Tennessee Williams 1944 The Glass Menagerie is a memory play. It is told through the eyes of Tom, the narrator and key player who is also an aspiring poet. The Glass Menagerie managed to brave through the years and never lost its simplistic appeal. Tom’s father ran away when he was little. By virtue of his being employed, he becomes the chief provider for his incomplete family - comprised of himself, his mother Amanda, am ex-Southerner and his sister Laura who is physically and emotionally disabled.
At the beginning Tom explains his situation with eloquence, ”I turn back time. I reverse it to that quaint period, the thirties, when the huge middle class of America was matriculating in a school for the blind. Their eyes failed them, or they had failed their eyes."
The lasting appeal of The Glass Menagerie may be attributed to the enduring life lessons it preaches. The play maybe set in a bygone era but its central theme rings true even to this day. We all could empathize with the characters’ fragility for at some point of time we all feel vulnerable. We also go through struggles in life particularly single parents. Relationships may not be perfect especially in dysfunctional families and it is not hard to imagine why relationships fail in the midst of pressures.
Due to the story’s universal appeal, imperfect production of the play does not fail to elicit similar reactions from the audience. Laura’s glass menagerie or collection of glass figurines especially her favorite glass unicorn provides a thought-provoking simile on the frailty of the human spirit. As Laura watches helplessly as the precious glass unicorn breaks providing a great allusion to the state of the Wingfield family, Tom’s final monologue on his decision to leave his family never fail to elicit emotions and induce tears.
To give justice to Tom’s role would be a huge feat. In the hands of a lesser actor, Tom would be reduced to a hard-hearted and selfish man instead of the brave man that he truly is.
Tom is portrayed as one with wry humor due to his growing frustration of carrying the brunt of supporting the fatherless household on his shoulders. He is torn between loving and resenting his mother and helpless aunt.
In order to depict the true essence of the story, it is important for the leading character Tom Wingfield to be portrayed masterfully so he will not end up eclipsing the other supporting characters.
There maybe some famous actors with proven star and crowd-drawing power in the cast but one could not sense any self-centeredness in their performance. This in turn, lends the story more credibility.
Jim O’Connor, Laura’s friend and crush, is another important character. It takes a skilled actor to portray a complex man such as Jim who does not flinch at the sight of Laura’s disability. It takes a real special and sensitive man to see beyond appearances and care for the person for what she truly is the way Jim sees Laura. When Amanda left Jim and Laura alone so their friendship could blossom provides a truly magical moment on stage.
It is so easy to see Laura’s struggles as she copes with the emotionally and physically crippling disability. But as she hands the broken glass unicorn to Jim, Laura simply shines and her disability temporarily set aside. We see a different Laura, glowing from inside because of her new-found friend Jim. Despite Jim’s sudden declaration that he is committed to a serious relationship, Laura manages to accept the blow with equanimity unusual for her age of twenty-four years. The broken unicorn symbolizes broken dreams. The distant, even unreal aspirations represented by a unicorn, which would forever remain an unattainable dream. The kind of dream Laura sees in Jim’s eyes which hastily vanished as reality sets in and he bids her goodbye.
Amanda Wingfield takes a little bit of getting used to. Her manipulative and sometimes boastful ways are not exactly endearing but we know deep down she is likable person. It takes a good actress to make Amanda’s role her own.
The actress playing Amanda Wingfield is a revelation. Amanda being the belle from the South who has great aspirations but is not capable of achieving them is quite an enigma and a challenge to anybody who plays the part. The actress though is able to pull through and create the necessary impression on Amanda’s character as depicted in the play. Instead of seeing a disillusioned Amanda - one who lives in the world of fantasy – we see an Amanda who is more realistic and strong-minded.
Unlike the other characters in the story, Amanda does not down her sorrows in empty pursuits typified by her daughter Laura’s preoccupation with the collection of animal glass. And Tom’s nightly visits to the movies which in actuality pertain to the bars and brothels of Depression-era St. Louis. Amanda manages to contain her pains of abandonment by reminiscing the glory days when she had plenty of suitors and a
Southern belle.
Being confronted with a difficult situation where her 24-year-old daughter Laura, who is too shy to earn a business degree, Amanda plans a practical strategy for survival with the aid of her son Tom. She will marry Laura off to some nice young man. Tom chooses Jim for the part and invites him home for supper. At that time, the plan seems practical. They do not count on Jim backing off at the last minute though and saying he is already engaged. This compounded the problem some more though as they are left to help a broken-hearted Laura cope on top of their woes.
Thinking that Tom played a cruel joke on them, Amanda confronts Tom. This escalates into a heated argument between mother and son. It is to be their final fight since not long after Tom leaves them for good. In the heart-wrenching closing monologue, we find Tom admitting that the memory of his sister Laura still lingers even though several years has gone by since he abandoned her and Amanda.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Renaissance Art
Renaissance is the French equivalent of the Italian word rinascita which means "rebirth". This is period of European history from early 14th century to late 16th century. This period is characterized by radical and comprehensive changes that took place in European culture leading to the end of the Middle Ages as it makes its transition to the modern world.
Cultural rebirth was the central characteristic of the Renaissance. There is a marked revival of the values and artistic styles of classical antiuqity during the period particularly in Italy.
Giovanni Boccaccio in the 14th century defined Renaissance as the collective Italian efforts to imitate the poetic style of the ancient Romans. In 1550 the art historian Giorgio Vasari coined the term rinascita (rebirth) to refer to the imitation of the ancient Roman method of painting by Giotto di Bondone at the start of the 14th century.
Renaissance: Italy
The "rebirth" of art in Italy was brought about by the rediscovery of ancient philosophy, literature, and science and the changes of empirical methods of study in these fields.
The evolution of Italian Renaissance art was an evolving process but it is divided into three major phases: Early, High, and Late Renaissance.
The Early Renaissance
The principal members of the first generation of Renaissance artists - Donatello in sculpture, Filippo Brunelleschi in architecture, and Masaccio in painting. Early Renaissance artists create art forms that imitates the physical appearance of the natural world and in consonance with their experience of human personality and behavior.
Early Renaissance pertains to all the art of the 15th century. In 1450, a new generation of artists such as Pollaiuolo and Sandro Botticelli flourished in Florence. Leon Battista Alberti’s work in Rimini and Mantua represented the best architecture of the new HUMANISM; Andrea Mantegna's paintings in Padua showcases linear perspective, antiquarianism, and realistic technique; and Giovanni Bellini's portrays poetic classicism.
The High Renaissance
The art of the High Renaissance sought a general, unified effect of pictorial representation or architectural composition exuding dramatic force and physical presence.
The High Renaissance style endured for only a brief period (c.1495-1520) and was created by a few artists of genius, among them Leonardo da Vinci, Donato Bramante, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Titian.
The Late Renaissance
In 1527, Rome was sacked which hindered the progress of Italian art. Artists were forced to leave and settle in other parts in Italy, France, and Spain. Some early proponets of MANNERISM, were Jacopo Carucci Pontormo, Parmigianino, and Rosso Fiorentino. The mannerism style however were expressed extemely in the work of Giorgio Vasari and Giovanni da Bologna. Mannerism was an aesthetic movement that placed importance on refined grace and elegance -the beautiful maniera, or style, from which Mannerism derives its name.
Cultural rebirth was the central characteristic of the Renaissance. There is a marked revival of the values and artistic styles of classical antiuqity during the period particularly in Italy.
Giovanni Boccaccio in the 14th century defined Renaissance as the collective Italian efforts to imitate the poetic style of the ancient Romans. In 1550 the art historian Giorgio Vasari coined the term rinascita (rebirth) to refer to the imitation of the ancient Roman method of painting by Giotto di Bondone at the start of the 14th century.
Renaissance: Italy
The "rebirth" of art in Italy was brought about by the rediscovery of ancient philosophy, literature, and science and the changes of empirical methods of study in these fields.
The evolution of Italian Renaissance art was an evolving process but it is divided into three major phases: Early, High, and Late Renaissance.
The Early Renaissance
The principal members of the first generation of Renaissance artists - Donatello in sculpture, Filippo Brunelleschi in architecture, and Masaccio in painting. Early Renaissance artists create art forms that imitates the physical appearance of the natural world and in consonance with their experience of human personality and behavior.
Early Renaissance pertains to all the art of the 15th century. In 1450, a new generation of artists such as Pollaiuolo and Sandro Botticelli flourished in Florence. Leon Battista Alberti’s work in Rimini and Mantua represented the best architecture of the new HUMANISM; Andrea Mantegna's paintings in Padua showcases linear perspective, antiquarianism, and realistic technique; and Giovanni Bellini's portrays poetic classicism.
The High Renaissance
The art of the High Renaissance sought a general, unified effect of pictorial representation or architectural composition exuding dramatic force and physical presence.
The High Renaissance style endured for only a brief period (c.1495-1520) and was created by a few artists of genius, among them Leonardo da Vinci, Donato Bramante, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Titian.
The Late Renaissance
In 1527, Rome was sacked which hindered the progress of Italian art. Artists were forced to leave and settle in other parts in Italy, France, and Spain. Some early proponets of MANNERISM, were Jacopo Carucci Pontormo, Parmigianino, and Rosso Fiorentino. The mannerism style however were expressed extemely in the work of Giorgio Vasari and Giovanni da Bologna. Mannerism was an aesthetic movement that placed importance on refined grace and elegance -the beautiful maniera, or style, from which Mannerism derives its name.
Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen
Hedda Gabler is one of Henrik Ibsen’s important ‘problem plays’. The play depicts conflict in Hedda’s life as she tries to fit into her new life as a married person. She sued to belong to an aristocratic family but is delegated to a bourgeois life as she married Tesman. Hedda Gabler is an apt title to this play because what Ibsen attempted to depict is that Hedda is to be regarded as the father’s daughter rather than her husband’s wife. Her personality being that of an aristocrat identifies her more of her previous life with her family rather than her present role as a wife of a bourgeois.
