The Victorian Age: Dickens, Wilde, Stevenson, Appunti di Inglese

Scarica The Victorian Age: Dickens, Wilde, Stevenson e più Appunti in PDF di Inglese solo su Docsity! The Victorian Age (1832-1901) 63 years and 7 months, from 1837 to 1901: this is how long Queen Victoria’s reign lasted. This long period of rule is now known in history as the Victorian Age. However, Queen Victoria is celebrated not only because she has ruled longer than any other monarch in British history, she’s also honoured because her sense of duty and morality became a model for the then emerging middle class. It didn’t matter that, after the death of her husband in 1861, Victoria made fewer and fewer public appearances and it also didn’t matter that the queen as her role of the widow of Winsor wore a black mourning for the rest of her life: the British people loved her, just as much as ever. Even today, when we talk about a “Victorian way of life”, we mean one that is sober, reserved, tied to family values and respectful of traditional institutions. In some way, this queen became the essence of the British spirit and the symbol of an entire nation, where the monarchy had very little direct political power. Indeed, a series of reforms accentuated the part of the House of Lords: from that moment on, the monarch was only consulted during the decision-making process. Now more than ever, Parliament, which was divided between the Tories and the Whigs, decided the nation’s destiny. However, in this critical moment of British history, Victoria’s role as a crucial point of reference was vital. Great Britan was undergoing some truly extraordinary social changes: the effects of the first industrial revolution came to fruition in the 1830s and Great Britain became the first industrial and commercial power in the world. The great Exhibition of 1861 in London showed the whole world the extraordinary technological progress made by Britain  the crystal palace, made out of iron and glass. However, the ruthless and unregulated capitalism crushed the lower classes as we can see in the novels of Charles Dickens. The poor were forced to live in horrible inhumane conditions, while the new rich accumulated vast fortunes and lived privileged lives. Wealth was considered the right reward for industriousness, while poverty was seen as a sign of incurable laziness. The principles of usefulness and functionality began to be satirized by Oscar Wilde, who made fun of the upper class way of life. The world had become extremely competitive and Darwinian theories which shocked the world were interpreted as a sign that only those who fought could survive (only the fittest and those who can adapt) social Darwinism. = Victorian compromise: aristocrats pretended to believe and accept this social theory, because it was advantageous for them. They only had that wealth thanks to the exploitation on other people. However, during this period, philanthropy spread: most rich people were thriving due to the exploitation of the poor, but in order to find a compromise with their conscience, they devoted a lot of time and some money to help the poor (workhouses was one of the ideas to help the poor). The justification of imperialism (hypocrisy): Kipling was born in India and thought that colonizing countries was “the burden of the white man”, as if they could help the less advanced countries by colonizing nations. Some say that colonized countries were the truly more developed ones, whereas those of Belgium and France were devastated. The greatest economic power in the world was a mass of contradictions and these were particularly evident in the difference between the upper, middle and working classes. The Gothic novel, which became popular once again, provided perfect metaphor for this age. Workers didn’t even have the right to vote and they only won this right, at least in part, between 1867 and 1884 thanks to a series of reforms. In fact, it was during the 1880s and not just in Britain that workers’ organizations began to make themselves heard thanks to the spreading of socialist ideals. The same can be said for women: toward the end of the 1880s, the feminist movement became a fundamental source of change. In literature the beginnings of this change can be seen in the novels of Charlotte Bronte: her stories of strong and independent women question patriarchal society. History and Society  A second wave of industrialisation, with the development of the locomotive, deeply changed Britain = economic expansion, social reform, cultural change = the centre of the European and world economy  Many people moved from the countryside to cities to work in factories and live in overcrowded and unhealthy neighbourhoods (slums)  Unregulated economic expansion widened the gap between the upper and lower classes = creation of workhouses  The workers’ conditions gradually bettered thanks to reforms, but society remined divided in a rigid system of classed and sub-classes where bourgeois values were dominant (individualism and self-reliance, industriousness, respectability, domesticity)  Contradictions exploded during the last period when faith in progress gave way to increasing pessimism  satire of Oscar Wilde Literature and culture  in response to change, some intellectuals became champions of progress while others saw materialism as a threat to culture  the condition of the working class became the object of study and of a new genre, the “social problem” novel, which aimed at creating public awareness about the effects of industrialisation  novelists who wanted to show the struggle of individuals to assimilate to society preferred another literary form, the bildungsroman  in the end, fiction lost its didactic aim to gradually express fears and anxieties generated by the Darwinian theories about the possible degeneration and extinction of the human species  the introduction of mechanisation in the artistic process began to question the role of the artist and