Mary Shelley: Frankestein. Charles Dickens: Hard time. Stevenson: Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde, Appunti di Inglese

Scarica Mary Shelley: Frankestein. Charles Dickens: Hard time. Stevenson: Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde e più Appunti in PDF di Inglese solo su Docsity! ‘MARY SHELLEY was born in 1797 and in 1818 published Frankenstein. FRANKENSTEIN PLOT AND SETTINGS He was a Swiss scientist that created a human being formed by parts of various corpses. The result of the creation is a monster that in the end destroyed his creator. The story is not told chronologically, in fact, it is introduced to us by a series of letters written by Walton. The events of the story happen all over Europe, but the most important setting is the North Pole, where Frankenstein is found after his creation. CHARACTERS (DOUBLE) The three most important characters of the novel are Walton, Dr. Frankenstein, and the monster. They are all linked to the theme of the double. Walton is a double of Frankenstein since he manifests the same ambition, the wish to overcome human limits in his traveling towards the unknown, and the same wish for loneliness and pride of being different. Frankenstein and his creature are complementary: they both suffer from a sense of alienation and isolation, both begin with a desire to be good but become obsessed with hate and revenge. ORIGINS The novel came from a number of things, like the reading of ghost stories, speculation about the reanimation of corpses or the creation of life, Shelley’s personal anxieties, and the memories of her sense of loss at the death of her own mother. THE INFLUENCE OF SCIENCE Mary Shelley was interested in science, and particularly chemistry so that by the time she wrote Frankenstein, she was aware of the latest scientific theories and experiments in the fields of chemistry, evolutionism, and electricity. These sources provided contrasting scientific attitudes important to her conception of science in Frankenstein, whose protagonist is the first embodiment of the theme of science, in fact, Frankenstein tries to create a human being through the use of electricity and chemistry. LITERARY INFLUENCES The monster can be considered Rousseau's natural man: a man in a primitive state, not influenced by civilization; we can also see the influence of Locke in the description of the monster's self-awareness and his education by experience. Another important influence was Romantic poets, in particular, we can see an analogy between Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and the work of Mary Shelley because both novels are tales of a crime against nature: Frankenstein's creation of the monster and the Mariner's shooting of the Albatross. NARRATIVE STRUCTURE The novel is told by different narrators. Thus the whole novel has Walton’s sister as the receiver but presents three different points of view. Also, the form of the novel is epistolary. THEMES The main themes of the novel are:- the quest for forbidden knowledge, -the overreacher, in the characters of Walton and Dr. Frankenstein; - the double: Dr. Frankenstein and the monster are two aspects of the same being; -the penetration of nature's secrets; -the usurpation of the female role; social prejudices through the figure of the monster as an outcast. Novel → THE CREATION OF A MONSTER (Mary Shelley) This passage of Frankenstein deals with the birth of the creature. The scientist manages to give life to a dead body with an electric shock. The result is monstrous. The yellow skin, black hairs, white teeth are in contrast with empty eyes and black lips. The scientist, frightened, runs away from the laboratory, leaving alone the creature. The creator of the monster, Frankenstein, sees its yellow eye open; it breathed hard; he can see muscles and arteries from its yellow skin; its hair was black and its teeth are of a pearly whiteness, its lips were black. Frankenstein had worked hard for two years, but his dream vanished because his creature is ugly. He rushed out of the room, he tried to go to sleep but he had only a nightmare. He dreams about his mother, who was died. QUEEN VICTORIA'S REIGN Queen Victoria came to the throne in 1837. Her sense of duty made her the ideal leader of a constitutional monarchy: far from politics but a source of stability. In 1840 she married Prince Albert of Saxony and their family life provided a model of respect. In 1857 she gave him the title of Prince Consort, in recognition of her importance to the country. AN AGE OF REFORM -The First Reform Act (1832), also called the Great Reform Act, had transferred voting privileges from small districts to large industrial cities. -The Factory Act (1833) prevented children and adults from working too many hours. -The Poor Law Amendment Act (1834) had reformed the old poor laws. WORKHOUSES Life in the workhouses was hard and with strict rules. The poor had to wear uniforms and their families were divided. The idea behind the hospices was to inspire the poorest to improve their conditions with work. Hospices were mainly run by the Church. CHARTISM In 1838 a group of the working class drew up a popular charter requiring universal male suffrage, a secret ballot, and other reforms of the electoral system, but it failed. But they influenced, in 1867, the Second Reform Act which included the vote of the male urban working class. And in 1872, secret ballot was introduced with the Ballot Act. THE IRISH POTATO FAMINE Bad weather and a plant disease unknown from America caused the destruction of potato crops in 1845. Ireland experienced a terrible famine. Sir Robert Peeled abolished the Corn Laws in 1846, which imposed tariffs on imported corn. TECHNOLOGICAL PROGRESS In the middle of the 19th century, there were economic, cultural, and architectural changes in England. In 1851 a Great Exhibition, organized by Prince Albert at the Crystal Palace, showed the industrial and economic might of Great Britain. Construction of the London