Compare the ways in which narrative perspectives vary in 'The French Lieutenant's Woman' and 'Hawksmoor'.
Compare the ways in which narrative perspectives vary in 'The French Lieutenant's Woman' and 'Hawksmoor' Although there are many different perspectives taken in the two novels that shape the overall theme of each plot, comparisons can be drawn between them to show that they share a few fundamental similarities in the way that the authors present their narrative. By looking at the this presentation, it is possible to extract that the authors share common ground in the role that they take in the novel, the post-modernist way they seem to perceive their own role as a novelist and their perspectives on the theme of time in a novel. These factors combine to suggest that the novels, which have very different stories, actually are very similar in the way that they break the conventional moulds of story telling. Without a doubt, the author plays the greatest role of all in construction of a novel but it is not often that this role is furthered by involvement in the plot, or questioned in the way that these two authors do. Both novels have aspects of this but show it in different ways: for example, in 'Hawksmoor', Peter Ackroyd adopts multiple narrative voices and presents himself to the reader in different ways, whereas John Fowles literally places himself in the book and also hides behind some other subtle characters. Ackroyd creates three different narrative voices that appear and
What do you find interesting about the ways in which Margaret Atwood presents relationships between men and women?
What do you find interesting about the ways in which Margaret Atwood presents relationships between men and women? In "The Handmaid's Tale", Atwood continually streeses the importance of intimacy, tenderness and love, in its many guises. Considering Atwood is a feminist writer who creates a patriarchal dystopia, one might expect the book to have a rather an aggressive attitude towards men, but In "The handmaid's Tale" Margaret Atwood explores the interaction between men and women, paticularly within heterosexual relationships. The most significant relationship within Offred's life is undoubtedly that with Luke, the central protagonist's lover, husband and father to her child. Through the use of flashback, Atwood creates a picture of domestic happiness and the reader is led to believe that the two were very happy together. As the novel progresses, Atwood juxtaposes the present of the novel, a dystopian vision of a modern tyranny and the past, Offred's life in contemporary society. It is her role as mother and wife that offred remembers fondly, evoking mmories of her life with Luke and the loving memories they shared. The contrast clearly emphasises both the loving domesticity in which Luke and offred lived and the loneliness of Life in Gilead where relationships are not permitted for handmaids. During the flashbacks to the past Offred evokes memories of incidents
In What Ways Does Orwell's Nineteen Eighty Four, and Atwood's The Handmaids Tale explore the Theme of Oppression?
In What Ways Does Orwell's Nineteen Eighty Four, and Atwood's The Handmaids Tale explore the Theme of Oppression? The Handmaid's Tale and Nineteen Eighty-Four can be described as dystopian novels as they both explore the theme of invented futuristic nightmare worlds, which are based on current, social, political and economic trends, and are warnings against possible future disasters. The theme of oppression runs constantly throughout both novels. Both these texts explore rule under a totalitarian government, in which only one party has complete rule. The characters in The Handmaid's Tale are under the rule of Gilead whilst Nineteen Eighty-four is an oligarchy, governed by a figure of supreme authority known as Big Brother, and members of the inner party. In both texts the protagonists are being, and have been, oppressed in many different ways. The most obvious form of oppression and one that persists throughout both novels is the lack of personal freedom. Characters such as Winston Smith from Nineteen Eighty-four are all under the watchful eye of Big Brother. A telescreen is situated in each room which traces every single movement and sound made. "Any sound Winston made...would be picked up...so long as he remained within the field of vision...he could be seen as well as heard" This shows that Winston is constantly being watched and he must always be aware of his actions.
Compare and contrast their representation of the different social and cultural forces which contribute to the repressive state.
Both authors are concerned with the repression of individuality. Compare and contrast their representation of the different social and cultural forces which contribute to the repressive state. "Masses of labourers, organised like soldiers, are daily and hourly enslaved by the machine, by the over-looker and above all by the individual bourgeois manufacturer himself", Karl Marx in his Manifesto of the Communist Party 1848 here highlights the state portrayed through Charles Dickens's 'Hard Times'. Margaret Atwood highlights the similarity with her book saying "it is a study of power, and how it operated and how it deforms or shapes the people who are living within that kind of regime". Defined as an act that prevents the natural or normal expression, activity or development; repression is undoubtedly a common theme between two similar yet very different novels. Louis Althusser, as a 20th.Century Professor of Philosophy considers the implementation of repression through two distinct methods; the 'Repressive State Apparatuses' (RSA's), which are an implementation of force, most strongly envisaged through the law, backed up by the police force and other confrontational measures of repression. The second method, 'Ideological State Apparatuses' (ISA's), are systems of repression that work on a subtler scale, the effects of which verge on the subconscious, ultimately however
Explore the issues concerning women and feminism raised in The Handmaids Tale
Explore the issues concerning women and feminism raised in The Handmaids Tale Margaret Atwood's novel The Handmaids Tale was written in 1986 when the feminist movement was happening, the word feminism is hard to really define into one term but it is usually recognised as meaning equal rights for women. The first wave of feminism happened in the 19th century and this was about sexual division in the workplace then the second wave of feminism started in 1960's and this was known as the Women's Liberation Movement this aimed to create a women - centred - world by making their voices heard through the demonstrations such as burning pornography (which Offred's mother was a part of.) In this essay I will be concentrating on the women and the issues of feminism in the handmaids tale. In the society of Gilead the women are grouped into categories concerning their age, fertility and their marital status. Although these women do have their own separate roles in the regime they all share the same theme which involves staying within the household. Such as the Marthas who are responsible for the domestic side who keep the house clean and tend to the cooking where as the handmaids have only one specific role and that is to reproduce they are known as only 'womb on legs' to give birth to children for the commander's wives who are unable to have children and their role is to raise these
Discuss how aspects of control are explored in
Discuss how aspects of control are explored in "The Handmaid's Tale" and "The Chrysalids" Margaret Atwood and John Wyndham both write of distopian societies within the science-fiction genre to explore the varying ways in which society can abuse authority in order to gain control. This violent and dehumanising repression is used to create vulnerability and fear among the society as a method of control. The writers use the narrators Offred and David to explore the response to oppression and both its physical and psychological effects. Atwood sets "The Handmaids Tale" in the future with the significant setting of Cambridge, Massachusetts. This Puritan stronghold in the US colonial period had created a theocracy, much like Gilead itself. Wyndham also sets his novel in the future; the society of Waknuk is evocative of the Salem witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts. Adam-Troy Castro says "The Chrysalids" is a novel which "drives Harry Potter, it drives the X-Men, and it has driven a number of other stories about children who find out they are the next stage in Mankind's evolution". However, I do not think "The Chrysalids" only concerns the future and evolution, Wyndham uses this idea to explore the abuse of religion and control and also the narrow-mindedness of those who judge by appearance, a tendency that is still present today. Puritanism and the recurring symbol of the
What analysis of the female role does Margaret Atwood offer in ' The Handmaid's Tale'?
