Alexandre Dumas's timeless classic, The Count of Monte Cristo
Jamie Philliposian 11-30-02 World Lit. Honors The Count of Monte Cristo: Question 3: Danglars In Alexandre Dumas's timeless classic, The Count of Monte Cristo, Edmond Dantes, the story's protagonist, is wrongly convicted of being a Bonapartist agent who gave Napoleon, who was at the time being exiled on the island of Elba, information which could help free him and allow him to retake the thrown in France. Four characters in the novel are responsible for Dantes's conviction. He was sentenced to prison at the Chateau d'If, a notorious jail of the coast of Marseille, France, the town where the novel begins. After fourteen years of imprisonment, Dantes escapes. Thanks to a fellow inmate he was able to find a hidden treasure that made him rich. Dantes became the Count of Monte Cristo and began to afflict retribution on the evil men that made him the innocent victim of treachery. Danglars, the main antagonist responsible for Dantes's imprisonment, is slowly tortured. Dantes uses his vast powers to exploit Danglars's weakness, greed, and inflict retribution. Dantes finds out through Caderousse, another one of Dantes's enemies, that Danglars was the mastermind of his incarceration. Danglars was the one that wrote the letter that falsely accused Dantes. He also lured Fernand and Caderousse in to be his accomplices. Dantes imprisonment ruined his life and everything that
How does Auden portray his grief and loss in Funeral Blues?
How does Auden portray his grief and loss in Funeral Blues? The poem Funeral Blues is about the death of the poet's very close lover, we are not sure exactly who this person is but the poet was obviously close to him. The poet expresses his deepest feelings in the poem by trying to stop everything in the world while he grieves for the death of his lover My first impression of the poem is that this poem is a lot easier to understand compared to "The Voice" and it had more meaning to it. It also felt like it wasn't a story compared to "The Voice" its more of an assertive poem. The poet Auden uses fast flowing stanzas that make the poem seem urgent and assertive. Where as the stanzas in The Voice use language that is slow and that lacked urgency. The poem seems to have been written very soon after the death of the lover and before the funeral has taken place. "Bring out the coffin" this tells the reader that the funeral has not yet taken place. The poem also suggests that it was written later than the Victorian times, in the 20th century as the poet mentions the use of telephones and aeroplanes "cut off the telephone," "Let aeroplane circle" This tells us it must have been around the 20th century as they didn't have aeroplanes and telephones before that time. This poem has a more modern attitude to death as in Victorian times people would often die young as a result of
Ann Radcliffe's The Italian
You should focus on The Monk OR The Italian OR Northanger Abbey [In each of the questions below there are in effect three elements: (a) the particular passage from the text, (b) the text itself, and (c) the key term. You should develop an account of the key term through a close reading of the passage, which should in turn be considered within the context of the novel as a whole. If you're not sure how to go about doing this, or it is not clear what is wanted, please discuss your essay with your tutor.] 3. With close reference to the following passage, write on the Gothic villain OR the heroine of sensibility OR feminine Gothic OR the role of terror in The Italian.== CHAP. IX., vol 2 Ellena, aroused by a man's voice, started from her mattress, when, perceiving Schedoni, and by the pale glare of the lamp, his haggard countenance, she shrieked, and sunk back on the pillow. She had not fainted; and believing that he came to murder her, she now exerted herself to plead for mercy. The energy of her feelings enabled her to rise and throw herself at his feet. 'Be merciful, O father! be merciful!' said she, in a trembling voice. 'Father!' interrupted Schedoni, with earnestness; and then, seeming to restrain himself, he added, with unaffected surprise, 'Why are you thus terrified?' for he had lost, in new interests and emotions, all consciousness of evil intention, and of the
Frailty, thy name is woman(TM)(TM) A.C Bradley has judged Gertrude to be a weak and unfaithful wife(TM)(TM) How far do you agree with this perception of her?