Underground began in 1860 and the railways began to transform the landscape and people's lives. FOREIGN POLICY In the middle of the 19th century, England was involved in the two opium wars against China. The most profitable colony in the British Empire was India. In 1857 a widespread rebellion against British rule began, India lost power. Britain also supported some liberal causes such as Italian independence from the Austrians. When Russia became too powerful against the weak Turkish empire, the Crimean War was fought. THE LIBERAL AND CONSERVATIVE When Alberto died, Queen Victoria withdrew from society. The Liberal Party included former Whigs, some radicals, and businessmen; led by William Gladstone. The Conservative party reaffirmed its position under the leadership of Benjamin Disraeli. BENJAMIN DISRAELI Disraeli's government faith: Artisans 'and Laborers' Dwellings Act which allowed authorities to clean up slums and provide housing for the poor; a Public Health Act that provided sanitation and running water; and a Factory Act that limited weekly working hours. WILLIAM GLADSTONE Gladstone was the prime minister, who reformed the school. Elementary schools had been organized by the Church; the 1870 Education Act created boarding schools in the poorest areas of cities. By 1880, primary education had become compulsory. Other reforms: Trade Union Act, legalization of trade unions; and the secret ballot act; the vote was extended to all male heads of families. The Irish Parliamentary Party called for self-government for Ireland - the "Home Rule", but it was not granted. THE NOVELIST AIM The early Victorian novelists wanted to reflect on social changes that have been going on for a long time, such as the industrial revolution. Novelists described society as they saw it. They were aware of the evils of their society, such as the conditions of the workers and the exploitation of children. Novelists conceived of literature as a means of correcting the vices and weaknesses of the time. THE NARRATIVE TECHNIQUE The voice of the omniscient narrator provided commentary on the plot as a division between right and wrong. The moral teachings and explanations were found at the end of the novel. SETTING AND CHARACTERS The setting was the city, the main symbol of industrial civilization. Victorian writers used realistic characters that the reader could identify with. TYPES OF NOVELS: -The novel of good manners: Dealt with economic and social problems and described a particular class or situation. William M. Thackeray. -The humanitarian novel: Charles Dickens. It combines humor and sentiment for the weakest. -The training novel: The Bildungsroman. They dealt with the development of a character from early youth to a kind of maturity. -Literary nonsense: Edward Lear and Lewis Carroll. Imaginary stories. WOMAN WRITERS Many of these novels were written by women like Charlotte and Emily Brontè and George Eliot. However, most of the novel buyers and readers were women. Some women used a male pseudonym to post the work. THE REALISTIC NOVEL The Victorian novel reflected a society linked to a growing moral and religious crisis. The novels were in fact heavily influenced by Darwin's theories. The famous: Thomas Hardy and George Eliot. THE PSYCHOLOGICAL NOVEL There were also psychological novels such as Stevenson's in which he describes human nature, the duality present in every individual, but also in Victorian society. COLONIAL LITERATURE Colonialism influenced literature: for example in the works of Rudyard Kipling, in which he exalts British imperial power. —------------------------------------------------------ CHARLES DICKENS was born in Portsmouth in 1812. CHARACTERS He was the creator of Mr.Pickwick, Mr.Gradgrind, Scrooge, and many others. His aim was to arouse the interest of the reader by exaggerating his character's habits, but also the language of the London middle and lower class. He was always on the side of the poor, the outcast, and also the working class. Children are often the most important characters in his novels. They were instances of good and wise as opposed to worthless parents. Children become moral teachers instead of the ones taught (the examples instead of the imitators). A DIDACTIC AIM This didactic stance was very effective; the wealthier classes acquired knowledge about their poorer neighbors, of whom they knew little or nothing. Dickens wanted to make the ruling classes aware of the social problems without offending his middle-class readers. STYLE AND REPUTATION Dickens used effective language: he used adjectives, repetition of words and structures, hyperbolic and ironic remarks. He is considered the greatest novelist in the English language. (KEY IDEA)→ DICKENS NARRATIVE His novels are influenced by the Bible, fairy tales, the century novelist, and gothic novels. London was the setting of most of his novels. In his novels, he analyzes the spiritual and material corruption of daily reality, under the impact of industrialism; in fact, he gave attention to public abuses, evils, and also to the London misery and crime. HARD TIME PLOT This novel is set in an imaginary industrial town in 19th century Victorian England, called Coketown. Thomas Gradgrind (he is an educator who believes in facts and statistics, he has founded a school, where he teaches his theories and brings up his two children Louisa and Tom in the same way.) Louisa married Josiah Bounderby, a rich banker of the city, he was older than she is. She accepted to marry this man because, in this way, she helped her brother: in fact, Tom received a job in Bounderby’s bank. The marriage was an unhappy marriage. Tom, who is lazy and selfish, robs his employer. He is discovered and obliged to leave the country. In the end, Mr.Gradgrind understands the damage that he causes to his children and gives up his narrow-minded, materialistic philosophy. SETTING This city is described as a sort of brick jungle: the machines or factories are like mad elephants, and their smoke