Romanticism
What is the meaning of "Beauty is truth, truth is beauty ,- that is all Ye know on Earth, and all ye need to know." Who utters these words, and where?
"Beauty is truth, truth is beauty" is an extract from a famous poem by Keats, in which the poet describes how an urn depicts the truth of humankind and that of life...After all, as John Keats notes in another one of his sayings, "A thing of beauty is a joy forever".
Shelley's "Defense of Poetry". Provide a summary of his main idea about poetry's function and significance.
Poetry enlarges the circumference of the imagination by replenishing it with thoughts of ever new delight, which have the power of attracting and assimilating to their own nature all other thoughts, and which form new intervals and interstices whose void forever craves fresh food.
Who are the major characters in Austen's "Sense and Sensibility"? How do they compare and contrast with one-another?
The entire contrast between Elinor and Marianne may be summed up by saying that, while Elinor embodies sense, Marianne embodies sensibility. Elinor is a rational thinker, who strains her emotions, even when she suffers a great hardship. Marianne represents the qualities associated with the emerging "cult of sensibility" embracing romance, imagination, idealism, excess, and a dedication to the beauty of nature.
Brief thematic analysis of "Ozymandias". Illustrate.
"Ozymandias" is obsessed with transience; the very fact that the statue is a "colossal wreck" (13) says loudly and clearly that some things just don't last forever. But the poem isn't just about how really big statues eventually succumb to the ravages of time; the statue is a symbol of Ozymandias's ambition, pride, and absolute power, and thus the poem also implies that kingdoms and political regimes will eventually crumble, leaving no trace of their existence except, perhaps, pathetic statues that no longer even have torsos.The major theme behind "Ozymandias" is that all power is temporary, no matter how prideful or tyrannical a ruler is.Ramesses II was one of the ancient world's most powerful rulers. He reigned as pharaoh for 66 years, led the Egyptians to numerous military victories, built massive monuments and temples, and accumulated huge stores of wealth. He eventually became known as Ramesses the Great and was revered for centuries after his death. Throughout the poem, Ramesses' pride is evident, from the boastful inscription where he declares himself a "king of kings" to the "sneer of cold command" on his statue. However, "Ozymandias" makes it clear that every person, even the most powerful person in the land, will eventually be brought low, their name nearly forgotten and monuments to their power becoming buried in the sand.
Thematic analysis of Shelley's "Ozymandias". Expand.
) "Ozymandias" is obsessed with transience; the very fact that the statue is a "colossal wreck" (13) says loudly and clearly that some things just don't last forever. But the poem isn't just about how really big statues eventually succumb to the ravages of time; the statue is a symbol of Ozymandias's ambition, pride, and absolute power, and thus the poem also implies that kingdoms and political regimes will eventually crumble, leaving no trace of their existence except, perhaps, pathetic statues that no longer even have torsos.The major theme behind "Ozymandias" is that all power is temporary, no matter how prideful or tyrannical a ruler is.Ramesses II was one of the ancient world's most powerful rulers. He reigned as pharaoh for 66 years, led the Egyptians to numerous military victories, built massive monuments and temples, and accumulated huge stores of wealth. He eventually became known as Ramesses the Great and was revered for centuries after his death. Throughout the poem, Ramesses' pride is evident, from the boastful inscription where he declares himself a "king of kings" to the "sneer of cold command" on his statue. However, "Ozymandias" makes it clear that every person, even the most powerful person in the land, will eventually be brought low, their name nearly forgotten and monuments to their power becoming buried in the sand.
What does the West Wind represent in "Ode to the West Wind"?
) Shelley uses the West Wind to symbolize the power of nature and of the imagination inspired by nature. The west wind is not only the wind in nature, but also embodies the revolutionary storm, which represents the irresistible force of the spirit. Shelley also names the West Wind the "breath of Autumn's being" in the very first line of the poem, indicating that the West Wind is also the entity that gives Autumn life. The speaker calls it a "destroyer and preserver," something that hastens death, which must occur before something can be reborn or given new life.
Comic effects and serious themes in a pure novel: Pride and Prejudice: Why is Pride and Prejudice so amusing? Analyze some of the techniques Austen used to achieve the novel's sense of humor. What are the major themes? How are prejudices overcome?