the value of beauty  The novelists aimed at the middle-class audience that could recognise itself and its values. The spread of literacy, the mechanisation of printing and the growth of circulating libraries made the book a mass product in an increasingly consumerist society. Episodes followed patterns that increased the readers’ appetite for the next adventure and kept publication going: indeed, novels were serialised in instalments in periodicals and magazines. Charles Dickens (1812-1870) Life 1. He was born in a large family, who had to move when his father was sent to prison because of debt: he had to leave school to go to work in a workhouse 2. He worked in a solicitor’s office, then as a short hand writer who used to write down what was being said during trials, and a court reporter 3. He finally became a journalist and that influenced his writing style 4. He was a prolific writer: his novels were serialized in instalments in periodicals; his social commitment can be seen in the stories he narrated, thanks to which he wanted to send a message to change society (his opinion is unambiguous). His novels: - Themes: his bildungsroman is usually about the growth and adventures of children in a dire situation. He follows their challenges and effort to succeed in life. The intricate plots are generally brought to a happy ending by improbable circumstances and a character who, like the deus-ex-machina of the classical theatre, solves the situation [he also wrote Christmas carols: ghost stories with happy ending were fashionable] - The facts mirror his life and his style is deeply influenced by his career as a journalist (it is both moving and entertaining: he uses truth and irony) - Aim: 1) earning money, 2) moving the audience to improve the children’s plight during his time - His style is simple and straightforward: he wanted to be understood by everyone in newspapers - By using humour, he didn’t want to be criticized by his readers, someone might be thought as a radicalistic or a socialist Before the Board, Oliver Twist, chapter 2 (page 31-32) Through irony and dark humour, the author suggests that workhouses are created not out of sympathy, but out of convenience. The board, the group of managers, is composed of callous, cynical, unemotional men who do not feel a natural and true concern for the helpless and go against some of the most cherished values of Victorian times: the trust in family principles and the protection of children, the most natural and innocent state of life. Dickens’ position in unambiguous: he makes no secret that he desires to make the reader side with the poor. What’s the point of reading Dickens at school? Which kind of picture do you imagine of the Victorian London? Do we read about the victory of the British empire? Is he the first author to be shocked by the plight of children? How was Darwin’s work interpreted from a social point of view? Jacob’s Island, Oliver Twist (page 34-35) A neighbourhood inside London, but hidden and separated like an island: a separate place which is known only by poor people (well not even then). Zola describes such zones of the cities as “scars”, bad places in a magnificent city (Zola is much more serious and critical than Dickens). - Superlatives = simple but straightforward language + mysterious, extraordinary, strange neighbourhood, which is need for the readers’ appetite (vs Gothic novel’s elements)  to lure the reader into; alluring (adj.). - Omniscient narrator who leads the readers through this place, like a reporter: he’s luring the readers into this maze the place is described as horrible but also fascinating (differences and analogies with other authors) = desolation and neglect - People are assimilated to rubbish and refuse (landfill of people) + deafening sounds - There’s even a more terrible place (Jacob’s island), which was once thriving, but now is desolate: houses are occupied by those who have the courage to stay there  moving style: those who stay there have no possibility for betterment. Those who stay there or have terrible reasons (they might be criminals) and are extremely poor - Both physical and moral/psychological decay and corruption: - Maybe someone knew about this situation but pretended not to. Stranded women were helped but nothing was done to change the situation (just a few workhouses) Confront this text to other writers’ works  Blake (he wrote at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries) = the Victorian age hadn’t started: one lamented the downsides of the industrial revolution, while the other about the Victorian hypocrisy and compromise Zola: the scar of Paris He’s the master of French Naturalism. The part of city he describes is in contrast with the habitations of the middle and upper classes. Also in this text, he describes the decay. - conscience and mind - the dislike towards society: clash between public/social life and personal/interior urges, desires, feeling  contrast = need for a compromise, a hypocrisy, to carry on with your life  that’s what Dr Jekyll was fed up with: he wanted to leave the decent and respectful life, while feeling inside the desire to behave badly  the theme of the double: two sides of his personality and the contrast is enhanced by the use of black and white (page 81, 84). Stevenson himself used this definition: The duality of a Man, chapter 10 (page 84-85) It’s the opening of the letter found after Dr Jekyll’s death: he explains the motivations behind his actions. The worst part of his character was his inclination to be exuberant: for some people, that might be good, but not for him, because it was difficult to reconcile it with his moralistic attitude  nothing should have attacked his serious and superior behaviour  concealment of pleasures By hiding his pleasures and desires, while living in a honourable way, he found himself living a double life. Others might have desired such a licentious way of living: his ambitions were so high