Victorian America

The literary manifesto of many a novelist in the past as well as in the present is to write for social, political and economic purpose. The purpose is not only to throw light upon the social evils and malpractices prevailing in the society in those days, but also to employ fiction to the cause of social amelioration. The establishment of novel in the world of literature manifests itself multifariously encompassing almost every facet of social life, which is regarded as Social Realism. Realism is…

Both “the open window,” by Saki, and “the monkey’s paw,” by Jacobs, are structured in parts; and each of these parts correspond to an occurrence during the story. Saki and Jacobs also both introduce ghosts during the climax of the stories- however in the Monkey’s paw we never really find out if the ghost is real, and in the Open window, we explicitly find out that the ghost is not real. Finally, both Saki and Jacobs make use of powerful language to instill fear in the reader and pull them…

One of the major themes in the novel, Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen, is marriage. Unlike today, women in the nineteenth century women did not have a lot choices. One of the choices include marriage. Women in this time were held back and are not expected to have careers like men. Once they decide on a man, there is no going back and divorce was considered uncommon. The women in the novel, each display their thoughts on marriage. However, Elizabeth Bennett, who is opinionated and passionate…

Introduction to Author Oscar Wilde was a Anglo- English author, playwright, novelist, critic and poet. He was a popular literary figure in late Victorian England, known for his brilliant wit, flamboyant style. After graduating from Oxford University, he lectured as a poet, art critic and a leading proponent of the principles of aestheticism which emphasized aesthetic values more than moral or social themes. This doctrine can be clearly summarized by the phrase ‘art for art’s sake’. In 1890, he…

Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness (1899) was written during a time period where both modernism and imperialism were societally pervasive. Inherently, these cultural contexts and epochs influenced literature and arguably Heart of Darkness. In order to evaluate how Heart of Darkness reflects and challenges the spirit of these two time periods and historical contexts, its narratological and thematic framework should be considered, to reach the synthesizing conclusion that the literary epoch of…

Mathlide Loisel, who was born on the opposite side of the economic spectrum that she believes she should have been. Madame Loisel was never comfortable with who she was. “The Diamond Necklace” is a short story written in 1884 by a French writer Guy de Maupassant. The short but interesting story is about a “pretty and charming” young lady, Mathlide might have been gorgeous but she was still full of greed and stubbornness. Mathlide was never comfortable with who she really was. She always…

Austen’s novel Pride And Prejudice revolved around the theme of marriage and addresses many key issues in society during the 19th century (Lane 2015). Charlotte was one of the characters that decided to marry for security and not for love. Lydia was a young immature girl that wasn’t wise enough to realize that she was fooled around on by a man who was in love with money and girls. Jane was a mature woman that married for love and happiness, and Elizabeth wanted to make her own decisions about…

How does Fitz present the moral corruption of the 1920s? Fitzgerald criticizes the moral corruption of 1920s society in in the text ‘The Great Gatsby’, as one of materialism, frivolity, and hedonism. The theme of moral corruption is reflected in numerous ways, which Fitzgerald is inherently criticising through his portrayal of materialism and frivolity in upper class characters of the novel, and the symbolism of location. This links directly to the themes of the American Dream, mass consumerism…

characterised by the accurate portrayal of everyday life and social conventions. Premiered in the 1879, Denmark, “A Doll’s House” initially received heavy criticism for its controversial attitude towards marriage norms and the role of women in society. In a Victorian society dominated by men, Ibsen saw the injustice that existed with regard to the position of women. As reflected by the character Nora, Ibsen was well known for producing women who were powerful, strong willed and independent…

The clear division of roles between males and females in the late 19th century Victorian era, display distinct characteristics that define how a man and woman are to behave. These attributes, or gender roles, determine the standard of society, and is what is considered to be acceptable behaviour. Author, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, more commonly known as Lewis Carroll, challenges the patriarchal gender roles in the Victorian Era by exchanging the typical attributes associated with males and…