English Majors Experience Various Works Of Literature

English majors are subject to take a variety of advanced literature courses. These higher-level courses delve into great detail about how to read various forms of writing, including fiction, poetry, essay, and drama. Writing types are broken down and explored on several different levels, instilling a great appreciation of the world of literature. With drama (also known as a play) students learn about several different components, one of which is the Elements of Drama.

The elements of drama include the plot, character, dialogue, staging, and theme. As students explore each element on an individual level, the analysis helps to see how it fits in conjunction with the other elements. Each analysis is followed by an act of synthesis, in which all of the elements are put into a relationship with one another.

The plot is the structure of a play's action. It encompasses what happens in a play, the order of the incidents, and their arrangement and form. A traditional plot structure consists of an exposition - background information for the plot development, rising action - a set of conflicts and crises, climax - the play's most decisive crisis, and falling action - a follow-up that generates resolution. The ultimate objective of the plot is to control the audience's expectations about what is happening in the drama.

Some consider the plot to be the skeletal framework of a play, and the character is its vital center. Characters are what bring the play to life. They are so important because people respond and relate to them, even though they are fictional human beings. Consequently, the human qualities of characters are arguably their most engaging features. In relation to the framework, it is in conflict that characters reveal themselves and advance the plot.

Dialogue has three major functions: (1) to advance the plot; (2) to establish setting; (3) to reveal character. However, the most important and consistent objective of dialogue is to reveal the character. Dialogue is the catalyst that makes things happen, and as such, it becomes a form of action as well.

By staging, students learn about the visual details, including the actors on the stage, background scenery, props, costumes, etc. and how they increase their understanding of the play. Props like costumes and any physical objects that appear in a play can be an important dramatic symbol. The sounds and sights are also stage elements that increase our aural and visual imagination. Staging enhances the student's appreciation of the literary composition and the dramatist's craftsmanship.

The final Element of Drama is the theme. The theme refers to the play's meaning or central idea. One of the most effective ways to determine the theme(s), of a play is by interpreting dialogue between the characters. Dialogue frequently represents conflicting ideas and varying viewpoints. Because there are different views, there can also be different themes. Reading dialogue can be instrumental in assessing main ideas and purpose to surmise the theme(s) of a play.

Literature courses, among other things, offer instruction that help English students gain a solid understanding the various writing forms and their components, which is crucial to the development of dramatic analytical proficiencies. Discovering and exploring the various elements of writing, like the Elements of Drama, can augment the student's critical skills and enhance his or her appreciation of the craft. Whether a student is taking online classes or not, an English degree program will give him or her a solid foundation in literary analysis.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

The Adaptation, Extension and Diffusion of the Prometheus Myth in English and American Literature

The more we delve into the ancient myths, the more we come to this conclusion that how much these stories resemble to our own lives. Prometheus's deed exactly like whatever we do is two faceted. Prometheus is known to the readers of the myth as both a hero and a Byronic hero, for some believe in what he did, and some think it would have been better to be deprived of the improvement and modernization which undoubtedly was initiated from the capability of setting fire.

In both aspects this myth has been used as a reference unwillingly or deliberately in writing down so many of the literary works. Starting from the ones which do not believe in Prometheus we have to mention Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" or "The Modern Prometheus". With no doubt, piercing deep into all literary works orbiting around a "savoir coming" theme of each kind, a hero saving others, a hero trying to save the people, or trying to step for the good of the society but it turns out to be a disaster, is rooted in this story.

The heroism or Byronic heroism stories never seems tiresome to the readers and even the writers themselves, for if we delve the matter psychologically and discuss it based on the findings of the great psychologist Carl Gustav Yung we understand that myths have become parts of our being because we have inherited them. We never get tired of ourselves, do we? (Of course some exceptions may exist). There fore, we are never bored of these stories. We write them down on and on, read them on and on, and enjoy them on and on, as we have in different eras and different genres.

A simple discussion manifests that the usage of this myth in the literary works is not limited to any era and genre at all. "Every Man", the best example of the kind of medieval drama is an allegory of what will happen by the coming resurrection to man, the creature influenced by Adam's deeds, the first promethean action which lead to his expel from heaven, and now every man is doing his best to recapture what he could have had with no trial.

Shakespeare as the most important and famous dramatist and sonneteer of the English literature has always used heroism in both forms, negative and positive, in his dramas. He has vividly portrayed Promethean heroism in dramas like Othello, Hamlet, Macbeth, and others. In fact, we can name all his tragedies as Promethean heroic. Their tragic essence of course, not only has no paradox with the heroism used in it, but also it accomplishes it and some how is a kind of confirmation to that. After all, Prometheus myth is a perfect tragedy itself.

Of course "Paradise Lost" as a masterpiece of the seventeenth century in English literature can be regarded as another version of Prometheus, and it truly is. Eating the apple was exactly what caused Adam and Eve to be expelled from God's Heaven. Man's disobedience, and the loss of paradise for eating the apple of knowledge is the same as losing the gods' mercy after they were bestowed fire by Prometheus. In other words, Prometheus's deed is like what Satan did to Adam and Eve, and that is why Milton has written this poem in Epic form, and also that is why we believe that Satan has been regarded as a hero in the story. We even feel sympathy with him and have admiration for his heroic energy. "Paradise Lost" is the best example of the usage of this myth in poetry, and although it is rare in comparison to the other genres, Milton has made if not the best, one of the best of this kind.

The eighteenth century was the time of Dryden's heroic plays. His "Absalom and Achitophel" is an example of that. His rich literary form used has always been admired by every one and he put the very theme, heroism, in beautiful words. His "Alexander's Feast" is a beautiful poem which has so many references to "Paradise Lost". This era's literature also owes a great deal to Jonathan Swift and "Gulliver's Travels". His super power and uniqueness in the empire of Lilliput is mostly misused by the society for brutality and bloodshed, what we think exactly of fire, comfort bringer and at the same time fight maker, the modernity cause which has brought upon so many difficulties and bloodsheds in the world of man. Wasn't it better to be weak creatures in the hands of gods? We have Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" or "The Modern Prometheus" in the next century and the Romantic period. It is Lord Byron who introduces the Byronic hero in its true sense and in the best way.

The Victorian age is the initial time of Novel writing. Dickens starts writing about the facts of life but looking deep again this internalized myth has not been forgotten. His "Great Expectations" is the best sample, conveying both Promethean heroes and Byronic heroes. The other novelists and men of letter from this time onwards have continued this usage deliberately or else.

The American literature has not been an exception in using this myth, but the difference is that the American writers have been trapped in the wheels of modernization from the first steps. There fore, we find the traces of the negative aspects of Promethean deals more and more and mostly it is tangible in its drama. O'Neill's "The Iceman Cometh" is an example of that.

The more we get drowned in the modernity and its disasters, the more we feel bad towards the fire bringer, and see him as a mere intruder in the gods' decisions and a simple thief. So, the Byronic heroes come up and are more of interest than the one day heroes of the past times which people can only dream of when they sleep at nights. The worst we feel that even if a real hero and a savoir comes to us and the society, we would nullify and reject him. We may even call him "An enemy of the people".

John Milton's Paradise Lost
Dictionary of the Beliefs
Jung, G. Carl. Man and His Symbols
Jung, G. Carl. The Unconscious Self
Atkinson, Brooks. Review of The Iceman Cometh in O'Neill and His Plays: Four Decades of Criticism, Ed: Oscar Cargill, N. Bryllion Fagin, and William J. Fisher, New York University Press.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

The Norton Anthology of English Literature Vol 1 8th Edition

A best-seller for more than forty years, this is the survey of English literature from the Middle Ages to the twenty-first century. With 274 authors, the Eighth Edition deepens its representation of essential works in all genres, ranging from Seamus Heaney's translation of "Beowulf" to global twentieth-century classics. Over 75 colour plates and thematic clusters of brief and historically significant texts bring to life the cultural concerns of each period. Concise glosses and annotations, period introductions, biographical headnotes, timelines and selected bibliographies help readers understand and enjoy the rich diversity of English literature.

The eighth edition of The Norton Anthology of English Literature comprises six volumes, sold in two sets of three. The first set includes the volumes "The Middle Ages," "The Sixteenth Century and The Early Seventeenth Century," and "Restoration and the Eighteenth Century;" the second set includes "The Romantic Period," "The Victorian Age," and "The Twentieth Century and After." The writings are arranged by author, with each author presented chronologically by date of birth. Historical and biographical information is provided in a series of headnotes for each author and in introductions for each of the time periods.

