Decoding and Interpreting Virginia Woolf's Writing StyleA Room of One's Own is one of the most significant feminist texts of the twentieth century
Meghan Juuti (Cox) Professor Zukowski English 180 23 February 2005 Taming the Woolf: Decoding and Interpreting Virginia Woolf's Writing Style A Room of One's Own is one of the most significant feminist texts of the twentieth century; modern female writers look to Virginia Woolf's work for empowerment and literary inspiration. There are many occasions throughout this essay where it is obvious that Virginia Woolf is undoubtedly a distinguished and intelligent writer. From the very beginning, the text detours from conventional expectations of style and presentation; it seems that Woolf is intentionally contradicting to the writing status quo of the 1900's as she writes about women, fiction, and a literal and metaphorical room of one's own. Throughout the following paper, the effects and accomplishments of Virginia Woolf's unique writing style, in particular her use of atypical paragraphs and long sentences, will be presented and examined. Before analyzing the intricate and unfamiliar style of Virginia Woolf's writing, it is beneficial to understand the purpose and context of her words. A Room of One's Own seems to be an inner dialogue where Woolf mainly presents her ideas and opinions. For example, consider the three opening lines of the essay, "But, you may say, we asked you to speak about women and fiction-what has that got to do with a room of one's own? I will
Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre are two of the books included in the list of love stories that have happy endings.
"...and they lived happily ever after." Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre are two of the books included in the list of love stories that have happy endings. How these happy endings come about varies from one book to another; some rely on physical attraction, others on the willing subservience of one person to the other. In Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre, however, the early love scenes describe the development of mutual respect based on intellect and the establishment of a balance of power. Both Jane and Elizabeth spark interest in their admirers shortly after the first acquaintance. Elizabeth, who is "somewhat quicker" than her sisters, first attracts Darcy's attention through her independent nature. In chapter seven, Elizabeth walks the three miles that separate her from Jane; she finds herself "with weary ankles, dirty stockings, and a face glowing with the warmth of exercise" (33) upon reaching the house. To appear in such a condition before newly formed acquaintances is a social blunder; however, Darcy is intrigued by her "indifference to decorum." He is "divided between admiration of the brilliancy which exercise had given to her complexion, and doubt as to the occasion's justifying her coming so far alone" (33). No dialogue takes place in this scene; and though Elizabeth is unaware of Darcy's musings, she has begun to captivate him with her personality.
Spare the Rod and Spoil the Child?: Representations of Mothers in Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility
Spare the Rod and Spoil the Child?: Representations of Mothers in Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility "I can no more forget it, than a mother can forget her suckling child". Jane Austen wrote these words about her novel, Sense and Sensibility, in a letter to her sister Cassandra in 1811. Such a maternal feeling in Austen is interesting to note, particularly because any reader of hers is well aware of a lack of mothers in her novels. Frequently we encounter heroines and other major characters whom, if not motherless, have mothers who are deficient in maturity, showing affection, and/or common sense. Specifically, I would like to look at Sense and Sensibility, which, according to Ros Ballaster's introduction to the novel, "is full of, indeed over-crowded with, mothers" (vii). By discussing the maternal figures in this work, I hope to illustrate the varying possibilities of what mothering and motherhood can entail in Austen, and what this curious spectrum of strengths and weaknesses means for the heroine involved. When discussing the mothers in Sense and Sensibility, it is only logical to begin with Mrs. Dashwood, Elinor and Marianne's mother. We meet her just a few pages into the novel, and are immediately told of her genuine and unassuming interest in Elinor's relationship with Edward Ferrars. Unlike most of Austen's mothers, Mrs. Dashwood is neither calculating nor
A major theme in 'Les liaisons dangereuses' is seduction, not least the seduction of the reader by Merteuil and Valmont. Discuss.
