This has been my favorite novel that we have read so far. I love Jane Austen's satire that she uses throughout the book. Catherine is a very relatable character, because, as Austen describes, she is not your typical heroine.
Austen's opening sentence to her novel reveals this truth: "No one who had ever seen Catherine Morland in her infancy, would have supposed her born to be an heroine. Her situation in life, the character of her father and mother, her own person and disposition, were all equally against her".
Instantly, the readers are able to relate to Catherine, because not many women live the life of a typical heroine and play the part of a damsel in distress in their day-to-day lives.
Even though, Catherine may not seem like a heroine, she very much is, especially because she leaves her home for the city of Bath to seek an adventure for her life.
My favorite part of the novel that we have read so far is when Catherine is exploring all of the ins and outs of Northanger Abbey. She is trying to make her real life as adventurous as the heroine's lives are in the novels she reads. This may seem silly, but I know very well that this element of imagination happens in men and women of this day in age as well. The movies we watch give us a false hope that those adventures and those magical love stories will happen in our average everyday lives. So once in a while, our minds tend to seek them out, instead of living our own life as its own individual adventure, instead of the ones we see on tv, just like Miss Catherine Morland.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
The Romance of the Forest
I was happy to finish Romance of the Forest. It was really hard to get through the long and lengthy descriptions that set up the scene for the action that happened in the last couple of chapters. Because it was long and lengthy, it was hard for me to keep my attention on what was happening to the heroine, Adeline, and follow the damsel in distress' adventures.
Even though this novel was very hard for me to read, I understand, and can see how it is an important novel to the Female Gothic Era. Through this novel, I learned a lot about Gothic Literature, and about the audience of these novels. Romance of the Forest clearly outlined the typical heroine usually found in the Gothic Era, which was played by Adeline. It is typical to this era that in a heroine's weakness, we find her most attractive. This is found everywhere throughout the novel.
For example, on page 6, Adeline is clearly described as beautiful only because she is weak: "La Motte now turned his eyes upon his unfortunate companion, who, pale and exhausted, leaned for support against the wall. Her features, which were delicately beautiful, had gained from distress an expression of captivating sweetness".
This reveals a lot about who the readers of the Female Gothic era were. It is hard to imagine a time when these novels were the only form of entertainment to the people. Because we have advanced so much in technology, we now have infinite forms of entertainment, but to the people in the 18th century, these novels became a main outlet for entertainment in their lives. They had time to get lost in the wordy descriptions of the lives these heroines lived, such as Adeline's.
That is the beauty of the Romantic era versus the Realistic era. Anything can happen, and reader's imagination can thrive while reading the text.
Even though this novel was very hard for me to read, I understand, and can see how it is an important novel to the Female Gothic Era. Through this novel, I learned a lot about Gothic Literature, and about the audience of these novels. Romance of the Forest clearly outlined the typical heroine usually found in the Gothic Era, which was played by Adeline. It is typical to this era that in a heroine's weakness, we find her most attractive. This is found everywhere throughout the novel.
For example, on page 6, Adeline is clearly described as beautiful only because she is weak: "La Motte now turned his eyes upon his unfortunate companion, who, pale and exhausted, leaned for support against the wall. Her features, which were delicately beautiful, had gained from distress an expression of captivating sweetness".
This reveals a lot about who the readers of the Female Gothic era were. It is hard to imagine a time when these novels were the only form of entertainment to the people. Because we have advanced so much in technology, we now have infinite forms of entertainment, but to the people in the 18th century, these novels became a main outlet for entertainment in their lives. They had time to get lost in the wordy descriptions of the lives these heroines lived, such as Adeline's.
That is the beauty of the Romantic era versus the Realistic era. Anything can happen, and reader's imagination can thrive while reading the text.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
The Romance of the Forest
It is interesting to read Ann Radcliffe's writing and learn about the female gothic era. In The Romance of the Forest, oppression of women is very evident in marriage. After learning about the Law of Coveture that was implemented during this day in age, it is clear through Radcliffe's novel, that women had no power in marriage.
The two characters that clearly portray this belief and image that women are dead in a marriage are Madame La Motte and Adeline. Madame La Motte is defined by her husband (even her name in the novel defines her as her husband's). She plays a big role in Adeline's life by being Adeline's friend, but other than that, she is submissive to whatever her husband does or says. This is a result of what marriage was based on at this time.
Adeline, an orphan, counteracts this submissive role of the wife. Because Adeline is not married, she seeks the adventure in the gothic novel. She is able to dodge men and seek adventure because she has not settled down with a man yet.
I feel like female gothic novels, specifically, The Romance in the Forest, reveals this fate for women to its readers and its audience. Sometimes it is hard to relate to this novel because of the change in times and it is so hard to understand that this is really how women were treated and accepted that men were in complete control of every situation in his own life and his wife's life.
The two characters that clearly portray this belief and image that women are dead in a marriage are Madame La Motte and Adeline. Madame La Motte is defined by her husband (even her name in the novel defines her as her husband's). She plays a big role in Adeline's life by being Adeline's friend, but other than that, she is submissive to whatever her husband does or says. This is a result of what marriage was based on at this time.
Adeline, an orphan, counteracts this submissive role of the wife. Because Adeline is not married, she seeks the adventure in the gothic novel. She is able to dodge men and seek adventure because she has not settled down with a man yet.
I feel like female gothic novels, specifically, The Romance in the Forest, reveals this fate for women to its readers and its audience. Sometimes it is hard to relate to this novel because of the change in times and it is so hard to understand that this is really how women were treated and accepted that men were in complete control of every situation in his own life and his wife's life.
Monday, September 6, 2010
The Castle of Otranto
The Castle of Otranto was my first official Gothic Novel. It was very interesting to see the Gothic element in everything written in the story- in the architecture, in the suspense, in the romantic aspect rather than the realistic aspect. It was fun to follow along with the story not knowing what the characters would believe next. For example, when a giant helmet crushed Conrad, when huge limbs were sited, or when the statue of Alfonso started bleeding. I like the Gothic era because truly, anything can happen. What is reality in the novel could never happen in our daily lives- so it brings a sort of excitement, suspense, and adventure to the text while reading it.
It was also interesting to see how Walpole's life could be closely related to his fictional story. Through the text he was able to openly express a relationship with his father like the one that was portrayed by Matilda and Manfred. A sibling-parent relationship that is submissive but never really pleasing to the parent. We see this in the text when Matilda tries to comfort her father after Conrad dies,"My dearest father, it is I, your daughter. Manfred, stepping back hastily, cried, Begone! I do not want a daughter" (pg 19). And later when Manfred accidentally stabs Matilda, she is still asking for his forgiveness, "May heaven bless my father, and forgive him as I do! My Lord, my gracious sire, dost thou forgive thy child?" (pg 98)
It was also interesting to see how Walpole's life could be closely related to his fictional story. Through the text he was able to openly express a relationship with his father like the one that was portrayed by Matilda and Manfred. A sibling-parent relationship that is submissive but never really pleasing to the parent. We see this in the text when Matilda tries to comfort her father after Conrad dies,"My dearest father, it is I, your daughter. Manfred, stepping back hastily, cried, Begone! I do not want a daughter" (pg 19). And later when Manfred accidentally stabs Matilda, she is still asking for his forgiveness, "May heaven bless my father, and forgive him as I do! My Lord, my gracious sire, dost thou forgive thy child?" (pg 98)
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