In Daphne Du Maurier’s book, ‘Rebecca’, She uses contrasting features in her characters to emphasise their characteristics.An example of this is one of the main characters, Maxim de Winter. Maxim is portrayed as both attractive and forbidding, but also a mystery and an open book.In this essay I would like to explore the ways du Maurier portrays the character Maxim, and come to a conclusion on if he is either attractive or forbidding, and wither he is a mystery or an open book.
Maxim is first introduced by Mrs. Von Hopper in chapter two, “It’s Max de Winter”, she said “the man who owns Manderley. You’ve heard of it, of course.He looks ill , doesn't he? They say he can't get over his wife’s death…”.This opening line about Maxim tells us two
of the most important facts about him.The fact he owns Manderley and that his wife, Rebecca, died.These two facts dictate his life, as his home Manderley is his pride and joy and he dedicates most of his life to running and maintaining the household.The death of his wife also plays a big part in his life, as it seems that thoughts of his late wife haunt him in a way and stops him from moving on. Not much is said about his appearance when first introduced by Mrs. Von Hopper, except for the comment that he looks ill, which Mrs. Von Hopper pins as to being because of his wife’s death.This opening statement already gives us an idea of Maxim de Winter, as it makes him seem an open book.Two personal facts are known to Mrs. Von Hopper, although she doesn't personally know him, giving us the impression that his life is that of an open book. Not much about him at this point is a mystery.
“There is in fact no such thing as an instantaneous photograph. All photographs are time exposures, of shorter or longer duration, and each describes a discrete parcel of time.” -John Szarkowski
The way perspectives of composers and the cultural paradigms that they are influenced by are of a peculiar and often hidden nature. Through thorough textual analysis, the possibility of revealing these cultural values is enhanced, allowing the observation and appreciation of the how different ways of thinking have developed over time. Cultural values that deal with topics of gender inequalities, racial and social status prejudices and the result of societal dynamic are often hidden in texts from the Victorian Era, and this is absolutely true of Vanity Fair by William Thackeray as well as Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own. The two texts hold many areas of diversification and commonality which provide a basis of characters and their ways of thinking, in turn exposing attitudes towards certain cultural values.
Daphne Du Maurier's Rebecca Rebecca has been described as the first major gothic romance of the 20th century; Mrs. Danvers’ character is one of the few Gothic interests within the novel. Her unnatural appearance and multi-faceted relationship with Rebecca provides scope for manifold interpretations and critical views. Furthermore, Mrs. Danvers connection with Rebecca and Manderlay is a sub-plot in itself, making Mrs. Danvers the most subtly exciting character in the novel.
Mothers are often thought of and characterized as loving, generous women, who put their children before themselves. They are gracious, caring, and kind humans that are willing to sacrifice happiness and fulfillment in their lives to insure that their children receive the guidance, love, support, and happiness that every child (especially their own) deserves. Sadly, this description does not define the characteristics of all mothers. An example of a mother in which her mannerisms are the exact opposite of those depicted above is found in the character of Mrs. Hammond in Rebecca Rush's Kelroy, first published in 1812. Mrs. Hammond is an example of the realism found in the book. Combining realism such as this with romanticism makes Kelroy one of the best illustrations of a novel of manners.
When her parents die when she is still very young, innocent Ruth Hilton is sent to the city by the guardian she does not know. In the city she is to learn the trade very common for young girls during this time, that of the seamstress (Ugoretz), but events take a drastic turn when she becomes noble Mr Bellingham's mistress. Only 16 years old, Ruth is thrown into the for her unknown adult world and in this world, she cannot separate right from wrong and is thus considered to be a sinner. However, life is never simple and straightforward and in this essay, I discuss the moral aspects of the novel to decide if Ruth really is a bad person.
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.