Hedda subjects herself to societal norms even at the risk of losing the one she adores in order to conform to society. In her need to stick to conventions, she marries Dr. Tesman whose status in life promises stability and respectability for her instead of marrying a poor rake like Ejlert Lövborg whom she finds fascinating. The life she seeks through Tesman leads her to boredom and uselessness though. She shows disregard for Aunt Julia who raises her husband and provides for them financially. She is mean to Mrs. Elvsted who is a former classmate of Hedda.
Hedda Gabler is the epitome of a worldly woman. She is sophisticated, well-bred and pretty. She feels trapped as she assumed the inevitable role of a middle class courtesy of her marrying one. This results to feelings of boredom which brings dire consequences at the end.
Another condition that leads to her feelings of boredom is her pregnancy. Being selfish, she finds her predicament unsettling and unbearable. Her selfishness and inability to find better use of her time drives her to commit ghastly acts. She flirts with her former lover Ejlert and develops alliance with Judge Brack, despite her being very much married and pregnant. She hides Ejlert’s manuscript and encourages him to commit suicide even hands him one of her pistol. And in the ultimate act of selfishness, she commits suicide at the end.
The other male characters seem in love with Hedda. It could be due to her sense of beauty in a decadent way. Brack wants to start a relationship with her and Ejlert hopes that she shares his "passion for life." She finds these ideas quite ridiculous. She rejects Ejlert's views and teases Brack by referring to him as "the cock of the walk." Even Mrs. Elvsted does not feel uncomfortable around Hedda because she had bad experience with her in the past when they were classmates.
Despite Hedda’s apparent faults, she portrays the most influential character. She manipulates other people because she has no peace or happiness in her life. Hedda's power is so broad that her self-destruction tendencies lead to the ruin of the lives of other characters. The rest of the characters only serve to show what Hedda does and does not have. Her lack of sympathy is apparent when she burns Ejlert manuscript, encourages him to commit suicide and begging him to do it beautifully. Her questionable morals are revealed when she associates with Judge Brack. Her meanness shows when she deals with Aunt Julia and Mrs. Elvsted.
The way Hedda relates to the people surrounding her shows callousness and utter disregard. When Hedda perceived that Ejlert has failed her by not shooting himself at the temple but is killed accidentally in a scuffle, disillusionment sets in. Her burden is further compounded when she learns that a scandal might occur for her. Her strong need to conform being threatened, Hedda sees no way out but to shoot herself.
A number of reasons come into play that eventually paves the way for Hedda’s suicide. Her spiritual poverty prevents her to appreciate what she has. Hedda manipulates everyone around her. She is strong but in an unguided and coarse way. She is also cruel and insolent. She does not hesitate to hurt other people just for the pleasure it provides.
The life of ease as defined by an aristocracy enables Hedda to appreciate the good life. The good life being in the midst of wealth and beauty. She forms a certain standard in mind which she desires to come up to. She never worries a day in her life being in the upper class. She is amused by how much Tesman worries about making a living.
Being the wife of a middle class however wakes her up to the painful reality of having to work to earn a living. Hedda’s appreciation for the good life even reveals in suicide. She even wishes Ejlert a "beautiful" suicide when he expresses his need to commit suicide and she hands him one of her pistol. To Hedda, life ought to be beautiful even in bleak times such as suicide.
Hedda’s morals leave much to be desired. She does not hesitate on flirting with other guys while her husband is not around even encourages their attention. Her values are based on aesthetic standards not on moral standards. To her, beauty matters more even if at the expense of morality or values.
Her natural predisposition to aristocratic ways prevents her to sympathize with her husband, Tesman’s plight. She is shallow. It is easy to see that whatever burdens she feel is due to her character or the apparent absence of it.
Due to her shortcomings, it is difficult for her to see another person’s point of view. Her false standards of happiness prevent her from looking beyond what is obvious. She is like an empty jar - beautiful to look at but nothing inside.
Hedda subjects herself to societal norms even at the risk of losing the one she adores in order to conform to society. In her need to stick to conventions, she marries Dr. Tesman whose status in life promises stability and respectability for her instead of marrying a poor rake like Ejlert Lövborg whom she finds fascinating. The life she seeks through Tesman leads her to boredom and uselessness though. She shows disregard for Aunt Julia who raises her husband and provides for them financially. She is mean to Mrs. Elvsted who is a former classmate of Hedda.
Hedda Gabler is the epitome of a worldly woman. She is sophisticated, well-bred and pretty. She feels trapped as she assumed the inevitable role of a middle class courtesy of her marrying one. This results to feelings of boredom which brings dire consequences at the end.
Another condition that leads to her feelings of boredom is her pregnancy. Being selfish, she finds her predicament unsettling and unbearable. Her selfishness and inability to find better use of her time drives her to commit ghastly acts. She flirts with her former lover Ejlert and develops alliance with Judge Brack, despite her being very much married and pregnant. She hides Ejlert’s manuscript and encourages him to commit suicide even hands him one of her pistol. And in the ultimate act of selfishness, she commits suicide at the end.
The other male characters seem in love with Hedda. It could be due to her sense of beauty in a decadent way. Brack wants to start a relationship with her and Ejlert hopes that she shares his "passion for life." She finds these ideas quite ridiculous. She rejects Ejlert's views and teases Brack by referring to him as "the cock of the walk." Even Mrs. Elvsted does not feel uncomfortable around Hedda because she had bad experience with her in the past when they were classmates.
Despite Hedda’s apparent faults, she portrays the most influential character. She manipulates other people because she has no peace or happiness in her life. Hedda's power is so broad that her self-destruction tendencies lead to the ruin of the lives of other characters. The rest of the characters only serve to show what Hedda does and does not have. Her lack of sympathy is apparent when she burns Ejlert manuscript, encourages him to commit suicide and begging him to do it beautifully. Her questionable morals are revealed when she associates with Judge Brack. Her meanness shows when she deals with Aunt Julia and Mrs. Elvsted.
The way Hedda relates to the people surrounding her shows callousness and utter disregard. When Hedda perceived that Ejlert has failed her by not shooting himself at the temple but is killed accidentally in a scuffle, disillusionment sets in. Her burden is further compounded when she learns that a scandal might occur for her. Her strong need to conform being threatened, Hedda sees no way out but to shoot herself.
A number of reasons come into play that eventually paves the way for Hedda’s suicide. Her spiritual poverty prevents her to appreciate what she has. Hedda manipulates everyone around her. She is strong but in an unguided and coarse way. She is also cruel and insolent. She does not hesitate to hurt other people just for the pleasure it provides.
The life of ease as defined by an aristocracy enables Hedda to appreciate the good life. The good life being in the midst of wealth and beauty. She forms a certain standard in mind which she desires to come up to. She never worries a day in her life being in the upper class. She is amused by how much Tesman worries about making a living.
Being the wife of a middle class however wakes her up to the painful reality of having to work to earn a living. Hedda’s appreciation for the good life even reveals in suicide. She even wishes Ejlert a "beautiful" suicide when he expresses his need to commit suicide and she hands him one of her pistol. To Hedda, life ought to be beautiful even in bleak times such as suicide.
Hedda’s morals leave much to be desired. She does not hesitate on flirting with other guys while her husband is not around even encourages their attention. Her values are based on aesthetic standards not on moral standards. To her, beauty matters more even if at the expense of morality or values.
Her natural predisposition to aristocratic ways prevents her to sympathize with her husband, Tesman’s plight. She is shallow. It is easy to see that whatever burdens she feel is due to her character or the apparent absence of it.
Due to her shortcomings, it is difficult for her to see another person’s point of view. Her false standards of happiness prevent her from looking beyond what is obvious. She is like an empty jar - beautiful to look at but nothing inside.
Profile of a Songwriter: John Lennon
John Winston Ono Lennon (9 October 1940 – 8 December 1980) is undoubtedly one of the greatest and most famous songwriter of all times. He was best known as a singer, songwriter, and guitarist for the English music group The Beatles. As the partner of the legendary songwriting duo Lennon-McCartney team, his heavy influence on the phenomenal growth of rock music with introduction of more advanced multi-layered arrangements, mature lyrical sentiments and musical eclecticism echoes to this day.
Lennon had a deep influence on rock and roll and in developing the genre during the 1960s. He is considered together with his songwriting partner Paul McCartney, as one of the most influential singer-songwriter-musicians of the 20th century. A number of the songs he wrote feature reflective pieces usually in the first person as opposed to McCartney's style of writing. His most wonderful pieces of songwriting, "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "I Am the Walrus", reflect the best examples of his unique style. Lennon provided the sad, personal style of writing which complemented Paul’s upbeat positive outlook.
Songwriting Career
The amazingly effective simple chord in Lennon songs has baffled songwriters for years. For instance, “Strawberry Fields Forever”: The verse concludes with a classic I–vi–IV–V progression, then the chorus jumps off a harmonic cliff, plunging to the v (minor) and VI7 (now major) as we arrive at the place where “nothing is real.” It is easy to analyze Lennon’s work but the magic it creates is beyond our grasps.
A number of Lennon songs use harmonic vertigo, implementing a simple chord switch from major to minor and vice versa, variations into sudden keys, the occasional augmented or ninth chord. For instance “Real Love,” the Lennon-written Beatles track on the posthumous Anthology 2. The falsetto lines that lead into the chorus, “Why must we be alone? / Why must we be alone?” which are complemented by an unusual shift from D (I) to C9 (bVII9) and back again.
The Acoustic collection provides a very personal portrait of Lennon the songwriter and guitarist, playing songs in unplugged form. Highlights include “Watching the Wheels,” which sounds downright folksy compared to the version on Double Fantasy, and “Real Love”.
In the Beatles, Lennon mostly provided the rhythmic side, playing the singular changes (often using full barre chords) and allowing Harrison to add ornamentation and texture. On rare occasions Lennon would want to lead which is apparent in “Get Back”. After the White Album, he recorded some beautiful stand-alone accompaniment parts, such as the superb fingerstyle “Dear Prudence.”
