Abstract This paper discusses the differences between Samuel Taylor Coleridge's two poems: "Frost at Midnight", and "Pains of Sleep". These two poems are of different themes and forms and yet exhibit the creativeness found in Coleridge's works. The author also explains how Coleridge was also a literary critic who defined the category of conversation and imagination poems.
From the Paper ""Pains of Sleep" is another literary work from Coleridge, and it was written in 1803. Contrary to the melancholy tone yet positive outlook of the poet's behavior in "Frost at Midnight", "Pains of Sleep" shows the agony experienced by the poet in his struggle to overcome his opium addiction and its after-effect. The poem discusses Coleridge's fear of sleep, and of dreaming. It is evident in the poem's anguished tone that it Coleridge describes his agony in descriptive detail. "Pains of Sleep" is categorized as an example of an imagination poem, a poem that contains brilliant imagery and supernatural elements, and is "far-off" from the ordinary world of people. Imagery during the Romantic period is a powerful tool to express a message in creative and descriptive detail, and is often referred to as "the sensations that language creates in the mind" "
An essay which shows that literature creates false expectations in society as expressed by the neo-classical works of "A Tale of a Tub", by Johnathan Swift, "Vanity of Human Wishes" by Samuel Johnson and "The English Malady" by George Cheyne.
Abstract The paper shows that by providing readers with a realm based solely on the imagination, authors are able to manipulate reality through literature, creating unattainable expectations in society. The paper examines three examples illustrating this in the Augustan Age: "A Tale of a Tub" by Jonathan Swift, "The Vanity of Human Wishes", by Samuel Johnson, and "The English Malady" by George Cheyne. The paper describes how each work uses a different mode to express and effectively critique the inflated significance placed on intellect and the written word that both caused and resulted from the print explosion of the neo-classical period. It shows how all three writers voice a realization that the materialistic Empire was falling into a downward spiral from the spiritual and moral decay initiated by the overindulgence in the luxuries of excess.
From the Paper "In section two of this work, Swift uses the metaphor of three brothers who abandon the principles of their father's will at the whim of current fashion to convey the movement of literature from its classical roots to the image based ?tailor deity.? As the brothers deface the coats, that were the only legacy left to them by their father, they are metaphorically distorting classical literature which was their predecessors sole method of preserving their wisdom for posterity. Therefore, any reader coming into the sphere of this type of influence would be accepting knowledge with no basis in the accepted archetype or tradition of human understanding."
Abstract The paper explores how our notions of childhood have changed through the centuries and proceeds to show that childhood stands at the heart of many works of literature from which it was initially thought absent. The paper discusses the style of works in the 17th century and conveys the 18th century view on childhood as seen in the works of Bonhote, Rousseau, Eliot, Blake and Wordsworth. The paper then identifies the theme in the literature of the 19th century, as seen in the works of Charles Dickens, Lewis Carroll and Harriet Beecher Stowe. Next, the paper looks briefly at contemporary 20th century authors and relates that from this century onwards, there has been a global and unprecedented interest in childhood.
From the Paper "In 1960, Philippe Aries advanced the hypothesis that the idea of childhood was practically inexistent before the early modern period. The controversy about the existence or absence of the idea prior to that time in history gave rise to a host of studies on childhood. But what does the word "childhood" mean? Our awareness that it refers to a distinct period of human life is natural but how do we determine its duration? How long does childhood last? Many psychologists and Children's Studies specialists have emitted an opinion on the subject and they have come to the conclusion that "childhood" is a complex term. All have agreed that it refers to a set of experiences and behaviours, characteristic for the earlier part of our lives, meant to prepare us for adulthood and active life."
Abstract This paper takes up the idea of loss of imagination, a popular idea of romantic poetry, that is the central theme of the poem, "Dejection: An Ode." The author compares this poem to the biblical story,
"The Fall" in order to show that there is a "point of no return" that is associated with the biblical example and that this must also be assumed in Coleridge's comparison to a loss of imagination.
From the Paper "Consider for a moment the absence of all imagination. Of course, such an act is impossible. The very fascination of such an idea prompts the human mind to initiate its most creative powers. Nonetheless, Coleridge presents a hope-tinged lament to the notion of a loss of imagination in
"Dejection: An Ode." The demise of "genial spirits" in response to Wordsworth is depicted as permanent, and readers are offered no hopes of the visionary consolation through memory found in "Intimations Ode Instead, the speaker's "grief without a pang, void, dark, and drear" is irreversible and comes from deep within. The only expectation from which he may draw solace is that his "Lady" who is "pure of heart" may "evermore rejoice".
