explaining supernatural midterm

after the storm, Crusoe finds a broken chest with tobacco and books (one of them is a Bible and comes upon a passage applicable to his situation). Is it the tobacco or the Bible which heals Crusoe? Crusoe chalks up better health to God

Crusoe's moment of healing

had very different writing styles; Whigs wanted a constitutional monarchy whereas Tories favored an absolute monarchy. Tories supported James II, Whigs supported William and Mary. Tories tended to write in a subdued style, whereas Whigs wrote about religion and the afterlife in sweeping strokes. Rowe is more of a Whig in her writing

Rowe/Tories v. Whigs

ambiguity between father and Father—Crusoe not listening to his dad, but also not listening to God Ignores his father's advice and has a crash/shipwreck—he's going to have to go through a religious transformation/conversion

Similarity between Crusoe and pilgrim allegory/spiritual biography

accounting as a way of life Weber's idea about the Protestant work ethic as fueling capitalism. The idea that good work can save you. Still works for Calvinists—rather than being anxious/concerned about predestination, put your energies into doing work (take your mind off it), also a sense of confidence in one's election Weber also argues that Calvinism offers a religious basis for the accumulation of capital (Crusoe keeps his money even though he can't use it) Crusoe always keeping busy: the idea that idleness is a sin; being regimented/routinized is spiritually good Crusoe's journal as personal self-accounting

Where do the religious and economic dimensions of the novel overlap?

during this time, "romance" suggested a work longer than novel; also more traditionally, there's a suggestion of a happy ending, but also potentially obstacles

a sicilian romance title

We prefer intense emotion to unsatisfied desire; this is what makes us under go "horror"-filled experiences and what makes stories/narratives interesting The surprise/shock/the strange and unexpected grips us—makes us keep reading/watching/consuming, even though we may not even enjoy it "The more wild, fanciful, and extraordinary are the circumstances of a scene of horror, the more pleasure we receive from it"

aikins' on objects of terror

Crusoe is consistently afraid of being devoured/buried by animals/people/natural phenomenons Could read Crusoe's concern with consumption as Defoe's commentary on the Eucharist (the idea that Catholics actually consume the body of Christ)

being devoured in RC

Burke believes sympathy comes from when we feel bad for those in pain. Burke thinks that when we see people suffering, our first instinct is to observe their suffering, as if it were a spectacle. Eventually we talk ourselves into helping those who are suffering.

burke and sympathy

Could be in the language or architectural sense (communication between two buildings in the form of a tunnel) Physical spaces can be barriers to communication, but they can also be conduits Reading people; it's also a space of eavesdropping or oversight; people are often reading others reading them There's also a prevalence of silence/secrecy in the story—there's an implied power in silence Examples of communication: p. 50 Julia hiding in the closet listening to Hippolytus talk about her p. 79 the marquis taking the servants to the south tower (they feel there's a supernatural sound, but it's really just a tower of rocks tumbling) Ferdinand talking to Peter, who is offering to help him escape when Julia and Hippolytus are trying to escape, they're trying to get through multiple tunnels/doors with rusted keys

communication in a sicilain romance

The final paragraph of the book: giving a didactic, moralistic lesson—makes the plot into a trial of virtue. Instead of a message of love, it's a message of virtue. Also not strictly accurate that those who only act virtuously suffer no misfortune—Julia's mother. But, of course, her virtue is tried and she has a happy ending. You have to suffer, but things will end up well (Book of Job). The paragraph also invokes the protection of heaven

conclusion to a sicilian romance

more focus on action/adventure than character female punishment/tyrannical male characters sisters story within a story (A Sicilian Romance is framed as a found manuscript and other characters tell stories throughout) marriage as a way for men to exert tyranny young women resisting (Sch. resists the sultan's propulsion to killing women; Julia running away from marrying the duke) temporal element: both move us into the past

connections between radcliffe and the nights

relationships between cross/crux, crusades, cruising

crusoe's name

Rowe's letters aren't couched in the same 'this is real' framework that Radcliffe employs Rowe normalizes ghosts; they feel like real people rather than otherworldly supernatural as in A Sicilian Romance Radcliffe demonstrates indirect communication whereas Rowe shows direct communication Radcliffe is less interested in the after life than Rowe Radcliffe's ghosts are scary but turn out not to be real, Rowe's ghosts are not scary but turn out to be not scary