Within this structure, the anthology incorporates a number of thematically linked "clusters" of texts pertaining to significant contemporary concerns. For example, "The Sixteenth Century and The Early Seventeenth Century" contains four such clusters under the headings, "Literature of The Sacred," "The Wider World," "The Science of Self and World," and "Voices of the War." The first of these includes four contemporary English translations of an identical passage from the Bible, those of William Tyndale, the Geneva Bible, the Douay-Rheims Version, and the Authorized (King James) Version; selections from the writings of influential Protestant thinkers of the period, including Tyndale, John Calvin, Anne Askew, John Foxe and Richard Hooker; as well as selections from the Book of Common Prayer and the Book of Homilies.

Scholarly material that is clearly presented to students of English literature. The historical and literary information is well cross-referenced. For example, information that appears in the introductory passages of a time period (like the Middle Ages) often reappears, in greater detail, while discussing a particular work of that era. The information given is detailed and specific to the topic, yet interesting even as assigned reading.

If you are looking for the ebook you can find it on our website http://englishworld2011.wordpress.com

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Start With Literature, Then Go For The Gusto With A Graduate Degree In English

Many students who decide to be English degree seekers do so because they have a love of language and a love of reading. Sometimes that love involves ancient literature and in turn apply that literature to the modern world. In order to be a successful candidate for an English degree, one must be willing to put in great time and effort in reading and writing as the English degree program is heavy on both skills. Many English majors will enjoy the rich diversity of a course of study that can trace its history back thousands of years and offer a wide variety of materials to learn from.

The first step to success in an English degree program is to be a good writer. Being skilled at writing does not come overnight and while some people are gifted with the keyboard, many others need to acquire a few skills in order to impress professors who are discerning critics. One item of interest for many students is diction. In order to turn a clever phrase, students should work on increasing the complexity of their diction. Another part of writing is grammar. Long viewed as the worst part of writing, learning grammar is a necessary part of being a successful writer.

Many English courses offered in colleges have great diversity in the works of literature that will be read. In turn, many students who are pursuing an English degree will gravitate towards one area of literature that piques there interest. There are many different literature courses in the English degree catalog; however these courses can be grouped into British literature, American literature, poetry and courses that study the many works of William Shakespeare.

British literature is the oldest form of English literature and in some cases British literature can be found before the Norman invasion of 1066. Examples of these works are "Beowulf" and "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight". There are many different time periods within British literature, such as the Enlightenment Period, the Industrial Age, the Glorious Revolution and the Elizabethan Era. Some famous British authors include Oscar Wilde, Percy Bysshe Shelley and his wife, Mary Shelley, and Jonathan Swift.

American literature is the cousin of British literature in that American literary standards are derived from the standards that British colonists brought with them in the colonization period. American literature spans many time periods and is hailed for its diversity. Some time periods of literature worth studying are the Colonial Period, the Great Depression, the Gilded Age and the Post-War Era. Famous American authors include John Steinbeck, Ernest Hemingway, Herman Melville and Walt Whitman.

Poetry is the oldest form of literature in the world. The key ingredients to creating great poetry are to write the work in verse form and to make sure the poem is laced with figurative language that excites the senses. Famous poets include Robert Frost, Maya Angelou, Emily Dickinson and T.S. Eliot.

William Shakespeare is probably the most well-known playwright in the history of English literature. He is responsible for many of the different turns of phrase in the language today. Famous dramas that are studied are "Hamlet", "Othello", "Macbeth", and "Romeo and Juliet".

There are going to be many who reluctantly start their college path with courses in English lit, yet will find they are drawn to this engaging field and will continue until they have a graduate degree in English. On-campus and online degrees offer the same benefits and are viewed the same when seeking employment. This degree program requires a lot of work, but at the same time is incredibly rewarding for those who choose this field of endeavor.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Love Of The Greats In Literature Can Lead To An English Degree

There are many college students who choose majors that coincide directly with what they are interested in and what their skill level is within a subject. Few college students will choose a major they abhor and that they also lack the ability to do. Many students who choose to major in English and consequently work towards receiving an English degree have the passion needed to complete the course work, as well as the skill to complete the work with a high caliber of performance.

The first step towards being successful in any English program is for students to understand that the writing component of the English degree is one of the most important parts of determining how fit a degree candidate is for receiving the degree. Many professors have high expectations for their students in regards to their writing. Professors expect students to understand and be able to apply the laws of grammar, as well as having diction that is highly complex in its nature.

American literature, William Shakespeare, Poetry and British literature are the four major categories of classes students will have to take if they intend to pursue a degree in English. The reason for the variety is that these areas are all the important parts of a well-rounded English degree program. Many students elect to take more courses in one area as that is where their interest will lie, but students will need to be proficient in all of these course categories.

American literature is an area of study that most students will find interesting due to the fact that most students attending colleges or universities within America are Americans. American literature reflects the great variety of culture and people who are located within these shores. Many students will notice the great diversity in authors that they read throughout their time in American literature courses. Some famous US authors are Langston Hughes, Mark Twain, Ralph Waldo Emerson, W.E.B. Du Bois and William Faulkner.

William Shakespeare is responsible for more contributions to the canon of English literature than probably any author and playwright in the history of the written word in the English language. Shakespeare was an accomplished poet and for most people, that would be enough. His enduring legacy is in his works of drama, comedy and tragedy. Shakespeare's most famous plays include "The Taming of the Shrew", "Hamlet", "Othello", "The Merchant of Venice" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream".

Poetry is one of, if not the oldest, forms of written literature. Dating back from the time of Homer and his epics "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey", poetry has taken on many forms since the days of the blind poet and the Trojan War. There are many different kinds of poems today but what always stays the same is that poetry requires those poems to be written in verse form and figurative language to be littered all throughout the poem.

British literature is the term for writing that is able to be traced back to the civilizations that inhabited the islands of Great Britain and Ireland. Over thousands of years, British literature has changed and evolved due to the many people who have read and written many of the great works associated within this term. Some of the greatest British writers are James Joyce, Jonathan Swift, Joseph Conrad and Rudyard Kipling.

While there are technically no traditional or online English schools, every institution recognizes the need for their students to be well-versed in this subject. While an on-campus education was the only way to earn a degree in the past, there are now courses online for every major. You, too, can explore the literary greats when pursing your degree.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

English Degree Programs Cherish Literature And More

People go to college for many reasons, with the idea of a lot of different careers. Some of those students can't imagine their peers spending all their time reading and writing for their classes, thinking they are masochists who are confused because of their willingness to inflict such "pain" into their lives. These students will think that obtaining an English degree is nonsense and ask questions like "Why does Shakespeare matter?" Unfortunately for them, the English degree seeker will politely put down his copy of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and say to the questioner, "Why does Shakespeare matter? Let me count the ways" and proceed to describe the Bard's relevance to modern culture.

It is no surprise that prospective students in the English degree program are expected to be excellent writers. In order to become a better writer, besides practicing, there are two ways in which students can quickly learn to please their professors. These ways are to learn the different rules of grammar and their proper application, as well as developing a verbiage that is rich in high complexity vocabulary.

Degree programs in English are stuffed with course work that is designed to stimulate the mind into learning about the many different types of literature and their application to the modern world. Students may be interested in taking a wide range of courses in order to better understand the many vagaries of literature. English courses can be distilled into four categories: Poetry, Shakespeare, British literature and American literature.

Poetry is the oldest form of writing that is known in the Western world. In order for something to be considered poetry it must be written in verse form and contain figurative language. These two ingredients marinate together and form the many different forms of poetry. Some types of poetry studied are epic poems, realist poems and romantic poems.

William Shakespeare's contributions to English literature stand so far above the rest of the pack that he merits courses devoted entirely to the study of his work. There are many different plays students will be interested in reading. Some of Shakespeare's most famous work that is studied in these classes is "Richard III", "King Lear", "Hamlet", "Othello" and "The Merchant of Venice".

British literature is the term for literature that is either prose or poetry and originates in the British Isles. These courses cover material all the way from "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" to "The Second Coming". There are many famous British authors who are worth reading, and students will be exposed to authors such as Joseph Conrad, William Butler Yeats, John Keats, William Wordsworth and John Milton.