An examination of the imaginative journey in a comparison of Samuel Coleridge's poems, "Lime Tree Bower," "Frost at Midnight" and "Cover of Ivory Trail" and Tennessee Williams' "The Glass Menagerie."
1,407 words (approx. 5.6 pages), 0 sources, 2007, $ 46.95
Abstract This paper discusses the concept of the imaginative journey through Samuel Coleridge's poems, "Lime Tree Bower," "Frost at Midnight" and "Cover of Ivory Trail" and Tennessee Williams' "The Glass Menagerie." It explains how all of the texts assert the power of the imaginative journey in evoking the poetic, in moving beyond mere appearance, beyond exhausted realism, to provoke new insights into reality and creative processes.
From the Paper "The Glass Menagerie invites the reader on an imaginative journey. Williams' surrealist technique of magic lantern slides produces quite hazy, unfixed images, reinforcing Tom's assertion in his opening monologue that the play "is not realistic". Williams suggests a series of titles and images which evoke the evocative and illogical logic of dreams. For example, the images of blue roses at the beginning of scene 2- the projection of this surrealist image prior to any mention of 'blue roses' in the dialogue itself provokes the reader's imagination. However, when the image is finally referred to, the viewer's mind is likely to float back to the poetic image. Hence, Williams subverts the linear narrative and creates a strange, elliptical link between past and present moments. This technique is an attempt to engage the viewer in an imaginative journey to connect with reality in a more penetrating and fresh way and gain a more vivid understanding of things the way they are."
This paper analyzes and compares the following contemporary books: 'Trash Culture', 'The Death of Literature', 'The Medium is the Massage' and 'What was Literature?'.
Abstract This paper discusses four books about literature today. The author of the paper's ideas are the following: Richard Keller Simon's book 'Trash Culture' encourages studying classic literature and both its classical and contemporary interpretations. Leslie Fiedler's book 'What Was Literature?' states that the examination of the art novel is a pass? exercise; that our approach is flawed if we cannot cater to the detective novel, the pornographic fancy, or the comic strip. Marshall McLuhan's book 'The Medium is the Massage' discusses messages as well as the importance of themes in novels. Alvin Kernan's book' The Death of Literature' advocates negative views against television. The paper also includes examples of modern movies and television shows and compares them to certain books.
From the Paper "Richard Keller Simon, in his book 'Trash Culture' advocates the simultaneous study of classic literature through its traditional forms and contemporary interpretation, highlighting the importance of promoting popular culture in conjunction with classic literature in order to comprehend the crucial perspective in which the books materialize. (R. K. Simon, California, 3-5) In rejecting Stallone's interpretation and condensation of the Iliad as not having the ability to convey any of the inherent messages of its classic counterpart, we deny popular culture as a possibly influential schooling device. (Spectrum, Australia, 1) "
Abstract This paper focuses on World War II literature, particularly literature produced during the war itself, as well as the the immediate post-war period. The writer of this paper examines how the traumatic narratives used in these particular works of writing are circulated and perceived throughout culture. The writer contends and explains the manner in which these traumatic narratives share theoretical space with memory. This paper also examines the correlation between the reality of events that actually occurred to those associated with trauma and memory. This paper analyzes the studies that situate literature within the network of its then contemporaneous political field that tended to avoid exploring the mechanisms responsible for the appearance of historical events in texts written during this period.
From the Paper "There are many questions raised by such a description of trauma. First, since trauma is precisely the absence of the event, or the haunting of the present by a displaced experience that was never experienced nor understood at the "proper" time, it seems paradoxical that I would favor it as a method for foregrounding individual experience. But if it is true that memory is itself subject to many of the same epistemological problems raised by the study of trauma, then ultimately trauma is perhaps the best method for foregrounding individual experience. However, the subject of suffering does pose a larger problem for this notion of trauma; Scarry observes in The Body in Pain that pain is unsymbolizable, hence one can never adequately communicate what she or he is experiencing. This posits an interior space unavailable to the signifying field, revealing a limitation of the method I am outlining here."
Abstract The evolution of literature in America has been an extraordinary process, where its development from humble descriptions of exploration to extraordinary works of fiction demonstrates a comparable form of development within the American people. This paper explores the concept of "American Literature" in respect to its evolution from the Columbian period through the Ante- Bellum period.
An examination of the different ways prejudice can be approached in children's literature, focusing on Terry Pratchett's "The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents" and Karen Levine's "Hana's Suitcase."