differences between rowe and radcliffe

The photo of Louisa that Julia finds The fact that Madame wasn't mentioned in the will of her husband and his brothers took back all the land, leaving her homeless The book itself is framed as found documents Julia writes Emilia a parting letter (72)

documents in a sicilian romance

Opening documents of the book are attempting to convince the reader that Robinson Crusoe has really been written autobiographically. On the title page: "written by himself," precision of location of the island. In the preface, Crusoe writes from the perspective of an editor: "The Editor believes the thing to be a just history of fact; neither is there any appearance of fiction in it"

documents in robinson crusoe

Radcliffe is interested in doubles and pairs The friar observes the character in the same way that she is looking at him—doubled sight Doubling of generations: one of the questions set up early in the novel is whether young people are doomed to repeat the mistakes of their elders. Is Julia fated to repeat the story of her mother? Louisa, Julia's mother, was in love with Madame de Menon's brother, but they never solidified a relationship; the Marquis starts flirting with her/making proposals; at this time, the brother and Madame de Menon's husband have a duel over some quarrel; the brother ends up dead. Louisa marries the Marquis, living unhappily. Madame goes to meet her husband abroad, he dies in battle. She returns to discover that Louisa has died Repetitions The patriarchal family structure as repeated; Marquis wants to marry his daughter, Julia, to someone who is similar to him (Radcliffe's male characters tend to be more interested in power consolidation than anything sexual re: incest plot?). p. 57 the Duke described as loving undisguised tyranny p. 27 portrait of Julia's mother the drunken monks mirror the drunken bandits p. 120 Cornelia and Julia; also Julia and the other girl who is being hunted (the daughter of the Marquis Murani) Julia and Cornelia share suffering that is related to their dead (?) lovers; tyrannical fathers; kinship bond (Cornelia is Hippolitus' sister)—there's a romantic connection mediated through a sibling connection

doubling/pairs in a sicilian romance

Not just thinking about physical geography, but also psychological geography. She is looking at the ruins and imagines them looking back at her. The ruins are saying: you are passing and I am permanent Vision as a product of confinement/entrapment—if a window is your only vantage point to the outside world Examples of looking/sight/framing: p. 93 the duke's vision, looking down from the top of the mountain p. 116 temporal sightline of St. Augustin's—looking into the past p. 5 Julia can see the woods and the sea from her closet p. 178 Louisa watching her children through the window as they go into the woods p. 186 when the Marquis learns about his wife's infidelity, he observes her "closely"

frames and sightlines in a sicilian romance

Crusoe struggles to reconcile his teaching that non-Christians are godless, sinful people with his affection and respect for Friday (175). If Providence says Friday is going to hell, is there a possibility that Providence is incorrect? Friday is converted, but Crusoe finds it difficult to answer Friday's religious questions, especially about the devil. Why doesn't god just kill the devil? And if it's known that god will eventually triumph over the devil, why doesn't he just do it now? Crusoe believes that Friday is a better Christian than him, he's convinced Friday that he'll go back to his nation and convert others Crusoe's perceived mastery over Friday as a parallel to the way he masters time? Crusoe dreams of Friday (someone like Friday) before Friday actually arrives; Crusoe takes this as a message from God that he will save Friday or that Friday will save him Crusoe has a dream in which savages come to the island (166) and he encourages the human sacrifice to run away to Crusoe and would work as Crusoe's servant. Sets the stage for Friday's arrival. Friday and Crusoe have to communicate through signs and yet Crusoe interprets Friday's signs as subjection

friday in RC

Rowe, in her poem about the death of her husband, thinks about her body as a mortal prison and death as a kind deliverer

how does Rowe see death?

