Abstract Daphne Marlatt's novel, "Ana Historic", is unique in that it refuses to follow the typical novel form, a structured style of writing familiar to us all; it is after all the style we have learnt as children. However our inherited writing structure has been decided by our forefathers, men who established the English language and its writing style and in this way shaped how our thoughts and ideas must be arranged. This paper looks at how Marlatt rejects this idea of the conventional, masculine English language and along with it the boundaries that arrange and reign in our thoughts.
Abstract This paper explores the concept of beauty in Witkin's photography. It looks at the techniques he uses to create pictures like paintings. It discusses some early childhood influences on his work and the difficulty of classifying him as any particular type of photographer. It studies the relationship between his work and glass (the properties of glass) and analyzes his picture entitled "Glassman". Next, the paper moves on to another work of Witkin?s, entitled "Waiting for De Chirico", discussing its comment on surrealism and use of foreground, middle-ground and background. The paper then moves on to an analysis of Witkin's ?Daphne and Appollo?, exploring its message about love. The paper concludes by highlighting the commonalities between the three above-mentioned paintings.
From the Paper "While Joel-Peter Witkin may well be a virtuoso technician pushing the envelope with his creative skills, it is seldom his technique that causes people to stop and stare at his work, as well as very frequently stop people from looking at his work altogether. To call him the master of the macabre is to think of him as a storyteller in the fashion of Poe. However, unlike Poe, he is no romantic; he is not interested in ironic twists but rather presents himself as a reporter on the human condition, and on the bubbling unconscious of humans trapped in this world of so many contradictions."
Tags: photography, techniques, picture, influences, glass, Glassman, ?Waiting, for, De, Chirico?, surrealism, analysis, ?Daphne, and, Appollo?, commonalities
Abstract In the movie "The Birds" (1963), director Alfred Hitchcock suggests themes of horror related to primal fears of nature. While the story is based on the story "The Birds" by Daphne Du Maurier, the film version made many changes in the process of adaptation. The paper shows that the changes Hitchcock made utilized the same tensions as the original story while adapting the tale to something that could better take advantage of the visual element so important on the screen. It shows that these changes create a film that is more visual, but also develop the human element to a greater degree, shape the narrative for a different time and setting and create a different sense of the vagaries of nature and the way human beings fit into the natural world.
From the Paper "The first change noted is that the story no longer takes place at a farm surrounded by the sea, for now the setting is the coastal village of Bodega Bay in California and not a distant region of England. The original story is about a disabled man and his family, while the Hitchcock film begins the story with the meeting of a woman and man in San Francisco. Melanie Daniels meets Mitch in a pet store where Mitch is looking for a pair of lovebirds for his younger sister. The movie version therefore has the trappings of a traditional romance from the first, and the element of fear will be something that tests the romance and creates contrasts between the way the world was before the meeting and the way it becomes after. The suspense develops slowly as the couple travels to Bodega Bay, as Melanie meets some of the people there, and as the nature she is now exposed to begins to change into something deadly. The suspense increases as birds begin to attack, first singly, then in groups of hundreds and thousands of birds, all behaving contrary to their normal placid nature."
Tags: Melanie, Daniels, Bodega, Bay, Annie, Hayworth
Abstract This paper will discuss the nature of identity and of the absent main character Rebecca, in the novel by Daphne du Maurier's book entitled "Rebecca". In understanding why this main character remains elusive throughout the whole book, we can begin to understand the symbolic value of character that Maurier places on Rebecca in her struggles. By understanding the role of a young woman in England in the 19th century, we can see why she remained in this position throughout the book.
Abstract The writer of this paper discusses the plot and main characters of Daphne du Maurier's romantic novel, "Jamaica Inn," which is the story of a young woman named Mary Yellen, who was raised in the peaceful village, Helford. This paper follows the story of Mary, who after the death of mother is sent to live with her aunt Patience at the Jamaica Inn. This paper also details the evolving romance between Mary and Jem, a horse thief.
From the Paper "Mary meets up with Jem on Christmas Eve and watches him sell the newly colored pony back to its original owner, who does not recognize it. Later, Jem questions her about her appearance, worried that the light has gone from her eyes. She tells Jem what Joss has told her. Mary and Jem have a great day together and Jem tries to kiss her. She pushes him away and tells him she wants to go home. He leaves to get the jingle but fails to come back. Eventually, Mary decides to venture home alone. She meets the vicar on the way, accepts a ride from him, and once again spills her guts to him. He comforts her by saying that the government will soon patrol the coast and wreckers will be arrested and outlawed. Mary's evening gets worse. She arrives home only to be forced to accompany Joss and his gang on a wrecking trip."
