How does Shelley present the idea of Monsters and Monstrosity in Frankenstein?
How does Shelley present the idea of Monsters and Monstrosity in Frankenstein? Monster [mon-ster]: 1) a person who excites horror by wickedness or cruelty 2) any animal or human grotesquely deviating from the normal shape, behaviour, or character. The most common definition of a 'monster' is that of an animal or human grotesquely deviating from the normal shape, behaviour, or character, yet the term could also relate to a person who excites horror by wickedness or cruelty; these terms are both applied within the novel, 'Frankenstein' by Mary Shelley. Possibly the most obvious links are: the first definition to the creation, commonly perceived as the 'monster', and the second to the creator himself, Victor Frankenstein. Her strong literary background having two established authors as parents, leading her to be deeply involved in Romantic/Gothic literature, heavily influenced Shelley's works. Most notably in the novel she inherits themes from 'Paradise Lost' by John Milton. This was her inspiration to write the dark and twisted tale of 'Frankenstein'. In the novel the way monsters and monstrosity are depicted are through the descriptions of the characters. Doctor Frankenstein is described using unusual and inhuman adjectives. For example, 'My cheek and grown pale' and 'my person had become emaciated'. Pale is a word that we would refer to ill, or unwell, or even to that of
Write about some of the ways Fitzgerald tells the story in Chapter 1
Fitzgerald uses a first-person retrospective narrator in Nick to allow the employment of a partially-involved story combined with his reflective perceptions on situations. Fitzgerald builds Nick's perceptions as fickle, having him claim 'I'm inclined to reserve all judgements' yet quickly contradicts this trait as he tells 'the intimate revelations of young men' are 'marred by obvious suppressions'. By Fitzgerald doing this, the audience are given an immediate opinion on Nick, realising he is likely to be inconsistent and an unreliable narrator. Fitzgerald highlights this by his ambivalence towards Gatsby, having him claim 'there was something gorgeous about him' yet describing his 'unaffected scorn' towards him. Fitzgerald also makes it clear Nick is a self-conscious story teller, telling himself 'after boasting this way of my tolerance' to allow the basis of Nick's reliability to be questioned throughout the novel. Fitzgerald has Nick go over what he is written to make it seem obvious that he is selecting events and words, such as claiming Gatsby 'had vanished' to make the chapter seem more dramatic. As the reader currently knows little about Gatsby's character, Nick's unexpected description of his disappearance at the end makes Gatsby seem more gripping, building the reader's anticipation of his entrance. Therefore, any of the events throughout the chapter are to be
Write about some of the ways Fitzgerald tells the story in Chapter 7
Fitzgerald uses a semantic field of references to heat to build the tension at the start of the chapter. Fitzgerald has Nick claim 'the next day was broiling' whilst saying it was 'the warmest' of the summer. Fitzgerald has Nick use the superlative to suggest that the events in the chapter will be significant as those around Nick 'perspired' and 'simmered', The build up of tension allows the chapter to contribute to the novel's form as an American Tragedy, with the build up of heat preparing the reader for Gatsby's seemingly inevitable downfall. This tension is displayed by Fitzgerald through the use of Nick's commentary on various pieces of speech, telling Tom's 'temper cracked a little' and telling how the butler 'roared'. Fitzgerald uses this technique to make it clear to the reader that the chapter is significant in creating Gatsby's tragedy, with the day being 'too hot' causing 'trembling' between the characters. Fitzgerald also chooses not to place any of Gatsby's history in the chapter, unlike previous chapters before it, to show the significance of the current events in shaping Gatsby's future due to the murder of Myrtle. Fitzgerald uses the voice of Michaelis to describe Myrtle's death, allowing a blunt description without emotion. Before Michaelis' account, Fitzgerald has Nick use a prolepsis claiming 'so we drove on toward death'. This makes it clear to the reader
HOW DOES FITZGERALD TELL THE STORY IN CHAPTER 1 OF THE GREAT GATSBY?
