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18 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Act 1, Scene 1 Discussion of carnal embrace |
Septimus misleads Thomasina's understanding, but is soon found out when he discovers that she has heard rumour of Mrs Chater in carnal embrace: "a Gazebo is not a meat larder" he gives a cold and scientific description of sex. Discussion points: Purpose of a teacher, misinformation, sex, Innocence and experience. |
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Act 1, Scene 1 Rice pudding and the Deterministic Universe |
Thomasina questions why she can not unstir a rice pudding to its original sate, Septimus answers that this is due to time, that it can not reverse. she theorises that if you could stop reality and comprehend every movement of every atom and use mathematics you could work out a formula for the future.
Discussion points: Time (construction of the play), Nature of the Genius, Nature of the Universe, Chaos, Determinism |
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Act 1, Scene 1 Fermat's last theorem |
"X, Y and Z are whole numbers each raised to the power of n, the sum of the first two can never equal the third when n is greater than 2" Septimus attempts to use the theorem which had no workable proof to distract Thomasina while he works: he sends her away with the theorem to work on when they are disrupted she reply s the answer is obvious: there is no Proof, he wrote it to "make you all mad" Discussion points: frustration, Madness(foreshadowing), maths, childishness. |
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Act 1, Scene 1 The Garden, the Gazebo and Sexual Congress |
Septimus has had a revealed affair with Mrs Chater; he discusses it with Mr Chater But they are interrupted: Septimus misconstrues a discussion about the garden with his affairs with Mrs Chater: i regret the gazebo, the boathouse to a point but the Chinese bridge Fantasy, the shrubbery i reject. Thomasina points out they are not talking about sex: Lady Croom and Brice take exception asking if he has Ruined her; brice argues as her tutor it is his duty to keep her in ignorance: Septimus gets in to trouble so she plays it off as the first definition she was told. Discussion points: dangers of misinformation, purpose of being taught, manipulation: women, Rousseau |
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Act 1 Scene 1 the Garden |
Noakes intends to transform the garden from Lady Crooms Arcadia to a picturesque Gothic landscape that the Lady abhors, Thomasina appreciates it and draw in a Hermit: hear sounds of gunshots which signal the hunting and death just going on beyond the house: even in Arcadia. Discussion Points: The Garden, Order Vs Disorder, Enlightenment Vs Romanticism, death, cause and effect, foreshadowing |
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Act 1, Scene 2 Academia |
Bernard the teacher and critic "grovels" to in his eyes a lesser for research notes: Dramatic Irony: she begins to give him some clues: most were burned: he appears quite patronising : discover valentine is a mathmatician working on Grouse: discusses her project: hermit: she discovers that he is the one who destroyed her book on an academic level, even though it was a best-seller. he reveals his true purpose: Byron: discuss the letters: wiggles his way in to ues the library. Chloe Takes a Fancy: we discover gus like Hannah. Discussion Points: sexual awareness, Acadamia; Women: literature: missed connection: lost knowledge: Fire Acedimia |
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Act1, Scene 3 Women and literature |
Thomasina intends to plot the equasion of a leaf: invocation of Dido: Admiration for Elizabeth: discussion of Cleopatra: "Egyptian Noodle" : loss of the library: Septimus reminds her that knowledge will be recreated and that we still have much of the information we lost (tragedians who wrote of strong female characters) . lady Croom commands the room of men: cant oppose her husband though: Importance of status. Septimus and Brice challenges Septimus agrees to duals arguing that if Virgil and Ovid had truly known love they would never have become poets of such renown. Discussion points: context!!!!, honour, women, literature, maths |
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Act 1 Scene 4 Maths and the Genius |
Hannah and Valentine discover Thomasina's work and note in the Margin: iterated algorithms: only invented after Thomasina's time: Valentine gets frustrated by this find; undermines mathematical development. discuss the mathematics of nature "freaky": mathematics and music: through iterated algorithms you can find the formula for a leaf: create a mathematical object: talk about the Genius of Gus: intuition? Bernard is convinced of his theory without enough evidence yet he is going with his gut: Hannah realises Thomasina's Problem: Time : Val tells her you would have to be insane to carry on those iterations. Discussion points: Maths: Maths and Nature: Maths and Music: Genius: Time: Madness(foreshadowing) |
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Act 2, Scene 5 Academia: Pigeons, Sex and Literature |
Bernard is reading his thesis: Hannah intercepted: Chloe admonishes her: Bernard continues but interrupts to correct his wording: he is interrupted again and when he asks where he was he is answered : Val: pigeons, Chloe: sex, Hannah: Literature. he is interrupted again by Val and Hannah (Problems with his argument): Bernard reveals there will be a Press release for his work: reveals his want for renown: asks where he was: Val: Game Book, Chloe:couch of Eros, Hannah: Borrowed. they get in further arguments about conjecture of a lost letter/s. he has a tantrum, Val, Hannah and chloe plead to get him to continue, he finishes it: Hannah calls it bollocks with little to no evidence: chloe supports him: Val tells him his theory is incomplete: Bernard gets angry insults Hannah s book and Vals science: genius isn't grouse. Val calls it all trivial: personalities: its progress what matters: Bernard is leaving: he feels insulted invites Hannah for sex: she refuses: has a eureka moment~:Septimus is the Hermit. Discussion point: Academia, Maths, Sex, Literature, coincidence, conjecture, Genius, Progress, Personalities. |