American literature is similar to British literature in that it is the prose and poetry that tells the story of the American culture. The biggest difference is that American literary history is full of great diversity of people as well as topics. Some of the more famous American authors are Harriet Beecher Stowe, Langston Hughes, W.E.B. Du Bois and Richard Wright.

An English degree is an excellent degree track for people who are willing to put in the time and effort to learn many different and interesting concepts. Students may find that online classes give the flexibility to participate in all the reading they'll need to do without making their lives crazy with early morning classes. Love of language, learning, and reading will serve these students well in school and at work.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

English Literature: Thomas Hardy - Tess of the d'Urbervilles

In Tess of the d'Urbervilles Thomas Hardy deals with issues of morality in two fundamental ways; one is the relativity of moral values - their variation according to time and place - the other is the opposition between man-made laws and Nature. These issues are explored through the experiences of Tess Durbyfield as she encounters the problems of life, and exemplify Hardy's idea of the 'two forces':

'So the two forces were at work here as everywhere, the inherent will to enjoy, and the circumstantial will against enjoyment.'

The 'circumstantial will against enjoyment' is often a matter of morality or convention, but equally often it is a matter of chance, or fate.

The first example of the relativity of moral values is seen in the clash of attitudes between Tess and her mother. Tess's education has given her a wider and more advanced outlook, transcending the parochial conventions of her mother's world. In their attempt to solve their problems by re-associating themselves with their old family Mr. and Mrs. Durbyfield are clinging to an old, dead tradition. It is an unrealistic retrogressive act with which Tess would rather not be associated.

Tess is reluctant to approach, then to work for, the d'Urbervilles, but her reluctance is outweighed by her sense of a duty to make reparation for the loss of the horse - a virtuous motive - and the obstinate insistence of her mother. Tess is trapped; her freedom of choice is curtailed by a combination of 'the fates', (the death of the horse and the discovery of family connections), and filial duty.

In Hardy's world worthy ambitions are thwarted by circumstance, and modern enlightenment is strangled by old conventions.

The representation of the cheapening and decay of ancient traditions is one of the many roles of Alec d'Urberville. He is not a d'Urberville at all, and Hardy depicts his house in a way which highlights its modernity, and its disharmony with the natural and ancient surroundings.

Mr. and Mrs. Durbyfield cling to their obsolete idea of the family in total ignorance of the reality, and Tess suffers as a result.

In this first section of the novel specific moral issues have not been raised, but the absence of a fixed viewpoint in a changing society has been established, as has the way a combination of fate and social pressure can restrict personal freedom.

The specific moral issues come into play with Tess's pregnancy by Alec. In the scene of Tess's seduction Hardy avoids examining to what extent she was compliant, though by reference to the 'primeval yews', 'roosting birds', and 'hopping rabbits' he stresses the naturalness of the event. With respect to its wider significance, in and authorial comments, he indicates one of his main themes, the inexplicable injustice and cruelty of fate:

'Why it was that upon this beautiful feminine tissue, sensitive as gossamer, and practically blank as snow as yet, there should have been traced such a coarse pattern as it was doomed to receive; why so often the coarse appropriates the finer thus, the wrong man the woman, the wrong woman the man, many thousands of years of analytical philosophy have failed to explain to our sense of order.'

Tess is repeatedly, as in the passage above, described in terms of natural simplicity and beauty.

Tess's first encounter with the unnatural artifice of moral dogma coincides with her seduction into the corrupt world of Alec d'Urberville. The Christian slogan in red paint conflicts physically and spiritually with nature, and Tess is the spokesperson for nature:

Hardy's attitude towards Christianity is made quite clear: 'The last grotesque phase of a creed which had served mankind well in its time.'

Tess feels guilty about her liaison with Alec. Hardy looks closely at this feeling of guilt and suggests that it is unnecessary for a number of reasons. Firstly, although she has broken an accepted social law, the villagers of Martlott do not morally censure her. She has an illegitimate child, but they still accept her as an individual, a member of the community, and do not look upon her as an outcast.

Tess imagines her guilt to be a natural consequence of her actions, not only in the eyes of the community but also in the eyes of nature. Hardy dispels this notion too. Her mind is tormented by 'a crowd of moral hobgoblins' which have been put there by her exposure to Christianity and which pervert her natural inclinations.

Hardy's intention with Tess is to test his concept of true natural goodness against the world. Tess adheres to no doctrine or tradition, and represents Hardy's direct challenge to both when she confronts the vicar on the subject of her baby's baptism and burial. After baptising her baby herself she (as does Hardy) feels: 'If Providence would not ratify such an act of approximation she, for one, did not value the kind of heaven lost by the irregularity.'

Angel Clare's history parallels that of Tess in that he has broken away from his family through exposure to modern ideas. He outrages his father, the 'straightforward simple-minded . . . man of fixed ideas' by wishing to use a university education for the 'honour and glory of man' and not of God. Just as Tess is breaking away from parochial convention and superstition, he is breaking away from adherence to received dogma.

At Talbothay's Dairy Angel becomes aware of the closeness to natural rhythms involved in the agricultural way of life. He imagines he can appreciate and adjust to this new way of life, but he cannot become part of it. He sees Tess in idealised terms, and he cannot accept it when that illusion is shattered

In the growing relationship between Tess and Angel, Hardy stresses the natural inevitability of their passion. 'All the while they were converging, under an irresistible law, as surely as two streams in one vale.'

But the immorality attached to Tess's past has been established as 'unnatural', and this brings about a crisis for both of them, in which fate plays its part in making the results as tragic as possible. Later, Angel says that if Tess had told him her history earlier he might have been able to accept it. Tess must be held to blame for not telling him, though fate, in the letter she wrote him remaining unseen, and social pressure from her mother, are also partly responsible. Angel has imagined himself to be an enlightened humanist, but when he discovers his wife's immoral history he finds that his new attitudes have penetrated no deeper than his intellect.

So the intellectual and free-thinking Angel is the 'slave to custom and conventionality', and the relatively ignorant Tess is the true humanist. It takes Angel a year of travelling and suffering during which 'he had mentally aged a dozen years' (p.388) before he can throw off his strictly moral upbringing and realise the validity of Tess's viewpoint.

Religious belief is further undermined by the rapid conversion, then de-conversion of Alec d'Urberville. He believes himself to be sincere, but Hardy shows his fanaticism to be a passing fad. It is during the arguments between Tess and Alec, (the dialectic nature of which puts rather a strain on the reality of Tess as a character), that Hardy seems to indicate his own beliefs.

'Alec: 'You seem to have no religion . . . '

Tess: 'But I have. Though I don't believe in anything supernatural . . . I believe in the spirit of the Sermon on the Mount'

'Tess: 'Why, you can have the religion of loving-kindness and purity at least, if you can't have - what do you call it - dogma.'

If there is any optimism, or tendency to suggest a code of conduct in Hardy, it is in humanistic ideas. And if there is any tendency towards a religion involving worship of a superior being, it is towards a natural, a-moral object, the sun.

'His present aspect, coupled with the lack of human forms in the scene, explained the old time heliolatries in a moment. One could feel that a saner religion has never prevailed under the sky.'

It is evident that Hardy regards Christianity as a worthless debasement of primitive spiritual ideas (sun-worship) from the bitter irony of this comment:

'but on this day of vanity, the Sun's-day, when flesh went forth to coquet with flesh while hypocritically affecting business with spiritual things

It is on the ancient altar of this 'saner religion' that Tess is finally sacrificed to spiritually-empty modern society.

By killing Alec Tess freed herself from the man who twice separated her from her lover, and allowed herself and Angel a few days of happiness together. But in Hardy's view this kind of happiness, between two enlightened people who take upon themselves responsibility for their own moral conduct, cannot be but short-lived.

The incongruity of modern policeman surrounding the ancient temple of Stonehenge indicates Hardy's view that modern man is in a spiritually hopeless state, as does Tess's attitude on being captured.

''It is as it should be,' she murmured. 'Angel, I am almost glad - yes, glad! This happiness could not have lasted. It was too much. I have had enough; and now I shall not live for you to despise me!'

