Letteratura Inglese (I anno, prof De Rinaldis, Unisalento), Appunti di Letteratura Inglese

Scarica Letteratura Inglese (I anno, prof De Rinaldis, Unisalento) e più Appunti in PDF di Letteratura Inglese solo su Docsity! Charles Dickens (1812-1870) He was born in Portsmouth in 1812. He went to school in London until his father was sent to prison for debt and at the age of twelve, he was forced to work in a factory. All these things influenced his novels. He died because of a stroke in 1870. Hard Times (1854) Hard Times is divided into three sections: ‘Sowing’, ‘Reaping’ and ‘Garnering’. The novel is set in Coketown, which means ‘town of coke’, coke is a kind of coal used in industry. Coketown is an industrial town where the air is polluted by smock and ash. The novel is built around two issues: the inhumanity of the factory system, and the application of the principles of utilitarian philosophy which judges everything according to its practical values. Thomas Gradgrind, a wealthy, retired merchant who devotes his life to the philosophy of rationalism, facts, and self-interest. Gradgrind has two children, Tom, and Louisa, and he raises them according to his values. Based on his philosophy, he opens a school in Coketown. In this school art and literature are totally excluded because they have no use, and students must learn nothing but facts. He has imposed this learning method on his own children. Mr Gradgrind’s closest friend is Josiah Bounderby, a banker. Together they decide that Sissy Jupe, one of the students, must be expelled from the school because she is an emotional and imaginative child and for this reason, she has a bad influence on the other students. But when Sissy’s father abandons his daughter, Gradgrind decides to let her live in his home. She becomes like a sister to Louisa, an unhappy teenager whose imagination and emotion cannot find expression. Gradgrind wants Louisa to marry Bounderby, who is twice her age, and when she grows older, she agrees to marry him only to be able to help her brother Tom, a selfish young man who works at Bounderby’s bank and proves to be an unreliable employer. Louisa is unhappy because she is trapped in a loveless marriage, and she becomes vulnerable to the seduction of a handsome young politician, James Harthouse, who has been sent to Coketown to conduct a government survey. It looks like she is willing to leave her husband for him, but she returns to her father’s house. In the meantime, it is discovered that the bank has been robbed, and the blame falls on Stephen Blackpool, an honest worker who has left Coketown. Blackpool returns to prove his innocence, but he falls and dies. Later it comes out that Tom is the robber. Gradgrind is devastated when he realizes that he ruined his daughter’s life and that his son is a criminal. Tom is arrested, but manages to escape abroad, catches a fever, and dies. At the end of the novel, Bounderby suddenly dies after loses his fortune; Tom dies after writing his final letter to Louisa, while she gets old alone. Gradgrind, instead, abandons his philosophy. Only Sissy has a happy ending: she gets married and has got children, living a happy life. Analysis Hard Times is a story about utilitarianism and Benthamism. It is a philosophy in which happiness is the idea that something is useful. It deals with the living condition of the industrial city. Dickens says that everything is unnatural: the landscape has changed in an unnatural way because of the fumes, it is black and red as the face of a savage. Dickens doesn’t describe the city, but he only tells us what he sees with a metaphorical language by using images. The serpents of smock are associated with evil. His technique consists in putting together animate and inanimate, so he gives life to inanimate things. This is because Dickens plays with boundaries of what is living and what is not living. Colours are altered and unnatural, the piston of the machine engine is described in terms of humanity, as a living creature. He says that is like a mad elephant, so it gives the idea of danger. Is typical of Dickens to use long phrases to give the idea of a linguistic prison. So, he uses the same words and phrases again and again to underline the monotony of the day in Coketown. Every day is like yesterday and Tomorrow, everything is the same. The author’s style is based on irony and inversion of values. Dickens describes the place by repeating the word ‘square’. People are described as buildings because there is no difference between people and objects. In chapter three there is the description of Gradgrind’s house which is described as a square face. Everything is material and