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Modern English Drama June 16th, 2009 |
Author: Nabila Tanvir
Modern English Drama The glorious days of the Elizabethan drama were followed by a long period of decline and eclipse. The post-Elizabethan vainly endeavored to capture the graces of Shakespeare and other illustrious predecessors, while the heroic tragedies and the comedy of love and intrigue during the Restoration hardly added any glorious chapter to the history of English dramatic literature. Goldsmith and Sheridan attempted a partial revival in the eighteenth century, but their sporadic brilliance was followed by a spell of darkness which spread for almost a century, for between 1779, the year of the performance of Sheridan‘s last important play, and 1876 when Pinero‘s first play was staged, English drama was practically barren. The later eighteenth century witnessed the rise of great actors but not great playwrights. And it is an accepted rule that when acting flourishes drama languishes. Melodramatic, sensational and unrealistic plays alone were popular. A play was written not with a view to depicting life and character but for providing sufficient scope for the lusty lungs of the declamatory actor. Play writing was done mostly by hack writers, who sacrificed both art and realism in trying to eke out a living by writing to the dictates of theatre managers, producers and actors.
English drama was at very low ebb when T.W. Robertson, a playwright and actor, appeared on the scene, fully alive to the lack of realism and low artistic tone of the drama of his day he determined to import realism into drama and raise its artistic level. The year 1865, which witnessed the performance of his play. Society, proved a landmark in the revival of the English stage. The revival manifested itself in stress on realism both in subject matter and technique. In place of types and stock characters Robertson presented individual men and women, person of flesh and blood. In the matter of technique and form he discarded blank verse and rhetoric in favor of natural and human speech. Robertson however was not a bold or revolutionary spirit and he could not divest himself of the old traditions, such as romantic melodrama. He, therefore, failed to exercise any substantial influence on his contemporaries and the much needed reform in drama required a more daring literary genius.
The darling genius was found, to some extent, in Arthur Wing Pioner and H. A. Jones who made pretty serious efforts to drive away undiluted romanticism from the English stage. An expert craftsman Pinero had the courage to introduce several innovations in dramatic technique. In his The Second Mrs. Tanqueray, produced in 1893, he played the pioneer in discarding the ‗soliloquy‘ and the ‗aside‘ along with certain other old stage conventions, thus bringing drama closer to life. Pinero and Jones, however, he could not be sufficiently darling to ignore bublic taste altogether. Though Jones wrote in his preface to Saints and Sinner (1884) that playwriting should not be merely the art of sensational and spectacular illusion but mainly and chiefly the art of representing English life, he could not avoid, in his plays, theatrical excitement and too much use of coincidence just to humor the audience. Hence,
the realism of these, dramatists was skin deep not the genuine stuff which subsequent playwrights were to provide. The person who infused real new revolutionary blood into English drama was Henrik Ibsen, a Norwegian playwright. He was introduced to English audiences by J. T. Grein, a Dutchman, in 1890. In England, William Archer, the famous dramatic critic, enthusiastically espoused Ibsen‘s cause. Through Ibsen‘s genuine realism was introduced in English plays, Ibsen‘s characters are drawn from ordinary life and characterization in his plays receives more attention than the patching up of a well-knit plot. Moreover, the plot in his plays is essentially psychological leaving little room for pure action or incident. The Ibsenion play is essentially a drama of ideas, of characters swayed with ideas and struggling against the forces of convention and society. Ibsen‘s ideas gave a rude shock to the susceptibilities of his contemporaries, but he was bold enough to stick to his theories and technique. Consequently, he exercised a great influence all over the continent and the drama of ideas of revolt against society and convention came to stay. The tyranny of the star system and the stranglehold of the commercial minded theater managers could do no longer throttle true dramatic art. The renaissance of modern drama was in full swing with the advent of Ibsen.
If William Archer propagated the plays of Ibsen, it was Shaw who imported the real Ibsen spirit into English Drama. Highly original and independent in many ways, Shaw was immensely influenced by the plays of Ibsen and, like him, he became a champion of conferring the new freedom of subject-matter and technique on English drama. Since the appearance of his first play Widowers Houses in 1892, Shaw strode on the English stage like a versatile Titan almost till the end of his days. Among modern English dramatists, he proved the most zealous advocate o f rationalism and realism, brushing aside Victorian cobwebs, a proper climate for a
drama of ideas, englarging the dramatists vision and, above all, slowly forging an appreciative and responsive intellectual audience for his problems plays. The volume of his dramatic production is so wide and varied that it is not possible within this limited space to do justice to the great services which he rendered to British drama. His Arms and the Mans, Candida, Man Superman Saint Joan, to mention only some of his best plays, brought English drama again into its own and provided inspiration and guidance to other playwright. ―I always have to preach‖, observed Shaw. ―My plays all have a purpose.‖ The plays of Shaw are inspired by a conscious iconoclastic Galsworthy___the two other great luminaries in the firmament of modern drama___gave a version of realism in their work, which has no touch of the partisan spirit or the zeal of the propagandist. Their realism has been described as naturalism i.e. an attempt to present ―both fair and foul, no more no less.‖ The naturalistic play is intended to be objective and impersonal, though both Galsworthy and Barker could not be absolutely dispassionate. Both were revolutionaries in their own way. Barker revolting against the tyranny of Victorian convention over the individual, and Galsworthy against the heartless but mighty social forces which crush the individual. Barker expounds the ideal of self-realization, which Galsworthy strives to make out a case for tolerance and mutual understanding and accommodation.
Shaw‘s realism and the naturalism of Barker and Galsworthy have to be distinguished further. Shaw is essentially an intellectual, cold, penetrating, satirical, often flippant, but the latter have nothing of the imp or the mountebank in them. Moreover they do not banish emotion from their plays. Shaw is essentially a talker and his plays about in discussion and a display of with but both Galsworthy and Barker subordinate sheer with and talk to the possibilities of life and the strong undercurrent of emotion which eventually sways human life. Both deal with problems, mostly social in character, but despite all his legal training, Galsworthy is the more didactic of the two. Whereas Galsworthy tries to rub his moral home. Barker leaves the public to drawits own moral. Nevertheless, in all his best plays___Strife, Justice, The Skin Game, Loyalties___Galsworthy shows himself at once a great artist and a great critic of society, far more balanced, reserved and impartial than Shaw.
The popularity of realism and naturalism did not oust the romantic element altogether from the domain of modern drama. Realism stimulates the brain but a touch of romanticism vivifies the heart. ―The lies of romance relieve the tedium of everyday life.‖ It was J. M. Barrie, a Scottish novelist, who provided the lies of romance by turning his face away from drab and cruel reality. He found solace in magic isles and imaginary dream islands, Gifted with a child‘s fancy and make-belief, he was at best with children. And it is a children‘s play, Peter Pane (1904) in which he is at his best. Among his other plays, mention may be made of Quality Street (1903), which centers round a sweet love story full of his peculiar charm, humor and pathos, smiles and tears. The Admirable Circhton, what Every Woman Knows, Dear Brutus, Mary Rose are all plays for removed from realism, presenting impossible characters, who behave impossibly. Barrie created a new type of play, which can best be described as ―Barriesque‖, a blending of romance, whimsicality and quaintness. A perfect master of technique, he produced plays which despite all their fantasy and romance, are compact and wellknit. Summing up his contribution to modern drama, Lynton Hudson observes: ―In an age of growing cynicism he guarded the guttering flame of Romance and kept it from being quenched by intellectualism.‖
No account of modern British drama can be complete without a reference to the Irish Movement and the Provincial Repertory Movement. The new Irish Theater was founded in 1892 by a group of prominent Irish writers with W. B. Yeats at their head. Later on, Miss, A. E. Horniman, a wealthy English woman, joined this group of writers and provided funds with which the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, was constructed. The Irish Movement, also know as Celtic Revival, was essentially national in character, and concentrated on Irish themes and ideas. It also aimed at reforming the stage and turning it into a thing of beauty. The movement, however, was not intended to espouse the cause of realism or naturalism. Lynton Hudson, describing this aspect to the movement, observes: ―It did not think of a play as either a sermon or a debate, not as intellectual at all as appealing primarily to the brain. It was not intended to make people think, but to make them feel to give them an emotional and spiritual uplifting such as they might experience at mass in a cathedral or at the performace of a symphony.‖ Owing to these aims and ideals the Irish playwright turned to the past of their country, its myths and legends. In a sense, their approach was romantic and poetical. In his plays,
Yeats glorified the national myths and legends and depicted primitive human emotions. Essentially a poet, he gave beautiful ideas and first-rate lyrical poetry but failed in characterization and plot construction. His contribution to drama lies essentially in the realism of poetry and symbolism.
