The Mayor of Casterbridge - Chapter Summaries
Chapter 1: Summary: The novel opens in the early part of the nineteenth century. One summer evening, a young family is walking towards the village of Weydon-Priors, in the region of England known as Wessex. From the beginning, it is obvious that something is strange about this family. Although the man, woman, and child are not poorly dressed, the dirt that has collected on them during their journey makes them look shabby. In addition, the man and woman do not regard each other at all, even though they are clearly traveling together. Eventually the family stops to rest. While they rest, a turnip-hoer speaks to them. From him, the family learns that there is no work and no housing available in Weydon-Priors; however, since it is Fair Day, there is some excitement in the village. The family goes to the fair-field, but ignores all the goings-on in favor of finding food. They decided to stop in a furmity tent, a place where they can buy some pudding. The man demands some liquor for his furmity, and drinks it lustily, ignoring his wife's pleas for lodging. Soon the man, who has been called Michael, complains loudly about his marriage and his poverty. Outside, Michael hears an auction of horses, and he wonders why men can't sell their wives at auction. Some people inside the tent actually respond favorably to this question, and Michael openly offers his wife for sale (with the
Argue that the theory of common sense structures provides an important and hitherto unappreciated link between early Gestalt psychology on the one hand and contemporary developments in philosophy and in artificial intelligence research on the other.
Introduction In the works of Aristotle or of the medievals, as also in the writings of later common-sense philosophers such as Thomas Reid or G. E. Moore, we find a family of different attempts to come to grips with the structures of common sense and of the common-sense world that is given to us in normal, pre-theoretical experience. We shall argue in what follows that the theory of such structures provides an important and hitherto unappreciated link between early Gestalt psychology on the one hand and contemporary developments in philosophy and in artificial intelligence research on the other. The notion of providing an adequate theory of the common-sense world has been taken seriously of late above all by those, such as Patrick Hayes or Kenneth Forbus, who see in such a theory of what they call `naive' or `qualitative physics' the foundations of future practical successes in robotics.(2) This naive physics is, however, like cognitive science in general, in a state of flux, and a serious philosophical investigation of its presuppositions and achievements has hardly been attempted. Yet it is already at this stage possible to point to a certain apparent defect or one-sidedness of current research in this field that is due to the predominant assumption that it is set theory and related instruments of ontology that are to provide the basis for naive-physical theorizing. The
How does Jane Austen present the themes of love and marriage in the novel Emma?
Emma Question: How does Jane Austen present the themes of love and marriage in the novel Emma? Answer: Jane Austen's novels incorporate her observations on the manners of her time and class, and while they often relate courtship, love, and marriage, Austen herself never married. In the essay below I will be discussing how the author, Jane Austen, presents the themes of love and marriage in the novel Emma. The novel Emma is about a young woman who is interested in matchmaking. Emma is the central character, who is the daughter of wealthy gentleman, her mother died when she was young leaving her to be brought up by Miss Taylor. The novel is essentially a story of how Emma matures from a clever young woman to a more modest and considerate woman. By using Emma as the central character, using authorial comments, beginning the novel with an example of what makes a perfect marriage and through couples who get married and couples who might have got married, Austen has chosen to present the themes of love and marriage. At the novels beginning Jane Austen introduces things she sees as the fundamentals of a marriage, which are always echoing in the back. In the first chapter the novel's title character, Emma Woodhouse is introduced. She is the youngest of two daughters. She has no mother and a father who imposes no limits on her behaviour or self-satisfaction. While her mother died
Jane Austen said of Emma 'she is a character who no-one but myself will much like.' Examine the idea of Emma as a likeable character.