As Lennon’s harmonic sense keep getting better so did his lyric writing. Looking back at his contributions to the Beatles album, Lennon once commented that his most personal writing turned out to be his best work such as the songs “Help!” “Strawberry Fields,” and “In My Life”.
In his solo years, Lennon wanted to reveal the truth and take away the art and pretense. Plastic Ono Band, released in 1970 after the Beatles lost its luster and when he was hospitalized in Dr. Arthur Janov’s Primal Center, sounds surprisingly raw despite the rising number of singer-songwriters revealing their innermost thoughts stripped of deceit for therapy and art throughout the decades.
Lennon’s writing on Plastic Ono Band and the gentler follow-up, Imagine was due to his personal experience on the process of self-discovery rather than expressing a very smart idea. Lennon merely expresses himself and his take on matters. Unlike some early Beatles songs, they are not intended to be genre pieces.
Six songs from Plastic Ono Band showed on Acoustic, including the little gem “Love” and the melancholy “Look at Me.” At times he felt resentment for way people put the Beatles on the lofty pedestal even to the point of saying “I don’t believe in Beatles,” in the song he wrote “God”. At the same time, Lennon is also very much aware of the fact that his music provides a great avenue for him to broadcast his messages to the world. He had the knack of compressing an idea down into a catchphrase or slogan such as “All you need is love.” “Power to the people.” “Give peace a chance.”
His lyrics showcase his wide range of musical ability. It could be abstract and complex or extremely simple and honest stripped of pretence. Whatever it is Lennon wants to display often ends up providing a great range of color and creativity through the use of metaphor and simile. John possessed a keen mind, quick wit and sharp tongue. He was always searching for something that could fill the emptiness he felt inside and give him the happiness and direction he so desperately needed. He somehow found what he was searching for in Yoko Ono’s side which led to the disbandment of the greatest rock group of all times the Beatles. He told Paul in 1971, "I want a divorce" and the Beatles were formally dissolved by January of 1971, each pursuing separate ways.
Lennon had a deep influence on rock and roll and in developing the genre during the 1960s. He is considered together with his songwriting partner Paul McCartney, as one of the most influential singer-songwriter-musicians of the 20th century. A number of the songs he wrote feature reflective pieces usually in the first person as opposed to McCartney's style of writing. His most wonderful pieces of songwriting, "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "I Am the Walrus", reflect the best examples of his unique style. Lennon provided the sad, personal style of writing which complemented Paul’s upbeat positive outlook.
Songwriting Career
The amazingly effective simple chord in Lennon songs has baffled songwriters for years. For instance, “Strawberry Fields Forever”: The verse concludes with a classic I–vi–IV–V progression, then the chorus jumps off a harmonic cliff, plunging to the v (minor) and VI7 (now major) as we arrive at the place where “nothing is real.” It is easy to analyze Lennon’s work but the magic it creates is beyond our grasps.
A number of Lennon songs use harmonic vertigo, implementing a simple chord switch from major to minor and vice versa, variations into sudden keys, the occasional augmented or ninth chord. For instance “Real Love,” the Lennon-written Beatles track on the posthumous Anthology 2. The falsetto lines that lead into the chorus, “Why must we be alone? / Why must we be alone?” which are complemented by an unusual shift from D (I) to C9 (bVII9) and back again.
The Acoustic collection provides a very personal portrait of Lennon the songwriter and guitarist, playing songs in unplugged form. Highlights include “Watching the Wheels,” which sounds downright folksy compared to the version on Double Fantasy, and “Real Love”.
In the Beatles, Lennon mostly provided the rhythmic side, playing the singular changes (often using full barre chords) and allowing Harrison to add ornamentation and texture. On rare occasions Lennon would want to lead which is apparent in “Get Back”. After the White Album, he recorded some beautiful stand-alone accompaniment parts, such as the superb fingerstyle “Dear Prudence.”
As Lennon’s harmonic sense keep getting better so did his lyric writing. Looking back at his contributions to the Beatles album, Lennon once commented that his most personal writing turned out to be his best work such as the songs “Help!” “Strawberry Fields,” and “In My Life”.
In his solo years, Lennon wanted to reveal the truth and take away the art and pretense. Plastic Ono Band, released in 1970 after the Beatles lost its luster and when he was hospitalized in Dr. Arthur Janov’s Primal Center, sounds surprisingly raw despite the rising number of singer-songwriters revealing their innermost thoughts stripped of deceit for therapy and art throughout the decades.
Lennon’s writing on Plastic Ono Band and the gentler follow-up, Imagine was due to his personal experience on the process of self-discovery rather than expressing a very smart idea. Lennon merely expresses himself and his take on matters. Unlike some early Beatles songs, they are not intended to be genre pieces.
Six songs from Plastic Ono Band showed on Acoustic, including the little gem “Love” and the melancholy “Look at Me.” At times he felt resentment for way people put the Beatles on the lofty pedestal even to the point of saying “I don’t believe in Beatles,” in the song he wrote “God”. At the same time, Lennon is also very much aware of the fact that his music provides a great avenue for him to broadcast his messages to the world. He had the knack of compressing an idea down into a catchphrase or slogan such as “All you need is love.” “Power to the people.” “Give peace a chance.”
His lyrics showcase his wide range of musical ability. It could be abstract and complex or extremely simple and honest stripped of pretence. Whatever it is Lennon wants to display often ends up providing a great range of color and creativity through the use of metaphor and simile. John possessed a keen mind, quick wit and sharp tongue. He was always searching for something that could fill the emptiness he felt inside and give him the happiness and direction he so desperately needed. He somehow found what he was searching for in Yoko Ono’s side which led to the disbandment of the greatest rock group of all times the Beatles. He told Paul in 1971, "I want a divorce" and the Beatles were formally dissolved by January of 1971, each pursuing separate ways.
Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood
Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood is based on the infamous double murder in Canada in the1840's. The novel centers on a pretty 16 year-old servant girl who connived with a ranch helper to kill their employer and his mistress and ran off with their belongings. This is a true story which evoke furor in the community when it happened. They were captured several days later. The trial was much-publicized and they were found guilty of premeditated murder. The young man, James McDermott, was sentenced to death, and the girl, Grace Marks, was put to prison due to her age and the fact that she is a girl.
Alias Grace begins after the Grace has served 8 years in prison. She is around 24 years old. A young doctor, Dr. Simon Jordan, who wants to apply a new method of psychology, wants to use it on Grace. A group that has continuously strived to earn pardon for Grace Marks has recruited him with the hopes that he will declare Grace sane and innocent on all counts of murder.
Grace begins her story with her family in Scotland. Grace was sent to Canada as a servant. Here is where Grace meets her first true friend, Mary Whitney. Mary teaches Grace to be independent. Grace looks up to her. Unfortunately, Mary has a horrible death due to a bad surgical abortion and Grace is left alone and troubled by the gruesome death of her friend.
Grace meets Nancy Montgomery the housekeeper of Thomas Kinnear. She takes a job under Nancy mistakenly believing in their friendship. Soon Nancy is overtaken with Grace in the house, she becomes increasingly jealous of her role with Mr. Kinnear. Grace later discovers that the relationship between Kinnear and Montgomery is more than just employer-employee. Kinnear also beds Montgomery. With the proposed dismissal of Grace and the hired hand McDermott, Grace is led with McDermott into killing the two and robbing them for their own escape. Although not long after, in a hotel, Grace and McDermott, even though ironically using the alias Mary Whitney, are arrested.
The setting of Alias Grace is extremely important in the story. The story takes place in the novel and in actuality in the mid to late eighteen hundreds. The murders of Nancy Montgomery and Thomas Kinnear occurred on July 23, 1843. The crime and court proceedings are all dated to their actual time and place.
The irony in Alias Grace exists in the fact that Grace was not aware that she committed the murder. In the past multiple personality or insanity is not an acceptable reason. A murder is simply a murder. It does not matter what the story behind is. Alias Grace reveals that deficiency in the earlier times. We have to consider the fact that the novel is set in the 18th century, in Kingston a small town in Canada. This is important because during this time in history there the theory that "innocent until proven guilty" is not recognized nor practiced.
There was a trial by publicity which means the judge, jurors, and the public had all decided Grace Marks was guilty even before she was tried. There was no sequestering of juries in those days that would filter public opinion and limit its devastating effect to the jurors. False accusations could easily ruin the opinions of those trying Grace Marks. During those times, the sentencing was apparently more brutal than today. If a person was found guilty of murder the sentence was death by hanging. Death penalty nowadays is less brutal and is applicable only in rare and extreme cases such as serial killings.
McDermott was hanged for the murder of two people. Grace even though she escaped the same fate suffered as much though. The life in prisons and asylums during those times were not exactly ideal either. They were even considered barbaric by today's standards. Aside from that, the need to correctly diagnose of mental disabilities was practically nonexistent.
In the novel, Dr. Jordan’s use of hypnosis to ferret out the truth from Grace was not acceptable and was widely unorthodox. When it was found out that Grace has multiple personality disorders which explains her incapacity to recall what happened that fateful day is considered unusual if not weird revelation. During those times, it is not unusual to see a number of cases brought about by insanity that were tried and meted death by hanging while those mentally stable convicts were put into an asylum.
Alias Grace begins after the Grace has served 8 years in prison. She is around 24 years old. A young doctor, Dr. Simon Jordan, who wants to apply a new method of psychology, wants to use it on Grace. A group that has continuously strived to earn pardon for Grace Marks has recruited him with the hopes that he will declare Grace sane and innocent on all counts of murder.
Grace begins her story with her family in Scotland. Grace was sent to Canada as a servant. Here is where Grace meets her first true friend, Mary Whitney. Mary teaches Grace to be independent. Grace looks up to her. Unfortunately, Mary has a horrible death due to a bad surgical abortion and Grace is left alone and troubled by the gruesome death of her friend.