calculated, even the children’s bedrooms are divided into sections, because both know exactly what their place is. Charlotte Brontë (1816-1855) She was born in 1816 and she was the third of six children. Her father was the reverend Patrick Prunty, an Anglican priest. She was sent with her sisters to Cowan Bridge School of Clergymen’s Daughters. Then she went to study in Brussels. In 1835, Charlotte and her sister decided to publish their poems; they rebelled against Jane Austen's world of order and restraint. Their romantic novels explored the extremes of passion and violence in a new way. Jane Eyre (1847) The novel tells the story of Jane Eyre, an orphan girl who lives with her aunt, Mrs. Reed, in Gateshead Hall. The aunt and her children treat Jane badly. After having an argument with her cousin, Jane is locked up in the "red room", which is, the room where her uncle died years ago. Jane is so terrified to be there, feeling the presence of her uncle's ghost and has a terrible hysterical crisis. After this episode, her aunt sends her to Lowood, a charity school where girls without families are educated. In the institute, the conditions are very harsh: the girls must work daily, it is very cold, and there is not enough food. Jane befriends another student, Helen Burns, who dies of tuberculosis. Due to a typhus epidemic that broke out in the college, a new director arrives and improves the general conditions of the institute and the girls. So, Jane can complete her studies and become a teacher. At the age of 18 she was called as a governess for the Rochester family, in Thornfield Hall, to follow the little Adele, daughter of the mysterious Mr. Rochester. Here Jane often hears screams and strange noises coming from the upper floors, but no one seems to give weight to those And burns with a clear and steady light. Books have we to read, but that half-stifled knell, Alas! ’tis the sound of the eight o’clock bell. — Come, now we’ll to bed! and when we are there He may work his own will, and what shall we care? He may knock at the door — we’ll not let him in; May drive at the windows — we’ll laugh at his din; Let him seek his own home wherever it be; Here’s a cozie warm house for Edward and me. Analysis The person describes the different ways the wind comes and goes. It is described like the ‘rides’ that one takes in a park through the woods, valleys, and rocky heights that goats could not climb. Despite not being able to see the wind, the effect of its presence is evident as he ‘tosses about in every bare tree’. The wind is made to sound like a mysterious character and its origins are unknown. It plays with the snow making soft snowballs. It is so playful that it plays hide and seek, but it makes an unpleasant sound like the one of the ‘buzzard cook’. The dry leaves which were blown by it are a bed for beggars and thieves. Then it is described as having a battle with the trees in the orchard. There were cracked branches all around and the person hopes that nothing has happened to them since the wind is seen as a destructive creature. The wind is closer to home and on the roof. He is like a cat that taps the door because it wants to enter the house. Despite the wind is described as fearful, the person calms his child by saying that it will not harm them because they are warm inside their house and the candle is shining brightly. In conclusion, the wind is described as a mysterious child but at the same time as a frightening form of nature. It should not be considered frightening, but it should not be underestimated either. George Eliot (1819-1880) Mary Ann Evans, known by her pen name George Eliot, was an English novelist, poet, journalist, translator and one of the leading writers of the Victorian era. Her novels are famous for their realism and psychological insight. Although female authors were published under their own names, during her lifetime, she wanted to escape the stereotype of women's writing being limited to light-hearted romances. Silas Marner (1861) In the village of Raveloe lives a weaver named Silas Marner. He is viewed with distrust by the local people. In addition, he lives completely alone, and he has been known to have strange fits. Fifteen years earlier, Silas was a respected member of a church, and his fits were seen as a mark of special closeness to the Holy Spirit. He had a close friend named William Dane. One day the elder deacon fell ill and had to be tended by members of the congregation. During Silas' watch, a bag of money disappears from a drawer. Silas' knife is found in the drawer, but Silas swears he is innocent. The empty bag is found there by William Dane. To find out the