Assignment 105 : Characteristics of Edmund Spenser's Poetry

 Assignment 105 : Characteristics of Edmund Spencer's Poetry

This blog is a part of an assignment for the Paper 105, A History of the English Literature 1350 to 1900,Sem - 1, 2023.

Characteristics of Edmund Spencer's Poetry

Table of Contents:

• Personal Information
• Assignment Details
• Abstract
• Keywords
• Introduction
• Qualities of Spenser's Poetry
• The Faerie Queene
• Spenserian Stanza
• Quotes of Spenser's
• Conclusion
• Reference

Personal Information :

Name : Reshma Yunusbhai Bilakhiya

Batch : M.A. Sem - 1(2023 - 2024)

Enrollment no : 5108230008

E - mail address : reshmabilakhiya21@gmail.com

Roll no : 27

Assignments Details :

Topic : Characteristics of Edmund Spencer's Poetry

Paper & Subject Code : 105 A History of English

Literature - From 1350 to 1900 & 22396

Submitted to : Smt. Sujata Binoy Gardi, 

Department of English, MKBU Bhavnagar

Date of Submission : 1st December, 2023

Abstract : 

Edmund Spenser's poetry is marked by allegory, elaborate language, archaic vocabulary, and the distinctive Spenserian stanza. His notable work, "The Faerie Queene," blends chivalric romance with political and moral allegory, embodying Renaissance ideals in a rich tapestry of language and narrative.

Keyword :

Allegory, Spenserian Stanza, Archaic Vocabulary, 

The Faerie Queene, Rich Tapestry of Language,

Artistic Brilliance

Introduction :

Let's step into the enchanting world of Edmund Spenser's poetry! Picture it like a fascinating tale told with special ingredients. Edmund Spenser, a clever poet from a long time ago, had a unique way with words. His poems are like secret codes – you get to uncover hidden meanings. Imagine his language as a fancy dress party, full of charming and old-fashioned words. And oh, the way he organises his verses, it's like a special dance on paper. One of his famous poems, 'The Faerie Queene,' is like a magical adventure blending knights, politics, and important lessons. So, get ready for a journey through Spenser's poetry – where each word is like a stroke of artistic brilliance.

 Qualities of Spenser's Poetry :

The five main qualities of Spenser’s poetry are (1) a perfect melody; (2) a rare sense of beauty; (3) a splendid imagination, which could gather into one poem heroes, knights, ladies, dwarfs, demons and dragons, classic mythology, stories of chivalry, and the thronging ideals of the Renaissance,—­all passing in gorgeous procession across an ever-changing and ever-beautiful landscape; (4) a lofty moral purity and seriousness; (5) a delicate idealism, which could make all nature and every common thing beautiful. In contrast with these excellent qualities the reader will probably note the strange appearance of his lines due to his fondness for obsolete words, like eyne (eyes) and shend (shame), and his tendency to coin others, like merciful, to suit his own purposes.

It is Spenser’s idealism, his love of beauty, and his exquisite melody which have caused him to be known as “the poets’ poet.” Nearly all our subsequent singers acknowledge their delight in him and their indebtedness. Macaulay alone among critics voices a fault which all who are not poets quickly feel, namely that, with all Spenser’s excellences, he is difficult to read. The modern man loses himself in the confused allegory of the Faery Queen, skips all but the marked passages.

The Faerie Queene :

Spenser is most well known for his book-length epic poem, The Faerie Queene. It was one of the first attempts at an English epic poem, which he based on the Italian classics. An epic poem is a long, historical work that attempts to document the events and heroes of a time and place, a country and its culture. Homer's Odyssey and Virgil's Aeneid are examples of classical epics. Spenser and his contemporary, Philip Sidney, wrote the first English epics, distinguishing them as poets who fundamentally defined and shaped a distinct English poetry of their time.

Spencer wrote The Faerie Queene in honour of Queen Elizabeth, who was characterised as the Faerie Queen Gloriana, his heroine. His ambition was to write a beautiful work that exalted her reign, while creating a poem cycle of fantasy adventures rooted in the Arthurian legends of knights, damsels and dragons, and whose characters exemplified Spenser's definition of virtue.

This type of symbolism, where a character or place or event represents or parallels an idea, is called an allegory. In this case, Queen Elizabeth's kingdom is allegorized, and major figures in her kingdom are allegorized as certain virtues, such as friendship, courtesy and justice.

Spenser also hoped to gain patronage by the court for his writing career. In other words, he was trying to flatter the court so that he could gain recognition and monetary support for his writing. He accomplished this to some extent, but not enough to quit his day job, which was to serve the crown by protecting its interests in Ireland. His genocidal views on Ireland, as written in his A View of the Present State of Ireland, published 1633, postmortem, are brutal and incredibly disturbing, but that does not detract from the rich body of poetry he has left us.

Spenserian Stanza 

The Spenserian Stanza was created by Sir Edmund Spenser, 16th century English poet, for his Faerie Queene. The stanza has the feel of a scrunched, combination, Italian and Shakespearean mini-sonnet. 

