In her novel Emma, Jane Austen examines the attribute of cleverness in women, and presents cleverness as a generally positive character trait that could enable women to change their social and economic status
Prange Jeff Prange Professor Lowery ENG 460, The Novel 5 July 2012 Emma: An Examination of Clever Words When Jane Austen wrote her novel Emma, women had very limited options available to them for bettering their positions in life. As shown in the novel, the primary method for securing one’s future as a woman was through marriage. A “good marriage” could raise a woman to a higher social or economic level, but this usually could only be achieved if she were intelligent and clever. Clever word games were a way for women to reveal or conceal their feelings within the confines of social politeness, allowing them to flirt with men, diminish rivals, or hide secrets. In her novel Emma, Jane Austen examines the attribute of cleverness in women, and presents cleverness as a generally positive character trait that could enable women to change their social and economic status. A women’s intelligence, often-displayed though clever word games, was often a means of achieving a marriage that raised her socially or economically. For this reason it is Emma, and not her friend Harriet, that receives the affections of Mr. Elton. Emma tries to match Harriet and Mr. Elton together for the purpose of securing Harriet’s financial future and solidifying her position in Emma’s social level. Because it is Emma that uses word games with Mr. Elton, even though initiated on Harriet’s
"Words don't come easy": Emotional Education in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice
Emotional Education in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice “Words don’t come easy”: Emotional Education in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice Bettina Rad BA in English Studies University of Pannonia Author’s note: Faculty of Modern Philology and Social Sciences Institute of English and American Studies Consultant: Dr. Andrea Szabó F. Abstract This study sets out to investigate non-verbal communication, generally underestimated, with a view to the theme of emotional education in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. I claim that body motions, paralanguage and self presentation occupy a pivotal role in how Austen’s heroine teaches her hero to express his emotions, faithful to the novel’s generic indebtedness to the female gothic romance. First, I will give the definitional framework of my analysis relying on G.W. Porter’s theory of nonverbal communication. Second, I introduce the categories of physical and aesthetic nonverbal communication. In the next section I provide a close reading of the nonverbal interactions of Austen’s main characters, such as body-language, gestures, postures, music, and dancing. As a conclusion, I claim, that nonverbal communication proves to be an integral part of the novel’s discourse; no wonder, it has served as a blueprint for generations of readers in “speaking without words”. “Words don’t come easy”:
A commentary on a passage from Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's Frankenstein.
Yr 11 IB English: Dianna Gu 11M4 A commentary on a passage from Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's "Frankenstein". The passage from Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's "Frankenstein" is a warning to society that we cannot let science get too far out of hand; that knowledge entails social responsibilities. She writes in the style of the 19th Century Romantic Movement, portrayed though her long sentence structures punctuated with commas, colons and semi-colons. The syntax is often inverted from that of modern writing; word use is also different from that of modern writing. The passage is written in first person narration, which means that the reader rarely sees anything outside of the narrator, that is from Frankenstein's perspective. Hence the tone of the writing is mostly reflective and self-critical, but is frequently changing throughout the passage. The passage is very "Gothic" and explores indecisiveness, horror and pity. The passage commences "I sat one evening in my laboratory" which conveys a feeling that there is nothing unusual in his sitting there. The word "evening" is the height of the line, thus stressing the time of day. The "evening" is often associated with dying and mystery, and so a sense of murky mystery is immediately created in the passage with the "the sun had set, and the moon was just rising from the sea" which depicts a clear picture of the atmosphere. It
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
Franz Kafka - Metamorphosis - plot analysis.
Linda Lapina English A1 Analysis Franz Kafka Metamorphosis Plot The story starts as Gregor Samsa, a travelling merchant who dislikes his job but has kept it because of his father's debt to his boss, wakes up in an ordinary morning- what is unordinary is that he has turned into a giant bug. However, Gregor's transformation is only outward, and he is not much alarmed and is more worried about oversleeping than his becoming an insect. He plans to catch a later train to get to work. Meanwhile, Gregor's family has noticed his unusual presence at home so late in the morning and try talking to him through the door of Gregor's room. Initially, Gregor succeeds in telling them that he will come right out; later, his speech becomes irreprehensible. Just as he finally has found a way to get out of the bed, his annoying, fastidious chief clerk has arrived to investigate his absence from work that day (in 15 years of service, G. has never missed a single day at work). G. tries to explain his situation, but his words can no longer be made out; his sister and maid are sent to get doctor and locksmith; finally, he manages to unlock the door, hurting his jaws. As the chief clerk sees him, he begins to panic; Gregor's family is shocked, especially his sensitive mother, while his father violently drives Gregor back into his room, not giving him time to enter properly. Gregor severely hurts
'The Remains of the Day' a novel by Kazuo Ishiguro - character study of Mr Stevens
'Some critics view The Remains of the Day as a pessimistic novel in which Stevens is trapped by his obsessive striving towards the ideal of the perfect butler at great personal cost. However, there are some readers who respond to the novel in a much more optimistic way, believing Stevens has gained enough insight during his journey to realise that he must, and indeed will, change his life if he is to gain any real happiness at all.' 'The Remains of the Day' a novel by Kazuo Ishiguro, illustrates the mental and physical journey of the butler and protagonist, Mr. Stevens. I feel Stevens has come to the conclusion that his life has aspired to nothing, thus forcing him to rethink and re-establish the remainder of his days. This essay aims to explore and reveal different situations from the role of Stevens and decide whether or not if he can adjust from being trapped in his butler role and change his days for good. Whilst reading the book, it is obvious to see that Stevens is obsessed with becoming the 'perfect' butler. To the reader, this view is revealed by the relationship with Stevens and his father. Stevens's ideal of a 'perfect' butler is through dignity, and we can easily see that Stevens idolises his father and believes that to become the 'perfect' butler, he must place himself in the dignity his father upholds at all times. There are various situations in the story
The function of landscape or the environment in Jane Eyre.
Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre The function of landscape or the environment in Jane Eyre. ***** We must first distinguish between the above options. 'Landscape' seems more restrictive to terms of geography than 'environment', which, as the focus of this essay, I am interpreting as referring to physical surroundings and their effect in creating intangible environmental aspects of the social, spiritual, and atmospheric. Ostensibly this could include certain elements of landscape, and I will be discussing some brief relevant descriptions in the context of environment as a more holistic concept. So to what purpose does Brontë put her description of environment in Jane Eyre? According to Delia da Sousa Correa, we are made aware from the offset of the novel of the 'intense relationship... between the description of external conditions and the portrayal of individual thoughts and feelings' which 'establishes Jane's consciousness at the centre of the narrative'. How each 'external description conveys Jane's...feelings' and also how they foreshadow later events and settings. Brontë's use of imagery and symbolism in her description of environment is integral to the novel. She uses the setting to further the reader's appreciation of Jane's inner feelings, physically expressing, complimenting, and intensifying her emotions. The autobiographical first person narrative style of Jane
Frankenstein: A Romantic Novel?
Ashley Ammons Nila Dutta English 21, Section 008 February 17, 2005 Frankenstein: A Romantic Novel? What characterizes a piece of writing as a "Romantic" work? During the eighteenth century, writers began to move away from the cities and the technology to focus on the beauty of nature. The Romantic poets strayed from the typical didactic poems and began to place their focus on the reality and beauty of life. Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's famous novel Frankenstein has been considered by many a Romantic novel for centuries; but should it? The graphic horror and death in this novel make some question its place in the Romantic canon. Though the death is prevalent in this novel, it should be considered "Romantic" because of its traditional themes. Frankenstein contains Romantic themes including: a reverence for nature, outcasts and neglected characters, supernatural events, and most prevalent is the identification of the Shelley her characters. Shelley's first use of Romantic themes is her fascination with nature. Not as prevalent as Wordsworth or Coleridge, her use of nature is slightly subdued. Nature does not serve an all beautiful purpose as other Romantic authors. It does, however, require reverence and awe from the characters. Shelley uses nature to show the importance of a scene in her novel. During all of the crucial scenes in this novel, the recurring
The Women of Shirley.
The Women of Shirley In many works, authors use a type of process to lead towards the end of their work. In Charlotte Bronte's Shirley the two major female characters, Shirley Keeldar and Caroline Helstone, go through two different paths. Social status is the rank, for a better term, of a person in society. It is where an individual stands in regards to his or her respective community. Sometimes the presence or lack thereof a prominent business, wealth, political power, or family name plays a major role in a person's position in society. Social status can affect an individual's personality. Personality is the character of an individual; it includes how a person carries his/her self, attitude, and demeanor. Personality can affect the individuals' love life and interests. It plays a significant role on who an individual is attracted to, as well as who is attracted to said individual. To state this succinctly: Social status can affect personality, and personality can affect someone's love life and interests. The goal of this essay is to analyze the processes that Caroline Helstone and Shirley Keeldar go through. I will specifically analyze the idea of love and relationships regarding both characters. The aim is to show the paths these women take and how they determine their futures. The title character, Shirley Keeldar, is introduced relatively late in the novel in
In order to perform a textual analysis of chapter 5 "Incident of the Letter" within Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde several issues need to be considered.
In order to perform a textual analysis of chapter 5 "Incident of the Letter" within Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde several issues need to be considered. Such as the concept of discourse within the narration of the chapter, the theoretical/ analytical tools of figurative language and genre. Also the meanings of the chapter need to be discussed such as the structure and language use, the broader cultural and representational issues and the chapters relationship with the rest of the novel. And lastly what broader and thematic roles it plays. Concept of Discourse "Discourses are ways of speaking associated with particular institutions and the conventions and values of those institutions." (Schirato and Yell, 2003, pg 61). Within chapter 5 there is evidence of at least three different discourses. The Homosexual discourse, the medical discourse and the legal discourse. The chapter is made up of two very distinct discourses. The first half has evidence of the medical discourse and the second half has the legal discourse. Throughout there are also hidden indications of the homosexual discourse. The medical discourse is seen very early on for the chapter starts off with Utterson being led to Dr Jekyll's medical lab by Poole where he conducted his experiments. On his way Utterson pays close attention to all he sees, noticing that the lab is set up for chemical experiments rather than