Joseph Conrad and Imperialism

For this post I wanted to go into detail on how I feel that Joseph Conrad wrote “An Outpost of Progress” as a way to call out the British government on what he saw as the mishandling of their colonies. I think that the two white characters represent the British agents and how more often than not they were clueless about running and managing far flung colonies. Conrad in his younger years was a sailor for both the French and British Merchant navies and in both instances traveled to the far east and when he was in the British Merchant Navy he spent some time working on a river boat in Africa.

                I think that Conrad also used Kayerts and Carlier to show how tenuous the connection between ruler and the ruled really were. The white men wielded all of the “power” for two reasons, the first being the supplies coming from other parts of the empire and the second was the fact that the natives believed them to be powerful. I think that Conrad made this connection thin to display how on the outside things may seem to be in order but when the rulers are far from home and have a support system nearly wholly dependent on the ruled it would not take very much to completely upend everything and have the whole endeavor end in disaster.

Your other side comes out when there is no control.

The theory has been presented of Hyde being the person that Dr. Jeckyll wants to be, and while analyizing the story the idea becomes relatable. Dr. Jeckyll has no control over his actions once he loses control and Mr. Hyde takes over. A situation many can relate to would be the nights we attend "epic parties" and have a little to much to drink. Usually the result is committing actions we would not normally do, causing a sense of embarrassment.  Although they are at times embarrassing to us, but individuals may not see them as embarrassing because they are normal actions they do. We only see them embarrassing because we do not normally act in that manner, another side of us-- typically a side we want to be more like-- comes out when we have no control. Some times the side is a negative side and this usually happens with pint up anger, which may have been the case for Mr. Hyde, yes we know he was not drunk but this could be seen as the same type of side affect. Maybe Mr. Hyde was too nice causing frustration that had negative actions when control was lost.

Hidden Hyde

I must admit that when I first read "Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," I interpreted the text in the most obvious ways I could. I just thought that the personalities were simply representing mental illness such as bipolarism or disassociate identity disorder, creating the archetype that would go on to inspire several famous characters such as the Hulk, Harvey Two-Face, and the alleged case of Sybil. While this is the true case about the archetype, our class discussion on Monday made me look a little deeper into the themes. Jekyll is clearly repressed and needs to escape from his repressed Victorian lifestyle of propriety and etiquette. He turns to a potion that makes him feel younger, energetic, and yet cruel and without remorse or thought of consequence. To me, this seemed like a metaphor for alcoholism. An addiction that someone disappears into to lower inhibitions and forget about their life and eventually they become consumed by the power of it and suffer horrible withdrawal without it. I never would have ever looked at this text and assumed it was about sexual politics, but now I guess I can point out the constant struggle between the id (Hyde) and Jekyll (the ego) as they battle with their desires and need to be apart of society.

The Laws of the Sea

Joseph Conrad is a fascinating writer because he personally spent a decade of his life at sea. He worked a variety of positions on board ships for both the French and the British merchant navy, eventually being promoted to captain late in his career. All of his novels and short stories deal with the sea in one way or another with Conrad writing from experience and elaborating on situations and individuals he met during his time aboard ships. Typically in Conrad novels, the narrator is a cabin-boy or a sailor who holds a minimal position aboard the ship. What is interesting about The Secret Sharer is that it is narrated by a captain. However, this captain has not yet earned the respect of his crew, which means that he is unsure of their moral standings and must be careful of his decisions so that he earns their trust and, most importantly, respect.
When Leggatt comes aboard and the captain stows him away in his own cabin, the narrator is taking a tremendous risk. From what Leggatt tells him, the stowaway is a murderer and a criminal. I find it interesting that the captain sympathizes with Leggatt and aids in his escape. The narrator is just as much a stranger as Leggatt and that is why he feels it is his duty to protect him and see that he makes it to land alive. Maritime laws and customs differ between each ship and crew and the captain chooses to blindly trust this stranger because he himself desires the blind trust of his crew.

Fee Fi Fo Jekyll and Hyde.

In reading Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, there is quite obviously a resounding question: what lies in the core of man, good or evil? The novella's prominent theme of dichotomy seems to answer this question in more ways than one and said answer is a long winded and deeply penetrating one: both. Since Hyde's animalistic nature comes from the very core of Jekyll himself, it could be said that one cannot survive without the other. Hyde would render himself vulnerable by not allowing Jekyll to cover his tracks, while Jekyll is seemingly trapped in his addiction to the potion and Hyde's unhinged and carnal tendencies. What popped out to me that we didn't really point out in the class is the designation of the character's names. Stevenson evokes the connection between Jekyll and Hyde by naming them each for what they don't stand for and yet what resides in the center of them both. Jekyll, alarmingly close to the word jackal is a glimpse into the animalistic core of the doctor, the one that he cannot escape and yet everything that he tries not to be when he is in control of himself. Hyde on the other hand is phonetically the same as the word hide, which is something that Hyde's character can never do, as well as what Jekyll tries to do with him. These names seem to be no accident and serve to strengthen the ties between the two parts of the same man, rendering them as a physical manifestation of the Yin Yang concept. Jekyll's character has always had that little piece of Hyde in the depths of his persona, while Hyde cannot survive without Jekyll's careful maneuvering in regards to economics and law.