there isn't a neat match-up between the story and the end of the night; storytelling becomes a matter of life or death

interruption in the nights

the story within a story framework often comes from the fact that editors wanted to mash multiple stories into one literary product

layers and mobility of the nights

Mrs. Veal characterized as somebody who has fits; she was a pious woman, but her brother has done all he can to quash this story The story is written from a first-person point of view, there's an "I" that crops up near the end of the story McKean: if these stories are real, if they make you think about Mrs. Veal and what happens when you die, perhaps God is looking out at you through the story Reading—the ghost, Mrs. Veal, and her friend, Mrs. Bargrave, talk about what they read Like Friendship in Death, a dead person/ghost comes and talks to their friend from beyond the grave Bargrave as a pun on barring the grave Controversy about whether Defoe wrote this story or not; George Starr said he probably didn't because he didn't believe in ghosts; souls have other places to go i.e. heaven/hell Defoe believes that there are these notices that warn us about disasters before they befall us. These notices are feelings/impulses/premonitions; dreams from a "converse of spirits"

mrs. veal

In Defoe, there's a sense that Providence may rescue him—but perhaps also a hint that Providence is the force pushing Crusoe into the negative situation he finds himself in

providence in RC

Destiny as guiding characters' attempts, but also blocking them Providence: divine connotations, God knows how things are going to turn out, even as humans do not) Two providential plots: shipwrecks (152, 198) wanderings (159, 161) — Hippolitus doesn't know where he's going and has multiple moments where he's wandering. Accidents and chance involved in him going where he needs to go. Built into the plot that there's a lot of arbitrary discovery There could be a creepy understanding of Providence—no matter how far you go, it will pull you back (like how Julia keeps ending up at the castle). Or, in a positive way, Providence is just over the water

providence in a sicilian romance

Barbauld describes what it's like to read a Radcliffe novel: you get the glimpse of something supernatural/terrific, but everything is explained by the end of the book Initially, Sir Walter Scott doesn't respond well to this method—he finds it deflating; he even says that the reveal is one of disgust. He would prefer if she put in the supernatural and own it rather than explain it away as a human phenomenon Barbauld has a similar view early on. When we get to the end of the book, the charm is dissolved and we have no desire to read it again But Scott changes his mind. Radcliffe satisfies the childlike impulse in the reader to tie up all loose threads of the plot. Also for the "imaginative class" Radcliffe works because for dreamy people, they can experience the supernatural but not get carried away. Also, the potential that if the real can exist within the supernatural, perhaps the supernatural can exist in the real world. Scott maintains that Radcliffe does not write realist novels. You must know you're getting romantic fiction. He thinks you get types rather than characters in Radcliffe's novels possible to think about A Sicilian Romance as a fairytale, darker, Grimm-style Also believes that we have to accept that Radcliffe's fictions are popular fictions—it's entertaining, people like it and there's no shame in that. "Mrs. Radcliffe possesses merit and affords pleasure" and that's enough appeal to popularity also leaves it open to criticism i.e. does popularity cancel out literary merit/credibility? Summarized criticisms: it's too childish, too formulaic, not worthy of being re-read

reactions to radcliffe

Since the holy men/abbott were darker characters, does that mean that God is also a tyrant? After her mother's release, Julia suggests she go to a convent—even though she just had a negative experience there. Trading one space of confinement for another. However, for Louisa, her love of God is what got her through her imprisonment The deaths of the marquis and marchioness are framed as "a singular instance of divine vengeance" (194) The conclusion is also markedly religious/virtuous in its tone

religion in a sicilian romance

Mount Etna as domineering but distant; its danger is nested in the rest of the environment, but it poses a great danger Nature and culture as interacting in Radcliffe's book—reflected in the ruins. However, they're not just any ruins. They're usually monasteries/buildings which are coded religiously. Ruins populate the story with ghosts. The contrast between enchantment and reality/enchantment and horror in the novel

setting/nature in a sicilian romance

Radcliffe published the story anonymously, which adds to the spookiness of it The modern trope of the 'found footage' in horror movies—the discovery of the footage is imbued with a creepiness In the preface, Radcliffe sets up the Gothic mood—she pretends to have found this manuscript Paperwork is a big trope in Gothic fiction because proof is a major concern with the supernatural In Radcliffe, keys are a big trope, although they are often rusty etc.

