Group items tagged

Dacia Di Gerolamo Ms. Jensen AP English 12 26 January 2011 AP Literature Analysis 4 Pygmalion was not a single genre book, but a book with genres intertwined. Not only was it a romance but also a comedy. Not a traditional romance with the fairy tale ending, but a story in which love is used, but not in the sense it is usually portrayed. It was a comedy not in a humorous way but in a way in which Shaw used satire to shed light on social issues. Issues such as division between the classes during the 1800's. The purpose of this article was to evaluate dramatic comedies in the 1800's. It examines the satire used in the early works. The author is able to clearly express his view. He constructively criticizes dramatic comedies of the time. The author uses the traditional ideas of the genre a long with how the authors built their works around the genre. Enough evidence is definitely provided for the reader to get the point of the paper. The author points out that the works are defined by the characters actions. The author is able to make the characters a certain way in order to fit a genre. In Shaw's case the genre was not only a comedy, but a romance as well. The author can easily have bias especially on the romance genre, whether good or bad. And also the sense of humor can affect it. All his bias can affect his view on all pieces of romantic criticisms.

Beresford states that The Time Machine is a romance, and he uses the time machine as a literary device in order to prove that time travel is possible. Beresford argues that Wells uses the future to criticize the social status of England of his era. The Eloi and Morlocks represented the haves and have-nots. Also further into future the earth is degrading and the question arises, whether the human race had a major impact in the decline of the earth, or if the earth had reached its end of existence. Beresford argues that The Time Machine lacked certain aspects of imagination and style, but it was a brilliant fantasy. The novella represents Wells' views on the world during his time and his experiments with the improbable. It uses the improbable and imaginative to create a satire of the social system in his time.

Arthur Cleveland Coxe wrote "The Writings if Hawthrone" to criticize Nathaniel Hawthorne for his work The Scarlet Letter. He criticizes Hawthorne for the inspiring "social licentiousness" and making fun of all religion. He believes that the subject matter is inappropriate a romance novel and that woman everywhere would be offended that they were painted in a negative light. Coxe's argument while coherent and consistent lacks logic because he provides next to no proof of his argument. His argument is a shallow criticism that doesn't attempt to understand the work on a deeper level. The only evidence Coxe provides is the subject matter of the novel and the Nathaniel Hawthorne's participation in a six-month stay in a Transcendentalist commune. He argues that because Hawthrone associates himself with enlightened ideals he must be trying to destroy the Gospel. He deduces "this sort of sentiment must be charged to the doctrines enforced at 'Brook-Farm.'" His assumptions hold no basis because he doesn't provide any proof from the text other than dialogue that he finds disgusting. The author concludes that Hawthorne is trying to obliterate morality with The Scarlet Letter and suggest adulterous relationships are acceptable. The author's belief is not without bias to say the least. His criticism was published in The Church Review and further research reveals the author was the second Episcopal bishop of New York. Of course he would overlook the satirical purpose of The Scarlet Letter because he did not see anything wrong with the way they Puritans treated Hester Prynne.

Literary Analysis #2-Nineteen Minutes Throughout the literary critic of Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult, the main argument given by author Julie Ellam is based upon the fact that Picoult's work lacks depth. Throughout the critic, she gives examples such as the fact that one of the main characters Peter lacks characterization, as well as the fact that the author shies away from the central concern of the novel which is based upon the violence developed in schools. Ellam goes on to explain the way in which Picoult uses over description of her characters and hence lacks insight from the main focus once again. "These parts feels bolted on and overdone, and have the effect of making the reader even more impatient for a greater insight into the thought processes of the bullies and victims." (Ellam) This passage is significant to the work as a whole because it describes the way in which Picoult over analyzes characterization throughout her novel as well as the way in which she uses subplots to carry her story as a whole. Ellam goes on to discuss the way in which Picoult uses excessive description on main characters and background information that is unnecessary to the whole of the novel. She states that the reader tends to feel impatient throughout the reading and is frequently distracted from the main theme attempting to be expressed. "It is possible that the subplots that diverge from the massacre are used to give light as a contrast to the shade, but they appear instead as elements from a soapy romance." (Ellam) The way in which Ellam uses specific descriptions and examples from the novel give to the overall effectiveness of the critic by justifying her argument. This gives to the overall significance as the text as a whole by questioning the way in which the novel is written and taking in the novel from a diverse perspective.

