Over forty essays on English Literature,all the product of deep reading and thinking about some of the landmark texts of the literary canon and some of the more obscure byways of English Literature. An insightful overview of the entire subject with detailed critiques on many key texts and original writing on more obscure ones.
Table of Contents
Introduction
English – the World’s Lingua Franca?
The Miller’s Tale and The Reeve’s Tale
Chaucer and the Church
The Opening of The General Prologue
Admiration and Contempt in The General Prologue
The Problem of Lancelot in Malory’s Le Morte Darthur
The Courtly Love Tradition
Romeo & Juliet – the Isolation of Desire
Constancy in Coriolanus
Sonnet 130
Hamlet’s Tragic Flaw
Hamlet and Celebrity Culture
Ethnic Groups in The Merchant of Venice and Othello
Macbeth – a Study in the Psychology of Evil
Macbeth and Lady Macbeth
Theatre Manifesto
‘To His Coy Mistress’ – Andrew Marvell
‘To His Coy Mistress’ and the Canon
‘The Little Black Boy’ and ‘Holy Thursday’ – William Blake
‘London’ – William Blake
British and French Perspectives on Empire
Transatlantic Bildungsromans
‘Spellbound’ – Emily Brontë
Hard Times and Utilitarianism
‘My Last Duchess’ – Robert Browning
‘Dover Beach’ – Matthew Arnold
The Imperial Nightmare I – Conrad & Maugham
The Imperial Nightmare II – The Heart of Darkness
Jacob’s Room – Virginia Woolf
Banned Books: Lady Chatterley’s Lover and Lolita
The Growth of Orwell’s Political Awareness
Nineteen Eighty-Four – George Orwell
Lord of the Flies – Golding’s Notion of Evil
Simon & Jack in Lord of the Flies
Two Australian War Poems
Gordimer’s ‘Country Lovers’ & Walker’s ‘The Welcome Table’
Mansfield’s ‘The Garden Party’ and Munro’s ‘Half a Grapefruit’
Canadian Gender Stereotypes
Harold Pinter – the Man
Watership Down – Richard Adams
Siswe Bansi is Dead & Death of the Maiden – Living in a Tyranny
The Buddha of Suburbia – Hanif Kureishi
Objectives and Themes
The essays in this volume provide a comprehensive analysis of various significant works within English Literature, spanning from Chaucer to contemporary authors like Hanif Kureishi. The primary objective is to offer deeper critical insights into the recurring themes, historical contexts, and literary techniques that have shaped national literature over the past 700 years.
- Exploration of the intersection between personal conflict and societal expectations in dramatic works.
- Critical analysis of the influence of historical events, such as the World Wars and colonial expansion, on literary production.
- Evaluation of the portrayal of class struggle, gender stereotypes, and racial dynamics across different historical periods.
- Examination of the psychological depth of characters in tragedies and novels of maturation.
- Investigation into the subversion of literary and social norms in controversial canonical texts.
Excerpt from the Book
The Opening of the General Prologue
Chaucer’s opening 12 lines are a celebration of spring and new life, so we might expect the Tales which follow to show the variety and sheer vitality of different human experiences.
Am important aspect of English society at the time was the class system and this is shown in The General Prologue. Chaucer begins his descriptions of his fellow pilgrims with a description of the Knight (because he is the pilgrim with the highest social status) and then proceeds to describe all the other pilgrims roughly in a descending order of the social hierarchy of the day. There is a strict social hierarchy which shows us that the class system in English society was fairly rigid.
Of the thirty pilgrims on the pilgrimage ten are employed either directly or indirectly by the Church and this demonstrates the importance of the Church as an institution in Chaucer’s society and Christianity as a belief system. We might also expect many of the Tales which follow to have some religious content. Some of the ecclesiastical pilgrims are also clearly corrupt, which demonstrates that the corruption of the Church in English society was widely known about. For example, The Friar and the Summoner, we are told, help to arrange the marriages of young pregnant women. Chaucer reports this, but it is left to the reader to guess that these young women have been seduced by the Friar and the Summoner. He says of the Friar
He hadde made ful many a marriage
Of yonge wommen at his owene cost. (Chaucer p.57, lines 212-213)
And that phrase “at his owene cost” alerts us to his reason for having to find these young women husbands,
Chaucer criticises the corrupt characters of the Church, but does so to different degrees. His portraits of the Prioress, the Monk and the Friar are satirical but very gentle in tone. However, his comments on the Summoner and the Pardoner are much more scathing and critical.