Austen's humor lies in her honest depiction of manners, education, marriage and money of the period that comes across as satirical, particularly today. Pride and Prejudice aims at displaying the ideals of marriage from a comical perspective. Sometimes it is in the humor and playfulness between two people that love emerges, and in other cases it is literal mockery of a spouse intended to make fun of them. Austen uses a variety of comic techniques to express her own view on characters, both in her book and in her society that she lived in. We, the readers are often the object of her ridicule, and Austen makes the readers view themselves in a way that makes it easy for the reader to laugh at themselves. She introduces caricatures and character foils to further show how ridiculous a character may be. Pride and Prejudice have many character foils to exaggerate a character's faults or traits. Austen also uses irony quite often to inform the readers of her own personal opinions. The comic techniques caricatures, irony, and satire, not only helped to provide humor for Austen's readers, but they also helped Austen to give her own personal opinion on public matters. When an action is exaggerated on stage by an actor, it becomes all the more noticeable to the audience. An author can exaggerate a character in order to make fun of them. Austen exaggerates many of her characters and therefore makes caricatures of them in order to emphasize their ridiculousness. The novel, which follows the romantic entanglements of the Bennet sisters, includes themes of love, class, and, as one might guess, pride and prejudice. Both Elizabeth and Darcy must overcome feelings of pride and prejudice to realize their love for one another. Darcy actually does this first, and it is not an easy process for him. When he first proposes to Elizabeth, he makes it clear that his pride led him to struggle against his attraction to her. He did not want to fall in love with her because he was embarrassed by her family. However, he cannot help it. Elizabeth does not start to rethink her assumptions until Darcy explains what actually happened between himself and Wickham. Once her prejudice has been challenged, she becomes more open to wondering if she might have been wrong about Darcy. When she visits Pemberley, she hears different perspectives about who Darcy is and sees a new side of him. This change in her understanding is completed when Darcy helps her family after Lydia's elopement. By bribing Wickham to marry Lydia and protect her reputation, Darcy shows his integrity and generosity. Elizabeth realizes that her prideful and prejudiced attitude has led her to be totally mistaken about the characters of both men.
Who is the most complex character in Jane Austen's novels? Expand why?
Complex characters are key to being relatable, and Jane Austen's female protagonists are certainly so. Elizabeth Bennett, Catherine Morland, and Emma Woodhouse are good-natured and intelligent; but also flawed. These characteristics encourage the reader to identify with the protagonist and become invested in her story; thereby becoming invested in the novel itself.
What kind of a novel is "Frankenstein"?
Frankenstein is a Gothic novel. It employs mystery, secrecy, and unsettling psychology to tell the story of Victor Frankenstein's doomed monster. The novel is a compilation of Romantic and Gothic elements combined into a singular work with an unforgettable story.Gothic novels focus on the mysterious and supernatural. In the Gothic novel, the characters seem to bridge the mortal world and the supernatural world. Likewise, the Frankenstein monster seems to have some sort of communication between himself and his creator, because the monster appears wherever Victor goes.
1) Whom does Shelley (in the Defense of Poetry) call the "unacknowledged legislators of the world"? What is the meaning of this statement?
In 'The Defence of Poetry' 1821, Shelley claimed that 'poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world'. This has been taken to suggest that simply by virtue of composing verse, they exert some exemplary moral power, in a vague unthreatening way. In fact, in his earlier political essay, 'A Philosophic View of Reform', he had written that 'Poets and philosophers are the unacknowledged', etc. The philosophers, he was talking about, were revolutionary-minded: Thomas Paine, William Godwin, Voltaire and Mary Wollstonecraft.
2) John Keats "To Autumn". To what extent is the personification of Autumn carried through the poem? Where is the visual suggestion of a person at the maximum? Where at its minimum? Does this alternation of vividness bear some analogy to the progress of the season? What is the order of the stanza? Chronological? Expand.