''Frailty, thy name is woman'' A.C Bradley has judged Gertrude to be a ''weak and unfaithful wife'' How far do you agree with this perception of her? Shakespeare's Gertrude has been perceived in various ways throughout the centuries due to changes in society and the changing view of women's status. A range of critics have interpreted the character of Gertrude in their own way, A.C Bradley believes her to be a ''dull and very shallow''1 woman who is content to please others. However this view that A.C Bradley has generated may be due to the Victorian patriarchal society he lived in. Women were seen as subservient to men and the general expectations of women were to live in the domestic sphere. Furthermore A.C Bradley's view on Gertrude may have been influenced by the Victorian queen who mourned the death of her husband till her own death, which contrasts with Gertrude who has an ''o'er-hasty'' marriage after King Hamlet's death. In contrast to A.C Bradley, Rebecca Smith a modern critic has a more positive perspective of Gertrude. Having lived through a feminist period, Smith argues against the traditional presentation of Gertrude and believes her to be ''a soft, obedient, dependent, unimaginative woman''2 who has divided loyalties to Claudius and Hamlet. Another critic Lisa Jardine is sympathetic towards Gertrude and comments on how she is a key character despite having very
A Critical Analysis of 'The Yellow Wallpaper' by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
A Critical Analysis of 'The Yellow Wallpaper' by Charlotte Perkins Gilman 'The Yellow Wallpaper' written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a riveting story of a dejected woman locked away as if she were insane. Her passion is to write and by doing so we are able to follow her on a journey in which she is victimized by those closest to her. The significance of the story is tremendous as it delves into the underlying issues of 'a woman's place' and feminism in the 19th century. The story not only gave an insight into the public perception of mental illness but it later caused a famous psychiatrist, Silas Weir Mitchell to alter his treatment of neurasthema. As the story begins, the woman-whose name we never learn-tells of her depression and how it is dismissed by her husband and brother who are both medical practitioners. "You see, he does not believe I am sick! And what can one do?" We are able to see that the narrator has maintained the traditional patriarchal feelings, as many women and men did in 19th century, where women are discouraged from venturing out of their 'given sphere', due to the political makeup of the era. It becomes apparent that her mind was alluding to this point by the way she speaks about her husband, "John laughs at me, of course, but one expects that." The structure of this sentence highlights the male laughing and the woman acquiescing, showed by the
In what ways does Gaskell negotiate the relationship between classes and individuals in the opening chapters of the novel?
In what ways does Gaskell negotiate the relationship between classes and individuals in the opening chapters of the novel? Throughout North and South, Elizabeth Gaskell portrays the relationships between various characters on either sides of the evident class dichotomy that exists all through the novel. Gaskell uses various individuals to portray different opinions and perspectives of this divide. Thereby presenting similarities and differences through common ground and differing views on the many issues on display within the novel itself. Elizabeth uses the individuals to transmute one another's perceptions or indeed misconceptions of each other in ways that shall be explained. One can initially point to Margaret as an individual who is used to negotiate the class divide throughout the opening chapters of North and South. The title itself and the change of title from "Margaret Hale" to "North and South" shows the importance of the heroine, Margaret in breaking the divide between "North and South". In Chapter One Margaret begins as a member of Shaw household, an upper middle-class family then progresses to the Hales, her true parents who are lower in social status and wealth. This shows the nature of Margaret's character early on and how she shall in time progress further and negotiate between classes in greater depth. This continues immediately with her new life in Milton,
The theme of the Gothic in Rebecca