Ian Mackean runs English Literature Resources & Essays, (where his site on Short Story Writing can also be found), and Books Made Into Movies.com. He is editor of 'The Essentials of Literature in English post-1914'. He is also a keen amateur photographer and has made a site of his photography at Photo-zen.com photography

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Charles Dickens - A Biography - English Literature

There is something about Charles Dickens' imaginative power that defies explanation in purely biographical terms. Nevertheless, his biography shows the source of that power and is the best place to begin to define it.

The second child of John and Elizabeth Dickens, Charles was born on February 7, 1812, near Portsmouth on England's south coast. At that time John Dickens was stationed in Portsmouth as a clerk in the Navy Pay Office. The family was of lower-middle-class origins, John having come from servants and Elizabeth from minor bureaucrats. Dickens' father was vivacious and generous but had an unfortunate tendency to live beyond his means. his mother was affectionate and rather inept in practical matters. Dickens later used his father as the basis for Mr. Micawber and portrayed is mother as Mrs. Nickleby in A Tale of Two Cities.

After a transfer to London in 1814, the family moved to Chatham, near Rochester, three years later. Dickens was about five at the time, and for the next five years his life was pleasant. Taught to read by his mother, he devoured his fathers' small collection of classics, which included Shakespeare, Cervantes, Defoe, Smollet, Fielding, and Goldsmith. These left a permanent mark on his imagination; their effect on his art was quite important. dickens also went to some performances of Shakespeare and formed a lifelong attachment to the theater. He attended school during this period and showed himself to be a rather solitary, observant, good-natured child with some talent for comic routines, which his father encouraged. In retrospect Dickens looked upon these years as a kind of golden age. His first novel, The Pickwick Papers, is in part an attempt to recreate their idyllic nature: it rejoices in innocence and the youthful spirit, and its happiest scenes take place in that precise geographical area.

In the light of the family's move back to London, where financial difficulties overtook the Dickens's, the time in Chatham must have seemed glorious indeed. The family moved into the shabby suburb of Camden Town, and Dickens was taken out of school and set to menial jobs about the household. In time, to help augment the family income, Dickens was given a job in a blacking factory among rough companions. At the time his father was imprisoned for debt, but was released three months later by a small legacy. Dickens related to his friend, John Forster, long afterward, that he felt a deep sense of abandonment at this time; the major themes of his novels can be traced to this period. His sympathy for the victimized, his fascination with prisons and money, the desire to vindicate his heroes' status as gentlemen, and the idea of London as an awesome, lively, and rather threatening environment all reflect these experiences. No doubt this temporary collapse of his parents' ability to protect him made a vivid expression on him. Out on his own for a time at twelve years of age, Dickens acquired a lasting self-reliance, a driving ambition, and a boundless energy that went into everything he did.

At thirteen Dickens went back to school for two years and then took a job in a lawyers office. Dissatisfied with the work, he learned shorthand and became a freelance court reporter in 1828. The job was seasonal and allowed him to do a good deal of reading in the British Museum. At the age of twenty he became a full-fledged journalist, working for three papers in succession. In the next four or five years he acquired the reputation of being the fastest and most accurate parliamentary reporter in London. The value of this period was that Dickens gained a sound, firsthand knowledge of London and the provinces.

Dickens was very active physically. He loved taking long walks, riding horses, making journeys, entertaining friends, dining well, playing practical jokes. He enjoyed games of charades with his family, was an excellent amateur magician, and practiced hypnotism. One tends to share Shaw's opinion that Dickens, in his social life, was always on stage. He was like an eternal Master of Ceremonies, for the most part: flamboyant, observant, quick, dynamic, full of zest. Yet he was also restless, subject to fits of depression, and hot tempered, so that at times he must have been nearly intolerable to live with, however agreeable he was as a companion.

In view of his very strenuous life it was not surprising that he died at fifty-eight from a stroke. At his death on June 9, 1870, Dickens was wealthy, immensely popular, and the best novelist the Victorian age produced. He was buried in the Poet's Corner of Westminster Abbey, and people mourned his death the world over.

You may visit http://www.TermPaperAdvisor.com and http://www.TermPapersMadeEasy.com for instant access to thousands of term papers. Several thousand free papers are also offered.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Why English Literature Or Drama Set Plays Need to Be Seen, Not Just Read

Any student taking English, Drama or Theatre Studies will find that their course features a number of set play texts.

These will almost certainly include a Shakespeare play or two, with typical choices including Hamlet, Othello and Romeo and Juliet. Alongside, these will be other classic plays, with popular choices including The Duchess of Malfi, A View From the Bridge and Dr Faustus.

Titles such as the above are studied throughout the English-speaking world, although each country will, of course, have its own preferences, particularly for drama by native playwrights or anything set in their home country.

A student in the USA, for example, taking a High School Diploma, SAT, ACT, Ap/IB or Bachelor's degree in English or Theater Studies may well find himself or herself studying The Crucible. A GCSE or A Level student in the UK could have Lady Windermere's Fan as part of their curriculum. In Scotland, Macbeth is an obvious choice for the Scottish Higher exam. In Australia, The Chapel Perilous is a popular option for Higher School Certificate or Certificate of Education students.

Whatever the stage play, studying the printed texts is the obvious starting point - indeed, it's essential. There are also many resources online giving the plot summary, key themes, characters and so forth, all of which can be useful.

However, there's no substitute for experiencing the plays as they are meant to be experienced - in other words seen, rather than read. If possible, students should try and go to a professional production of the play in question - in fact many examination boards specifically advise it.

In the first place, it makes the play, quite simply, more enjoyable. Students who may struggle with comprehension of a written text, or simply lack the desire to learn about it at all, will suddenly see what all the fuss is about. As long as the production is a good one, they will likely take genuine pleasure out of the experience.

In addition, the plot becomes clear. The characters come to life, as does the way they relate to and interact with each other. And, particularly important in the case of Elizabethan or Jacobean drama, the language becomes more accessible.

Not surprisingly, more pleasure and increased understanding is likely to be reflected in much higher grades.

Of course, finding a professional production of a set text play is often easier said than done, as stagings can be few and far between, even in big cities. There's also the question of cost. A night out at a leading theatre isn't cheap, and a teacher or professor wanting to take their whole class to a production can find the cost prohibitive.

So it's also worth seeking out alternate means of seeing stage plays. For example, the BBC has filmed all of Shakespeare's plays and brought them out on DVD - these are available individually or as a 37-disc boxed set. In addition, Stage on Screen has produced DVDs of stage productions of Doctor Faustus, The Duchess of Malfi, Volpone and others. Both organisations also produce copious background material, including sources, analysis and so on.

Productions such as these also have the advantage of being essentially faithful to the script and of being filmed as they are acted on stage. (While it's fun to watch a movie like West Side Story, inspired by Romeo and Juliet, or Strange Brew, based on Hamlet, transposed stories, heavily cut scripts and outlandish settings don't help much with the final examination.)

Although it can never replace live theatre completely, one advantage of watching stage plays on DVD, of course, is that students have the opportunity to watch the play as often as they want, and to look at individual scenes. And by watching a production together as a class, motivating and teaching students becomes more straightforward.

So if possible, see a live production, or one that's as close to a live performance as possible. For students and teachers alike, it can make all the difference.

* Peter Wise is a UK freelance copywriter based in London, UK. He writes websites, advertising, sales letters, brochures, newsletter articles and press releases. If you're looking for a freelance copywriter, take a look at my freelance copywriting services

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Great Expectations - Charles Dickens - English Literature Essay

Charles Dickenn's Great Expectations is a story about a boy, Philip Pirrip, who comes to a point in his life where his life changes drastically from the way it was when he was growing up. Whenever this change occurs, he does his best not to let people know about his past life where he was just a common boy. Throughout the novel, Dickens points out how people sometimes lead two lives that they want to keep separate.

The change in Pip's life is characterized in several ways. First of all, there is a physical change, when he moves to London. That just accentuates the difference between the two ³lives. Before, he lived in a small town that was near some marshes, both of which reflect the common side of his life. London is seen by Pip as a great and wonderful city which symbolizes his expectations of what is to come in his future. Another change in his life is that he is treated better by others. Mr. Trabb, the tailor, takes exception to Pip after he hears that he has come into a fortune. He measures Pip very quickly, and gets angry at his son for not showing the same respect of Pip's wealth. Then, when he next sees Pumblechook, he repeatedly asks Pip if he may shake his hand, as if it is some great honor. Before the news, he hardly treated Pip any differently than any other common boy. Pip also looks to the way his new acquaintances are treated, most notably Mr. Jaggers. He is treated with a great deal of respect by everyone, and even invokes fear in some. Pip had never seen this level of respect for someone that was his direct acquaintance before, except for Miss Havisham, who he knew had great wealth.