truth, the church members pray and draw lots, and the lots declare Silas guilty. Silas, betrayed by his friend and by his God, declares that there is no just God. Soon, Sarah, the girl that he was about to marry, marries William Dane and Silas leaves Lantern Yard. He settles in Raveloe, where he works all day and receives gold for his cloth, so he puts it in a bag beneath his floor. Silas is more alone than ever. The greatest man of Raveloe is Squire Cass who has two sons. The eldest son, Godfrey, secretly married a woman of poor reputation, and his brother, Dunstan, is blackmailing Godfrey. So, Godfrey gives Dunstan some rent money from their father, and when the Squire wants the money, Godfrey gives Dunstan his horse and tells his brother to sell it in order to earn money and pay the debt. The horse dies because of a mistake, so Dunstan steals Silas’ money and disappears. Meanwhile, Godfrey's wife, Molly, gets lost in the snow with her child and takes opium. She dies and her child slips from her arms and goes into Sila's house. Silas realizes that the child has come in out of the snow, and outside he discovers Molly's body. Silas decides to take care of the child. In the second part of the book, Nancy and Godfrey are married, and Eppie has grown into a beautiful young woman. Silas is liked and respected in Raveloe. Godfrey and Nancy, however, are childless. Their one child died in infancy. Their childlessness is a great trouble to Godfrey, who has always wanted children, but Nancy doesn’t want to adopt a child. Godfrey is afraid to tell her that Eppie is his own child. Dunstan's body has been found with Silas' gold. Godfrey is forced to tell Nancy that his brother was a thief. At the same time, he admits that Eppie is his own child. Instead of being disgusted with him, Nancy is sorry that she refused to adopt Eppie and they go to Marner’s cottage to claim Eppie. Eppie, however, doesn’t want to be claimed. Now that he has his gold, Silas feels able to return to Lantern Yard to try to settle the matter of the old theft. He goes there with Eppie, but they find everything changed, so they come back to the cottage. The book ends with Eppie and Aaron’s wedding. Analysis The three times on which Eliot concentrates contain five main events: the Lantern Yard robbery, the theft of Silas' gold, the death of Molly (or the arrival of Eppie), the return of Silas' gold, and Godfrey's attempt to claim his child. There are two main themes: Silas' rejection of humanity and his redemption. The meaning of the novel and its symbolic values are completely bound up in the contrasts and comparisons between these two plots. The nature of a "blessing," the meaning of good and bad in relation to social conduct. Like most novelists of her day, Eliot uses an omniscient point of view: she views the action from any point she finds convenient, whether from the narrator's standpoint, or as seen or felt by any character. This viewpoint has many advantages, and it is well suited to Eliot's strengths as a novelist. It allows her to show what any character thinks or feels. However, the most important factor is Eliot's deep understanding of human psychology. Her major characters are portrayed in great depth. Jane Austen (1775-1817) She was born in 1775 at Steventon and was the seventh of eight children. She was mostly educated at home. Her family was fond of dramatics and Jane began to write at an early age. The family moved in a resort which Jane Austen didn’t like much and then they moved in a cottage in Chawton. The return to the beloved countryside marked the beginning of the most beautiful period of Jane Austen’s career as a novelist. She died in 1817 at Winchester and Persuasion was published after his death. Persuasion (1818) The protagonist of Persuasion is Anne Elliot, Sir Walter Elliot's daughter, an excessively vain man, proud of his rank and dedicated to read a single book, the "Baronetage". The other members of the family are Elizabeth, Anne's older sister and Mary, the youngest of the Elliot sisters, wife of Charles Musgrove, son of a wealthy and important landowner. While vanity and arrogance characterize Sir Elliot’s and his daughter’s behaviour, Elizabeth and Mary, who treat with contempt those belonging to a lower social class, for Anne the difference between classes is not relevant and often the attitude of her father and sisters is a source of embarrassment for the girl, who is not taken into account by her family, because she is 27 and seems destined to remain single. Anne's life would probably have been different if few years earlier a friend of her mother, Lady Russell, hadn’t persuaded her to end the engagement with