Strange Case of Kayerts and Carlier

Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Conrad’s An Outpost of Progress both seem to have themes of personal deterioration. Not only does health and morality deteriorate in these stories, but as good things fail and shrink, evil and disease grow in response. Dr. Jekyll’s health fails as Mr. Hyde’s wickedness begins to take over his body. This slow descent into death is spurred on by Hyde’s complete lack of morality and adherence to carnal desires regardless of consequences. In a similar way, Kayerts and Carlier become plagued by diseases as their trades in Africa become greedier and more corrupt. Their cooperation in the slave trade draws them down into their eventual madness and doom at their own hands. Before Kayerts kills Carlier, both men become as violent and wild as Hyde is described. I found it interesting that both Stevenson and Conrad link moral degradation with mental and physical degeneration in surprisingly similar ways.

Conrad, Progress, and Irony

"An Outpost of Progress" by Joseph Conrad is by far the most ironic story of the semester. The main characters Kayerts and Carlier are sent to Africa from a "civilized" society in order to bring progress to the countries trading business. And yet as the story goes on, they become less and less civilized in the face of fear. As they eventually end up having to ration their food, it seems like all of the mental structures that made them civilized slowly disappear into a more primitive state of mind. The irony lies in the fact that these two men were suppose to be progressing, but instead they succumb to the savagery that they looked down upon the entire story. This undoubtedly has connections to the British Imperialism of the Victorian age, but more importantly I think Conrad in suggesting that no matter how civilized we become, we are all essentially primitive and no better than anyone else.

(Il)logic and (Non)sense

When reading Alice in Wonderland and The Importance of Being Earnest, I couldn't help but notice the authors differing uses of logic and sense. As in, they concocted their tales with the exact opposite: illogic and nonsense. Understandably, the Victorian audience was not expecting such convoloted uses of rhetoric, so for the vast majority of the audience, they failed to comprehend that the authors were in fact, making fun of their lifestyles. In Carroll's experience, even good old Queen Vic failed to grasp that he was challenging the monarchy and its indiscretion by making of light it, as exemplified by the Queen of Hearts. Wilde, however, chose to dissect society in general; this included the marriage market, gender, homosexuality, the education system, etc.

Carroll uses nonsense to enhance the reader's understanding of common sense, as opposed to what the government deems sensical (i.e., the trial scene in the novel). He uses Alice  to guide his reader's through the novel with their various prejudices while ever so slowly dismantling them. Wilde uses his characters (in all their exaggerations) as various archetypes for his audience to sympathize with. Their various turns of character and their snap decisions cause the audience to peer into a mirror of themselves. Whether they choose to recognize this, or not is completely up to their discretion.

Melodramatic Politics and Economics

One thing that stuck out to me as I was reading The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde was the subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) digs that Wilde would make on the people of his society. In Act 2, there is a brief moment where Miss Prism and Cecily are talking about the Political Economic book and I remember Miss Prism’s quick commentary about how Cecily should just omit the chapter about the fall of the rupee (India’s currency) because “it is somewhat too sensational” and “even these metallic problems have their melodramatic side”. This comment made me somewhat uncomfortable and I decided to bring it up in our group discussion in class today. My group’s topic was politics and parliamentary reform, and although we had a tough time connecting the plays themes to this topic, I thought that this moment in the play could still somehow relate. Even though it wasn’t Wilde’s way of criticizing their own politics and reform at the time, this scene in the play did shine light on how people viewed foreign politics. India’s economic downfall was not important to them in the least bit. It didn’t affect their everyday life and comfort; therefore it was just a melodramatic chapter in a book to them. I believe that Wilde was saying a lot with this scene. It was a satire on the self-centered world that most people lived in, and he reflected that in this brief conversation between Miss Prism and Cecily. 

This is an intervention. Alice, put down the bottle.

    As I said in class, I firmly believe Alice is an entitled brat. She takes without consideration without regards for ownership and then demands that others solve the problems she creates. On further reflection though I can see this as a vehicle for criticism of the upper class, and possibly the monarchy. Being so well educated at such a young age Alice is clearly well off. If she is taken as a literal representation of the upper class, then even the fact that she is a child is a slight jab. That's how the court system behaves, like a bunch of children concerned with themeselves and not the task at hand. Alice's actions show little regard for the ownership of those less fortunate than her. ie the working class. For example any time she eats or drinks something that say "Eat Me" she follows the direction (societal expectations) even if it means stealing from the White Rabbit (subordinate to the Queen). I don't mean to say that Lewis Carroll is a communist advocating for the destruction of the upper class, simply that those with property simply take it from those with the means of production.