Grace meets Nancy Montgomery the housekeeper of Thomas Kinnear. She takes a job under Nancy mistakenly believing in their friendship. Soon Nancy is overtaken with Grace in the house, she becomes increasingly jealous of her role with Mr. Kinnear. Grace later discovers that the relationship between Kinnear and Montgomery is more than just employer-employee. Kinnear also beds Montgomery. With the proposed dismissal of Grace and the hired hand McDermott, Grace is led with McDermott into killing the two and robbing them for their own escape. Although not long after, in a hotel, Grace and McDermott, even though ironically using the alias Mary Whitney, are arrested.
The setting of Alias Grace is extremely important in the story. The story takes place in the novel and in actuality in the mid to late eighteen hundreds. The murders of Nancy Montgomery and Thomas Kinnear occurred on July 23, 1843. The crime and court proceedings are all dated to their actual time and place.
The irony in Alias Grace exists in the fact that Grace was not aware that she committed the murder. In the past multiple personality or insanity is not an acceptable reason. A murder is simply a murder. It does not matter what the story behind is. Alias Grace reveals that deficiency in the earlier times. We have to consider the fact that the novel is set in the 18th century, in Kingston a small town in Canada. This is important because during this time in history there the theory that "innocent until proven guilty" is not recognized nor practiced.
There was a trial by publicity which means the judge, jurors, and the public had all decided Grace Marks was guilty even before she was tried. There was no sequestering of juries in those days that would filter public opinion and limit its devastating effect to the jurors. False accusations could easily ruin the opinions of those trying Grace Marks. During those times, the sentencing was apparently more brutal than today. If a person was found guilty of murder the sentence was death by hanging. Death penalty nowadays is less brutal and is applicable only in rare and extreme cases such as serial killings.
McDermott was hanged for the murder of two people. Grace even though she escaped the same fate suffered as much though. The life in prisons and asylums during those times were not exactly ideal either. They were even considered barbaric by today's standards. Aside from that, the need to correctly diagnose of mental disabilities was practically nonexistent.
In the novel, Dr. Jordan’s use of hypnosis to ferret out the truth from Grace was not acceptable and was widely unorthodox. When it was found out that Grace has multiple personality disorders which explains her incapacity to recall what happened that fateful day is considered unusual if not weird revelation. During those times, it is not unusual to see a number of cases brought about by insanity that were tried and meted death by hanging while those mentally stable convicts were put into an asylum.
The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
Eco's most famous novel, Il nome della rosa (1980, The Name of the Rose), is a murder mystery set in an Italian abbey in the year 1327. During the medieval period, the power of life and death lies with the Inquisition. A breakaway sect called the Fraticelli is one of those factions that threaten the wealth and political influence of the Church.
A number of murders occurred at the Italian monastery. William of Baskerville, accompanied by his apprenticee Adso of Melk, tried to prove that a series of murders is not committed by the Devil. As the story unfolds, they later find out that the blind librarian Jorge de Burgos – derived from the Argentinean writer Jorge Luis Borges - is behind the killings. He did the ghastly act to protect Aristotle's missing manuscript about comedy, the lost second book of Poetics. The abbey library and monastery was burned down and the manuscript disappears.
In “The Name of the Rose” Eco also explores the diversity, contradictions, and complexity of the medieval world, and in the course of doing so raises questions about our own: not least, from the library, repository of past learning and current speculation, about what constitutes culture, what is transmitted, by whom and for what purposes." (Contemporary World Writers, ed. by Tracy Chevalier, 1993) - "In essence, the basic question of philosophy (as of psychoanalysis) is the same as that of the detective novel: who is guilty? To know the answer (to think you know) you have to conjecture that the facts possess a logic - the logic that the guilty party has imposed on them." (from Postille a 'Il nome della rosa', transl. by Michael Dibdin, 1993)
In “The Name of the Rose”, right or wrong, the murderer actually believes that he was doing someone a favor. The murder is a means for achieving a good end, which is actually ironic.
A number of murders occurred at the Italian monastery. William of Baskerville, accompanied by his apprenticee Adso of Melk, tried to prove that a series of murders is not committed by the Devil. As the story unfolds, they later find out that the blind librarian Jorge de Burgos – derived from the Argentinean writer Jorge Luis Borges - is behind the killings. He did the ghastly act to protect Aristotle's missing manuscript about comedy, the lost second book of Poetics. The abbey library and monastery was burned down and the manuscript disappears.
In “The Name of the Rose” Eco also explores the diversity, contradictions, and complexity of the medieval world, and in the course of doing so raises questions about our own: not least, from the library, repository of past learning and current speculation, about what constitutes culture, what is transmitted, by whom and for what purposes." (Contemporary World Writers, ed. by Tracy Chevalier, 1993) - "In essence, the basic question of philosophy (as of psychoanalysis) is the same as that of the detective novel: who is guilty? To know the answer (to think you know) you have to conjecture that the facts possess a logic - the logic that the guilty party has imposed on them." (from Postille a 'Il nome della rosa', transl. by Michael Dibdin, 1993)
In “The Name of the Rose”, right or wrong, the murderer actually believes that he was doing someone a favor. The murder is a means for achieving a good end, which is actually ironic.
Q&A on Plato
Do you agree with Plato`s account of reality as composed of the visible and intellectual world (idealistic dualism) why/why not?
Yes I believe in Plato’s account of reality as composed of the visible and intellectual world (idealistic dualism).
In the “divided line”, “allegory of the cave” and the “image of the sun”, Plato discusses the metaphysics that divides the world into two separate aspects: the intellectual world of "forms", and the visible or perceptual world we see around us. The visible world comprises of imperfect copies of the intellectual world of forms or ideas. These forms are unalterable and perfect. These can only be understood by the use of the intellect or understanding such as using that part of the mind that does not include sense-perception or imagination.
Plato’s account of reality affirms the need to recognize the fact that reality is not what we see alone. Reality is much more than that. Reason, imagination and spiritual values form another part of reality that is as real and undeniable as those we see or perceive through our senses.
At the top this intellectual world is the Good, which shines down on all. Next is the form, the perfect versions of earthly objects which we remember when we see the objects. The forms provide us with our understanding, knowledge, and intelligence. We understand or know a horse because of the memory of the form horse. Next lowest is reason or thought based on axioms.
Then we cross the divider in the line, the visible things to which the other side of the line is applied. At the top of this lower section is belief, or perception based ideation. Next is the imagination.
Is Plato correct in his belief that the general and abstract is more real than the particular and concrete?
I believe Plato is correct. This is so because the particular and the concrete are not the ultimate real forms in Plato’s intellectual world which is represented by the general and the abstract. The particular and the concrete then are just mere representations of the general and the abstract. They bore only a striking resemblance of the ultimate reality found in the intellectual world.
The metaphor for particular and the concrete is shadows of cut-out shapes found on the walls of the cave which are mere symbols of the truth outside the cave lighted up by the sun.
What is the reality statis of mathematical entities for Plato?
One of the aspects in the intellectual world is reason. At the top of the ladder is the Good, followed by Form then Reason. The reason or thought is based on axioms. The reality statis of mathematical entities for Plato is that mathematical principles fall under Reason because they are too perfect to be considered part of the visible world.
Take for instance the mathematical advances of the Pythagoreans. Mathematics has a definitiveness that goes beyond the finest knowledge derived from experience. The construction of the Pythagorean Theorem, for example, cannot be found in the crude dimensions of space and time alone. At the same time it exhibits an amazing insight and certainty.
The Pythagorean Theorem can only be explained by assuming that it is a concept formed brought about by the impact of a perfect world of geometrical forms. It is the association of our soul to some extent in that world of Forms that explains the fact that we are capable of grasping something that is exact and amazing even though we cannot realize the construction except by the use of crude methods in the sensible world.
In geometry and arithmetic, we make use of specific figures to show our ideas and make examples clear. In these sciences, certain postulates are made and conclusions are drawn from the postulates. The intelligible, on the other hand, is "that which the reason itself," rather than image-assisted imagination, lays hold of by the power of dialectic, treating its assumptions not as absolute beginnings but literally as hypotheses, underpinnings, footings, and springboards so to speak, to enable it to rise to that which requires no assumption and is the starting point of all, and after attaining to that again taking hold of the first dependencies from it, so to proceed downward to the conclusion, making no use whatever of any object of sense but only of pure ideas moving on through ideas to ideas and ending with ideas. (511b-c)
Based on Plato`s account of ”The Forms” FROM THIS DIALOGUE how would he explain change in the universe and would he view it as good or bad?
Plato describes "The Form of the Good" in his book, The Republic, using Socrates as the example. The Form of the Good is the ideal or perfect nature of goodness, and so depicts the absolute measure of justice. Plato expounded the theory of justice in The Republic, in relation to his conception of the ideal state, both of which necessitate rule of the rational mind; in other words, philosopher-kings, who can grasp the Form of the Good.
He compares the Form of the Good to the sun. He says that just as the sun radiates light, so the form of the good radiates truth. Another parallelism is that if we are able to perceive the world through eyes with the aid of the light of the sun, we can also perceive the world through our rational minds with the aid of the truth, derived from the Form of the Good (referred to as Plato’s god).
Plato believes that the highest form of knowledge is the form of the good, from which all things that are considered just derives their worth. Humans are bounded by duty to find the good, but no one can hope to achieve this without philosophical reasoning.
The visible world comprises of imperfect copies of the intellectual world of forms or ideas. These forms are unalterable and perfect. These can only be understood by the use of the intellect or understanding such as using that part of the mind that does not include sense-perception or imagination. Change in the visible world therefore is neither good or bad because in the intellectual world of forms everything remains the same.
Given that The Republic is a fantasy about an ideal polis or city state, is Plato`s embedded theory of Forms to be taken as serious and substantial metaphysics or just wild fantastic yard spinning, why so?
