Abstract The following paper critically analyzes 'Beowulf', a collection of heathen tales of the early Northland, put together and shaped by a Christian Anglo-Saxon poet in the era of Bede who was influenced by both Greek/Roman and Church sources. This paper examines the significant parallels apparent between Beowulf's adventure and Christ's death, decent into hell and resurrection. However heathen the original story was, the writer argues that it is reasonable to suppose that the account of Beowulf's decent into the grim fen, his encounter with the demon-brood staining the water with blood and his triumphant emergence from it into joyous springtime is at least an allegory of baptism. The following paper gives ?Beowulf and the "Historic Age" a far fuller historical meaning and even greater artistic value than the writer would have if it were only interpreted on a story level. The writer contends that if one were to start from scratch and invent a story whose every detail was to allegorize the story of salvation (which C.S. Lewis did in his "Narnia" series, for example), one could not do much better than was done in Beowulf by using plot inherent in the ancient tales.
From the Paper ?A classic work of literature is one that endures past its own generation. One reason a work endures is because it can be read, enjoyed and promote thought not only for the author's contemporaries, but for people who read it for years to come. In order to do that, it must contain universal themes that remain true across times and cultures.One thing that successive generations of readers do with a classic is relate its themes to their own lives and times. A classic may mean one thing to one person who reads it and another thing to another person. Quite often readers recognize a simple story as an allegory for something else. A recent example of this is how the "Star Wars" saga has come to be "adopted" by Christian readers because Christians realized that many of the main concepts could be metaphors for Christian ideals. "The force" can be God or the Holy Spirit who helps the Jedi (those chosen to lead and defend the common people, or in the Christian tradition, the clergy or ministers or even "everyman" Christians) to fight "the dark side".?
Abstract This paper looks at the many similarities in Emily Bronte's "Wuthering Heights", and Charlotte Bronte's novel, "Jane Eyre". The author discusses the gothic elements present in both books: the dark, the hidden, the secrets, and the brooding characters like Heathcliff and Mr. Rochester. The paper examines the element of the occult in both novels: ghosts, visions, the dead Catharine, and insane Bertha Mason Rochester.
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Traditionally, Gothic elements were constituted by the ambiguous, the chaotic, the unenlightened, the supposedly irrational, the dark, the hidden, and the secret. According to literary handbooks, Gothic is a matter of d?cor and mood, of an obscurely pleasurable terror, of the nostalgic melancholy of ruins and of remote times and places. Conventions familiar in Gothic narratives include a vulnerable/curious heroine, a wealthy/enigmatic hero/villain, and a grand, mysterious dwelling concealing violent secrets."
Abstract Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Herman Melville speak to the modern age through the psychological insight they bring to their characters. The paper shows that these 19th Century Romantics wrote in an era before the science of psychology had been created, but they show the ability to develop ideas about the workings of the human mind and to express these through characters who are realistic in psychological terms even in the most fantastic of situations. The paper discusses their ability to show the contrast between the bizarre nature of the story and the psychological reality of the characters that says something to us about the human condition. Works discussed in the paper, among others, are "The Tell-Tale Heart" (Poe), "Young Goodman Brown" (Hawthorne) and "Billy Budd" (Melville).
From the Paper "In his short story "Young Goodman Brown," Nathaniel Hawthorne creates an image of innocence compromised in the face of the evil of the world, an evil that is always hidden and that masquerades at times as the height of probity. The way the story is presented leaves a question open as to whether Young Goodman Brown's experience was real or a vision. Hawthorne in this story does what he often does in his fiction -- he juxtaposes light and dark, good and evil, innocence and experience, and fashions a moral fable out of the interaction of opposites, doing so in a way that leaves issues unresolved and that hints at the moral struggle in the world without truly resolving it or issues it raises about human behavior."
Abstract This paper discusses how Kenneth Branagh's interpretation of the character, Iago, from Shakespeare's "Othello" differs from Shakespeare's original intention. The paper contrasts Branagh's portrayal of Iago as one who is fierce, dead serious and even brooding, with Shakespeare's Iago as one who is less serious and more intent on enjoying the hunt of Othello. The paper also discusses the movie version's emphasis on providing a motive for Iago's vengeance, while Shakespeare actually provides very little explanation of Iago's motivation.
From the Paper "Kenneth Branagh's interpretation of Iago lends a very different feel to the text than one might get simply by reading it. His portrayal of Iago is typically dead serious. There seems to be no smirk, no joy, in his undoing of Othello, rather he seems almost sulky, almost duty bound. Even if, in the action of the movie, he momentarily assumes a smile, in soliloquy that smile is immediately swept away to a sullen grimace. This frowning Iago is an unusual interpretation of Shakespeare's most notorious villain. From the text, one might assume that Iago enjoys the chase, enjoys the hunt of Othello, but the movie depicts it very much as a fierce competition. Part of this can be seen in the chessboard theme that runs throughout the movie?Iago's attempt to undo Othello is not some freewheeling intellectual exercise, but a disciplined competition."
Tags: villain, downfall, shakespearian, jealous, promotion, chess, theme, venetian, society
Abstract This paper examines the film, "Blue Velvet," directed by David Lynch. Specifically, it discusses mise-en-scene and cinematography in the film. It looks at how David Lynch is a master of the film noir, dark and brooding types of films that disturb, disquiet, and titillate, all at the same time, and how "Blue Velvet" is no exception. It discusses how the film is part blue porn flick, part girl-next-door love story, and part sadistic kidnapping, and how the elements all blend together to form a cohesive whole because of Lynch's masterful use of mise-en-scene staging and cinematography. "Blue Velvet," even with its happy ending, leaves the viewer wanting more, somehow and that, too, seems to be just what Lynch intended.