sicilian romance as gothic

sublimity: fear, Nature's power, the unknown and darkness. Is there something Burkean in Crusoe's swings between pleasure and pain? the island trope/isolation/exoticism—British concerns in a foreign locale Providence: the sense of a larger order at work where does Crusoe get his belief in Providence from? his salvation from the shipwreck, the weather, his own instincts Crusoe's salvation from the shipwreck—his physical salvation—leading to his spiritual salvation? before he went to the island, he wasn't as godly a lot of the passages on Providence can also be chalked up to plot—doesn't delegitimize, as the role of Providence is to dictate/govern

similarities between RC and a sicilian romance

Both interested in Providence/God's plan influence of nature/landscape sets the tone the theme of separation; people who love each other and want to rekindle contact are torn apart the importance of secrecy the theme of prison/life as a prison v. Julia's mother locked up

similarities between rowe and radcliffe

nested narratives both works instruct the reader on how to live a good life. Rowe makes the reader believe that the dead are watching us (which also reminds us of God's omniscience), thereby prompting good behavior. Similarly, the stories in Arabian Nights are peppered with morals. The story of Prince Zeyn, for instance, leaves the reader with the lesson: if you have patience and keep your promises, you will reap rewards. ubiquitousness of the supernatural—many ghosts/ogres/genies in each work neither is framed as 'found documents.' This means we are launched into the world of Scheherazade and the ghosts without any barrier between us and their storytelling both works are also interested in the idea that storytelling is a powerful force that can have significant impacts on lives. In Arabian Nights, this connection is clear. Scheherazade tells stories each night in order to stall her own murder and, consequently, those of numerous other women. Storytelling, therefore, becomes an act of death-defiance. This is also true for the Friendship in Death ghosts: in the act of writing, they are not completely dead—there is still a part of them which lives on. The letter-writing ghosts are also interested in improving the lives of those left behind. For Rowe, variegated framing could signal that people have divergent purposes beyond the grave, as we do in life. For the writer of Arabian Nights, it could mean that stories preserve life (literally, Scheherazade preserves her own life through storytelling; and, metaphorically, writers will always live on in their stories).

similarities between rowe and radcliffe

Crusoe follows the spatial pattern of the Atlantic slave trade (but Defoe mutes the parallel). Crusoe joins a slave ship, but is attacked by Barbary pirates and enslaved himself. Escapes with Xury along the Western coast. Gets into a fight with another boat; imagery with animal skins. Once escaped, Crusoe decides to go and find a Portuguese slave ship to save him. The captain takes him to Brazil. He owns a plantation in Brazil—he's been at every level of slavery: slave merchant, slave owners, slave. His wandering nature kicks in again and he goes on a journey to bring more slaves to Brazil, and then has a shipwreck on the way back

slavery in RC

writing in a smooth, modern style started by Joseph Addison and Richard Steele—they wanted to "give ghost stories much the same treatment they give superstitions, casting them as delusions nurtured by ignorance and by diseased imaginations" they use religion in order to dispute the existence of ghosts (Rowe, on the other hand, maintains that believing in ghosts means you believe in the afterlife/god/heaven) Addison also finds the presence of ghosts/spirits comforting the writer who publishes anonymously or under a pseudonym is kind of like a ghost—they can see us but we can't see them

spectator no. 12

defined: whatever excites the idea of pain and danger; that which is terrible/creates the strongest emotion of which the mind is capable sublimity's greatest affect is astonishment the fear of the sublime is that it's going to do something that we have no control over Edmund Burke: the immensity/scale of nature as awe-inspiring. Nature is something that is our home, but also something terrible, something that can swallow us up. Burke connects fear of the divine to fear of nature to fear of monarchy The sublime as traced back to pain and power Distinction between delight and pleasure (when pain is taken away, you feel delight not pleasure)

sublimity

When Ferdinand gets into the uninhabited apartment building, there's "an air of proud sublimity, united with singular wildness" (46)—lots of gothic arches and dark shade The scene on p. 104 where Madame is enthralled by the sublime natural scenery and then discovers Julia The church is described as sublime with its lit candles p. 152 the heavens uniting with the sea creates a scene of sublimity; the thunder and noise from the sailors/boat add to the scene

sublimity in a sicilian romance

sometimes Crusoe performs as a supernatural figure, even though the reader knows what he's doing and why supernatural in Crusoe's psychology/fears

supernatural in RC

at the end of the 27th night—stops the frame narrative. What does the frame structure mean for the supernatural? Without the frame, maybe the supernatural is more real—with the frame, maybe she's just making up the zany stories in order to stay alive we lost the sense of fear/the possibility of her death needs to be there—that's the really scary reality, not the ogres/giants etc. but the fact that every night, she falls asleep next to a man who might murder her next morning (similar to the idea in A Sicilian Romance is explained away by the imprisonment of the mother, but this is arguably even scarier than the existence of the supernatural)

