T. S. Eliot's Critique of Henry James' Washington Square
In the article "A Prediction," by T. S. Eliot, Henry James is both criticized and praised as a writer: "His technique has received the kind of praise usually accorded to some useless, ugly and ingenious piece of carving which has taken a very long time to make; and he is widely reproached for not succeeding in doing the things that he did not attempt to do" (55). Eliot seems to feel that James has not been properly criticized, and in fact that some criticisms are contradictory and inconsistent. Perhaps critics of James have expressed themselves in these manners because James's writing is hard to identify with because it is not real.
In Washington Square, there are several components that cause the novel to come across as unrealistic. The most prominent appears to be the characters and how they are presented and interact with each other throughout the novel. The personality of each character is very hard to pinpoint. As I read through the novel, I could not figure out exactly what Doctor Sloper's motives were. Did he really dislike Morris Townsend or was he just trying to keep his daughter from marrying anyone at all? The Doctor's reasons seem sufficient enough, "If Morris Townsend has spent his own fortune in amusing himself, there is every reason to believe that he would spend yours" (71).
However, the Doctor's motives also seem curious. He waited to tell Catherine that he disliked Morris until after he had asked her to marry him, when all along the Doctor disliked Morris. In fact, it was hard to ignore the doctors snide comments about Morris that appeared consistently throughout the book. For example, at the traditional Sunday evening at Mrs. Almond's, the Doctor comments, "'He is amazingly conceited!'" (57). The Doctor comments without having really talked with Morris. He has made up his mind about Morris before he really even meets him
Regardless of James's failure to present real characters who have believable social settings, work for a living, and express emotions and opinions about the trials and tribulations that they encounter, Eliot argues that, "had James been a better hand at character, he would have missed the sensibility to the peculiar class of data which were his province" (55).
The furies are represented by evil, or revenge, “deities of revenge”(462). The meaning implied is that he is guided by evil, anger, and revenge. I know that furies are represented by evil because Monseigneur is committing bad sins and is always thinking in the terms of money instead of helping people. “‘Can I restor...
According to Bette Howland, Henry James never cared for his novel Washington Square. He refers to it as "A poorish thing" and "a tale purely American" (1). In fact, when he compiled his stories in his New York Edition he omitted this story from its pages. He claimed that, "I've tried to read over Washington Square and I can't and I fear it must go" (1). Ms. Howland claims that it is "a fitting irony. You might say that like Dr. Sloper in the novel, James disinherited his heroine, he cut her out of his will" (1).
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s elaborately descriptive writing style has been studied and criticized by people all over the world for years. Hawthorne has been thought of as one of the greatest writers in history, but his unique style has also been negatively criticized and disapproved of. No matter the opinion of his works, the people who knew him personally respected Hawthorne. “On the day after Hawthorne’s funeral, in May 1864, [Ralph Waldo] Emerson wrote in his journal: ‘I thought him a greater man than any of his works betray…’'; (Martin 37). Hawthorne, however, was not so well thought of by people who did not know him well. Someone who would rather be creative and write than have a “real job'; was not very well respected in Hawthorne’s day. A writer who wrote fictional tales was even less respected than an author who wrote of actual events was. These unjustified opinions of writers influenced Nathaniel Hawthorne throughout his life and career in creative writing.
Washington Square Park is home to thousands of New York University Students, families leisurely strolling through the park on afternoons, people cooling off at the fountain during the summer, couples lounging on the green grass, and even home to the New York City Pillow Fight held during the summer. At the center of Greenwich Village, it provides an escape from the busy traffic and city surrounding it. Most importantly, it is home to the Washington Square Arch.
Osteosarcoma, characterized as a neoplasm that produces osteoid, is a highly malignant tumor that develops predominantly in the metaphysis of the long bones, often in the distal femur and proximal tibia. More rare osteosarcomas may develop in the soft tissue. Although the malignancy usually arises in the medullary cavity of the metaphysis of a growing tubular long bone, less frequent growth patterns can develop on the surface on the bone. Surface osteosarcomas, as well as being significantly rarer, are also of a low grade, where else medullary osteosarcomas are of an aggressive nature, making it high grade. Osteosarcomas may also be confined to the cortex, and can even originate in an extraskeletal site.
