Society: High and Low, Reflections and Woe

From the very beginning of our class discussions up until the last week of real classes, I have noticed a common theme that has been tied to class in society.  The topic of social classes, and its’ problems, seem to be something each generation of literature is able to relate to in some way, shape, or form. I also found it personally interesting to see all the different interpretations of this topic that we read throughout the entirety of the semester. For example, “Why shouldna the poor folk mowe?”, “Songs of Innocence and Experience”, “The Importance of being Earnest”, “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”, and “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde” all reveal parts of how British society operated, along with the “rules and regulations” of the time period as far as class in society goes.

“Why shouldna the poor folk mowe?” is an obvious stab at the issue of social hierarchy. Like mentioned in class, Robert Burns intended this to be a “drinking song”. This simple “drinking song” sure made it out of the Pubs and into history. The poem was also often published under the more “polite” title “When Princes and Prelates” later on down the road. “Why shouldna the poor folk mowe?” strongly hints at the idea of reproduction being the lower-classes most powerful weapon.  Power, sexuality, and human reproduction are being symbolized by the success of the French Revolution. The European monarchy has often been criticized for their sexual and political indecency that seemed to follow them around, which seems to portray them as impotent. Through this tune, I felt like power comes as a result from common folks and their sexuality. I think Burns was trying to advocate the victory of sex over social class; the common man has been painted as content alongside his miserable monarchy companions, and their unsuccessful battles with the French republic.

William Blake, to me, was probably one of the more complex people we talked about. I honestly enjoyed the complexity of his poetry in “Songs of Innocence and Experience” though, and I felt like he really reflected the values and morals of his society in this collection of poems. Through “Songs of Innocence”, political and social corruption can be found surrounding a child who seems blissfully unaware of what is really going on.  I personally felt like both “The Lamb” and “The Chimney Sweeper” shows the political and social corruption of the Romantic era, and what morals were valued in society at the time. For example, the child in “The Lamb” is innocent, but is also being indirectly subjected to “experience” with incorrect ideas of the Christian religion (“For He calls Himself a lamb. He is meek, and He is mild, He became a little child. I a child, and you a lamb. We are called by His name”). In one of our class discussions, we talked about “The Lamb”. To me this shows that the idea of being in the Christian faith was very important to society; this little child was even trying to “teach” a lamb what he “learned” after all.“Songs of Experience” to me very clearly trace the ideas of where corrupt lies in society, and the surrounding text is not as vague, "flowery" or naive. “The Chimney Sweeper” I felt also captured the current trends and norms of the Romantic society at the time. In both versions of “The Chimney Sweeper” the reader is able to see the abusive and twisted side of child labor. Child labor was a growing concern at this time, but socially and politically acceptable.  Both versions show the corrupt ugly side to society, and both show children that are subjected to “experience” (or the withering of the human spirit) at a very young age.

“The Importance of being Earnest” by Oscar Wilde was probably one of my favorite things we touched on for this semester. All of the characters are so over the top too that it is hard to not see the satiric elements of Victorian society being mocked at. The three main female characters, Lady Bracknell, Gwendolyn, and Cecily, really stood out to me the most. As I mentioned in one of my earlier blog posts (The Importance of Being Earnest), earnestness in Victorian society dealt with the jumping between lower and upper classes, including the spread of religion; the title of the play itself is a pun. All of the characters seem to either attempt this or try to hinder it from happening. Lady Bracknell’s character is also representation in the extreme with the hypocrisy, traditions, structure, and standards held by the aristocratic society. She is very materialistic, stubborn, and unbelievable with her demands in regards to potential suitors for Gwendolyn. Gwendolyn Fairfax represents the exact opposite. She is the arbiter of high fashion and society; the “it” girl.  Sophistication and intelligence roll off her tongue, and Gwendolyn has a rebellious strike to her that clashes with Lady Bracknell’s “by-the-book” set of rules for her. Morals are also high on Gwendolyn’s character as well which can be seen through her obsession with the “virtuous-sounding” name of Earnest.  On the other extreme of Gwendolyn and Lady Bracknell, there is Cecily. Cecily is painted out to be this sweet “country- bumpkin” type of girl, more innocent then Gwendolyn. Much like Gwendolyn, however, Cecily also has a rebellious side to her; the idea of wickedness holds her fascination. The idea of “wickedness” and rebellion is that draws her to the name of Earnest; this can be seen in the medieval fantasies she images between her and “always in trouble” Earnest.

