Texts are cultural artefacts representing their epoch, shaped not by an immanent time but rather by the play of divergent temporalities that reflect and develop the values, ideas and attitudes of their context. Evident in Elizabeth Barrett-Browning’s collection of poems ‘Sonnets from the Portuguese’ from the Victorian era, and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1920s modernist novel ‘The Great Gatsby’, composers espouse the values and ideas of their time to explore notions of intertextuality within their social and personal concerns.
Both texts expose the innate connection between hope and religion - the acceptance or rejection of religion alters a text’s historical and social context. B.Browning’s works are influenced the importance of religion in Victorian …show more content…
This hope connects with her religion - she measures her love in “Being and Ideal Grace”. The capitalisation and religious language reinforces the how her context influences her relationship and outlook on life. However, she says “I love thee with the love I seemed to lose / with my lost Saints”, suggesting that spirituality has been replaced with love, providing her with the same hope that religion did. This pragmatic approach to religion is evident in ‘The Great Gatsby’. Materialism is the most valued, not love, resulting in hopelessness and immorality. This exposes how different contexts influence a text’s acceptance or rejection of religion. This text comments on the impossibility of achieving the American Dream. The context was characterised by immorality and a sense of hopelessness, which Fitzgerald attributed to the post-war hedonism and lack of spirituality. In the valley of ashes, the “eyes of Doctor T.J Eckleburg” is a symbol for God, judging a morally corrupt society - the advertisement is “dimmed a little by many paintless days”, the imagery suggesting that religion has been ignored in a society obsessed with wealth. The characterisation of Wilson - who lives in the valley and doesn’t …show more content…
Throughout, ‘Sonnets from the Portuguese’ B.Browning subverts the Victorian idea of ‘courtly love’ admiring Robert and thinking she is the one who isn’t worthy of him. Evident in ‘Sonnet 32’, the metaphor of “more like an out of tune / worn viol” reflects her feelings of unworthiness and admiration for Robert - “...out of tune” reinforces her rejection of the Victorian patriarchy, yet her abandonment of contextual attitudes results in feelings of uncertainty. However, she simultaneously subscribes to traditional, contextual norms - “‘Neath master = hands”. The diction of “master” creates status, and exposes women’s internalised, subservient social position in Victorian society. It also reveals the transformational power of love – B.Browning is prepared to alter her previous attitudes and fall into traditional gender roles for the sake of love. ‘The Great Gatsby’ confirms the contextual, sexist values and attitudes towards women in the Jazz Age, largely evident in Gatsby’s obsession with Daisy. After a party, he laments to Nick and walks along a “desolate path of fruit rinds and discarded favours and crushed flowers.” The objective correlative, a modernist device, represents his “crushed” and “desolate” feelings of love for Daisy. His language and tone conveys that he is determining what Daisy wants, falling into traditional gender roles and
Both texts expose the innate connection between hope and religion - the acceptance or rejection of religion alters a text’s historical and social context. B.Browning’s works are influenced the importance of religion in Victorian …show more content…
This hope connects with her religion - she measures her love in “Being and Ideal Grace”. The capitalisation and religious language reinforces the how her context influences her relationship and outlook on life. However, she says “I love thee with the love I seemed to lose / with my lost Saints”, suggesting that spirituality has been replaced with love, providing her with the same hope that religion did. This pragmatic approach to religion is evident in ‘The Great Gatsby’. Materialism is the most valued, not love, resulting in hopelessness and immorality. This exposes how different contexts influence a text’s acceptance or rejection of religion. This text comments on the impossibility of achieving the American Dream. The context was characterised by immorality and a sense of hopelessness, which Fitzgerald attributed to the post-war hedonism and lack of spirituality. In the valley of ashes, the “eyes of Doctor T.J Eckleburg” is a symbol for God, judging a morally corrupt society - the advertisement is “dimmed a little by many paintless days”, the imagery suggesting that religion has been ignored in a society obsessed with wealth. The characterisation of Wilson - who lives in the valley and doesn’t …show more content…
Throughout, ‘Sonnets from the Portuguese’ B.Browning subverts the Victorian idea of ‘courtly love’ admiring Robert and thinking she is the one who isn’t worthy of him. Evident in ‘Sonnet 32’, the metaphor of “more like an out of tune / worn viol” reflects her feelings of unworthiness and admiration for Robert - “...out of tune” reinforces her rejection of the Victorian patriarchy, yet her abandonment of contextual attitudes results in feelings of uncertainty. However, she simultaneously subscribes to traditional, contextual norms - “‘Neath master = hands”. The diction of “master” creates status, and exposes women’s internalised, subservient social position in Victorian society. It also reveals the transformational power of love – B.Browning is prepared to alter her previous attitudes and fall into traditional gender roles for the sake of love. ‘The Great Gatsby’ confirms the contextual, sexist values and attitudes towards women in the Jazz Age, largely evident in Gatsby’s obsession with Daisy. After a party, he laments to Nick and walks along a “desolate path of fruit rinds and discarded favours and crushed flowers.” The objective correlative, a modernist device, represents his “crushed” and “desolate” feelings of love for Daisy. His language and tone conveys that he is determining what Daisy wants, falling into traditional gender roles and