This dual lifestyle is paralleled in Mr. Wemmick, the clerk for Mr. Jaggers. Mr. Wemmick, when at work, only thinks about his work, and doesn't let his personal life affect how he goes about his business. The flip side of the coin is also true, as when he goes home, he forgets about anything that happened at work, and concentrates on making his deaf father happy. The scene when he takes Pip to work shows the change that he goes through on his way to work: By degrees, Wemmick got dryer and harder as we went along, and his mouth tightened into a post-office again. Just like Pip, he changes how he acts according to which role he is playing.

You may visit http://www.TermPaperAdvisor.com and http://www.TermPapersMadeEasy.com for instant access to thousands of term papers. Several thousand free papers are also offered.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Gothic Novel and the Development of the Genre in English Literature

Gothic Novel is a type of romantic fiction. It was predominant in English literature around the late 18th century to the first two decades of the 19th century. The setting for the fiction was usually a ruined Gothic castle. The typical story of such romantic fiction revolved around the suffering of an innocent woman inflected by a cruel villain. The writers used ghosts and other supernatural occurrences. The main intend of such novels was to evoke chilling terror by skillfully using mystery and horror.

The Term Gothic Applied for:

1. The Gothic novel was also considered as Gothic romance.

2. The term Gothic is also employed to designate narrative poetry or prose of which the major elements are horror, violence, and the supernatural.

3. The selection of the locale was usually a haunted castle with dungeons, underground passages, ghost-haunted rooms, and secret stairways that produced great amount of awe, wonder and fear.

The genre was nothing but a phase of the literary movement of romanticism in English literature. It was also the precursor of the modern mystery novel.

The Major writers of the Gothic Romance:

It was Horace Walpole who inaugurated the Gothic romance. He wrote The Castle of Otranto: A Gothic Story (1764). Other major writers were Clara Reeve, who wrote The Champion of Virtue (1777); Ann Radcliffe, who wrote The Mysteries of Udolpho (1794); Charles Robert Maturin, who wrote The Fatal Revenge (1807); and Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley who wrote Frankenstein (1818).

The American professional novelist Charles Brockden Brown is known for his Gothic romances. Other American writers such as Henry James, William Faulkner, and Flannery O'Connor used Gothic elements in their fiction. The late 20th century American novelists Stephen King and Anne Rice in their works show the sustained influence and popularity of this Gothic form.

Rakesh Patel is an aspiring poet, freelance writer, self-published author and teacher. Read his blog http://englishliterature99.wordpress.com/

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Vampires in English Literatures

The vampires existed in mythology and folklores. Similarly a good part of English and European literature also includes vampires in the form of novels and fictions. The primary objective of these literary works is to create horror by gruesome details of dead and evil. The eighteenth century literary works is primarily the poem by Heinrich August Ossenfelder the German poet. This followed by the narrative poem of Gottfried August Bürger.

The work by Goethe in The Bride of Corinth goes on to describe the conflict between pagans and Christians. The later works of fiction on vampires were inspired by the works of Samuel Taylor Coleridge's Christabel. In this the protagonist is seduced by female who has access to supernatural power and attempts to marry her by assuming the looks f her lost love.

The nineteenth century works on Vampires is much vaster compared the previous century and theses mythological characters have been used to depict evil force. Lord Byron in his epic poem The Giaour makes a reference to the vampires as known today as blood sucking creatures that feed on living and is destroyer of life. John William Polidori' work also takes reference for the work of Lord Byron. A sequel to Polidori work was adapted for stage production and the setting of the play was in Scotland.

The unauthorized sequel by Charles Nodier to Polidori work started off the stage production of dramas based on Vampires. The work of Nodier was adopted by British melo-dramatist Planche and was performed in English opera. The same work was recomposed and played in German opera with changed Setting. With this the vampires' theatrical debut across Europe more specifically in Western Europe began in mid nineteenth century.

In 1852 the then Queen Victoria watched one such play on vampires. She is known to have noted her reaction in her diary which describes the play as trashy.

For more information visit tvrage.com. They offer great information such as The Vampire Diaries episode recaps, as well as a TV schedule for Vampire Diaries TV.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Study Smarter, Not Longer: ACT Prep, PSAT and Practice AP English Literature Exams

With all the emphasis that is placed on standardized testing these days, you might think that those tests one might think that they truly measured a person's intelligence. But it's impossible to measure a person's intelligence with just one test, especially one like the SAT. What if a student gets a poor score on the SAT/ACT/GRE, but wins a Pulitzer Prize at age 18? That's a highly unlikely example of course, but there are certainly multiple ways to measure intelligence and potential for success. Of course, grades aren't a surefire indication either. Einstein is said to have done poorly in math in high school and both Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg didn't finish college, but it's doubtful that anyone considers them unintelligent or unsuccessful.

But in the absence of a perfect indicator of potential success in college (and life), tests like the SAT and ACT are really students have. Just about any SAT or ACT prep book will start off by declaring that tests like the SAT and ACT don't actually measure a person's intellect; they measure how well that student can take the SAT/ACT/etc. All of those standardized tests are relatively formulaic and if students know what to study and how to study it, their chances for success on them are significantly higher.

The are a variety of practice tests available for just about every standardized exam out there (LSAT and MCAT students may take more than 10 practice tests before sitting for the real thing), but the SAT actually has its own standardized practice test, the PSAT. High achieving students spend an awful lot of time studying and preparing for something that has the word "practice" at the front of it, but they might not be as obsessive as one may think. Qualifying scores on the PSAT can make a student eligible for a National Merit Scholarship. Even if students don't actually get the scholarship, if they're National Merit Finalist they can put that fact on their college applications. College admissions are getting more and more competitive all the time, so every little achievement helps.

Students hoping to do well on AP exams have it slightly easier; if the teachers in their Advanced Placement classes are doing their jobs properly, they should be preparing students for the appropriate AP exams all year long. Unlike the SAT or ACT, these AP exams only test mastery in a specific subject, and aren't simple fill-in-the-bubbles type tests. The AP English Literature Exam, for instance, requires students to write multiple short and long essays about a variety of works of literature (usually students can pick one or two from a provided list; they're not immediately disqualified if they didn't happen to read Crime and Punishment in high school).

Students may dread these tests (and rightfully so; who wants to give up Saturday morning in May to fill in a Scantron?), but if they learn to know their enemy, they don't need to fear them. The right resources and insights from instructors and mentors can help them to study smarter, not longer.

Paul Thomson is an writer and frequent online contributor who is passionate about improving college readiness. He frequently writes about the ACT prep, PSAT, and AP exams. In his spare time, he loves to promote the joy of reading to youth in his community.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Volume 1

With 274 authors, the Eighth Edition deepens its representation of essential works in all genres, ranging from Seamas Heaney's award-winning translation of Beowulf, Milton's Paradise Lost, and More's Utopia to the great poets and prose writers of the nineteenth century--Blake and Austen, Wordsworth and Byron, Tennyson and Barrett Browning--to twentieth-century classics of a truly global English literature--Conrad's Heart of Darkness, Woolf's A Room of One's Own, Achebe's Things Fall Apart, and Friel's Translations, to name but a few. Color plates--over 75 in all--and thematic clusters of brief and historically significant texts bring to life the cultural concerns of each period. Concise glosses and annotations, period introductions, biographical headnotes, timelines, and selected bibliographies help readers understand and enjoy the rich diversity of English literature.

The Norton series of anthologies never fails to disappoint, and this is proof that they're not about to. A hefty book, it delivers on its' promise; from cover to cover it is full poems and prose from the Middle Ages clean through to the Eighteenth Century. On (nearly) every author there is a detailed biography, helpful to get inside the mind of the writer and understand where they're coming from. A nice feature is the inclusion of full-length texts. From shorter plays, as Marlowe's "Dr. Faustus" through two complete Shakespeare's (whether you believe he wrote them or not :) )and even all the books of Paradise Lost-- and that's just in one time period. Included in the middle are colour plates of a smattering of different items, and while not necessarily critical to the enjoyment or usefulness of the Anthology, it's certainly a nice touch -- a way to give the eyes a break after digesting a few hundred lines of poetry.

