Jane Austen.

Jane Austen lived from December 1775 to July 1817. She was part of a close-knit family and was one of eight children . She was mainly educated by her father and older brothers, however she also learnt through her own reading - many believe the steadfast support of her family was critical to her development as a professional writer.

Between the age of 18 to 35, Austen experimented with various literary forms such as the epistolary novel (a novel written as a series of documents) which she tried and then abandoned. From 1811 up to 1816 Jane Austen released Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814) and Emma (1816) - through the release of these novels Austen received success as a published writer.

Austen's plots, though fundamentally comic, highlight the dependence of women on marriage to secure social standing and economic security. Her work/novels were also part of the transition to 19th-century realism.

Early in 1816, Jane Austen began to feel unwell. She ignored her illness at first and continued to work, however by the middle of that year her decline in health was unmistakable and this slow deterioration of her health lead to her death the following year.

During her lifetime, Austen would have attended many social gatherings and dances and it was well known that she enjoyed social events. Many have concluded over the years that these events and gatherings have influenced her writing, especially Pride and Prejudice where much of the socialising  and meeting of the characters was done through dances.

Finally, Austen's novels (during her lifetime and shortly afterwards) brought her little fame or personal renown through the majority of the public. Her novels were popular and fashionable among opinion makers such as Princess Charlotte Augusta. However, it is thought that Austen's novels weren't popular because they failed to conform to the Romantic and Victorian expectations and so 19th century critics preferred the works of Charles Dickens and George Elliot. It wasn't until late 19th century when Austen's novels began to become more widely popular.  

Pride and Prejudice - Attitudes to marriage.

As mentioned in my last blog, we studied P&P plot timeline. This wasn't all, we also considered different attitudes to marriage in the novel. We started off by looking at quotes from the text, such as:

"In vain I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you."

And,

"Oh,...! Do any thing rather than marry without affection"  

After reading the quotes we discussed who we thought (which characters) these quotes either applied to or who had said it. Afterwards we started discussing several characters attitudes to marriage, for example;

Mr Bennet: He feels that marriage should be full of respect and that it should also be happy, his also believes that money can only get you so much. "He is rich, to be sure...but will they make you happy?"


Jane: She believes marriage should be one full of love and affection and that marrying for anything else but this is the worst possible situation one could put themselves in. "Do any thing rather than marry without affection"


Charlotte: She feels that marriage is a form of security and is there to help set you up for life. She doesn't believe marriage needs love and she is not romantic - she believes a fortune is better and worth more than love. "I'm not romantic you know. I never was. I ask only a comfortable home..."


The class then went on to answer some questions:

1. Why are the characters, Charlotte and Mr Collins, so well suited for marriage?
 - they are both well suited for marriage to each other because they both believe/see marriage as a deal, a step of life. They don't believe that love is the vital part/ingredient of marriage whereas status, comfortability and security are more key. Furthermore, they are both easily attached to any possible suitors, for example, Mr Collins went from Jane to Elizabeth to Charlotte.

2. What are the main differences between Mrs Bennet's and Lady Catherine de Bourgh's views on marriage?
- There were not really many main difference between Mrs B and LCdB's views on marriage, both women say marriage as an alliance and a connection between well respected and wealthy families (and also about maintaining their families wealth) - love in their opinion is the least of their priorities. However, Lady Catherine believed in arranging the marriages from infancy/cradles, whereas Mrs Bennet just looked for the best possible suitors that were around.

Finished.

Pride and Prejudice Plot Timeline.

Last lesson we started studying Pride and Prejudice once more, in the lesson we considered the timeline of the plot and thought of key points of the plot. For the lessons homework, we were told to produce a timeline (www.timetoast.com) on the plot of P&P.

Although I knew most of the key parts of the plot I wasn't very certain about the dates. I knew that Jane Austen wrote P&P in the 18 century but it wasn't released until the 19th Century (1813) and so I decided to go for a date in between (1800-1801) Furthermore, I didn't know the exact dates of some of the key plot information and so decided to go on what I thought was right. Hopefully it is ok, and here is my timeline...

http://www.timetoast.com/timelines/pride-prejudice-plot-timeline

The Convent Threshold.

OK, I'm going to keep this short because to put it bluntly, I really do not like or get/understand this poem. Anyway...


Last week my English Literature class looked at and studied (slightly) 'The Convent Threshold' by Christina Rossetti. 


The poem appears to be about a couple who have committed a sin/crime and how the woman is trying to repent for her sin and go to heaven whereas the man is content and doesn't believe he has done anything wrong.