The Irish Movement also inspired a new type of native comedy drawing its inspiration from Irish folk-lore and Irish peasantry. The best exponent of this comedy was the talented J. M. Synge (1871-1909), whom Yeats discovered in Paris, wasting his genius as a journalist, Synge drew his inspiration largely from the simple fishermen of the Aran Isles. There he saw human nature both at its best and at its worst. He also picked up the native speed and picturesque idiom of these people. Synge‘s best comedies are in the Shadow of the Glen, the Tinker’s Wedding and particularly The Playboy of the Western World. The last was at once recognized to be his masterpiece after its performance at the London Theater in 1907. Synge also wrote a few tragedies, the best of which in Riders to the Sea (1904). Synge wrote six plays. His dramatic work is limited but it is of such a high order that his place in British drama is assured for all times to come. ―Synge had, like Shakespeare,‖ writes Hudson, ―not only a sure dramatic instinct and a keen insight into the motive forces of human character, but also the gift of transmuting pathos and ugliness into poetry and beauty, and the exuberance inseparable from all great geniuses. Like Shakespeare, he never moralizes, he is a dramatist pure and simple. He had no sympathy with the didactic school of drama.‖
Miss Horniman, who had financed the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, also found money to start a repertory theatre in Manchester in 1907. Since then the provincial repertory theatre has played a significant role in both English and American drama. It became the chief centre for producing talented playwrights and actors. Other theatres notably the Liverpool Playhouse (1911), slowly came into existence. Unlike the Irish Theatre, the Manchester and other English theatres were not intended to arouse or revive local nationalism, nor were they inspired by the poetic and symbolic aspects of life. Their drama was highly realistic and intellectual__in line with the work of Ibsen and Shaw. It did much to popularize the drama of idea and represent the social life both of the rich and the poor of the highly industrialized towns of Manchester and Birmingham. This drama was, of course, naturalistic and photographic but a bit too serious, even grim. ―A night in a repertory theatre‖, wrote St. John Ervine, ―was almost as cheerful as a night in a morgue. People went to repertory theatres as some Dissenters formerly went to chapel, woebegonely and as if they came to atone for lamentable sins.‖
An important phase of modern drama is found in the revival of the poetic drama along side of the naturalistic and realistic plays. The plays of Yeats were poetic to a certain extent but the Irish Theatre eventually drifted from poetry towards realism. In England poetic drama found its first exponent in Stephen Philiphs, whose blank verse plays enjoyed considerable popularity in the first years of the century. Stephen Philips possessed considerable dramatic genius, but his poetic talent was not equally high. So he failed to work a revival of poetic drama. It were John Drink water and John Mansfield who brought about the actual revival of poetic drama. Drinkwater did not attempt to write in blank verse and thus escaped comparison with the great Shakespeare. He produced four poetic plays, but used both prose and verse in them. Finally he gave up poetic drama altogether and wrote only in prose. Finally he gave up poetic drama altogether and wrote only in prose. His masterpiece is Abraham Lincoln a play on the life of the American president. His other plays___Cramwell and Mary Stuart__are also historical, but they didn‘t __come up to the level of Abraham Lincoln. Masefield chose at first biblical or historical subjects and experimented with various lyric metres, including the rhymed couplet, but he finally evolved a poetic idiom in prose like Wordsworth‘s like Synge, he forged a new pattern of rhythmic speech, terse, figurative and rooted in the soil. His characters are simple, rustic folk. His best play is The Tragedy of Nan which presents a picture of rustic cruelty, though it is not without a certain element of tragic grandeur. The play though written in prose is essentially poetic. Among other exponents of poetic drama John Flecker, with his oriental play Hassan, deserves special mention. It is written in highly colored prose, but it is, like Masefield‘s Nan steeped in the spirit of poetry. Lawrence Binyon, Lord Dunsany, Gordromon Bottomley and T.S.Eliot have also attempted poetic drama. T.S. Eliot‘s Murder in The Cathederal has proved a success, but the plays of the others have failed to elicit much appreciation. There are some of the main tendencies and types of modern drama. Though the momentum of dramatic revival has not kept up a uniform pace during the century its future is not dark. What it will be in they ears to come is not altogether impossible to visualize. ―One can only guess what form the new drama will assume when it eventually finds its equilibrium.‖ Priestly is
not alone in thinking that it will be more closely allied with music and the ballet. One thing is sure: it must recover some of the things that it has lost, the obvious beauties of romance and poetry. It may be, as Galsworthy predicted, lyrical, and its province to describe the elemental soul of man and forces of Nature with beauty ad the spirit of discovery. It will most likely to be a swing-back of the pendulum that oscillates eternally between Romance and Realism. The fallacy of Realism, as James Branch Cabell has put it, ―is that it assumes our mileposts to be as worthy of consideration as our goal: and that the especial post we are now passing reveals an eternal verity.‖
http://www.classic-enotes.com/drama/modern-english-drama/
Drama and English Literature BA (Hons) Intermediate award(s): CertHE, DipHE Full-Time
Overview Course detail Features Careers Entry requirements
Course overview The combination of Drama and English Literature offers a challenging and stimulating course of complementary study that seeks to enhance your theoretical and practical understanding of a varied selection of texts and performance practices. It is also intended to equip you with a set of skills much in demand by a range of potential employers. Reading English Literature allows you to study some of the most interesting and exciting books ever written. The English Literature course strikes a balance between the study of writers such as
Shakespeare, Milton, Wordsworth, Dickens, and Woolf, and the exploration of less traditional areas like modern science fiction, children's literature and contemporary women's writing. Drama offers an excellent balance of theory and practice, enabling you to engage with key performance texts and practices across the 20th and 21st centuries. Our Department of Music and Performing Arts offers outstanding technical and theatre facilities that will give you the opportunity to hone those skills in a variety of exciting performance events. Study visits to local and national theatres help broaden your outlook and add a further dimension to your studies, both in English Literatureand Drama. You will take half of your degree from Drama and half from English Literature. Additional course information Our Department of Music and Performing Arts is especially proud of its extensive programme of public concerts, theatrical performances and workshops. There is a regular series of weekly lunchtime concerts given by visiting professional musicians, and visiting artists and performers are regularly invited to give masterclasses and workshops. Our department's bi-annual full-scale opera productions exploit to the full the superb resources of the Mumford Theatre. The English Literature course also offers opportunities to take modules in related subjects like Film, Philosophy or Writing (creative or journalistic). Whatever area you choose to study, you will enjoy the full support of our highly experienced teaching staff.
