Herman Melville wrote some of the most widely read works in the history of literature during the late nineteenth century. He has become a writer with whom the romantic era is associated and a man whose works have become a standard by which modern literature is judged. One of his most well-known and widely studied short pieces of fiction is a story entitled, simply, Billy Budd. In this short story, Melville tells the tale of Billy Budd, a somewhat out-of-place stuttering sailor who is too innocent for his own good. This enchanting tale, while inevitably entertaining, holds beneath it many layers of interpretive depth and among these layers of interpretation, an idea that has been entertained in the literature of many other romantic writers.
Final Exam Questions: Nathaniel Hawthorne Through means of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s story, “Young Goodman Brown,” Hawthorne manipulates allegorical dimension in order to lure readers into his writing. He creates doubt and curiosity within the readers’ minds by meshing both the actual and fantasy; furthermore, altering certain truths and consequently creating an imaginary world, which marks the success of Hawthorne’s technique. A definite sense of corruption is seen as Young Goodman Brown converses with the Devil. Hawthorne successfully manipulates the environment within the story to take the form of meaningful symbols, staying true to his influence by the Romantic period. In my opinion the most interesting aspect of the story is when the narrative
In a sense, Wilbur is able to put the reader in the shoes of the speaker as he describes the unfortunate serious events that occur. The poet manipulates the syntax of the piece to allow the reader to ask questions about the speaker and what the conflict appears to be. As the lines become clearer, the plot behind the poem unfolds and the reader is revealed to a dismal depiction of the toad’s death in correspondence with the speaker’s views. Som... ... middle of paper ... ...per into the toad’s death to further examine the way the toad died, and the reasoning behind the diction that the author decides to use. Imagery is the most compelling out of the three elements that compile this poem because imagery uses all of the elements within itself.
This opinion, however, seems to be slightly off the mark. Perhaps more severely villainized for its form (the then new and lowly novel) in conjunction with its content, Tom Jones, is upon close inspection, a tale that does in fact include a certain kind of moralism. In Book III, Chapter VII, Fielding includes a kind of direct statement about the complexities of virtue and goodness. His ideas on the subject are quite realistically multi faceted, and presented as such, with his method of delivery supporting his opinion. Chapter VII of Book III begins with a description of the way in which Mr. Allworthy views both Tom and Master Blifil.
The bulk and general excellence of the great outburst of Hawthorne criticism of the past decade attest to his relevance for us(54). Henry James in Hawthorne mentions how allegorical Hawthorne is, and how allegory should be expressed clearly: I frankly confess that I have, as a general thing, but little enjoyment of it, and that it has never seemed to me to be, as it were, a first-rate literary form. . . .
(91-92) Peter Conn in “Finding a Voice in an New Nation” comments on the blend of realism and romanticism in Hawthorne”s short stories: Almost all of Hawthorne’s finest stories are remote in time or place. The glare of contemporary reality immobillized his imagination. . . .Hawthorne, however, despite his disclaimers, had long since discovered in the early history of his own New England the ruins and gloomy wrongs he found congenial.
Noble Love in The Birthmark Often billed as a story of an unsuccessful attempt to beat Nature at her own game, “The Birthmark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne certainly lends itself to a somewhat deeper interpretation. Over the years many scholars have noted that the story of Aylmer and Georgiana is riddled with traditional Hawthorne themes such as the evils of selfishness and pride, coupled with an element of solitariness (Arvin xvi). However, we are want to consider whether Aylmer’s motives in this story are purely selfish. Does this man perhaps deserve a touch of human sympathy? With blazingly obvious symbolism, clearly defined by the author himself, the reader can choose to take the tale for what it seems to be, a purely selfish experiment gone awry.
“A reviewer for the London Britannia declared it ‘a most extraordinary work’; and a reviewer in the New York Tribune proclaimed that it was ‘the best production which has yet come from that seething brain, and … it gives us a higher opinion of the author’s originality and power …’” (“Herman Melville” 2305-2306). Many critics, however, were “unhappy with the novel’s length, philosophical abstractness, and mixing of genres, and the novel quickly vanished from the literary scene without bringing Melville the critical admiration that he had expected” (2306). A particularly damning review came from the prestigious London literary magazine, Athenaeum: “The style of his tale is in places disfigured by mad (rather than bad) English; and its catastrophe is hastily, weakly, and obscurely managed” (Parker 18). What’s most interesting about Moby-Dick is that it seems to be exactly the kind of book Melville always wanted to write, knowing full well that no success would come of it. In a letter to Hawthorne he wrote, “‘What I feel most moved to wr... ... middle of paper ... ...arrator to talk reason into Bartleby occurs in the scene before the new landlord calls the police to have him escorted to jail.
The powerful story of “The Birthmark” takes us back in the latter part of the 19th century (Hawthorne,1843,327). This short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne, ironically, is perfected on lessons of imperfection. Moreover, Hawthorne illustrates his story of unavoidable earthly sin through the use of different symbols that are represented in “The Birthmark.” Yet, this story can be viewed in various ways by equally varied readers. Let us take for instance the impeccable lesson of philosophy on life, nature, and the conflicts in between. If you take the circumstances and outcomes of our beautiful character Georgiana and our opposing character Aylmer, her husband, one can walk away from this story with a renewed outlook on life.
Introduction TheAge of Christopher Marlowe and the Age of D.H.Lawrence diverge in their socio-political-cultural-literary background but the presence of psychological anxieties in all ages is indisputable in the history of mankind, now and then. The characters and their portrayal of their mental pang due to some peculiarity in their thought process depicted in the English literature were immensely appreciated by the public. In renaissance period the hero’s in Gorboduc, The Spanish tragedy, Hamlet & Macbeth, if analyzed, their tragedy caused by fatal flaw in their character, similarly the hero’s in the modern novel like Ulysses, Maurice, The love song of J. Alfred Prufrock, Mrs Dalloway & Portrait of a lady deals with their contemporary issues expressed through stream of consciousness their character’s suppressed and repressed physical and emotional desires. The concept of intently choosing the hero’s from different age was to demonstrate that each era was subjected to its disturbing issues in the process of a new change for good or not so good in its entity. Author’s background and their treatment of the plot, themes, style and characterization of their Hero’s psychological turmoil in their work are true representation of the spirit of their age.