Abstract This paper analyzes whether VictorHorta's work reflects the aesthetics of the art nouveau movement. It also looks at what some of the limitations of the art nouveau movement were. The paper provides an overview of the architect's life and the times in which he lived. It then analyzes Horta's influence to the art movements of this time period.
Table of Contents:
Review and Discussion
Background and Overview
VictorHorta and the Art Nouveau Movement
Influence and Limitations of Art Nouveau
Conclusion
From the Paper "The research showed that architectural designers such as Victor Horta and Hector Guimard are credited with introducing the art nouveau movement to England and the rest of Europe (primarily France and Germany) in response to the technological innovations that were taking place in the world at the time. What distinguishes Horta's works from some of his peers, though, is the enduring quality of his craftsmanship and attention to detail, all of which contribute to making his buildings a single work of art as it were. As one modern observer puts it, "Although many of Brussels' houses have extremely boring exteriors - and seldom is one a mirror of its neighbor - coming upon occasional works from the art-nouveau era can be as exciting as seeing a rainbow" (Levin 1)."
Abstract This paper discusses how Victor Frankenstein in Mary Shelley's novel "Frankenstein" is an archetypal overreacher, which means that he is a perfect example of a person who failed by trying to be clever. It examines how the monster is unnatural because Victor goes too far, breaking the laws of nature and how the monster he unleashes does not cause disruption and destruction. It uses events and quotes from the book to show how this is not totally correct, because what he unleashes is not disruption and destruction, but a process over time.
From the Paper "What Victor does and what he creates are unnatural. Victor's undertaking of creating a human is unnatural because it had never been attempted or even thought of before. The secret of creating life, Victor insists, fell into his lap, and he wonders why "among so many men of genius"[he] alone should be reserved to discover so astonishing a secret.? Unnatural can be described as not in the accordance of accepted standards of behaviour. This means that Victor's thoughts are so outrageous and unnatural that no other scientist in the same field has not even began to think about creating human beings artificially. What Victor creates in unnatural because, although it is intended to be a human being, it is described as hideous and revolting, because Victor creates some sore of super-human creation."
Abstract This paper reviews Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" and, in particular, examines the irrational behavior of the protagonist, Victor Frankenstein. It looks at how Victor Frankenstein's irrational behavior begins with his ambition, and what begins as a healthy curiosity about nature and science turns into an obsession that he cannot control. It analyzes the effect of this irrationality on the other characters in the story and shows how Frankenstein's irrational behavior leads to the death of four innocent people and, eventually, his own demise.
From the Paper "The next character to suffer from Frankenstein's irrational behavior is Justine. She is accused of murder and Frankenstein is still unable to tell what he knows. This scene demonstrates the depth of Frankenstein's irrational behavior. Even as he hears the judges condemning Justine, all he can do is leave the courtroom "in agony" (69). This scene is amazing because it demonstrates Frankenstein's selfish nature. He says, "The tortures of the accused did not equal mine: she was sustained by innocence, but the fangs of remorse tore my bosom and would not forgo their hold" (69). Even as Justine confesses to a murder she did not commit, Frankenstein is not moved. He admits feeling despair, but not so much as to save the girl's life."
Abstract This paper examines Mary Shelley's Gothic tale "Frankenstein, Or The Modern Prometheus", published in 1818, in which the main character, Victor Frankenstein, a young student steeped in the mysteries of science, describes his explorations into the unknown through his obsession to create life from the dead, which produces a monster of great size and strength bent on nothing but revenge. In particular, it looks at why Shelley included "The Modern Prometheus" as part of her title for the novel and how it is clear that she was attempting to compare Victor Frankenstein with Prometheus, the Greek god, who breathed life into man and brought fire to earth after stealing it from Mount Olympus.
From the Paper "Not surprisingly, the future husband of Mary Godwin, being the great English poet and rebel Percy Bysshe Shelley, wrote a very long lyrical poem in 1820 (two years after the publication of Frankenstein) called "Prometheus Unbound" which explores Prometheus's relationship with Earth, his mother, Asia, his wife and Jupiter (Zeus), the King of the Gods. In this poem, Prometheus is described as being bound to a rocky cliff by Jupiter for his misdeeds against the gods. And while chained and powerless, Prometheus is tortured by an eagle that eats his liver on a daily basis, but the liver always grows back which allows the cycle to go on for eternity. Perhaps, since Percy Shelley allegedly aided in the writing of Frankenstein, he may have been attempting to allegorize the ever-growing liver as a symbol of the Monster's immortality, meaning that the Monster, like Prometheus's liver, can never die and is eternally damned."
