Karel Reisz Essays

  • British Social Realism

    1926 Words  | 4 Pages

    term has got accustomed, and not only in paintings - the British art of 50s just as the Italian neo-realism, experienced explosion of interest to a life of simple people, people of working class. The cinema did not lag behind as well: in 1960s Karel Reisz has shot a film “Saturday night, Sunday morning", one more novel of A. Sillitoe " Loneliness of the long-distance runner " has been transformed into a film in 1962 by Toni Richardson. In 1963 young Lindsay Anderson has made sensational film “This

  • The Golem: Playing God

    2093 Words  | 5 Pages

    “Every act of creation is first of all an act of destruction.” These famous words by the painter Pablo Picasso prove true in the infamous Jewish myth, The Golem: How He Came into the World (The Golem), and Karl Capek’s play, Rossum’s Universal Robots (R.U.R.). Throughout history, many persons have tried to play God, through acts like cloning in the 1990’s or simply calling themselves God, as was practice in ancient Egyptian societies. Rarely in time though has man actually succeeded at his game,

  • Dignity In The Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass

    1176 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the books Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass and RUR by Karel Capek, there is the topic of dignity and should people have to work to have human dignity. What makes them have dignity is very touchy and controversial topic. In the dictionary, dignities definition is the state or quality of being worthy of honor or respect. Therefore, the definition along proves that people don’t have to work to have dignity but it helps. The Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass

  • The New Age of I Robot

    968 Words  | 2 Pages

    solve problems for which no algorithms were known, and robots have displaced many manufacturing and labor jobs. But machine is not man’s master. The form of computers has continued to change, but not one has been able to reproduce the grim scenes of Karel Capek’s 1921 play R. U. R. (Rossum's Universal Robots). His play was the first to use the word “robots”. A term coined by Capek’s brother Josef Capek (Lidove noviny, 24.12.1933), which just means laborer or a type of slave or peasant. The play was

  • Contradictory Impulses in Chopin’s The Awakening

    532 Words  | 2 Pages

    personal growth remains stifled by her inability to reconcile the contradictory impulses pulling her in different directions. Edna clearly envisions herself somewhere between mother-goddess figure Adele Ratignolle and the artist-spinster Mademoiselle Reisz, yet can not seem to negotiate a space that affords the luxury of love unspoiled by self-sacrifice and obligation. Edna’s “soul” surfaces when she allows herself to act on impulse over duty, but as Chopin’s words reveal, Mrs. Pontellier blindly fol

  • Comparison between Adele Ratignolle and Mademoiselle Reisz

    717 Words  | 2 Pages

    Comparison between Adele Ratignolle and Mademoiselle Reisz In order to help to get a point or idea across it is not uncommon to provide two stark contrasts to assist in conveying the point. Writers commonly use this technique in their writing especially when dealing with a story that concerns the evolution of a character. An example of such writing can be found in Kate Chopin's The Awakening. The novel deals with Edna Pontellier's "awakening" from the slumber of the stereotypical southern woman

  • Mademoiselle Reisz Character Analysis

    778 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Character of Mademoiselle Reisz in The Awakening   "The very first chords which Mademoiselle Reisz struck upon the piano sent a keen tremor down Mrs. Pontellier’s spinal column. It was not the first time she had heard an artist at the piano. Perhaps it was the first time she was ready, perhaps the first time her being was tempered to take an impress of the abiding truth." (26) Madam Reisz was a predominant factor in the life of Edna, compelling her to arouse her courage and supplying

  • Edna’s Search for Solitude in Kate Chopin's The Awakening

    1270 Words  | 3 Pages

    the power to free herself. Looking at examples of Edna's increasingly acute and outward responses to stimuli and her equally willful behavior, her search for solitude evolves as a woman becoming aware of her choices. When Edna hears Mademoiselle Reisz play at Grand Isle, she is prepared to see the music, as she ... ... middle of paper ... ...had overpowered and sought to drag her into the soul's slavery for the rest of her days" (138). The sensations that colored her world and gave her voice

  • The Awakening

    657 Words  | 2 Pages

    changes. She disregards her husband's wishes and often ignores her children. She learns to swim which also makes her begin to feel more independent. Edna befriends two women, Mademoiselle Reisz, a pianist, and Madame Ratignolle, a motherly lady. Distressed when Robert leaves for Mexico, Edna often visits Mademoiseel Reisz to whom Robert often writes. Edna continues to disregard the customs of society. Her husband becomes Lowe 2 very upset and insists that they must observe less convenance if they want

  • symbolaw Symbols and Symbolism - Birds as a Symbol in The Awakening

    592 Words  | 2 Pages

    Birds as the Symbol of Bondage and Freedom in The Awakening Birds that are enclosed in cages indicate solitude and bondage; those that roam in the open air above the seas represent freedom and happiness. The captivity or freedom of these animals is the symbolism that Chopin uses to illustrate the captivity Edna experiences from society and the freedom she desires.  Through this vivid bird imagery in her novel The Awakening, Chopin elucidates the struggle and freedom Edna encounters. From

  • Theme of Isolation in The Awakening

    785 Words  | 2 Pages

    toward true self-expression are "like a first breath of freedom" for Edna, leaving her wanting more (Chopin 694). Along with more expressive language, Edna learns to express her identity through art. Her teacher of this method is Mademoiselle Reisz, a Creole pianist. When previously lis... ... middle of paper ... ...r once again, leaving her devastated. As Edna nears the end of the novel, she has reached full self-realization and independence through these three forms of expression.