The elements of the Spenserian Stanza are:

1. a narrative. It tells a story centered around a single theme, often in a time frame that includes a beginning, middle and end. It is usually written in the 3rd person.

2. stanzaic, written in any number of 9 line stanzas.

3. metered, most often iambic. L1-L8 are usually pentameter and L9 is always an Alexandrine line a hexameter (6 feet) with a caesura division creating 2 commonly, equal hemistiches (half lines). According to the New Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics, the Alexandrine line with it's even number of stresses brings a balance or harmony to the end of the stanza.

4. rhymed. There is a fluid interlocking rhyme scheme a b a b b c b c c that moves the stanza forward while a rhyming couplet brings the stanza to conclusion.

The opening stanza from the Faerie Queen, Canto I by Edmund Spencer 1596

1.

A Gentle Knight was pricking on the plaine,

Y cladd in mightie armes and silver shielde,

Wherein old dints of deepe wounds did remaine,

The cruell markes of many' a bloudy fielde;

Yet armes till that time did he never wield:

His angry steede did chide his foaming bitt,

As much disdayning to the curbe to yield:

Full iolly knight he seemd, and faire did sitt,

As one for knightly giusts and fierce encounters fitt.

Quotes of Spenser's :

"For there is nothing lost, that may be found, if sought." ~ Edmund Spenser

Conclusion :

If we talk about Edmund Spenser's poetry is like unlocking a magical world. The hidden meanings, fancy words, and unique dance of verses create a captivating experience. It's a journey through knights and life lessons, leaving you in awe of the artistic brilliance in every word. In conclusion, Spenser's poetry is a treasure trove of wonders that makes you feel like you've experience something truly special.

Reference :

“Top 25 Quotes by Edmund Spenser (of 144): A-Z Quotes.” A, www.azquotes.com/author/13948-Edmund_Spenser. 

“English Literature Ebook.” BookRags, www.bookrags.com/ebooks/10609/78.html#gsc.tab=0. 

Christine_Kohler, et al. “Istock.” iStock, www.istockphoto.com/photos/edmund-spenser.

Tinker. “Spenserian Stanza.” Poetry Magnum Opus, 24 May 2009, www.poetrymagnumopus.com/topic/653-spenserian-stanza/.

Word Count : 1,205

Image : 3

Thank You !!!

Assignment 103: A Summary & Analysis of John Keats 'Ode On a Grecian Urn'.

 Assignment 103 : A Summary & Analysis of John Keats 'Ode On a Grecian Urn' 

This blog is a part of an assignment for the Paper 103, Literature of the Romantics, Sem – 1,2023.A

 Summary & Analysis of John Keats 'Ode On a Grecian Urn'

Table of Contents :

• Personal Information 
• Assignments Details
• Abstract
• Keywords
• Introduction
• 'Ode On a Grecian Urn' Summary
• Stanza 1 to 5
• 'Ode On a Grecian Urn' Analysis
• Conclusion
• Reference 

   Personal Information :

   

 Name : Reshma Yunusbhai Bilakhiya

 Batch : M.A. Sem - 1(2023 - 2024)

 Enrollment no : 5108230008 

 E - mail address : reshmabilakhiya21@gmail.com

  Roll no: 27

     Assignment Details : 

Topic : A Summary & Analysis of John Keats 'Ode On a Grecian Urn'

Paper & Subject Code : 103 Literature of the Romantic & 22394.

Submitted to: Smt. Sujata Binoy Gardi, Department of English, 

MKBU, Bhavnagar

Date of Submission : 1st December, 2023.

Abstract :

'Ode on a Grecian Urn' by John Keats explores the timeless beauty captured on a Grecian urn. The speaker marvels at the frozen scenes depicted on the urn, finding a sense of permanence and immortality in art. Keats delves into the themes of beauty, truth, and the transient nature of human experience. The urn becomes a symbol of artistic creation, preserving moments in time. The poem reflects Keats's fascination with the tension between the ideal and the fleeting nature of life. Through rich imagery and contemplative verses, Keats invites readers to ponder the eternal and appreciate the power of art to transcend the limitations of mortal existence.

Keywords:

Grecian Urn, Beauty & Truth, Transience of Life, Idealization, Aesthetic Appreciation.

Introduction : 

The Ode on a Grecian Urn was composed in the spring of 1819 and published in 1820. The Greek vase which inspired Keats was no figment of his imagination, but has a real existence. This vase is still preserved in the garden at Holland House, Kensington. It is also likely that the inspiration of this poem might have been partly derived from the Elgin Marbles (large collections of old Greek sculptures brought to England by Lord Elgin, a British general and ambassador. They are now in the British Museum). 

'Ode On a Grecian Urn' Summary

Stanza 1 to 5: 

      Thou still unravish'd bride of quietness,

    Thou foster-child of silence and slow time,

Sylvan historian, who canst thus express

    A flowery tale more sweetly than our rhyme:

What leaf-fringed legend haunts about thy shape

    Of deities or mortals, or of both,

               In Tempe or the dales of Arcady?