There were two possible forms of sin/crime which the couple could have committed, the most logical sin would be that the couple had sex outside of marriage and gave into temptation. However, the line "with scarlet mud " suggests the idea of murder as many people would associate death with soil/mud because of the burial, furthermore "scarlet" could be symbolic of the blood spilled which has dirtied her feet (literally and symbolically.) Additionally, the repetition of blood  appears to suggest murder, however the crime of passion and the sin of temptation seem to be more effective and logical - this is presented/suggested through the line "all gifts we took and gave" as it suggests they gave and took each others virginity and purity. This would be seen as a sin/crime because these were not gifts they should have given because they were not married.


As mentioned before the woman is trying to repent for her sins. She believes that she is tainted and impure, "my lily feet are soiled" and now views earth as her hell and she wants to go to heaven to be free from the prejudice of her pleasurable "pleasant" sin. However, and it is quite ironic, the man does not want to repent for his sins because he doesn't believe he has actually sinned. To him earth is quite heavenly, "milk-white" etc, he believes it is as pure as heaven. He also believes the earth is better than heaven because he has not received the same treatment as the female has for giving in to temptation and pleasure. Furthermore, it is suggested through the line "young men and women come and go" that the man doesn't want to be with the same person for eternity, (whereas the woman does) and he is quite comfortable with not living for eternity. Therefore it is ironic as the man sees earth as heaven yet the women see's earth as her hell but the woman wants to desperately be with the man.  


Notes: 


- Vivid imagery for heaven and earth - both are seen as heavenly at some point in the poem) e.g "Of mansions" and " far off city grand"
- Also heaven = could be symbolic/represent female escapism. 
- Possible interpretation of greed through her wanting eternity and through them taking their pleasurable gifts. 
- Poem shows parallels to the story of Abelard and Heloise. 
- Destination and purpose = nightmare of lost love (could be a link to Rossetti's life) or exploration of the difference between earth and heaven etc.
-Symbols e.g "lily feet soiled with mud" symbolic of how she has become dirtier because she gave up her virginity/purity and "choose the stairs that mount above" are symbolic of the stairway and journey to heaven. 
- Order of scenes helps reflect on the development of the persona's/speakers thoughts and argument. 


That's about all the notes I have. Hope it's OK. 

Cousin Kate - Heroic.

I wasn't here for the lesson when we were studying whether (and to what extent) the women in Cousin Kate were heroic. Thankfully my friend Hannah photocopied me her notes on this and so I have a rough idea/ good outline.

Basically, the question given was 'To what extent do you agree that the women in 'Cousin Kate' are heroic?'
Here we go...

*This is just a plan really with quotes. 


To a certain extent the women in 'Cousin Kate' are heroic, for example;

- In the poem the speaker faces a lot of criticism for her life and choices, she is called an "outcast thing" and is seen as impure, however the speaker overcomes her terrible experience and rises above tradition. The ending of the poem is quite an effective way to prove this point as the speaker challenges tradition through her son, he is her "pride" who is born out of "shame" and therefore shows the speakers strength as she won't let society rule her life and therefore presents women as heroic as it shows how they are determined and strong, even when they've been abused.

- Furthermore, the speaker is presented as quite a headstrong character who knows her morals. The speakers acknowledgement "lived a shameless shameful life" presents women in 'Cousin Kate' as heroic as it shows how she is using her predicament to make her stronger and shows that she has accepted her path in life even though it is one she wouldn't have chosen. Furthermore, the quote "now I moan an unclean thing" shows how the speaker has been hurt and abused and is ashamed of herself, either because she let a man rule her life or because she was too naive and innocent. This presents her as heroic because it shows that the speaker is truly a good person and that through the acknowledgement she won't allow herself to be mistreated again.

Additionally, the mention of how the speaker would "spit" in the Lords face instead of being "bought by his land" shows that the speaker has a high sense of what is right and wrong, this also shows quite a feminist view. This therefore presents women in the poem as heroic as the speaker would stand up against the man/men and take control of her life.

- Furthermore, the speaker prevails over the man through the birth of her son as he will inherit all of the Lords land. Prevailing over the man presents women as heroic as it shows women's strength to carry on fighting for what they want. Women prevailing over men is proven by the quote "Your father would give lands for one to wear his coronet." - also heroic as creates idea of victory as suggests women will always win in the end.

-Finally, women are presented as heroic in 'Cousin Kate' through Rossetti's use of a twist in the ending. This helps present women as heroins in the poem as it appears to counter argue the idea of a fallen woman as it suggests that a woman can never truly be 'fallen' as she will pick herself up again and carry on, this is shown through the mention of her son.