Captain Frederick Wentworth, a naval officer who couldn’t guarantee Anne a respectable life according to the principles of the Elliots. Eight years later Sir Walter has brought the family into great debt, so he is forced to rent the family estate to Admiral Croft and his wife, sister of Captain Wentworth. While the meeting between the two will be source of embarrassment for Anne, he attracts the attention of Louisa and Henrietta, sisters of Charles Musgrove. One day, during a trip to Lyme organized to visit Captain Harville and Captain Benwick, Frederick's friends, Louisa falls and gets hurt, and while everyone panic, Anne takes charge of the situation, earning Wentworth's attention. William, cousin and heir of Sir Elliot, tries to re-establish a relationship with the family after the departure caused by the marriage of the man with a socially inferior woman. The cousin's interest in Anne soon seems clear, but she doesn't trust him despite Elliot seems to be a perfect gentleman. Anne's doubts are solved when she meets Mrs Smith, an old classmate of hers who tells her about how William behaved badly with her and her husband. At this point Anne and Frederick finally manage to get married with the approval of the Elliots and Lady Russell. as an architect while he began to write. He has written 15 novels and most important novels are “Far from the Madding Crowd”, “Help the dark” and “Tess of the D’Urbervilles” that scandalized Victorian public opinion with its immorality and pessimism. Hardy’s works contains considerations about life, death, man and universe. He expresses a deterministic view, deprived of a Divine order. From Greek tragedies derives his notions of cruel gods, indifferent nature and hostile Fate. After reading Darwin in 1860, he perceived intellectual consequences of that theory and denied the existence of God. He thought there was no intelligent direction of the universe, because an insensible chance controls everything. Human life is a tragic process, and man has no power; anyway, he believed in the need for altruism, cooperation and kindness, and the application of scientific knowledge. Tess of the D’Urbervilles (1891) Tess Durbeyfield is the eldest daughter of John and Joan Durbeyfield. John discovers that he is the descendent of the d'Urbervilles, an ancient family who had land holdings. Upon this discovery, the Durbeyfield family who has financial problems, learns of a nearby "relative," and John and his wife send Tess to claim the family relationship, in order to alleviate their poor condition. While visiting the d'Urbervilles at The Slopes, Tess meets Alec d'Urberville, who finds himself attracted to Tess. Alec arranges for Tess to become the caretaker for his blind mother's poultry, and Tess moves to The Slopes to take up the position. While in residence at the d'Urbervilles, Alec seduces and rapes Tess. Tess returns home, gives birth to a son, Sorrow, and works as a field worker on nearby farms. Sorrow becomes ill and dies in infancy, leaving Tess devastated at her loss. Tess moves to Talbothays Dairy to become a milkmaid and there she meets and falls in love with Angel Clare. They get married. After the wedding, Tess and Angel confess their pasts to each other. Tess forgives Angel for his past problems, but Angel cannot forgive Tess for having a child with another man. Angel thinks they must split up, so he goes to Brazil for a year and Tess goes back to her parent's house. Tess leaves again to work in another town at Flintcomb-Ash farm, where the working conditions are very harsh. Tess sees Alec again, now an evangelical minister. When Alec sees Tess, he leaves his position to follow her and asks her to marry him. Tess obviously refuses. Tess returns home to her parents’ house, but her father, John, dies suddenly from an unknown disease. The Durbeyfields now have nowhere to go. Tess knows that she cannot resist Alec's money and the comforts her family can use. Furthermore, Alec insists that Angel will never return and has abandoned her. In the meantime, Angel returns from Brazil to look for Tess and to begin his own farm in England. When Angel finds Tess' family, Joan informs him that Tess has gone to Sandbourne, a fashionable seaside resort in the south of England. Angel finds Tess there, living as an upper-class lady with Alec d'Urberville. Tess asks him to leave and not return for her and he does so. After her meeting with Angel, Tess accuses Alec of lying to her about Angel. Angry and furious, Tess stabs Alec with a knife, killing him. Tess finds Angel to tell him of the deed. Angel has trouble believing Tess' story but welcomes her back. They plan to leave the country as