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
Henry Fielding’s first prose fiction, Shamela is a parody of, and direct response to, the stylistic failings and moral hypocrisy that Fielding saw in Richardson’s Pamela. Though Joseph Andrews in some way continues the satire of Pamela, it quickly outgrew that narrow purpose. Fielding is no longer concerned with theContinue Reading
Book 1 …………………… Ch. 1 — Fielding begins by addressing the writer directly, announcing that he is about to present a morally uplifting tale, and comparing his book to two recent works, the autobiography of the actor Colley Cibber, and the novel, Pamela. The joke is that neither is a goodContinue Reading
The development of Jane Eyre’s character is central to Charlotte Bronte’s novel, Jane Eyre. The novel charts the growth of Jane, the first-person narrator, from her unhappy childhood with her nasty relatives, the Reeds, to her blissful marriage to Rochester at Ferndean. Reading, education, and creativity are all essential componentsContinue Reading
Although Jane Eyre contains a number of sharp criticisms of the treatment of women and the social roles assigned to them, it also demonstrates that women can live their lives on equal terms with – or independent of – men. Jane herself is the idealized version of Charlotte Bronte’s visionContinue Reading
The principal object of Gothic novel is the evocation of terror by exploiting mystery and a variety of other horrors. Because of its powerful writing, and because of its concern with moral and social issues beyond the immediate plot, Jane Eyre is not generally considered a Gothic novel as such. Continue Reading
Charlotte Bronte’s novel Jane Eyre charts the release and development of a free woman’s spirit. The plot of this novel shows the protagonist, Jane Eyre, in three phases. She begins her life as an orphan, despised and unwillingly brought up by her Aunt Mrs. Reed. Slowly she acquires self-reliance. HerContinue Reading
No logical exposition or resolution can be drawn from Waiting for Godot because the play has an essentially circular and repetitive structure. In a traditional play there is a linear development – the characters are introduced, there is a statement of the problem, the characters are developed, and the playContinue Reading
Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett is quite a different play from the conventional ones and does not have a story to tell us. Two tramps named Vladimir and Estragon meet on a country road with a bare tree and a mound at the background. They wait incessantly for someoneContinue Reading
Vladimir and Estragon are the main protagonists of the play, Waiting for Godot. In hearing the play read, even the most experienced theater person will often confuse one of the characters for the other. Therefore, the similarities are as important as the differences between them. Vladimir and Estragon are waitingContinue Reading
