This essay seeks to discuss the influence on modernism of new theories of the self, with reference to The life and Death of Harriet Frean and to relevant works of theory from the period. It is the purpose of this work to achieve this by conversing on memory, spiritual and physical dualism with final assertions on identity. Lastly the conclusion will emphasise the points made in the text.
Pete A. Y. Gunter’s comment, on French psychologist Pierre Janet, can be employed to describe the regressive memory theme in The Life and Death of Harriet Frean. Janet theorized that psychological reality maintains and develops tension. And suggests when this healthy apprehension is breached, a process of repression is experienced. Red Campion is symbolically used in the novel to represent this repression. Additionally French philosopher Henri Bergson’s theory of a stream of consciousness, where the ego combines the present mind state and former mind states, display May Sinclair’s narrative technique. Bergson developed the idea to demonstrate continuity between the present state and the entire experience of past state of mind: in this context these states are inseparable. Bergson later names this practice as memory. And it is Harriet’s memory or stream of consciousness that defines every aspect of her life.
These theories from the turn of the century are fundamental in this Modernist text. Moreover representations of a stream of consciousness are integral to literary Modernists of the time; such as James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, T. S. Eliot and Marcel Proust for example.
During the early part of the twentieth century European social and political development continued to reshape itself in accordance to the momentous and rapid modern era. ...
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...ory of Harriet determined her family ideals and a selfless perception of life; eventually to her detriment. The pivotal occurrence in her youth was utilised by her mother to remodel her future. Harriet was to act beautifully from here on.
This socialisation by her parents critiques the psychic being and its potential for wanted behaviour. The reaction of Mr and Mrs Frean are internalised which then blossoms as a repression of emotions and a ‘tight’ lipped façade: resulting in the image of red campion being constantly referenced throughout the novel. This exposes the connection between inward feelings and outward performance.
This Modernist narration is a pastiche of psychological theories. Blending these ideas flower the structural basis for identity and the modern self. And it is an in depth discourse on the self which has been the focus of Sinclair’s work.
Throughout the play Bennett reviles Doris’ character by showing her affection to the past, she talks to old photographs of her dead husband, Wilfred, and talks aloud to him. This indicates Doris’ apparent loneliness and how she feels “left behind” by the rest of her generation. When talking about the people she new in the past like Wilfred, she takes on there voice, this shows how she...
...ve interest was free born and wished to marry her. However, after Harriet?s attempts to pursued her master to sell her to the young neighbor failed she was left worse off than before. Dr. Norcom was so cruel he forbade Harriet anymore contact with the young man. Harriet?s next love came when she gave birth to her first child. Her son Benny was conceived as a way to get around Dr. Norcom?s reign of terror. However, this is a subject that was very painful for her. She conveys to the reader that she has great regret for the length she went to stop her Master. Along with her own guilt she carries the memories of her Grandmother?s reaction to the news of her pregnancy. Clearly this was a very traumatic time in Harriet?s life. In light of these difficult events Harriet once again found love and hope in her new born son. ?When I was most sorely oppressed I found solace in his smiles. I loved to watch his infant slumber: but always there was a dark cloud over my enjoyment. I could never forget that he was a slave.? (Jacobs p. 62)
There are always major changes happening to western civilizations. These changes can become the cornerstones of revolutions and the keynotes of history. Religion, civil rights, economic struggle, intellectual enlightenment as well as other civil inquisitions have led western civilization through its twist and turns. For the whole of Europe in its transitions from medieval times to the modern world, it was influenced by a change in ideology. Philosophies and sciences brought about the new age for Europe. Political, religious and scientific standpoints reshaped the society on the continent.
Modernist Poetry involves a movement away from the self and the emotions of the individual. Typically, the focus of Modernist poetry revolves around the rational notions of the self, unlike the Romantic period, which focused on the poet. Modernist poets ex...
Modernism can be defined through the literary works of early independent 20th century writers. Modernism is exp...