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: Summarizes the scope of the volume, covering English Literature from Chaucer to Kureishi, and highlights recurring themes like class, politics, and nostalgia.
English – the World’s Lingua Franca?: Discusses the factors contributing to the global status of English, critically assessing the role of US economic power alongside historical legacies.
The Miller’s Tale and The Reeve’s Tale: Explores the profound thematic dichotomies between the two tales, focusing on their contrasting views of humanity and social structures.
Chaucer and the Church: Analyzes Chaucer’s ambivalent attitude toward the Church, contrasting his admiration for pious individuals with his harsh satire of corrupt officials.
The Opening of The General Prologue: Examines how the prologue establishes the rigid class structure of Chaucer’s society and the corruption prevalent within the Church.
Admiration and Contempt in The General Prologue: Further explores Chaucer's moral positioning by categorizing his pilgrims based on their perceived religious integrity and social virtues.
The Problem of Lancelot in Malory’s Le Morte Darthur: Addresses the paradoxical presentation of Lancelot, balancing his status as the "best knight" with his sinful adulterous relationship.
The Courtly Love Tradition: Traces the origins and effects of courtly love, highlighting its role in spiritualizing romance and elevating the status of women in literature.
Romeo & Juliet – the Isolation of Desire: Investigates the themes of isolation and the failure of parental and societal support systems in Shakespeare’s tragedy.
Constancy in Coriolanus: Analyzes the character of Coriolanus, arguing that his unwavering dedication to his own values leads to inevitable tragedy.
Sonnet 130: Discusses Shakespeare’s subversion of conventional beauty standards and his praise for a grounded, realistic view of love.
Hamlet’s Tragic Flaw: Challenges the traditional view of Hamlet’s hesitation as a flaw, suggesting it reflects the scrupulous intelligence of the protagonist.
Hamlet and Celebrity Culture: Explores the play’s contemporary relevance by discussing the theme of intrusive scrutiny and the loss of privacy for high-profile individuals.
Ethnic Groups in The Merchant of Venice and Othello: Analyzes how Shakespeare uses and critiques racial stereotypes to expose the prejudices of his society.
Macbeth – a Study in the Psychology of Evil: Investigates the escalation of guilt and moral decay in the protagonists as they pursue power through violence.
Macbeth and Lady Macbeth: Focuses on the psychological reversal of roles between the couple, tracing their descent from mutual ambition to individual isolation and madness.
Theatre Manifesto: Discusses the mixture of private and public conflicts in Hamlet, A Doll’s House, and Death of a Salesman.
‘To His Coy Mistress’ – Andrew Marvell: Explores the use of logical progression and hyperbole in Marvell’s famous carpe diem poem.
‘To His Coy Mistress’ and the Canon: Reflects on the poem’s status in the canon and its complex blend of intellectual argument and raw desire.
‘The Little Black Boy’ and ‘Holy Thursday’ – William Blake: Critiques Blake’s portrayal of innocence and experience, highlighting his radical stance against slavery and poverty.
‘London’ – William Blake: Examines Blake’s angry critique of urban misery and institutional corruption in 18th-century London.
British and French Perspectives on Empire: Compares depictions of colonialism in Bernadin de Saint Pierre’s novel and James Cobb’s dramatic adaptation.
Transatlantic Bildungsromans: Contrasts the personal growth and paths to maturity for characters in Twain, Austen, and Potok.
‘Spellbound’ – Emily Brontë: Interprets the poem as an expression of resilience and an assertion of individual freedom against stifling social norms.
Hard Times and Utilitarianism: Analyzes Dickens’s critique of rationality and economic materialism through the structure and characters of his novel.
‘My Last Duchess’ – Robert Browning: Examines the Duke’s manipulation of narrative to reveal his possessive and controlling nature behind a facade of culture.
‘Dover Beach’ – Matthew Arnold: Discusses the poem as a definitive expression of the mid-Victorian crisis of faith in the face of scientific and technological progress.
The Imperial Nightmare I – Conrad & Maugham: Compares differing perspectives on colonialism through the works of Joseph Conrad and W. Somerset Maugham.
The Imperial Nightmare II – The Heart of Darkness: Argues against the claim that Conrad’s novella is racist, proposing instead that it is a scathing indictment of European imperialism.
