Thursday, 24 November 2011
The Form of Dracula
The use of letters and journals creates a sense of versimilitude for the reader. It makes events seem more real - as if they have actually happened. It also allows the reader to hear characters' views on certain events. For example, when Harker says 'Then the horror came over me,' there is a suspension of disbelief as we are told what he feels about particular events and there is no need to distrust it; as there is an appearance of trust.
It also allows us to discover the true emotions of characters. For example in a diary, a character may talk to themselves and write things that they wouldn't publicly say. As letters and diaries are very private and intimate things,the use of letters and journals allow the reader to invade. Therefore the reader gets the full goss, details and info - nothing is hidden from us, which is valuable to understand the full plot.
Finally, different views expressed by different characters allow us to make up our own un-biased mind on situations in the novel.
xoxo, Mim
It also allows us to discover the true emotions of characters. For example in a diary, a character may talk to themselves and write things that they wouldn't publicly say. As letters and diaries are very private and intimate things,the use of letters and journals allow the reader to invade. Therefore the reader gets the full goss, details and info - nothing is hidden from us, which is valuable to understand the full plot.
Finally, different views expressed by different characters allow us to make up our own un-biased mind on situations in the novel.
xoxo, Mim
Monday, 21 November 2011
The awkward moment when you're trying to blog about this vulgar Freud stuff and your mother's eagerly watching over your shoulder -__-
Dear Blog,
Soooo, the one thing that sprang to mind after reading chapter 3 and the words 'blog on sex in dreams - chapter 3' in my planner, was the whole scene with the lady-vampires - IF you can call them ladies. Pft.
Well it occured in a castle - which represents female genitalia. Great.
Dread to think what the baby represents.
There's one part where Harker rushes 'up and down the stairs' and I'm pretty sure that represents sexual intercourse.
The bit where Dracula climbs down the wall hahahahahaha. Genuinely lolling. Hahahaha, creep. In a 'lizard fashion' ahahahahaha.
Writing letters... with a penIS.
Locked doors in the castle - locked vaginas? Higlighting the fact that he is not with Mina?
'Jagged mountains' - you get it.
Urghhhh had enough of this, bizzle.
Soooo, the one thing that sprang to mind after reading chapter 3 and the words 'blog on sex in dreams - chapter 3' in my planner, was the whole scene with the lady-vampires - IF you can call them ladies. Pft.
Well it occured in a castle - which represents female genitalia. Great.
Dread to think what the baby represents.
There's one part where Harker rushes 'up and down the stairs' and I'm pretty sure that represents sexual intercourse.
The bit where Dracula climbs down the wall hahahahahaha. Genuinely lolling. Hahahaha, creep. In a 'lizard fashion' ahahahahaha.
Writing letters... with a penIS.
Locked doors in the castle - locked vaginas? Higlighting the fact that he is not with Mina?
'Jagged mountains' - you get it.
Urghhhh had enough of this, bizzle.
Thursday, 3 November 2011
Faustus - Tragic, Gothic or other?
TRAGIC:
'Aristotle established his view of what makes a tragic hero in his Book Poetics. Aristotle suggests that a hero of a tragedy must evoke in the audience a sense of pity or fear, [a renaissaince audience would arguably feel a sense of fear at Faustus selling his soul to the devil, and if not it would certainly shock them.] saying, “the change of fortune presented must not be the spectacle of a virtuous man brought from prosperity to adversity."[1] He establishes the concept that the emotion of pity stems not from a person becoming better but when a person receives undeserved misfortune and fear comes when the misfortune befalls a man like us. This is why Aristotle points out the simple fact that, “The change of fortune should be not from bad to good, but, reversely, from good to bad.” [defo the case for Dr.F]Aristotle also establishes that the hero has to be “virtuous” that is to say he has to be ‘a morally blameless man” (article 82).
