Abstract
This paper examines tragedy and damnation in Paradise Lost. Initially, examples of the tragic--the fall from grace--are identified. Subsequently, the use of this device is assessed.

Abstract
This paper examines the role of Donne's poems as a response to the religious and political debate during his life. This paper will uncover the truths of Donne, his belief in God, damnation and history itself. Through his poems, this paper will examine the real John Donne and his personal rruth and plight.

Abstract
Pride, anger, avarice, gluttony, sloth, lust, and envy all manifest themselves in Dr. Faustus throughout the play. Not only do they manifest themselves within the psychological understanding of the play, but the seven deadly sins also appear as characters in the plot. Through his use of the seven deadly sins, then, Marlowe is demonstrating the path to damnation in relation to the developing Christian theology of his day.

Tags:faustus, deadly, sins

Abstract
The following paper examines how the real tragedy of "The Damnation of Theron Ware " is that just as the title character, Theron, becomes illuminated and finally begins to see the truth of things, he is "saved", or rather, damned by Sister Soulsby's deliverance.

From the Paper
"While most critics agree that the title character of Harold Frederic's The Damnation of Theron Ware represents the clash of traditional ideas with new beliefs, it remains ambiguous as to what the true agent of Theron's damnation is. Frederic places conservative Methodism in opposition to three waves of thought: New Asceticism, New Catholicism, and New Science. Theron's awakening to these ideas provides the catalyst for his fall, but the real instrument of his damnation is the pragmatic wisdom represented by Sister Soulsby. Theron Ware begins the novel as a vessel for 19th C. American ideals. He is a Methodist Protestant, emphasizing his heart over his head and representing a non-intellectual emphasis on private morality. He is also an Emersonian, a believer in self-reliance and a romantic lover of nature. His faith that he can enter into a new intellectual sphere is spurred by his Emersonian ideals; however his actual experience is reminiscent of the work of Henry James in such novels as The American. Like Newman, Theron attempts to be something he is not. There are naturalistic, deterministic elements at work that suggest that both Newman and Theron are doomed because they quite simply cannot cross cultural boundaries. This pessimism pervades Frederic's novel as we see Theron stumble blindly on, becoming more and more foolish, just as he believes he is being enlightened. "

Tags:critics, agree, title, character, represents, clash, traditional, ideas, new, beliefs, ambiguous

Abstract
This paper argues that Faustus (of Christopher Marlowe's "Doctor Faustus"), while an educated man, does not yet understand the nature of correct reading. Faustus believes that power resides inside texts, rather than in how the reader uses the texts. The paper shows that because of this, he rejects many useful books in favor of using "magical" texts to summon demons to gain power. It is this misinterpretation of how reading and texts can be used that leads to Faustus's final downfall.

From the Paper
"Additionally, we may reasonably assume that the long Latin incantation Faustus intones comes from one of the books that Valdes and Cornelius have provided him. Revealing again his belief in the power of the texts himself, Faustus marvels at his successful conjuration: "I see there's virtue in my heavenly words" (1.3.28). Mephistopheles tries to disabuse him of this confusion by revealing that he came not because of Faustus's speech per se but because Faustus's speech suggested to him a man willing to abjure God and forfeit his soul."

Tags:hubris, illiteracy, renaissance, Mephistopheles

Abstract
This paper provides a critical analysis of how Marlow's classic play "The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus" presents the character of Faustus as a man trapped by his own mechanisms into a contract with the devil.

From the Paper
"Although Henry James's The Turn of the Screw has been popular since its publication as a classic ghost story, it also teaches a lesson about the true nature of mankind. It is the blend of desirable and undesirable qualities that characterizes humanity. To be capable of salvation, man must also be capable of damnation, but he has the ability to choose his own path. This critical essay delves deep into the literary and religious symbolism that manifests as the children fall victim to the corruption of evil. James leaves open to interpretation whether or not the children are ever freed from their internal evil, but the angel fiend antithesis throughout the novel demonstrates the dual possibilities of all humanity. In a symbolic sense, the characters in The Turn of the Screw are representative of a larger group. The ghosts are in fact a manifestation of all that is evil and corrupt, and the children represent all of humanity. Even the names themselves have a representative quality: Miles the soldier, the archetypal male, and Flora the flower, the essential female (Kimbrough 218). The real subject of the novel is the dual nature of man, who may in fact be inherently "good," but he is susceptible to the temptations that lead into the realm of evil. The children's beauty is a symbol of the spiritual perfection of which man is capable. The demons are both agents of damnation and representatives of what the children may become in the future if they do not follow the path to salvation. Thus, the elemental conflict is the struggle between good and evil to possess the human soul. "

Tags:ghost, henry, horror, humanity, james, symbolism

From the Paper
"Saint Augustine bases his beliefs concerning sin on theological considerations. This has to be the situation because sin is an act in thought, word, or deed that goes against God. Ultimately, the sin is offensive to God due to the fact that sin separates the human spirit from the Divine. Because God is Love, sin removes humankind from that Love, a condition most undesirable. Saint Augustine says: "Hear me, God. Alas for man's sin. So says man and you pity him; for you made him, but you did not make sin in him" (Confessions 23). Humankind has made sin, not God. Sin is part of the theology of Christianity, and Saint Augustine's approach is to view theology as a way to deal with sin.

When Saint Augustine discusses sin, he frequently reaches ... "

Abstract
Scene Twelve of "Dr. Faustus" is important as it premeditates the death of Faustus in the final scene. The paper shows that the audience might feel great sympathy for his despair and worry, but the contrast of the courageous old man and Faustus' praising of the Devil reminds them of the reasons for his downfall. The paper shows that this scene represents the symbolic hubris, passion and ambition of Faustus which has driven this man away from the virtues of godly worship and the security of his soul, and towards the illicit pleasures of the Faustian pact and the damnation of his soul.

From the Paper
"The penultimate scene of Dr Faustus is one of the most important in the play as we see Faustus both enjoying his illicit gains and despairing at the forthcoming damnation of his soul. It follows a chorus by Wagner, where he describes the drunken and self-indulgent behavior of Faustus. This demonstrates that Faustus is adhering to the demonic principles by which he has lived, and rejecting the pious Christian existence. At the beginning of scene twelve the reader is left wondering whether the drunken bravado of Faustus is sincere or hollow."

Tags:Duchess, of, Vanholt, Wagner, Mephastophilis

Abstract
This paper reviews the novel "The Heart of the Matter" by Graham Greene and outlines the plight of police commissioner Scobie from an upright life based on morals and rules to the hell of a tormented sinner. It examines how Scobie's life is defined by rules and obligation and as he begins to follow his heart, he is led to damnation of his soul followed by suicide. It shows how Greene strongly establishes the view that love leads to sin and how the novel illustrates the confusion of a Catholic man as he is torn between the obligation to his wife and the oath to a piteous young woman. The sympathy and responsibility he feels for every other person but himself leads him to commit sins and destroy himself.

From the Paper
"The addition of love in Scobie's bland life complicated his situation. While Louise was away, Major Scobie falls into an affair with Helen Rolt, a young widow who Scobie met as a victim of a shipwreck. Scobie becomes enthralled in the relationship. Louise's decision to return home because of knowledge of the relationship and Scobie's obligation to keep both women happy forces Scobie to turn to God. He places their well being before his own, leading to self-damnation and a deeper plunge into the tangled string of emotions and duties he is now in."

Tags:wife, rules, obligation, suicide, love, god