Name: Student Number: Unit: Gender and Gothic Literature. Unit Number: 84523217 Unit Leader: Dr John Sears. Date: Title: "As I have already argued, gothic fiction need not be horrific and horror fiction need not be gothic... Daphne Du Maurier's book Rebecca, which invokes both the wild wood and labyrinthine versions of the gothic and emphasises the monstrosity without once being other than a disguised novel of domestic relations itself without interest in the supernatural except for atmosphere' (Botting. Page 9) Discuss Fred Botting's view of presence that is created in Rebecca.' 'I declare that this is my own work and that I have followed the code of good academic conduct and have sought, where necessary, advice and guidance in the proper presentation of my work.' Signature:.......................... Date:...................... "As I have already argued, gothic fiction need not be horrific and horror fiction need not be gothic... Daphne Du Maurier's book Rebecca, which invokes both the wild wood and labyrinthine versions of the gothic and emphasises the monstrosity without once being other than a disguised novel of domestic relations itself without interest in the supernatural except for atmosphere.'(Botting. Page 9) Discuss Fred Botting's view of presence that is created in Rebecca.' 'Originating as one of the novel's major forms in the late eighteenth century
Heart of Darkness
Consider the way Conrad uses and presents the effects of nature on man in Heart of Darkness. In the course of your answer you should refer to Cormac McCarthy's The Road. In Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness' we follow Charles Marlow's journey into the African interior, travelling on a French steamer along the (unnamed) Congo on an assignment for a Belgian trading company to locate Kurtz, an ivory trader and agent, and bring him back. Conrad describes the effects of this journey through the wild natural wilderness of the African jungle, where Marlow witnesses the injustices and cruelties of colonialism, on Marlow and it also acts as a metaphor for his own internal journey into the self. He refers to "the overwhelming realities of this strange world of plant, water and silence" and adds "It was the stillness of an implacable force brooding over an inscrutable intention" (pg.49.) The African landscape is at once fascinating and threatening "an appeal or... a menace" (p.42.) Nature untamed is presented as a force that man is too small to comprehend. Thus the title is symbolic as it refers not only to the journey itself but also for the central darkness Kurtz discovers within himself, once he is removed from 'civilisation.' Nature is a primeval, mysterious enigma that swallows light and sound, rationality and language, imprisoning them deep within its immense folds. It also speaks to
The Fall of the House of Usher - Edgar Allen Poe
Comment closely on the opening of "the Fall of the House of Usher", paying particular attention to the Gothic elements of the text. Poe is known for his gothic type stories written in the nineteenth century. Amongst the many of his works came "The Fall of the House of Usher". From begining to end, the story is showered with gothic effect, structure wise and in the context of the story itself. One of the larger aspects of the gothic feature in this particular story is the realisation that one of the main characters in this story is haunted by a mental illness. The narrator recieves a letter from Roderick Usher claiming "of a mental disorder which opressed him". This fact is one of the first we discover about Usher and this causes a sense of mystery due to the lack if information we have on Usher's personality. Peter Schaffer's play 'Equus', is presented in the same way, with as little information on one of the lead characters 'Alan Strang' and just the knowledge that he is mentally disturbed causing a similar effect as to the one Poe imposes on the reader. Furthermore, this makes the idea of his mental illness somehow significant in it's presentation to us and perhaps outlines that it will be an important asset to the story. A further sense of suspicion is raised when the reader discovers it had been multiple years since the narrator and Usher had seen or even spoken to one
The story of Sredni Vasthar is one of oppression and conflict. Set in the Edwardian period, the social context of the story is that of a family of wealth and middle class values.
The story of Sredni Vasthar is one of oppression and conflict. Set in the Edwardian period, the social context of the story is that of a family of wealth and middle class values. This aspect of the Edwardian society was seen to be rigid and more concerned on maintaining their status. In this essay I intend to show the reader how the use of language affects the conflict as a whole. The opening paragraph supplies the reader with enough information so that we are automatically made to feel sympathy towards Conradin as well as involving the reader in the story 'The doctor had pronounced his professional opinion that the boy would not live another five years'. This shows the reader that he is terminally ill, which is the reason for our immediate sympathy. Later on in the paragraph, we learn that he is an orphan in the care of his Cousin. We are made aware of the fact that his cousin and guardian Mrs De Ropp frequently uses his condition as a justification to coerce him. We are given an indication of her feelings towards her treatment of her nephew: thwarting him 'for his good' was a duty which she did not find particularly irksome. Learning about the tyranny of Mrs De Ropp makes the reader even more sympathetic towards Conradin's plight. This oppression that Conradin experiences at the hands of Mrs De Ropp, is the main conflict in this story. He manages to find solace in his