Abstract The paper explores one of the key concerns of Daphne Du Maurier's novel, "Rebecca": the development of a gendered, specifically feminine, subjectivity. The paper clarifies what is implied by the term 'subjectivity'. The paper examines through a psychoanalytical lens exactly what constitutes femininity and the nature of its relationship to subjectivity. The paper then analyzes how this relationship is questioned by the role of the narrator in "Rebecca." The paper shows how the narrator emphasises the socially constructed nature of femininity, partly through the masquerade of her narrative identity.
From the Paper "Rebecca, Daphne Du Maurier's fifth and most famous novel , begins with what is perhaps one of the most oft-cited sentences in literature: 'Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again'. (p. 1) This first sentence immediately introduces the reader to both the nature of the novel and what is ultimately one of the key concerns of the novel: the development of a gendered, specifically feminine, subjectivity. From the very first sentence of Rebecca which is, in Du Maurier's words, a 'psychological' novel, one is invited into the narrator's 'world of dreams and daydreams' and, through Du Maurier's use of a first person narrator, is encouraged to voyeuristically play witness to the narrator's thought processes and developing awareness of what it is to be feminine. It is also through this mode of narration that one is able to perceive the development of a 'normative' femininity and, crucially, witness the relationship taking place between this femininity and the narrator's subjectivity."
Abstract The paper discusses the novel "Rebecca" by Daphne Du Maurier and focuses on how the role of women in a patriarchal society is given particular attention in the context of the novel. The paper refers to the novel "Jane Eyre" by Emile Bronte that also reflects some of the same themes about women in an earlier era. The paper examines the gothic elements present in this work and shows how Du Maurier paints a picture of society as it was.
From the Paper "The central character is a woman who becomes involved in a romantic relationship. She is a woman ultimately bound to the past, a past which interferes with the present and which makes a meaningful relationship nearly impossible until the holdovers from that past are resolved. In Rebecca, the past is represented in a dead woman who effectively--though not literally--"haunts" the house where the husband brings his new wife. Maxim de Winter was once married to Rebecca, and her presence is still felt throughout the house where they lived together, a presence reinforced by her clothes, her room, and her portrait. The new wife--a woman set apart from everyone else by the fact that neither the novel nor the film gives her a name, though the whole story is seen through her eyes--feels this presence most acutely. She also believes that Max loved Rebecca so much that he cannot escape from her memory, making the role of new wife especially difficult. This turns out not to be the case, but the new wife believes it and reacts accordingly."
This paper discusses the continuity of technique and style in traditional sculpture, from Antiquity to the Baroque and Neo-Classical periods, specifically in the sculpture of Italians Gianlorenzo Bernini (1598-1680) and Antonio Canova (1757-1822).
Abstract This paper explains that the mythical antique sculptures initially seem to have more features in common than differences with those of Bernini from the Baroque era and Canova from the Neo-classic era; but, upon closer examination of Bernini's 'Apollo and Daphne' and Canova's 'Cupid and Psyche', they are steeped in the attitudes and values of their own periods. The author points out that Bernini's 'Apollo and Daphne' reflects the religious emotionalism and exuberant decorative richness that spread all over Europe from Rome, while Canova's 'Cupid and Psyche' demonstrates the fusion of Christian values and Eighteenth century sensibility. The paper relates that, in classical art, the greatly prized qualities of nobility, grace, beauty, supreme physical strength, virtuosity and heroism is expressed in sculpture: Bernini and Canova seem to use the Antique period as an inexhaustible source of human qualities and emotions.
From the Paper "Bernini's 'Apollo and Daphne' exemplifies sculpture from the Baroque period, and Canova's 'Cupid and Psyche' is a prime example of Neo-Classical sculpture. The very title 'Neo-Classical' suggests a strong identification with ancient art, but the movement was perhaps more of a reaction against the Baroque style. It sought to combine Christianity with the general sentiments and principles of the time. The Neo-Classicists condemned Baroque art for its excessive detail and lack of 'meaning'. John Flaxman once criticised the extravagance of Baroque sculpture, describing it as all about 'twisted heads, full bodies, fluttering draperies; all wrists and ankles and bombastic attitudes'. In comparison to Bernini's Daphne and Apollo', Canova's 'Cupid and Psyche' is an unadorned sculpture."