It is to be taken seriously. The Republic maybe a fantasy about an ideal polis or city state but it reflects timeless truths that are applicable up to now.
According to these accounts, the metaphors serve as elucidation of the complex and difficult theory which Plato preaches : the presence of The Form of the Good, which pertains to the ultimate truth and which illuminates on the rest of the forms such as the universals: abstract kinds and attributes and from which all other forms "emanate". That is at the core of the theory of Forms which compares and contrasts the visible from the intellectual world. These truths are as real today as it was then.
Yes I believe in Plato’s account of reality as composed of the visible and intellectual world (idealistic dualism).
In the “divided line”, “allegory of the cave” and the “image of the sun”, Plato discusses the metaphysics that divides the world into two separate aspects: the intellectual world of "forms", and the visible or perceptual world we see around us. The visible world comprises of imperfect copies of the intellectual world of forms or ideas. These forms are unalterable and perfect. These can only be understood by the use of the intellect or understanding such as using that part of the mind that does not include sense-perception or imagination.
Plato’s account of reality affirms the need to recognize the fact that reality is not what we see alone. Reality is much more than that. Reason, imagination and spiritual values form another part of reality that is as real and undeniable as those we see or perceive through our senses.
At the top this intellectual world is the Good, which shines down on all. Next is the form, the perfect versions of earthly objects which we remember when we see the objects. The forms provide us with our understanding, knowledge, and intelligence. We understand or know a horse because of the memory of the form horse. Next lowest is reason or thought based on axioms.
Then we cross the divider in the line, the visible things to which the other side of the line is applied. At the top of this lower section is belief, or perception based ideation. Next is the imagination.
Is Plato correct in his belief that the general and abstract is more real than the particular and concrete?
I believe Plato is correct. This is so because the particular and the concrete are not the ultimate real forms in Plato’s intellectual world which is represented by the general and the abstract. The particular and the concrete then are just mere representations of the general and the abstract. They bore only a striking resemblance of the ultimate reality found in the intellectual world.
The metaphor for particular and the concrete is shadows of cut-out shapes found on the walls of the cave which are mere symbols of the truth outside the cave lighted up by the sun.
What is the reality statis of mathematical entities for Plato?
One of the aspects in the intellectual world is reason. At the top of the ladder is the Good, followed by Form then Reason. The reason or thought is based on axioms. The reality statis of mathematical entities for Plato is that mathematical principles fall under Reason because they are too perfect to be considered part of the visible world.
Take for instance the mathematical advances of the Pythagoreans. Mathematics has a definitiveness that goes beyond the finest knowledge derived from experience. The construction of the Pythagorean Theorem, for example, cannot be found in the crude dimensions of space and time alone. At the same time it exhibits an amazing insight and certainty.
The Pythagorean Theorem can only be explained by assuming that it is a concept formed brought about by the impact of a perfect world of geometrical forms. It is the association of our soul to some extent in that world of Forms that explains the fact that we are capable of grasping something that is exact and amazing even though we cannot realize the construction except by the use of crude methods in the sensible world.
In geometry and arithmetic, we make use of specific figures to show our ideas and make examples clear. In these sciences, certain postulates are made and conclusions are drawn from the postulates. The intelligible, on the other hand, is "that which the reason itself," rather than image-assisted imagination, lays hold of by the power of dialectic, treating its assumptions not as absolute beginnings but literally as hypotheses, underpinnings, footings, and springboards so to speak, to enable it to rise to that which requires no assumption and is the starting point of all, and after attaining to that again taking hold of the first dependencies from it, so to proceed downward to the conclusion, making no use whatever of any object of sense but only of pure ideas moving on through ideas to ideas and ending with ideas. (511b-c)
Based on Plato`s account of ”The Forms” FROM THIS DIALOGUE how would he explain change in the universe and would he view it as good or bad?
Plato describes "The Form of the Good" in his book, The Republic, using Socrates as the example. The Form of the Good is the ideal or perfect nature of goodness, and so depicts the absolute measure of justice. Plato expounded the theory of justice in The Republic, in relation to his conception of the ideal state, both of which necessitate rule of the rational mind; in other words, philosopher-kings, who can grasp the Form of the Good.
He compares the Form of the Good to the sun. He says that just as the sun radiates light, so the form of the good radiates truth. Another parallelism is that if we are able to perceive the world through eyes with the aid of the light of the sun, we can also perceive the world through our rational minds with the aid of the truth, derived from the Form of the Good (referred to as Plato’s god).
Plato believes that the highest form of knowledge is the form of the good, from which all things that are considered just derives their worth. Humans are bounded by duty to find the good, but no one can hope to achieve this without philosophical reasoning.
The visible world comprises of imperfect copies of the intellectual world of forms or ideas. These forms are unalterable and perfect. These can only be understood by the use of the intellect or understanding such as using that part of the mind that does not include sense-perception or imagination. Change in the visible world therefore is neither good or bad because in the intellectual world of forms everything remains the same.
Given that The Republic is a fantasy about an ideal polis or city state, is Plato`s embedded theory of Forms to be taken as serious and substantial metaphysics or just wild fantastic yard spinning, why so?
It is to be taken seriously. The Republic maybe a fantasy about an ideal polis or city state but it reflects timeless truths that are applicable up to now.
According to these accounts, the metaphors serve as elucidation of the complex and difficult theory which Plato preaches : the presence of The Form of the Good, which pertains to the ultimate truth and which illuminates on the rest of the forms such as the universals: abstract kinds and attributes and from which all other forms "emanate". That is at the core of the theory of Forms which compares and contrasts the visible from the intellectual world. These truths are as real today as it was then.
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
THE SCARLET LETTER opens with a long introduction on the book came about. The unidentified narrator was the surveyor of the customhouse in Salem, Massachusetts. In the customhouse’s attic, he discovered a number of documents, one of them were a manuscript that was bundled with a scarlet, gold-embroidered patch of cloth in the shape of an “A.” The manuscript was written by surveyor in the past. It narrated events in great detail that took place around two hundred years before the narrator’s time. When the narrator lost his job at the customs, he decided to write a fictional story based on the events contained in the manuscript. The Scarlet Letter is the fictional story he wrote.
Hawthorne begins The Scarlet Letter with this long introductory essay that served as a preface. This preface though was aimed to accomplish four important tasks: 1). outlines information pertaining to the author’s autobiography, 2). describes the contradiction between the artistic inclination and the commercial setting, 3). defines the romance novel (which Hawthorne is credited for his efforts in refining and mastering the craft), and 4). confirms the basis of the novel by explaining that he had discovered in the Salem Custom House the faded scarlet A and the parchment sheets that contained the historical manuscript on which the novel is based.
Despite its claim, there is no existing serious, scholarly work that supports the idea that Hawthorne ever actually had in his possession such letter or manuscript. This narrative technique, typical of the narrative traditions of his time, serves as a way of giving his story an air of historic authenticity.
Of the American writers from the mid-nineteenth century whose names are still recognized today, the majority are writers of prose narrative, such as Nathaniel Hawthorne. The Scarlet Letter is one the products of prose narrative genre.
The kind of narration employed in The Scarlet Letter is that of an omniscient narrator. Editorial omniscience pertains to an interruption by the narrator to be able to describe a character for a reader, such as the part of the story where the narrator of The Scarlet Letter describes Hester’s relationship to the Puritan community. Narration that enables the characters’ actions and thoughts to speak for themselves is termed neutral omniscience. A number of modern writers use neutral omniscience to enable readers to arrive at their own conclusions.
Limited omniscience happens when an author confines the role of the narrator to the single viewpoint of either a major or minor character. The way people, places, and events are seen by the character is the way they are seen by the reader. Sometimes a limited omniscient narrator can be use in more than one character, specifically in a work that dwells on two characters interchangeably from one chapter to the next. Short stories, however, are often limited to a single character’s point of view.
Hawthorne organizes the story of Hester and Minister Dimmesdale around three vital scenes, each of these scenes occur on the scaffold outside the prison in Boston. Each is used to reveal some important information about his hero and heroine. All throughout the novel, the author balances his narrative among scenes describing the career of Hester among the villagers, the growing agony felt by Dimmesdale over his secret sin, and the subtle efforts of Chillingworth to uncover his wife's lover.
Brief History of Narratives
Literary narratives appeared in the 1850’s. It seemed to be the means authors used to counter the pressing issues of the day - a political crisis over slavery, which threatened the nation’s existence and produced a compromise meant to suppress the controversy. At this moment, Hawthorne emphasized certain elements present in their own earlier writings and in those of Poe and set their work apart from national narrative. The “Custom-House” introduction to Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter shows an attempt by author to detach himself from national concerns.
It presented a startling contrast not only to national narrative but also to local and personal narratives, both of which addressed and reflected the concerns of everyday public life, the literary narrative of The Scarlet Letter deviates from the conventional narratives to be able to cultivate a freely imaginative space.
Through the irony of Hawthorne works of literary narrative, it does not only differ from but also appears to rise above and, indirectly, to criticize the common life. Yet their critical authority was based on the fact that it was limited to influential audiences, mysterious topics, and indirect methods. The potential triumph of creating a “different world” through writing was often viewed by the authors themselves as boringly recurring, lonely labor. The moment in which the “literary” writer was transformed into an “artist” marks a crisis in the relation of narrative to its readers, for the work of the artist was understood to draw its main worth from its personal relation to the writer’s self.
Narrative technique: Romance versus Novel
Jonathan Arac (714) in his “Narrative Forms” stated:
“Hawthorne, in his longer works, maintains an extremely high proportion of narration to dialogue, while at the same time abandoning most of the materials—that is, the actions— of traditional narration…. Hawthorne defined the special ‘medium’ of the romance writer as ‘moonlight, in a familiar room’ …. The key figure in Hawthorne’s long narratives, in keeping with his theatricality, is the ‘sensitive spectator’ … another of the bridging devices by which Hawthorne’s romances function….