    The Duchess who should be another representation of authority also shows reform and is kinder to Alice when confronted with her own execution. Alice does show reform after she is confronted directly with elements of her personality that are innappropriate, as well. This is most notable after her interactions with the Duchess and the Queen. This argument becomes even more prominent if one has the opportunity to read Through the Looking Glass, where Alice actually becomes the queen herself and her age demonstrates she is possibly not the best queen. Through her own folly though, the child as queen does manage to pull herself together and improve.

Escapism

I found the role of escape and escapism to play a valuable role in both the Importance of being Ernest and Alice in wonderland. The idea of it is obvious in both, a little more so in Ernest. Howeve I find they each play a different role. In Alice in Wonderland, although it seems like an escape, she is still plauged by the goings on of the real world through the different encounters she has while in wonderland. Whereas Ernest is only pretending he is escaping, when in reality he is playing through an escape of the mind or Escapism. Although both play mind games Alice is a mental mind game and Ernest is a physical escape.

"It is awfully hard work doing nothing."

I thoroughly enjoyed the clever social satire and charming wit of Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest".   Wilde subtly makes a mockery of the aristocratic conventions of the time using intricate wordplay and extremely misled but immediately likable characters.  Lady Bracknell, despite her pious obedience to England's rigid social structures, is possibly my favorite, her statements inspiring the most laughter from me:

Lady Bracknell, to Cecily:  "Pretty child! your dress is sadly simple, and your hair seems almost as Nature might have left it.  But we can soon alter all that."
To Algernon:  "Never speak disrespectfully of Society, Algernon.  Only people who can't get into it do that."
To Jack:  "I have always been of opinion that a man who desires to get married should know either everything or nothing.  Which do you know?"

Lies and Deceit

Double identities seem to be common throughout Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Ernest. Jack's neighbors and relatives believe that he is a character of good morals. However, despite what may be on the surface, Jack has been living a lie. "... in order to get up to town [he has] always pretended to have a younger brother of the name Ernest, who lives in the Albany, and gets into the most dreadful scrapes." (83) Jack believes that his job as a guardian is incredibly monotonous and boring, so as a result, he created his "younger brother" Ernest. In this passage, Jack reveals the reason behind his life of lies to Algernon. With Ernest, he can escape his dull life and move into a more fascinating and social world.

Riddle for the Ages.

The question of the Raven and the Writing Desk is a popular riddle and for all the times I've heard it, not once have I been given an answer. It's said that many authors have attempted a shot at answering the riddle, and Lewis Carroll (only after years of people asking) suggested of it, "Because it can produce a few notes, tho they are very flat; and it is nevar put with the wrong end in front" but there's really not quite a specific, correct answer. Why would it be that he would present the reader and Alice with a question missing an answer? The reason that comes to mind for me would be that he's inviting the reader to thinking outside the box. A child reading the story would be quick to give several reasons, some of them ridiculous or even quite mad while the adult would be frustrated and think, and think, and think until eventually in the face of such an absurd question, logic would not due to answer it and they would have to use their imagination. The absurdity of the statement and lack of a clear or answer draws the reader into the setting, letting go of conventional definitions for logic or reason and exploring the madness and creativity in the same way as Alice.

Nonsense Literature

So, one thing that I really enjoyed about reading Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was the concept of nonsense literature.  I've become increasingly fascinated by the how Carroll is able to make sense out of nonsense and how misdirection plays a big part in the whole thing.  I really saw it as a rebirth to literature because it’s stood out among different things that we've read this semester.  As I was researching it, I found that it was seen as a kind of homage to when every sound in reading a book was new and bizarre.  This really registered because as a fiction writer, coming up with strange new sounds and throwing all modern logic out the window is outside my programming.  It is a beautiful genre because it’s light and fun but also holds deeper meanings than meet the eye.  In Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, a lot of things are being said directly, but are disguised as something that doesn't make sense.  My favorite is still in the Queen’s court where the guinea pig is being stifled and Alice reports that it is much like what she reads in the papers about the real-life court system.  At a first glance, I thought the description was just crazy talk, but upon closer analysis found that it was just pure genius.

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. 

In Order to Get Anywhere, You Must First Know Where You Are Going

The discussion in class about looking at Alice's Adventures in Wonderland as a commentary really got me thinking since I had never looked at that story in such a way. Last night I had the epiphany that Carroll's critiques of the British government is just as relevant to today's society as it was then.

I primarily want to focus on the encounter between the Cheshire cat and Alice. When Alice asks which road she should take, the Cheshire cat responds by asking her where she is going. When she states that she doesn't know, he says "well if you don't know your destination, than any road will do."

This is a great example of how our society acts today. We tend not to actually think through what we are doing and just sort of go with the flow and take what our media tells us as fact. So much so that I think at some point, people forget what their original ambitions were. They have no idea of where they are going and therefore don't have an accurate plan of getting there. To many people forget to use their head when they're deciding what they are doing through life. That can be a dangerous thing and lead to some very bad things happening in society.

