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Lord byron essays
Genre and writing styles of oscar wilde
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Lady Mary Montagu’s letters are a form of travel writing that contributes to the exploration of issues; such as feminism, gender, health, class and culture through an epistolary form. During the time in which Lady Mary Montagu wrote her letters travel was a means for commerce and trade. Contrasted to this form of travel writing, is Oscar Wilde’s Symphony in Yellow. This is in the form of a poem, which is simplistic in its structure and appearance but not in its content or meanings. The title of the poem suggests that it has a substantial connection to music; however the reader is presented with a poem centred on the narrator’s view of a location. Similar to the form of poetry Oscar Wilde’s The Harlots House explores the idea of prostitution through an in depth description of what he sees.
As a woman Lady Mary Montagu is shown as someone who breaks free from the boundaries that society imposes on her. This exploration of womanhood within society is reflected broadly in her letters. Through this form someone who develops themselves and widens their views is seen. She is illustrated as a pretentious personality who gradually whilst experiencing various situations adheres to a change of attitude. Her bravery is evident in the way she describes her endeavours at sea. According to her first letters she claims to be “less frightened of the storm in the sea than the captain...” Being a woman as well as an aristocrat gave her great status and authority as she appears to assert. Her strong minded nature causes her to see fear not as something to react to but as an illness she does not have.
There are many examples within her letters where ideas and issues are explored. It can be correct to say she begins her letters as a woman with a mind ...
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...ic brings life and joy to many here the reader sees in simple words the dead dancing. From the narrators perspective the women in the house appear to be non human and lifeless. This is a poem of passion and control, suggesting that maybe the people who are drawn to an environment such as this show a lack of it as well as losing their “soul’s inheritance” which we see his partner do towards the end.
Edouard Roditi sees the poem as a “contemporary scene... the subject has been cooperated into the form” of a poem. When focusing on the “subject”mentioned, it can be suggested that Oscar Wilde is placing Victorian society as his subject. He appears to be focusing on prostitution and in some ways questions the society that condemns it yet takes part in it. The Harlots House is a prostitute’s house and during the Victorian era would be considered as being a place of sin.
Mary Katherine, a young adult with sociopathic behavior, displays her disorder with frequent outbursts, lack of remorse and disregard for social norms throughout the novel We Have Always Lived in The Castle by Shirley Jackson. Her sociopathic tendencies are constant in the novel with mention that this behavior has been consistent since she was a child. Mary Katherine progressively shows her volatile actions in the story and her actions cause way to a multitude of problems for anyone in her path, especially her close older sister Constance. Her personality disorder coupled with her schizotypal disposition is inherent and not due to being spoiled or temperamental despite her being raised wealthy in a large household.
The character analysis of Mary Anne Bell in comparison and contrast to Martha and Elroy Berdahl implores the audience to consider the idea that gender is not inherent.
... express herself more as “Neither submissive nor despondent in dealing with her captors, she presents herself as defiant and calculating, resilient and self-reliant”(Fitzpatrick 12). This for sure is to give her more agency rather than remaining the prototype of the submissive woman which is highly cherished by the puritan community. On her return back after the eleven week captivity the focus is more to be on Mary Rowlandson’s survival and agency alone which is to come into conflict with the puritan patriarchal system.
The contrast between how She sees herself and how the rest of the world sees Her can create extreme emotional strain; add on the fact that She hails from the early 1900s and it becomes evident that, though her mental construct is not necessarily prepared to understand the full breach against Her, She is still capable of some iota of realization. The discrimination encountered by a female during this time period is great and unceasing.
Not only does this personification alter the pace of the poem, but the fact that the woman’s breasts – important sexual organs and symbols of female sexuality – are portrayed as sleeping conveys a lack of arousal and general desire, particularly on the behalf of the woman. This sense of a lack of desire between the gypsy and the woman is communicated later in the poem through the description of the characters’ undressing before they begin to have sex:
Contrastingly, Mrs. Darling, his wife, is portrayed as a romantic, maternal character. She is a “lovely lady”, who had many suitors yet was “won” by Mr. Darling, who got to her first. However, she is a multifaceted character because her mind is described “like the tiny boxes, one within the other, that come from the puzzling East”, suggesting that she is, to some extent, an enigma to the other characters, especially Mr. Darling. As well as this, she exemplifies the characteristics of a “perfect mother”. She puts everything in order, including her children’s minds, which is a metaphor for the morals and ethics that she instils in them. Although ...
Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre chronicles the growth of her titular character from girlhood to maturity, focusing on her journey from dependence on negative authority figures to both monetary and psychological independence, from confusion to a clear understanding of self, and from inequality to equality with those to whom she was formerly subject. Originally dependent on her Aunt Reed, Mr. Brocklehurst, and Mr. Rochester, she gains independence through her inheritance and teaching positions. Over the course of the novel, she awakens towards self-understanding, resulting in contentment and eventual happiness. She also achieves equality with the important masculine figures in her life, such as St. John Rivers and Mr. Rochester, gaining self-fulfillment as an independent, fully developed equal.