Rankine notes the most common way people question their own identity is by asking: Who am I?”. In an example, Rankine depicts a person questioning their identity by analyzing themselves from a third person perspective, “I they he she we you turn only to discover the encounter to be alien to this place… Time opens out to you. The opening, between you and you, occupied, zoned for an encounter, given the histories of you and you – And always, who is this you?” (314-315). Stepping out of one’s self to critique from a distance and asking the thought-provoking question of who you really are allows for an in-depth analysis of one’s character, often needed when individuals inevitably being to feel astray. In the same narrative, Rankine utilizes the example of time and history to explain how people question their own identity and character. Together, time and history are the two culprits of frantically putting identity into question. Time’s ability to allow individuals to reflect on their own history causes a critical auto-evaluation. Rankine examines the ways in which people question their identity through qualitative questioning and by using examples of time and history.
The commercial, scientific, industrial and political revolutions of the European Transformation changed the world forever. If it weren’t for the technological and scientific advances made during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the world might still consist of isolated countries without communications between them, and without the ability to mass-produce and travel from one place to another quickly. The ideological advancements, perhaps the most important outcome of the 1400-1900’s, are what opened the doors to the freedom and independence from autocratic and class rule that the greater part of the modern world now experiences.
Thomas Stearns Eliot was a strong voice within the modernist movement, “the birth of modernism within poetry is usually defined by the publication date…The movement began within the end of 19th century after World War I and was continued into the mid 1900’s.” Authors like Modernist authors such as Joyce, Pound and Eliot had a different approach than others, “they were obsessed with the idea that literary artist could create any text in any medium, be in the novel, poetry or even a theatrical piece, that would freely and enthusiastical...
The struggle the other characters face in telling Mrs. Mallard of the news of her husband's death is an important demonstration of their initial perception of her strength. Through careful use of diction, Mrs. Mallard is portrayed as dependent. In mentioning her "heart trouble" (12) Chopin suggests that Mrs. Mallard is fragile. Consequently, Josephine's character supports this misconception as she speaks of the accident in broken sentences, and Richards provides little in the way of benefiting the situation. In using excess caution in approaching the elderly woman, Mrs. Mallard is given little opportunity to exhibit her strength. Clearly the caution taken towards Mrs. Mallard is significant in that it shows the reader the perception others have of her. The initial description the author provides readers with creates a picture that Mrs. Mallard is on the brink of death.
Early on the reader is aware that Mary Katherine thoughts are unusual and eccentric for a girl her age. Mary Katherine was brought up as upper class in a small village, living with her family until their sudden death. With only her Uncle and
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.
Many believed that Modernist works were not “art” because they did not always look like real life. But what is “real life”? A new outlook on reality was taken by Modernists. What is true for one person at one time is not true for another person at a different time. Experimentation with perspective and truth was not confined to the canvas; it influenced literary circles as well.
Many may argue that the Modernist movement was a completely new and unique movement within British literature. The goal of this paper is to determine whether or not the Modernist Literary Movement was completely unique or not. The similarities found in the works of Modernist authors and poets, such as Joseph Conrad and Hilda Doolittle (H.D.), will be examined against Romanticism themes and authors such as William Wordsworth. What will be found is that Modernism is not a completely unique movement, but one that combines elements from previous literary movements.
Therborn, Göran: European Modernity and Beyond: The Trajectory of European Societies, 1945 - 2000, London (Sage) 1995.
Truth of oneself makes it visible when faced with absurd events in life where all ethical issues fade away. One cannot always pinpoint to a specific trait or what the core essence they discover, but it is often described as “finding one’s self”. In religious context, the essential self would be regarded as soul. Whereas, for some there is no such concept as self that exists since they believe that humans are just animals caught in the mechanistic world. However, modern philosophy sheds a positive light and tries to prove the existence of a self. Modern philosophers, Descartes and Hume in particular, draw upon the notion of the transcendental self, thinking self, and the empirical self, self of public life. Hume’s bundle theory serves as a distinction between these two notions here and even when both of these conception in their distinction make valid points, neither of them is more accurate.