In an Emersonian movement of compensation, the sensitive spectator responds to the absent and contrary features of a face or context, feeling the pain in bravery and the triumph in humility that together make Hester a reconciliation of opposites, embodying the power Coleridge had attributed to the imagination.”
Narrative persona: “The Custom-House”
What is the purpose of the Introductory section? This question is effectively addressed by Jonathan Arac (711):
“ This interdependence of romance and everyday marks the relation of “The Custom-House to “The Scarlet Letter”, that is, of the introductory sketch of modern life to the long tale of seventeenth century with which it shares a book.… it offers to prove the ‘authenticity’ of the narrative, but it does so by invoking ‘literary propriety’, an appeal to convention rather than a warrant of authenticity. By taking possession through “The Custom-House” of the (physical) scarlet letter as his property, the author of “The Custom-House” personalizes the narrative.
There are many correspondences between the authorial figure of “The Custom-House” and the characters of “The Scarlet Letter”. Both Hester in the tale’s opening and Hawthorne in the sketch are subjected to disapproval by an imagined crowd of Puritan authorities. Both Dimmesdale in the tale and Hawthorne in the sketch are split by a passionate inner life that is wholly at odds with their ‘official’ public position.
Both Chillingworth in the tale and Hawthorne in the sketch display prowess as critical analysts of character….A recurrent mood of “The Custom-House” … is harried dejection…. Consider a major rhetorical motif in “The Custom-House”, the insistence that the gloom of “The Scarlet Letter” stems in part from an act of revolutionary victimization…. The sketches of ‘official’ character that occupy Hawthorne in the avowedly antipolitical literary practice of “The Custom-House” correspond to his occupation during his maximal political involvement…”
Hawthorne begins The Scarlet Letter with this long introductory essay that served as a preface. This preface though was aimed to accomplish four important tasks: 1). outlines information pertaining to the author’s autobiography, 2). describes the contradiction between the artistic inclination and the commercial setting, 3). defines the romance novel (which Hawthorne is credited for his efforts in refining and mastering the craft), and 4). confirms the basis of the novel by explaining that he had discovered in the Salem Custom House the faded scarlet A and the parchment sheets that contained the historical manuscript on which the novel is based.
Despite its claim, there is no existing serious, scholarly work that supports the idea that Hawthorne ever actually had in his possession such letter or manuscript. This narrative technique, typical of the narrative traditions of his time, serves as a way of giving his story an air of historic authenticity.
Of the American writers from the mid-nineteenth century whose names are still recognized today, the majority are writers of prose narrative, such as Nathaniel Hawthorne. The Scarlet Letter is one the products of prose narrative genre.
The kind of narration employed in The Scarlet Letter is that of an omniscient narrator. Editorial omniscience pertains to an interruption by the narrator to be able to describe a character for a reader, such as the part of the story where the narrator of The Scarlet Letter describes Hester’s relationship to the Puritan community. Narration that enables the characters’ actions and thoughts to speak for themselves is termed neutral omniscience. A number of modern writers use neutral omniscience to enable readers to arrive at their own conclusions.
Limited omniscience happens when an author confines the role of the narrator to the single viewpoint of either a major or minor character. The way people, places, and events are seen by the character is the way they are seen by the reader. Sometimes a limited omniscient narrator can be use in more than one character, specifically in a work that dwells on two characters interchangeably from one chapter to the next. Short stories, however, are often limited to a single character’s point of view.
Hawthorne organizes the story of Hester and Minister Dimmesdale around three vital scenes, each of these scenes occur on the scaffold outside the prison in Boston. Each is used to reveal some important information about his hero and heroine. All throughout the novel, the author balances his narrative among scenes describing the career of Hester among the villagers, the growing agony felt by Dimmesdale over his secret sin, and the subtle efforts of Chillingworth to uncover his wife's lover.
Brief History of Narratives
Literary narratives appeared in the 1850’s. It seemed to be the means authors used to counter the pressing issues of the day - a political crisis over slavery, which threatened the nation’s existence and produced a compromise meant to suppress the controversy. At this moment, Hawthorne emphasized certain elements present in their own earlier writings and in those of Poe and set their work apart from national narrative. The “Custom-House” introduction to Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter shows an attempt by author to detach himself from national concerns.
It presented a startling contrast not only to national narrative but also to local and personal narratives, both of which addressed and reflected the concerns of everyday public life, the literary narrative of The Scarlet Letter deviates from the conventional narratives to be able to cultivate a freely imaginative space.
Through the irony of Hawthorne works of literary narrative, it does not only differ from but also appears to rise above and, indirectly, to criticize the common life. Yet their critical authority was based on the fact that it was limited to influential audiences, mysterious topics, and indirect methods. The potential triumph of creating a “different world” through writing was often viewed by the authors themselves as boringly recurring, lonely labor. The moment in which the “literary” writer was transformed into an “artist” marks a crisis in the relation of narrative to its readers, for the work of the artist was understood to draw its main worth from its personal relation to the writer’s self.
Narrative technique: Romance versus Novel
Jonathan Arac (714) in his “Narrative Forms” stated:
“Hawthorne, in his longer works, maintains an extremely high proportion of narration to dialogue, while at the same time abandoning most of the materials—that is, the actions— of traditional narration…. Hawthorne defined the special ‘medium’ of the romance writer as ‘moonlight, in a familiar room’ …. The key figure in Hawthorne’s long narratives, in keeping with his theatricality, is the ‘sensitive spectator’ … another of the bridging devices by which Hawthorne’s romances function….
In an Emersonian movement of compensation, the sensitive spectator responds to the absent and contrary features of a face or context, feeling the pain in bravery and the triumph in humility that together make Hester a reconciliation of opposites, embodying the power Coleridge had attributed to the imagination.”
Narrative persona: “The Custom-House”
What is the purpose of the Introductory section? This question is effectively addressed by Jonathan Arac (711):
“ This interdependence of romance and everyday marks the relation of “The Custom-House to “The Scarlet Letter”, that is, of the introductory sketch of modern life to the long tale of seventeenth century with which it shares a book.… it offers to prove the ‘authenticity’ of the narrative, but it does so by invoking ‘literary propriety’, an appeal to convention rather than a warrant of authenticity. By taking possession through “The Custom-House” of the (physical) scarlet letter as his property, the author of “The Custom-House” personalizes the narrative.
There are many correspondences between the authorial figure of “The Custom-House” and the characters of “The Scarlet Letter”. Both Hester in the tale’s opening and Hawthorne in the sketch are subjected to disapproval by an imagined crowd of Puritan authorities. Both Dimmesdale in the tale and Hawthorne in the sketch are split by a passionate inner life that is wholly at odds with their ‘official’ public position.
Both Chillingworth in the tale and Hawthorne in the sketch display prowess as critical analysts of character….A recurrent mood of “The Custom-House” … is harried dejection…. Consider a major rhetorical motif in “The Custom-House”, the insistence that the gloom of “The Scarlet Letter” stems in part from an act of revolutionary victimization…. The sketches of ‘official’ character that occupy Hawthorne in the avowedly antipolitical literary practice of “The Custom-House” correspond to his occupation during his maximal political involvement…”
Igor Stravinsky - Symphony of Psalms
It is not a symphony in which I have included Psalms to be sung. On the contrary, it is the singing of the Psalms that I am symphonizing.' --- Igor Stravinsky
Biography
Igor Fedorovich Stravinsky was born and raised at Oranienbaum on the Gulf of Finland on 5 June 1882 (O.S.) or 17 June (N.S.). His father wanted him to pursue law so he enrolled in the course. The strong attraction to music though took him back to his roots. He composed piano pieces. His musical abilities were further honed through the able guidance of Rimsky-Korsakov, one of the famed Russian Five.
Stravinsky befriended Rimsky-Korsakov's son. He spent a lot of his time composing on his own. At that time he was taking private lessons in harmony and planned to enroll in the Russian Conservatory. Fate decided to step in when he met Rimsky-Korsakov, the head of the Conservatory. Never the one to withhold help to a true artist and seeing the promise the young man showed, Rimsky-Korsakov volunteered to teach Stravinsky himself. Stravinsky, of course, jumped at the rare opportunity.
At the conservatory, Rimsky-Korsakov required his students to perform their works. Stravinsky chose his composition called Fireworks. His music caught the attention and impressed Sergei Diaghilev. He believed Stravinsky would be the ideal person to
compose ballet music for his Russian Ballet. Diaghilev commissioned his three famous works The Firebird, Petrushka, The Rite of Spring.
When war broke out, Stravinsky and his family left for Switzerland. When the war ended, he realized he was too far from the important music centers in Europe. In 1920, he moved to France.
The French Composer in France
Diaghilev passed away on 19 August 1929 leading to the disbandment of the Russian Ballet. Stravinsky felt disassociated to his native land due to this. He had not step foot in Russia for the past fifteen years since he left in 1914. He managed to become one of the leading musical figures in France though. Besides, Diaghilev's troupe was based in Paris, and most of Stravinsky's works had their premières in Paris.
Despite his popularity in France, he felt unappreciated. He was commissioned to compose only one work called Persephone which was to be presented in France under Ida Rubinstein and her company. The Americans and the Germans showed more interest in his works than French. He received positive reviews on his compositions from the former countries compared to France.
Success in Europe
Stravinsky played the solo part of his composition Capriccio on its first performance at the Salle Pleyel, Paris, on 6 December 1929. It received much acclaim. The demand for his services grew quickly. The next five years saw Stravinsky performing in a number of Europe's key cities.
It was during this time of his where his works met much success and acclaim that he was commissioned by his dear friend Koussevitzky, who became the permanent conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, to compose a symphonic work to mark their fiftieth concert season in 1930. He composed the Symphony of Psalms.
