories at the most basic level are stories told across multiple media"(Jenkins 2009: 86). Eg: Pokemon (cartoon) Pokemon Go (videogame), Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and the vLOG "Lizzie Bennet's diaries", Breaking bad & Better Call Saul.
Transmedia storytelling represents a process where integral elements of a fiction get dispersed systematically across multiple delivery channels for the purpose of creating a unified and coordinated entertainment experience. Ideally, each medium makes it own unique contribution to the unfolding of the story.
By Henry Jenkins
(Find out more about this topic here)
To commemorate the 200th anniversary of the death of Jane Austen in 2017, the BBC looked at how Mr Darcy might fare on Tinder. You can read the article here.
Jenkins, H. (2009) Confronting the challenges of Participatory Culture. Massachusetts: MIT Press.
Scolari, C. A. (2009). Transmedia storytelling: Implicit consumers, narrative worlds, and branding in contemporary media production. International Journal of Communication, 3, 586-606. Retrieved from http://ijoc.org/ojs/index.php/ijoc/article/viewFile/477/336. Sutherland, J. (2011) How Literature Works. 50 Key Concepts. New York: Oxford University Press.
Scolari, C. A. (2009). Transmedia storytelling: Implicit consumers, narrative worlds, and branding in contemporary media production. International Journal of Communication, 3, 586-606. Retrieved from http://ijoc.org/ojs/index.php/ijoc/article/viewFile/477/336. Sutherland, J. (2011) How Literature Works. 50 Key Concepts. New York: Oxford University Press.
Jane Austen's life
Be Careful!
Videos may contain spoilers...
You may want to watch the film "Becoming Jane" to get an idea of the period Jane Austen lived.
Don't take all that is said too seriously.
You can read this article about Thomas Lefroy, ....Austen's first love?
Videos may contain spoilers...
You may want to watch the film "Becoming Jane" to get an idea of the period Jane Austen lived.
Don't take all that is said too seriously.
You can read this article about Thomas Lefroy, ....Austen's first love?
Friday, 22 March 2019
Wednesday, 31 October 2018
Themes in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Women and Femininity
Religion
Female characters in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde seem to be passive and weak. The firstone to appear is a young girl trampledover by Mr. Hyde. Although she is "not much the worse, more frightened,"she still shouts and people come to help her. The next woman is a maid who is a witness to Carew's murder. After witnessing the murder, she faints, awakening long after the murderer is gone. She is a passive spectator. There is much speculation as to the reasons for the absence of females in the story; one particularly compelling argument is that women function as moral bedrocks in most Victorian novels. They’re supposed to be beacons of good moral influence. In Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde therefore, women may have unnecessarily complicated the story.
Religion
God and Satan figure prominently in this text, as well as many general references to religion and works of charity. As part of their intellectual lives, the men in the novel discuss various religious works. One sign of Mr. Hyde’s wickedness, for example, is his defacing Dr. Jekyll’s favorite religious work. Mr. Hyde is also frequently likened to Satan.
Violence
This novel details two crimes of violence against innocent and helpless citizens: first, a little girl, and second, an elderly man. The violence in the novel centers on Mr. Hyde, and raises the question as to whether or not violence is an inherent part of man’s nature.
Lies and Deceit
In Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the plot is frequently driven forward by secrecy and deception; Mr. Utterson doesn’t know the relationship between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and he wants to find out. Also, by omitting the scenes of Mr. Hyde’s supposedly crazy debauchery, Stevenson allows our imaginations to run to wild and eerie places.
Curiosity
In Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, curiosity drives the characters to seek knowledge. This curiosity is either suppressed or fulfilled in each character. Curiosity lacks any negative connotation; instead, characters who do not actively seek to unravel the Jekyll and Hyde mystery may be viewed as passive or weak. Finally, the characters’ curiosities are, to some degree, transferred over to the reader; we seek to solve the puzzle along with Mr. Utterson.
Appearances/Reputation
Appearances figure in the novel both figuratively and literally. Dr. Jekyll definitely wants to keep up a well-respected façade, even though he has a lot of unsavory tendencies. In a literal sense, the appearances of buildings in the novel reflect the character of the building’s inhabitants. Dr. Jekyll has a comfortable and well-appointed house, but Mr. Hyde spends most of his time in the "dingy windowless structure" of the doctor’s laboratory. Other disreputable quarters of London are described as well, the stomping ground of Mr. Hyde.
Friendship
Friendship in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde serves to drive the plot forward. Aside from human curiosity, Mr. Utterson is compelled to uncover the mystery of the evil man because of his friendship with Dr. Jekyll. In trying to unravel the secret, his many friendships deliver crucial pieces of information. In this sense, friendship acts as both a motivator and an enabler. As for the friendship between Dr. Lanyon and Dr. Jekyll, it’s certainly not as unconditional as the loyalty Mr. Utterson bears for Dr. Jekyll. Instead, it’s fraught with competition, anger, and eventually an irreconcilable quarrel. We see that friendships can be ruined by differences of opinion.
Repression
Repression is indisputably a cause of troubles in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The repression here is that of Victorian England: no sexual appetites, no violence, and no great expressions of emotion, at least in the public sphere. Everything is sober and dignified, and you’re really not supposed to be happy. (That would somehow take away from your focus on morality). The more Dr. Jekyll’s forbidden appetites are repressed, the more he desires the life of Mr. Hyde, and the stronger Mr. Hyde grows. This is clearly demonstrated after Dr. Jekyll’s two-month hiatus from donning the visage of Mr. Hyde; Dr. Jekyll finds that the pull to evil has been magnified after months of repression.
Good vs. Evil
Good vs. evil is basically the novel’s biggest theme. More specifically, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is easily viewed as an allegory about the good and evil that exist in all men, and about our struggle with these two sides of the human personality. In this book, then, the battle between good and evil rages within the individual. The question is which is superior. Since Hyde seems to be taking over, one could argue that evil is stronger than good. However, Hyde does end up dead at the end of the story, perhaps suggesting a weakness or failure of evil. The big question, of course, is whether or not good can be separated from evil, or whether the two are forever intertwined.
Shmoop Editorial Team. (2008, November 11). Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Theme of Women and Femininity. Retrieved November 11, 2018, from https://www.shmoop.com/jekyll-and-hyde/women-femininity-theme.html
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