The Queen of Spades: The Draw of the Joker The narrative of Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin’s The Queen of Spades was written in the Romanticism period and is combined with familiar elements of Romantic fiction. The story, taken out of The Norton Anthology of Western Literature, takes us in the world of, “the penniless young woman; the ambitious, passionate young man; and the decayed beauty; the ghost (800).” The passage below comes from page (808) and it describes one man’s desperate need to make it to the top, and not have a care in the world of who he is hurting along the way. The passage in paragraph number two emulates the Romanticism time frame. The Enlightenment approaches a rational side of the time frame while Romanticism approaches a more radical side. Romanticism is about self-gain, materialistic things, while the Enlightenment emphasizes these common aspects of humanity far more than they considered cultural dissimilarities. While translating this passage from its original piece from the Romanticism time period to La Fontaine’s fables in the Enlightenment time period, a more direct approach and lesson is being offered to the reader and a greater moral lesson is being seen as well. “‘What if the old Countess should reveal her secret to me?’ He thought the following evening as he wandered through the streets of Pittsburg. ‘What if she should tell me the names of those three winning card’s? Why not try my luck. . .? Become introduced to her, try to win her favour, perhaps become her lover. . .? But all that demands time, and she’s eighty-seven; she might die in a week, in two days. . .! And the story itself. . .? Can one really believe it. . . ? No! Economy, moderation and industry; these are my three winning cards, these ... ... middle of paper ... ...knowledge. The original piece was changed to reflect all that the Enlightenment is about which are moral reasons and understanding. Morals relate to the principals and behavior of human individuals. The rights and wrongs along with the good and the bad humans which is more so the logic of human thinking. The Enlightenment has a way of showing exactly that. The Queen of Spades is originally written in the Romanticism era, and it was a piece that showed karma in a big way. The literature represents the importance of “individual rights” (488). “Pushkin investigated the psychology (as well as the social arrangements) of a group of people concerned only with money, generating a very different sense of horror” (488). The translation of the passage was able to show the difference between the works and the Enlightenment era was greatly emphasized throughout this paper.
By paying attention to elements such as subject matter, light, form, and placement of figures, we can see how these enhance the ideals depicted by each form of art. As a result, we can understand how Neo-Classical art is an attempt to counter the values of Rococo. Rococo is a form of art directly targeted to the privileged. Because not everyone in society belongs to the aristocracy, the Neo-Classicist wanted to impose order as an alternative to the frivolous life style. As a result, we have to works of art that challenge each other’s ideals. The theme of infidelity versus loyalty and how one arrives at the decision made is animated in the works of Fragonard and David. However, it is important to note that there is no right or wrong form of art, although it may seem that this was the common perception of the time. In conclusion, both works of are similar in one important aspect; they are both works of art.
Shirley Jackson, an American writer who was born on December 14, 1916, in San Francisco, CA and died on August 8,1965 in North Bennington, VT, she may be mostly known for her commended short story such as Charles, The Lottery, The possibility of Evil, The Lovely House and Louisa, please. She attended the University of Rochester from 1932 to 1936 and she later joined at Syracuse University. “Janice” a story about a student who tried to commit suicide was her first publication. After graduation from Syracuse University with a bachelor 's degree in English in 1940, she moved to New York and continued her writing life. Jackson was a creative essayist and considerable lots of her stories have mysterious nature.
Imagine waking up with no coffee, no bathroom with a shower and toilet, no gas powered light to turn on in your home, and no electronics to kill some time. This is how the Romantic and Enlightenment period lived life every day. However, one will see there is a vast difference between the two periods. In the play Phaedra by Jean Racine, we see a glimpse of the Enlightenment period. The Enlightenment period is mostly known as the “Age of reason.” Inevitably Phaedra is seen as the desperate tragic hero who is the cause for everyone’s misery. Tintern Abbey is written by poet William Wordsworth. One will see a more imaginative, natural beautiful side of the Romantic period, which is filled with emotion. After reading the two periods and contrasting them, one will see the characteristics and qualities of the Enlightenment period appeals more to society and helps shape each individual. As seen in the Romantic period an individual’s escape to nature for the closer well-being of Christ.
In the literary `movements' of neo-classicism and romanticism, Voltaire's Candide and Goethe's The Sorrows of Young Werther represent the literary age in which they were written. In the following composition, textual evidence will be provided to demonstrate how each book accurately represents either the neo-classicism age or the romanticism age. Candide and The Sorrows of Young Werther will be examined separately, and then examined together. After, a discussion about how each age seems to view the nature of man and the significance of moral and spiritual values will be presented. Also, a personal interpretation of the conclusion of each book will be given. Lastly, quotes and examples will be given to show which of the two literary ages offers more to the reader.
