Decadence

The Gawain poet portrays the Christian chivalric code as an ultimate human model, involving the pursuit for Christ-like perfection. At the beginning of the poem, the poet depicts King Arthur as the “most regal of rulers in the royal line” (Gawain poet, 25, 186), who is most honorable and noblest amongst his knights. His court functions by a Christian chivalrous code, in which bravery and courtesy become the testament in which produces a characters standing. However, the arrival of the Green…

In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald writes from the perspective of Nick Carraway to critique society’s perpetuation of materialistic avarice, which creates socioeconomic division and inequality. Fitzgerald employs negative capability to subtly highlight Nick’s dissatisfaction with his own livelihood and identity; Nick often refuses to divulge the complete depth of his thoughts, relying instead on ambiguous language. Most notably, Nick writes, “I’m inclined to reserve all judgments…. Reserving…

is a brilliant and engaging novel that provides an eye opening commentary on the 1920s. The common impression of the “roaring twenties” being a time for cultural and economic revitalization is by F. Scott Fitzgerald and is portrayed as a time of decadence and depravity.…

In William Gay’s Provinces of Night, poor socioeconomic conditions play a critical role in shaping the motives and overall development of some of the novel’s central characters. Understanding the implications of abjection within Ackerman 's Field, Tennessee allows readers to examine how the nature versus nurture phenomenon influences people within the rural landscape. The theme of abandonment is prevalent among several central characters within Gay’s Provinces of Night, and similarly within…

Jordan Bryan Edward Pettit English 210 12 October 2015 When Bram Stoker’s fin de siecle novel, Dracula, was published in 1897, it perfectly illustrated the Victorian cultural anxieties created by the possible collapse of the British empire. Transylvania, literally meaning “through the woods”, is one of two major settings in the classic novel. Transylvania is Dracula’s homeland, where he is an infamous civilian. He is a clever creature, and was a nobleman of great linage. There is a clear…

The Growth and Change in Character: The Picture of Dorian Gray Throughout life, each person becomes a product of their actions, decisions, and choices, which are often influenced by members of society or societal norms; it molds their character and defines their personality. Many times these actions can cause breakthroughs in one’s life, however other times it can compromise ones reputation and level of respect in society’s social hierarchy. The author, Oscar Wilde, in his classical novel, The…

using functions and indexes to explain the forward motion of a story. Functions are minor details that move the story forward, for instance Gatsby’s one of a kind yellow car that would eventually kill Myrtle. The function of Gatsby’s car shows Jay’s decadence, success and wealth whilst the colour, yellow, the index of the object, signifies his corruption. The insistent usage of colour can only signify Fitzgerald’s intended denotations to how the reader constructs lines between the characters…

The Alice of 1880, from “The Oke of Okehurst”, has a connection with Alice of 1626 and her lover Lovelock akin to that displayed between Heathcliff and Catherine. This ghost story, though written around forty years after Wuthering Heights, provides similar psychological elements, revealing that the topic remains relevant even into the late 19th century “when theories about hallucination and its relation to the troubled psyche were in circulation” (Liggins 5). In both, desperate individuals use…

It is said that no man is an island, and no man stands alone. Meaning, true human existence cannot prevail positively or productively without the dynamics of society. Yet, this concept is very much two faced. While a man needs to exist in society, cocooning himself in its support and sense of belonging, too much social pressure can lead to the most disastrous endings and as society remains blind of the influences of the world, its ideals destroy humanity. Hence, if one does not conform, they…

cause of the end of it. Or the fact that we all originate from something, and therefore the first becomes the superior of it all. Nietzsche, being an anti-christ sees the claim that “God” is the “as ens realissmum [the most real being]” was part of decadence. His ideas on morals were base of two types of people, the noble and the…