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Act 2, Scene 6 chaos in congress! |
Jellaby lights the oil lamps in one of the rooms and calls outside to Septimus: Septimus walks in with a dead rabbit for Thomasina. Jellaby informs Septimus that Captain Brice, Mr. and Mrs. Chater, and Lord Byron have left the estate. Lady Croom has found two letters written by Septimus, written in the event of his death. Though she doesn't completely explain the letters' contents, one is for Thomasina, which makes Lady Croom angry. Apparently, the night before, Mrs. Chater was found in bed with Lord Byron, and Lady Croom kicked them all out. Septimus is brought a letter from Lord Byron that he burns in front of Lady Croom. Mr. and Mrs. Chater took off with Captain Brice to Malta, with Mr. Chater to act as botanist. Septimus burns the letters found by Lady Croom. she has a go at him for betraying her for the Village notice board. Septimus goes to meet her for sexual congress:
Discussion Points coincidence, time, sex. love, death, memory, emotion, women |
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Act 2, Scene 7: science |
will fill later |
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Act 2 Scene 7 love, sex and relationships |
echooo |
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Thomasina |
From innocence to experience but never ruined! Thomasina a lady of an aristocratic house: educated by her tutor but proves to be a genius: Rice Pudding, Heat, Iterated Algorithms: the deterministic universe, second Law of Thermodynamics, Entropy: "we're all doomed) character based on ava lovelace: Mother tells her she should marry before she is "educate beyond eligibility" Rousseau and the position of women. Laments lost knowledge, represents the romanticist movement: mentions many fires: Dido, library of Alexandria: foreshadows her death: discovers love-Dido, loss of her Genius- Alexandria. dies once Septimus lights her candle: sexual curiosity: fore shadowed at the beginning |
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Hannah |
the voice of reason: academic, feminist researcher who prides herself on thorough and well-thought research and sacrifices human contact for it, is able to separate sex from intellectual power and push sex from view. Hannah resists carnal knowledge with effort: she doesn't like the idea of having her picture taken or submitting to a kiss, she refuses Valentine's idea of calling her his fiancée, and she scorns Gus's flirtation, rejects Bernard's proposal that Lord Byron would have been silly enough to kill someone out of love.It seems at one point she had love but has decided to pursue better things ("I don't know a worse bargain. Available sex against not being allowed to fart in bed").
rejection of love or knowledge of love has left her unaware of her own self. It appears as though she has deluded herself into academic sterility. Hannah cannot reject the love of the shy Gus. The mute boy and mystery of the modern Croom household is able to crack Hannah, he is able to get her to dance with her. Gus's genius qualities, much like Thomasina before him, make him not only mentally like the subject of Hannah's studies, but give him an intuitive sense of history. Gus's invitation for unknown reasons, but possibly his relevance and help with her own research play into the mix and certainly a real need for carnal embrace. |
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Gus |
As a silent messenger and connection to the past of Sidley Park, Gus gives Hannah the apple Septimus will eat and whose leaf Thomasina will describe. Gus also dresses Augustus in Regency wear, finds the foundation for the destroyed outbuilding, reveals the identity of the Sidley Park Hermit and asks Hannah for a much needed dance and embrace.
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Septimus |
Academic and tutor of Thomasina Coverly, Septimus works on his own research while teaching Thomasina. Is involved in affairs with both Mrs Chater and Lady croom. He is the only one who understands Thoasinas Genius and falls in love with Thomasina. After her death (caused by The candle he literally lit), he spends his time researching and attempting to prove her theories as the Sidley Hermit: he goes mad.
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Bernard |
The modern, foppish academic, reveals the danger of allowing present motivations to leap ahead of historic truths. Bernard's theory is the product of his lust for fame and recognition. The evidence that Bernard puts together seems sketchy at best and the result of his theory and publication of his results is clear from the outset, reflecting Stoppard's own commentary on academic eagerness. ignores Hannah's objections to his theory in favor of quick fame. despite his mistakes, is essential to Hannah finding the identity of the hermit. While seducing Chloe in the library stacks, Bernard notices "something between her legs," a contemporary account of the hermit's identity that describes the hermit's turtle, Plautus.
he is a character who is not aided by his sexual knowledge, despite his discovery while supposedly having sex, however, seem to know a bit more than Hannah because of his supposed knowledge. |
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CHAOS Theory |
Tiny events can have huge consequences, the butterfly Effect, discovered by lorenz (1960), had a computer program work out the weather, simplified the variable, the result was far different. The tiniest difference can have a huge impact. Discussion points: Letters, consequences, misinformation, grouse |