In keats' 'To Autumn', Autumn is personified in various human shapes. Keats has used a number of imageries to give the autumn a concrete shape of a person. The poem opens with the poet's addressing to autumn. He addresses the season autumn in a way as if it were a living person. In the second stanza, the speaker describes the figure of Autumn as a female goddess, often seen sitting on the granary floor, her hair "soft-lifted" by the wind, and often seen sleeping in the fields or watching a cider-press squeezing the juice from apples. Like everything in nature, human life has its seasons.. We are born, grow to maturity, produce offspring, and eventually die. Viewed within this context, the poem is an analogy for the human life cycle. Notice that the pace of the poem slows in the last few lines, representative of the way in which a human life slows down as it nears the end. The imagery of migrating birds can be interpreted as an analogy for a person dying i.e. leaving and his soul flying off to another place. Like the "Ode on Melancholy," "To Autumn" is written in a three-stanza structure with a variable rhyme scheme The poem's three stanzas move from pre-harvest ripeness to the harvest itself and finally to post-harvest emptiness prior to winter. It also moves in a sensory fashion, from touch to sight to sound, as it focuses on the vegetable world in stanza 1, human activity in stanza 2 and then on the world of animals, birds and insects in stanza 3.
Walter Scott - "Ivanhoe". Compare and contrast Rowena and Rebecca. What are the different difficulties faced by each of the women? How do these difficulties relate to their cultural differences - the fact that one of them is a Saxon and the other is a Jew? Expand.
In many ways, Rebecca and Rowena are quite similar: They are both beautiful, virtuous, loyal, and self-possessed; they each contend with strong-willed fathers, and they each love Ivanhoe. The main difference that emerges between them in the book is simply due to the different challenges they face: Rebecca often seems more sympathetic to readers simply because she does more, because she heals Ivanhoe and is forced to contend with her own feelings, while Rowena simply acts on her feelings. But Rebecca's large presence in the book is due at least in part to circumstance: She happens to be the person who tends to Ivanhoe after his injury at Ashby and thus puts herself in the position of falling in love with him; she simply happens to be the woman Brian de Bois-Guilbert decides to pursue, putting her in the position of being victimized at Templestowe. However, another part of the difference is due to the women's cultural backgrounds: As a Saxon, Rowena is a second-class citizen, but as a Jew, Rebecca is truly beneath everyone in the social hierarchy of twelfth-century England. The very fact that Rebecca must fight against her feelings for Ivanhoe, which makes her so sympathetic to readers, is due in large part to the impossibility of them ever being together--because she is a Jew. And the fact that the Templars are able to try her as a sorceress with no evidence whatsoever is also due to the fact that she is Jewish: They would never have done the same to a Christian Saxon such as Rowena. Rowena is a noble-born but sheltered Christian Saxon; Rebecca is a wealthy and worldly Jew. But the real distinction between them is that Rowena has very little control over her own fate.
Who was the youngest of English Romantic poets? How old was he when he died?
John Keats. He died of tuberculosis at the age of 25.
Comparing father-daughter relationships in Austen's novels: Both Pride and Prejudice and Emma feature close relationships between the heroine and her father. Compare these two relationships and reach a conclusion about the significance of these relationships. How do they compare with mother-daughter relationships in Pride and Prejudice, for instance. Expand.
Mr. Woodhouse profoundly loves his daughter, to the point that he overly indulges her: "The real evils, indeed, of Emma's situation were the power of having rather too much her own way,..." (Chapter 1, Volume 1, pg 1). Part of this is due the fact that Emma exerts quite a bit of control over her father. Mr. Woodhouse tends to act like a scared and naïve child. He's typically afraid to go out the house and has become a slight bit disillusioned in his old age. As a result, Emma assumes the role of heading the household and furthermore takes care of her father, as stated in the first chapter of the novel. Therefore, Emma exerts a good bit of control over her father. This, combined with his overly-indulgent attitudes, provides Emma with a vehicle to do whatever she wants, which she uses to her full advantage whether she's aware of it or not. Mr. Bennett is probably the most present in his daughter's lives out of the three. Nonetheless, he still is absent in the sense that he is selective in his parenting. Mr. Bennett is arguably the most intelligent and stubborn of the three fathers. He's very self-aware, but he's a bit selective in the way he cares for his daughters. Mr. Bennett is fairly invested in Jane and Elizabeth's lives. To him, they are intellectually equal to him.