Overall, great, both for the student reading through it for a Humanities course to the Accomplished professional reading through on a quiet evening.

Click here [http://thegreenstream.com] Dish Network $19.99/month everyday price Free DVD player with every Free installation, no equipment to buy, Free home protection plan, 100% digital programing, Free DVR equipment options, [http://thegreenstream.com]

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Introduction to CLEP Exam in English Literature

This is among the various CLEP exams that are administered by the College Board as a means of testing people's knowledge in relevant fields. Due to the fact that about three thousand colleges give credit for the English Literature Exam, many of those who would like to go to college like to take it. When you pass, you will skip some introductory lessons as you join college.

The English Literature exam covers a number of topics, which you need to be knowledgeable in. These include:

* 60%-65% - Follow imagery patterns, identifying characteristics of style, and the comprehension of reasoning of literary criticism excerpts; analyzing form elements, perceive meanings, identifying mood and tone.

* 35%-45% - Knowledge of significant authors, literary background, literary references, literary terms, and metrical patterns.

There are 95 questions with multiple choices in the English Literature exam that have to be answered in one hour and a half. Some institutions may also ask for an essay section that they will grade themselves, which is optional. In this section, you will be required to cover two themes within ninety minutes.

Unofficial score report is issued after the exam, which is graded from 20-80. According to the American Council on Education, you need to get at least 50 in order to get credit. The total score is calculated from the number of correct answers that are adjusted in line with the exam's difficulty.

It is recommended that you answer all questions since unanswered questions are treated as incorrect ones, and there are some pre-test questions that are not added to the total score. Such questions are used to set future exams.

You may register for the English Literature exam by going to the College Board site, and there are more than one thousand centers in various parts of the world where the exam is taken, either on paper or through computer.

Author is promoting the website http://www.studyguidesandflashcards.com The very purpose of our website is to provide various study guides and flash cards available for various competitive exams in one place.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

An AP English Literature Refresher - Gender in to Kill a Mockingbird and the Catcher in They Rye

One of the biggest problems with the books we read in high school is that most of them aren't contemporary - in the chronological sense of the word. We then assume that they aren't relevance in a thematic sense, which takes most of the fun and practically all of the creativity out of how we approach them. With the AP English Literature exam less than a month away, it's high time to start rethinking the old stand-bys. Let's take a look at how Harper Lee and JD Salinger toy with gender identity in To Kill a Mockingbird and The Catcher in the Rye.

Our first task is pretty straightforward, since Scout Finch is THE tomboy of US literature. She idolizes her brother, playing almost exclusively with him and his friends. She refuses to dress femininely for fear of becoming trapped within "the starched walls of a pink cotton penitentiary." When her father is threatened by a drunken mob of full-grown men, it's Scout who throws the first punch. (Symbolically speaking: she actually kicks him right in the spot that, you know, makes him a full-grown man.)

Although Scout makes To Kill a Mockingbird an obvious candidate for a book that pushes gender boundaries, The Catcher in the Rye is a much subtler choice. Holden Caulfield doesn't make a dramatic stand against machismo the way Scout does against sugar and spice, but since consistency isn't really his forte, this hardly disqualifies him from the running. Let's take a look at some of the moments that slip through amidst Holden's many self-contradictions.

Exhibit A: The Last Game of the Year. It's Pency Prep vs. Saxon Hall, and "you were supposed to commit suicide or something if old Pencey didn't win." Suffice it to say Holden doesn't give a damn. Which is not to suggest that people who don't care for sports are automatically feminine, but given the social expectations of the 1950's - not to mention the fact that the novel opens at said game - it symbolically sets Holden waaay apart from the novel's other (enthusiastically cheering) males.

Exhibit B: No Means No. Whenever a girl tells Holden to stop making sexual advances, he stops. Why is this newsworthy? Because most of the guys around him don't. If you're feeling creeped out, remember that this was the 1950's, when, as Holden explains, "no" could mean: 1) yes, but I assume no part of the responsibility for our actions, 2) maybe, but I'm scared, or 3) no way, no how. Holden's dilemma? He won't risk opening Door Number Three, regardless of the collective social permission slip. We like him already.

Exhibit C: Crumby Stuff. On the one hand, Holden doesn't feel you should "get sexy" with a woman you don't like. On the other hand, if you do like a woman, you shouldn't do any "crumby" - i.e. sexual - stuff to her. In more upper-crusty terms, Holden feels that sex requires objectification and is therefore inherently degrading to women. Of course, we might argue over the underlying assumption that sex requires objectification, but the point to be taken from all this is that Holden is big on R-E-S-P-E-C-T at a time when it isn't a cultural norm for men.

So besides the gender-bending, what's the common thread here? Only that Scout and Holden both hate phonies. Just think of the motives behind their behavior: Scout actively chooses to be a tomboy because she can't stand the "polite fiction" of the Southern Belle. She perceives femininity as evasive, inhibited, and artificial - and considering what the standards of girliness must have been like in 1930's Mississippi, we can't really blame her. Holden has the same problem in reverse. He's surrounded by images of "hotshot" polo players jumping over fences on horseback and "phony, lean-jawed guys" with ladies at the ready to light their pipes. Of course, Holden accuses everything of being phony, but the macho guy / fawning gal dynamic of 1950's America is by far the worst offender.

Scout and Holden's defiance of gender stereotypes fits nicely under the larger category of testing social boundaries. (Where would coming-of-age novels be without it?) By aligning gender with social convention, Lee and Salinger challenge the idea that gender - not to be confused with sex, of course - is somehow inborn. For books written in the fifties and sixties, that's pretty contemporary stuff.

Shmoop is an online study guide for literature like To Kill a Mockingbird, The Catcher in the Rye, AP English Literature, and many more. Its content is written by Ph.D. and Masters students from top universities, like Stanford, Berkeley, Harvard, and Yale who have also taught at the high school and college levels. Teachers and students should feel confident to cite Shmoop.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

English Literature - William Shakespeare - Coriolanus

Who is to blame for Coriolanus's banishment?

In William Shakespeare's Coriolanus, Coriolanus's banishment is the climax of a series of events in which several forces play a part, all pushing him towards his inevitable downfall. As is usual in Shakespearean Tragedy, the hero, at the peak of his achievements, falls, due to a fatal flaw in his character. Coriolanus 's flaw is his arrogant pride and lack of temperance, and his fall is great, from national hero to outcast.

A particular feature of this play is that Shakespeare has shown us how the hero's character came to be flawed. We see that the flaw has its roots in the family and society which moulded his personality. This insight does not enable us to excuse Coriolanus for his behaviour, but it does prevent us from presenting a simple black and white case on the question of who is to blame for his downfall.

In Coriolanus's Rome the citizens fall roughly into two categories, the patricians and the plebeians. The two factions are seen to coexist in a state of more or less mutual antagonism, with stability being maintained by a willingness to compromise on both sides.

Coriolanus does not fit in with his society. His valour places him above the plebeians, and his lack of politic sense places him outside to the circle of patricians. He cannot understand the concepts of expediency and respect necessary for the maintenance of a stable society by its authorities. He naively sees society in simplistic terms of good patricians, and bad plebeians.

In soothing them, we nourish 'gainst our senate

The cockle of rebellion, insolence, sedition,

Which we ourselves have plough'd for, sow'd, and scattered. (111.1.68)

Coriolanus's flaw is his pride, his insistence on voicing his opinions regardless of the consequences, and the narrow-mindedness which makes him immune to change. He firmly believes that the duty of every Roman male is to achieve valour, and valour is the only virtue he recognises. It is his single-minded determination that has led to his success, but it also leads him to hate and despise all those who, in his view, fail to live up to their duty:

The idea of 'countrymen' means little or nothing to him. Though he seems to be fighting for Rome, it is as a personal ideal, or symbol, and he holds his fellow Romans in utter contempt. They are an insignificant rabble to him, and he makes little distinction between them and the enemy.

It is not the fact that he holds these opinions, however, that seals his doom, it is the fact that he cannot refrain from voicing them vehemently in public on every possible occasion. He insists on acting in this way, against the good advice, to dissemble, from Menenius and his mother, even when his life is at stake.