    What men or gods are these? What maidens loth?

What mad pursuit? What struggle to escape?

               What pipes and timbrels? What wild ecstasy?

Stanza 1:

The poet sees a Grecian urn which has not been affected by the onslaught of time and has been lying silently on the lap of time. The urn gives the record of a past age more graphically than poetry. Its borders are encircled with garlands of leaves. The poet asks whether the figures depicted on the urn are of gods or men or both, whether they are from Tempe or Arcadia, who the maidens trying to escape the pursuit of mad lovers and the musicians playing on pipes and timbrels are.

 

Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard

       Are sweeter; therefore, ye soft pipes, play on;

Not to the sensual ear, but, more endear'd,

       Pipe to the spirit ditties of no tone:

Fair youth, beneath the trees, thou canst not leave

       Thy song, nor ever can those trees be bare;

               Bold Lover, never, never canst thou kiss,

Though winning near the goal yet, do not grieve;

       She cannot fade, though thou hast not thy bliss,

               For ever wilt thou love, and she be fair!

Stanza 2:

The music that is listened to by the spirit is sweeter than the music heard by physical or “sensual” ears. The youth represented on the urn as playing on the pipe will always go on playing under the tree which will never shed their leaves. And the lover who is hotly pursuing the girl will never succeed in catching and kissing her. But he need not be sad, because he will never cease to love her and his beloved will always be lovely.

Ah, happy, happy boughs! that cannot shed

         Your leaves, nor ever bid the Spring adieu;

And, happy melodist, unwearied,

         For ever piping songs for ever new;

More happy love! more happy, happy love!

         For ever warm and still to be enjoy'd,

                Forever panting, and for ever young;

All breathing human passion far above,

         That leaves a heart high-sorrowful and cloy'd,

                A burning forehead, and a parching tongue.

Stanza 3:

The trees sculptured on the urn will ever remain in their spring freshness and the musician will always continue to pipe new songs without being tired. The warmth of the young man’s love will never cool down.

Who are these coming to the sacrifice?

         To what green altar, O mysterious priest,

Lead'st thou that heifer lowing at the skies,

         And all her silken flanks with garlands drest?

What little town by river or sea shore,

         Or mountain-built with peaceful citadel,

                Is emptied of this folk, this pious morn?

And, little town, thy streets for evermore

         Will silent be; and not a soul to tell

                Why thou art desolate, can e'er return.

Stanza 4:

The poet sees a sacrificial procession depicted on the um. There is a crowd of people; a priest is leading á heifer decorated with garlands to the sacrificial altar. The crowd might have come out of some town situated by a river, or on the seashore or on a mountain. The town must have been empty at the time, and it must ever remain empty.

O Attic shape! Fair attitude! with brede

         Of marble men and maidens overwrought,

With forest branches and the trodden weed;

         Thou, silent form, dost tease us out of thought

As doth eternity: Cold Pastoral!

         When old age shall this generation waste,

                Thou shalt remain, in midst of other woe

Than ours, a friend to man, to whom thou say'st,

         "Beauty is truth, truth beauty,—that is all

                Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know."

Stanza 5:

The urn is a genuine specimen of Greek art sculpturing a number of men and maidens, branches and weeds. It seduces us from the ordinary life of thought into the extraordinary life of the imagination. It will continue to exist, even when the present generation will die out, and in the midst of sufferings as yet unknown to us, it will teach us the lesson that beauty and truth are identical the only lesson we ought to know.

'Ode On a Grecian Urn' Analysis:

The Ode on a Grecian Urn is one of the greatest odes of Keats and shows his poetic genius at its maturity.

The Ode on a Grecian Urn has a neat perfect and organic structure. It has clear-cut three parts: introduction, main subject and conclusion, corresponding to what Aristotle calls a beginning, a middle and an end. The first stanza gives the introduction, the second, third and fourth stanzas the main subject, and the fifth the conclusion.

The introduction presents the urn in its mystery and shows what questions it poses to the poet. The main subject consists of the scenes on the urn as Keats sees them with an imaginative insight into the relation between art and life. The conclusion answers the questions posed in the introduction and announces the message of the urn to mankind.

The Ode is a representative poem of Keats. It illustrates all the essential features of Keats’s poetry-his Hellenism, his concept of beauty, his sensuousness, his meditativeness, his felicity of expression.

Hellenism is one of the most remarkable features of Keats’s poetry. The Greek spirit was re-incarnated in him so much so that Shelley was impelled to say, “He was a Greek!” The Ode on a Grecian Urn reveals his Hellenism most fully. The subject is an urn, a relic of ancient Greek sculpture. The urn is embossed with the human figures marked by the animal vitality of the ancient Greeks and with scenes that vividly reproduce the ancient Hellenic life with its religious rituals and animating faith. The “little town by river or sea-shore or mountain-built with peaceful citadel” is as Greek a thing as anything in Homer or Theocritus. The Greek sense of beauty and Greek sensuousness mark the Ode.