Symphony of Psalms
Symphony of Psalms was the product of Stravinsky’s efforts in his bid to attend to his friend Serge Kussevitzsky’s request for a symphony that would honor the fiftieth anniversary of the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1930. Stravinsky’s dramatic works Oedipus Rex and Apollo paved the way for Symphony of Psalms. The former works were similar to his religious works in their splendor and musical composition even though pagan in subject matter.
The dedication to the Boston Orchestra was: "Cette Symphonie composée à la glorie de Dieu...". Stravinsky's faith was in full bloom when he wrote the Symphony of Psalms. This was attested by the fact that he was a regular communicant of the Orthodox Church in 1926.
The Symphony of Psalms was wrenched from the author’s soul. It represented his efforts to explicitly express his faith and desire to pay tribute to God. The resulting effect was a highly dramatic work that evoked man’s inner longings for the everlasting arms of God. The fact that he was a pious believer did not imply that the work should be viewed as a personal confession of faith. Symphony of Psalms is the projection of Stravinsky's own faith which typifies the faith of a devoted congregation. Because of that, Symphony of Psalms never lost its sense of drama.
In the Symphony of Psalms, Stravinsky used three of David's Psalms, in the Latin version of the Vulgate. He presents them in consonance with the spirit exhibited in the Old Testament. Before Christ came and earned salvation for men, man's relation to God, as shown in the sacred Mosaic texts, is incomplete. The grace which comes from God can only be won for the Christians through the Redeemer, Jesus Christ. But even under such circumstances, attaining grace is still possible at certain very special moments.
It is only on such occasions of perfect grace that faith enables to help us get rid of all the problems of existence, to dissolve the dramatic tensions of human life, and to calm the turmoil of the spirit. In the absence of grace, faith is only able to offer us consolation as it grants prayer and invocation, thus giving us deeper awareness on the emotional level where the dramatic tone of alternate struggle and passivity of the Old Testament and the pain and suffering of life are real and common.
Stravinsky wrote the third movement first, which is dated April 27, 1930 where an inscription, `a week after Ascension,' is found. The first movement was finished on August 15th, `Assumption Day in the Roman Church'. The second movement was finished on July 17. Stravinsky attached `a drawing of the Crucifixion' into his sketchbook, and wrote on it the following: `Adveniat regnum tuum'; and in an interview in May 1930 he stated that `the more one separates oneself from the canons of the Christian Church, the further one distances oneself from the truth,' but also `the overflowing of the framework in art testifies to a lack of internal discipline, which weakens the work.'
Form
Stravinsky did not intend to imitate the standard nineteenth century symphony, comprised of four distinct movements. Even before Symphony of Psalms, he was able to produce a special symphonic form for the Symphonies of Wind Instruments whereby several periodic episodes were connected to form a single movement. His wanted the Symphony of Psalms to be an original symphonic work performed on a grandiose scale without adhering to conventions.
He wanted `to create an organic whole without conforming to the various models adopted by custom, but still retaining the periodic order by which the symphony is distinguished from the suite' (Craft, Chronology of a Friendship).
When Stravinsky called his previous work Symphonies of Wind Instruments instead of Symphonies for Wind Instruments, he actually meant to emphasize the initial meaning of the word symphony, which is to bring together various instruments to produce a single. The symphony later pertains to a four-movement work with a particular structure. This is also apparent in his work Symphony in Three Movements.
Symphony of Psalms is actually comprised of three movements, but there is no gap or abrupt change in each movement, which follow one upon the other. He stressed that `it is not a symphony on which I have included Psalms to be sung. On the contrary, it is the singing of the Psalms that I am symphonizing' which was apparent in the way he treated the voices, like the way he treated the orchestra musically.
Gabriel Paichadze, his publisher, asked him to produce orchestral piece that does not have chorus, `....something popular': but Stravinsky wanted a psalm symphony for a long time which he kept to himself and he insisted on doing just that (Craft, Dialogues).
He wanted the work to present extensive contrapuntal development, and in order to carry out what he had in mind, he chose `a choral and instrumental ensemble in which the two elements should be on an equal footing, neither of them outweighing the other' (Craft, Chronology). For his text, he chose from the Vulgate verses 13 and 14 of Psalm 38, verses 2, 3 and 4 of Psalm 39, and the whole of Psalm 150. He prefaced the score with the instruction that the words should be sung in Latin all the time.
Analysis
Symphony of Psalms first movement is intended to be a Prelude to the Double Fugue of the second movement. It starts with arabesque appregios in the woodwind interspersed with a number of chords of E minor. The strings are then used then enter replaced by the altos.
The three movements which comprise the Symphony of Psalms do not pause between them. Symphony is used to refer to an assembly of musical strands and does not denote any particular form. The fundamental structure of the music is not to be associated with the `sonata form'; the first movement is a Prelude, and the second a Double
Fugue for voices and instruments. The theme of the instrumental Fugue is communicated by the oboe and then demonstrated by the flute. Oboes and flute also play the first development of the Fugue, which sounded like a soft organ.
Contrasting musical motifs pave the way for the eloquence of the third movement. Unlike traditional final movements that are composed during Stravinsky’s time spanning the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the Alleluia does not project a sense of triumph that is captured at the beginning of the movement. Instead one gets a feel of relief in the motif, emphasized by a crescendo and followed immediately by decrescendo.
Addendum
What I liked most in my class is tackling the works of the famous composers especially those that I admire. It offers me a glimpse of their lives and what contributed to their greatness. I feel my musical experience has grown during the semester. It made me appreciate music more.
Biography
Igor Fedorovich Stravinsky was born and raised at Oranienbaum on the Gulf of Finland on 5 June 1882 (O.S.) or 17 June (N.S.). His father wanted him to pursue law so he enrolled in the course. The strong attraction to music though took him back to his roots. He composed piano pieces. His musical abilities were further honed through the able guidance of Rimsky-Korsakov, one of the famed Russian Five.
Stravinsky befriended Rimsky-Korsakov's son. He spent a lot of his time composing on his own. At that time he was taking private lessons in harmony and planned to enroll in the Russian Conservatory. Fate decided to step in when he met Rimsky-Korsakov, the head of the Conservatory. Never the one to withhold help to a true artist and seeing the promise the young man showed, Rimsky-Korsakov volunteered to teach Stravinsky himself. Stravinsky, of course, jumped at the rare opportunity.
At the conservatory, Rimsky-Korsakov required his students to perform their works. Stravinsky chose his composition called Fireworks. His music caught the attention and impressed Sergei Diaghilev. He believed Stravinsky would be the ideal person to
compose ballet music for his Russian Ballet. Diaghilev commissioned his three famous works The Firebird, Petrushka, The Rite of Spring.
When war broke out, Stravinsky and his family left for Switzerland. When the war ended, he realized he was too far from the important music centers in Europe. In 1920, he moved to France.
The French Composer in France
Diaghilev passed away on 19 August 1929 leading to the disbandment of the Russian Ballet. Stravinsky felt disassociated to his native land due to this. He had not step foot in Russia for the past fifteen years since he left in 1914. He managed to become one of the leading musical figures in France though. Besides, Diaghilev's troupe was based in Paris, and most of Stravinsky's works had their premières in Paris.
Despite his popularity in France, he felt unappreciated. He was commissioned to compose only one work called Persephone which was to be presented in France under Ida Rubinstein and her company. The Americans and the Germans showed more interest in his works than French. He received positive reviews on his compositions from the former countries compared to France.
Success in Europe
Stravinsky played the solo part of his composition Capriccio on its first performance at the Salle Pleyel, Paris, on 6 December 1929. It received much acclaim. The demand for his services grew quickly. The next five years saw Stravinsky performing in a number of Europe's key cities.
It was during this time of his where his works met much success and acclaim that he was commissioned by his dear friend Koussevitzky, who became the permanent conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, to compose a symphonic work to mark their fiftieth concert season in 1930. He composed the Symphony of Psalms.
Symphony of Psalms
Symphony of Psalms was the product of Stravinsky’s efforts in his bid to attend to his friend Serge Kussevitzsky’s request for a symphony that would honor the fiftieth anniversary of the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1930. Stravinsky’s dramatic works Oedipus Rex and Apollo paved the way for Symphony of Psalms. The former works were similar to his religious works in their splendor and musical composition even though pagan in subject matter.
The dedication to the Boston Orchestra was: "Cette Symphonie composée à la glorie de Dieu...". Stravinsky's faith was in full bloom when he wrote the Symphony of Psalms. This was attested by the fact that he was a regular communicant of the Orthodox Church in 1926.
The Symphony of Psalms was wrenched from the author’s soul. It represented his efforts to explicitly express his faith and desire to pay tribute to God. The resulting effect was a highly dramatic work that evoked man’s inner longings for the everlasting arms of God. The fact that he was a pious believer did not imply that the work should be viewed as a personal confession of faith. Symphony of Psalms is the projection of Stravinsky's own faith which typifies the faith of a devoted congregation. Because of that, Symphony of Psalms never lost its sense of drama.
In the Symphony of Psalms, Stravinsky used three of David's Psalms, in the Latin version of the Vulgate. He presents them in consonance with the spirit exhibited in the Old Testament. Before Christ came and earned salvation for men, man's relation to God, as shown in the sacred Mosaic texts, is incomplete. The grace which comes from God can only be won for the Christians through the Redeemer, Jesus Christ. But even under such circumstances, attaining grace is still possible at certain very special moments.
It is only on such occasions of perfect grace that faith enables to help us get rid of all the problems of existence, to dissolve the dramatic tensions of human life, and to calm the turmoil of the spirit. In the absence of grace, faith is only able to offer us consolation as it grants prayer and invocation, thus giving us deeper awareness on the emotional level where the dramatic tone of alternate struggle and passivity of the Old Testament and the pain and suffering of life are real and common.