 “You just go where your high-top sneakers sneak, and don't forget to use your head.”

the nonsensical nonsense known as Alice

Alice in Wonderland is a part of many people's childhood. I know it was a big part of mine. I can still remember watching the film and reading the book and wanting to be Alice. In fact, I was even her for Halloween one year. She was my hero, my idol, etc, as I'm sure she was for other little girls. Honestly, Alice is still kind of my hero and the inspiration she gives me probably means that I will always be a kid at heart, which is 100% fine by me. Alice is an icon, I can get a mental image of her immediatly, although it's from the disney cartoon which I was more influenced by growing up (my family wasn't much for story time.) When watching the film or reading the book I always felt as if I was going on the journey with Alice. I got to be her shadow, and wanted too be the tweedle dee to her tweedle dum, best friends. Looking back I probably grew with her as she journey through Wondeland learning lessons. Methaphorically of course, I didn't flood anyone's house with my tears. I wanted to be with Alice and adventure through Wonderland and experience the magic, the vivid colors, the creatures, etc of a land I could only read about. That's what I find to be one of the best things about Victorian children's literature, which hit it's stride with Alice and brought about books such as Peter Pan. When reading these books you get to have that moment, even if it's brief, where you get to go to Wonderland, Neverland, or any other land and you get to be a kid again. As the book closes and Alice or Wendy decides that it might be time to grow up you are transported back to real life and into your big kid body. By experiencing the lands through these books you can also experience them on your own in your imagination. Hey, I've been to Wonderland once, why can't I go back on my own time? These lands help you remain a kid at heart, proving that you never have to grow up. You can always return to being a kid when you go back to the lands of your childhood.

A forsaken love

Matthew Arnold's Forsaken Merman has a lot going on. It reminds me of an ocean itself. On the surface there's a story of a merman falling in love with a human woman and her birthing his children then leaving him on Easter. What?? But if you look deeper you see the confliction between love and religion. The merman becomes increasingly depressing as the poem goes on yet still loves this woman. She, on the other hand, doesn't quite reveal her motives as to why she leaves the land for a merman and then decides to return due to hearing the church bells. Was religion that important to her? Or did she never love him at all? Or maybe the sea was too much of a difference from the civilization on land? All of these questions played in my head. Another thing that struck me was the influence of music in this poem. The children's voices, the Murmansk repetition of down, down, down and dear children and the church bells are all very influential to the melancholy atmosphere the poem draws on.

The comforting lake

In The Lake Isle of Innisfree the author seems to believe his true peace comes from nature. The author seems to believe his happiness will come by living alone and having no worries or responsinilities. He describes his plans, and they sound so blan and boring, but none the less it is what the author desires. By living with the contributions made by mother nature results in a type of relaxation the author deeply desires. By using such imagery the author is able to paint a picture of relaxation also.

Ugly Goblins

Reading the Goblin Market I thought of horribly twisted and deformed creatures with crackling voices. The Oxford English Dictionary describes them as mischievous, ugly, dwarf-like creatures and they are usually portrayed as such in fantasy literature. The poem describes them having animal faces which in my mind only added to the horror. However I was surprised to see the illustration on Monday. They were so adorable, the little cat guy was even wearing a precious tiny suit! It is far off from the Tolkien representation most of us are use to. I took this more in the economic reading of Goblin Market. All the exotic fruits were perhaps a criticism on consumerism. The vast selection of these exotic fruits, who would want to eat ordinary and simple fruits that could be found locally. When presented with novelty it is difficult to settle for what you already have. The reason these goblins are so cute is to glamorize what you wish you had and not what is readily available, it is an easy sell. Someone is not questioning their own motives when the source is rather pleasant.  However cute as they may be the Goblins are still dangerous and will kick your ass if you refuse them. This is an important principle capitalism, to keep you wanting more and never be completely satisfied with what you have. 

                                                      

 

                                               "come buy, come buy!"

The (Temporarily) Forsaken Garden

Swinbourne's "The Forsaken Garden" is wrought with decaying imagery that would lead one to believe the poem is about death, but I think its about time. To me, the poem is about life continuing on and that "death lies dead." The lines that end each stanza speak of the continuance of the sea and the passage of years and days. The end of the first stanza says "Now lie dead," instead of "Now is dead." The weeds that once grew are lying dead, which could still imply some sort of action taking place, even if that action is death.

Imagery of the wind, rain, and sun bearing down on the garden only reinforces that time and life go on, even with decay and death. The second to last stanza states, "Earth, stones, and thorns of the wild ground growing/ While the sun and the rain live, these shall be," indicating the continuity of life. Even through destruction, there are new beginnings. Time has destroyed the garden, but only temporarily because from time's "self-slain" hand, it brings both decay and life.

