Essays on Literary Genres

3307

Hornor's Deceptive Ways of Acquiring Power Ranks

1 page / 1650 words

Throughout Wycherley’s play The Country Wife, characters reverse the time period’s normal power dynamics of reputation and gender to create power from a state of powerlessness. While certain characters appear to be powerful due to their status, honor and reputation, other seemingly powerless characters are...

Comedy

3308

Humour as The Backbone of The Country Wife

1 page / 999 words

As a Restoration Comedy humour is central to Wycherley’s play. Like many other Restoration Comedies The Country Wife is characterised by farcical humour that runs throughout the whole play, generated through wit, sexual innuendo and a great deal of dramatic irony. However, Wycherley’s use of...

Comedy

3309

Equality in Gender: Encouragement of Women's Abilities

1 page / 1284 words

There are many texts that deal with the role of the individual male in society; their positions are discussed politically, socially and personally. However, in-depth discussion of the individual female role in society is often lacking during the Restoration period. Women are props, background objects,...

Comedy

3310

Conveying Racial and Cultural Truths in The Crying of Lot 49

1 page / 2854 words

“There are still the poor, the defeated, the criminal, the desperate, all hanging in there with what must seem a terrible vitality.” Thomas Pynchon, “A Journey into the Mind of Watts” The challenge posed to any reader of “serious” literature is ultimately one of observation,...

Postmodernism Short Story The Crying of Lot 49

3311

The War Between Man and Nature in "The Convergence of The Twain"

1 page / 762 words

Thomas Hardy’s “The Convergence of the Twain” describes the events leading up to the sinking of the Titanic as well as the aftermath; however, on a deeper level, the work explores the theme of the conflict between man and nature. These opposing forces demonstrate the...

Poetry Thomas Hardy

3312

Women Freedom Portrayed by Eliza Wharton in 'The Coquette'

1 page / 1734 words

‘The Coquette’ by by Hannah W. Foster is about a young woman, Eliza Wharton, who has an inclination towards coquettish behaviors. The story is a series of letters that warns Eliza about the danger of her life choices, which is primarily a choice between two...

Novel

3313

Humanity's Contribution to Its Downfall in Hardy's "The Convergence of The Twain"

1 page / 763 words

In his poem “The Convergence of the Twain,” Thomas Hardy describes the unfortunate, yet truly inevitable, sinking of the supposedly invincible Titanic. Concurrently, the poem depicts humanity’s vain struggle against the steadfast forces of nature. The poem’s structural organization as well as diction and figurative...

Poetry Thomas Hardy

3314

Gender Role Depicted in 'The Coquette'

1 page / 3275 words

Although Hannah Webster Foster names her book The Coquette, there is ambiguity in who the true coquette of the story is. Eliza Wharton, named the coquette by Foster and the other characters of the story, does not follow the rules of coquetry. Instead it is...

Gender Roles Novel

3315

Monetization by Characters in 'The Corrections'

1 page / 2639 words

The Lambert family, the protagonists of Jonathan Franzen’s The Corrections, view the world through a lens which attaches monetary value to people, objects, and actions. Money is a constant presence in their lives, whether there’s plenty or not enough. Alfred, Enid, Gary, Denise, Chip, and...

Character Novel

3316

Deception and Disguise Evident in 'The Country Wife' and 'The Conscious Lovers'

1 page / 1574 words

Deception and disguise, classic elements of comedy, are found in both William Wycherly’s The Country Wife and Richard Steele’s The Conscious Lovers. These devices rely on gaps of knowledge between different characters, or between characters and the audience, of a person’s true identity, but the...

Comedy Literature Review

3317

Black Culture Generalised by Charles W. Chesnutt's The Conjure Woman

1 page / 1681 words

In order to rationalize the south’s peculiar institution of slavery, the southern plantation novel surfaced. It idealized the plantation lifestyle by creating and romanticizing characters that otherwise would be viewed upon as evil by blacks—the oppressed. Life was portrayed as easy and carefree by the...

African American Culture Short Story

3318

The Hubris of Mankind in 'Convergence of The Twain'

1 page / 809 words

Hardy’s “The Convergence of the Twain” tells of the events that lead up to the sinking of the Titanic through its collision with an iceberg, while on a deeper meaning, highlighting the tragic consequences of the hubris of mankind. Through opposition and diction, the speaker...

Poetry Thomas Hardy

3319

Black Magic Evident in 'The Conjure Woman'

1 page / 1646 words

The Conjure Woman by Charles Chestnutt is a frame narrative, retelling a story within a story and incorporating valuable information about the traditional African fetishism practiced by the slaves against their slave masters. Fetishism or Voodoun provides a source of empowerment and gives the slaves,...

African American Culture Short Story

3320

Origin of Fetish in 'The Conjuring Stories'

1 page / 1159 words

A fetish object possesses a distinct, almost superstitious power, often linked to sexual gratification, desire, and even worship. As noted in the article “Sexualization in the Media,” fetishization is a cultural, psychological, and social technique that magnifies certain items, rendering them larger than life, animate,...

African American Culture Short Story

3321

The Conference of The Birds': The Story of Sheikh Sam'an Summary

1 page / 1788 words

The Conference of the Birds is a love story about a man who chooses to change his lifestyle and religion in order to obtain the love of a woman. Sam’an, a Muslim sheikh, is in love with a Christian woman. During this time period, it...

Araby Poetry

3322

Power and Control in The Collector: Clegg Vs Miranda

1 page / 1466 words

The Collector by John Fowles examines a battle for power and control between the introverted character of Clegg and the audaciously articulate Miranda. Power is defined as the possession of control, authority, or influence over others (Merriam-Webster Dictionary) that Clegg has been cheated of his...

Character Novel

3323

Mind Control in "The Circle" by Dave Eggers

3 pages / 1533 words

Introduction In the age of rapid technological advancements and the omnipresence of digital connectivity, the concept of mind control has assumed a new and unsettling dimension. The intricate interplay between external influences and individual agency has become a subject of profound exploration in contemporary literature....

Science Fiction

3324

Hegemony and False Сonsciousness in "The Сircle"

1 page / 1688 words

George Carlin famously said “When fascism comes to America, it will not be in brown and black shirts. It will not be with jack-boots. It will be Nike sneakers and Smiley shirts”. This quote couldn’t be more relevant in Dave Eggers novel The Circle in...

Science Fiction

3325

The Interaction Between Humans and The Extraterrestrials in The Short Stories

1 page / 1258 words

Topic Analysis Many science fiction stories feature aliens, especially the interaction between humans and the extraterrestrials. These interactions from range from one-on-one encounters to merely experiencing the aliens’ culture from afar. No matter the nature of said encounter, the human nearly always leaves changed in...

Science Fiction