Shelley's Frankenstein: Discuss the novel's shifts in narrative perspective. What is the effect of presenting different characters' viewpoints, especially those of Victor and the monster? Expand.
Narrative in Frankenstein shifts from Robert Walton to Victor Frankenstein to the monster and finally back to Walton. With each shift of perspective, the reader gains new information about both the facts of the story and the personalities of the respective narrators. Each narrator adds pieces of information that only he knows: Walton explains the circumstances of Victor's last days; Victor explains his creation of the monster; the monster explains his turn to evil. The differences in perspective between the narrators are sometimes stark, especially since Victor and the monster stand in opposition to each other for much of the novel. From Victor's point of view, the monster is nothing but a hideous and evil creature; from the monster's account, on the other hand, it becomes clear that he is a thinking, feeling, emotional being. The recounting of the murder of William Frankenstein is a prime example of the impact of perspective: while Victor's description, colored by the emotional letter from his father, focuses on the absolute evil of the act, the monster's version of events centers on the emotional circumstances surrounding it. Even if one cannot sympathize with the monster, one can at least understand his actions. This kind of dual narration is one of the more interesting consequences of the complicated narrative structure that Shelley implements.
Pride and Prejudice: Pride: How does pride operate in this novel? Does it clarify or impede understanding? How does prejudice appear in this novel? What does prejudice reveal about characters and their expectations? How does the novel present character to the reader? What techniques does it use? Are characters transparent or somewhat concealed? Are they round or are they flat characters? Expand
Pride is a constant presence in the characters' attitudes and treatment of each other, coloring their judgments and leading them to make rash mistakes. Pride blinds Elizabeth and Darcy to their true feelings about each other. Darcy's pride about his social rank makes him look down on anyone not in his immediate circle. Early on, his pride made him think that Elizabeth would gladly marry him because of his status and wealth. Prejudice in the novel is presented as a stage in a person's moral development, something that can be overcome through reason and compassion. Austen only condemns those people who refuse to set aside their prejudices, like the class-obsessed Lady Catherine and the scheming social climber Caroline. Elizabeth's prejudice caused her to missunderstand the argument between Wickham and Darcy. After they realize their mistakes, they also realize that their pride and prejudice have clouded their moral judgement. The flat characters in this novel are: Mr. and Mrs. Bennet and Lydia who do not really change their character throughout the novel, and the round characters are Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy who change their prespectives and points of view as the story develops.The characters are transparent because it is easy to
Mary Shelley - "Frankenstein" - Victor Frankenstein: How does Shelley want readers to feel about Frankenstein, and how can we tell? Walton writes of him: "How can I see so noble a creature destroyed by misery without feeling the most poignant grief? He is so gentle, yet so wise; his mind is so cultivated, and when he speaks, although his words are called with the choicest art, yet they flow with rapidity and unparalleled eloquence." Do readers feel the same way about Frankenstein? Why or why not? Does he begin to see himself and the creature as one and the same? Is it his story in a way that it is no one else's? Expand.
Robert Walton is introducing Victor Frankenstein. He is describing Victor as a kind, cultured and highly educated scientist. He praises Victor's eloquent communication. This sentence is important as it shows that Robert Walton wants to narrate the story of Victor Frankenstein and justify his character. However, as the story progresses, we learn that Victor is not a kind person. "How can I see so noble a creature destroyed by misery without feeling the most poignant grief?" Walton shows the inevitability of human sympathy. The reader feels pity and sorrow for this inhuman creature. The reader is privy to his thoughts, cares, and concerns. Seeing the monster as a pitiable character, he deserves the reader's empathy. Shelley strikes this balance between Victor and the monster that both are to be pitied. Frankenstein refers to his creation as "creature", "fiend", "spectre", "the demon", "wretch", "devil", "thing", "being", and "ogre". Frankenstein's creation referred to himself as a "monster" at least once, as did the residents of a hamlet who saw the creature towards the end of the novel.
Walter Scott and the use of characterization in his novels?