From the point of view of Roman society there is no one to blame but Coriolanus himself. As illustrated by Menenius's story of the body and its parts (1.1.95 - ), the motif of the play, the harmonious operation of the community is the criterion by which the actions of its individuals must be judged. By this criterion, although the military service Coriolanus has done for Rome is undeniably great, it is also undeniable that he is likely to do a great deal of harm to the living fabric of the society. On this point, Sicinius and Menenius, representatives of the two factions of society, cannot help but agree:

Sicinius: He's a disease that must be cut away.

Menenius: Oh, he's a limb that has but a disease. (111.1.292)

In terms of the action of the play, therefore, we must appoint blame primarily to Coriolanus himself for his arrogance and open display of hatred, and secondarily to the spiteful jealousy of the tribunes, and the indecision and gullibility of the plebeians.

The play gives us, however, evidence of the causes behind human character. Through the character of Coriolanus's mother, and the nature of Roman society itself, we can see why Coriolanus is the way he is. We can note the influence of Roman society itself in its upholding valour as a high virtue. This is seen in the eagerness of the patricians to praise him for his supreme soldiership.

If I should tell thee o'er this thy day's work,

Thou't not believe thy deeds: but I'll report it,

Where senators shall mingle tears with smiles

. . . ladies shall be frighted . . . the dull tribunes

That with the fusty plebeians hate thine honours,

Shall say against their hearts, 'We thank the gods

Our Rome hath such a soldier'. (1.1X.1)

But this social influence will be common to all Roman families and sons, and cannot be responsible for the extreme nature of Coriolanus's character. Far more important an influence has been his mother. Volumina has brought him up of with only one aim in mind; to make him a great soldier:

When yet he was but tender bodied . . . when for a day of Kings' entreaties, a mother should not sell him an hour from her beholding . . . To a cruel war I sent him, from whence he returned, his brows bound with oak. I tell thee daughter, I sprang of not more in joy at first hearing he was a man-child, than now in first seeing he had proved himself a man.

Virgilia: But had he died in the business, madam, how then?

Volumina: Then his good report should have been my son. (1.111.5)

We have a further insight into the way Coriolanus's character has been formed from an early age through Valeria's report of young Martius, Coriolanus's son, over whom, no doubt, Volumina has had huge influence.

Valeria: I saw him run after a gilded butterfly, and when he caught it, he let it go again, and after it again, and over and over he comes, and up again, catched it again . . . he did so set his teeth and tear it. Oh, I warrant how he mammocked it! (1.111.60)

We can feel sympathy for Coriolanus when he says:

I muse my mother

Does not approve me further, who was wont

To call them woollen vassals, things created

To buy and sell with the groats, . . .

Why did you wish me milder? Would you have me

False to my nature? Rather say I play

The man I am. (111.11.7)

This insight makes the question of who is to blame much less clear-cut, and perhaps even meaningless.

The problem for Rome is essentially a practical one, of how to ensure self-preservation, and all the insight and understanding in the world would not lessen the necessity of taking steps against Coriolanus.

Copyright Ian Mackean. Read the full version of this essay at:

http://www.literature-study-online.com/essays/coriolanus.html

Ian Mackean runs the sites http://www.literature-study-online.com, which features a substantial collection of Resources and Essays, (and where his site on Short Story Writing can also be found,) and http://www.Booksmadeintomovies.com. He is the editor of The Essentials of Literature in English post-1914, ISBN 0340882689, which was published by Hodder Arnold in 2005. When not writing about literature or short story writing he is a keen amateur photographer, and has made a site of his photography at http://www.photo-zen.com

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

English Literature: Alexander Pope - The Rape of the Lock

In 'The Rape of the Lock' Alexander Pope (1688-1744) employs a mock-epic style to satirise the 'beau-monde' (fashionable world, society of the elite) of eighteenth century England. The richness of the poem, however, reveals more than a straightforward satirical attack. Alongside the criticism we can detect Pope's fascination with, and perhaps admiration for, Belinda and the society in which she moves. Pope himself was not part of the 'beau-monde'. He knew the families on which the poem is based but his own parents, though probably comfortably off, were not so rich or of the class one would have to be in to move in Belinda's circle. He associated with learned men and poets, and there can have been little common ground between the company he kept at Will's Coffee House and those who frequented Hampton Court.

The incident at the centre of the poem is the Baron's theft of a lock of hair and the ensuing estrangement of two families. The opening lines of the poem introduce the reader to the satirical stance he is taking towards the society portrayed in the poem.

What dire Offence from am'rous Causes springs,

What mighty Contests rise from trivial Things, [I.1-2]

Pope suggests that they are taking a trivial incident too seriously, displaying an exaggerated sense of their own importance. Throughout the poem Pope continues to make this point through his use of the mock-epic style, which itself takes a trivial incident too seriously, and uses disproportionately grand language to describe an unworthy subject.

Belinda is belittled early in the poem by the revelation of Ariel [l.27-114], who tells her that part of her will survive after her death.

Think not, when Woman's transient Breath is fled,

That all her Vanities at once are dead:

Succeeding Vanities she still regards,

And tho' she plays no more, o'erloks the Cards.

Her Joy in gilded Chariots, when alive,

And Love of Ombre, after Death survive.

For when the Fair in all their Pride expire,

To their first Elements their Souls retire: [l.51-9]

We might expect this part, the deepest and most essential part of her being, the 'first Elements', to be her soul, but in Belinda's case it is her 'Vanities', her 'Joy in gilded Chariots' and her 'Love of Ombre', suggesting that her soul consists of nothing more that vanity and a love of pleasure.

Belinda's vanity is seem to take the form of religious devotion in the passage describing her morning toilette.

And now, unveil'd, the Toilet stands display'd,

Each Silver Vase in mystic Order laid.

First, rob'd in White, the Nymph intent adores

With Head uncover'd, the Cosmetic Pow'rs.

A heav'nly Image in the Glass appears,

To that she bends, to that her Eyes she rears; [l.121-6]

The ironic transposition of 'cosmic powers' in 'Cosmetic Pow'rs' indicates the excessive value she attributes to her make-up, and bowing to her own image shows her devotion to her religion of narcissism. The passage is a mock version of the arming of the epic hero, her weaponry of cosmetics being ridiculed by the implicit comparison with the swords and shields of the epic hero. The passage includes a mock catalogue.

Here Files of Pins extend their shining Rows,

Puffs, Powders, Patches, Bibles, Billet-doux. [l.137-8]

This catalogue, echoing the catalogue of troops and weaponry found in epics, is one of the many indications of the jumbled values to be found in Belinda's society. The Bible is seen as a trinket for the adornment of her dressing table, along with the puffs and powders.

If we look for an explicit moral message in the poem we must look to Clarissa's speech [V.7-34], which Pope included specifically for that purpose. This is the most sober passage in the poem and it embodies Pope's message to the 'beau-monde', and in particular to the Fermor and Petre families. It is a plea for maturity and good sense, for virtue and care of the soul; all the things which the satire has shown to be lacking. By asking them to see their lives in a wider context he hopes to persuade them to adopt a more rational sense of proportion. By laughing at the mock-epic style they will have to admit that they are laughing at themselves, and Pope hopes this will inculcate a spirit of good humour and reconciliation.

Although not himself of the 'beau-monde' Pope was part of the same era. The finesse and delicacy of 'beau-monde' manners is matched by Pope's style, and the good humour, wit, and charm which characterises Pope's manner must represent an expression of the same ideals pursued by the Baron and other courtly men of the age. An affinity between them is revealed by Pope's empathy, fine judgements, and carefully aimed criticisms, and Pope must have been at least a little fascinated by the 'beau-monde' to apply his talents to this poem which, in an ironic way, celebrates Belinda and her world and, as Pope himself suggests in the final couplet of the poem, has preserved them for posterity.

This Lock, the Muse shall consecrate to Fame,

And mid'st the Stars inscribe Belinda's Name! [V.149-50]

Copyright Ian Mackean. The full version of this essay can be read at:

http://www.literature-study-online.com/essays/alexander-pope.html

Ian Mackean runs the sites http://www.literature-study-online.com, which features a substantial collection of Resources and Essays, (and where his site on Short Story Writing can also be found,) and http://www.Booksmadeintomovies.com. He is the editor of The Essentials of Literature in English post-1914, ISBN 0340882689, which was published by Hodder Arnold in 2005. When not writing about literature or short story writing he is a keen amateur photographer, and has made a site of his photography at http://www.photo-zen.com

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Indian English Literature

Indian English literature (IEL) refers to the body of work English writers in India. It all started in the summers of 1608 when Emperor Jahangir, in the courts of Moguls, welcomed Captain William Hawkins, Commander of British Naval Expedition Hector. It was India's first tryst with an Englishman and English. Jahangir later allowed Britain to open a permanent port and factory on the special request of King James IV that was conveyed by his ambassador Sir Thomas Roe. English people stay there.