Colleen Stopforth Week 2. A major theme in 'Les liaisons dangereuses' is seduction, not least the seduction of the reader by Merteuil and Valmont. Discuss. Merteuil and Valmont's characters are crafted by Laclos in a subtle and allusive way through the epistolary form so that the reader is not aware of their own seduction until they are entrapped. As the book develops and these characters orchestrate the seduction, entrapment and destruction of other characters, the reader's dependence on and relationship with them becomes evermore important. Valmont is a character of wit, charm and social graces, unashamedly aware of his role as a libertine in a morally aware society. His audacity is an attractive feature of his character and it quickly revealed. He tells Merteuil in letter 4, 'Je vais vous confier le plus grand projet que j'aie jamais formé,' which immediately draws the reader to his character and intentions. He is an educated, intelligent man who enjoys the present, but plans the immediate future to his advantage. Merteuil is equally as enterprising, if not more so, a quality which is obvious even from her first letter to Valmont, 'il m'est venu une excellent idée.' This description of her plan to corrupt the young naïve virgin Cécile has a hint of humour, a prevalent feature in the correspondence between her and Valmont, and one that the reader is inevitably
Commentary on passage (A) from “Novelas Ejemplares”
Commentary on passage (A) from "Novelas Ejemplares" In the lines preceding this passage, Rinconete and Cortadillo are scouted by one of Monipodio's lookouts after stealing from the sexton. His invitation to see the great leader and their walk to the house is mainly comical in that the thief's apparent quick wit is let down by his constant malapropisms. He also justifies his profession by saying that he is a member of the most holy and pious order of thieves. It is ridiculous and comical therefore; that he should juxtapose this idea with a series of brutal punishments that other rogues have suffered. The thieves' piety is only superficial however: they only pray and go to church when it suits them and when there is little chance of being excommunicated. There is little surprise when the lookout says that they never attend confession. One of the recurrent themes in this story is how the rogues refer to brutal punishments and malicious acts in such as matter of fact way. The lookout's answer to one of Cortado's questions is typical of his lifestyle: "-Pues ¿Que tiene de malo?-replicó el mozo- ¿No es peor ser hereje o renegado, o matar a su padre y madre, o ser solomico?" The house is a contrast of cleanliness and defective ornaments. Again, we question the thieves' devotion when we see a cheap and vulgar statue of the Virgin Mary. The people within the house are a curious
Marriage in Pride and Prejudice.
Regina Sloutsky 11/9/03 English C Block Marriage in Pride and Prejudice In Pride and Prejudice, a novel that aims to emphasize the flaws of a martially obsessed society, Jane Austen depicts various marriages. By contrasting the outcomes of each, Austen reveals her opinion on what constitutes a successful relationship. Through creating characters with extreme characteristics, she classifies each one to stress their traits, and examine their potential for happiness with one another. While Austen views most marriages in this society as superficial and lacking in true love, Austen ultimately approves of only spiritual connections. With insight into the thoughts of each character, Austen is able to reveal their intentions, desires, and reactions to each relationship. She frowns upon the shallowness and flippancy of the Bennet family, and is thus critical of the relationships they form. Austen's view of an ideal marriage is witnessed through Darcy and Elizabeth. While they had unenthusiastic initial perspectives of one another, they overcame these repulsions, leading to their engagement. As the two became more acquainted, they became familiar with each others' flaws, yet developed their relationship regardless. The series of events that led to their friendship was crucial to their eventual reciproctating respect and adoration. Austen incorporates barriers between
Commentaryon the passage from Wilkie Collins' The Moonstone is taken from chapter four of the narrative.
English Kate Etienne Commentary The passage from Wilkie Collins' The Moonstone is taken from chapter four of the narrative. The passage suggests that this work is a fictitious novel due to the form of prose as well as its lack of factual reference. This section of prose is one which contains great amounts of description and is effective in pulling the reader into the narrative in a short period of time. The reader is introduced to two characters in this section and is allowed to learn much about both in a short period mostly through description and not through delving into inner thought. Much of this is achieved through the use of narrative voice. The narrative voice used by the author of this passage is that of first person narrator. The narrator of this passage is Mr. Betteredge. Mr. Betteredge is speaking to us, the reader, which is an affective way of drawing the reader further into the narrative. He is an elderly gentleman; we know this by the reference he gives to the difficulty he has sitting down on the beach, "When you come to my age, you will find sitting on the slope of a beach a much longer job then you think it now." Through the language used by the narrator, it can be seen that he is a well spoken man, educated, and by the reference to "the plantation" as well as his "bandanna handkerchief - one of six beauties given to [him] by [his] lady" and his job as
Examine the main character in George Saunders' short story, "Offloading for Mrs. Schwartz."