soon as possible. They spend a week in a vacant house, but then they are discovered. The police arrest Tess and take her away. Before she is executed for her crime, Tess has Angel promise to marry her sister Liza Lu once she is gone. Angel agrees and the book ends with Tess’ execution and Angel and Liza Lu who walk away together. Analysis Setting: the novel is set in Wessex; therefore, the setting is partly real and partly symbolical. One of the main themes is the destruction of the English peasantry due to the extension of capitalist farming. The old rhythms of country life that he described in “Far from madding crowd” were being destroyed by mechanization. The heroine: Hardy presented Tess as a victim insisting on her natural goodness. She embodies the qualities of affection and trust, the powers of suffering and survival, beauty, innocence, and vulnerability. Not only society but also chance conspire against Tess. At the beginning the novel wasn’t so well received by the public because it was considered as a scandal. Main themes • DIFFICULTY OF BEING ALIVE - Being alive involves being “an existence, an experience, a structure of sensations” and also being in a place, in an environment (this planet, Europe, Wessex) surrounded by circumstances that modify and in part determine the human existence. • NATURE - Co-protagonist with the characters, Nature is indifferent to man’s destiny, it sets a model of growth and decay, followed by humans; it also implies regeneration, expressed by the cycle of seasons. • ASPECTS of VICTORIAN SOCIETY - Hardy exposes conventional, moralistic and hypocritical aspects; his attitude to religion is polemical: Christianity is no longer capable of fulfilling the needs of modern man. • DIFFICULTY/FAILURE of COMMUNICATION - Another central theme, it leads to tragedy. Style Hardy has a strict, rigorous form, stressing symmetry and blending dialogues, narration, and descriptions. He uses the omniscient narrator, who is always present: he comments and gives his opinions. Moreover, events are presented by a hypothetical observer, with whom the reader is invited to identify himself. William Wordsworth (1770-1850) He was born in 1770 in the Lake District, attended the St John’s College, Cambridge, where he graduated in 1791. He travelled a lot, left England to go to France where he had a story with Annette Vallon who gave him a daughter. Lack of money forced him to return in England and this caused him a nervous breakdown. He went to live in Dorset with her sister, Dorothy. In 1797 he met Samuel Taylor Coleridge and a year later they wrote together a collection of poems called Lyrical Ballads. Then, in 1800 he wrote the Preface to Lyrical Ballads. He died in 1850. Preface to Lyrical Ballads (1802) This is considered the Manifesto of the romantic movement. In the Preface to Lyrical Ballads, Wordsworth explains that the principal object of these poems will be common life marked by incidents and situations, described in an unusual way using a simple and realistic language but, at the same time, he will use a certain colouring of imagination, because it is the main source of inspiration. So, he wants to put together realism and imagination. Wordsworth establishes a relationship between feelings and humble life, because in rustic life feelings are purer and simpler and passions are less under restraint. The poet will give his own emotional response to the stimuli of natural environment that, thanks to the recollection in tranquillity, will become a purer form of art. Poetry is a spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings and the poet is seen as a man speaking to men, because the poet is a man who has more sensibility, more enthusiasm and tenderness and who has a greater knowledge of human nature. Nature is seen as an organic living whole, and man is part of it. Poetics He uses imagination through the inward eye, he doesn’t create poetry directly from an emotion, but when that emotion is relived in memory, "in tranquillity". The recreational abilities of memory reproduce that emotion in a purified and poetic form. The Solitary Reaper (1807) Behold her, single in the field, Yon solitary Highland Lass! Reaping and singing by herself; Stop here, or gently pass! Alone she cuts and binds the grain, And sings a melancholy strain; O listen! for the Vale profound Is overflowing with the sound. No Nightingale did ever chaunt More welcome notes to weary bands Of travellers in some shady haunt, Among Arabian sands: A voice so thrilling ne’er was heard In spring-time from the Cuckoo-bird, Breaking the silence of the seas Among the farthest Hebrides. Will no one tell me what she sings?—