that the fact of doing things which are not respectful make him feel ashamed. Demanding of himself = inflexible nature: he wants to be respected, but he has evil inclinations too, that he hides. The existence of GOOD and ILL/BAD is the hard law of life, that lies in religion. He’s perfectly conscious of this coexistence and conflict: his scientific advancements make him reflect on the duality of men: this truth doomed his shipwreck, his failure and death. However, he guesses that men are not only dual, but composition of several parts. The duality is primitive: the ancestral part of men is uncivilised, instinctive, immoral (Darwin). If life could be relieved of this weight unbearable and men could be separated into two parts  why do these parts born bond together? Such polar twins are constantly struggling one against the other. BE COMPLETELY MORAL AND COMPLETELY IMMORAL, WITHOUT FEELING THE WEIGHT OF THE OPPOSITE PART. Late Victorian novel page 16 Oscar Wilde, 1854-1900 - his style is peculiar: irony, sarcasm, aphorisms (=short phrases that make you stop and think) - The Picture of Dorian Gray is a novel which we could describe as Gothic (because of suspects and murders), detective story (when the police arrive), fantasy (due to fantastic happenings) - The context is that of the second half of the 19th century in London (different > fashionable side) - The protagonist is an upper-class man who despises and mocks lower classes  we call him dandy = he wants to distinguish himself with his clothes (elegant and extravagant), beliefs, language - He’s the symbol of a new hedonism, that exalts pleasure, beauty and youth  aestheticism = movement that enjoys what is artistic, beautiful - While Dorian remains eternally young and devotes his life to a dangerous pursuit of sensations, the picture begins to show the signs of his aging and cruel actions, with dark and evil expressions. In art, we have the Pre-Raphaelites, whose paintings have medieval figures, such as gardens, knights, princesses…  “art for art’s sake” not an art that educates but one that is just beautiful The milestone of Aestheticism/Decadentism: Huysmans (A’ Rebours), D’Annunzio, Wilde To pursue beauty and create a private world in which art is put above anything: the aim is to “make a work of art of his own life” (Lord Henry Wotton says it to Dorian) = to do only artistic things, avoiding all the rest, the ordinary, the ugly = this despise has negative consequences, because Dorian is encouraged to pursue what is egoistically beautiful and artistic = extreme selfishness For example, the first lover of Dorian, an actress, after having been abandoned by Dorian because he feels ashamed when she sings badly, commits suicide. Then, Basil, the only one man who knows Dorian’s secret, is then killed by Dorian, who wants to protect himself instead of trusting Basil. A’ Rebours, written by Huysmans in 1884, is the origin of this artistic movement  he criticizes society and choose to surround himself with culture, books, perfumes = he wants to isolate himself from the mass. The same happen in the first scene of The Picture of Dorian Gray, which is set in a garden, divided by wall, in which the noises of the cities are heard for far away. the triumph of artifice over nature: everything is a creation and that is possible thanks to money. Artifice is seen in a positive way. he already felt bad, but felt even worse when the men who helped him relocating entered the room with their characteristic features and fashion (no beard): he is desperate to the meet common people Il piacere, D’Annunzio The protagonist has to see the move of his lover: the palace has gone for auction and is profaned by a vulgar crowd of buyers and sellers (those who deal with money are badly seen). The Decadent wants to feel isolated form the common world, because he abhors it. What he loved isn’t sold to someone who can appreciate that, therefore precious stuff is not appreciated. A few years after, Oscar Wilde is asked to write a short story to be published in a newspaper. The success was enormous, therefore he ampliated it and wrote a book, the Picture of Dorian Gray. Oscar Wilde refers to Huysmans as a “yellow book”, because it was published with a yellow cover: it is the same book that is recommended to Dorian. The death of Dorian Gray The dead man of the floor can’t be recognisable by his aspect, instead, the men recognise him thanks to the rings he wears. The preface, page 66 Using his typical aphoristic style, the author explains his vision of art and literature. He differentiates himself for his style and capacities. Realism is badly seen in the 19 th century because it’s too true and horrible. Just like Romanticism, Realism had a didactic aim and, according to Wilde, art shouldn’t have a moralising teaching, otherwise it would lose its beauty and perfection. The studio, page 68 The aim to create a life which is a work as art leads to selfishness. - Decadents are languid, lazy, because they do nothing but enjoy relax and beauty - Through an aphorism, which is quite a paradox, Henry blames the academy; Basil doesn’t want to send the portrait to any gallery: “I have put too much of myself into it”  Both Wilde and Henry Wotton are always trying to shock and challenge the readers in order to make us reflect upon the statement, which is often against the common opinion. By reading it, you have to leave your common point of view. - Opium: there were opium-dem, which were hidden dangerous places for aristocrats to smoke opium without anyone noticing (smoking was not illegal, but it was seen as a vice) - Through dramatic irony, the narrator anticipates some negative aspects of the story: we know that something bad will happen  foreshadow: The narrator hints the death of Basil Hallward: the artist mysteriously disappeared (because he was killed by Dorian and then made him liquefy in some lethal acid) - The setting is paramount: an exotic, extraordinary garden