English Literature – Poetry, Drama, Novels, Essays and Literature Review ‗Holding Mirror Up To Nature‘ February 14, 2010
Author’s Style in the Short Story Posted by Rakesh Patel under English Literature, short stories | Tags: Ernest Hemingway, point of view technique, short stories, Short Story | [2] Comments Style is nothing but the author‘s perfect choice of words and their arrangements. In other words, language plays a major role. The author has to carefully make use of sentences, and paragraphs so that he can produce a specific effect on the reader. The Point of View Technique: A writer‘s style depends on the point-of-view technique: 1. The omniscient point of view makes a fairly complex style. 2. The first-person point of view can result in a simple style when it is recorded as ―spoken,‖ but it is more complex if written. 3. The central intelligence produces a style that is slightly elevated above the level of intelligence of the focal character. American Ernest Hemingway‘s economical and simple style and his choice of images reveal subtle shifts in his characters‘ psychosomatic states. His style is mainly effective first-person narration. You can enjoy the well-known opening paragraph of the 1927 story In Another Country: ―In the fall the war was always there, but we did not go to it any more. It was cold in the fall in Milan and the dark came very early. Then the electric lights came on and it was pleasant along the streets looking in the windows. There was much game hanging outside the shops, and the snow powdered in the fur of the foxes and the wind blew their tails. The deer hung stiff and heavy and empty, and small birds blew in the wind and the wind turned their feathers. It was a cold fall and the wind came down from the mountains.‖
January 10, 2010
An overview on Anita Desai’s ―Clear Light of Day‖ Posted by Rakesh Patel under English Literature, Indian English Literature, Indian Writing in English | Tags: Anita Desai, Anita Desai‘s ―Clear Light of Day‖, Clear Light of Day, Indian English novel | Leave a Comment The Imagery of House in Anita Desai’s ―Clear Light of Day‖ Written By Rakesh Patel
I consider Anita Desai‘s ―Clear Light of Day‖ as a poetic novel as it considerably deals with symbols and suggestions. Her use of ―the house‖ imagery is at the center which signifies dust, dullness and decay. As the novel begins, you‘ll notice that the house of the Das family does not change except decays. Like Anita Desai‘s other novels, the setting is Old Delhi. The interesting thing you‘ll notice is she skillfully synthesizes the image of house with the lives of the Das family. The house is associated with sickness, dust, and disorder. And for that reason, the ―grey‖ color is described again and again. So, the house reflects the mentality and sickness of the entire Das family. In other words, nobody in the Das household enjoys life, all merely exists! The sickness and disorder pervade in the mind of the family members. This house is exactly in contrast with the house of Haider Ali and that is why Raja gets attracted towards it. For this house of Das family, the symbol of ―web‖ is described which is apt from every point of view. As I say the house does not change but decays, it is fair to remark that because of such sickness and dusty atmosphere of the house everybody feels ―suffocated‖ and that is why they try to find escape in one thing or another. For that reason, Raja is attracted towards Haider Ali‘s house. Tara often goes to Mira Mansi and finally, she succeeds in escaping completely by marrying off Bakul. Baba seeks escape in music and plays his gramophone all the time. Bimla becomes the professor of history. In this way, the house plays a vital role behind the escapist nature of the Das household. Anita Desai beautifully describes the state of the Delhi city. Sometimes, the whole city seems to be dead and the houses are referred to in the novel as the ―tombs‖. The house of the Das family seems to be deserted and therefore, Bimla does not prevent Baba playing his gramophone loudly because she thinks that the silence of the house is more dreadful. For her, the noise produced by Baba‘s gramophone gives peace to her. Even when Mr. Das and his wife were alive, they were just like the outsiders as Mr. Das was known for his entrance. The mother was either engrossed in the cards or confined to the bed. That is why Tara sometimes feels that even the ghost of her father could create the noise of papers and nothing else!
The decaying aspect of the house is felt on the Das family and this why the whole family gets scattered and only Bim remains with Baba in the ―dead house‖. This is how, the house has symbolic significance, which plays a major role in the actions and deeds of the Das household and becomes the central episode in the novel. Read the Novel: Desai, Anita, Clear Light of Day (Vintage U, K. Random House, 1980) Copyright © Rakesh Patel The Original Resource: http://www.poetbay.com/viewText.php?textId=65918
January 9, 2010
Kiran Desai – The Inheritance of Loss Posted by Rakesh Patel under English Literature | Tags: Kiran Desai, Kiran Desai's The Inheritance of Loss, The Inheritance of Loss | 1 Comment Kiran Desai was born on 3rd September, 1971 in New Delhi, India, and lived there until she was 14. Then she went to the United States with her mother. She took her early education in Massachusetts. After completing her education, she started writing in US. The Inheritance of Loss was published in early 2006. This novel won the 2006 Man Booker Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Fiction Award. The subject of The Inheritance of Loss is set partly in India and partly in the USA. She shows what is the difference between the living pattern in India and abroad.
December 27, 2009
What is One-Act Play All About? Posted by Rakesh Patel under English Literature, Literature | Tags: English Literature, Literature, One-Act play | Leave a Comment A one-act play is a type of play which does not necessarily consist of one act. It is neither an act from full length play. More specifically you can say that the duration of the play may be equal to the time normally required by an act from a full-length play.
A one-act play is an independent as well as a self-sufficient form of art. It also consists of all the elements that you find in a full-length play such as setting, characters, property, stage, conflict, and point of view, theme etc. It also has an organic form with beginning, middle and an end. Unlike a full-length play, the unity of time, place and action do not function fully. You will see that a one-act play does not have episodic subjects; rather it has a visionary and conceptual unity. It normally represents a single situation, action, and atmosphere leading to deep impression. The characters and the experiences are not complex, you can understand easily. Since it has a confined canvas, the life experiences it conveys can not be complex and difficult as it happens in a full-length play. The number of characters is bound to be small. Some of the beautiful examples that you will love to read are Donne Byrne‘s The Professors, Stanley Houghton‘s The Dear Departed, and W. W. Jacobs‘s The Monkey’s Paw. Though the orchestral representation, multidimensional experience, a throbbing effect may not be there in a one-act play, but it certainly has to offer a slice of life as a piece of literature does.
October 28, 2009
Toni Morrison Talks About Her Motivation For Writing Posted by Rakesh Patel under English Literature | Tags: Toni Morrison | [2] Comments
October 1, 2009
Toni Morrison’s Beloved – A Novel With Universal Appeal, Depth and Brilliance Posted by Rakesh Patel under English Literature | Tags: English Literature, Literature, novel, Toni Morrison, Toni Morrison Beloved, Toni Morrison's Beloved | Leave a Comment Toni Morrison’s Beloved – A Novel With Universal Appeal, Depth and Brilliance By Rakesh Ramubhai Patel Toni Morrison (1931), an American writer, enjoys a good position as one of the most popular as well as successful black female writers. Her work celebrates the black experience by way of featuring mythic elements, compassion with the humanity in poetic language. Her fifth novel Beloved (1987), which is remarkable for its depth, brilliance and universal appeal, won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. She also won the Nobel Prize in literature in 1993.