Aristotle contests that the tragic hero has to be a man “who is not eminently good and just, yet whose misfortune is brought about not by vice or depravity, but by some error or frailty.”[HUBRIS!] He is not making the hero entirely good in which he can do no wrong but rather has the hero committing an injury or a great wrong leading to his misfortune. Aristotle is not contradicting himself saying that the hero has to be virtuous and yet not eminently good. Being eminently good is a moral specification to the fact that he is virtuous.[2] He still has to be to some degree good. [intelligence? He is arguably still 'good' as in Act 5 he obviously knows what he has done is wrong, but simply thinks it is too late to repent.] Aristotle adds another qualification to that of being virtuous but not entirely good when he says, “He must be one who is highly renowned and prosperous.”[Faustus is high status] He goes on to give examples such as Oedipus and Thyestes.”'
Therefore to some extent Faustus is a tragic hero, as, in short, his excessive pride or hubris leads to his epic downfall.
GOTHIC: (didn't know if we were talking about just the character of Faustus or the novel in general... so i'll just talk about Faustus himself)
NOT GOTHIC:
-doesn't live in a castle
-doesn't wear black all the time (that we know of)
-no ancient prophecy or anything like that, just religion and devils
-no crazy lady in distress
-'Women threatened by a powerful, impulsive, tyrannical male.' nope.
if there's no stereotypical stock characters how can it be Gothic?
-is German? but that means nothing as the book wasn't writter in the Gothic era
-he is of high status
-an atmosphere of mystery and suspense
-supernatural events? strong connotations to [corrupt] religion and devils
-'high emotion'
Slightly gothic but then again not written to be gothic? It just happens to be slightly...
OTHER:
Faustus is just an excessivley arrogant, intelligent fool.
'Aristotle established his view of what makes a tragic hero in his Book Poetics. Aristotle suggests that a hero of a tragedy must evoke in the audience a sense of pity or fear, [a renaissaince audience would arguably feel a sense of fear at Faustus selling his soul to the devil, and if not it would certainly shock them.] saying, “the change of fortune presented must not be the spectacle of a virtuous man brought from prosperity to adversity."[1] He establishes the concept that the emotion of pity stems not from a person becoming better but when a person receives undeserved misfortune and fear comes when the misfortune befalls a man like us. This is why Aristotle points out the simple fact that, “The change of fortune should be not from bad to good, but, reversely, from good to bad.” [defo the case for Dr.F]Aristotle also establishes that the hero has to be “virtuous” that is to say he has to be ‘a morally blameless man” (article 82).
Aristotle contests that the tragic hero has to be a man “who is not eminently good and just, yet whose misfortune is brought about not by vice or depravity, but by some error or frailty.”[HUBRIS!] He is not making the hero entirely good in which he can do no wrong but rather has the hero committing an injury or a great wrong leading to his misfortune. Aristotle is not contradicting himself saying that the hero has to be virtuous and yet not eminently good. Being eminently good is a moral specification to the fact that he is virtuous.[2] He still has to be to some degree good. [intelligence? He is arguably still 'good' as in Act 5 he obviously knows what he has done is wrong, but simply thinks it is too late to repent.] Aristotle adds another qualification to that of being virtuous but not entirely good when he says, “He must be one who is highly renowned and prosperous.”[Faustus is high status] He goes on to give examples such as Oedipus and Thyestes.”'
Therefore to some extent Faustus is a tragic hero, as, in short, his excessive pride or hubris leads to his epic downfall.
GOTHIC: (didn't know if we were talking about just the character of Faustus or the novel in general... so i'll just talk about Faustus himself)
NOT GOTHIC:
-doesn't live in a castle
-doesn't wear black all the time (that we know of)
-no ancient prophecy or anything like that, just religion and devils
-no crazy lady in distress
-'Women threatened by a powerful, impulsive, tyrannical male.' nope.
if there's no stereotypical stock characters how can it be Gothic?
-is German? but that means nothing as the book wasn't writter in the Gothic era
-he is of high status
-an atmosphere of mystery and suspense
-supernatural events? strong connotations to [corrupt] religion and devils
-'high emotion'
Slightly gothic but then again not written to be gothic? It just happens to be slightly...
OTHER:
Faustus is just an excessivley arrogant, intelligent fool.
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