Mr. Rochester is irresistibly driven by his feelings. He carries a long history of ignoring sound judgment, including his hasty and unwise marriage to Bertha Mason because he "was dazzled, stimulated...[he] thought [he] loved her"(310), and his ensuing licentious, wandering life in search of pleasure. He has grown so accustomed to burying good sense, that he is able to completely disregard the fact that he still has a living wife with a clear conscience. Swept away by his feelings, he ignores the law, and tries to justify marriage to Jane. His passion often exceeds his control, like when Jane tells him she must leave Thornfield. "‘Jane! Will you hear reason? Because, if you won't, I'll try violence'" (307), he tells Jane desperately. Mr. Rochester deludes himself into the belief that he listens to sound judgment, but in reality, what he calls reason is simply folly born from his uncontrolled passions.
"SparkNotes: Everyday Use: Analysis of Major Characters." SparkNotes: Today's Most Popular Study Guides. Web. 14 Apr. 2011. .
Federalism plays an integral part in the growth and development of the United States of America and is a key factor in determining the basis of power in this country. Clearly, the term federalism can be understood in many different ways pertaining to each person's view, but it can be more broadly defined in terms of the separation between the state and federal government. Thomas E. Patterson defines federalism as, “the division of sovereignty, or ultimate governing authority, between a national government and regional (that is, state) governments. Each directly governs the people and derives its authority from them” (Patterson 74). He then goes on to give a more basic definition with, “American Federalism is basically a system of divided powers” (Patterson 74). But federalism is more than just a word with a definition. It is hard wired into the constitution because the framers knew how important this division of power would be for the development of America and to ensure power would ultimately reside with the people.
The most obvious stylistic device used by Eliot is that of personification. She uses this device to create two people from her thoughts on old and new leisure. The fist person is New Leisure, who we can infer to be part of the growth of industry in the 19th century. He is eager and interested in science, politics, and philosophy. He reads exciting novels and leads a hurried life, attempting to do many things at once. Such characteristics help us to create an image of New Leisure as Eliot sees him.
Thomas Stearns Eliot was perhaps one of the most critical writers in the English language’s history. Youngest of seven children and born to the owner of a Brick Company, he wasn’t exactly bathed in poverty at all. Once he graduated from Harvard, he went on to found the Unitarian church of St. Luis. Soon after, Eliot became more serious about literature. As previously stated, his literature works were possibly some of the most famous in history. Dr. Tim McGee of Worland High School said that he would be the richest writer in history if he was still alive, and I have no choice but to believe him. In the past week many of his works have been observed in my English literature class. Of Thomas Stearns Eliot’s poems Preludes, The Journey of the Magi, The Hollow Men, The Waste Land, and Four Quartets, I personally find his poem The Hollow men to be the most relatable because of its musical allusions, use of inclusive language, and his opinion on society.
Federalism, by definition, is the division of government authority between at least two levels of government. In the United States, authority is divided between the state and national government. “Advocates of a strong federal system believe that the state and local governments do not have the sophistication to deal with the major problems facing the country” (Encarta.com).
The novel Washington Square focuses mainly on the relationship between Catherine Sloper and her dad Dr. Sloper. He is a well-known physician in New York. He is an up and coming medical doctor, so it is in his nature to marry Catherine Harrington a wealthy young woman. Even though Austin Sloper is not independently rich, his practice is growing and he is highly looked upon on. Their first child is a boy;
Other images of Eliot’s, in contrast, are much larger than Shakespeare, but again succeed in making Eliot’s character look small and insignificant in comparison. Eliot describes the enormous amount of adornments around the room, including her ‘vials of ivory and coloured glass’, which contain many perfumes, which are described as ‘drowning the sense in odours’ and again it is the lack of subtlety t...
Federalism is a legal concept that is centered around the concept that law is best handled as a two layered responsibility. Federalism is also built on a belief that sharing power with the local government is key to a successful governance. According to the text book, “the United States was the first nation to adopt federalism as its governing framework” (pg83). The following are a few examples of some advantages, as well as disadvantages of Federalism.
T.S. Eliot distinguished what was incomplete about the aesthetics of society and overcame his introverted nature to bring the rest of the world to the realization of what needed to be changed in order to make their lives righteous. He uncovered that many individuals lose their true personalities to thoughts that they have to be a certain way or fit a certain stereotype. His work communicated that one cannot be completely free until they understand and believe in whatever their personal meaning of life is; Eliot found cultural diversity and truth to be of great importance. Eliot taught an important lesson that virtually anything can be accomplished and overcome with the right beliefs, perseverance, and determination to succeed.