Stravinsky wrote the third movement first, which is dated April 27, 1930 where an inscription, `a week after Ascension,' is found. The first movement was finished on August 15th, `Assumption Day in the Roman Church'. The second movement was finished on July 17. Stravinsky attached `a drawing of the Crucifixion' into his sketchbook, and wrote on it the following: `Adveniat regnum tuum'; and in an interview in May 1930 he stated that `the more one separates oneself from the canons of the Christian Church, the further one distances oneself from the truth,' but also `the overflowing of the framework in art testifies to a lack of internal discipline, which weakens the work.'
Form
Stravinsky did not intend to imitate the standard nineteenth century symphony, comprised of four distinct movements. Even before Symphony of Psalms, he was able to produce a special symphonic form for the Symphonies of Wind Instruments whereby several periodic episodes were connected to form a single movement. His wanted the Symphony of Psalms to be an original symphonic work performed on a grandiose scale without adhering to conventions.
He wanted `to create an organic whole without conforming to the various models adopted by custom, but still retaining the periodic order by which the symphony is distinguished from the suite' (Craft, Chronology of a Friendship).
When Stravinsky called his previous work Symphonies of Wind Instruments instead of Symphonies for Wind Instruments, he actually meant to emphasize the initial meaning of the word symphony, which is to bring together various instruments to produce a single. The symphony later pertains to a four-movement work with a particular structure. This is also apparent in his work Symphony in Three Movements.
Symphony of Psalms is actually comprised of three movements, but there is no gap or abrupt change in each movement, which follow one upon the other. He stressed that `it is not a symphony on which I have included Psalms to be sung. On the contrary, it is the singing of the Psalms that I am symphonizing' which was apparent in the way he treated the voices, like the way he treated the orchestra musically.
Gabriel Paichadze, his publisher, asked him to produce orchestral piece that does not have chorus, `....something popular': but Stravinsky wanted a psalm symphony for a long time which he kept to himself and he insisted on doing just that (Craft, Dialogues).
He wanted the work to present extensive contrapuntal development, and in order to carry out what he had in mind, he chose `a choral and instrumental ensemble in which the two elements should be on an equal footing, neither of them outweighing the other' (Craft, Chronology). For his text, he chose from the Vulgate verses 13 and 14 of Psalm 38, verses 2, 3 and 4 of Psalm 39, and the whole of Psalm 150. He prefaced the score with the instruction that the words should be sung in Latin all the time.
Analysis
Symphony of Psalms first movement is intended to be a Prelude to the Double Fugue of the second movement. It starts with arabesque appregios in the woodwind interspersed with a number of chords of E minor. The strings are then used then enter replaced by the altos.
The three movements which comprise the Symphony of Psalms do not pause between them. Symphony is used to refer to an assembly of musical strands and does not denote any particular form. The fundamental structure of the music is not to be associated with the `sonata form'; the first movement is a Prelude, and the second a Double
Fugue for voices and instruments. The theme of the instrumental Fugue is communicated by the oboe and then demonstrated by the flute. Oboes and flute also play the first development of the Fugue, which sounded like a soft organ.
Contrasting musical motifs pave the way for the eloquence of the third movement. Unlike traditional final movements that are composed during Stravinsky’s time spanning the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the Alleluia does not project a sense of triumph that is captured at the beginning of the movement. Instead one gets a feel of relief in the motif, emphasized by a crescendo and followed immediately by decrescendo.
Addendum
What I liked most in my class is tackling the works of the famous composers especially those that I admire. It offers me a glimpse of their lives and what contributed to their greatness. I feel my musical experience has grown during the semester. It made me appreciate music more.
“Shays’ Rebellion"
Shays' Rebellion pertains to the armed revolt in western Massachusetts from 1786 to 1787. Shays’ rebellion is characterized as a political battle of armed protesters. The rebellion was led by Daniel P. Shays, a veteran of the American Revolutionary War, hence their name Shaysites (or “Regulators”) rebels derived from its leader. The Shaysites were comprised of disgruntled small farmers whose protests were fueled by huge debts and taxes. In order to meet their debts, many small farmers had to sell their land at a price lower than one-third of the prevailing fair market price to eastern Massachusetts real estate speculators. It led to extreme poverty for families that sold their land. It also meant the loss of their right to vote since this right was associated with land ownership.
Furthermore, rewriting of credit schemes which were allowed at Massachusetts at that period was strongly opposed by the wealthy and influential people such as Governor James Bowdoin. The punishment for inability to pay debts was often imprisonment. The farmers believed that the punishment did not fit the crime. It was seen as unfair treatment of the wealthy to the poor. The perceived injustice became the battle cry of the Shaysites.
The rebellion commenced on August 29, 1786. Initial protests were initially peaceful. A Massachusetts militia scored the victory against the weakened Shaysite forces on February 3, 1787. The cause Shaysite fought for however served as the impetus that formed the Constitutional Convention in May, 1787. One of the pressing issues tackled in the convention was the reevaluation of the Articles of Confederation due to its apparent lack when it comes to institutional response to the revolt.
Eventually the forces behind the rebellion were dissipated due to the growing economy and the elections that replaced the incumbent powers with individuals supportive to the rebellion. These elections, despite the prohibition, involved many of Shays' followers.
Furthermore, rewriting of credit schemes which were allowed at Massachusetts at that period was strongly opposed by the wealthy and influential people such as Governor James Bowdoin. The punishment for inability to pay debts was often imprisonment. The farmers believed that the punishment did not fit the crime. It was seen as unfair treatment of the wealthy to the poor. The perceived injustice became the battle cry of the Shaysites.
The rebellion commenced on August 29, 1786. Initial protests were initially peaceful. A Massachusetts militia scored the victory against the weakened Shaysite forces on February 3, 1787. The cause Shaysite fought for however served as the impetus that formed the Constitutional Convention in May, 1787. One of the pressing issues tackled in the convention was the reevaluation of the Articles of Confederation due to its apparent lack when it comes to institutional response to the revolt.
Eventually the forces behind the rebellion were dissipated due to the growing economy and the elections that replaced the incumbent powers with individuals supportive to the rebellion. These elections, despite the prohibition, involved many of Shays' followers.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
The Utopia Reader
The Utopia Reader as edited By Gregory Claeys and Lyman Tower Sargent.
The Utopia Reader edited By Gregory Claeys and Lyman Tower Sargent tackles the Utopian literature – from the earliest stages to the present. Utopia Reader is a single-volume anthology spanning the whole gamut of utopian writing. The book provides an overview of the history of utopianisms through well known texts at the same time the little known but usually engaging selections.
Utopian Reader is a series of skilful, stimulating essays about historical and philosophical utopias. It also presents a superb compilation of illustrations and photos tracing the annals of utopia as far back as Plato. What makes it a cut above the rest is the broad range of disciplines, works and forces that are identified as utopic.
The book stretched as far back as before Thomas More’s “Utopia” then tackled Edward Bellamy’ “Looking Backward: 2000-1887,” Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World”, Hesiod’s “Works and Days” to George Orwell’s “Nineteen Eighty-Four”.
The Nineteenth Century Utopia is different from the rest of the section because it starts with the historical account of American communal utopias such as the Shakers, the Amana community, and Oneida. These communities were patterned on the ideals of utopianism.
Shakers, or United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing, are the most enduring and successful of the many Utopian communities established in America in the 18th and 19th centuries. The first Shakers, led by Ann Lee, came to America from Manchester, England, in 1774. They established the foundation for a sect near Albany, New York, which has endured for more than 220 years. Shakers were united by their shared faith and a commitment to common property, celibacy, confession of sins, equality of men and women, pacificism and separation from the world.
Amanas left Germany in 1842, settling near Buffalo, New York to seek religious freedom. In 1855, the “Community of True Inspiration” moved west, forming their first village along the Iowa River. All land and buildings were owned by the community; families were assigned living quarters, and each person over school age worked at assigned tasks in the kitchens, fields, factories or shops. In 1932, the people voted to end the communal way of life.
Oneida Perfectionists was a religious utopian community founded by John Humphrey Noyes. They adopted a system of communism “included all property of family living and associations” as a way to live. Two years later, the community adopted Noyes’ teachings of “Mutual Criticism,” “Complex Marriage” marriage or pentagamy, where every male was declared married to every female (and vice versa) in 1879 and “Male Continence” where a “couple would engage in sexual congress without the man ever ejaculating, either during intercourse or after withdrawal.”
After discussing the utopian theories behind the three communities, the topic shifts to the writings of Butler, Bellamy, Marx, Engels and others.
Edward Bellamy was an American author, most famous for his utopian novel which was set in the year 2000 called Looking Backward. The novel waspublished in 1888.
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels co-authored the famous piece The Communist Manifesto in 1848. The pamphlet was based on Engels’ The Principles of Communism. The 12,000-word pamphlet was finished in six weeks. It aimed to make communism understandable to a wide audience. It was named The Communist Manifesto and was published in February 1848. Engels also edited several volumes of Das Kapital after Marx’s death.
Utopia Reader presents an extensive and substantial introduction to the utopian works, starting classics to our recent, contemporary times. It provides various essays and derives excerpts from the original texts. The editors’ commentary does not provide analysis to the work rather it provided sketchy historical and biographical background on the work and author.
Despite its broadness of scope, the collection however does not feature the works of authors that tackles utopianism in the context of science fiction. Among such sci-fi utopian authors include: Ray Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451,” Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale, “Ursula K. Le Guin’s “The Dispossessed” and Anthony Burgess’ “A Clockwork Orange”. Still, it does not diminish the fact that despite its limitation, Utopia Reader provides the most comprehensive introduction to the utopian tradition.
The quest for utopia or the perfect place has captured man’s fertile imagination for centuries. Perhaps the biblical account of the Garden of Eden must have spurred such quests. Through the years the ideas have evolved and grown such as finding utopia in the high-tech Biosphere. Utopia Reader presents an interesting chronology on the evolution of utopia. If making the world a better place is what interests you, this book will offer helpful insights. Beyond that, it also provides a compelling read. A perfect package fit for the idealism it preaches.
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