What is the Novel All About? The novel Beloved is the story of Sethe, an unfortunate mother who prefers killing her daughter Beloved rather than letting her grown up as a slave. This tale is set in Reconstruction Ohio. Morrison vividly sketches the dark picture of slavery and its dehumanizing effects with all mental and physical traumas inflicted on the survivals. She beautifully weaves a ghostly stale in a realistic narrative. Themes in The Novel: The novel deals with many complex and enduring themes such as black Americans‘ relationship to slavery, the quest for individual, cultural identity, the importance of family and community, the nature of humanity. It is because of Morrison‘s unique treatment to these themes her work achieve universality. Morrison’s Style in the Novel: Beloved is considered as Morrison‘s most successful novel. She makes use of multiple timeframe. She beautifully makes a way for the fantastic occurrences in the novel like that of reappearance of Beloved. The language is poetic which shows her lyric storytelling ability very clearly. Though the novel stimulated considerable controversy, accusations of racism, several months after its publication, it‘s a great piece of work one should really appreciate for its merit. Rakesh Patel is an aspiring poet, freelance writer, self-published author and teacher. Read short poems by Rakesh Patel. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rakesh_Ramubhai_Patel http://EzineArticles.com/?Toni-Morrisons-Beloved—A-Novel-With-Universal-Appeal,-Depthand-Brilliance&id=2977164
May 2, 2009
Epiphany: A Manifestation or a Moment of Revelation Posted by Rakesh Patel under English Literature, poetry | Tags: definition of epiphany, epiphany, poetry | Leave a Comment Epiphany is a popular literary term almost every student of literature is familiar with. It means a manifestation or a sign for something to come. Christian thinkers use this term to denote a manifestation of God‘s presence in this world.
The term epiphany reminds of James Joyce who employed this word effectively in his work. He adopted this term to secular experience. He used it to signify a revelation at the time of perceiving a commonplace object. His novels and short stories consist of several epiphanies. For instance; a climatic epiphany is a sort of revelation that Stephan, in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, experiences seeing a young girl on the seashore. In modern poetry and fiction, this idea of epiphany is artistically used to denote the sudden flare of revelation of an ordinary object. James Joyce used it as ―moments‖. Later on, Shelley used it, in his Defense of Poetry (1821), to describe the most cherished moments. Wordsworth also employed this concept and his ideas revolved around some beautiful moments. For instance; his short poetry like The Solitary Reaper deals with a moment of revelation. His Prelude is full of such visionary moments: ’twas a moment’s pause, All that took place within me came and went As in a moment; yet with Time it dwells, And grateful memory, as a thing divine.
April 17, 2009
Short Summary of Beowulf: the Greatest Epic or Heroic Poem Posted by Rakesh Patel under allegory, epic, epic poem, poetry | Tags: beowulf, epic, epic poems, epic poetry, short summary of beowulf, story of beowulf | 1 Comment Beowulf was perhaps composed during the 9th century A. D. by someone whose name is not known. It is the earliest and the greatest epic or heroic poem. Short Summary of Beowulf: This epic poem describes the hero Beowulf marching with his fourteen warriors and arrive at the place of Heorot where he finds that he king of Heorot Hrothgar terrified by a monster called Grendel. Beowulf manages to kill Grendel and his monster-mother at his abode beneath a lake. After that he returns to his country and becomes the king there and rules his kingdom for fifty years. He dies of the wounds he got once during the combat fought with a dragon. The Specialty of the Poem: This epic poem has the magnificent ending. It describes the selfless heroism of Beowulf, anguish of his people, the memorial knoll on the low cliff, which would route every returning mariner to guide a straight course to harbor in the memory of his dead hero.
Myth and Meaning of the Poem: The time when this poem Beowulf composed, there existed several northern legends of Beowa, a half-divine hero, and the monster called Grendel. Some consider the later as a bear and some interpret it as the malaria of the marsh lands. Symbolic Interpretation: As for the symbolic interpretation, some consider these myths as Beowulf‘s successive fights with the three dragons as: 1. the overcoming of the threat of the sea, which was trodden by the dykes, 2. the conquering of the sea by sailing upon it, 3. the conflict with the hostile forces of nature defeated by man‘s will and perseverance. Really speaking, Beowulf is the epic portraying the picture of a brave man‘s death.
April 2, 2009
What is Epigram? The Epigrammatists who made this Form Popular Posted by Rakesh Patel under English Literature, Literature, poetry | Tags: epigram poetry, epigrams | Leave a Comment Epigram is a form of poetry which is presented to show terse, pointed and witty observation. Epigrams were in vogue in ancient times also which were in the forms of inscriptions on statues or stones. The term ―epigram‖ became popular after 18th century for the witty statements. Some Latin poets like Juneval, Martial, developed this form and used it as a short satire in verse. In French, Voltaire wrote fine epigrams. As for the English literature, the poets such as Ben Jonson, John Donne, John Dryden, Alexander Pope, and Jonathan Swift were often considered as the masters of epigrams. Oscar Wilde was one of the famous epigrammatists. Most of the short poems of Walter Savage were fine examples of non-satirical epigrams. S. T. Coleridge used this form in the 19th century. One of his epigrams shows that Romanticism did not preclude wit:
―On a Volunteer Singer Swans sing before they die – ‘twere no bad thing Should certain people die before they sing!‖
March 18, 2009
Halimbawa Ng Haiku: Examples of Haiku Poems, and their Forms Posted by Rakesh Patel under English Literature, Literature, poetry | Tags: examples of haiku poems, examples of haiku poetry, haiku, haiku examples, haiku poem, haiku poems, haiku poetry, halimbawa ng haiku | 1 Comment Halimbawa ng haiku means examples of haiku poems. This form has become so much popular that this form is often introduced in schools so that students can enjoy and learn. The Form and Structure: Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry which consists of 17 moare (also called ―on‖ or syllables) in 3 metrical phrases of 5-7-5 moare respectively. But most writers of this verse form in English use about 10 to 14 syllables with no formal pattern. The form of haiku poems consists of a ―kigo‖ or ―kireji‖ or verbal caesura. Japanese form is traditionally printed in a single vertical line whereas, in English, it is composed in 3 lines which is parallel to the 3 metrical lines in Japanese form. It was the custom to make the carving of famous haiku upon natural stone in order to make poem monuments came to be known as kuhi. Marlene Mountain was considered one of the first English-language haiku poets. He wrote the verse in a single horizontal line inspired by the single vertical line of printed Japanese haiku. The single-line form normally contains fewer than 17 syllables. The writers of Haiku in English language make use of the following: • • •
3 lines up to 17 syllables a season word (kigo) a cut or kire (sometimes marked by a punctuation) to compare two images
Influence of This Verse Form:
The influence of haiku poetry is felt worldwide. It is found in journals in Japan, and in the English-speaking countries including India, in Russia, in Northern Europe, in central and southeast Europe. In the early 20th century, in India, Rabindranath Tagore tried his hands at haiku in Bengali and made some translations from Japanese. Zeenabhai Ratanji Desai ‗Sneharashmi‘, made this verse form famous in Gujarati. It was Feb‘ 2008 when the World Haiku Festival was held in Bangalore, and its main intention was to gather haikuists from all over India and from Europe and the US. Haiku had a significant influence on Imagists in the 1910s, especially Ezra Pound‘s ―In a Station of the Metro‖ of 1913. At the time of the Imagist period, several mainstream writers and poets composed came to be known as ―hokku,‖ in a 5-7-5 syllable pattern. The Afro-American novelist Richard Wright composed around 4,000 haikus. Examples of Haiku Poems: Buson is really considered as one of the greatest masters of haiga which is an art form where painting is combined with haiku. And therefore, his love for painting is clearly seen in the style of his poems. 1. Bashō‘s ―old pond‖ is one of the famous examples: furuike ya (fu/ru/i/ke ya): 5 kawazu tobikomu (ka/wa/zu to/bi/ko/mu): 7 mizu no oto (mi/zu no o/to): 5 Translation: old pond a frog jumps the sound of water 2. A classic hokku by Matsuo Bashō: fuji no kaze ya oogi ni nosete Edo miyage Translation:
the wind of Mt. Fuji I’ve brought on my fan! a gift from Edo 3. Snow in my shoe Abandoned Sparrow’s nest Jack Kerouac (collected in Book of Haikus, Penguin Books, 2003) 4. Whitecaps on the bay: A broken signboard banging In the April wind. Richard Wright (collected in Haiku: This Other World, Arcade Publishing, 1998) 5. lily: out of the water out of itself bass picking bugs off the moon Nick Virgilio (Selected Haiku, Burnt Lake Press/Black Moss Press, 1988) 6. downpour: my ―I-Thou‖ T-shirt Raymond Roseliep (Rabbit in the Moon, Alembic Press, 1983) 7. an aging willow– its image unsteady in the flowing stream Robert Spiess (Red Moon Anthology, Red Moon Press, 1996) 8. Just friends: he watches my gauze dress blowing on the line. Alexis Rotella (After an Affair, Merging Media, 1984) 9. meteor shower… a gentle wave wets our sandals
Michael Dylan Welch (HSA Newsletter XV:4, Autumn 2000)
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Rakesh Patel is a poet, freelance content writer and teacher. He took his Masters Degree (M. A.) in English Literature from The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, India. Gujarat State Eligibility Test (Gujarat SET) Qualified His poems have been published in ―Moments of Revelation‖ by Deshkal Publication, Kolkata Recently, his poems have been anthologized in an international poetry anthology: 1. POETS FOR WORLD PEACE Vol. I, Vesta Publications, Canada, ISBN: 978-0919301-31-3. 2. POETS FOR WORLD PEACE Vol. 2, Vesta Publications, Canada, ISBN: 978-0-919301-33-7 His poems have appeared in: 1. Kritya, an international journal of poetry publishing contemporary Indian & world poetry VOL- VI / ISSUE – II (August -2010) (ISSN 0976-514X) 2. Danse Macabre, an Online Literary Magazine (ISSN 2152-4580). His creative writing corpus consists of several poetry, short stories and articles published at leading online websites and e-zines like literaryindia.com, allpoetry.com, asianamericanpoetry.com, neopoet.com, gotpoetry.com, voices.net, authorsden.com, poetrycircle.com, your-poetry.com, creative-poems.com, moontowncafe.com, poetbay.com, writing.com, Poemhunter.com, postpoetryonline.com, originalpoetry.com, writingraw.com. He is an active representative (from Gujarat) for STEPHEN GILL WORLD PEACE MISSION. SGWPA, INTER CONTINENTAL (Africa-America-Asia).
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Drama From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search For other uses, see Drama (disambiguation). "Dramas" redirects here. For the indie rock band, see The Dramas. See also: Theatre
Literature Major forms Novel · Poem · Drama Short story · Novella Genres Epic · Lyric · Drama Romance · Satire Tragedy · Comedy Tragicomedy Media Performance (play) · Book Techniques Prose · Verse History and lists Outline of literature Index of terms History · Modern history Books · Writers Literary awards · Poetry awards Discussion Criticism · Theory · Magazines
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance.[1] The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" (Classical Greek: δρᾶμα, drama), which is derived from "to do","to act" (Classical Greek: δράω, draō). The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by
actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a collective form of reception. The structure of dramatic texts, unlike other forms of literature, is directly influenced by this collaborative production and collective reception.[2] The early modern tragedy Hamlet (1601) by Shakespeare and the classical Athenian tragedy Oedipus the King (c. 429 BCE) by Sophocles are among the masterpieces of the art of drama.[3] A modern example is Long Day's Journey into Night by Eugene O‘Neill (1956).[4] The two masks associated with drama represent the traditional generic division between comedy and tragedy. They are symbols of the ancient Greek Muses, Thalia and Melpomene. Thalia was the Muse of comedy (the laughing face), while Melpomene was the Muse of tragedy (the weeping face). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been contrasted with the epic and the lyrical modes ever since Aristotle's Poetics (c. 335 BCE)—the earliest work of dramatic theory.[5] The use of "drama" in the narrow sense to designate a specific type of play dates from the 19th century. Drama in this sense refers to a play that is neither a comedy nor a tragedy—for example, Zola's Thérèse Raquin (1873) or Chekhov's Ivanov (1887). It is this narrow sense that the film and television industry and film studies adopted to describe "drama" as a genre within their respective media.[6] "Radio drama" has been used in both senses—originally transmitted in a live performance, it has also been used to describe the more high-brow and serious end of the dramatic output of radio.[7] Drama is often combined with music and dance: the drama in opera is generally sung throughout; musicals generally include both spoken dialogue and songs; and some forms of drama have incidental music or musical accompaniment underscoring the dialogue (melodrama and Japanese Nō, for example).[8] In certain periods of history (the ancient Roman and modern Romantic) some dramas have been written to be read rather than performed.[9] In improvisation, the drama does not pre-exist the moment of performance; performers devise a dramatic script spontaneously before an audience.[10]
Contents http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drama
English Literature – Poetry, Drama, Novels, Essays and Literature Review ‗Holding Mirror Up To Nature‘ March 14, 2009
Onomatopoeia Poems: Different Examples of Onomatopoeia in Literature and Poetry Posted by Rakesh Patel under English Literature, poetry | Tags: examples of onomatopoeia, examples of onomatopoeia poetry, examples onomatopoeia poems, onomatopoeia poems | [7] Comments The term onomatopoeia comes from the Greek word ―onomatopoeia‖ which means ‗wordmaking‘. It represents the sound by way of imitating the word. For instance, the sound ―meow‖ represents the word cat. As far as literature is concerned, poets make use of this feature and convey the meaning of their poetry by way of representing sounds. The use of sound in such a way that echoes or suggests the meaning is also called onomatopoeia for instance; ―The moan of doves in immemorial elms.‖ Examples of Onomatopoeia Poems in Literature Tennyson, in ―Song of the Lotus-Eaters‖, he describes the languorous life of the Lotus-Eaters by presenting words with sounds: ―Here are cool mosses deep, And through the moss the ivies creep, And in the stream the long-leaved flowers weep, And from the craggy ledge the poppy hangs in sleep.‖ See the effect of sound produced by the humming bees in the following lines from his ―Come Down, O Maid‖: ―The moan of doves in immemorial elms, And murmuring of innumerable bees.‖ Browning also used some unpleasant sounds, in ―Meeting at Night‖:
―A tap at the pane, the quick sharp scratch And blue spurt of a lighted match.‖ It has become a literary device in which the sounds of words are used to suggest a sense of the subject. Examples in Synthetic Languages: Onomatopoeic words are wonderfully incorporated into the structure of synthetic languages. Some words are evolved into new sounds or pronunciations in such a way that they go beyond the concept of onomatopoeia for instance; the English word ―bleat‖ used for the sheep noise was pronounced as ―blairt/blet‖ in medieval times. Examples in English Language: Some very familiar sounds which occur in English language are ―beep‖, ―hiccup‖, ―bang‖, and ―splash‖. Certain phrases like ―the humming bee‖, ―the whizzing arrow‖, and ―the cackling hen‖ are good examples. Sounds related to machines are often considered as the examples of onomatopoeia for instance; ―beep-beep‖ sound of horn, and ―vroom‖ sound of engine. Words used for certain things or objects represent some sounds for instance; the most common word ―zip/zipper‖ stands for fastener. Certain animal sounds just like ―meow‖ for cat, ―quack‖ for duck, ―bark‖ for dog are very typical in English language. Many birds are named after the sound they produce for intake; the cuckoo, the whooping crane, chickadee, etc.
