Getting the Whole Truth in Pride and Prejudice

Tara Ghoshal Wallace’s article mainly discusses the many inconsistencies that are present throughout Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. First, Wallace gives one specific example found in a dialogue where Mrs. Bennet made a remark and every body was surprised; however, Austen gives no reason or cause for the other characters’ shock and leaves the audience wondering why exactly that comment was made. Wallace’s next example is more of a plot inconsistency where she points out how the Gardiners had many children, revealed when Elizabeth visits them at their home, but do not bring their children when they go to the family Christmas celebration at Longbourn. Wallace states that this is a major theme throughout Pride and Prejudice, when the characters’ dialogue or actions does not match the image that Austen has drawn up for them. However, Wallace mentions that even Austen writes in her novel about “‘the inconsistency of all human characters’” and that people will inherently contradict themselves. On the other hand, despite all of these apparent contradictions, Wallace still believes that Austen was “too meticulous a reviser to have overlooked unwittingly even so small a point” and that, therefore, these inconsistencies are meant to enhance Austen’s statement on “truths” not always holding true in every circumstance. Wallace then goes on to say that Darcy is ultimately the character who installs order within the chaotic world of the other characters once they realize that there are no universal truths that they can live by.  Overall, Wallace does point out a few contradictions within the novel but still manages to show the audience different ways to appreciate the intricate work that Austen created.

Miracles

I have two main reasons for wanting to research "miracle" as my word. One reason is the obvious religious connection that this word has and how that has impacted its history and usage. My second reason is the variety of ways in which this word is being used in modern times and the many different circumstances and situations it is used to describe. Right now, my definition of miracle includes anything that seems to defy expectations and goes against what is commonly defined as "logical" in a positive manner.

Barbara Johnston: My Monster/My Self

This 1982 modern criticism article made 5 points about autobiographies in connection to Mary Shelly's Frankenstein.

1) Johnson points out that all three autobiographies (Walton's, Victor's, and the creature's) are attempts at persuasion and that their ability to persaude are based on the common characteristics between the teller and his audience.

2) She also makes the claim that Frankenstein, as a whole, is actually Shelley's own autobiography because there are some hints in the small introduction and contains many similarities to Shelley's personal life.

3) Johnson has states that Victor's rejection of the monster is actually an example of Shelley's own postpartum depression and mixed feelings towards motherhood. (This type of psychoanalytical insight was still very new at the time this article was written and only a few other critics had brought up this idea.)

4) Johnson also brings up the troubled relationship that Shelley had with her parents and that this might have possibly influenced the relationships between parent and children in her novel. (Shelley's mother died in childbirth and she had the pressure of both parents and her husband being famous writers.)

5) Johnson also believes that the because of the different contradictions to being female that were present in Shelley's life during the time she was writing this novel, she presented such a complicated autobiography.

Grendel: The Monster in the Closet

            People fear the unknown. It is a fact of life that humans are evolutionarily programmed to prepare ourselves for the worst possible situations. If we see movement in the trees, it is safer to assume that it will be an animate being that will cause us harm; because the alternative, being skeptical even as it crept closer would have meant death.

            This same mentality is similar to how young children will fear the monster in their closet or under their bed. They are convinced that the monster is something that can and will harm them, and there is absolutely nothing that they can do by themselves to ward it off. And in some ways, our imaginations can be more of a curse than a blessing. They will lie there in their beds and their fear will turn that monster into something much more intimidating than reality. This is also what happens to the Danes in the mead hall. They know for a fact that Grendel will come every night and kill the people who sleep there. However, because they do not know how to fight him off, Grendel becomes some invincible being in their minds and they lose all hope.

And like the young children who need their parents, the Danes need Beowulf. Parents will show their children that the monster is not the terrifying creature that they have made it out to be in their imaginations, and the role of the parents is akin to that which Beowulf fulfills for the Danes. Beowulf arrives with none of the fear that clouds the judgment of the Danes. He fights Grendel head on and in doing so, he proves Grendel’s mortality. With this, Beowulf efficiently breaks down the petrifying image of Grendel that the Danes had created and been so afraid of. And even though Beowulf does not kill Grendel, wounding this seemingly untouchable monster is enough to dispel the fear in the Danes’ minds. In essence, by ripping off Grendel’s arm, Beowulf also rips off his mask of immortality.

At the same time, the fact that that narrator never gives Grendel a concrete, physical form is another one of the reasons of why he is such a frightening monster even for the audience. Each person who reads it will create their own personal version of Grendel in their head. For example, if the narrator described Grendel as a giant man-eating spider, then the people who are afraid of spiders would be much more afraid than people who are not. But since the narrator simply describes Grendel as a monster, then each reader will automatically choose something that they each consider a horrifying monster, something that they are already afraid of.

            Overall, Grendel is an example of how humans naturally fear the unknown, something that is still present even now in modern society. But if we delve deeper in the human psyche, the fear of unknown stems mostly from humankind’s need for power and control. Therefore, we fear the unknown simply because it might be a threat to our authority. And for some people, loss of control is the equivalent to their safety and security being endangered.

