A Critique of Henry James' Washington Square
I will admit it; I did not like Washington Square. That said, when I read the first line to Donald Hall's afterword, I felt like throwing the book away! "Everyone likes Washington Square" (220), HA! Well not me, Mr. Hall. I am not exactly sure why I kept on reading; maybe I was feeling a little masochistic that day! So, behold my surprise when I began to come across some of the author's words that expressed many of the thoughts that I had about the novel and its characters. Luckily, I did not have to read much before some of these ideas came into play.
Throughout the "critique," the author addresses not only the work itself, but also how the story came to be. I found it interesting to learn that Henry James had, in reality, only invented the character of Dr. Sloper. The other characters, as well as the novels main plot, had come from a story that James had been told. Considering the absolute realism of the novel, the fact that James had adapted it from reality makes perfect sense.
The aspect of this afterword that I found the most intriguing was Hall's critique of Mrs. Penniman. "Morris Townsend is revealed as her fantasy of an oedipal lover" (230). That line really struck me for it seemed to be the first comment that I had read that was unusual and new. Anyone reading the novel could, rather quickly, deduce the general personalities of the characters. The author's observations about Catherine, Dr. Sloper and Morris do not reveal any new character dynamics. But, his ideas about Mrs. Penniman elaborate beyond the usual "annoying and selfish" remarks.
Throughout the Afterword, Hall remarks about the moral conflict of the novel. The author states that "The moral force of this novel lies in the paradox of Dr. Slopers' wrong-rightnes" (224). He goes on to explain that the reader has a love-hate relationship with Dr. Sloper. You know that he is right about Morris from the beginning, but it is very difficult to overlook what a horrible and cold man he is. In part, I agree with the author's idea; it is difficult to fully despise a man who is right. But, Dr. Slopers' concerns about Catherine marrying the fortune hunting Morris seem more to be concerns over his money, rather than his daughters well being and happiness.
author gives the reader the feeling as if the reader was there, in Washington. The
The beginning of the book starts off with Washington in the woods after sustaining a traumatic whipping when caught running away from his master. This is when he gives his soliloquy on being
During the American Revolution, Washington and his men were experiencing a series of defeat. In order to bring about great pride and patriotism of an American, they sought to plan a sneak attack on the opposite force. On December 25, Washington and 5,400 troops began crossing the Delaware River to the Hessian stronghold. At this point in time, the Hessians were celebrating Christmas; this was a perfect time for an attack. When Washington and his men arrived, they started attacking the unsuspected Hessians; nearly 1,000 Hessians were captured. Even though the attack was not significant, it raised American spirit. In 1851, Emanuel Leutze created the image of Washington Crossing the Delaware; the painting was later destroyed, but restored by another artist. The mood of the painting can be described as intense and patriotic. Later, a poem called “Washington Crossing the Delaware” was written by David Shulman. The mood of the poem
Most Americans probably believe our times are different from Washington Irving’s era. After all, almost 200 years have passed, and the differences in technology and civil liberties alone are huge. However, these dissimilarities seem merely surface ones. When reading “Rip Van Winkle” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” I find that the world Irving creates in each story is very familiar to the one in which I grew up. The players may have changed, and institutions have mostly replaced roles traditionally taken on by people, but the overall pieces still fit the rural lifestyle of contemporary America.
This book has many strong characters who you are going to emphasize while there will be others who are dis-likable. The way characters in the book are given action, I never would have imagined what one has said or ever done. During my readings, I never noticed that this book Mrs. Stockett wrote was fiction due to the part that everything seemed believable during the time of the events. Even when I read from the viewpoints of the League ladies suchlike Miss Hilly, to the maids who work for them people. Though, The Help, could have veered into violent representation, Mrs. Stockett does not take it there by giving life intimacy along with inter household connections.
David Howarth's writing style is unique. He allows the story to develop on its own. The story flows and the events do not seem forced. The story reads like a historical novel and is easy to follow. Howarth presents his information fully and does not leave anything for the reader to question. The reader does not become confused or lost because of the way that the author reveals his information in the book.
...er introduction is the main reason why the foreshadowing is necessary for the reader. Therefore, this extract sets the tone for the rest of the book, a constant suspense on what will happen to Lennie and Curley's wife.
Everyone knows that parents’ first worry is the safety of their children. With the increase of violence in schools, parents have started to wonder if their children are really safe in the school setting. Shootings like Sandy Hook and Columbine left parents, administrators, and educators feeling the need to be proactive towards children’s safety. Reacting to situations like these is not good enough when children’s lives are on the line. Administration has started to brainstorm different ways to help insure the protection of their students. The idea of having teachers carry concealed weapons has been on the front burner for quite some time. As a result of this extreme idea, insurance companies have started to increase or even cancel policies with schools that have armed teachers because of the high risk they are putting themselves at. Parents and administrators also worry about the idea of children getting their hands on one of the teachers’ weapons and injuring themselves or other students. Because this idea seems quite extreme, I believe there are other alternatives that are less dramatic and more positively out looked, such as having armed security guards in schools.
In “Vulnerable Schools Need Protection: Guns, Training For Teachers may be the answer”, published in a 2008 edition of the Chicago Tribune, David McGrath argues that some teachers should be allowed to carry a concealed weapon for protection. First, McGrath states that if a random psychotic gunman were searching for someplace to attack, his classroom would make an easy target. He feels that if he was trained and armed, his class would not be trapped without a chance of survival because he would be able to defend against the gunman. Sec...
In the event that you avoid the sun, experience the ill effects of milk anaphylaxes, or stick to a strict veggie lover diet, you may be at danger for vitamin D inadequacy. Known as the daylight vitamin, vitamin D is transformed by the body because of daylight. It is additionally happens characteristically in a couple of sustenance’s including some fish, fish liver oils, and egg yolks - and in sustained dairy and grain items.
Stillinger, Jack, Deidre Lynch, Stephen Greenblatt, and M H. Abrams. The Norton Anthology of English Literature: Volume D. New York, N.Y: W.W. Norton & Co, 2006. Print.
Vitamin D deficiency has been recognized as a highly prevalent condition worldwide and presented in approximately 30% to 50% of the general population [7]. High r...
Allowing teachers to carry guns could help lower school shootings. “While some believe tighter gun controls are the answer, others believe the best solution comes in giving more people — like teachers and administrators — more training and more access to firearms that can save lives as well as take them away” (Evensen guns and teachers). “Our organization
James clearly resists historical interpretation which would fill in the blanks with knowledge on social groups. Yet, through analysis of the Governess and Mile’s relationship by placing their narration and dialogue in a socio-historic context the battle is revealed between desires and demands. Awareness of Victorian sexual commencement allows readers to trace the development of the two characters transformations from pupil and teacher to lover and mistress.
Growing up in the inner city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania I’ve experienced my fair share of homeless people on the streets. It is of no surprise to me that this is a common trend in most major cities across the country. Moving to San Diego I didn’t expect that the streets would be completely free from homelessness but the magnitude of this glaringly evident issue was more than I could ever imagine. I was faced with an overwhelming reality of a city filled with shopping carts full of few belongings, pillows and blankets on the sidewalks, and more signs, held by the hands of utterly helpless people asking for just a little help, than I had ever seen before. Walking by fifteen people all in a row, sleeping like it was no big deal that their comfy bed to go home to every night was a concrete slab on 5th Avenue, made me wonder how these people got to this point and why there was no one there to help. Finding the source of glue keeping the homeless population stuck in their situation not only comes from a desensitized community, over-exposed to people living on the street, but also a lack of resources and willingness to help decrease homelessness and work toward preventing it all together.