the advertisement in the nights

The periodical as an important component of the Enlightenment; increased literacy, more efficient postal service Including the reader in the conversation—it's not just specialists who get to dictate the material that appears in periodicals. The question and answer format was anonymous, so people didn't have to be embarrassed when submitting questions. However, "despite the active participation of readers in shaping the content of the Mercury, the editors did not simply reflect the opinions of their readers, but sought to influence, exaggerate, or frame them in particularly ways to maximize profit." Athenian Mercury interested in ghost stories; ghost stories inherently imply that the soul is separate from the body. If you don't believe that the soul can separate from the body, you could be accused of irreligiosity (the church believes that the soul leaves the body after death and goes to heaven/hell) "The opinions of The Athenian Mercury show that at least one major organ of scientific thought did not reject supernatural occurrences, although it tended to see them as caused by the Devil" (A Fading Flame) The Athenian Mercury on fairies/spirits: "Devils assuming such little airy bodies"; "they were never found but where people were superstitious and credulous."

the athenian mercury

according to Defoe, the devil works humankind subtly and quietly, like angels and God. the devil also uses the dream as a vehicle. Crusoe finds a footprint, and begins to think that either it's someone else's footprint (a savage's), his own footprint, or the devil's (130-131) he cancels out the possibility of it being the devil's print because it's too far, not efficiently placed to scare him, the devil could have concocted something far more frightening, also the belief that the devil prefers to act subtly Defoe believes that devilish apparitions are sent by the devil, but aren't the actual devil cancels out the possibility of it being his own foot because not the same size Crusoe sees Spaniards as agent of the diabolical evil—Spanish Catholics who went to colonize the Aztecs and Incas were operating under the devil—but so were the Aztecs and Incas (because they practice human sacrifice). Crusoe considers wiping out the "savages" in order to stop cannibalism, but that would make him as bad on the Spanish. They don't see eating humans as an evil, in the same way that Europeans don't see eating animals as an evil It's possible that the devil also has a hold on Crusoe, if he's thinking of doing what the Spanish did Passage on wolves and devils (~252) Crusoe and his party are making their way home by land when they're set upon by wolves—wolves are repeatedly called devils (supernatural) could be related to when the animals are trying to eat him and Xury there's also a way to read the wolves as Catholic—French setting

the devil in RC

The island both as a prison and a dominion; "reign or captivity"? depends on the mood or situation he's in the parrot talking to Crusoe: the island being populated by human voices, and then by actual people. Crusoe has been so afraid of other people showing up, but then when they actually do, it's actually a good thing. But is that because Crusoe is in a position to consume (dominate) others? Friday is the most significant character to arrive (his name obviously relates to the importance of dates in the novel) When Crusoe leaves the island, it becomes a penal colony Crusoe, when talking about his position as 'governor' or 'lord' of the island uses language that was employed during Defoe's time i.e. James II talking about his divine appointment; in having Crusoe also talk about his divine appointment, Defoe is mocking James—you are as much divinely appointed as this guy on a deserted island with no pants

the island in RC

we get a copy, but he's retelling what he's already told us. what do we get from Crusoe telling us this is a copied form? the journal masters time as Crusoe masters things through shelving. at the end of the journal, Crusoe recounts a conversion dream. mentions barley that grows, earthquake and violent storms (hints of greater forces, and supernatural/divine powers) after the conversion dream, he repents for how he ignored his father and his godless life

the journal in robinson crusoe

Todorov argues that the Nights gives us a new way of seeing fiction i.e. focusing less on the psychology of characters' minds than an action. The Nights doesn't force us into rational categorizations—action-based literature offers us the chance to detach from a character formed by national/environmental circumstances