looks like serpents. This place seems to be turned into some kind of magical but hellish land. The black residue that wraps up the town may symbolize productivity and industry. STRUCTURE This novel is divided into three sections or books, and each book is divided into separate chapters. The first book shows the principal elements of Gradgrind’s education. The second book describes Louisa's unhappy marriage, Tom’s criminal ways. The third book is linked to a dominant symbol, instability. CHARACTERS The principal characters in this novel are Mr.Gradgrind and Mr.Bounderby; the first one believes that human nature can be measured, quantified, and governed by reason. The aim of Dickens in Hard Times is to illustrate the dangers of the teaching method called “object lesson”. That was a method of education based on the experience of children and suitable for their age. Novel → MR.GRADING (Dickens) The scene takes place inside a classroom, which is as austere and plain as the teacher’s teaching style. The teacher, Mr. Thomas Grandring, introduced himself to the schoolchildren with the exclamation “Now, what I want is, FACTS”. He states that the formation of a child’s mind must be rooted in the study of facts. There is only teary not poetry for him. He wants to sow the seeds of fact, not fancy; of sense, not sentimentality. His very description is essentially factual: “square coat”, “square legs” and “square shoulders”. In the first part, the teacher introduces himself and his teaching style to the classmates; in the second there is the description of the scene and of the qualities. In this text, Dickens introduces and talks about the problem of the New England school and produces the character of Mr.Grandin that teaches only by the facts and eliminates passion and feelings. COKETOWN (Dickens) Charles Dickens describes Coketown (the city of coal) made by red brick buildings but turned black with smoke and carbon. There was a black canal and a stinking purple river, many buildings and windows that were shaking all day. The streets were all the same. People who lived in the houses in Coketown had the same hours, work, and life. These characteristics of the city depended on the industry that gave the citizen a living. The city of Coketown was based on “facts”, or rather on production. More and more was being produced and had to be produced. Everything was related to work and production. The description of the city through colors and symbols demonstrated and accentuated the monotony of the industrial city of the time. Dickens, in this text, uses jokes, humor in his sad conditions to lighten the reading. Also in this text, Dickens introduces and talks about the different problems of industrial society, like pollution and the monotony of worker’s life. STEVENSON was born in Edinburgh in 1850. He was in conflict with the Victorian Age. THE STRANGE CASE OF DR JEKYLL AND MR HYDE PLOT Mr.Utterson is a London lawyer and friend of Doctor Henry Jekyll. Jekyll talks about a man that attacks a little girl. Mr. Utterson begins to study the behavior of his friend and discovers that his friend has created a potion able to release his evil side, Mr.Hyde. These two personalities are in a perpetual struggle and Dottor Jeckill has only two alternatives: on the one hand, he can choose a life of crime and depravity; on the second hand, he can eliminate Hide by killing himself. Jekyll decides on the second alternative. THE DOUBLE NATURE OF THE SETTING The story takes place in London in the 1870s. At that time London had a double nature and reflected the hypocrisy of Victorian society. This ambivalence is reflected by Jeckill’s house, whose facades represent the two opposed sides of the same man: the front of this house is fair and it was used by the doctor, while the rear side is part of a sinister block of buildings and it was used by hiding. Most scenes of the novel take place at night. The most important events are wrapped up in darkness and fog (his suicide and the murder of a Member of Parliament). STYLE Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde have a multi-narrative structure. There are four narrators: Utterson, Enfield, Dr. Lanyon, and Dr. Jekyll himself. Utterson has the role of a detective and has a strange relationship with Enfield; the walks of these two different men may be a metaphor for the dual nature of every human being. The other narrator, Dr. Lanyon is the first person to see his friend enact his transformation. The last narrator, Jekyll himself, speaks in the first person and his narrative and final confession takes up the last chapter SOURCES This novel had its origin in a dream. Stevenson wrote down in his diary that he had dreamed of a man in a laboratory who had swallowed a drug and turned into a different being. (It was the Gothic aspect). The Calvinism of Stevensons’ family gave him a sense of man's divided self and its pessimism moved him to rebel against religion. INFLUENCES AND INTERPRETATIONS Stevenson was inspired by Darwin's studies about man's kinship to the animal world. Novel → JEKYLL’S EXPERIMENT (Steveson) Jekyll, in his own person, learns to recognize the primitive duality of man; he was radically both of his two natures. He takes some elements, watches them boil, and smokes them together in the glass. Then, he drank all the potions. There was something strange in his sensations, something new but sweet → he felt younger, lighter, happier, and free, but it was negative freedom; in fact, he became evil and liked these sensations. He sees Hyde for the first time in his house. He was Jekyll and Hyde at the same time. When he had the semblance of Hyde became the evil of Dr.Jekyll, this is because all human beings are good but also evil; instead, Hyde was pure and negative. So, after, he drank the potion another time and he came to himself. But after that day, the evil part, Hyde, was alert and ready to return. In this novel, there is the difference between human’s minds and Victorian society (Good vs Evil)