In his book Gargantua and Pantagruel, Francois Rabelais uses satire to address the dislocation felt by Renaissance Humanists. By providing an exaggerated fable, comical in nature, Rabelais poses a serious introspection into the extremes of both the Medieval and the Renaissance man. More importantly, however, he brings into question his own ideals of Humanism. Through an analysis of Rabelais’ satirical technique and by examining his social parody of the Medieval and the Renaissance man, we are able to better understand Rabelais’ introspection into the ideals of his own generation and to accept his argument that learning is transitory and often a necessary, yet futile, attempt to understand our world.
Tomsky got word that the countess at the place he gambles knows the three cards that can win a game in spades. He went to all ends to try and get the countess to tell him the cards. He at some point then went to the countess’ house to confront her and she wound up dead. Afterwhile the countess came back but as a ghost and told Tomsky the three cards. Tomsky won a lot with his knowledge of the three cards. Although at one point one of the three cards told was not the correct one to win. He then became very angry and figured the countess told him wrong. Correspondingly, Wargrave believed that whether the person on the island really
A man already in decay, having given my best years to feed the hungry dream of knowledge,—what had I to do with youth and beauty like thine own! Misshapen from my birth-hour, how could I delude myself with the idea that intellectual gifts might veil physical deformity in a young girl’s fantasy! … Nay, from the moment when we came down the old church-steps together, a married pair, I might have beheld the bale-...
The tale of Sleeping Beauty is influenced by oral folklore and various written versions. Today fairytales are told as a domain for the entertainment and teachings of children. In traditional storytelling, peasants transmitted folklore orally around campfires to audiences of mixed ages. However, during the 17th century, peasant tales, such as Sleeping Beauty, were altered by writers like Charles Perrault’s, to appeal to the courts of aristocracy. Thus the characters of Sleeping Beauty adorned a courtly air to appeal to the crown, such as Louis XIV of France. Throughout history, various cultural influences transformed the tale of Sleeping Beauty through the manipulation of various social forces to achieve better entertainment purposes and reflect Christian beliefs and customs. In addition, the moral of the tale conveys a message that women remain passive in hope to marry her true lov...
Over the centuries, writers have used literature to show the societal status and the mind sets of the people in their era. ‘Antigone’, a Greek tragedy, and ‘A Doll’s House’, a highly controversial drama, inhibit the same thematic approach, depicting the oppression and submissiveness of women in male-dominated society and how they overcome their obstacles with firm will, inspiring millions of audiences from then till now. By Antigone’s character, Sophocles portrays a figure through whom he can express his faith in feminism in the 4th century. Likewise, Ibsen’s concerns about the position of women during the 19th century are beautifully breathed to life in ‘A Doll’s House’ through Nora’s transformation from a doll-like puppet to a human. Both of the writ...
Gide, Andre. "Preface to The Queen of Spades." Reflections on Literature and Morality. New York: Meridian Books, 1959.
Shanley, Mary L., and Peter G. Stillman. "The Eldorado Episode in Voltaire's Candide." Eighteenth Century Life 6.2-3 (Jan.-May 1981): 79-92. Rpt. in Short Story Criticism 112. Detroit: Gale, 2008. Literature Resource Center
The story begins with the Marquise de Merteuil corresponding with Vicomte de Valmont regarding a luscious new act of ‘revenge’, as she describes it, against the Comte de Gercourt. The young Cecile de Volanges has just come home from the convent and her marriage to Gercourt has been arranged. However, before he can wed the innocent child, Merteuil proposes Valmont ‘educate’ her, thus spoiling Gercourt’s fancy for untarnished convent girls. Valmont is uninterested in such an easy seduction and is far more aroused by the thought of lulling The Presidente’ de Tourvel, the very epitome of virtue, into submission. And so the tale unfolds.
“The Wife of Bath’s Tale” is written in an entertaining and adventurous spirit, but serves a higher purpose by illustrating the century’s view of courtly love. Hundreds, if not thousands, of other pieces of literature written in the same century prevail to commemorate the coupling of breathtaking princesses with lionhearted knights after going through unimaginable adventures, but only a slight few examine the viability of such courtly love and the related dilemmas that always succeed. “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” shows that women desire most their husband’s love, Overall, “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” shows that the meaning of true love does not stay consistent, whether between singular or separate communities and remains timeless as the depictions of love from this 14th century tale still hold true today.
Robert Browning’s Porphyria’s Lover skillfully epitomizes the male desire to dominate women in all spheres of life during the Victorian Era. This power construct is foregrounded as the dominant reading through a range of literary devices in the poem, pertaining to gender roles. Originally, the dramatic monologue highlights Porphyria and her strong presence in contrast to her passive male lover.
...ly announces to the reader that he never felt comfortable with his apprentice; he only lasted this long because he wanted to take advantage of Grenouille’s talent. These three characters demonstrate the degree to which humanity in the 18th century perceived the unknown and the darkness of humanity.