The native and co-native language of these writers could be one of the numerous languages of India. Indian English literature is an endeavor of showcasing the rare gems of Indian writing in English. From being a curious native explosion, English in India has become a new form of Indian culture, and voice in which India can speak.

The Indian authors such as poets, novelists, essayists, dramatists have now been making significant contributions to world literature since the pre-Independence era, the past few years have seen a massive flourishing of Indian English writing in the international market. After writing in English Indian authors soaring on the best seller's list and also receiving critical acclaim.

There are many names that contribute in the Indian literature to move it on the top. Some of the important names are Mulakh Raj Anand, R. K. Narayan, Anita Desai, Toru Dutt, Salman Rushdie, Vikram Seth, Allan Sealy, Amitav Ghosh, Jhumpa Lahiri, Chitra Banerjee, Divakaruni, Arundhati Roy, Vikram Chandra all of these came in the parade of fine Indian writers.

India was under the British rule but English was adopted by the Indians as a language of knowledge, education and literary expression behind with an important means of communication among various people of different religions.

Read about Beauty Tips, Make Up Tips. Also read about Permanent Hair Removal

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

English Literature: Charles Dickens's Narrative Technique

A critic wrote: 'Every writer of fiction, although he may not adopt the dramatic form, writes in effect for the stage.' When considering the statement in relation to Dickens we cannot take the word 'stage' too literally. Much of Dickens's writing involves the evocation of landscapes, such as the marshes in 'Great Expectations' or Yarmouth beach in 'David Copperfield' which could not be accommodated on the stage. Nor could the stage accommodate the numerous changes of scene which occur in Dickens's novels. The 'stage' Dickens refers to is the stage of the reader's imagination, and his narrative technique plays upon that 'stage' to grip and hold our imaginations.

Dickens's dramatic technique has more in common with the cinema than with theatre; but the cinema is essentially a dramatic medium in that it functions through character, action, dialogue, and setting, and only minimally through literary techniques. In this essay I will look at some of the dramatic, and literary, techniques found in Dickens's writing, and consider their effectiveness and their limitations.

When we think of a Dickens novel it is pictures and dramatic events which spring first to mind. In pictures we see, for example, Peggoty's boathouse at Yarmouth in 'David Copperfield', the interior of Fagin's den in 'Oliver Twist', and the frozen wedding feast in Miss Havisham's room in 'Great Expectations'. Among the dramatic events we might recall Magwitch threatening Pip in the churchyard, Oliver asking for more, and Uriah Heep being unmasked by Micawber.

Dickens's 'pictures' are an integral part of the fabric of the narrative, conveying meanings in themselves, and unlike, for example James Joyce's descriptions, we are not required to interpret the images looking for symbolism, but to see them vividly. It is through conjuring images on the stage of our imagination that he draws us into the story. For example:

'She was dressed in rich materials - satins, and lace, and silks - all of white. Her shoes were white. And she had a long white veil dependent from her hair, and she had bridal flowers in her hair, but her hair was white. Some bright jewels sparkled on her neck and on her hands, and some other jewels lay sparkling on the table.' (Great Expectations. Ch.8.)

The words of this passage serve only one purpose, that we should see the scene in our imagination. The writer's stance is that of an objective reporter, and the short factual sentences, packed with detailed observation, do not in themselves convey any response or judgement. The reader responds not to the words, but to the picture. In fact the passage is notable for the total absence of emotive words. Nowhere do we see words such as 'decay', 'horror', 'stagnation' or 'death', and yet we can feel, or at least understand, Pip's horror at finding himself in this room where the only sign of life is the movement of the dark eyes looking at him.

As an example of a dramatic event, using action and dialogue we can take this passage from 'Oliver Twist'.

'Before Oliver had time to look round, Sikes had caught him under the arms; and in three or four seconds he and Toby lay on the grass on the other side. Sikes followed directly. And they stole cautiously towards the house.

. . . He clasped his hands together, and involuntarily uttered a subdued exclamation of horror. A mist came before his eyes; the cold sweat stood upon his ashy face; on his limbs failed him; and he sank upon his knees.

'Get up!' murmured Sikes, trembling with rage, and drawing the pistol from his pocket; 'Get up or I'll strew your brains upon the grass.'

Here the movement of the dramatic action is so powerful that we do not really need the dialogue; we would understand perfectly what was going on if the scene were presented as a silent film. Oliver is being forced, against his will, in a certain direction, and he is resisting with all his might, both physically and morally. The dramatic scene reflects the way Oliver has been forced into roles against his will ever since he was born in the workhouse. This is Dickens at his most dramatic, placing characters and actions vividly on the stage of our imaginations.

Much of Dickens's writing functions in this way, but there is also much which is non-dramatic which functions on a verbal, literary level.

'She was most noticeable, I thought, in respect of her extremities; for her hair always wanted brushing, her hands always wanted washing, and her shoes always wanted mending and pulling up at heel. This description must be received with a weekday limitation. On Sundays she went to church elaborated.' ('Great Expectations' Ch.7.)

The reader might create a visual picture of Biddy from these fragments, but the passage really conveys ideas rather than images, and makes its impact through the use of language, achieving an effect which has no direct parallel in film or drama.

A more subtle literary technique, which also goes beyond the limitations of drama, is illustrated near the opening of 'Great Expectations':

As I never saw my father or my mother, and never saw any likeness of either of them (for their days were long before the days of photographs), my first fancies regarding what they were like were unreasonably derived from their tombstones. The shape of the letters on my father's gave me an odd idea that he was a square, stout, dark man, with curly black hair. ('Great Expectations' Ch.1.)

This passage conveys an intimate and complex process in which an individual's thoughts mingle with his perception of the outside world. The activity here is purely conceptual, illustrating the strength of literature over theatre or film - its ability to communicate concepts and intangible thought processes.

'David Copperfield' is perhaps the least dramatic of these three novels. Like 'Great Expectations' it is a fictional autobiography in the first person, but unlike Pip, David has become a writer and is consciously interested in his craft. Thus in reading 'David Copperfield' we are far more aware of the fact that we are being told a story that we are in 'Great Expectations'.

My school days! The silent gliding on of my existence - the unseen, unfelt progress of my life - from childhood up to youth! Let me think, as I look back upon that flowing water, now a dry channel overgrown with leaves, whether there are any marks along its course by which I can remember how it ran. ('David Copperfield' Ch.18.)

This is the work of a self-conscious artist primarily interested in his own imagination, and again there is an intimacy between author and reader which cannot be achieved in a dramatic medium.

One could not talk about Dickens's drama without mentioning his characters. The variety and memorability of Dickens's characters is perhaps his greatest achievement as a writer. Often they are caricatures, but caricatures which capture something which is present in life. Every public school must have its Steerforth, criminal circle its Bill and Nancy, fishing community it Peggoty. These are the characters Dickens puts upon his 'stage'.

I should like to conclude with a passage whose relevance to the theme of this essay is self-evident. Perhaps it is reasonable to suppose that it gives us an insight into Dickens's creative mind as well as Pip's.

'what he did say presented pictures to me, and not mere words. In the excited and exalted state of my brain, I could not think of a place without seeing it, or persons without seeing them. It is impossible to overstate the vividness of these images' ('Great Expectations' Ch. 53.)

Copyright Ian Mackean. Read the full version of this essay at:

http://www.literature-study-online.com/essays/dickens.html

Ian Mackean runs the sites http://www.literature-study-online.com, which features a substantial collection of Resources and Essays, (and where his site on Short Story Writing can also be found,) and http://www.Booksmadeintomovies.com. He is the editor of The Essentials of Literature in English post-1914, ISBN 0340882689, which was published by Hodder Arnold in 2005. When not writing about literature or short story writing he is a keen amateur photographer, and has made a site of his photography at http://www.photo-zen.com

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.