Conclusion:

'Ode on a Grecian Urn' concludes by highlighting the poem's exploration of the timeless beauty captured on the urn and its reflection on the enduring power of art. Keats prompts contemplation on the contrast between idealized scenes and the transience of life, leaving readers with a profound appreciation for the ability of art to preserve and convey eternal truths.

Reference:

By. “Ode on a Grecian Urn: Summary and Analysis.” All About English Literature, 8 Aug. 2021, www.eng-literature.com/2020/12/ode-on-grecian-urn-summary-analysis.html. 

Keats, John. “Ode on a Grecian Urn by John Keats.” Poetry Foundation, Nov. 2023, www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44477/ode-on-a-grecian-urn. 

Word Count : 1,493

Image : 1

Thank You!!!

         

 

Assignment 101: Macbeth : Shakespeare's use of the Soliloquy

 Assignment 101: Macbeth : Shakespeare's use of the Soliloquy

This blog is a part of an assignment for the paper 101, Literature of the Elizabethan and Restoration Periods, Sem - 1, 2023.

Assignment 101: Macbeth : Shakespeare's use of the Soliloquy

This blog is a part of an assignment for the paper 101, Literature of the Elizabethan and Restoration Periods, Sem - 1, 2023.

Macbeth : Shakespeare's use of the Soliloquy

Table of Contents:

• Personal Information

• Assignment Details

• Abstract

• Keywords

• Introduction

• Macbeth's Soliloquies : Windows to his Soul

• First Soliloquy : It's Significance

• Second Soliloquy

• Third Soliloquy

• Fourth Soliloquy

• Last Soliloquies

• Lady Macbeth : Her Soliloquy

• Conclusion

• Reference

Personal Information :

Name : Reshma Yunusbhai Bilakhiya

Batch : M.A. Sem - 1(2023 - 2024)

Enrollment no : 5108230008

E - mail address : reshmabilakhiya21@gmail.com

Roll no: 27

Assignment Details :

•  Topic : Macbeth : Shakespeare's use of 

• the Soliloquy.

• Paper & Subject code : 101 : Literature 

• of the Elizabethan & Restoration 

• Periods & 22392.

• Submitted to : Smt. Sujata Binoy Gardi, Department of English, MKBU, Bhavnagar

• Date of Submission : 1st December, 

• 2023

Abstract :

In 'Macbeth' Shakespeare strategically employs Soliloquies as a narrative tool to illuminate the internal Struggles and moral dilemmas of Characters, particularly Macbeth. These introspective monologues provide a window into Macbeth's evolving psyche, offering the audience a nuanced understanding of his descent into darkness. Through the artful use of Soliloquies, Shakespeare masterfully explores the complexities of human nature, enriching the Play with Psychological depth engaging the audience in a profound examination of the Character's inner World's.

Keywords :

Soliloquies, Psychological depth, Ambition, Inner World,s, Self - talk.

Introduction : 

Shakespeare uses something cool in 'Macbeth' called Soliloquies. It's like when Characters talk to themselves on stage, letting us peek into their private thoughts. These solo moments, especially with Macbeth, show us how the Characters feel deep inside. It's not just about the story; it's like a secret passage into their minds. These Soliloquies in 'Macbeth' are like a backstage pass, giving us a special look at the Characters' feelings and making the Play way more interesting.

Macbeth's Soliloquies : Windows to His Soul :

Macbeth is the only tragedy of Shakespeare in which the the tragic hero turns a villain and yet he retains our sympathy upto the very end. Even when Macbeth makes Scotland bleed as a result of his career of blood, he does not entirely lose our sympathy. This feat of dramatic art has been achieved by giving us a peep into his soul and thus showing to us his inner agony and spiritual torture. This insight into his soul is given to us through his various Soliloquies at different stages of his career of murder and bloodshed. Thus his soliloquies are the windows through which we get a glimpse of his inner suffering and realise that, though a villain he may be, he has also much good in him which fails to assert itself owing to circumstances beyond his control.

First Soliloquy : It's Significance

The first real Soliloquy of Macbeth comes in Act 1, scene (7). It reveals, on the one hand, Macbeth's desire to be a King and also a desire to achieve the crown by murder, but also that he is afraid of the pricks of his conscience, and not so much of the penalties of law or the punishment in the other world. It reveals Macbeth's sensitive conscience. He cannot murder his own King _ a King who is good, virtuous and generous, a King who is guest, a King who has done no harm to him but has rewarded him with honour and title. It shows that Macbeth is gifted with poetic imagination and his imagination works through pictures. His imagination is the handmaid of his conscience. This Soliloquy places Macbeth on a much higher level than Lady Macbeth, who is more ambitious than her husband, more cruel and more monstrous, and She has no sense of decency or justice or pity.

Second Soliloquy 

The next Soliloquy of Macbeth, comes in scene 1 of Act (2), just before the murder. Macbeth suffers from hallucination. The thought of the crime he is about to commit has driven him almost to the verge of lunacy. He sees that dagger with which he is going to murder King Duncan. Such hallucinations come to the conscientious souls that are about to commit a great crime for the first time in their life. This Soliloquy reveals the struggle which is still going on in the mind of Macbeth: and it, therefore, gives a further glimpse into the Character of Macbeth.