"HOW DOES FITZGERALD TELL THE STORY IN CHAPTER 1 OF 'THE GREAT GATSBY'?" The opening chapter of any novel is fundamental in setting the tone for that which follows it: Fitzgerald therefore ensures that the first chapter of the 'The Great Gatsby' firmly imprints certain key themes into the mind of the reader, using a variety of devices to do so. The very first thing that Fitzgerald makes clear to the reader is the perspective from which the novel will be presented. From the first sentence, it is plain that there is a first person narrator, meaning that the narration will opinionated and cannot be taken as fact. The narrator is a man called Nick Carraway, and the first thing the reader learns about him is something which his father told him when he was younger, which he has been "turning over in (his) mind ever since" (i.e. something essential to our understanding of his views and actions: a core part of his psyche). This turns out be his father telling him that "all the people in the world haven't had the advantages that (he has) had". As a consequence of this advice, Nick tells is, he has always been "inclined to reserve all judgements", showing the reader that he will not tend to present his views on a person before he has had a chance to learn more about them. This appears to make him an ideal narrator for a story, because all of his views will be given after
Discuss the effectiveness of the opening chapter of Fitzgerald’s ‘the Great Gatsby’.
DISCUSS THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE OPENING CHAPTEROF FITZGERALD'S 'THE GREAT GATSBY' In order to discuss the effectiveness of an opening chapter it is first necessary to outline what defines an effective first chapter. Undoubtedly it is essential that we be given a 'feel' for the book, a clear sense of the writers' style. Moreover it is within this section we would expect to be introduced to the main characters of the novel and hints as to what may happen next. Finally it is equally important the author describes the setting; both of the physical surroundings and references that allow us to place the text in terms of time and place. In the first chapter Fitzgerald sets up a first person narrator, Nick Carraway, who is omniscient due to his seemingly non-judgmental nature. Within the opening paragraph Carraway informs us he is "inclined to reserve all judgments" and as a result is "privy to the secret griefs of wild, unknown men". Consequently we are able to witness interesting revelations as Nick "opens up many curious natures" which enhances the effectiveness of the opening chapter. Some admissions add to our enjoyment of the book for example Daisy tells a humorous, anecdotal "family secret...about the butler's nose". Other disclosures expose more of the characters. This is evident when Miss Baker "hesitantly" tells Carraway of Tom's affair. However some may
Fitzgerald uses Chapter 6 to show how the love story of Gatsby and Daisy begins to crumble.
Fitzgerald slowly reveals Gatsby's history to build up the mystery to who he really is. Fitzgerald has Nick use a semantic field of fabrication as he tells of Gatsby's 'imagination' and 'Platonic conception of himself' as a teenager to highlight the facade that revolves around Gatsby. The references to 'conception' and 'inventions' emphasise Nick's, and possibly Fitzgerald's view that Gatsby himself and the world around him are constructions and is epitomised by his materialistic ways to please Daisy. Fitzgerald ensures this history is not directly from Gatsby's voice, giving possibility that Nick has constructed the description to allow the mysteriousness of Gatsby to build. Fitzgerald also has Nick claim he breaks the chronology 'to clear this set of misconceptions away' as he tells the story of 'James Gatz', yet it seems ironically placed in Chapter 6 due to Gatsby's naive claim later that he can 'repeat the past'. Gatsby's history is placed in Chapter 6 to allow the reader to piece together Gatsby's past, giving insight to why he feels it necessary to 'fix everything just the way it was'. By Fitzgerald revealing more details of Gatsby's history the reader can realise how shallow he is, heightening the genre of the novel as an American Tragedy as it begins to become clear that Gatsby's facade is due to the American Dream. Fitzgerald uses Chapter 6 to show how the love
What literary techniques does F. Scott Fitzgerald use to present Gatsby's party in Chapter III of the novel.