March 7, 2009
Elizabeth Barrett Browning And Her Poems: Critical Analysis Posted by Rakesh Patel under English Literature, poetry | Tags: elizabeth barrett browning, elizabeth barrett browning critical analysis, elizabeth barrett browning poems, poems by elizabeth barrett browning | Leave a Comment
The poetry of the Victorian Age is rich that produced two great poets Tennyson and Browning. There are minor poets whose contribution to literature is equally notable. Among them, Elizabeth Barrett Browning rightly occupies a central position. It was the publication of Mrs. Browning‘s ―The Seraphim and Other Poems (1838)‖ that brought her literary reputation. After that, her ill health and the shock of her brother‘s death made her broke down and was confined to the four walls of her room. As she recovered slightly, she published ―Poems‖ some of them were impulsive but favored by the public. One of such poems was ―The Cry of the Children‖ which voiced the protest of humanity against the evil of child labor. This poem appealed the populace most and she became so much popular that her fame name was placed beside Tennyson and Browning. So mush so, when Wordsworth died, she was considered for the poet laureate but finally, this title was given to Tennyson. Around 1845, she met Browning and they fell in love, eloped and married. The romance of their love is beautifully reflected in her ―Sonnets from the Portuguese (1850)‖. It has become the inspiring collection of love poems every student of literature would like to enjoy! For the fifteen years, they lived very happy life. In 1856, Elizabeth Barrett published a novel in verse, ―Aurora Leigh‖. The hero of the novel is a social reformer which suggests Browning and the heroine is enthusiastic which suggest Elizabeth herself. The social and moral ideals of the novel reminds of the Dickens and George Eliot. Her two poems ―Last Poems‖ and ―Poems before Congress‖ were published just after her death in 1861.
February 28, 2009
Victorian Literature: It Reflected the Interests and Problems of the Era Posted by Rakesh Patel under English Literature, essays, poetry | Tags: characteristics of Victorian literature, English Literature, Victorian era literature, Victorian literature | 1 Comment The literature of the Victorian Age is remarkable for the variety of prose; it produced two great poets, Tennyson and Browning. The literature of this age reflected its interests and problems and therefore, it came very close to the daily life. The literary tendency of this age is quite ethical in spirit. And therefore all the writers, poets, essayists, and novelists of this age seemed to be moral teachers at heart. Science and discovery
also influenced the age which presented truth as the sole object of human endeavor. The age is often considered as materialistic, but the literature is an attack on materialism. What To Read? Tennyson Tennyson, like Chaucer, he was a national poet. Everyone would enjoy reading Tennyson because of his thought and his melody of expression, as it happens in The Lotus Eaters Music that gentlier on the spirit lies Than tired eyelids upon tired eyes. Tennyson‘s concept of faith and immortality is well expressed in In Memoriam Browning Browning, the optimism of his poetry, his creed as it expressed in Rabbi Ben Ezra is worth reading. If you read Fra Lippo Lippi or Andrea del Sarto, you will know what dramatic monologues are: Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp, Or what’s a heaven for? Dickens Dickens‘s experiences in life are reflected in his novels. David Copperfield is in this respect shares some autobiographical elements. You can read and make brief analysis of Tale of Two Cities with its plot, characters, and style. Thackeray You can read ―Henry Esmond‖ to know Thackeray‘s realism. You can also compare it with Ivanhoe as a historical novel. He deals with satire in his writing and has got great skills of critical writer. George Eliot If you read Silas Marner, you will learn that George Eliot‘s ethical teaching is at the centre in this novel. Her moral teaching is always convincing. Carlyle Carlyle is often called prophet and censor. You can read his Essay on Burns, about the Scotch poet, and you will learn his idea of criticism. He is interested in Burns and for his power of lyrical expressions. Also read ―Heroes and Hero Worship‖ to know his idea of history. Sartor Resartus reflects his some of experiences of his own life. Macaulay Macaulay‘s historical knowledge serves in writing his literary essays. You can read History of England. Also read his essays on Milton and Addison.
Arnold The elements of Victorian life are reflected in Arnold‘s poetry. There is coldness and sadness in his verses. In Sohrab and Rustum, he makes use of classical elements. His poetry and prose both are remarkable. Ruskin Ruskin is often considered as ―the prophet of modern society‖. His first two lectures in Sesame and Lilies give his views on wealth, books, education, labor, woman‘s sphere, and human society.
February 19, 2009
Poetry Form: The Nature of Poetry Posted by Rakesh Patel under English Literature, Literature, poetry Leave a Comment Poetry is a form of literature composed in verse. It is normally rhythmic, metrical and there is division of stanzas. The use of imagery and figurative language gives it unique character. Poetry is a collective name for the cluster of poems. It is one of the most ancient forms of arts. It is often fused with music in songs. It is its rhythmic use of language as a reason; it is often called ―metrical writing‖. But as we see, cadenced poetry of the Bible and free verse for example, are rhythmic but not metrical in strict sense of the term. Broadly speaking, poetry usually projects emotions, feelings and human experience in metrical language.
January 31, 2009
Sonnet Examples: The Development of the Form of Sonnets Posted by Rakesh Patel under poetry, sonnet examples | Tags: sonnet examples, writing sonnets | [2] Comments The students of English literature are familiar with what sonnets are. A sonnet is basically a short poem of 14 lines composed in a special pattern. This form of poetry was probably invented in Italy during Renaissance. The form of sonnets was made popular by Petrarch. This form started a fashion which influenced poetry in Europe. Later on, it was termed as the ―Petrarchan convention‖ of artificial love poetry.
He wrote sonnets addressing Laura de Noves whom he loved. Petrarch set her up in his mind as the ideal woman and wrote around. Similarly, Dante had idealized Beatrice Portinary. As a result, idealized women remained the literary custom in poetry all over Europe.
rhyme-pattern-of-sonnets Great poets like Milton and Wordsworth used the Italian form. However, in Milton‘s sonnet on his blindness, there is no such clear break between the octave and the sestet. Sonnet Examples Keats‘s sonnet ―On first looking into Chapman‘s Homer‖ is highly lyrical poetry written in the Italian form. On first looking into Chapman’s Homer Much have I travell’d in the realms of gold, And many goodly states and kingdoms seen; Round many western islands have I been Which bards in fealty to Apollo hold. Oft of one wide expanse had I been told That deep-brow’d Homer ruled as his demesne; Yet did I never breathe its pure serene Till I heard Chapman speak out loud and bold: Then felt I like some watcher of the skies When a new planet swims into his ken; Or like stout Cortez when with eagle eyes He star’d at the Pacific—and all his men
Look’d at each other with a wild sunrise – Silent, upon a peak in Darien. It is easy for an ordinary poet to write a sonnet but the lyrical feeling may get lost in composing the form. Keats has maintained the correct sonnet-form without missing the lyrical feeling in it. The line ―watcher of the skies when a new planet swims into his ken‖ beautifully expresses the excitements of the new discovery. There are twentieth century poets like Rupert Brooke (1887-1915) and A. E. Housman wrote sonnets. Any reader of English poetry should read Brooke‘s sonnets. There is another modern poet Charles Causley who has written number of sonnets but his ―For an Ex Far East Prisoner of War‖ is very special for modern times. It is about a problem which concerns all in this modern world. The problem deals with forgiving and forgetting wars. This poem shows the ex-prisoner as a modern Christ who suffers on the cross and reminds of guilt and responsibility. For an Ex Far East Prisoner of War I am that man with helmet made of thorn Who wandered naked in the desert place, Wept, with the sweating sky, that I was born And wore disaster in my winter face. I am that man who asked no hate, no pity, I am that man, five-wounded, on the tree. I am that man, walking in native city, Hears his dead comrade cry, Remember me! I am that man whose brow with blood was wet, Returned, as Lazarus from the dead to live. I am that man, long counseled to forget, Faeing a fearful victory, to forgive: And seizing the two words, with the sharp sun Beat them, like sword and ploughshare, into one. If you read this sonnet, you will realize that how it is difficult to say that both lyrical and reflective poetry are different.
