Franz Kafka (1883–1924) was a German-speaking Bohemian writer whose work has had a profound influence on modern literature. Born in Prague, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Kafka was raised in a middle-class Jewish family. He studied law and worked for an insurance company, writing fiction in his spare time.Continue Reading
A short story is a short work of fiction, a prose writing about imagined events and characters. Generally speaking a short story combines five key elements – character, setting, plot, conflict, and theme. Most short stories are focused on a single character, a central protagonist – human or animal –Continue Reading
James Joyce (1882–1941) was an Irish modernist writer renowned for revolutionizing the art of fiction through his experimental use of language, stream-of-consciousness technique, and deep psychological insight. Born in Dublin, Ireland, Joyce’s complex relationship with his homeland remained a central theme in much of his work, even though he spentContinue Reading
Ben Jonson (1572–1637) was a towering figure of English Renaissance literature, known for his sharp wit, classical learning, and mastery of both drama and poetry. A contemporary and friendly rival of William Shakespeare, Jonson helped shape the early modern English stage and was a dominant literary voice during the JacobeanContinue Reading
Overrun by gullible souls piously intent on social elevation, Ben Jonson’s The Alchemist is a comedic exposé in which the fabric of society is inextricably linked to the status-quo and its ravenous desire for wealth and power. Through the characters in the play, Jonson presents an allusive manifestation of ElizabethanContinue Reading
In Hardy’s novel chance and coincidence play very vital and dominating role in determining the destiny of the character. In his novel The Mayor of Casterbridge too, there are a series of chances and coincidences throughout the whole plot structure. He is guided by his fate in every step ofContinue Reading
Thomas Hardy’s The Mayor of Casterbridge brings to light the harsh reality of Victorian society’s treatment of women. This aspect of the novel may be illustrated by discussing the main female characters of the novel, namely Susan Henchard, Lucetta Templeman, and Elizabeth-Jane Newson. Henchard’s auctioning off his wife to theContinue Reading
In The Mayor of Casterbridge there are two very strong forces working – sometimes together, sometimes regardless of each other. On the one hand this is predestination, defined by the characters own feature which are peculiar to each character; on the other hand this is chance which is external forContinue Reading
Is Henchard a tragic character? Why or why not? Does he possess a tragic flaw that leads to his downfall? If so, what is it? In Thomas Hardy’s novel, The Mayor of Casterbridge, the main protagonist, Michael Henchard displays the typical traits of a tragic hero. He is presented with certain admirable qualitiesContinue Reading
Mayor of Casterbridge is a tragedy of the most moving type. It fulfills the Aristotelian requirement of the depiction of the downfall and death of the hero because of some tragic flaw in his character. It also conforms to the pattern of the Greek classical tragedy in the cruel workingsContinue Reading