Scott presented an effective interaction between historical and fictional characters as well as depicted female characters as important figures in his novels. In some of his novels Scott gives more importance to the fictional characters but others of his novels are dominated by the historical characters. The eloquence of his art of characterization lies in that there is a constant interaction between the historical and fictional characters. He does not neglect this level of historical continuity, fictional and historical characters are in constant interaction with each other. He has to mould his characters and their actions so that they are not at odds with history and can be clearly seen as products of the society that Scott portrays. Due to the proper interaction between historical and fictional characters Scott is able to change the dominance of both kinds of characters according to the requirement of the historical themes presented in his novels. This helps him to maintain a proper interaction between history and fiction without distorting the historical accuracy.
The main characters in "Ivanhoe". Which characters make the love triangle?
The main characters in 'Ivanhoe' are : Wilfred of Ivanhoe, King Richard l, Lady Rowena, Rebecca, Cedrix the Saxon, Prince John, etc. The love triangle is between : Ivanhoe, Lady Rowena, and Rebecca. Ivanhoe loves Rowena , they were childhood sweethearts and they never stopped loving each-other through everything. However, Ivanhoe starts to think about Rebecca more than he should. Rebecca's love for Ivanhoe is in conflict with her good sense : she knows that they can never get married since he is a Christian and she is a Jew but she's drawn to him nonetheless. However, at the end Ivanhoe chooses Lady Rowena.
Name the narrators in Frankenstein.
The novel, Frankenstein has several narrators. The main three narrators in 'Frankenstein' are Robert Walton, Victor Frankenstein, and the monster. The story begins with Robert Walton telling a story of his life, that he is traveling and exploring to find the Arctic, and then he meets Victor Frankenstein. Victor then tells the story of his life to Walton about his creation or "secrets". Victor tells Walton about his life to relieve his guilt and to prevent Walton from making the same mistakes as Victor did. Lastly, the monster tells about his life to Victor and Victor tells to Walton. The stories are carried from one person to another ,showing many perspectives of each character.
Percy Bysshe Shelley's "Ozymandias". Questions for discussion. What kind of a poem is this? What is the theme? Who is the speaker? What kind of a ruler was Ozymandias? What does the inscription on the pedestal mean? What do the monument's surroundings look like? Illustrate your ideas with examples (excerpts) from the poem. Expand.
The poem is a sonnet and is written in iambic pentameter. The major theme behind "Ozymandias" is that all power is temporary, no matter how prideful or tyrannical a ruler is The poem's primary speaker is anonymous and genderless, and all Shelley tells us about them is that they "met a traveller from an antique land." The poem pointedly does not include details about what this speaker thinks about the traveller, or Ozymandias. Ozymandias was an arrogant, ruthless ruler who believed he was more powerful than those around him. The words on the pedestal imply that Ozymandias was a great ruler who believed his reign to be important to the history of man.
Shelley's "Ode to the West Wind". Initially, analyze the poem thematically. What attributes of the West Wind does the speaker want his poetry to embody? In what way is this poem like the wind it describes? Illustrate your ideas with examples (excerpts) from the poem. Expand.
The poet uses the West Wind as a symbol of wild untamed energy. He personifies it and shows its impact on the earth, the sky and the ocean. He calls it the breath of autumn. It drives away the dead and rotten seeds. They fly away like pestilence driven multitudes. But while the West Wind brings death to old and rotten leaves, it carries seeds to distant places thus bringing rebirth. The West Wind scatters the clouds all over the sky. They look like bright hair uplifted from the head of some fierce maenad. The West Wind awakens the ocean sleeping peacefully. It ruffles its waves and clefts them. Even the plants at the bottom of the ocean feel its power. They turn grey on hearing its terrible thunder. The poet requests to the West Wind to lend him some of its power. These were a time when the poet was as wild and untamed as the West Wind but now the life has tamed him. He has fallen on the thorns of life and is bleeding. Now he needs the help of the West Wind to give support. He wants the West Wind to lift him like a wave or a lead or a cloud. The poet wants to spread his message of hope throughout the world. But his thoughts are dull and grey like the dead leaves. That is why the poet wants West Wind to make him his lyre. In this way he would be able to spread his message of hope and joy to the whole world.
"Ode on a Grecian Urn": What is the meaning of "Cold Pastoral"?