However, it can be argued that the women in 'Cousin Kate' are anti heroins, for example;

- The speaker feels she is better than Cousin Kate,  "neighbours call you good and pure" appears to be quite sarcastic and therefore suggests that speaker feels Kate isn't worthy and doesn't deserve the praise and form of treatment. This therefore present's women is anti-heroins as it draws/creates a line between the women and presents a form of weakness. (In many ways it suggests that women are their own weakness.)

- Furthermore, throughout the poem the women (or at least the speaker) appear quite bitter and resentful, for example, the speaker appears to mock Kate for not being able to have children, "I have one gift you don't." This therefore presents women as quite weak and anti-heroic because they are quite snide and rude to one another.

- Thirdly, women are portrayed as anti-heroins in 'Cousin Kate' through Kate's betrayal to the speaker through the agreement to marry the Lord. This presents women as anti-heroins as it suggests that women can't unit and that men have control over women and their actions as both the lives of Kate and the speaker have been influenced by the Lord. Kate's betrayal also makes women appear as quite fickle and materialistic as the speaker suggests that Kate's love is not true "writ in the sand" and that she only cared about the status of being the Lords wife and all the materialistic objects she'd receive.

- Finally, women are presented as anti-heroins in 'Cousin Kate' because throughout the poem the women are fighting over a man and therefore shows how women are quite weak and not united. It also shows how men are still in control and how they have power over women.

Brief conclusion:

I believe the women in 'Cousin Kate' are quite heroic, this is because the speaker, despite being rejected by society, is bringing up her child alone and she has decided to rise above tradition. This therefore shows that women are heroic in 'Cousin Kate' because it presents/shows the idea that women can survive without men/ without a man in their life. Furthermore, I believe women are presented as heroic because the poem suggests that a woman can be broken, fallen and betrayed many times by people she trusts and loves but she will never give up or back down. *However, the use of Kate's betrayal is useful as it shows that women are not heroic and weak because we are our own worst enemy.

Done.

Cousin Kate - Points of View.

A week or so ago we were looking at the poem 'Cousin Kate' and the points of view present within the poem. We also looked how important similes and metaphors are and whether certain quotes were real or symbolic. 

We started the lesson off with identifying the settings. One of the most obvious settings within the poem was the countryside - "cottage maiden" "worked the rye" and "along the lane" etc. Another possible setting in 'Cousin Kate' was in the form of poverty to wealth as we see the speaker go from a "maiden" to living in a "palace home"." Finally, the last possible setting in the poem was that is could be near the coast "writ in the sand" however, I believe this line to be more symbolic of the love between Kate and the Lord rather than one used to describe the setting.

Then we looked at whether certain points and quotes in the poem were real or symbolic. For example, "cottage maiden" was decided as symbolic of her poverty and naivety, we also believed it was symbolic as it helps you understand the poem as the reader realises the speaker was tricked and lured by the idea/possibility of a better life.

Furthermore, we believed the line "writ in the sand" to be symbolic of Kate and the Lord's love as it appears to be suggesting that their love is not true/real and it is a more materialistic love, for example, Kate is only after the "wedding ring" and the status of being a Lord's wife.

As a class we also considered the importance of similes and metaphors in the poem. We believed them to be of importance for several reasons,such as the fact that it helps present the speaker as a stronger character 'stronger wing' as well as show how the speaker has lost her purity and virginity 'who might have been a dove.'

Finally we considered the chronology of the poem and how effective it was, for example we felt the chronological order gave the poem some clarity and purpose. We also believed that the chronology helped show the journey and the life of the speaker and therefore helped the reader build the speaker as a person and how she has matured through her life.

*Forgotten: Destination.

We also looked at the possible destinations of the poem 'Cousin Kate' and we chose our top three. The top three destinations I personally thought were:

- Plight of a fallen woman

- Thought provoking female character

- Men divides women

I thought these were the destinations of the novel as it appears the Lord is symbolic of male destructiveness and of divisions between women as he divides the speaker and Kate. Additionally, 'Cousin Kate' appears to show the story of a fallen women as we see the speaker go from a innocent and virtuous 'cottage maiden' to being an 'impure thing' and an outcast from society. Finally, I felt a possible destination was how the female character was thought provoking. I thought this was a possible destination due to the twist in the ending of 'Cousin Kate' as the female character is shown as a strong woman who has taken control of her life and isn't being controlled by society or the Lord and so she was therefore thought provoking as she is symbolic of strength and in many ways feminism.