In Gilman’s story The Yellow Wallpaper, and in Chopin’s story The Story of an Hour are two feminist stories, which freedom is the main theme. In the nineteenth century, women were supposed to take care of their children and obey their husbands. “Women of the mid-19th century had no such choices. Most lived in a state little better than slavery. They had to obey men, because in most cases men held all the resources and women had no independent means of subsistence” (Wojtczak). The Yellow Wallpaper, takes a devastating look at the oppressive relationships between middle class husband and wife, doctor and patient. The Story of an Hour describes a moment of awareness when Mrs. Mallard realizes how she really feels about her life and situation. The news of her husband’s death shocks her into an awareness that seems to overtake her against her will. Mrs. Mallard and the narrator both express they want to be free, but unfortunately they achieve freedom through insanity and death. Freedom is accomplished in an unusual way in The Yellow Wallpaper and The Story of an hour; the freedom these women attained is not readily obtainable to most women in the 19th century.
In the poem “The Widow at Windsor” Rudyard Kipling uses the voice of one of the men to explain what it means to be one of Queen Victoria’s soldiers. The soldier explains how powerful the Queen is and how she uses her power over others to gain what she wants. He also talks about the soldiers that do her bidding. Any idealistic notions the soldiers may have had at the thought of being soldiers is countered by the reality of their day-to-day lives. Kipling’s own life experiences lends credence to the doublespeak that this poem brings to light. “The Widow at Windsor” uses a rapidly paced cadence to draw the reader into a conflicted world where soldiering for a powerful woman is a source of pride and disrespect and furthermore, the readers sees this duality of mind as demonstrable in any time period, regardless of the date.
The domestic sphere, or the house, is the main focus of the poem. While it represents a confining space and a confining societal role, the women inside of it represent a synthesis of the spheres in their activities. In the harlots, Wilde creates characters that exist in their gendered sphere, but also transgress it. The feminine sphere is akin to the idea of a perfect housewife: a woman who can cook, clean, take care of the children, and do it all with a silent smile. By making the location a brothel, Wilde presents the reader with the image of the Victorian angel in the house but makes her an Aesthetic portrait of womanhood. The image of the harlot is a twisted version of the angel in the house. She is not a perfect, modest housewife but in
Astell, Mary. "A Serious Proposal To The Ladies." The Broadview Anthology of British Literature: The Restoration And The Eighteen Century. Joseph Black [et all]. Peterborough, Ontario: Broadview Press, 2006. Print. Pages 291-296.
William Shakespeare’s The Tempest provides dialogue that portrays the social expectations and stereotypes imposed upon women in Elizabethan times. Even though the play has only one primary female character, Miranda, the play also includes another women; Sycorax, although she does not play as large a roll. During many scenes, the play illustrates the characteristics that represent the ideal woman within Elizabethan society. These characteristics support the fact that men considered women as a mere object that they had the luxury of owning and were nowhere near equal to them. Feminists can interpret the play as a depiction of the sexist treatment of women and would disagree with many of the characteristics and expectations that make Miranda the ideal woman. From this perspective, The Tempest can be used to objectify the common expectations and treatment of women within the 16th and 17th Centuries and compare and contrast to those of today.
In the Eighteenth and Nineteenth centuries, the idea of patriarchy ruled the many societies all over the world. Particularly in Britain, its “overarching patriarchal model” (Marsh) had “reserved power and privilege for men” (Marsh). Also during this time period feminist literature began to arise and was invaded by, “the complex social, ethical, and economic roots of sexual politics… as testimony to gender bias and the double standard” (“Sexual Politics and Feminist Literature”). In Jane Austen’s writing, readers have been aware of her constant themes of female independence and gender equality. However, many have criticized the author for the fact that many of her “individualistic” female characters have ended up
Similar to many of the great feministic novels of its time, Jane Eyre purely emerges as a story focused on the quest for love. The novel’s protagonist, Jane, searches not only for the romantic side of love, but ultimately for a sense of self-worth and independence. Set in the overlapping times of the Victorian and Gothic periods, the novel touches upon both women’s supposed rights, and their inner struggle for liberty. Orphaned at an early age, Jane was born into a modest lifestyle, without any major parent roles to guide her through life’s obstacles. Instead, she spent much of her adolescent years locked in imaginary chains, serving those around her but never enjoying the many decadences life has to offer. It is not until Jane becomes a governess that many minute privileges become available to her and offer Jane a glance at what life could have been. It is on her quest for redemption and discovery that she truly is liberated. Throughout Charlotte Bronte’s classic novel Jane Eyre, the story’s protagonist Jane, struggles to achieve the balance of both autonomy and love, without sacrificing herself in the process.
“Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Bronte is a novel about an orphan girl growing up in a tough condition and how she becomes a mature woman with full of courage. Her life at Gateshead is really difficult, where she feels isolated and lives in fear in her childhood. Her parents are dead when she was little, her dead uncle begged his evil wife, Mrs. Reed, to take care of Jane until she becomes an adult. But Mrs. Reed does not keep her promise, no one treats Jane like their family members even treats her less than a servant. By the end of this essay it will be proven that Jane’s life at Gateshead has shaped her development as a young woman and bildungsroman.