The Line of Beauty, Allan Hollinghurst's fourth novel, was published in 2004 and won the Man Booker Prize the same year, making the author widely popular in Britain and beyond. The Line of Beauty is Hollinghurst's biggest success so far, carrying both critical and financial success. It was also made into a mini – series by BBC in 2006.
The novel is set in 1980s London at the time of Margaret Thatcher's political rule. More precisely, the book follows Thatcher's second term in office from 1983 to 1987. The general idea of the 1980s is that it was a time of great change, both political and social. Young people were enjoying their excessive lifestyles, exploring their sexualities, indulging in casual sex, drugs and excessive parties thrown by
…show more content…
Nick's biggest struggle is keeping these two worlds apart and protecting their borders. Nick was very accepting of his sexuality in his own mind so he did not hide it from his family and friends, but he was a character who lived by ''if you don't ask me, I won't tell you'' rules. The Feddens, Toby and his family, were all well aware that Nick was a part of homosexual minority, but Toby and his sister Catherine were the only ones who did not feel uncomfortable talking about it. He would occasionally tell them about his affairs to ''show himself to them as a functioning sexual being'' (Hollinghurst, 89). Toby and Catherine's parents, however, were not so open-minded and were ''easy about having a bender in the house as long as it's never mentioned'' (Hollinghurst, 176). Both of them, Rachel and Gerald Feddens, knew about his sexual orientation and had nothing against it, but would rather not discuss it, …show more content…
Since Hollinghurst set his novel in the past, he relies heavily on his 1980s London to tell the story. In The Line of Beauty London is both a physical and a metaphorical place. It is a blend of the classical and the repulsive, the majestic and the ugly. Much like Nick's life, London has a duality in everything. Therefore, the city is like a promised land for him, a place where he can freely express his sexuality, where he is free to live his gay life, something he could not do in his home town. Nick is fascinated by the range of possibilities London offers, including everything he has been given by the Feddens. The gardens at Notting Hill, where Nick was staying, symbolize this, offering something secret and safe at the same
What woman doesn't want to be beautiful? Women want to please and will go to extreme measures to achieve the beauty ideal. Over the centuries, women have mauled and manipulated just about everybody part - lips, eyes, ears, waists, skulls, foreheads, stomachs, breasts and feet - that did not fit into the cookie-cutter ideal of a particular era's ideal of beauty and perfection. Women have suffered, sacrificed and punished themselves under the tyranny of beauty.
Finally, Nick’s inability to involve himself emotional with anyone is also a problem. He is more of a bystander than a participant. He fears of being close to anyone, and mostly just gets along with everything. That is a problem. He needs to find someone to listen to, instead of him always being the listener. This emotional distance, which he has, is not a healthy thing for him and can cause him to end being a loner.
Nick enjoyed going out in public with Jordan since she was a famous athlete. Yet Nick finally realizes she is not in love with her due to her dishonesty. Jordan is egocentric of her reputation as seen in her cheating scandal when she used her superiority to display her win as a fait accompli, even though she evidently cheated. Thus, Jordan lies to get away from her problems and keep her reputation spotless. Fitzgerald juxtaposes Nick with Jordan, “She was incurably dishonest. She wasn’t able to endure being at a disadvantage and...in order to keep that cool smile, insolent smile turned to the world and yet satisfy the demands of her hard, jaunty body...Dishonesty in a woman is a thing you never blame deeply--I was casually sorry, and then I forgot...I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known” (Fitzgerald 58-59). Even if Nick is fastidious about Jordan and her imperfections, he is still fond of her due to her physical attributes. Nick was intrigued about her physical appearance, being with her due to her reputation, and hedonistically attracted towards her. On the other hand, Nick has evidently proven he has moral values such as honesty. Nick has been honest throughout the novel and evidently he has a sense of self-worth since he has never doubted himself for his opinions or his actions. Throughout the novel, Nick has evidently displayed personal integrity and a sense of right or wrong unlike the
Defining Beauty for Men and Women in Portraiture ". A thing of beauty is a joy forever : It's loveliness increases ; it will never pass into nothingness. " What is a beauty? Seemingly a continually evolving and infinitely elusive ideal, mankind has been obsessed with the concept of beauty throughout the ages.
Through Nick’s stream of unconsciousness in the following lines: "Yet high over the city our line of yellow windows must have contributed their share of human secrecy to the casual watcher in the darkening streets, and I was him too, looking up and wondering. I was within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life,” (p. ) the reader learns how Nick is completely lost as he cannot identify himself apart from the others. Nick continues this idea as he says how he “felt a haunting loneliness sometimes, and felt it in others.” This line shows how Nick justifies his lifestyle as he suggests other have it too.