What analysis of the female role does Margaret Atwood offer in ' The Handmaid's Tale'? The Handmaid's Tale is set in the early twentieth century in the futuristic Republic of Gilead, formerly the United States of America. The Republic has been founded by a Christian response to declining birthrates. The government rules using biblical teachings that have been distorted to justify the inhumane practices. In Gilead, women are categorized by their age, marital status and fertility. Men are categorised by their age. Women all have separate roles in society, and although these roles are different, they all share the same theme: Every woman is confined to the home and has a domestic duty. Marthas are cooks and housekeepers, and handmaids have one duty, which is to reproduce, growing and giving birth to babies to the childless wives of the higher class. The Aunts train and brainwash the handmaids to fulfill their duties. Atwood uses the Aunts to show that in Gilead women are not just oppressed by men, but also by women. Older single women, gay men, and barren handmaids are sent to the colonies to clean up after war and toxic spills, and will probably die due to exposure to radiation. This is because they have no reproductive powers and so are seen as useless in the Republic. People's use and status is totally dependant on their ability to reproduce. Women's roles are visually
Compare and contrast the narrative structures in 'White Teeth' and 'Beloved' and how the past affects the present.
Sarah Lister 13KW Compare and contrast the narrative structures in 'White Teeth' and 'Beloved' and how the past affects the present. The novels 'White Teeth' by Zadie Smith and 'Beloved' by Toni Morrison both explore many different issues. However, a principle theme that appears to be common in both is the way in which the past influences the present profoundly and both authors use the narrative structures of the books to present this idea to the reader. The exploration of the relationships between characters through time, the past haunting the present and the way in which history and culture is revealed through the past are important devices used to show the emotions and further the plot. Each author does this in a very different way though and this is the power of the narrative structure and the way in which it can be used in a variety of different manners in order to achieve a similar effect. The narrative structure of 'White Teeth' is very logical. The novel is divided decisively into sections in order to present the reader with the emotions and views of the main characters. The four sections 'Archie 1974, 1945', 'Samad 1984, 1857', 'Irie 1990, 1907' and 'Magid, Millat and Marcus 1992, 1999' provide the reader with a clear cut structure to the novel, with the past and present accurately intertwined. The separate 'books' in the novel help the reader to understand how
19th Century short stories - womens rights
English Coursework "As figures in literature, the women portrayed in these stories are either worshipped of they are victims; they are rarely just allowed to be themselves". Women of the nineteenth century were generally regarded as being inferior to men and were treated with little respect. At the beginning of the century, women enjoyed few of the legal, social or political rights that are now taken for granted in western countries. This meant that they could not vote, could not sue or be sued, could not testify in court, were rarely granted legal custody of their children in cases of divorce, were barred from institutions of higher education and had extremely limited control over personal property after marriage. Women were expected to remain subservient to their fathers and husbands. Their occupational choices were also extremely limited. Middle and upper class women generally remained at home, caring for their children and running the household while lower-class women often were domestic servants or labourers. Many women had to fight the battle of conforming to society's views against their own freedom and independence, an idea which "The Yellow Wallpaper", "The Woman's Rose" and "26 Men and a Girl" discuss and explore. Therefore women often could not be themselves. "The Yellow Wallpaper" shows the narrator's struggle to deal with both mental and physical confinement.
What specific aspects of society do you think Atwood comments on in The Handmaid's Tale and how does she do this?
Jane Stollery Many novels set in the future, in situations supposedly removed from the present, in fact offer critiques of today's society. What specific aspects of society do you think Atwood comments on in The Handmaid's Tale and how does she do this? "Atwood's feminism is an integral part of her critical approach, just as her concept of criticism is inseparable from her creative work" Walter Pache (1). A dystopia is a fictional society, usually existing in a future time period, in which the condition of life is extremely difficult due to deprivation, oppression or terror. In most dystopian fiction, a corrupt government creates or sustains the poor quality of life, often conditioning the masses to believe the society is proper and just, even perfect. Most dystopian fiction takes place in the future but purposely incorporates contemporary social trends taken to horrendous extremes. The novel, 'The Handmaid's Tale', by Margaret Atwood focuses on the choices made by those controlling the society of Gilead in which increasing the population and preservation of mankind is the main objective, instead of freedom or happiness. The society has undergone many physical changes that have extreme psychological consequences. I believe Atwood sees Gilead as the result of attitudes and events in the early 1980s, which have spiralled out of control. 'The Handmaid's Tale' reflects