In this essay I will examine the main character in George Saunders' short story, "Offloading for Mrs. Schwartz." I will discuss how Saunders' nameless narrator regards himself compared to how minor characters in the story feel about him. Finally, I will describe the multifaceted personality of the narrator, explaining my reasons for why I think he behaves the way he does. The narrator describes himself as a loser and a man in despair. He is steeped in depression over the death of his beloved, Elizabeth, 3 years prior. "I don't shower. I don't shave. I put on the same pants I had on before. It's too much" (229). The author's humor disarms in the scene where the narrator breaks down and telephones Guiltmasters, a brother/sister psychiatric practice featured on late-night television ads. It becomes apparent, after spilling his guts and then being curiously brushed off, that even Guiltmasters cannot help him now. He thinks of fleeing the city "or setting myself on fire downtown" (229). Instead, he works. Saunders' main character operates a futuristic personal interactive holography franchise that he opened with the money Elizabeth left him after her death. He is in the business of escape. He's good at the escape part, but lousy at the business part. His equipment is outdated and his clients are few, yet regular and satisfied. The narrator displays outward affection toward them
'Examine the ways in which the epistolary structure of Les Liaisons Dangereuses creates drama, intrigue and suspense.'
Colleen Stopforth. Week 1. 'Examine the ways in which the epistolary structure of Les Liaisons Dangereuses creates drama, intrigue and suspense.' The epistolary structure achieves a sense of individual characterisation through writing style and tone that a conventional unilateral narrative form cannot. It allows the authors to reveal or conceal knowledge from other characters, while only the reader is privy to all sides and perspectives of events. Laclos reveals the characters through their literary voice, as an epistolary structure does not allow long character description. The voices of La Marquise de Merteuil and le Vicomte de Valmont are characterised by wit, irony and stylistic adaptability. In Valmont's first letter to Merteuil, already we are shown the irony and humour that pervades much of their correspondence, 'Vos ordres sont charmants; votre façon de les donner est plus aimable encore; vous feriez chérir le despotisme.' The sharp correspondence between Merteuil and Valmont is the driving force of the novel and by positioning Cécile's letters between theirs her naivety and linguistic ineptitude are highlighted. Her letters create a pause in real plot development thereby creating suspense; they are almost inconsequential to the reader, becoming a distraction from the substance of the surrounding letters, just as the seduction of Cécile is a
Northanger Abbey - What are the novelistic conventions at which Austen pokes fun; how she gets her comic effects at the level of the individual sentence, and how this passage relates to the rest of the novel.
Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey Close textual analysis based on volume 2, chapter 6, from 'The night was stormy ...' to the end of the chapter ('... she unknowingly fell fast asleep.'). What are the novelistic conventions at which Austen pokes fun; how she gets her comic effects at the level of the individual sentence, and how this passage relates to the rest of the novel. ***** In Northanger Abbey, Austen pokes gentle fun at the Gothic genre and its readers, who would have had their own expectations of Northanger, stemming from the Gothic. Initially, the reader doesn't know quite where to find him or herself. On the one hand we know that Catherine is a silly girl, but we are drawn in by the language of the text. The feel is at once veritably Gothic but also comic. We laugh at Catherine because not to do so would be to admit that we are like her - wanting her to find something even though we know she will not. As a heroine, Catherine is somewhat lacking in the typical physical traits and practical and mental abilities. However, she does have many of the emotional attributes of a classic Gothic heroine - she is sensitive and thoughtful and she has aspirations - but all these qualities are satirised by Austen. Catherine's interpretation of events and situations is elevated beyond normal, sensible intuition. The roll of paper at the back of the cabinet, so clearly mislaid and