January 17, 2009
Studying Milton’s Paradise Lost: Is Satan the Hero of the Epic? Posted by Rakesh Patel under epic, epic poem | Tags: epic, milton's paradise lost, Paradise Regained | 1 Comment It is undoubtedly a matter of discussion whether Satan is really the hero of the epic or not. Satan is at the centre of Milton‘s Paradise Lost who dominates especially in Book I and II and in IV. He is the heroic figure in the first two books. He is still an Archangel though he is rotting in the hell. His character, his power his evil capacity must be exalted to show the epic greatness of the coming conflict, in order to rouse the sympathy in the reader and for redemption. There comes a time in the life and character of Satan getting distorted. There is an instance where little of heroism remains in him when he takes the shape of toad to whisper in Eve‘s ear, he was stirred up by the Spear of Ithuriel. At the close of the poem, Satan‘s degradation is complete. Truly speaking, man is really the heroic figure of the poem. It is all the truth if we consider together Paradise Lost where Man, though conquered, wins the readers‘ sympathies and the coming of the Greater Man is foretold. Paradise Regained where the Divine Man triumphs. In the later part of the poem, Satan is not only vanquished ignominiously, but also appear before the reader a mean, shifty, paltry creature as contrasted with the haughty, desperate impersonation of evil of the earlier work. The Puritans were God-fearing. It was a protest and reaction against the decadent Spirit of the Renaissance. Puritanism is the potent force in Milton‘s work. The makes use of the controversial topics such as the universality of Divine Providence, the reality of evil, the hope of redemption from evil, and the unity of human race. Because of the influence of Renaissance, the character of Satan-like Faustus-was glorified by Milton which was done at the cost of God, the other character in the epic. Satan is the product of Milton‘s love of enterprise and adventure. Whereas, Spenser‘s Faerie Queene has Knight of the Red Cross, Satan is a Knight of Staygian Darkness who has all attributes of knightliness which gleamed in the romances and the epics of the Renaissance.
January 10, 2009
Milton’s Paradise Lost—An Epic Poem With All It’s Grandeur
Posted by Rakesh Patel under English Literature, epic, poetry | Tags: milton's paradise lost, paradise lost as an epic poem | Leave a Comment Milton‘s Paradise Lost was published in 1667. From his earliest youth, Milton had determined to write a great epic. At first, the story of King Arthur came into his mind. But with the deepening of his religious view, he turned from this secular theme to the Biblical narrative of the fall of man. This epic poem Paradise Lost may be roughly divided into three parts: The first part deals with rebellion of the angels and their strife with God. The second part depicts the creation of mankind. The third part concerns with the plot of Satan against man. The main interest of Paradise Lost is centered in Satan. It is an epic of art based upon the classical conventions. The vast and vague dimensions of the poet‘s universe, in which supernatural beings pass between Earth and Heaven, between Chaos and Hell, all these baffle the imagination. Above all, the figure of Satan is the dominating character. His character is conceived magnificently. The Theme of the poem: The theme of Paradise Lost as an epic poem holds universal human interest. The poem concerns itself with the fortunes not of an empire but of the whole human race. It concerns with the event of plucking the apple in the history of the race which has molded all its destinies. The scene of the action is universal space. The time represented is Eternity. The characters are God and his creatures. The poem comes in twelve books: Book I: It deals with the Fall of Man; the disobedience of Adam and Eve which became the cause for their exile from the carefree Garden of Eden and ultimately brought death and suffering in the world. It also depicts the Satan‘s defeated armies. Book II: It depicts the fallen angels making plot against God. They decide to attack God indirectly. Satan makes his journey through space. Book III: Satan continues his voyage and lands on Mount Niphates. Book IV: The description of Garden of Eden. Satan comes to know that God has forbidden Adam and Even to eat the apple from the Tree of knowledge. Satan therefore, decides to tempt Eve in her dream to disobey God‘s warning.
Book V to VIII: Eve reveals her dream to Adam. God foresees the trouble and so sends Raphael to prevent them from disobeying God. Raphael talks about a new World of human beings and the structure of the universe. Book IX: Satan takes the form of serpent and tempts Eve to eat the apple. Eve and Adam eventually both fall in the trap of Satan and disobey God. They become aware of the sexuality and being ashamed of it, they quarrel with each other. Book X: God send his Son to justify Adam and Eve and save them from the destruction. Sin and Death both enter in the Garden. Satan returns to Hell to rejoice his victory. Book XI and XII: The Son persuades God not to destroy Adam and Eve. God therefore decides to drive them out from the Eden and this task is assigned to Michael. Michael makes both of them realize God‘s vision and intention, and the world of mankind. They are told to lead their life in the imperfect world until the second coming of the Son of God.
January 9, 2009
Analysis of School for Scandal—A Well-Crafted Comedy of Manners Posted by Rakesh Patel under comedy of manners, English Literature | Tags: Analysis of School for Scandal, comedy of manners | [7] Comments Sheridan, Richard Brinsley (1751-1816), British dramatist whose work is considered the finest development of the comedy of manners in 18th-century England. It is a polite world of fashion but Sheridan makes its vices appear foolish by exaggerating them in humorous portraiture. His plot is usually from everyday life. He possesses excellent verbal talent and sense of theater. Sheridan‘s School for Scandal is considered to be his masterpiece. It consists of a series of gossipy and fast-paced scenes that exposes contemporary foibles through the actions of the characters. It is an attack on artificiality of human behavior and sentiments. This play is remarkable for five features: Plot Construction, Characterization, Dialogue, Setting or Stage Craft, and Vision or Philosophy. Scandal: A young girl married to an old man who has money by which he keeps this young girl and others engaged. Lady Sneerwell makes fun of such marriage and that‘s why she makes the plot.
The plot is a conspiracy which deals with how to make a suspicion in the mind of Sir Peter to separate him from his wife Lady Teazle. Lady Sneerwell and her company run the school for scandal. During the uncle‘s absence, they make such plot Wit: Wit means right thing at the right time. Caricaturing is a part of scandal mongering. One starts and other ends. True wit is from nature. And the intention behind such wit is to improve the person. For instance, the conversation between Crabtree and Sir Benjamin about ‗defining‘ a woman shows wit at its best. Crabtree remarks that it is ―the oddest countenance‖, and ―it is a collection of features.‖ Sir Benjamin tells it to be ―an Irish front.‖ Repartee: It is quick but intelligent response. The conversation between Sir Peter and Lady Teazle is nice example of repartee. Damnation Scene: (Humor and Irony of Situation) – Act IV-scene IV 1. Plot Construction The plot is sequential arrangement of events or casual cause and effects. Events are arranged both sequentially and casually which makes the plot perfect. The plot of the play is interesting and well-constructed. Some people make a plot to break the relationship between Sir Peter and Lady Teazle. The plot is made by Lady Sneerwell and others which is executed by Joseph Surface by luring Lady Teazle. Lady Teazle leaves the old husband and makes love with Joseph. The plot is executed well but gets discovered at last. 2. Characterization Both Charles Surface and Sir Oliver provide contrast. They are rather caricatures. They are the puppets in the hands of the dramatist. They perform what their characteristics presented by their names. The characters of the play have their own significance by their names. Sheridan‘s characterization draws upon the theory of Ben Johnson. He changes Ben Johnson‘s theory. He makes one particular characteristic or weakness appear and plays on it. For instance, Joseph is totally exposed; there is no depth and roundness which provides humor. The humor is created by such characters because of their limitations suggested by their names. Characterization is caricature. Humor comes from the characters, their peculiar characters. Act-iv – curtain episode – is situational comedy. Major characters Crabtree: Crab can climb on the tree and can sting. He has qualities as his name suggests and he exploits and kills joy and all happiness by his witty remarks.