and studio, which is like an island, the garden of Eden, inside a crowded and polluted and noisy London. It is just the opposite of Jacob’s Island! It’s separate from the normal city and filled with extraordinary furniture/furnishing and plants  he’s describing a Japanese painting, which tries to fix something moving  refined people would surround themselves with exotic objects (exotism = fashion for oriental aspects) - The style is difficult and refined = dandy = aesthete = someone who loves aesthetics, as a pursuit of beauty The novel opens in Basil’s studio, a place which resonates with beautiful perfumes and sound. In this relaxed, sophisticated atmosphere emphasised by the narrator dwelling on single powerful details, the words of Lord Henry Wotton reverberate with wit and cynicism. The aristocrat questions Basil Hallward about the portrait of a handsome young man whom he calls an Adonis and a Narcissus, foreshadowing the tragic unfolding of Dorian’s life. Style: dwell on details, wit, cynicism, aphorism, similes (derived from classical myths) A new Hedonism, page 71 Wilde studied Ancient Greek and Latin, as we can see in the references he uses to describe his new philosophy and way of living. A relationship is created by Dorian and Lord Henry, who personify as the mentor and the student who has to be formed. - To cure the soul by means of the senses and the senses by means of the soul = if you suffer mentally, you should help yourself using objects and actions (go to the theatre, drink wine), whereas if you feel physically unstable, you should cure your soul… - What’s hedonism? Why is new? - The ultimate goal is to experience new senses (personal interest), but the consequence is despising other people. They are ready to sacrifice everything and everyone in order to make their life similar to a work of art. Vices have always concerned sense and have been prohibited by common moral and rules. They could not explicitly talk about sensory experiences because they would have been censored: we know they would go to immoral, illegal, dangerous places  vices existed but people tried to make them invisible = Victorian compromise between what you want to do and what the reality is = Dorian and Lord Henry want to go against the rules and explore the hidden side of London (most dangerous and immoral)  Lord Henry urges Dorian to yield to temptations, which are censored by family and Church, but lead to pleasure and secrets = since they feel superior, they want to have a go and try what is considered a vice = doing what is illegal gives the thrill. - What is worth pursuing: youth, pleasure and beauty = only during youth, which lasts only one season (and not every year like a flower), you can fully experience life and exploit everything you can from life Dorian’s beauty and his innocent, young look inspire Lord Henry’s tribute to the glory of youth and his speech about the pleasures of life. Through the seductive power of his speech, he instils in Dorian a series of axioms and principles for “good living” that stir in Dorian curious feelings and questions in a way that he has never experiences before, Lord Henry’s philosophy of a new Hedonism makes Dorian doubt his knowledge of life and will ultimately lead to risk anything to remain eternally young. The figure of the dandy: the similarities and the differences with the Superuomo of Nietzsche A dandy is a man who places particular importance upon physical appearance and personal grooming, refined language and leisurely hobbies. The poet Charles Baudelaire   defined the dandy as a man who elevates aesthetics to a religion. Albert Camus said that: “The dandy creates his own unity by aesthetic means. But it is an aesthetic of negation. To live and die before a mirror: that, according to Baudelaire, was the dandy's slogan. It is indeed a coherent slogan. The dandy is, by occupation, always in opposition [to society]. He can only exist by defiance . . . The dandy, therefore, is always compelled to astonish. Singularity is his vocation, excess his way to perfection. The same goes for D’Annunzio “superuomo”: according to him, the super-man is the poet, someone who can guide his nation and lives an extremely original life, devoted to senses, emotions and passions in an aesthetic dimension. His main values are virtues are consecrated to art. That’s why we can say that their aim was to make a work of art out of their own lives. What I wanted to point of is the difference between this concept of superman and that of Nietzsche. Indeed, this philosophical figure has been distorted and wrongly interpreted by his contemporaries and by Hitler as well, who elevated this figure as a model for his perfect race. So, I’ll try to clarify. The Übermensch (transl. "Overman/Superman/Beyond-man") is a concept in the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche. In Thus Spoke Zarathustra Nietzsche has his character Zarathustra posit the Übermensch as a goal for humanity to set for itself. The Übermensch represents a shift from otherworldly Christian values and manifests the grounded human ideal. The Übermensch is someone who has "crossed over" the bridge, from the comfortable "house on the lake" (the comfortable, easy, mindless acceptance of what a person has been taught, and what everyone else believes) to the mountains of unrest and solitude. Zarathustra ties the Übermensch to the death of God. While the concept of God was the ultimate expression of other- worldly values and their underlying instincts, belief in God nevertheless did give meaning to life for a time. "God is dead" means that the idea of God can no longer provide values. Nietzsche refers to this crucial paradigm shift as a reevaluation of values. The creation of these new values cannot be motivated by the same instincts that gave birth to those tables of values. Instead, they must be motivated by a love of this world and of life: that’s how humans can re- establish themselves.