Abstract This paper examines the novel, "Devil in a Blue Dress" by Walter Mosely, an African-American mystery thriller set in Los Angeles in 1948, about a black man, Easy Rawlins, and his search for knowledge about himself and his race. It looks at how the novel talks about knowledge being power and what the dominant (white) race and class struggled long in history to deprive the blacks. It also analyzes how the novel treats violence as an endorsement of the black ideology of useless respect and how, at the same time, rejects a white ideology of violence that defines white superiority.
From the Paper "Easy's perception of freedom consists of economic independence, personal autonomy and the elimination of restrictive categories of self-definition. Half of Daphne's stolen wealth lends him financial security and freedom, two years? worth of salary to him. But his most important concept of freedom revolves around Daphne herself, the lady and the devil wearing a blue dress. His experience with her cancels the categories installed in his world ? she is a white woman in the black world, a mothering but manipulating woman who is simultaneously black and white, loving and obscene. She is a chameleon who promises him the personal knowledge he seeks yet he never manages to get the truth from her."
Abstract This paper discusses the plot of the novel which revolves around the second Mrs. de Winter who becomes obsessed with tales of Rebecca, the first Mrs. de Winter, who was mysteriously murdered. The writer contends and explains why Mrs. de Winter's longing to be like Rebecca leads to a journey of self-discovery which also helps her unearth the mysterious past of her husband Maxim and his first wife. The paper discusses the author's use of symbolism to foreshadow Mrs. de Winter's connection with Rebecca. This paper delves into the second wife's feelings of inadequacy when trying to measure up to the image of her husband's first wife. The writer of this paper details the immense power Rebecca has over Mrs. de Winter while also delving into the dysfunctional relationship between Mrs. de Winter and her husband.
From the Paper "Rebecca is thus an elusive entity for the girl who longs to become more like her and thus develops her own images and version of her. She follows these images, copying them in her desire to be deserving of the title of Mrs. De winter. Her marriage with Maxim was not exactly successful because the girl was pre-occupied with her middle-class upbringing and wanted to somehow trade that for a more adult, grown-up attitude. She found herself inexperienced in sexual matters which left her often feeling empty and unfulfilled after her sexual encounters with Maxim. Mrs. De Winter blamed this on her middle-class ness, something that she had come to resent deeply. She felt that only a woman like Rebecca could have a fulfilling marriage and a satisfying sexual life with her husband since she was experienced in the art of winning and pleasing people."
Abstract The paper discusses how the novel "Devil in a Blue Dress" and the film based on the novel both portray the same message of racism for their audiences. The paper explains how a film, however, has to employ different strategies from a novel in order to illustrate an idea. The paper explores the major and minor differences between the film and novel and then shows how film productions generally choose their actors and their scenes using concepts of race and racial images. The paper is of the opinion that these negative "common sense" assumptions towards different races only facilitate the idea of inequality.
From the Paper "It is necessary to use different strategies to illustrate an idea using a film compared to a novel. In a novel, readers are free to imagine what they read given the details from the book. These imaginations are usually based on what the readers have learned and experienced in the past. Because each person has different experiences and different knowledge, the information that is given by the novel will show a different perspective to each different reader. On the other hand, watching a film will show a common version of what is actually happening in the scenes. In this case, it is better to define characters in the briefest and most condensed manner (Omi 553)."
Abstract This paper describes the CD recording "John Dowland Songs for Tenor and Lute", and notes that the tenor voice is the fundamental part and focal point while the lute acts as a background instrument, which adds variety and frills to the compositional piece. The paper also points out the similar sound of the historical lute to that of the contemporary Spanish guitar. The paper also points out that the performer of the lute in this recording is Paul O'Dette, born in 1954, who is both a musician and composer specializing in playing the lute and early music. In addition, the paper describes the various tracks, many of which sing of love, and the song "When Phoebus First Did Daphne Love". The writer believes that this recording is authentic recording and offers many insights into the music of its time period.
From the Paper "In this CD, almost every single track is set up the exact same way. The tenor is the only voice and is the main compositional piece of the music. The lute is there to add some background to the tenor voice. I also noticed that there is very little set rhythm through each piece. Each song on this recording is a song about love. Even though the recording is performed in English, the performer sings in way that makes it extremely difficult to understand and discern the words that he is actually singing. Out of 20 tracks, fifteen of the track's titles have to do with love."