Third Soliloquy

In his Soliloquy which occurs in scene 1, of Act (3), of the Play, Macbeth prepares himself for the murder of Banquo because he cannot bear the idea that Banquo's sons should be Kings. Besides, Macbeth feels insecure so long as Banquo and his son are alive; and therefore, he decides to get both the father and son murdered as soon as possible. The Soliloquy reveals Macbeth's fear and insecurity which prevents sleep and tortures his soul, as well as his degradation.

Fourth Soliloquy 

In his Soliloquy, at the end of Act (4), scene 2, Macbeth expresses his determination not to lose a single moment in putting his thought to action that is, to order at once for the massacre of the family of Macduff to have his revenge upon Macduff. This Soliloquy reveals his motif for the commission of further crimes.

Last Soliloquies

Macbeth's last two Soliloquies beginning. "Tomorrow, and tomorrow and tomorrow," and "I have lived long enough" reveal Macbeth's frustration and disillusionment. He realises that his life has fallen into the scar, and that he has lost all the good things of life.

Lady Macbeth: Her Soliloquy

Though most of the Soliloquies in the play belong to Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, too utters one important Soliloquy, just after receiving the news that Duncan is to be her guest that night. She calls upon the murdering ministers, the powers of darkness, to unsex her, and the very violence of this invocation is a measure of the womanly instincts that have to be suppressed. The violence done to nature in such suppression results in complete nervous break - down and we witness the terrible spectacle of the sleep-walking scene.

Conclusion :

Thus the combined effect of the Soliloquies of Macbeth is that we acquire a better knowledge of what is happening to his soul. It is through the use of the Soliloquy that his inner struggles and frustrations have been revealed. We realise his essential nobility and also that he has been pushed into his career of crime by his vaulting ambition, his poetic imagination, and the combined solicitations and exhortations of these equivocating friends the witches and his "Fiend- like Queen." For this Lady Macbeth also is referred to as "the fourth witch" of the play.

In short,the Soliloquy is a potent means of self - revelation and the dramatist has made good use of it in the present play. It is largely through the use of the Soliloquy that what is essentially a melodramatic story of crime and bloodshed has been raised to the level of one the greatest tragedies of the world.

Reference : 

Gupta, Anupam. “Shakespeare Macbeth.” Study - Guide - Notes Shakespeare Macbeth (Objective Type Questions - Answers, by Tilak Bharath Raghukul, Ninth 2002 ed., Rama Brothers, 2002, pp. 1–198. 

Pages - 1,175 

Image - 1

Thank You!!!

 

 

Assignment 104. : Write an essay on the Women Characters in the novel 'Hard Times'

Assignment 104 : Write an essay on the Women Characters in the novel 'Hard Times'.

 

This blog is a part of an assignment for the Paper 104, Literature of the Victorians

Write an essay on the Women Characters in the novel 'Hard Times'

Tables of Contents :

• Personal Information
• Assignment Details
• Abstract
• keywords
• Introduction
• Louisa Gradgrind
• Cecelia Jupe(Sissy)
• Mrs. Sparsit
• Conclusion
• Reference 

Personal Information :

Name : Reshma Yunusbhai Bilakhiya

Batch : M.A. Sem - 1(2023 - 2024)

Enrollment no : 5108230008

E - mail address : reshmabilakhiya21@gmail.com

Roll no: 27

Assignment Details : 

Topic: An essay on the Women Characters in the novel 'Hard Times'

Paper & Subject Code : 104 Literature of the Victorians & 22395

Submitted to : Smt. Sujata Binoy Gardi, Department of English, 

MKBU, Bhavnagar

Date of Submission : 1st December, 2023.

Abstract :

In "Hard Times," the women characters show how life was for them in old England. There's Louisa, stuck in a sad marriage. Sissy is strong, not following rules. Mrs. Sparsit is clever as a widow. These women teach us about tough times and how they dealt with strict rules. Dickens wants us to think about how women back then had it hard but still found ways to be strong and smart.

Keywords:

Women characters, Hard Times, Victorian Era, Louisa, Loveless marriage, Personal struggles.

Introduction : 

In the book "Hard Times," we meet strong women facing tough times in old England. Louisa is in a sad marriage, Sissy is brave and breaks rules, and Mrs. Sparsit is smart as a widow. These women teach us about how hard life was for them back then, and the author, Dickens, wants us to understand their struggles against strict rules. Let's explore how these women characters deal with challenges and show strength in a time when society had many expectations for women.

Louisa :

Although Louisa is the novel’s principal female character, she is distinctive from the novel’s other women, particularly her foils, Sissy and Rachael. While these other two embody the Victorian ideal of femininity—sensitivity, compassion, and gentleness—Louisa’s education has prevented her from developing such traits. Instead, Louisa is silent, cold, and seemingly unfeeling. However, Dickens may not be implying that Louisa is really unfeeling, but rather that she simply does not know how to recognize and express her emotions. For instance, when her father tries to convince her that it would be rational for her to marry Bounderby, Louisa looks out of the window at the factory chimneys and observes: “There seems to be nothing there but languid and monotonous smoke. Yet when the night comes, Fire bursts out.” Unable to convey the tumultuous feelings that lie beneath her own languid and monotonous exterior, Louisa can only state a fact about her surroundings. Yet this fact, by analogy, also describes the emotions repressed within her.