Friesland

Here are a few quirky facts about Friesland and its language. First of all, the Friesian language can also be referred to as Fryslan and it first spread to England by way of Frisian horsemen serving in the Roman Legions. In fact, there is a tombstone of a Frisian soldier who had served in the Roman Army in Cirencester, also known as Gloucestershire, in England. It is because of this early contact that the English language and Frisian are so remarkably similar. This chart gives a couple different examples, and also compares English and Frisian to Dutch and German.

English        Frisian        Dutch        German

as             as             als          als   
bread          brea           brood        Brot            
chaff          tsjêf          kaf          Kaf        
cheese         tsiis          kaas         Käse                
church         tsjerke        kerk         Kirche              
cow            kou            koe          Kuh
day            dei            dag          Tag                           
dove           dou            duif         Taube        
dream          dream          droom        Traum           
ear            ear            oor          Ohr   
flea           flie           vlo          Floh        
goose          goes           gans         Gans        
great          great          groot        gross            
ground         groun          grond        Grund                      
hail           heil           hagel        Hagel            
head           haed           hooft        Haupt       
heap           heap           hoop         Haufe       
hear           hear           hoor         Hören   
him            him            hem          ihm
is             is             is           ist
it             it             het          es   

To see the full chart, you can go to http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/evolenglish.html.

Other quirky facts about Friesland include the presence of approximately a thousand mounds built throughout the country. These mounds were built by the Frisians in order to build their towns and cities on top of them since the melting of the ice on the poles led to a gradual rising of the sea. They also built sea-walls that have now been built up to nearly four times as high as they were four hundred years ago. Another fact, perhaps more well-known compared to the last one, is the Friesian horse. These horses have Arabian blood in them, introduced through the Andalusion horses from Spain, but no Thoroughbred influences. Because of the careful breeding of these horses, their coats are all black even though bays and grays occurred earlier in the breed. Other noticeable features include a heavy mane and tale, Shire-like fetlock hair, and the occasional small white forehead star. For more information, check out http://fhana.com/history/.

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

This summer, I chose the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde and my main reason for choosing this novel was because I was intrigued by Dorian Gray's tragic fall from innocence to immorality. I was also interested in reading a novel with a character who cared enough about their appearance to sell their soul and learning what led them to make that decision.

Dorian Gray as a whole is very thought-provoking and provides a greater commentary on humanity. In particular, the character of Lord Henry Wotton is crucial to how Wilde expresses his opinions about the world we live in. For example, it is through Lord Henry that the novel is able to comment on the struggle between Beauty and Genius, and even going so far as to give both sides of the argument. It also shows how society has not changed much since Wilde wrote this novel because people still place a great deal of importance on outward appearances, proving that some struggles are timeless in the way they affect people in the past, the present, and most likely the future as well.

Because of the emphasis on outward appearances and the physical world, the imagery in this novel is also very descriptive. Wilde has complete pages dedicated to the description of different people, places, and things and uses colorful and imaginative phrases to accomplish this. Consequently, Wilde creates such a vivid image with his words that the audience is able to envision themselves as a part of his world.

The novel also has a driven plot with many different conflicts along the way and ultimately ends with Dorian’s tragic death. Each time Dorian is faced with a choice, the audience wills him to choose the morally right option. But Dorian’s flawed character that pushes him deeper and deeper into sin eventually causes the audience to realize that he will never receive redemption, except with his death. Therefore, the ending to this novel also seems “right” since it offers the feeling of closure that the audience expects.

The complex character of Dorian is also another great strength of the novel and is what draws the reader into the fictional world that Wilde has created. Because Dorian represents the inner struggle of wanting to stay beautiful, each person who reads this novel will be able to relate to him in some way and understand his motives, even if they do not approve of his actions. And as a result of the audience recognizing his struggles as a mirror of their own, the audience is much more sympathetic towards Dorian as well as more emotionally invested in his well being.

But no novel is without its weaknesses. One of this novel’s weaknesses is the fact that it requires a specific type of reader and audience; it is a very serious novel and not something that just anyone can read and enjoy. For example, the novel contained many references that some people might have difficulties understanding the more subtle connotations that are connected with that reference. However, if the reader is educated enough to be able to recognize those references, they will also be able to appreciate the sophisticated writing style of the novel, including the change in style in chapter ten of the novel. All in all, Dorian Gray is a captivating novel, but is not right for everyone.

In conclusion, Dorian Gray is an excellent example of great storytelling, and the strengths of this novel are more numerous than its weaknesses.

Memorable Novels

1. Moloka'i by Alan Brennert was a brilliant novel. Even though this novel covers the entirety of Rachel Kalama's life, I felt as if the story was over in an instant because of the way it makes you want to keep reading and keep turning those pages.

2. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher really captured my attention because of its unique writing style. Once it did that, it also helped me to rethink about how I treat other people.

3. almost perfect by Brian Katcher deals with a topic that you don't really see a lot of people writing about and the controversy surrounding this topic makes this a fascinating read.

4. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie is the perfect combination of wit, humour, and struggle.

5. 1984 by George Orwell as a whole was so completely different from anything I had read before and as a result, made a big impression on me.

6. My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult was an amazing novel and had a great plot twist at the end that I never saw coming.