Yeats

 "The Lake Isle of Innisfree" by William Butler Yeats feels like an appreciation for the solitary life style. In a sense, the cabin that he describes could be a literal place he goes to for hibernation, or it could be a figurative place in his mind. He wants to "live alone in the bee-loud glade", to which the "bee-loud glade" might represent his own thoughts. Yeats seems take the sounds and images of this place where ever he goes, saying, "I hear the lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore; / While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey". I'm wondering if this version of solitude that Yeats presents contrasts to Mathew Arnold's depiction of being alone in "The Forsaken Merman". Where as Arnold's character ends up engulfed in the sea, Yeats makes it seem peaceful and comforting, like something good can come out of it.

A Forsaken Garden: What Is Left

In reading Algernon (not the mouse) Charles Swinburne's A Forsaken Garden, there are quite a few images with thematic attachments to nature. The metaphor of the rose garden and the ocean wind are constant throughout the poem, working to focus the reader not on what is there, but what is left over. I can sense some sort of allegory in this poem, focusing on social issues of some kind, but the specificity is what eludes me. There are a flood of images that imply that some large event has happened and because of this the poem carries a sense of rebuilding or focusing on the pieces that were not taken. War immediately comes to mind.

In the first stanza, Swinburne write of "the blossomless bed/where the weeds that grew green from the graves of its roses/now lie dead" implying that there used to be flowers in the bed, which then died from the growing of the weeds, which then died and now we are left with nothingness. Death is emphasized strongly but mostly  in that living people are no longer present in the garden. A religious reading of the text might suggest that it is the Garden of Eden, no longer habitable to any human since the days of Adam and Eve. "Here there was laughing of old, there was weeping/haply, of lovers none will ever know/whose eyes went seaward a hundred sleeping/year ago." This stanza focuses mostly on the human emotion that used to enliven the garden and the fact that there is nothing left implies that they either went seaward or just simply died out. The allegory for the sea could be represented by the unknown and that when man "looked forth from the flowers to the sea" he went in search of the unknown and left the sanctuary of the Garden, thus betraying God and leaving the garden empty and barren.

Goblin Empire

One of our readings for Monday was The” Goblin Market” by Christina Rossetti. In this reading I saw a number of passages that show a metaphorical relation the British Empire. To be more specific about this the passages describing the different fruits and the fact that they are sold in no town from here. Many of the fruits being described were not fruits that were grown in England and a few were not grown in Europe at all. The passage also says it is not known on what soil the fruit is grown, a metaphor for foreign lands.

                I think Rossetti used the goblins as a metaphor for the agents of the East India Company or other agents of empire who went forth to conquer far off lands and bring back the resources and goods from those places. I think if we look at the poem in relation to or as a commentary on the Empire we can see Rossetti taking a negative view of how things were going. Perhaps this may be a stretch but I could see her making something of a prophecy that would come true later. This prophecy would be the eventual turning on the empire by her colonies. The passage that best describes this is when Lizzie is beaten up by the goblin men for not wanting to partake of their wares but take them back to her sister showing that eventually one must pay for the actions that have been done, regardless of whether or not those in the position of power committed the crimes. The picture below has nothing to do with the story but I thought they were funny.

The Lake Isle of "Ijustwannabefree"

I believe that Yeats's "The lake Isle of Innisfree" condemns the chaos found in industrialized cities and instead advocates a return to nature.  Something has been lost by the culture of humanity due to rapid industrialization, and Yeats clearly believes that the answer can be found away from it all.  He claims to intend to move to a small island, as disconnected from industrialization as a person could likely get at that time.  There is nothing negative to be said about the island he intends to move to, as even the bee-infested glades inspire serenity in Yeats as he longs to be away from the city.

The cities themselves barely receive a mention in the poem.  The roadways of the city are briefly mentioned, and even when they are, they are described as grey and almost boring.  With all of the praise Yeats gives seclusion, it is hard to imagine grey roads leading anywhere but an unhappy place.  Even before this time period, nature had long been in the process of being forgotten.  Then, people were more concerned with material things rather than appreciate what was around them.  Yeats, however, reminds us that humans were intended to live alongside nature, and that we should never allow it to escape our grasp. 

Forbidden Fruits: Just Say No

I must admit that it took several times to read through Rosetti's "Goblin Market" to read into the story beyond a Fairy Tale or Biblical allegory. Let's face it, by now women should learn to NOT accept fruit from strangers. It never goes well. The story draws similarities to Eve, Mary Magdalene, Hansel and Gretel, etc. We covered most of this in Monday's class.