The heroine, Mrs. P, has some carries some characteristics parallel to Louise Mallard in “Hour.” The women of her time are limited by cultural convention. Yet, Mrs. P, (like Louise) begins to experience a new freedom of imagination, a zest for life , in the immediate absence of her husband. She realizes, through interior monologues, that she has been held back, that her station in life cannot and will not afford her the kind of freedom to explore freely and openly the emotions that are as much a part of her as they are not a part of Leonce. Here is a primary irony.
... “the Appearance of a Gentleman” (236). She then baits him with a story, insisting that he “cannot, when you hear my Story, refuse that Assistance which is in your Power to give an unhappy Woman, who without it, may be rendered the most miserable of all created Beings” (236). Furthermore, the reason Beauplaisir concludes that the Widow Bloomer will be sexually responsive is her description of her previous marriage: “From that she passed to a Description of the Happiness of mutual Affection; —the unspeakable Ecstasy of those who meet with equal Ardency; and represented it in Colours so lively, and disclosed by the Gestures with which her Words were accompanied, and the Accent of her Voice so true a Feeling of what she said” (237). By distracting Beauplaisir with his own visual appearance, the Widow Bloomer supersedes his masculine power through her own auditory power.
3 The author also describes Mrs. Mallard as feeling “young, with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke repression and even a certain strength” (12)-- the strength of God. [What suggests that it is the strength of God, and not just a personal strength of her own?] From the statement “now her bosom rose and fell tumultuously” (12), the reader can sens...
In 1938, ‘Rebecca’ was written by Daphne du Maurier as a ‘study in jealousy’ as opposed to a love story which was how it was perceived when it was published. Throughout the novel themes of femininity, gender roles and relationships feature predominantly along with the exploration of the boundaries between life and death and how the titular character crosses them freely without being present. Du Maurier’s presentation of Rebecca varies from the conflicting aspects of her personality in terms of femininity and how the sheer memory of her lives on in people and objects.
Katherine Mansfield’s “Miss Brill” protagonist, Miss Brill, portrayed as an educated, older Caucasian female in France, seems to the reader to be alone, deranged, and miserable with an extensive
The creation of a plausible character within literature is one of the most difficult challenges to a writer, and development to a level at which the reader identifies with them can take a long time. However, through the masterful use of poetic devices and language Browning is able to create two living and breathing characters in sixty or less lines. When one examines these works one has to that they are quite the achievements for they not only display the persona’s of two distinct men but also when compared show large differences while dealing with essentially the same subject.
In this essay I will explore the ways writer’s present characters in different circumstances. The three main female characters I will contrast will be Lady Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Havisham by Carrol Ann Duffy and The women in laboratory by Robert Browning. I will analyze the choices made by the three protagonists and the unescapable consequences of them. The three texts create powerful imagery and through use of language and structure devices evoke strong perceptions from the audiences.
Madame Bovary is Gustave Flaubert’s first novel and is considered his masterpiece. It has been studied from various angles by the critics. Some study it as a realistic novel of the nineteenth century rooted in its social milieu. There are other critics who have studied it as a satire of romantic sensibility. It is simply assumed that Emma Bovary, the protagonist, embodied naive dreams and empty cliché that author wishes to ridicule, as excesses and mannerisms of romanticism. She is seen as a romantic idealist trapped in a mundane mercantile world. Innumerable theorists have discovered and analysed extensively a variety of questions raised by its style, themes, and aesthetic innovations. In this research paper an attempt has been made to analyse life of Emma Bovary as a paradigm of Lacanian desire.
Samuel Richardson entertained people with his novel by highlighting important issues such as virtue, morality, gender, class, and religion. He chose a character that is not only blessed with beauty but one that has brains and is innocent, which impressed and inspired individuals. These readers were exposed to a new reality once that consisted of showing how morality and virtue could lead to a positive and good life. The protagonist Pamela was successful in changing the perspective of a nobleman. People eventually put into question gender roles and social roles. In conclusion, Richardson’s novel proved that these barriers could all be broken.