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

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  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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Trans-American Voices of Feminity: the Strengths and Angsts of Mujica’s “Frida” and Wurtzel’s “Prozac Nation”.

EXTENDED ESSAY Subject: English Literature Presented by: Catalina Echeverri TRANS-AMERICAN VOICES OF FEMINITY:THE STRENGTHS AND ANGSTS OF MUJICA'S "FRIDA" AND WURTZEL'S "PROZAC NATION" Number of Words: 3012 November 2003 ANGLO COLOMBIAN SCHOOL Bogotá, Colombia ONTENT Contents .... Page 1 Extract .... Page 2 Main Body .... Page 3 Bibliography .... Page 13 "Prozac Nation" by Elizabeth Wurtzel and "Frida" by Barbara Mujica are two amazingly similar texts, deriving from unbelievably different socio-cultural contexts. Elizabeth Wurtzel is a character of amazing wit and courage who is trapped between the bars of clinical depression. Through a profound and touching biography, Wurtzel portrays the typical life of young females in contemporary America. Frida Kahlo is a woman of admirable intelligence and unique personality, constantly tortured by a physically mutilated figure. Despite obvious contrasts of location and upbringing, both principal protagonists' experience remarkably parallel sentiments in terms of vulnerability and

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  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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How is happiness conveyed in Jane Austen's Emma and Charlotte Bronte's Villette?

"Some real lives do - for some certain days or years - actually anticipate happiness of heaven" - Lucy Snowe How is happiness conveyed in Jane Austen's Emma and Charlotte Bronte's Villette? The nineteenth century was an era of great discovery, invention and social change as a result of political unrest in the previous years. The American Revolution which culminated in the United States Declaration of Independence, lead to a change in political thought, bringing ideas of 'Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness' (1776: line4), though how much this extended to women is debateable. Published thirty-seven years apart, Emma and Villette tell the stories of two girls trying to find happiness in difficult societies. The two lead characters are very different; Emma is a respected, wealthy and attractive young woman yet rather spoilt, whereas Lucy Snowe is passive and secretive, with no significant amount of money or family connections. Living in the same century, therefore, it would seem safe to assume that the girls would find happiness in the same things; good company, money and a happy marriage. As Philip Davis argues, Victorian novels (though Emma predates Victoria's reign by approximately twenty years) were concerned only with 'Humanity, Duty, Vocation, Work, Marriage [and] Family' (2002:2). However, this is not the case for either of the girls. Lucy finds comfort

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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The narrative of popular romance simultaneously challenges and reaffirms traditional male-female rel

The narrative of popular romance simultaneously challenges and reaffirms traditional male-female rel The theory that popular art as a whole exists to reinforce the status quo and keep its audience happy with it is one that has long been espoused by critics. This attitude is one which was especially championed by the Marxist oriented Frankfurt school of thought led by Horkheimer, Adorno and Herbert Marcuse, who argued that only "high" art could give us a view of a better tomorrow. In her book "Loving with a Vengeance"(-henceforth referred to as LWAV) Tania Modleski argues that, in this sense, contempt for 'mass' art is seen as a politically pro~ressive attitude (pg.30) Howeve~ she goes on to say that Robert Jameson showed that mass art often contained many specific criticisms of ~everyday life.Therefore, in order to effectively answer the question above the extent to which the popular romance criticises or celebrates the traditional relations between the sexes must be determined. In this essay I will attempt to examine this closely, looking firstly at how far the novels in question can be said to be reaffirming the traditional roles between the sexes then going on to examine the possible challenges they offer. It would be useful to firstly ascertain what is meant by the traditional relations between the sexes." The hero in Mills and Boon and Harlequin novels must be, in order

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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Tell tale heart.