Jacob’s Room – Virginia Woolf: Analyzes Woolf’s use of modernist techniques to depict the existential angst and sterility of modern life.
Banned Books: Lady Chatterley’s Lover and Lolita: Compares the nature of transgression in the two novels, distinguishing between overt social taboo and aesthetic subversion.
The Growth of Orwell’s Political Awareness: Traces the development of Orwell’s political convictions through his essays on injustice and personal experience.
Nineteen Eighty-Four – George Orwell: Examines the theme of heroism and individual resistance within a totalizing, dystopian regime.
Lord of the Flies – Golding’s Notion of Evil: Discusses Golding’s exploration of the inherent nature of evil when societal structures collapse.
Simon & Jack in Lord of the Flies: Contrasts the protagonists as representatives of two fundamentally different understandings of the nature of evil.
Two Australian Poems: Explores anti-war sentiment in the works of Judith Wright and Bruce Dawe, focusing on their varied poetic responses to conflict.
Gordimer’s ‘Country Lovers’ & Walker’s ‘The Welcome Table’: Compares the treatment of racial hypocrisy and social injustice in South African and American contexts.
Mansfield’s ‘The Garden Party’ and Munro’s ‘Half a Grapefruit’: Discusses the shared modernist traits of these stories in addressing social class and the loss of childhood innocence.
Canadian Gender Stereotypes: Analyzes the depiction of misogyny and the societal constraints on women in the works of Alice Munro and Stevie Cameron.
Harold Pinter – the Man: Offers a biographical research overview of Pinter’s career and his significant impact on 20th-century British drama.
Watership Down – Richard Adams: Examines the success of the novel, attributing its appeal to its archetypal quest structure, use of language, and political undertones.
Siswe Bansi is Dead & Death of the Maiden – Living in a Tyranny: Explores the theme of identity and role-playing as a mechanism of resistance in repressive regimes.
The Buddha of Suburbia – Hanif Kureishi: Discusses the protagonist’s journey toward self-knowledge and success in 1970s Britain, arguing that class rather than race is the primary obstacle.
Keywords
English Literature, Colonialism, Class Struggle, Identity, Racism, Utilitarianism, Modernism, Dystopia, Imperialism, Patriarchy, Social Norms, Human Nature, Rebellion, Political Awareness, Symbolism.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the overarching theme of this collection of essays?
The volume provides a critical examination of English Literature across several centuries, focusing on how literary works reflect, challenge, or critique societal norms, historical contexts, and power structures.
Which historical periods are primarily addressed?
The essays cover a wide timeline, ranging from the medieval period with Chaucer and Malory to the 20th-century works of Orwell, Golding, Woolf, and Kureishi.
What is the primary objective of these literary analyses?
The goal is to move beyond superficial readings of canonical and contemporary texts to understand the psychological, political, and social motivations of the authors and their characters.
What scientific or academic methods are employed?
The author utilizes a combination of historical contextualization, close reading, and comparative literature techniques to draw links between seemingly disparate texts and traditions.
How is the "Imperial Nightmare" thematic strand developed?
This strand, explored through Conrad and Maugham, investigates the moral consequences of colonization, moving from critical depictions of greed to nuanced reflections on the nature of imperialism.
What are the characterizing keywords of these essays?
The work is defined by an emphasis on class mobility, racial justice, the impact of war, the subversion of institutional power, and the pursuit of individual identity within restrictive environments.
How does the author characterize the class struggle in The Buddha of Suburbia?
The author argues that Karim’s most significant challenge is not his mixed-race heritage but rather his lower-middle-class suburban background, which he must navigate to succeed in metropolitan artistic circles.
Why is the "disarming" of Lancelot significant in Malory’s work?
The author suggests that instances where Lancelot is disarmed or stripped of his status are essential for revealing his underlying humanity and the fragility of the chivalric ideals of Camelot.
How does the author interpret the ending of Hamlet?
The author views the play as a critique of constant surveillance and the erosion of privacy, highlighting how Hamlet’s struggle reflects the dilemmas faced by public figures in celebrity culture.
What role does irony play in the interpretation of Sonnet 130?
The irony serves as a tool for Shakespeare to deflate the unrealistic standards of beauty popular among contemporary poets, emphasizing that genuine love should be grounded in the reality of the individual rather than mythological ideals.
- Quote paper
- David Wheeler (Author), 2011, The Imperial Nightmare, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/176306