Nick is tired of stepping so close with everyone he meets. He wants to truly feel, live, and be a human being who does not have to know the secrets of all men; Nick in fact wants men to have no secrets.
century, which takes place in England. The novels focus in on a spirited young woman, Elizabeth and
Black is beautiful. Skinny is beautiful. A lack of knowledge is beautiful. The world that we live in is indulged with the concept of what people find beautiful. From the color of skin to the idea of what weight is the most attractive, we have taught ourselves to judge others based upon what we believe is ideal. This concept varies across the world, as is discussed within the novel Scheherazade Goes West, as well as within different upbringings and cultures, as discussed in Adios Barbie.
Nick is our narrator and the voice of reason in a time and place where parties are the goals and having a good time is all that matters. Parties at Gatsby’s mansion are the rule not the exception and all who attend pay homage to their false prophet Gatsby. He is their leader the charming man living in a mansion and driving and awesome care. Too bad he has no sense of real worth. Yet nick seems to be loyal to him the whole time “They're a rotten crowd, “I shouted across the lawn. “You're worth the whole damn bunch put together.”I’ve always been glad I said that. It was the only compliment I ever gave him, because I disapproved of him from beginning to end. First he nodded politely, and then his face broke into that radiant and understanding smile, as if we’d been in ecstatic cahoots on that fact all the time” (Pg 162). Nick appears on the sidelines more than in the mix with all the drinkers and boasters and unfaithful spouses. “I forgot to ask you something,...
Nick is more of a spectator than an actor in the story. He is just an
The novel 1984, written by George Orwell, portrays views on sex and gender in an authoritative government. Oceanic government aims to maintain their power by asserting their dominance over society. This is done through outlawing sex, with the exception of reproduction of more Party members. Two characters, Winston and Julia, have sex for pleasure and also as a form of rebellion against Big Brother. The government takes them both as punishment for their sex crimes. During imprisonment, the relationship between Winston and O’Brien develops. Along with sex, gender is relevant throughout the novel. The party’s attempt at making gender a non-issue is valiant but it makes gender roles more evident in other aspects of the book. While depicting the future in 1984, George Orwell carefully analyzes sex and gender in Oceanic society through government manipulation, character rebellion, and natural human instinct.
Nick finds out a few days after his move that an adored man by the name of Jay Gatsby lives next door to him. He hears about the parties that he throws and such from a friend of his cousin Daisy. He meets Daisy Buchanon, her husband Tom Buchanon, and friend Jordan Baker, at their house in East Egg. This is when everything begins to unravel. Nick is then invited to Gatsby 's party and attends it. After the party it is very apparent that Nick is intrigued in Gatsby. He even watches the party unwind, "There was music from my neighbor 's house through the summer nights. In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and he champagne and the stars. At high tide in the afternoon I watched his guests diving from the tower of his raft, or taking the sun on the hot sand of his beach while his motor-boats slid the waters of the Sound, drawing aquaplanes over cataracts of foam. On week-ends his Rolls-Royce became an omnibus, bearing parties to and from the city between nine in the morning and long past midnight, while his station wagon scampered like a brisk yellow bug to meet all trains. And on Mondays eight servants, including an extra gardener, toiled all day with mops and scrubbing-brushes and hammers and garden-shears, repairing the ravages of the night before." (3.1) Nick eventually meets up
The concept of beauty during the Middle Ages consisted of the idea that beauty was directly correlated to spirituality. In other words, a person was judged as either good or bad based on their outer appearance, as well as their standing in society. Therefore, executions of beauty manifested in the arts was limited to only a certain class of individuals and was more determined by what a person’s status was in society. In addition, artwork of people was made to be mostly concentrated on the countenance, with artificially smooth skin, intentionally showing no sign of blemish or flaw unless by accident. A shift occurred during the Italian Renaissance, the human body in its entirety was celebrated among the masses and could be considered beautiful
The literary movement during the 1980's in Britain was heavily influenced by the state of Britain's economy at the time. The people of Britain had become infatuated with politics due to the election of Margaret Thatcher, the first and only woman Prime Minister of the United Kingdom to have held office. She was known as the “Iron lady” and the leader of the Conservative Party. Her influence on the British government with her use of Thatcherism did not leave behind a good legacy in the literature department. In a New York Times newspaper article, it is stated that, “The Thatcher years were a time of remarkable cultural ferment, in which the energies of an extraordinarily diverse roster of musicians, novelists, playwrights, critics and filmmakers — to say nothing of television comedians and puppeteers — were unleashed in opposition, glum and passionate, explicit and overt, to the prime minister herself,”(nytimes.com). Many literary figures have written novels in response to the events
The definition of beauty is varying among different people in the world. Even though almost everyone knows the term beauty, many people are struggling in defining it and persuading others to agree with their opinions. Beauty is defined by a combination of qualities existent in a person or thing that fulfills the aesthetic feels or brings about profound gratification. Many people define beauty as a term to describe a person’s physical appearance; they often think that beauty comes from magazines, video girls, or even models. Although the term beauty can define a person’s physical appearance, true beauty lies in the way one acts and thinks rather than the way one look.