Emma - Jane Austen~ Jane Austen said of Emma 'she is a character who no-one but myself will much like.' Examine the idea of Emma as a likeable character. On deciding my opinion of Emma from what I have perceived of her, I took into account the different influences when reading it. In the period when the book was written, the character of Emma would have been disliked by the audience whoever read it in Austen's time would have felt she is headstrong and could have been seen as a woman who rebels against society. This is shown in the novel when she is speaking to Mr. Elton and refusing his proposal, "believe me, sir, I am far, very far, from gratified in being the object of such professions." In this time women were influenced by society to marry for wealth in order to secure their future. The author's opinion on Emma is "she is a character who no-one but myself will much like." However these very same characteristics would be viewed by the modern world as acceptable because more women in today's society are found to be more independent and are headstrong. Reading through the book at different points, we can see the many flaws and strengths Emma has a character. As a reader we notice how she is a loyal friend and considerate both towards Harriet and her father Mr. woodhouse. But we also see how she can be manipulative to Harriet and thoughtless to miss bates "it was as much as
The Overnight Visit.
The Overnight Visit I had just arrived in time for dinner when I drove up to the old house. Elizabeth had been given the hotel in her great aunt's will. She had invited me and two of our friends Anne and Paul, to come over for a barbecue and to stay the night. Elizabeth rang me on the way saying that it was going to rain so we would have to have the barbecue inside, under the grill. The house had grey stonework on the front. At the side you could see very old bricks, concealed by thin wiry branches of some kind of climber that had grown almost to the moss-covered roof. I remember thinking how strange it was that the climber hadn't got any leaves on it in the middle of spring. I could then see that it was dead. A rusty sign hung over the door; I couldn't make out what it said, but I guessed it had the name of the hotel on it. Below it was a brand new black door. I brought out my bag from the boot. The sun was setting behind the house and everything had a pale orange glow. There was a slight bitterness in the air and I felt quite cold. I suddenly felt a few drops of rain on my face. I looked up as the clouds burst with their weight and the rain came down in buckets. The pale orange glow that everything had, turned dull and grey. I rushed to the door, fortunately Elizabeth opened it and I ran in. "I made it," I said "We almost gave up hope. Here, give me your coat."
The various portrayals of heroines in Jane Austen's novels as well as investigate, who is a heroine and what makes a heroine.
The various portrayals of heroines in Jane Austen's novels as well as investigate, who is a heroine and what makes a heroine. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a heroine as: 'A woman distinguished by exalted courage, fortitude, or noble achievements.' The novels of the 1790's presented two types of heroine, the heroine who is fallible and learns, and the heroine who is Christian and exemplary. These were the standard heroine types of the reactionary novels of the 1790's. But there are many other traits and qualities which can also be possessed by a woman to be described as a heroine. For example it is the fate of the romantic heroine to suffer and endure. There are many stereotypical heroines perhaps the most famous being Cinderella. This is a very good example, as she embodies all that is expected of a typical heroine- she is beautiful, morally right and kind and suffers at the hands of others. However other authors of the period present typical heroines as passive, weak and meek. Fanny Burney's Cecilia (1782) sees the character of Cecilia never straying from the standards of female obedience and submission. Austen wanted to break with the Burney tradition of vulnerable, but noble-minded heroines. Radical novelists of the eighties and nineties like Mary Hays and Mary Wollstonecraft for the most part produced heroines like Emma Courtney (1796) or Maria (1798).