The element of the story that I found difficult to parallel to any other text but the idea of Lizzie making Laura eat the fruit from her flesh. It has been considered feminist and even homoerotic. While Laura is the fallen woman that is easily swayed and becomes the victim of addiction, Lizzie personifies the light, or good, qualities of a person, manifesting the archetypes ranging from the Christlike martyr to the virgin that survives a slasher movie. They seem to be yin and yang, as portrayed by the way they sleep in each others' arms as if in the womb, meshed together as if one person. While I can see how it is a feminist text due to a woman saving another woman rather than a Prince Charming or Jesus Christ coming in to save them from their sins, I think it reflects the battling sides of a person such as the darkness that is susceptible to greed, temptation, and addiction. But on the flip side, that darkness is conquered by resistance and conviction and the light and dark must battle and feed off each other to be a whole person.

Goblin Market and Female Strength

When reading Goblin Market, I felt as if the poem had overtones of female empowerment. The relationship of Lizzie and Laura could be interpreted as erotic due to word choices but the fundamental nature of their relationship is that of sisters who support each other. When the poem describes them sleeping next to one another, they are painted as innocent and at total peace with the world. While they are together, they are untouchable and all is good.
I found it interesting that men do not make an appearance in the poem except when the goblins are being described - Rossetti refers to them as "goblin men" who the girls should stay away from. The fruit that they sell Lizzie is possibly a metaphor for the dominant and often abusive nature of masculine love that was accepted at the time. Lizzie indulges on the fruits and becomes hooked on it even though it is clearly self-destructive. The goblins forcing Laura to consume their fruit against her will could very well be a metaphor for violence against women. By the end of the poem, both women have fallen victim to the evil of "goblin men" which causes them to once again find comfort in one another.

Deeper into the Goblin Market

I enjoyed reading Goblin Market by Christina Rossetti, but I felt my first reading was too straightforward. I saw the poem as strictly allegorical with strong Christian themes, as it almost seems a reenactment of the scene with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. With its heavy description and deep narrative, I found it a strong allegory, but I wanted to learn about some other reading perspectives to delve deeper into the richness of the poem. When searching for other interpretations of Goblin Market, I came across a helpful article on Poetry Foundation that provided a few different readings, such as the psychoanalytic interpretations of the poem’s sexual elements and the Marxist criticism of separation of domestic and commercial spheres. If anyone is interested in reading these, you can find them embedded in this biography: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/christina-rossetti

Dismantling the Patriarchy sans merci

After reading both versions of Keats' work, I find that I prefer the draft version over his published one. 'Knight-at-arms' just strikes a chord better than 'wight'. Plus, I find that the imagery comes easier in the first version of the poem. Incorporating the titles, 'sans merci' means without pity whereas 'sans mercy' is simply without mercy. Both phrases are ripe with meaning, but 'without pity' just appeals to me greater than 'without mercy'. In the draft, Keats has the knight-at-arms making the woman a flower crown, bracelets, and a zone before he is consumed by her power; it's his attempt to quell a wild woman and confine her to fit his needs within the patriarchy. Historically, the Victorian era bound women both by its social propriety and its fashions. I like that this woman with 'wild eyes', is still able to entrance a seemingly misogynistic man after his attempts to ensnare her.  It shows her command of faculties and refusal to give up her personal power, or agency. I find it both captivating and terrifying, but in the best sort of way; as if I too, are under this faery queen's spell. It reminds me of my favorite archetype in literature: disciples that love their god too much. For there is nothing crueler than being loved by something divine made flesh and blood.

Chivalry or Enchantment?

We discussed the two different versions of the John Keats poem in class. Within the two drafts of the poem, "La Belle Dame sans Mercy," we see a distinct shift in the power of the woman in the poem. In the first draft, the knight is immediately overcome with emotion for this woman. He makes her garlands of flowers, then sets her on the horse, where she sings to him. In the second draft of the poem, he first places her on the horse, then makes her garlands after she sings to him.  This small shift at first appears unimportant, but it changes her agency within the rest of the poem. Within the second poem, he seems to be initially trying to help her, and she puts him into a trance with her songs. However, in the first version, he is immediately entranced and the effect of putting her on the horse becomes merely symbolic of the pedestal he has already placed her on. He places her above himself literally to show how he is entranced by her symbolically.  The line, "And nothing else saw all day long," shows that his whole world has become focused and consumed by her. Again, the placement of this stanza changes the context within the poem in the same way.  At the end of the poem, the first draft states "And there she lulled me asleep." This again gives the woman more agency. She makes him sleep, rather than in the second version where "we slumber'd on the moss." This gives her less power over him, and makes her less ethereal and more real.

Complex or Hypocracy?