  • The Nature of Solitude in Chopin's Novel, The Awakening

    828 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Nature of Solitude in Chopin's Novel, The Awakening "The name of the piece was something else, but she called it ‘Solitude.' When she heard it there came before her imagination the figure of a man standing beside a desolate rock on the seashore. He was naked. His attitude was one of hopeless resignation as he looked toward a distant bird winging its flight away from him."(47) "All along the white beach, up and down, there was no living thing in sight. A bird with a broken wing was beating

  • The Metaphorical Lesbian in Chopin’s The Awakening

    617 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Metaphorical Lesbian in Chopin’s The Awakening In “The Metaphorical Lesbian: Edna Pontellier in The Awakening” Elizabeth LeBlanc asserts that the character Edna Pontellier is an example of what Bonnie Zimmerman calls the “metaphorical lesbian.” It’s important to distinguish between Zimmerman’s concept of the “metaphorical lesbian” and lesbianism. The “metaphorical lesbian” does not have to act on lesbian feelings or even become conscious of herself as a lesbian. Instead, the “metaphorical

  • Choice of Lifestyle in Kate Chopin’s The Awakening

    654 Words  | 2 Pages

    Lifestyle in Kate Chopin’s The Awakening One of many poignant themes in Kate Chopin’s The Awakening is Edna Pontellier’s fundamental choice of lifestyle -- the choice of dedication to the aesthete, the solitude of art (as represented by Mademoiselle Reisz), or devotion to the all-consuming task of becoming a domestic goddess (as Madame Ratignolle has done). Considered mutually exclusive not only by Chopin but by American society as a whole, the role of the housewife leaves little room for the serious

  • Essay on Female Companions in The Awakening and A Doll's House

    639 Words  | 2 Pages

    Female companions are very important to the development of the main characters in Kate Chopin's The Awakening and in Henrik Ibsen's A Doll House. Mademoiselle Reisz and Madame Ratignolle, in The Awakening, and Kristine Linde, in A Doll House, help Edna Pontellier and Nora Helmer discover their inner selves. Mademoiselle Reisz, Madame Ratignolle, and Kristine Linde all act as role models for the protagonists. Edna deeply admires Mademoiselle Reisz's piano playing. When Edna hears Mademoiselle

  • Essay on The Awakening and A Doll's House

    891 Words  | 2 Pages

    Comparison of The Awakening and A Doll's House The Awakening, a novel by Kate Chopin, and A Doll's House, a play by Henrik Ibsen, are two works of literature that can be readily compared. Both works take place in the same time period, around the late 1800s. Both works feature a woman protagonist who is seeking a better understanding of herself. Both Edna and Nora, the main characters, display traits of feminism. Both Edna and Nora have an awakening in which she realizes that she has not been

  • The Character of Mademoiselle Reisz in The Awakening

    1084 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Character of Mademoiselle Reisz in The Awakening "She was a disagreeable little woman, no longer young, who had quarreled with almost everyone, owing to a temper which was self-assertive and a disposition to trample upon the rights of others." (25) This is how Kate Chopin introduces the character of Mademoiselle Reisz into her novel, The Awakening. A character who, because of the similarities she shares with Madame Pontellier, could represent the path Madame Pontellier’s life may have taken

  • The Awakening

    711 Words  | 2 Pages

    worshipped their husbands, and esteemed it to a holy privilege to efface themselves as individuals" (689). The characters of Adele Ratignolle and Mademoiselle Reisz represent what society views as the suitable and unsuitable women figures. Mademoiselle Ratignolle is the ideal Grand Isle woman, a home-loving mother and a good wife. Mademoiselle Reisz is the old, unmarried, childless, musician who devoted her life to music instead of a man. Edna switches between the two identities until she awakens to the

  • Edna as a Metaphorical Lesbian in Chopin’s The Awakening

    548 Words  | 2 Pages

    Edna as a Metaphorical Lesbian in Chopin’s The Awakening Elizabeth LeBlanc places The Awakening in an interesting context in her essay “The Metaphorical Lesbian,” as gender criticism must, for Chopin wrote the novel at the end of the 19th century, when homosexuality as an identity emerged culturally, at least in terms of the gay male identity, as proffered by Oscar Wilde across the Atlantic. Lesbianism, too, started to make its debut on the cultural stage, particularly in literature. However

  • The Victorian Era and The French Lieutenant's Woman

    834 Words  | 2 Pages

    Cited Bradbury, Malcolm, ed.  The Atlas of Literature.  New York: Stewart, Tabori and Chang,  1998. Damrosch, David, ed.  The Longman Anthology of British Literature.  New York: Longman,  2000. The French Lieutenant's Woman.  Dir. Karel Reisz.  Perf.  Jeremy Irons and Meryl Streep.  United Artists, 1981.