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Attitude
20th century writers dealt with many issues and themes throughout their writing. The authors that I have chosen to look at are Updike, Beatti, Rothke and Plath. These authors and their works will each be evaluated by how they deal with the subjects love, death, loss and passing of time.
The short story “ Separating “ by John Updike deals with the subject of love and I also believe it deals with the themes “ quest for identity” and “ alienation and nausea “. The story talks about how two parents are going through the process of telling their children that they are going to separate. This is important to them because they do love their children very much; they want to make the timing perfect so it is easier on the children. The father and mother seemed as though they needed to find out who they really were without their children. They did all things for the kids. They said that they loved one another but yet they didn’t make each other happy. I think that they just weren’t sure what made them “happy”.
“Weekend “ a short story by Ann Beattie deals with the subject of “ loss of time “ and the same theme that Updikes story dealt with “ quest for identity “ .I chose the subject of time because at first they loved one another and had a good relationship and then time passed and they ended up in such a weird place in their relationship. George had control over Lenore in the way that she never knows that she can leave him and be okay. She stays with him because she does care for him but also because she has a place to put her children and herself to sleep.
“Wish for a Young Wife “ a poem by Theodore Rothke is one that goes into the subject of loss or the idea of loss. This is a man who is telling his wife that he hopes that even while he grows old he wishes that she were beautiful and young for eternity. H e wishes her to never endure grief or hate; these are the very things that make one old. He could be very much in love with his wife and by wishing this for her, so she never looses her beauty.
The Marriage Vow highlights the contrast between the fantasies of marriage and the depressing reality of the ritual, as in the material world, “Woman’s lip to swear the heart away.” As the heart is symbolic of her soul and humanity, Landon has revealed the harsh truth that wedding vows are the catalyst for the bride’s downfall, reducing themselves to a mere possession. This line also expresses the discrimination against women in the Victorian Era. This is supported further as Landon proclaims that women “annul[s] the vow while speaking," highlighting the woman’s acknowledgement of being stripped from humanity, only to be reduced to the possession of the husband. Ultimately, the final line of the poem, “for the grave is rest” emphasizes the miserable nature that the female partner has put herself in, only for death to be the only solemn relief. Landon’s concluding statement is a disturbing one, as she hopes to accentuate the reality of marriage in the Victorian era from the cliché fantasy of living happily ever after that is seen in various literature today. Furthermore, the Marriage Vow has illustrated the changeable nature of attitudes and values within marriage through exploring
The 1920's had many influential writers in literature. While reaching this time period it is almost certain that the names William Faulkner, Earnest Hemingway, and F. Scott Fitzgerald will be found. Each of the writers has their own personal style of writing and each one of the lives has influenced what they write about to even the way they each portray their literature.
The. "Twentieth-Century Literature (2006): 443-66. Literature Resources from Gale, Inc. Web. The Web. The Web. 24 Feb. 2014.
Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism, edited by Linda Pavlovski and Scott T. Darga, vol. 106, Gale, 2001. 20th Century Literature Criticism Online, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/KSZNPN102098467/LCO?u=schaumburg_hs&sid=LCO. Accessed 14 Dec. 2017. Originally published in CLA Journal, vol. 31, June 1988, pp.
The two in the poem do not value one another whatsoever. “As I try to leave you again” (Ai 7), is the theme of this poem. The two really have no reason to stay with each other, for one states, “I think with [his] laziness...” (Ai 9), dwelling on the negative aspects of the relationship, continuing to try and find other reasons to stay with each other. Ai’s poem describes a intimate relationship between lovers. However, in a sense, this relationship is more complicated than what Derricotte speaks of. Derricotte describes a familial bonding in which the “lover” is tied down more with commitment and responsibility, in other words being less likely to leave the child or fall out of love with him. The love in Ai’s poem “may have a definable endpoint...that is the total annihilation of the other” (Love and Hate 301). The two mentioned in the poem are in a constant battling whether to stay or to go. There is is this constant struggle whether the relationship is worth enduring or if all ties should be cut. Critics may argue that this is a form of love that is unstable and unsure, but when we look at all the aspects of love, this relationship does not fall into the margins. This love, as some would call it, has an
Brockmeier’s short story represents a damaged marriage between a husband and a wife simply due to a different set of values and interests. Brockmeier reveals that there is a limit to love; husbands and wives will only go so far to continually show love for each other. Furthermore, he reveals that love can change as everything in this ever changing world does. More importantly, Brockmeier exposes the harshness and truth behind marriage and the detrimental effects on the people in the family that are involved. In the end, loving people forever seems too good to be true as affairs and divorces continually occur in the lives of numerous couples in society. However, Brockmeier encourages couples to face problems head on and to keep moving forward in a relationship. In the end, marriage is not a necessity needed to live life fully.