   It seems odd to me that in an era marked in part by the resurgence of chivalry, that there be such a discrepancy on how to deal with the agency of women. The Lady of Shalot is left with the the task of weaving, using her mirror both for her work and to see the world. These things are distinctly feminine and all is well for her as long as she continues her "women's work". It is not until she leaves her work and the tower to serve her own purposes that she is is cast down and killed by the curse. Aside from whatever commentary this may have about creating art or industrialism, this acts a "lesson" for how women should behave, "If you leave your station in life this is what will happen to you".
   In My Last Duchess, the women in question is held as a on the wall. The late duchess is his example of how he deals with women that won't obey or appreciate him. This is even more heavy handed because the duke directly takes the life of the duchess who leaves him. What's even more disparaging here is that the Duke is in the middle of dowry discussion, which shows that Duchess for him are easily replaced. His choice of art in the statue of Neptune taming a sea-horse simply furthers this.
    The difference between the two views here on the agency of women, is that Browning's poem could be seen ostensibly as a way of bringing this negative view on female agency into light for criticism, while Tennyson seems to have simply used it as a metaphor. I don't know for certain what Tennyson's take on women's agency was, but the way he uses it here implies that he sees it as a fact of life. Even if one tries to see the Lady of Shalot as bringing the problem into light the way Duchess does it still seems just like a idea thrown in with everything else he wanted to say. Though this may just be a vented frustration of mine, to me it hardly seems to even call out chivalry's name.

The Lady of Domestication

On Monday our group, when discussing The Lady of Shallot, talked about its references toward women in the Victorian society. We concluded that the act of her weaving represented a mundane place where women resided, this place being the home and womanly domestication. The mirror represented, to us at least, a skewed view of society. This skewed view helped keep "The Lady of Shallot" in “her place”, as well as the fear of a curse. The curse was a sort of warning to women in general, that leaving their post of domestication would result in disastrous repercussions. However, when Lancelot comes into her mirror in shining armor, we see the Lady of Shallot forsake her post and gaze at this man. It was at this point when our group realized the wording of the poem changed, before this romantic natural words were used, after the words became more metallic just like the armor of Sir Lancelot. It wasn't until her eventual death that the words reverted back to the romantic natural words. In regards to the pictures we discussed on the way in which she sat on her tapestry and allowed it to dip into the murky water. Perhaps this symbolized defiance of her former life before seeing Lancelot. She had spent every day looking through this mirror and weaving this tapestry, then when the curse befell her it provided a new life to be opened up, cursed or not, causing her to forsake the former and take the boat to journey into the new. 

I love this rendition of the poem and the pictures are great!

Duke, you silver tongued devil you

"... Oh sir, she smiled, no doubt,
Whene’er I passed her; but who passed without
Much the same smile? This grew; I gave commands;
Then all smiles stopped together..."

I found Robert Browning's "My Last Duchess" to be an enticing poem, as it engages its readers on a number of levels - on a psychological and historical level among many. Quite noticeably on a psychological level because we only get the duke's thoughts. We have to piece together the story ourselves. The author forces its readers to become involved with the poem, so we can get a clear understanding of it, which makes it all the more fun.

The most fascinating element of the poem is the duke character, who is also the speaker. He lures his readers with his charming qualities and wonderful use of language. However, he has a monstrous side and an excessive demand for control. The biggest example of this is when duke has his wife murdered because she couldn't save her flirtatious glances for the him. "... I gave commands; then all smiles stopped together..." This is an interesting choice of words to describe the death of the duchess. It's not quite as dark as one expect it would be. It's as if the duke is trying to avoid the truth.

Art and Poetry

During class the other day we looked at two John Waterhouse paintings in which he shows imagery that portrays scenes in the poem. We looked at two very different images that are actually by the same painter. They also matched up with two different parts of the poem.

Unlike the second image, this image does not correspond with a particular stanza in the poem. I feel like it is a much more general painting. It is interesting that his technique differs so much from the other painting. In this one his brush strokes are tight and he appears to be using the rules of the salon to paint this. This image might be painted so clearly because this is after she has made her decision to die. The future is clear for her and she knows what she wants her fate to be. 

This painting, also by Waterhouse is radically different.The painting appears to be painted in a much more impressionistic style. Large brush strokes and bold colors. All of the lines appear to be blurred and it shows the madness that comes across in the second part of the poem. 

There she weaves by night and day
A magic web with colours gay.
She has heard a whisper say,
A curse is on her if she stay
   To look down to Camelot.
She knows not what the curse may be,
And so she weaveth steadily,
And little other care hath she,
   The Lady of Shalott.

In this piece there are white lines surrounding her, between that and her crouched position I imagine this painting is her captured in her web. The artist might have interpreted the web to be more physical than metaphorical. Or maybe, he was trying to show the metaphorical web in a more physical way. Either way, I feel that this piece is much more expressive and visually interesting.

Looking at someone's artistic interpretation of a poem can be a slightly difficult process in my opinion. You have to take the artist's opinion into consideration, and also be able to form your own opinions independently and not be too influenced by what someone else has chosen to portray. Waterhouse's two images show that even he had very different interpretations of the different parts of the poem. I feel that this fact shows that poetry is very open to interpretation, depending on the reader.