From the Paper "Mise-en-scene is a French term describing the "director's text" or staging of a film, and in "Blue Velvet," David Lynch's intricate and often surreal staging is an integral part of the film. He arranges space and time in the film with such dark and dreamlike qualities that the film can be nothing more than memorable and yet quite disturbing at the same time ? a true mark of Lynch's film and a tribute to his mise-en-scene. The most compelling visual motif in the film is of course the color blue. Lynch stages action around the color to keep it always in the memory of the viewers. The film opens with a sensuous scene of blue velvet fabric undulating on the screen, the theme continues from the background music to the clearly blue cigarette smoke issuing from the cigarettes of the characters, and in fact, Dorothy, the nightclub singer and sado-masochist, is known as "The Blue Lady" in her act."
Abstract Anne Bronte wrote a book not unlike her sister Charlotte's romantic "Jane Eyre" and Emily's brooding "Wuthering Heights". The paper shows that the books all have a similar setting, the moorlands of northern England and a manor house set in the isolated landscape. The paper explains how "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall" contains the bleakness and despair found in "Wuthering Heights" and the heroism in the character of "Jane Eyre".
From the Paper "Helen is a virtuous woman, and behaves in the way she has been brought up to do, only to find herself subject to cruelty by her husband. She endures the sham marriage, she is tempted by another man but resists that temptation. She finally leaves to make her own way, and finds that as a single mother supporting herself, there is no place for her in society, but she takes satisfaction from the knowledge that she has followed her principles. The motif of the book is the disparity between the sexes, and the general moral degradation of the men in the leisure classes."
Abstract This paper explains that the core theme of Kate Chopin's short story "Desiree's Baby" is race and race relations. The author points out that the reader should be aware of the clues, sprinkled throughout this dark story, which reveal the real character of Armand and hint at the twisted ending. The paper relates that the clues in the story, from the dark, brooding house to the unhappy slaves to the stigma of a child, which appears to have black blood, are symbols of the racism rampant in the South before and after the Civil War. The paper includes many quotations.
From the Paper "Chopin creates a chilling work that seems at first to be light and loving. The truth is that Armand blames the child's origins on Desiree, who cannot cope with the loss of his love and kills herself because of it. He is little more than a murderer because he hides the truth from everyone and lets Desiree bear the shame of carrying Negro blood, when it is really Armand himself who is the culprit. The story is horrifying and especially so because the ending is so shocking."
Abstract The paper introduces and analyzes the book "The Stranger" by Albert Camus. Specifically the paper discusses a theme in the book using imagery and symbolism. The paper states that Camus' work has been called a work of absurdest fiction, in that Camus is attempting to illustrate the absurdity of life with his work. The paper also comments that ultimately, the theme of this work is that human life has no meaning, and that all of us will live and die, and the world will continue on without us. The paper notes that his dark and brooding character, Meursault, is the epitome of this meaningless existence, because Meursault is a cold, infinitely unlikable character with little to make him sympathetic or endearing. The paper concludes that it is a dark novel that stays with the reader long after the reading is done.
From the Paper "From the beginning, it is clear that Meursault is not like most "normal" people. His only thought at the end of his mother's funeral, a time that would be emotional and heart wrenching for most people is "I pictured myself going straight to bed and sleeping twelve hours at a stretch" . He does not feel sorry for himself in losing a parent, or sorry for his mother or her friends, he only thinks of his own comfort and pleasure, another hint that he is callous and unfeeling."
Tags: disassociation, meaninglessness, unsympathetic, character
Abstract In this article, the writer introduces, discusses and analyzes the topic of psychology in women. Specifically, the writer discusses depression in women as a result of emotional, physical, and mental abuse. The writer maintains that psychologically, women are more likely to suffer from depression than men. The writer discusses that women suffer from depression for a variety of reasons, from post-partum depression after giving birth to any number of emotional and physical reasons, such as abuse and fear of abuse. The writer concludes that women suffer more from depression, and women suffer more from emotional and physical abuse, and so, the two are intertwined when it comes to women's physical and mental health.
From the Paper "Thus, depression is not only a personal problem that can affect the woman and her family, it is a problem for the entire country, and solving it could lead to better productivity, along with a greater sense of well being for many American women. In addition, many women ignore depression and its signs, which can help lead to deeper depression and more difficulties in treating the disease.
"It is also interesting to note that psychologically, women generally respond differently to depression. Men tend to look outside themselves for the source of their depression, and attempt to correct or control the causes and so end their depression. Women handle depression differently."
Abstract The paper introduces, discusses, and analyzes the writer Edgar Allan Poe. The paper specifically discusses how his writings are dark and filled with death. From a very early age, Edgar Allan Poe seems to have been obsessed with the topic of death, and many (or most) of his works are dark, brooding pieces filled with mystery, dark deeds, and the death of at least one character, or the lingering theme of death. The paper questions why Poe was so consumed with death and dying.
From the Paper " He writes, "He also offered his famous pronouncement that 'the death of a beautiful woman is the purest of all poetical themes'". Thus, Poe recognized this theme recurred in his works, and found it both satisfying and pure, elements of his fiction that might not seem satisfying and pure to others. After losing his parents and living in a foster home, Poe met Mrs. Jane Stith Stanard, who he became very fond of, and many people believe he loved. He wrote the poem "To Helen" to her, but her life ended tragically, as well. An early Poe biographer writes, "Mrs. Stanard soon went mad and died. "