J. Surface: He operates on surface level by leading superficial life. He is a scandal monger. He is a sentimental hypothetic, a most eligible bachelor. As Peter says, ―a model for the young men of the age.‖ Charles Surface: He is an extravagant fellow. He contrasts with his brother Joseph. There is loyalty and sincerity in his character. He cares for his uncle. Lady Teazle: She is a simple character. She is from village and young who marries an old man for money and for living in London. 3. Dialogue Witty dialogues are crafted one after another quick and fast. And witty repartees provide humor. 4. Stage Craft Stage craft is very rare. It requires good direction and skilled playwright to manipulate it. In this play The School for Scandal, it is very well managed. No character is seen who has no role to play. The characters disappear as soon as the characters‘ work gets over. The scene behind the screen and the damnation scene are well arranged in acts. 5. Vision There is no philosophy, simple fun in the play. The playwright delivers the message that we act foolishly as we are human beings then why punishment?
December 29, 2008
Influence of Coffee Houses and Clubs Posted by Rakesh Patel under English Literature, essays | Tags: cofee houses | Leave a Comment Coffee house is similar to our modern clubs. It was the place where the remarkable persons from all walks of life used to come. They were literary genius and used to discuss problems regarding society, politics, education and more. It promoted the literary awareness in general. The better activities in politics led to a huge addition to the number of political clubs and coffee houses. In his The Tatles, Steel remarks that the activities of his new journal would be based upon the clubs. The all kinds of accounts related to Gallantry, Pleasure as well as Entertainment came under the articles of White‘s Chocolate-House. Poetry fell under Will‘s Coffee-House, Learning under the title of Grecian, and Foreign as well as Domestic News came from Taint James‘ Coffee-House. These coffee-houses became so much popular that they became the ‗learning-houses‘ for literary business.
December 21, 2008
Spenser’s Faerie Queene – A Romantic Allegory in Epic Scale Posted by Rakesh Patel under allegory, English Literature, poetry | Tags: allegory, Spenser's Faerie Queene | Leave a Comment The illustrious name of Edmund Spenser occupies a place among the writers of England similar to that of Ariosto among those of Italy. Spenser was influenced by Gabriel Harvey, a noted humanist and by the religious atmosphere of his college. Spenser‘s Faerie Queene appeared in installments. In 1589, Spenser crossed to London and published the first three books; in 1596 the second three followed; and after his death two cantos and two odd stanzas of Book VII appeared. The Faerie Queene (1590) is prefaced by a letter appeared to Sir Walter Raleigh in which the poet‘s purpose is stated and the plan of the work outlined. The purpose is moral instruction through examples of virtuous conduct conveyed in the form of romantic allegory. Twelve ―books‖ were planned, twelve being the traditional number of sections (cantos) in work of an epic scale since Homer‘s Iliad. Each of the twelve was to deal with some one aspect of virtuous conduct as practiced by the individual such as Holiness, Justice and Courtesy. Another twelve books were contemplated to deal with three virtues from the political angle. Each virtue was to be embodied in a separate hero. The figure of The Faerie Queene is not introduced at all, but Prince Arthur appears in each of the six finished books. Spenser published only six books: The book I deals with the adventures of the Red Cross Knight, representing Holiness. The book-II tells the adventures of Sir Guyon, the knight of Temperance. In book-III, the poet describes Britomar, the Maiden Knight of charity. The book IV deals with the legend of Triamond as Cambell, exemplifying friendship. The book V gives vividly the adventures of Artegall who is the Knight of Justice. The last book deals with the adventures of Sir Calidore, exemplifying courtesy. The plot is exceedingly leisurful and elaborates. There is huge space for digressions. The allegory of Spenser‘s Faerie Queene is complex; it has imaginative force and magical music. Charles Lamb‘s reference to Spenser appears to be ―the poet‘s poet‖. The construction of the plot is very obscure because it is an allegory. The general scheme of the work is expounded in the author‘s introductory letter addressed to Sir Walter Raleigh.
By Faerie Queene, the poet signifies Glory in the abstract, and Queen Elizabeth in particular. The Queen of Faerie holds a fast for twelve days. On each day a stranger in distress appears claiming help against a dragon or giant or tyrant. A Knight is assigned to each guest, and the twelve books were to be concerned with the stories of the twelve adventures. Further, each Knight was to represent a virtue, and his warfare the strife against the contrary vice. All the virtues were to the shown combined in Arthur, so that by this figure as well as by the nature of many of the incidents the poem was related to the great tradition of the ―matter of Britain‖ Allegory Though the story three strands keep running and twisting; 1. The unusual characters of the Arthurian and classical romance such as Arthur, Merlin, Fauns and Satyrs. 2. The allegorical moral & religious virtues or vice such as Una (Truth), Fidelia (Faith), Orgogio (Pride), Duessa (Deceit). 3. The Elizabethan political-historical-religious elements are also allegorized. For example, Glorina is Elizabeth, Duessa may be Mary, Queen of Scots, Archimago may be the Pope. Style • Spenser is highly imaginative • Subtle and sustained melody • Graphic word-picture • Magical color or atmosphere Technique • Archaic diction – where the occasion demanded. He invented words or word-forms; e.g. he uses ―blend‖ for blind and ―kest‖ for cast. • He introduced Spenserian Stanza –longer than the usual stanza, but shorter than the sonnet, as unit it is just long enough to give an easy pace to the slowly pacing narrative. • The alliteration, vowel – music
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Rakesh Patel is a poet, freelance content writer and teacher. He took his Masters Degree (M. A.) in English Literature from The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, India. Gujarat State Eligibility Test (Gujarat SET) Qualified His poems have been published in ―Moments of Revelation‖ by Deshkal Publication, Kolkata Recently, his poems have been anthologized in an international poetry anthology: 1. POETS FOR WORLD PEACE Vol. I, Vesta Publications, Canada, ISBN: 978-0919301-31-3. 2. POETS FOR WORLD PEACE Vol. 2, Vesta Publications, Canada, ISBN: 978-0-919301-33-7 His poems have appeared in: 1. Kritya, an international journal of poetry publishing contemporary Indian & world poetry VOL- VI / ISSUE – II (August -2010) (ISSN 0976-514X) 2. Danse Macabre, an Online Literary Magazine (ISSN 2152-4580). His creative writing corpus consists of several poetry, short stories and articles published at leading online websites and e-zines like literaryindia.com, allpoetry.com, asianamericanpoetry.com, neopoet.com, gotpoetry.com, voices.net, authorsden.com, poetrycircle.com, your-poetry.com, creative-poems.com, moontowncafe.com, poetbay.com, writing.com, Poemhunter.com, postpoetryonline.com, originalpoetry.com, writingraw.com. He is an active representative (from Gujarat) for STEPHEN GILL WORLD PEACE MISSION. SGWPA, INTER CONTINENTAL (Africa-America-Asia).
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