Rpt. in Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism. Ed. Linda Pavlovski. Vol.
Century Literature Criticism. Ed. Jay Parini. Vol. 14. Detroit: Gale Research, 1987. Literature Resource Center. Web. 24 Jan. 2012.
Love can take many shapes and forms. There are many different kinds of love between human beings. Though it is often overlooked, intentionally or not, loss comes hand in hand with love; it is the second face of love that no one wants to see or experience. With love comes the potential to lose it as well. Nicole Krauss’s book, The History of Love, is really about loss.
The Symposium, The Aeneid, and Confessions help demonstrate how the nature of love can be found in several places, whether it is in the mind, the body or the soul. These texts also provide with eye-opening views of love as they adjust our understanding of what love really is. By giving us reformed spectrum of love, one is able to engage in introspective thinking and determine if the things we love are truly worthy of our sentiment.
The study of human emotions began in the late 1970s and has flourished since; centring on the role it plays in the personal and social life of the individual, and how culture influences emotion (Lutz & White 1986: 405, 410). Love is considered to be one of the six, fundamental emotions surrounding human attachment (Lindholm 1982 in Lutz & White 1986: 411), and has been defined as the strong feeling of affection or attraction, which is more profound than fondness (Oxford Dictionary of Psychology 2009). Consequently, the notion of “Love” has long been a topic of interest, leading to an explosion of literature on love (Sarsby 1983: 20).
In the 1950s, authors tended to follow common themes, these themes were summed up in an art called postmodernism. Postmodernism took place after the Cold War, themes changed drastically, and boundaries were broken down. Postmodern authors defined themselves by “avoiding traditional closure of themes or situations” (Postmodernism). Postmodernism tends to play with the mind, and give a new meaning to things, “Postmodern art often makes it a point of demonstrating in an obvious way the instability of meaning (Clayton)”. What makes postmodernism most unique is its unpredictable nature and “think o...
In “The Weekend,” Lenore knows she is not in a perfect relationship, but she chooses to stay with George. Lenore could have chosen to continue her relationship with George because she could feel like she is the only woman that understands him. Also, when women leave relationships with small children, they typically face economic troubles. In today’s world, many women find themselves in abusive relationships, or in relationships where they know their partner is cheating; however, these women choose to stay in their relationships because they have small children they need to care for. Also, many women try to work out their issues with their partners before giving up on the relationship. “The Weekend” can relate to many celebrity relationships;
Love has been expressed since the beginning of time; since Adam and Eve. Each culture expresses its love in its own special way. Though out history, though, it’s aspect has always been the same. Love has been a major characteristic of literature also. One of the most famous works in literary history is, Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. This story deals with the love of a man and a woman who’s families have been sworn enemies. There love surpassed the hatred in which the families endured for generations. In the end they both ended up killing their selves, for one could not live without the other. This story is a perfect example of true love.
As a conclusion, love is unique among those mental states. Although we celebrate love, we also recognize it can resemble an illness. Thus, the word love is complemented by love sickness. There is equivalent construction that relates to any other positive mental state. Poets experience a sickness as a consequence of the absence of their lovers. Also, psychiatry recognizes abnormally elevated mood in the form of mania. Lovesickness and the anguish of rejection, however, can lead to anguish and real suffering—both mental and physical. If love is a sickness then perhaps it has a cure. However, the wounds of love are cured by only by those who made them.