An exploration of Jane Austen's use of the outdoors in Emma
An exploration of Jane Austen's use of the outdoors in Emma This essay explores the different uses of the outdoors in Emma. It also briefly touches on Austen's Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion. It examines the way Austen subtly uses the attitudes of various characters towards the outdoors to reflect their levels of self-awareness and perception. Emma herself is deluded and snobbish, and she views the outdoors as a tool for her matchmaking, whilst Mr Knightley is much more perceptive and self-aware, and both uses the countryside in farming and enjoys it, cultivating a tasteful garden in Donwell Abbey. The other main function of the outdoors is to aid Austen in contrasting the two principal relationships by the setting in which they begin. Emma's gradual romantic awakening takes place in the countryside, where proper society's morals reign, but Jane Fairfax gets engaged to Frank Churchill in the traditionally debauched setting of the seaside town of Weymouth, keeping the relationship secret for months and deceiving those around them. There are parallels to be found in some of Austen's other novels, with both Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion featuring inappropriate seaside romance. Austen seems to condemn the decadent morals of the young people who frequent seaside resorts, and by implication seems to approve of the genteel country manners displayed by characters such as
Textual Readings
English In Australia 133 TEXTUAL READINGS TWO APPROACHES TO READING PRACTICES Alex Guthrie Palm Beach-Currumbin State High This paper presents the two of the four main reading approaches to reading a text. In this paper, Jane Austen's novel Emma will be used to demonstrate these approaches; providing a detailed description into both reading practice, including reader-centred and author-centred. As it is now widely acknowledged that no text is neutral, these practices are one way of conceptualising changes in the theories and practices of literary study that have occurred during the twentieth century. Each approach is characterised by particular assumptions and values and therefore places greater or lesser emphasis on the interactions that occur between both the author and the reader as we read. To justify these approaches, I have also used defenses. Reader-Centred Approach Since its release in the early years of the nineteenth century, the novel Emma has never ceased to impress and intrigue. While being criticised for its lack of action and development, the novel, I found, provides the reader with a remarkably accurate and surprisingly hilarious portrayal of life in the upper middle class during the Victorian period. With the ability to one minute have me ready to pull out my hair and the next be in hysterics as Jane Austen repeatedly pokes fun at the characters and
What Comparisons and/or Contrasts can be made between the two short stories, ''Horse Sense'' and ''The Three Sisters''?
What Comparisons and/or Contrasts can be made between the two short stories, ''Horse Sense'' and ''The Three Sisters''? Although ''Horse Sense'' written by Deborah Moggach, and ''The Three Sisters'' written by Jane Austen are both short stories, many comparisons and differences can be seen, one being that the stories were written at different times. ''The Three Sisters'' was written in the late nineteenth century and ''Horse Sense'' was written in the late twentieth century. Time has an immense influence on both stories. The reason for some of the similarities or differences is because of the period in which the stories were written. It can be seen that time is passing in both stories. In ''Horse Sense'' time has passed and this is shown when Eric's neck is ''getting browner'' because the summer is getting even hotter. Time is passing when each of the letters are being written. The day on which the letter is written is shown above the letter therefore, the reader can see how many days have passed between the time when the previous letter was written and the one that is being read. Mary is presented to be very self-centred by Jane Austen. In the first letter from Mary, ''I'' is used repeatedly throughout the letter showing how she is constantly talking about her life to Fanny. Mary does not ask any questions about how Fanny is in her letters. In contrast the narrator in
World Literature Paper: One Hundred Years of Solitude.
One Hundred Years of Solitude is simply an extraordinary work. In a couple of hundred pages it sums up the concept of the "ambiguousities of life." This novel is unique because it is able portray this concept through an actual story line plot rather than just blatantly spelling it out for the reader. If one has ever read The Odyssey by Homer, which I will add is considered an epic, we can easily compare One Hundred Years of Solitude to this. In The Odyssey, Homer uses a clever plot to portray a concept that is sublime to the actual story line. By doing this he is able to make people truly think about the novel and what it means to them. People are naturally different; each person is able to gain something new and different from the book every time they read it. There are also very complex emotions that this novel is able to create for the reader. The story and its characters are quite comical and creative while the true demeanor of the book is ironic and tragic. The emotions that are portrayed create a sense of surrealism throughout the novel. The literary term is known as "magic realism." One could say that Gabriel Garcia Marquez is Dali with a pen and a pad instead of a brush and canvas. By using the underlying concept of the "ambiguousities of life" along with intense, surreal yet somewhat plausible emotions, this novel does, in fact, have something very insightful and