Abstract This paper discusses the French author, Victor Hugo, and compares him to the protagonist of the literary work, "Les Miserables". The paper contends that Hugo parallels many of the qualities of Jean Valjean, the main character in "Les Miserables". The paper examines the social consciousness displayed in many of Hugo's novels, claiming that it is evidence of the conscience developed over a lifetime of involvement in politics and revolutionary thought.
From the Paper "Hugo used his literary power to influence political thinking of his time, as well as to raise consciousness regarding the poor, children and other victims of the political upheaval caused by the French Revolution. The author has come to represent the literary movement of French Romanticism. This movement, with its imagination, subjectivity, freedom of thought, and idealization of nature fused itself well with Hugo's humanistic and somewhat rebellious personality. Together with this Hugo's political views leaned towards social liberty, which he combined in his idealism, and he saw 1830 as the year marking the emergence of both (Kirjasto). Hugo and his contemporaries, like many today, saw the role of the artist as social commentator and director. Hugo fulfilled this role admirably by adhering to the political views he held even in the face of significant political opposition. He shows his strongly principled character by never shying away from subject matter that may prove socially and politically inflammatory. The same strong principles can be seen in Jean Valjean, the main character of Les Miserables."
Abstract This paper reviews two works by Mary Douglas and Victor Turner on the matters of ritual and anthropology (article sources are not named and are not included). The paper briefly explores issues of taboo behavior in scriptures and rituals, and concludes that the process of studying such scriptures and rituals is difficult because of the inter-connectivity found between them and their respective host societies.
From the Paper "It is commonly accepted that many religious scriptures help convey social and communal codes. Dietary habits are a good example of this, where certain cultures avoided the ingestion of pork on the grounds that it was prohibited by their faith, but also that avoidance helped reduce the possibilities of disease. However, the authors promote the concept that there are multiple ways to understand adherence to certain scriptures and codes as presented in the religious texts. The concept of what is dirty, soiled, or sinful, for example, can be interpreted on one level as helping practitioners avoid lifestyle traits that were unhealthy. Yet this can be interpreted on a second level as well, where the avoidance of dirt was more of a symbolic avoidance of impurities."
Abstract The paper looks at the life of Victor Schreckengost, a legendary artist and designer who has made a major impact on the art world through the mediums of clay, hand-painted ceramics, and sculpture, as well as drawing and painting. The paper describes his education and works in designer dinnerware, bicycles for adults and children, art pottery and small-scale and architectural sculptures. The paper relates that Schreckengost was named one of the ten National Medal of the Arts recipients and was honored by President George W. Bush and Mrs. Laura Bush in an oval office ceremony at the White House in November 2006.
From the Paper "Victor Schrechengost was born the first child to Warren and Adda Schreckengost in Sebring, Ohio. Artistic ability existed all through his family, his father Warren was a commercial potter for the French China Co, and two of his brothers are today well-known designers. It was is father who Victor learned the craft of sculpting from, often visiting and latter working at his fathers studio as a water carrier and doing other odd-jobs. He received no structured art classes through eighth grade, and in high school the only art-related course was mechanical drawing."
Abstract This paper discusses Mary Shelley's famous novel "Frankenstein" and looks at the similarities between the characters, Robert Walton and Victor Frankenstein. The paper relates that the the two primary concerns of the text are the Faustian or Satanic desire for scientific, God-like knowledge, and that of the self or the identity, and how it relates to the others.
From the Paper "Mary Shelley's famous novel Frankenstein remains one of the most famous horror fictions of all times. Drawing on some of the literature's greatest masterpieces such as Milton's Paradise Lost or Percy Bysshe Shelley's Prometheus Unbound, as well as on the rich Romantic and Gothic traditions to which it belongs, the novel displays a complex system of meanings, allusions and interpolations. Essentially, the text is made up of three autobiographies: that of Robert Walton who writes to his sister in England and tells her about his North Pole expedition, that of Victor Frankenstein, the scientist who manages to create life in the form of a monster and who tells his story to Walton, and that of the monster who tells his story to his creator, Frankenstein. Not accidentally, these three autobiographers resemble each other to the greatest degree. On the one hand, the same desire for knowledge pursues all three of them: Walton is fascinated by the yet unknown lands of the North Pole, Frankenstein is enthralled by the mystery of life itself and the monster is naturally curious about everything surrounding him. The other thing that unites them, this time only Frankenstein and Walton is their common role as animators: while Frankenstein creates new life, intending surely to make a replica of himself, Walton rescues and reanimates Frankenstein, who is also a replica of himself. Thus, the two primary concerns of the text are the Faustian or Satanic desire for scientific, God-like knowledge, and that of the self or the identity, and how it relates to the others."