Lilies and Roses

An interesting element that I found about this poem is the relation of the structure to the Belle Dame.  The ballad seems to have a slow flow to it that kind of mesmerizes the reader along with the Knight.  Like some of the other ballads we’ve read in class, the Belle Dame is very simplistic and straightforward; however, from the technical aspect these elements work with the poem to create a kind of ambiance.  Due to the vagueness of details, we feel that some details are kind of strange and hazy—like when he describes the Belle Dame as being a “fairy child.”  The Knight describes the woman as if putting her on a pedestal.  I feel that the lack of detail and overall, hazy and dreamlike descriptions are a representation of the Knight coping with and surrendering to death.  The Belle Dame could be a symbol for death.  When the Knight’s appearance was described using two flowers; the lily, a symbol for death, and a rose that is “fading” quickly I thought immediately of a woman.  She seems to be described with the feminine likeness of a flower, but then I thought about how the roles of dominance switch.  When the Belle Dame goes from holding a position of submission to one of dominance it is because the Knight gives it to her.  This can be seen a him surrendering himself to his eminent death.

A Monologue

My first reading of My Last Duchess by Robert Browning was somewhat confusing. I didn't really know the rhythm of the poem, I just knew that each sentence ended in rhymed couplets. The pattern indicates, a a, b b, c c, etc.,  but other than that I did not know how to read the poem all to well. I kept shortening and elongating certain parts, especially with the constant semicolons. It wasn't until I researched the poem on Poets.org and listened to the reading by Richard Howard. I noticed he read it more as a monologue for a play or somewhat of a short story. I really like his reading because of the intensity that he puts within the poem. He elongates where needed and made it feel as if it were a story. He starts off slow but towards the end he speeds up and raises his volume as if it were a climax in the poem. I really appreciated his version, but to be honest I have no other version to go off of. For now this is the version that I prefer. As far as the story goes, I believe that the Duke hid the portrait of the duchess out of jealousy. She was once a flirtatious woman, and that displeased him very much. Now he is allowed to have her all to himself, no longer can she flirt with men but he must have her hidden since she is still beautiful enough to gaze at.

I dont really know how to add just the clip of Richard Howard reading so I provided the link below.

http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15701

After Death

As I was reading “After Death” by Christina Rossetti, my brain couldn't help but paint a picture of who these two people in the poem were, and what exactly their story was. It is clear from reading the poem that the narrator has just died, and she is speaking this poem once she is already dead. She is describing the surroundings of where her dead body lay and how the man that is mourning her death is reacting. The way the narrator was describing the man gave me the impression that he was either her past lover or husband. Either way, it made me think that they once had a romance that tragically faded or ended. Maybe the man left her for another woman or because he just didn't love her anymore, or maybe they were still married and up until she died their marriage had grown cold. She mentions that although he did not love her while she was living; he pitied her once she was dead and it was sweet knowing that he was still warm even though she was cold. I interpreted this part of the poem to be saying that although she is dead and her body is physically cold, it brought her some happiness knowing that the cold heart of this man that she knew so well had now grown a little warmer at the sight of her dead body. Maybe it took the narrators death for him to show a little warmth and emotion. It ends the poem with a sense of hope that the woman’s death was not in vain. Her death may be the coming alive of this unknown man. 

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.  

Porphyria's Lover: Mad, or Merciful?

It seems mostly adequate, upon critical reflection, to conclude that Porphyria's Lover commits this murder by the craze of his mind; however, I feel that it is unjust to assume that madness is the narrator's primary motivation. Browning's biography makes us aware of the suggested intent behind his writing, claiming "the impossibility of ever finding a coherent or truthful narrative and the importance of recognizing the relativity of points of view"(711).  In light of this, I hope within my interpretation to contend with conventional morality's claim that murder is unanimously unjustified.

The foundation for my interpretation lies in accepting that the female character's name is an allusion to porphyria as a rare disorder that relentlessly poisons both the body and mind. In other words, porphyria is Porphyria's affliction.  It is that which defines death as her "utmost will".
It is the lack of dialogue and indifference within the voice of the narrator that seems to render him a bit unaffected by having murdered his love, but it is through the action of the poem that the narrator's truly grievous sentiments become clear. The reader is throughout the poem made aware of the narrator's love for Porphyria. He lies nestled against her shoulder, consumed by her flowing yellow hair, as if aching to be one with her.  Representative of his conflicted feelings, he strangles Porphyria with the very hair he so adores, because he, in that very moment, realizes its effectiveness in accomplishing what they are both aching for:  the severance of her soul from the wicked, earthly pains of her affliction.  He vanquishes not only Porphyria's life but also her suffering, and in doing so has committed a most pristine act of love.  In the aftermath of the fateful moment, the two lovers sit motionless together throughout the night, the lingering airs of deep affection hung still over the scene:

"And thus we sit together now,
And all night long we have not stirred"


What are your thoughts?  Which of the narrator's motivations do you feel are most significant: madness, mercy, or something different entirely?  Am I misled in assuming that mercy by euthanasia justifies Porphyria's murder?