Antihero

In two classic examples of Victorian era literature, Wuthering Heights and North and South, the theme of isolation has been particularly prevalent. Not only are the settings of each novel physically secluded, but the characters themselves have been inwardly isolated. In North & South, Margaret Hale’s father’s sudden decision to leave the Church prompted her move to the industrial North, making Margaret alone in her opinions and her way of living. Wuthering Heights, on the other hand, has an…

The idea of education through self-cultivation (Bildung) belongs to the era of modernity and of the self-realizing individual (Castle 665). The newly-formed individual returns from his journey as a master rhetorician, reconciling with his fractured self when he realizes his internalization of “fractured discourse in the world” (Castle 666). Wilde explores a world in which the protagonist reaches his ultimate goal effortlessly under the influence of others, effectively avoiding the arduous…

LITERARY TERMS Word: motif Definition: A recurring image, word, phrase, action, idea, object, or situation used throughout a work, unifying the work by tying the current situation to previous ones, or new ideas to the theme. Quote: “I live in New York, and I was thinking about the lagoon in Central Park, down near Central Park South. I was wondering if it would be frozen over when I got home, and if it was, where did the ducks go? I was wondering where the ducks went when the lagoon got all…

answers - breakdown of traditional values Characteristics of modern literature subject matter: strong sense of loss, alienation, loneliness, rootlessness, fragmentation, anxiety, obscurity, absurdity; internal consciousness / unconsciousness, antihero Stylistic innovations—disruption of traditional syntax and form Techniques: stream-of-consciousness, juxtaposition of fragmentation, ambiguity, uncertainty Modern Poetry Chicago poets: Carl Sandburg (1878-1967), Hart Crane (1899-1932)…