Even though she does not conform to the Victorian ideals of femininity, Louisa does her best to be a model daughter, wife, and sister. Her decision to return to her father’s house rather than elope with Harthouse demonstrates that while she may be unfeeling, she does not lack virtue. Indeed, Louisa, though unemotional, still has the ability to recognize goodness and distinguish between right and wrong, even when it does not fall within the strict rubric of her father’s teachings. While at first Louisa lacks the ability to understand and function within the grey matter of emotions, she can at least recognize that they exist and are more powerful than her father or Bounderby believe, even without any factual basis. Moreover, under Sissy’s guidance, Louisa shows great promise in learning to express her feelings. Similarly, through her acquaintance with Rachael and Stephen, Louisa learns to respond charitably to suffering and to not view suffering simply as a temporary state that is easily overcome by effort, as her father and Bounderby do.

Cecelia Jupe (Sissy)

The daughter of a clown in Sleary’s circus. Sissy is taken in by Gradgrind when her father disappears. Sissy serves as a foil, or contrast, to Louisa: while Sissy is imaginative and compassionate, Louisa is rational and, for the most part, unfeeling. Sissy embodies the Victorian femininity that counterbalances mechanisation and industry. Through Sissy’s interaction with her, Louisa is able to explore her more sensitive, feminine sides.

Mrs. Sparsit

Although Mrs. Sparsit is a relatively minor character, her pride drives much of the action in the second half of the novel. Originally from an aristocratic background, Mrs. Sparsit has fallen on hard times, and she must work as Bounderby’s housekeeper for a living. Because she wants to marry Bounderby so that she can share his wealth, Mrs. Sparsit secretly connives to destroy his marriage to Louisa. Yet even while she panders to Bounderby, Mrs. Sparsit considers him an upstart “Noodle,” and considers herself his superior because of her aristocratic blood. Although she is a proud aristocrat, Mrs. Sparsit shares the calculating self-interest of capitalists like Bounderby. Thus, Mrs. Sparsit illustrates the transition from a social hierarchy in which aristocrats hold the power to one in which the wealthy middle class holds the power. In her attempt to retain her power within a new social order, Mrs. Sparsit simply ends up looking ridiculous.

Conclusion :

The women characters in "Hard Times" by Charles Dickens provide a rich tapestry of resilience and strength in the face of societal constraints. Through Louisa's struggles in a loveless marriage, Sissy's defiance of norms, and Mrs. Sparsit's cleverness as a widow, Dickens invites readers to reflect on the complexities of women's lives in the Victorian era. Despite the challenges, these characters exhibit courage and resourcefulness, leaving a lasting impression on the narrative and emphasising the timeless theme of women finding their way in a rigid society.

Reference :

Sparknotes, SparkNotes, Nov. 2023, www.sparknotes.com/lit/hardtimes/characters/. 

Word Count : 952

Image: 1

Thank You!!!

Assignment 102 : Analysis of the Themes in 'Pamela'

Assignment 102 : Analysis of the Themes in 'Pamela'

This blog is a part of an assignment for the Paper 102, Literature of the Neo - Classical Period, Sem - 1, 2023.

Analysis of the Themes in 'Pamela'

Table of Contents:

Personal Information

Assignment Details

Abstract

keywords

Introduction

The Nature of Virtue

The Integrity of the Individual

Class Politics

Sexual Politics

Psychology and the Self

Hypocrisy and Country Life

Conclusion

Reference

Personal Information :

Name : Reshma Yunusbhai Bilakhiya

Batch : M.A. Sem - 1(2023 - 2024)

Enrollment no : 5108230008

E - mail address : reshmabilakhiya21@gmail.com

Roll no: 27

Assignment Details : 

Topic : Analysis of the Themes in 'Pamela'

Paper & Subject Code : 102 Literature of the Neo - Classical Period

& 22392

Submitted to : Smt. Sujata Binoy Gardi, Department of English, 

MKBU, Bhavnagar

Date of Submission : 1st December, 2023.

 

         Abstract 

'Pamela' is a novel by Samuel Richardson, 

and its themes revolve around social class, 

virtue, and the power dynamics between men 

and women. The story follows Pamela, a maid, 

who faces the advances of her employer, Mr. B. 

Themes of morality and virtue emerge as Pamela

strives to maintain her integrity despite societal 

pressures. The novel also explores the 

complexities of class distinctions, illustrating 

the challenges faced by a lower-class woman 

resisting the advances of a higher-class man. 

Overall, "Pamela" delves into the moral struggles

 and societal norms of 18th-century England.