Tell tale heart Ronald Reagan once said "I am not smart enough to lie." Lies require a person to be extremely meticulous in fashion. One lie starts a chain reaction leading to more and more lies, and sometimes a different lie for a different person. It is like lying about an alibi in court. In order to stick to the alibi, more and more lies form, and eventually the lawyer finds things that do not match add up. Keeping all of the lies straight is so hard that mistakes are inevitable. In The Tell-Tale Heart, Edgar Allen Poe shows that lying and covering up the truth is essentially impossible unless that person bares no conscience. In one way or another, whether it be on a conscious or unconscious level, people tend to betray themselves. Even the old man lied to himself in order to calm down, but eventually the truth caught up to him. As the narrator sat quietly in the room after he accidentally made a clamor, he thought of what the old man was thinking, and he said, "He had been saying to himself-'It is nothing but the wind in the chimney-it is only a mouse crossing the floor,' or 'it is merely a cricket which has made a single chirp'" (Poe 577). The old man was trying to convince himself that the racket he heard was nothing but the wind or a mouse. There was not a possibility that someone was creeping into his room, or that was what he hopes. Then the narrator went on to say,

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  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and in The Book of Genesis, Victor Frankenstein and the Christian God both create intelligent beings that are seemingly dependent upon their masters mentally and emotionally.

Dana Kornblum Cultural Studies November 1, 2002 In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and in The Book of Genesis, Victor Frankenstein and the Christian God both create intelligent beings that are seemingly dependent upon their masters mentally and emotionally. Victor and the Creature are obvious representations of God and Adam, and the events in the two accounts parallel and differ from each other in many ways. In both creation narratives, Shelley and Moses address the concern with the use of knowledge for evil purposes, the treatment of one's "son," and the Monster and Adam and Eve's contributions to the downfall of humankind. In the Book of Genesis, Adam and Eve use the knowledge that they acquire in total disregard to their creator; through their curiosity, they defy God and His commandments. The couple had been warned about eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. God told them, "you must not touch it, for when you eat of it, you will surely die." (Gen. 3:3b) Unlike Victor Frankenstein, God wished for His creation to prosper and bear fruit; He watched over them as His own children. In Chapter 2 of Genesis, Moses describes God bringing life into Adam's body as He lovingly, "breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being." The defiance that Adam and Eve committed against God angered Him greatly because of the trust that He had

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  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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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

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  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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The novel "Frankenstein" can be seen to have been inspired by events and experiences in Mary Shelley's own life. Discuss!

The novel "Frankenstein" can be seen to have been inspired by events and experiences in Mary Shelley's own life. Discuss! Mary Shelley's young age while writing the novel "Frankenstein" in 1816 seems not to be distinguished with serious life experience which could influence her world famous work. This first impression proves to be wrong when reading her biography. We find a lot of personal, literary and political-philosophical factors forming her mind. The life of the tender woman is marked by grief from the very beginning. It is not impossible that she has carried some feeling of guilt because only a few days after she has been born her mother dies. The arrival of the new daughter instead of bringing happiness to the family throws it into deep despair. It is possible to link this first tragic event in Mary Shelley's life with the thoughts of Frankenstein before his death: "I, not in deed, but in effect, was the real murderer."(p.90). Later after the discovery of the body of Henry Clerval, analysing Frankenstein's bitter conclusion, we could build our reflection into the same direction. Why not assume a subconscious guilt to have followed Mary Shelley all her life? She could think that her half-sister might not have committed suicide if their mother has been alive. The next tragedy - finding Henrietta (P.B. Shelley's wife) drowned - could also be associated. Psychologically

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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

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Through her stories, "The Yellow Wallpaper" and "Making a Change," Charlotte Perkins Gilman portrays two contrasting views of women in similarly restrictive circumstances.

Stella Dubish ENG243 Dr. S. Orr, Professor April 20, 2001 The Choice Through her stories, "The Yellow Wallpaper" and "Making a Change," Charlotte Perkins Gilman portrays two contrasting views of women in similarly restrictive circumstances. Both the women are young mothers with creative talents that are being squelched by their husbands and families. The difference lies in what the two women do within these contexts. While one woman takes control of the situation, ultimately renewing and empowering herself, the other submits to the forces pushing against her, eventually going crazy. In "The Yellow Wallpaper," a woman, Jane, struggles for mental independence. She has been diagnosed with "temporary nervous depression" by her husband, who is a doctor. She purports, however, that she is neither nervous nor depressed. She simply wants mental and social stimulation, both of which are not being allowed her because of her "condition." Instead of receiving visitors and enjoying the countryside, Jane is confined to a room that used to be a nursery. This is just one of the evidences of how she is treated like a child throughout the whole story. The one characteristic of the room that haunts Jane is the wallpaper - it is yellow, grotesque and glaring. She spends her spare time watching it and writing about it. The color and pattern intrigue her so much that she cannot

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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