Abstract The paper shows how Victor Hugo's "Les Miserables" intends to draw not only the picture of a few isolated characters, but that of the entire Parisian life towards the middle of the nineteenth century. The paper describes the main characters who portray the reality of single mothers and orphaned children. The paper notes that while civilization seems to have evolved towards a more stable system, the situation of single mothers and orphans is still authentic in many respects and applicable to today's societies.
From the Paper "Victor Hugo, the most important French Romantic writer, managed to draw in his novels a faithful and realist representation of Paris as it was in the century of Napoleon, at the same time enfolding the representation in a rich coat of symbols and metaphors which make his novels true, aesthetic masterpieces. Hugo was moreover one of the most successful and popular authors of all times, both in his own century and afterwards. Nevertheless, as most of the writers of genius, he did not elicit only admiration but also harsh criticism from the public and from other writers as well. Writing in the aftermath of the great French Revolution, Hugo was inspired by its humanitarian and idealistic philosophy which pervades most of his work."
This paper analyzes the relationship between Victor and the monster in 'Frankenstein', by Mary Shelley, and discusses its evolution over the course of the narrative.
1,534 words (approx. 6.1 pages), 0 sources, 2009, $ 50.95
Abstract In this article, the writer analyzes the significant role of the evolution of the relationship between the monster and Victor Frankenstein which strengthens the tragic mold of the novel by exploring various themes such as monstrosity as a construct, story-telling as a tool of self-empowerment and the relation between the creator and creation. The writer discusses that as their relationship develops, Frankenstein and the monster emerge as mirror- images of each other, unified in the nature and cause of their tragedy. The writer concludes that the granting of voice, agency and reason to the marginalized monster can be seen as a dramatic representation of femininity with Mary Shelley writing from the margins of a patriarchal society. Further, the writer maintains that language and learning become significant ideological tools of self-empowerment through self-representation and articulation.
From the Paper "It is important to emphasize that throughout the text the idea of sympathy, friendship and companionship are presented as important elements of life. For example, the relationship between Victor Frankenstein and his best friend Henry Clerval, mutual understanding and sympathy among the cottagers and the developing compassion for Frankenstein in the eyes of Walton, the frame narrator and so on are described with typical romantic projections of beauty and stability in nature and natural phenomena.
"Moreover, the text is also largely defined by the reader's sympathies with various characters. And, in this context monster's tale emerges as a powerfully structured narrative with important rhetoric components of ethos, logos and pathos to represent him as someone who was essentially benevolent and good but "misery" turned him into a "fiend". Herein, by giving him voice in the narrative the text becomes more objective and democratized in its representation."
Abstract This paper discusses how the three main narrators of Mary Shelly's "Frankenstein" are utterly isolated. It looks at how Robert Walton, Victor Frankenstein, and the Creature are all victims of loneliness and rejection. It discusses how Victor and Walton choose to be detached from the outside world. Walton, looking for a passage through the North Pole, and Victor's dedication to a science revelation, leaves them both alone and surrounded by controversy. It also explores how the Creature is abandoned and forced to be on his own and how this isolation from Victor and the family in the cottage is the fuel for his murderous nature. It shows how Walton, Frankenstein, and the Creature are three characters that are removed from society and loved ones throughout the novel and, ironically, end together in each other's company at the North Pole.
From the Paper "Victor Frankenstein appears to have been unattached through out his life. During his childhood he was always reading, his thirst for knowledge then is the same obsession that would eventually damn him. While he was creating the monster, he was cut of from the rest of the world while he concentrated on his own ego and scientific development. He, like Walton, did not notice that he was alone. He could only see the success and contributions that he was insistent on completing. Once the creature is finished and alive, Victor immediately regrets his action from the sight of this monster before him. He runs out into the streets, leaving behind the only body that he had been with for months."