Keywords : 

Virtue, Social Class, Morality,Gender Roles,Class Struggle

Introduction :

The novel 'Pamela' by Samuel Richardson explores several compelling themes that provide insight into the social and moral fabric of 18th-century England. At its core, the narrative delves into the complexities of virtue, social class dynamics, and the power struggles between men and women. This analysis will unravel these themes, examining how the protagonist, Pamela, navigates the challenges of maintaining her moral integrity in the face of societal expectations and the advances of her higher-class employer, Mr. B. The exploration of morality, gender roles, and the nuances of love and resistance adds depth to the narrative, shedding light on the broader implications of societal norms and the individual's struggle for autonomy within a rigid social structure. This discussion will delve into the keywords that encapsulate the essence of

'Pamela,'offering a nuanced understanding of its thematic richness.

The Nature of Virtue

Richardson’s novel has often given the impression of defining “virtue” too narrowly and negatively, as the physical condition of virginity before marriage. The novel’s conception of virtue is actually more capacious than its detractors have allowed, however. To begin with, Pamela makes a sensible distinction between losing her virginity involuntarily and acquiescing in a seduction. Only the latter would be a transgression against sexual virtue. Moreover, almost the entire second half of the novel is taken up with the explication and praise of Pamela’s positive qualities of generosity and benevolence. Mr. B. values these qualities, and they have brought him to propose marriage: reading her journal, he has discovered her genuine goodwill toward him, particularly in her rejoicing over his escape from death by drowning. As a result, Pamela's active goodness merits the “reward” of a happy marriage as much as her defense of her virginity.

The Integrity of the Individual

Richardson’s fiction commonly portrays individuals struggling to balance incompatible demands on their integrity: Pamela, for instance, must either compromise her own sense of right or offend her Master, who deserves her obedience except insofar as he makes illicit demands on her. This highly conscientious servant and Christian must work scrupulously to defy her Master’s will only to the degree that it is necessary to preserve her virtue; to do any less would be irreligious, while to do any more would be contumacious, and the successful balance of these conflicting claims represents the greatest expression of Pamela’s personal integrity. Meanwhile, those modern readers who dismiss Pamela’s defense of her virtue as fatally old-fashioned might consider the issue from the standpoint of the individual’s right to self-determination. Pamela has a right to stand on her own principles, whatever they are, so that as so often in English literature, physical virginity stands in for individual morality and belief: no one, Squire or King, has the right to expect another person to violate the standards of her own conscience.

Class Politics

One of the great social facts of Richardson’s day was the intermingling of the aspirant middle class with the gentry and aristocracy. The eighteenth century was a golden age of social climbing and thereby of satire (primarily in poetry), but Richardson was the first novelist to turn his serious regard on class difference and class tension. Pamela’s class status is ambiguous at the start of the novel. She is on good terms with the other Bedfordshire servants, and the pleasure she takes in their respect for her shows that she does not consider herself above them; her position as a lady’s maid, however, has led to her acquiring refinements of education and manner that unfit her for the work of common servants: when she attempts to scour a plate, her soft hand develops a blister. Moreover, Richardson does some fudging with respect to her origins when he specifies that her father is an educated man who was not always a peasant but once ran a school.

If this hedging suggests latent class snobbery on Richardson’s part, however, the novelist does not fail to insist that those who receive privileges under the system bear responsibilities also, and correspondingly those on the lower rungs of the ladder are entitled to claim rights of their superiors. Thus, in the early part of the novel, Pamela emphasizes that Mr. B., in harassing her, violates his duty to protect the social inferiors under his care; after his reformation in the middle of the novel, she repeatedly lauds the “Godlike Power" of doing good that is the special pleasure and burden of the wealthy. Whether Richardson’s stress on the reciprocal obligations that characterize the harmonious social order expresses genuine concern for the working class, or whether it is simply an insidious justification of an inequitable power structure, is a matter for individual readers to decide.

Sexual Politics

Sexual inequality was a common theme of eighteenth-century social commentators and political philosophers: certain religious groups were agitating for universal suffrage, John Locke argued for universal education, and the feminist Mary Astell decried the inequities of the marital state. Though Richardson’s decision to have Pamela fall in love with her would-be rapist has rankled many advocates of women’s rights in recent years, he remains in some senses a feminist writer due to his sympathetic interest in the hopes and concerns of women. He allows Pamela to comment acerbically on the hoary theme of the sexual double standard: “those Things don’t disgrace Men, that ruin poor Women, as the World goes.” In addition, Sally Godfrey demonstrates the truth of this remark by going to great lengths (and a long distance) to avoid ruination after her connection with Mr. B., who comes through the episode comparatively unscathed.

Not only as regards extramarital activities but also as regards marriage itself, eighteenth-century society stacked the deck against women: a wife had no legal existence apart from her husband, and as Jocelyn Harris notes, Pamela in marrying Mr. B. commits herself irrevocably to a man whom she hardly knows and who has not been notable for either his placid temper or his steadfast monogamy; Pamela’s private sarcasms after her marriage, then, register subtly Richardson’s appropriate misgivings about matrimony as a reward for virtue. Perhaps above all, however, Richardson’s sympathy for the feminine view of things emerges in his presentation of certain contrasts between the feminine and masculine psyches. Pamela’s psychological subtlety counters Mr. B.’s simplicity, her emotional refinement counters his crudity, and her perceptiveness defeats his callousness, with the result that Mr. B. must give up his masculine, aggressive persona and embrace instead the civilizing feminine values of his new wife.