The author's ( Maureen Cutajar) purpose is to explain the irony and structure of Jane Austen's view on the society of her time and to explain Austen's purpose in Pride and Prejudice in terms of the romance in the novel. Cutajar writes on how Austen describes two ways of falling in love and how those reflect on the society of the time. The two ways to fall in love that Austen writes in her novel Pride and Prejudice, is that of instant meeting (or love at first sight) and the love that develops slowly over time as is the case with Elizabeth and Darcy. What Cutajar concludes then is that, "Nevertheless, it seems that the 'rational' choice is not based on how quickly one falls in love but rather on what grounds" (Cutajar). Also, according to Cutajar, she concludes that, "Love therefore is not enough on its own and does not lead to happiness if it goes against the social system" (Cutajar). As for my own thoughts, I am interested in Austen's views on society, especially pertaining to marriage and the social "norm" at the time, especially because Austen's novels mainly reflect the idea of society and marriage. It is also interesting to compare the norm when it comes to marriage then and now and see how they differ or relate.

Argument: The references to western culture and the similarities as well as the differences between Temple of My Familiar by Alice Walker and Gravity Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon. During an interview Alice Walker made a comment that said, "Why would they want to?" in regards to "Why write a novel like the one Pynchon wrote? ". Walker refers to her book as "a romance of the last 500,000 years" when according to Adam (writer of the literary criticism) Walker's novel has the "ambition" of Pynchon text. Throughout the text, Adam uses quotes from Walker's novel to relate it to Pynchon's. His purpose for writing this literary criticism was to judge or prove to the public that Walker's novel is in fact similar the Pynchon's. Also, he writes about the difference they have in social views towards the government, and the culture of families. Evidence: "Walker has in common with Pynchon and Wallace a sweeping distrust of the current political, religious, and economic systems of domination prevalent in the world" (Adam). "The world view of The Temple of My Familiar also differs from that of Gravity's Rainbow and many other postmodern texts in its belief in the power of the spiritual to redeem and nourish, even in the midst of oppression and tragedy" (Adam). "Another difference between Walker's novel and Gravity's Rainbow is its concern with communal relationships. Families, tribes, and cultures are of primary importance to the novel, both in the ways that they support the various characters and in the ways in which the characters choose to perpetuate them" (Adam).

In Laszlo K. Géfin's criticism of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Géfin explores the satirical elements which lie beneath the characters in Kesey's novel. Géfin focuses his ideas on the Big Nurse, who captures the archetypal monstrous, castrating woman. Some saw the novel as an "Oedipal family romance", named for the mythological king Oedipus, who killed his father and married his mother, which captures several dark elements. The Big Nurse represents the bad mother, McMurphy is the good father, and the mental patients are the children. Others suggest that Kesey's ideas are a reflection of the male fear turned aggression of the Eisenhower era. Either way, family dynamics can be found within One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. This article makes it evident that the Big Nurse's character has been and will continue to be interpreted differently from person to person. The clearest idea that Géfin communicated was that the character of the Big Nurse should not be interpreted literally. It is vital to understand that these characters were created from a man's viewpoint because Kesey's ideas were translated through the Big Nurse. This is why feminist critics often try to downplay the menacing aspects of her character. This article was written quite awhile ago, so many of the media references are a bit outdated, although still applicable. Géfin most likely possesses similar views as Kesey as he was defending the nature of Kesey's characters. According to Géfin, Kesey's Big Nurse is another classic archetypal woman in literature, which will continue to influence further works.

Wells uses science once again to reflect some of his social concerns, however it is not a critical as The Time Machine is. Wells doesn't write a science fiction, but more of a science romance. Science is used as a literary device to create a setting for his novel. The destruction of the Martians by microbes has seemed like an anticlimactic ending to his novel, but the martians portrayed Wells' view, that when a creature evolves, it has gained something, but also something else has to be lost in the process. The novel contradicts the idea that technology makes life better, by showing the defeat of the martians, who are more technologically advanced than the humans, were ignorant and were defeated by a bacteria. The technological advances by humans could lead to the defeat of humans by forces of nature. Wells uses science to mock the human race, in this case the technological advances of mankind.

Joyce Carol Oats is the author of this critical analysis of Wuthering Heights. Oats explains how Emily Bronte's writing is unique and anticipated, but still brings in the basics of a romantic novel. She feels that it evolves well through loss and love. The novel also uses the time period it was written in very well through many examples. The purpose of this critical analysis is to prove Bronte's writing and show how well she can fit everything together. Wuthering Heights has a storyline to it, where it could seem like there are two tales in one. One tale would be of the romance and the second would be of maturing through life's challenges. Oats determines that Bronte includes nature into society, which makes up the theme of the novel. Passion is also incorporated into this romantic, gothic novel through various generations of people falling in love. The purpose of this was to prove the theme, in Oats' eyes. Joyce Oats feels that Wuthering Heights has to be understood on two levels to obtain the entire meaning. Emily Bronte has a writing style that gets her point across, but most of the time has an underlying meaning pertaining to the historical aspect and also the romantic aspect.