Abstract There is no doubt that Mary Shelley's novel, "Frankenstein", represents the Romantic archetype of man's dangerous desire for knowledge. Like those before her, Shelley was fascinated with the possibilities of knowledge and power. This paper argues that what makes Shelley's novel so interesting is the fact that she builds on this archetype by making the creator in this tale an ordinary man rather than a god or an instrument of one. Victor Frankenstein, through his own talent, creates another human being whose humanity becomes the most horrific aspect of his character. The paper shows that, in addition, Victor's lack of humanity becomes appalling as well. The human elements of this tale are what matter, not the supernatural elements. Victor succeeded as a scientist but failed miserably as a moral human being. He did not love or care for his creation but rather feared it and as a result, abandoned his responsibilities of it. The paper shows that Victor's creation, a result of his desire to be god-like, demonstrates how desire can be deadly when left unchecked.
From the Paper "Victor's thirst for knowledge leads us to the predominant theme of responsibility in the novel. When Victor accomplishes his goal and realizes it is not what he intends, he abandons the creature and all responsibilities to it. His moral responsibility was to care for the creature regardless of how it looked. However, Victor never considers any negative repercussions that might stem from his experiment until he witnesses the "dull yellow eye of the creature" (42). At this point, all greatness associated with his creation fade away."
Abstract This paper examines Mary Shelly's "Frankenstein" and through a comparative view of how the monster and Victor react to nature, the paper looks at how we get a better understanding of the novel's themes and characterization. The paper relates that, through Victor's adoration of mountains and the monster's love of serene landscapes, one can notice a relation between their personalities and their love of the sublime in nature. Also examined is how the protagonist Victor reveals, through his love of the sublime, an obsession for glory, and how Shelly very deliberately made Victor and the monster understandable through these formations as a kind of way to display her Romanticist view on the importance of nature.
From the Paper "Aside from having mountains in nature display what kind of aspirations Victor had, Shelly also used aspects of nature to represent a mood or attitude in all the places that Victor went to. For instance, when he was first in his laboratory creating his monster the weather was bleak and it was raining displaying his dreary attitude. Also in the arctic his final resting place, the freezing icy landscape could represent how emotionally cold he had become after all he went through. As he was creating a bride for his monster he says, "I thought of Switzerland; it was far different from this desolate and appalling landscape. Its hills are covered with veins..." (pg 119). This quote demonstrates that his surrounding were a reflection why he abhorred his task. As Victor recalls Switzerland it brings him a sense of nostalgia. "
Abstract The paper examines the theme of sickness in Mary Shelley's novel, "Frankenstein" and why the character of Victor Frankenstein and his dear ones fell ill so often in the novel. The paper describes how Victor suffers from physical as well as emotional illness that results from his isolation from the world. The paper also highlights how sickness in the novel can be perceived as a force fighting against the evil ambitions of Victor one the one hand, while, on the other hand, it can also be perceived as a compassionate force trying to restrain Victor and encourage him to learn from his mistakes.
From the Paper "Frankenstein is one name that everyone who has ever read a book would be familiar with. The name has become synonymous with monstrous desires and pure evil. Many often use it synonymously in place of the word monster but the truth is that Victor Frankenstein was not the monster; the monster was the creature he created and never gave a name to. Why would a man create a monster? Well that was never Victor's intention but whatever his intentions were, they were definitely not approved by God. And thus Victor continued to suffer all his life. In simple words, Victor was sick. He had a serious sickness of mind and heart that did not allow him to think like a normal happy human being. He was obsessed with doing something different and in conquering the world of science. And this pursuit led him to create a human being that turned out to be a ghastly error. Nature continued to act against Victor as he continued to rebel against God and that is why sickness is a very common theme in the novel."
Abstract This paper explains that although it seems easier to compare and contrast Victor Frankenstein and his monster in the story with the same name, it is clearly more effective to align and distinguish between Elizabeth Frankenstein and Victor's creature. It shows how the characters, while both are objects possessed by Victor Frankenstein, which leads to confusion in all of the aforesaid relationships, their appearances are vastly different and symbolic of their natures. In the end, one significant difference remains: Elizabeth is remembered as good and pure, while the monster is destroyed and ugly and hateful.
From the Paper "Victor considers both Elizabeth and the monster his property. As for Elizabeth, she was orphaned at a very young age, and she lives with a Milanese peasant family before she is adopted by the Frankensteins. Then, she is brought to Geneva where the family raises her as if she were their own child. Although the family seems views Elizabeth as a member, Victor deems Elizabeth a possession, possibly because, before Elizabeth's adoption, Caroline, Victor's mother, specifically referred to Elizabeth as a present for Victor. His esteem for Elizabeth as a possession is clear in his phrase, "No word, no expression could body forth the kind of relation in which she stood to me-my more than sister, since till death she was to be mine only" (Shelley 24)."