Ross Leslie What literary techniques does F. Scott Fitzgerald use to present Gatsby's party in Chapter III of the novel The people of 1920's America often lead a very extravagant lifestyle, rich people often overspent in vast amounts, a term known as Conspicuous Consumption. This basically means the rich spend so much and waste their money to such an extent on highly expensive and pointless things, that it actually makes the less fortunate people living in their midst even more poorer then they already are. The richer people of 'The Jazz Age' often wasted time by simply lounging around and getting drunk, having nothing better to do. This was due to the fact that many rich people had more or less done everything that there was to be done and had achieved everything they wanted in life, therefore becoming bored with life, so they wasted their vast fortunes showing off with expensive merchandise, throwing lush parties and going out every night. However the vast amounts of spending through this time soon came to an end, with the Wall Street crash just as Fitzgerald had predicted. The chapter opens up with a very descriptive and detailed introduction given to us by Nick. He seems to give us a lavish description of one of Gatsby's summer night parties, Nick seems to be looking on from his house watching the party in his usual voyeuristic fashion. It's possible that he's maybe
How does Susan Hill use Gothic techniques to create tension and horror in the chapter In the Nursery in The Woman in Black?
'How does Susan Hill use Gothic techniques to create tension and horror in the chapter 'In the Nursery' in The Woman in Black?' The Woman in Black is a piece of Gothic literature, which attempts to both horrify and enthral the reader through the use of gothic techniques. The story centres on a young solicitor named Arthur Kipps, who is summoned to the small market town of Crythin Gifford, to attend the funeral of Mrs Alice Drablow. Furthermore, the man has been instructed to manage the legal documents of the late widow. Whilst doing this, he stays in what was the woman's residence, Eel Marsh House. However, the property is only accessible by pony and trap, due to the fact it is situated on Nine Lives Causeway. At high tide, the house is completely cut off from the mainland, with only the surrounding marshland and sea frets for company. Confined to the house, Arthur Kipps endures an increasingly terrifying sequence of unexplained noises, chilling events and hauntings, which appear to be connected to a mysterious woman he notices at the funeral. In the chapter, 'In the Nursery,' various traditional gothic conventions are used, in order to establish a sense of fear and insecurity. The author, Susan Hill, attempts to balance gothic ideas, like pathetic fallacy and ominous connotations, with gothic literary devices, such as short sentences and repetition. Incorporating both
How does Stevenson create a sense of dramatic tension in the chapter The Last Night(TM), in the context of the novel as a whole?
The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde How does Stevenson create a sense of dramatic tension in the chapter 'The Last Night', in the context of the novel as a whole? By the time we reach 'The Last Night', many disturbing events have taken place. Dr. Jekyll, a ponderous establishment figure, has begun to act out of character after some unknown discovery and has been closeted in his laboratory for several days. His good friend Mr. Utterson, an upright and estimable lawyer, has become concerned about it: he senses that something strange is going on in London. Two more central characters have also emerged- Mr Hyde and Poole (Dr. Jekyll's manservant). Mr Hyde, a man with an unnatural, even repellent aura, commits a savage murder and disappears after having some strange involvement with Dr. Jekyll. Poole has become increasingly worried for his master and has turned to Mr. Utterson for guidance on what to do. Both the plot, and the way the characters have reacted to it, have, by the time we reach this chapter, set up an atmosphere of ominous anticipation. -------------------------------------- From the beginning of 'The Last Night', Robert Louis Stevenson creates a sense of dramatic tension and mystery by delaying the dénouement. Neither the reader nor the characters know what has happened to Dr Jekyll; the longer we do not know, the more we want to know, and so the
What do the first four paragraphs of Chapter 4 in Of Mice and Men tell us about Crooks?
What do the first four paragraphs tell us about the character of Crooks? In the first four paragraphs of chapter four, we already know how lonely and broken, physically and mentally Crooks is. Yet, he is clever and proud. Crooks is a very lonely man, which we can see from the fact that his bunk is separated from the other workers', as shown in "Crooks, the negro stable buck, had his bunk in the harness room." He is isolated from the other workers because he is a black, and the only black, therefore is not considered important enough to have a living space separated from the working space, and this isolation takes away his chances of communicating to the other workers, which results in his loneliness. In the fourth paragraph, we know that it is Saturday night and sound of moving horses and feet stirring can be heard. We can understand from these that all other ranch workers had left for town, but Crooks is segregated and could not go with them. He can only stay in his bunk, which tells us that he is not accepted in the society. The imagery "a small electric globe threw a meager yellow light" also highlighted his loneliness, for the contrary between the dim, still light inside the barn and the lively noises in the dark outside created a sense of abandonment. The use of word "small" and "meager" also suggests that he is insignificant to the other workers. His loneliness can