Psychology and the Self

In composing Pamela, Richardson wanted to explore human psychology in ways that no other writer had. His innovative narrative method, in which Pamela records her thoughts as they occur to her and soon after the events that have inspired them, he called “writing to the moment”; his goal was to convey “those lively and delicate Impressions, which Things Present are known to make upon the Minds of those affected by them,” on the theory that “in the Study of human Nature the Knowledge of those Apprehensions leads us farther into the Recesses of the human Mind, than the colder and more general Reflections suited to a continued . . . Narrative.” The most profound psychological portrait, then, arises from the depiction, in the heat of the moment, of spontaneous and unfiltered thoughts. Nevertheless, Richardson’s eagerness to illuminate the “Recesses of the human Mind” is balanced by a sense of these mental recesses as private spaces that outsiders should not enter without permission.

Although the overt plot of the novel addresses Mr. B.’s efforts to invade the recesses of Pamela’s physical person, the secondary plot in which she must defend the secrecy of her writings shows the Squire equally keen to intrude upon her inmost psyche. Beginning with the incident in Letter I when she reacts to Mr. B.’s sudden appearance by concealing her letter in her bosom, Pamela instinctively resists her Master’s attempts to expose her private thoughts; as she says, “what one writes to one’s Father and Mother, is not for every body.” It is not until Mr. B. learns to respect both Pamela’s body and her writings, relinquishing access to them except when she voluntarily offers it, that he becomes worthy of either physical or psychological intimacy with her.

Hypocrisy and Self-Knowledge

Since the initial publication of Pamela in 1740, critics of Richardson’s moralistic novel have accused its heroine of hypocrisy, charging that her ostensible virtue is simply a reverse-psychological ploy for attracting Mr. B. This criticism has a certain merit, in that Pamela does indeed turn out to be more positively disposed toward her Master than she has let on; in her defense, however, her misrepresentation of her feelings has not been deliberate, as she is quite the last person to figure out what her “treacherous, treacherous Heart” has felt. Pamela’s difficulty in coming to know her own heart raises larger questions of the possibility of accurate disclosure: if Pamela cannot even tell herself the truth, then what chance is there that interpersonal communication will be any more transparent?

The issue crystallizes when, during her captivity in Lincolnshire, Pamela becomes of necessity almost compulsively suspicious of appearances. This understandable defense mechanism develops into a character flaw when it combines with her natural tendency toward pride and aloofness to prevent her reposing trust in Mr. B. when, finally, he deserves it. The lovers thus remain at cross-purposes when they should be coming together, and only Mr. B.’s persistence secures the union that Pamela’s suspicions have jeopardized. While the novel, then, evinces skepticism toward the possibility of coming to know oneself or another fully, it balances that skepticism with an emphasis on the necessity of trusting to what cannot be fully known, lest all opportunities of fulfilling human relationships be lost.

Realism and Country Life

Eighteenth-century literature tended to idealize the life of rustic simplicity that Pamela typifies. Dramatists were fond of rendering the tale of the licentious squire and the chaste maiden in a high romantic strain, and Margaret Anne Doody points out that Mr. B., when he displays Pamela to the neighbors as “my pretty Rustick,” implicitly calls on the traditional identification of country lasses with natural beauty and pastoral innocence. Richardson, however, disappoints these idyllic expectations by having Pamela tell her story in the “low” style that is realistically appropriate to her class, as well as through his generous incorporation of naturalistic details. Far from idealizing the countryside, Richardson recurs to the dirt in which Pamela conceals her writings and plants her horse beans. In selecting his imagery, Richardson favors not the wood nymphs and sentimental willows of pastoral romance but such homely items as Pamela’s flannel, Mr. B.’s boiled chicken, the carp in the pond, the grass in the garden, the mould, a cake, and the shoes that Mrs. Jewkes periodically confiscates from Pamela. By refusing to compromise on the lowliness of his heroine and her surroundings, Richardson makes a statement that is both socially progressive and aesthetically radical. To discover dramatic significance, Richardson does not look to the great cities and the exemplars of public greatness who reside there; he maintains, rather, that much of equal or greater significance inheres in the private actions and passions of common people.

Conclusion :

'Pamela' delves into virtue, social class, and gender dynamics in 18th-century England. The narrative underscores moral challenges, power struggles, and the resilience of the protagonist, offering insights into societal norms. Themes of love, resistance, and class struggles add depth, making 'Pamela' a poignant commentary on the era's moral and social landscape.

Reference : 

Richardson, Samuel, et al. “Pamela: Or Virtue Rewarded Themes.” GradeSaver, www.gradesa

ver.com/pamela-or-virtue-rewarded/study-guide/theme

Word Count : 2,174

Image :1

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