“We’re all a little mad”, is right on the dot! The mockery of class and society take a twisted ride with Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Wonderland, as I assume many of you lovely people are aware of, consists of mad people (not just the angry kind), and backward ideas. Like “The Importance of Being Earnest”, the characters are also over the top but in extremely different ways. I found both Alice’s character and the Cheshire Cat especially interesting with how the morals and values of Victorian society are mocked and represented in different ways. Alice is a good representation of the “small adult” motif Victorian children were identified as. She is very logical, curious, and tries her best to morph and inject her experiences

into a world that has been literally flipped upside down. She enters Wonderland with a strong sense of nobleness, and confidence in her education, social standing, and manners, which immediately shows the part of class and society Alice is from.  Over all, Alice tends to act in an almost superior like attitude where ever she goes, and looms her “superiority” over those she finds “less privileged” than her. She is the only character that appears “normal” in this strange world of Wonderland. The Cheshire Cat, however, is unlike any character found in Wonderland. He seems to be immune to the rules and madness of Wonderland; he kind of does what he wants when he wants. The Cheshire Cat very clearly appears to have insight to the inner workings of Wonderland too, and is the only character that I able to point out Alice’s own sense of madness in Wonderland. Since Wonderland is ruled by the insane, Alice’s behavior of “sophistication” and “superiority” becomes inconstant and mocked as a result. He turns her classic Victorian behavior into utter madness, morphing her into the newest addition of Wonderland.

Where best to begin with The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde.. This is one of those stories, like Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, that a child kind of seems to grow up knowing (at least I did). As a kid, all I knew of the original story was that Dr. Jekyl was the good guy, and when he drank a potion he somehow transformed into Mr. Hyde: the rude and ugly bad guy. I never really thought of how both Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde represented and reflected the morals and values of their society until this

semester though. One of our fellow classmates pointed out in their blog post (Cricket’s Hidden Hyde bog post), that Mr. Hyde was the result of one needing to escape the Victorian lifestyle of propriety and etiquette. I completely agree with this idea. Dr. Henry Jekyl is an outward representation on how a person of the Victorian society should be: neat, proper, well-mannered, and respectable. Mr. Edward Hyde, however, is the complete opposite. He is rude, cruel, violate, and language in general almost seems to disappear around him entirely; he is the death and corruption that hid inside poor Dr. Jekyl, and opposition of what was socially acceptable in society: high class versus low class. Both “people” also, in a way, become individually addicted to life in society, and fight to stay in it whether good or bad results.

                All of these works of literature show that no matter what era of time you are in, one can always find history within texts. Values and morals of society, along with class, can be found even through satires, and complex poems like that of William Blake if you look hard enough.

Works Cited

"Songs of Innocence and of Experience." (1789, 1794 1789 (objects 2-29, 34-37 as Arranged in This Copy), 1794 (objects 1, 30-33, 38-55 as Arranged in This Copy).): Electronic Edition. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 May 2013.

Damrosch, David, Susan J. Wolfson, and Peter J. Manning. The Longman Anthology of British Literature. Boston: Longman, 2010. Print.

"Impossible, Perverse & Strange." Impossible, Perverse & Strange. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 May 2013.

Writers Block....

Writer’s block… That uncomfortable feeling where all of your ideas and thoughts seem absent once you try to write. I know for a fact I’m feeling that right now. It seems like even the noteworthy history making people experience writer’s block too. “The Circus Animal’s Desertion” is about some of the frustrations Yeats experienced because of his. The “circus animals” from the title and the rest of the poem refer to his previous poetry and works; the “desertion” part refers to the feeling of his creativity missing and his current lack of inspiration. That is partly why I like this poem though: it’s relatable.  Anyone that writes (whether it is for a living, school, or fun) can relate to how it feels to have a writer’s block. It is extremely frustrating and time consuming, and I cannot think of anyone that likes it. Throughout the length of “The Circus Animal’s Desertion” I felt like Yeats was trying to find inspiration for something new, and running short each time.  My favorite part of this poem, however, is how Yeats was able to turn his writers block into something. To me this shows that even nothingness can turn into a theme in itself.

The Importance of Being Earnest

Finally something that is not dark themed and gloomy! (Excluding Alice and Wonderland of course).

I really like Oscar Wilde’s writing style, and enjoy reading his work. This was also not my first time to read The Importance of Being Earnest, and probably not the last. My favorite part is the muffin scene.  In general I find the play to be very lighthearted and funny (which was probably one goal for the play).  I think Oscar Wilde’s main goal, however, was to make a satire of Victorian society, even the title of the play serves a mocking paradox and joke. Both the name “Earnest” (which was popular and thought to be given to respectable men) and the act of being earnest (grim/humorless nowadays; jumping between social classes in Victorian days) are used to mock the traditions and customs, along with courtship and marriage. All of the characters are over the top in some way or another and represent some value of Victorian society as well. For example, Lady Bracknell embodies all rules and social rituals. She is very materialistic and locks onto even the smallest/ most unimportant details of Jack and his back ground. Gwendolen and Cecily also both represent the purist of love and marriage as different angles. The men both follow the customs of courtship too, but their actions are extremely ridiculous and over the top. Cecily’s medieval romance fantasies also further fuel and point out the fascination the Victorian society had with medieval poems, stories, and art. Victorian society is clearly being mocked, and I think that is what makes each character so funny and the story lighthearted.  This play is defiantly a hit for me. 