The speaker calls the urn a 'Cold pastoral' because, although it depicts a vibrant pastoral scene, the people in the painting are without life.
John Keats's "Ode on a Grecian Urn". Conduct a close analysis of this poem. How many scenes do you see there (on the urn)? Who is the poem's speaker? What does he observe as he studies the urn? What questions does he ask as he examines this artifact of another time? Who is he addressing? The last two lines of the ode: "Beauty is truth, truth is beauty," - that is all / Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know" are among the most enigmatic in all of poetry. Comment on them, and indeed on the meaning of the poem as a whole. Expand.
The speaker can be associated with an alter-ego of the poet himself. He is a person standing in front of an ancient Greek urn which has a strong impact on him. He addresses the urn, inquiring about the meaning and the history of its drawings. The speaker observes a relic of ancient Greek civilization, an urn painted with two scenes from Greek life. The speaker wonders about the specific identity of the male and women characters. Do these scenes show a chase and an attempt to escape? The speaker turns their attention to another scene on the urn, which appears to depict a ceremonial progression. They notice the figure of a shadowy priest leading a cow, which is mooing towards the sky and is dressed with ceremonial silks and flowers. The speaker wonders where those in the procession have come from. There is no one left to explain why the town is empty. 'Beauty is truth, truth beauty,—that is allYe know on earth, and all ye need to know.'In other words, beauty is all we need in order to discover truth, and truth is itself beautiful. This is all we, are mere mortals, know, but it's all we need to know: we shouldn't impatiently go in pursuit of answers which we don't need to have. Implied in these last lines of Keats's poem is the suggestion that we shouldn't attempt to find concrete answers to everything; sometimes the mystery is enough.
Who is the poem's speaker in Keats's "Ode on a Grecian Urn"? What does he observe as he studies the urn? What does he ask as he examines this artifact of another time? Who is he addressing?
The speaker can be associated with an alter-ego of the poet himself. He is a person standing in front of an ancient Greek urn which has a strong impact on him. He addresses the urn, inquiring about the meaning and the history of its drawings. The speaker observes a relic of ancient Greek civilization, an urn painted with two scenes from Greek life. The speaker wonders about the specific identity of the male and women characters. Do these scenes show a chase and an attempt to escape? The speaker turns their attention to another scene on the urn, which appears to depict a ceremonial progression. They notice the figure of a shadowy priest leading a cow, which is mooing towards the sky and is dressed with ceremonial silks and flowers. The speaker wonders where those in the procession have come from. There is no one left to explain why the town is empty. 'Beauty is truth, truth beauty,—that is allYe know on earth, and all ye need to know.'In other words, beauty is all we need in order to discover truth, and truth is itself beautiful. This is all we, are mere mortals, know, but it's all we need to know: we shouldn't impatiently go in pursuit of answers which we don't need to have. Implied in these last lines of Keats's poem is the suggestion that we shouldn't attempt to find concrete answers to everything; sometimes the mystery is enough.
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. The themes of the novel. Describe the relationship between the creator of the monster itself and the monster. How does it evolve? Expand.
The themes of the novel are: Family, Society, Isolation, Ambition and Fallibility, Romanticism and Nature,Revenge, Prejudice etc.Victor took great care to assemble all the body parts, and only chose those most beautiful. He worked almost like a poet and dreamt of creating a 'thing' of real beauty. However, when he assembled the 'creature', his emotions were that of horror and disgust. The 'creature' only wants to be loved and 'it' had child like characteristics when he is first created, however Frankenstein does not see this and his judgement is clouded by the appearance of his creation. Throughout the book all the 'creature' wants is love. This longing to be first accepted by Victor and then the longing for a fellow creature, (a lover) created specially for him, leads the monster to acts of murder and destruction. His longing for love is so great he will destroy Victor if this goes unheeded. The theme of nature versus nurture is explored here. The one who was nurtured, the man who grew up in a loving family, Victor, could not return love to the creature he gave birth to. At a closer range, he recognizes clearly the grotesque shape of the monster. ... Victor curses him and tells him to go away, but the monster, speaking eloquently, persuades him to accompany him to a fire in a cave of ice. Inside the cave, the monster begins to narrate the events of his life.
