Henry James’s short stories “The Figure in the Carpet“ (1896) and “The Beast in the Jungle“ (1903) are both narratives of his later years. Whereas “The Figure in the Carpet“ tells the story of a literary critic who fails to understand the work of a fictitious author named Hugh Vereker, “The Beast in the Jungle“ is about the protagonist John Marcher who is waiting for an unknown event in his life. Both stories deal with the subject of a hidden secret that remains unknown to the protagonists of James’s stories.
Due to the fact that these secrets remain unsolved throughout the narratives, this essay focuses on the design and effects of the leading metaphors. It compares these metaphors with each other and tries to outline their differences and similarities.
Starting with the definition of the term “metaphor“ and illustrating it’s importance for Henry James’s stories, it proceeds with a short overview of the stories’s issues. After illustrating the importance of literary meaning from the perspective of philosophers and literary scholars, this essay proceeds with the relevance of literary meaning for James’s stories. The essay’s last paragraph analyzes the leading metaphors of both narratives by comparing their design and effects for the stories’s meanings. Finally, this work concludes by saying that the metaphors are linked relating to their issues and contribute to the stories’ messages.
Inhaltsverzeichnis
- Metaphors are one of the most used literary devices and therefore existent in a huge number of literary works.
- In his stories The Figure in the Carpet and The Beast in the Jungle, Henry James uses metaphors including their effects on the stories' plots and messages.
- According to the German literary scholar Wolfgang Iser³, “meaning“ can only be found in the text itself.
- To return to Henry James's stories, the idea of a unifying design raises the question of meaning in The Figure in the Carpet and The Beast in the Jungle.
- The beginning of the story offers a possible interpretation of the leading metaphor.
- To understand the imagery of James's story, it is necessary to have a closer look on its processes.
- Corvick, a friend of the narrator and also a critic, is the first one in James's story who claims to have detected the secret.
- The simplest way to analyze the leading metaphor is to treat the Figure in the Carpet as a rhetorical figure.
- Comparing the leading metaphors in Henry James's stories, an initially similar image exists in his novella The Beast in the Jungle.
- The image of the jungle can be identified as a symbol for the “social jungle“ that surrounds John Marcher.
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte
Der Essay zielt darauf ab, die Gestaltung und Wirkung der Leitmetaphern in Henry James' Kurzgeschichten "The Figure in the Carpet" (1896) und "The Beast in the Jungle" (1903) zu vergleichen. Dabei werden die Gemeinsamkeiten und Unterschiede der Metaphern herausgearbeitet und ihre Bedeutung für die jeweilige Geschichte erläutert. Der Essay untersucht, wie die Metaphern die Handlung und die Botschaft der Geschichten beeinflussen und welche Rolle sie für die Interpretation des Textes spielen.
- Die Bedeutung von Metaphern in der Literatur
- Die Bedeutung von literarischem Sinn aus der Perspektive von Philosophen und Literaturwissenschaftlern
- Die Relevanz von literarischem Sinn für James' Geschichten
- Die Analyse der Leitmetaphern in "The Figure in the Carpet" und "The Beast in the Jungle"
- Die Beziehung zwischen den Metaphern und der Botschaft der Geschichten
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel
Der erste Teil des Essays definiert den Begriff der Metapher und erläutert seine Bedeutung für Henry James' Geschichten. Anschließend werden die zentralen Themen und Probleme der beiden Kurzgeschichten vorgestellt. Der zweite Teil des Essays widmet sich der Frage nach der Bedeutung in literarischen Texten. Er bezieht sich auf die Ansichten von Wolfgang Iser und Martin Heidegger und diskutiert die Rolle des Lesers bei der Interpretation von Texten. Der dritte Teil des Essays analysiert die Leitmetaphern in "The Figure in the Carpet" und "The Beast in the Jungle" und untersucht, wie diese Metaphern die Handlung und die Botschaft der Geschichten beeinflussen. Der Essay zeigt, wie die Metaphern eine zentrale Rolle bei der Konstruktion von Geheimnis und Spannung spielen und wie sie die Leser dazu anregen, die Bedeutung der Geschichten selbst zu entdecken.
Schlüsselwörter
Metapher, Literatur, Bedeutung, Interpretation, Henry James, "The Figure in the Carpet", "The Beast in the Jungle", Wolfgang Iser, Martin Heidegger, Geheimnis, Spannung, Leserrolle.
- Quote paper
- Carina Kaufmann (Author), 2015, A Comparison of "The Figure in the Carpet" and "The Beast in the Jungle" by Henry James, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/303871
