Victorian era

Though shy in real life, Jane Austen’s personality and wit shines through her heroines in her novels. Her works provide an inside perspective of her world and her mind. Her last completed work, Persuasion, challenges and also defends the status quo of class structure in early nineteenth-century British society through the character of Anne Elliot. Anne Elliot provides the reader with a sense of pride concerning her birth and rank, which was expected from a woman of her standing at that time.…

Kate Chopin's allegory 'Story of an Hour' captures the social restraints imposed upon women in the late 19th century, detailing the struggle for female independence and freedom. Utilizing both direct and indirect characterization, Chopin's short story contains themes of societal repression of women, emancipation from the patriarchy and the pursuit of liberty, and the perils of marriage and monogamy. Chopin's use of a myriad of literary techniques such as imagery and repetition highlight the…

Historically the Catholic Church and the Christian religion have downplayed the role of women. She was considered as a being who was only able to do housework and unable to perform tasks that relate to a whole community. I refer to the work of a statesman, ruler, or any other position in which greater responsibility and management of mass was required. They were eager companions of kings, workers, leaders, men of law, etc. We can analyze the role that women played in medieval times in the texts…

REPRESENTATION OF CRIMINAL CHARACTERS Charles Dickens writes about the lower classes and the activities in the underbelly of London society.We see some characters doing illegal,nasty and sometimes horrifying things,yet Dickens is careful to give at least some of these lower-class characters a code of ethics ,adding realism and respectability.The character that perhaps best embodies such a code of ethics is Nancy,and looking closely at her scenes can lend great insight into our reading of Oliver…

Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald, famed for his novels concerning the elite of society, delved into the topic of the American Dream in his book The Beautiful and Damned. The novel illustrates the luxurious and miserable lives of Anthony Patch, Gloria Gilbert, and those they associate with. As Fitzgerald details Patch’s fall from grace, both morally and financially, he challenges the concept of the American Dream through the eyes of a member of the upper class. In this novel, Fitzgerald, by revealing…

4.1. Blanche Ingram According to Heiniger Blanche can be seen as Jane’s foil, since she embodies the perfect “nineteenth-century Angel – an unrealistic male-created ideal” (24). She satis-fies Coventry Patmore’s expectations in regard to appearance: “Men must be pleased.” And her outstanding beauty, described by Mrs. Fairfax, obviously would make her the dream girl of many men: She is “tall”, has a “long graceful neck” and “noble features” “fine hair” and the “glossiest curls” (Brontë 185) Her…

During the book The Tale of Two Cities , Charles Dickens presented us with many themes throughout the novel. I decided to incorporate the central themes Fate, History and Sacrifice, because those select themes stood out the most to me during this novel. I chose sacrifice as a theme due to the fact that Dickens presented it to us as a necessity to achieve happiness. During the novel the revolutionaries prove that a new french republic can come about with only a heavy and terrible cost and emotion…

In Jane Austen’s book, Persuasion, she eludes on her audience that class within society is of the greatest importance to those in Britain. She uses examples such as Sir Walter Elliott and his favorite daughter Elizabeth and their economic problems or aspirations as evidence toward this. The story starts off with Elliott reading his family ancestry to show nobility and significance of class and goes all the way to not calling a specific person “Gentleman” because of their wealth by the end of…

Having arguments with your mother isn’t a rare thing, nor is living far away from her. There are many pieces of literature in which mothers and daughters don’t have the best relationship. In Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s book Arranged Marriage there are two stories that stood out to me with this particular theme. In both “The Word Love” and “The Maid Servant’s Story” uneasy relationships between mother and daughter cause distance and pain for both. In the story “The Word Love” the narrator…

In the novel “A Tale of Two Cities” by Charles Dickens, the author creates numerous strong relationships between the characters, creating a strong theme of relationships. This theme stating, relationships between friends and family are tested during times of hardship. The novel is set during the French Revolution, a definite time of hardship for everyone in France and regarding the country. This theme is supported by literary elements including foreshadowing, symbols, motifs, and allusions.…