675 words (approx. 2.7 pages), 2 sources, 2005, $ 26.95
Abstract This paper examines the incident and approach to the matter of prejudice in children's literature. The paper discuss how this has been accomplished in Terry Pratchett's "The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents" and Karen Levine's "Hana's Suitcase." The paper discusses the different ways in which these two authors approach prejudice and how difficult a topic it is to address in children's literature.
From the Paper "Dealing with Prejudice in Children's Literature This paper examines the incident and approach to the matter of prejudice in children's literature. Because this can be a difficult subject at any age level, dealing with it in children's literature can be especially difficult. Below, I will discuss how this has been accomplished in Terry Pratchett's The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents and Karen Levine's Hana's Suitcase. Sometimes, addressing prejudice is done in a very straightforward fashion. Readers are never question the fact that prejudice is one of the primary themes of the work. This is the case in Hana's Suitcase. However, other writers approach the subject more subtly and less directly, preferring to dance around the matter with allusion and metaphor. This is Pratchett's approach in The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rats."
Abstract This paper is comprised of six short summaries of examples of world literature form the 'Norton Anthology of World Literature', 2nd edition, Volumes A and B. The summaries include the 'Genesis Tree of Life', 'Gilgamesh', the 'Pardoner's Prologue and Tale', 'a Conference of Birds', and 'Ovid's Metamorphoses'. The final page comments on the historical timeline of these stories and their significance.
From the Paper "The tree of life is a part of the creation myth in the Bible. It is an additional icon in the Garden of Eden, usually overlooked in favor of focus on the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The fruit of this tree grants immortality. The can be ascertained from the name of the tree but also from a brief description of the tree that Good gives in Genesis 3:22. Of course, it is little wonder that the tree of life does not figure a larger place in the creation story: it is only mentioned twice in the entire book of Genesis. It is first mentioned in Genesis 2:9, which reads, "the tree of life also in the midst of the garden" (58). Of course, this doesn't tell us much about the tree of life. "
Abstract This article explores the themes of religious hypocrisy rife in the literature of eighteenth century England. It utilizes the texts of "The Vicar of Wakefield", "Joseph Andrews", and "The Way of the World" to reveal the convergence of both early novel and constant drama as exposers of the Church of England and its contradictions.
Tags: century, drama, eighteenth, england, literature, novels
Abstract This paper basically argues that we all have evil in us and we all have the potential of being evil. In other words, we all have the capability of being the next Hitler, but due to our restraints and good will, we will not. This paper also analyzes through literature and artwork, what happens when those restraints fail and evil is unleashed.
From the Paper "If I were to say that you could be the next Hitler, you would probably think I was crazy and didn't know what I was talking about. Unfortunately this statement cannot be impossible, for everybody has the possibility of being the next Hitler. We all have that possibility because we all have our human nature and this nature covers a vast spectrum. There are people who strive to emerge on the loving side of the spectrum, like Mother Theresa, who gave the world an idea of the infinite beauty and love of the human spirit. She showed everyone how just one woman with love in her heart could affect the world in such a monumental way. Unfortunately the world was also affected in monumental ways by those who represent the other end of the spectrum, people like Pol Pot, who gave the world a grim awakening of just how low the human spirit could fall and how a human spirit absent of love can result in the deaths of millions. Though atrocities such as this may have occurred in the past, the capabilities of human nature have not changed. We are still able to act in same ways as Pol Pot, just as we are able to act in the same was of Mother Theresa. What seems to confuse us all is that even though we are all capable love, some still choose to hate. It is this breach in reason that intrigues a number of authors, poets, and artists and results in their exploration of human nature in such stories as A Modest Proposal and Ladies and Gentlemen, to the gas chambers and pieces of art like "Third of May" and "Massacre of Chois.""
Tags: art, brutality, chois, literature, massacre, may, modest, proposal, swift, third
Abstract This paper describes the battle of the sexes through writings in English literature. It includes quotes from Chaucer, Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night", Milton's "Paradise Lost", and Gay's "The Beggar's Opera". The time period ranges from the middle ages, the renaissance, to the enlightenment. All quotes are from the Norton Anthology Seventh edition and are sited according to MLA format.
From the Paper "From the beginning of time, the battle of the sexes has been a ferocious conflict; a conflict where women have often been on the losing side. This is truly evident from reading early English literature. Men have had the dominate roles over their women counterparts no matter what the prevailing time period was. Although women's rights diminished and replenished over the centuries, there was never a time when men and women were considered to be equal."
Abstract Summary: Children's literature can be useful in aiding children in this aspect of their growth. In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the representation of death, and the fear of death, plays a prominent role in terms of character, plot and setting. The character of Harry Potter is defined, from the outset of the book, by the death of his parents.