And Behind Curtain #1.... Poison!

I really was not too sure what to think when I read My Last Duchess. The rhythm took me a minute to get use to (at first if felt a little contrived and ridged), but after a few lines that minor detour went away. It also took me a minute to figure out that this duke was talking to not only a group of people, but also his future father-in-law about his last wife. After figuring out who the duke was speaking to, I felt like it was much easier to see a type of story come together. The captions that are in my book let the reader know that the speaker of My Last Duchess is modeled on Alfonso II (Duke of Ferrara) who married Lucrezia de Medici when she was fourteen years old in 1558. She died about three years later, and the cause of death was speculated to be poison. The duke remarried in 1565. I felt like this information also allowed a story to unfold. When I re-read the poem, I started to wonder if maybe it was the duke who poisoned her. The fact that he keeps her picture behind a curtain, and only he is allowed to open the curtain, is what made me intentionally slightly suspicious of the thought. I also felt like the way I felt she was being described was as being a major flirt. The way the duke talks about her makes me think she flirted A LOT, maybe even had an affair or two. There is a motive right there: an unfaithful wife. Well, it is safe to say she certainly is only smiling for dear ol’ hubby now! An indirect confession scene is the picture that this poem painted for me. I think that this is a very interesting poem, and I enjoyed reading it.  

Death = Comfort Food?

At first glance “Sonnet: When I have fears” can be read as someone that has become aware and fearful of their own mortality. John Keats was a little death obsessed too I think, so it would make sense for him to have such an awareness and fear of death. Both his parents were dead by the time he was fourteen years old, and his brother died from tuberculosis (like their mom)a few years after “Sonnet: When I have fears” was written after all.  However, after re-reading “Sonnet: When I have fears”, I felt like the fear of death was both an issue and an illusion of what Keats was really reflecting upon. Keats does share that he is afraid of death more or less because he does not want to die unsuccessful or unloved. Let’s face it, who really does want to die without love or some sort of fame in their life? Death has a tendency to create a sense of anxiety in one. At the same time though, I also felt like Keats made death out to be more of a double agent that frees one from that anxiety. Death makes everything else mentioned meaningless. Both success and love are twisted into something that ultimately means nothing in the end, so why worry or fear? Death appears to be the problematic cure according to Keats, and not something to completely fear.

Romance of the Forest

 I actually have been enjoying reading The Romance of the Forest. I was not too thrilled to begin with because for one I am not a fast reader (Dyslexia mixed with ADHD plus due date reading equals FOREVER), and two I was not sure if it would be another headache inducer like The Castle of Otranto was. I have been pleasantly surprised though. I find The Romance of the Forest a lot easier to understand and dissect; I like the pace of the novel too. Just goes to show what can happen when you jump into something with low expectations. I have to say though, I really did not like Adeline at first. She just seemed really weak, secretive, and fake. But once I got her know her better, and the story perspective started to change into what she saw/how she thought I felt differently. She seems to spark curiosity, and turned into someone that I find very interesting to read about. I noticed that a lot of the characters have that kind of change too; each starts to become more friendly and familiar with the reader as the book comes along, at least so far. I really like the style of writing too; I find that the words almost seem to flow into one another (Unlike The Castle of Otranto), which made it easier to read for me personally. I also really like the mix of Gothic and Romantic influence that is twisted together. It kind of adds to the flow and keeps the book moving. I am looking forward to what happens next in The Romance of the Forest.    

Madness Unleashed

The Castle of Otranto…. Simple words cannot even begin to describe the kinds of pure madness that are bound within this book. It is defiantly… interesting to say the least. I mean, who wouldn’t find a crazy lord continuously descending into psychological darkness interesting? Oh, and don’t forget the supernatural which kind of just pops up all over the place. No big deal. Sounds like good fun right? I honestly was not really sure what to think once I finished reading this book other than “What the fish did I just read?!”. My mind kind of felt like it exploded from all the drama. I did enjoy reading The Castle of Otranto though, and found myself hooked from page one. I found the way it was written extremely clever and addictive for the reader. It appeared to have the same “powers” like that of a “secret shame” television show: no matter how weird, dramatized, or stupid it is to you/friends, for some reason you feel the need to figure out what happens next. In a way, the plot kind of reminded me of something from an Edgar Allan Poe story too with how twisted it all was. My favorite character ended up being Manfred. I liked the way he responded to the supernatural elements and how completely mad/obsessed he became by the end. He made me laugh and eased any frustrations the book wanted to give me. The Castle of Otranto is not for everyone, but if you go in open minded and get some Advil ready (for upcoming dialogue/drama headaches) I think you will be pleasantly surprised.