Monday October 8th, 2012

"The process of interior character development--embodied in the titles Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice--is essentially a via negativa, a dialectical process rejecting different extremes (too much pride, too much sensibility, etc.) to find a middle ground."

("The One v.s. the Many" by Woloch, page 55)

"It is well. You refuse, then, to oblige me. You refuse to obey the claims of duty, honour, and gratitude. You are determined to ruin him in the opinion of all his friends, and make him the contempt of the world."

"Neither duty, nor honour, nor gratitude," replied Elizabeth, "have any possible claim on me, in the present instance. No principle of either would be violated by my marriage with Mr. Darcy. And with regard to the resentment of his family, or the indignation of the world, if the former were excited by his marrying me, it would not give me one moment's concern — and the world in general would have too much sense to join in the scorn."

(Pride and Prejudice,Volume III, page 359)

Question: According to Woloch, what does it mean for a character to be fully developed in a text? 

In the selected passage from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, the reader is exposed to Lady Catherine's overwhelming negative perceptions towards the idea of Elizabeth Bennet's marrying of Mr. Darcy. The interaction between Lady Catherine and Elizabeth promote the development of both characters. In the text of Pride and Prejudice it is evident the character s do push each other's extremes towards a middle ground. It would seem that Lady Catherine has too much pride, as she does throughout the novel. The juxtaposition with Elizabeth's defense of herself contrasts this nicely. The contrast of the two characters through dialogue effectively promotes the development of each one respectively. Essentially via negativa the two characters' characters are strengthened. 

October 1st 2012

"The arts of pleasing men, in other words, are not only angelic characteristics; in more worldly terms, they are the proper acts of a lady" (816, Gilbert & Gubar).

"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife" (43, Austen).

How does gender impact the way in which authors write about men and women?


     In Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice opening sentence, the author concludes that all people are aware that a single man in good fortune is looking to get hitched. Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar state that it is only proper for women to please men. The implications of these two texts seem to imply that each sex is dependent upon the other. It would seem that a man in possession of a good fortune would want a lady who can properly please him. It is interesting to see women writing that pleasing men is amongst the proper things any women must do. 

September 24th 2012

Revised Thesis:

In the poem “When I have fears that I may cease to be” by John Keats, the speaker expresses his fears pertaining the limitations of mortality through emphasis of the self,  juxtaposition of concrete ideas to abstract emotions as the poem progresses, repetition of specific sounds and letters to provide extra meaning, distinct quatrain order, and symbolism coated in rich words to depict immensity. In unison, these elements support Keat’s theme of limitations and eventual conclusion about the solitude nature of mankind. 

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Paragraph to work on:

Keats utilizes the repetitions of letters and sounds in his first quatrain to place further emphasis on his key expressions of those lines. He does so with the long “i” sound prevalent in  “high” (3), “piled” (3), and “ripened”(4) to describe the immense amount of books he has not yet written. The extended "i" forces the reader to sustain a focus on those key words.  Keats does a similar thing with the “r” sound in “charact’ry” (4), “rich” (4), and “ripened” (4). Repition gives the words more of a standing in the reader's mind. Lastly, Keats places emphasis with the letter g in using the words “gleaned” (2), “garners” (3), and “grain” (3). All of these promote the importance of lines 1,2, and 3 and force the reader to recognize the vastness of the potential the author fears will go to waste with his ultimate demise.

Entry #2 September 17th, 2012

"The ability of writers to imagine what is not the self, to familiarize the strange and mystify the familiar, is the test of their power. The languages they use and the social and historial context in which the language signify are indirect and direct revelations of that power and its limitations" (Morrion,1010).

"I kissed thee ere I killed thee, no way but this, Killing myself, to die upon a kiss." (Act V, Scene II, lines 359-360) Othello

What are the implications of the language Shakespeare uses?

With Othello's last words directed at his dead wife, Desdemonda he unpacks his disappointment in having led his late wife to her untimely demise. The love and jealousy that Othello held ended up killing her. To repent his wrongdoings Othello, in turn, kills himself after killing her. With the language Othello uses we are able to see a connection between power in general. His language is used powerfully to convey the implications of death. Here we see the limitations of life, death with a final line. Here we have repentence with the ultimate ending of existence.

Entry #1 September 4th, 2012

"A work is create 'artistically' so that its perception is impeded and the greatest possible effect is produced through the slowness of the perception" 

Art as Technique page 19

"I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hys- 
terical naked,

dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn looking for an 
angry fix,
angelheaded hipsters burning for the ancient heavenly connection- to the 
starry dynamo in the machinery of night,
who poverty and tatters and hollow-eyed and high sat up smoking in the 
supernatural darkness of cold-water flats floating across the tops of 
cities contemplating jazz,"

Howl by Allen Ginsberg
Lines 1-9

In the poem "Howl", Ginsberg utilizes long-lined rhythmic patterns along side powerful diction that produce an extension of meaning or continuity of sorts for his free verse. In reading "Howl" it is evident that the speaker would be reading the lines in breathy, winded speech. In the beginning lines of the poem, Ginsberg starts his listing of the things the best minds of his generation have done. He begins his rampage speaking about minds being "destroyed by madness". Throughout his whole poem he uses the listing method and uses repetition to categorize his howling. To delve into the underpinnings of Ginsberg's work, one must appreciate it for its artistic value. The whole poem is long-winded and packed with prose and each line gives you insight on whom the speaker might be. Perspective on the seemingly mad speaker is made difficult through the lofty language and that speaks to why this work was create "artistically". Overall, the methods used by Ginsberg successfully impede perception  and create a fascinating effect once one is able to delve into the core of the work.