the question of characters in the nights

The first hint of the supernatural comes on page 8 when Madame de Menon sees a light in the tower that they don't enter; Vincent thinks she's seen an illusion; she thinks that someone has entered the tower to plunder the castle they can't quieten their fears or satisfy their curiosity because the keys won't open the tower Julia then, reading late, sees it on a following night—she raises the household (she also sees a figure) Faced with this information, the servants become convinced that a supernatural force dwells within the tower Vincent, close to death, tells Madame de Menon that she has a secret to impart about the light in the uninhabited tower, but dies before he can confide in her The marquis dismisses the stories/rumors about the light in the tower Sounds then start coming up through the floor (35) When asked by Julia and Emilia about the existence of spirits/the supernatural, Madame says she can't discount the possibility because nothing is impossible for God (36) They find a secret door that they might be able to use push through to get into the apartment; and can hear the sounds on the other side; Ferdinand manages to break through the door by using a knife on the lock and they go through; they see light and heard a footstep The Marquis tells Ferdinand that his grandfather killed someone from a rival family in the castle; Ferdinand believes that the figure/light is therefore a murdered ghost Because the servants still believe in a supernatural presence, the marquis takes them to the apartment and realized that the sounds came from falling rocks (78) People seem to disappear/vanish from their prisons (Julia and Ferdinand) but these vanishings are often explained by human intervention, people helping them escape

the supernatural in a sicilian romance

Crusoe interested in dates/calendars specific dates (Defoe interested in events happening on the same date in different years) spiritual mapping i.e. good v. evil ledger global map—geographic coordinates Crusoe worries that he will lose his reckoning of time, so he marks days on the wooden post, he finds ink, paper, and pen Crusoe likes to organize his stuff: shelving, ordering; also likes to map the island/master its space His illness messes up his account-keeping since his days are off, what does that mean for Sabbath? since his day-keeping is thrown off, it means he's observing Sabbath on the wrong day

time-keeping/organization in RC

Marriage as power consolidation vs. marriage as an expression of free love for another When Julia tries to hide out in the convent, the monk wants to make her into a nun/not let her leave. Is she fleeing from one powerful tyrant into the arms of another? The Marquis as a stereotypical "bad guy." His desire to ascribe supernatural belief to people of a certain gender/class/education—power dynamics at work for explaining the supernatural, perhaps a way for the Marquis to consolidate his own power. Could belief in the supernatural therefore be a way of resisting against someone like the Marquis?

tyranny in a sicilian romance

Correct use of violence: Crusoe realizes that he can't kill savages, but that violence is justified when he's saving a life Attacking: Crusoe sets up the attack plan and equips Friday with ammunition/guns in order to attack the savages that were going to sacrifice him. Decides that, when he's there, he'll wait for God to tell him whether or not he should kill. Crusoe tallies the number of people killed and by whom. Crusoe hadn't killed anybody—he's dodging responsibility, using Providence to do it.

violence in RC

too "Moorish," too "childish," too "feminine." Seen as prosaic, popular literature. Yet, in the English and French Enlightenment, the translations spawned the "oriental tale" genre. NB trans-creations is probably a better term; they're not working from an original text and sometimes they're even adding stories (i.e. Aladdin). Galland had run out of material, but his editor wanted more so he found something that seemed comparably "Oriental." He also translated the Arabic into a French which sounded as if it would be spoken in Louis's court The Nights as a source of Western literary practice: nested narratives, moral interrogations, and metafiction

western reactions to arabian nights

Western readers can indulge vicariously in things they're not allowed to enjoy (eroticism) while outwardly disavowing it (in their public and political lives). They also needed to justify their colonialism—over-sexualizing Asian people gives them a basis for justification. Also emphasizes Enlightenment neoclassicism/modernity sometimes requires escape—reading the magical/supernatural in the Arabian Nights is a brief act of freedom

why are the nights so popular in the west?

when we experienced pain, we're not far from experiencing death. Pain and fear as making us feel more alive you're human if you're feeling pain—the worst thing would be to emotionless/dull/numb we channel pain into other feelings, like sympathy

why are we drawn to pain/fear?

he mentioned an evil influence that has a kind of power over him (16); fate as a force that can dictate his actions sometimes Defoe will imply that it has to do with original sin (his wandering) i.e. humans are born to wander away from the holy path

why doesn't crusoe stay in england?

he starts running out of ink and only records the most important events the idea that when he goes on a spiritual tangent, that's interrupting his journaling/account-keeping it feels like it's being rewritten at a later date; what does this mean for Crusoe's reliability? "Mere textualization is a form of fiction": translating emotions or experiences inevitably renders them more fictionalized than true, unwritten, felt experiences/emotions even when the journal ends, the day-to-day rhythm of the journal remains

why is the journal unstable in RC?

The blend of the exotic and familiar (a different country but still European). Italy as a Catholic country—Catholicism connected to the supernatural. Sicily is an island—isolated, distance from oversight, can feed into a tyrannical power

why sicily?