The Matter of Chance relative to Business

Pride and Prejudice is largely a marriage plot. Many hopeful marriages all with similar troubles. 

Throughout the plot there are several marriage conflicts. Bingley and Jane, Bingley and Georgiana, Darcy and Elizabeth, Darcy and Caroline, Collins and Elizabeth, Collins and Charlotte... etc. 

Collins first proposes to Elizabeth who promptly turns him down. After moaning and saying how it is just because Elizabeth is a woman and enjoys the chase that she turns him down (and then figuring out uhm no she really just doesn't like him). Collins proposes to Elizabeth's good friend Charlotte Lucas. 

Right after Elizabeth turns down Collins, Jane is concerned about how Elizabeth is dealing. Elizabeth is not shy to reveal her feelings on the matter and declares to her "dear Jane [that] Mr. Collins is a conceited, pompous, narrow-minded, silly man; [Jane] know[s] he is, as well as [Elizabeth] do[es]; and [Jane] must feel as well as [Elizabeth] do[es], that the woman who marries him, cannot have a proper way of thinking" (133). This proper way of thinking translates into Elizabeth's general thoughts on marriage. That the proper way is of love and that the improper way is of business and convenience.

Elizabeth nearly directly contradicts herself when she comments on Wickham's hasty connection with Miss King. She declares their arrangement as the ways of the world, "the mortifying conviction that handsome young men must have something to live on, as well as the plain" (148). Whether she is consoling herself for being "comparative[ly] insignifican[t]" (147). Or truly just felt Wickham was a casual acquaintance is unclear. But Elizabeth is not quiet on her opinion and is clear, pride clouding both judgement and friendship. 

Marriage is a important drama in Austen's literary works. The complex marriage plot and subplot in Pride and Prejudice is captivating. And the line between love and business reveals important characteristics of several characters.

Thanksgiving Thanks with a twist of P&P

Thanksgiving may be the most white privilege holiday in existence. Actually Thanksgiving is the most white privilege holiday in existence. However, that doesn't mean there isn't some merit in Thanksgiving being celebrated. 
My theory on life is family is great in small doses. Few things illustrate this as well as Pride and Prejudice. I often forget how much family can be a pain, until Thanksgiving. Having everyone under one house for an entire day is a mess. However, I have a bit more appreciation for Pride and Prejudice after having sat through a day of bickering. 
Austen beautifully combines several different family dynamics within one novel. Bingley and his sister could not be more different. But Darcy and his sister are actual sibling goals (coincidence? I think not). Mrs. Bennet and her sister Mrs. Gardiner also could not be more different. The difference between the two woman allow a balancing point for Jane and Elizabeth to play off of. Need another example of family dynamics? Jane and Elizabeth compared to Kitty and Lydia and then Mary. 
Brontë might feel that Austen's writing was flat and uninteresting. But within the upper society and small world of north central England Austen created a vast world of character differences. 
Hating Thanksgiving day? Be glad you don't have to live in a house with Mrs. Bennet. Or be related to Mr Collins. And there is always dreaming of the beautiful Darcy and his lovely sister. Maybe practise the Piano to kill the time, or go on a 3 mile walk to avoid the family. If all of these seem out of question just pick up a book and enjoy the weather. 

Blinded by Prejudice

As one could probably deduce from the title; Pride and Prejudice reflects on two major character traits (and possibly flaws). In the previous post I commented on Pride, particularly its manifestation in the character of Mr. Darcy. 
While Mr. Darcy and Miss Elizabeth Bennet both display pride and prejudice, in the first volume of the novel Elizabeth is far more prejudiced than Darcy seems to be. 
While there are several examples of Elizabeth's prejudice there is one key example of being blinded by her prejudice. Her inability to listen to what Miss Caroline Bingley, Mr Bingley (indirectly through Jane), and Jane had to say about how trustworthy Wickham really is. 
She goes to such lengths as to hold Wickham's word so close to truth, that not only did she dislike Darcy because of it, but disliked Mr. Bingley by association (89).
I admire how delicately Austen set up the situation. The reader is set up to trust Wickham and despise Darcy. However, once the reader knows the conclusions there are hints even in these early encounter's that point to Wickham's true character. 
Elizabeth is prejudiced throughout the novel. Prejudiced against Darcy's pride, Darcy's wealth, and Darcy's quiet demeanour. All of these prejudices lead Elizabeth to be blind to the flaws of others, and even the flaw of her own prejudice. 

A Prideful Disgrace

Taking a look at a passage in the first six chapters of Pride and Prejudice: what does Austen seem to be saying about pride? Is it a negative or a positive attribute? Or is it neither?

            Throughout Pride and Prejudice Austen uses the attribute of pride as both a positive and negative trait. Austen explores the manifestation of pride in the character of Mr. Darcy. In the time of Austen it took dedication, luck, and family name to achieve wealth and status. Often this dedication requires a strict demeanor. The achievement of Darcy is a positive attribute of his pride that is seen by the “understanding [that] Darcy [i]s the superior” to Bingley (Pride and Prejudice 18). While his cleverness and looks are appealing “his manners, though well bred, [a]re not inviting” (Pride and Prejudice 18). The combination of his superiority combined with his coldness created a duality of character within Darcy’s pride. In Austen’s time in the entirety of society, and particularly in upper class circles, manners were extremely important. At a dance like the one presented in the early chapters of Pride and Prejudice women were to be courted and asked to dance by wealthy, attractive, kind men. Darcy’s dislike of dancing led him to be considered as “a most disagreeable, horrid man, not at all worth pleasing” (Pride and Prejudice 15). Dances are meant for courting, for being approached and wanted, Darcy’s pride makes him an outsider to these events. While his pride led him to be someone to be courted, it also inhibited him from participating to a full extent. The duality of pride is important throughout the book; the positive and negative attributes are what make Darcy a dynamic character. Austen uses pride as a benefit and a deduction from the harmony of society.

uh oh.. Othello

Shakespeare tragedies are infamous for being judged based on the body count at the end of the play. While Othello doesn't quite have the body count of Hamlet. The loaded wedding bed is still  morbidly impressive. 
Othello as a shakespearean tragedy is interesting because Othello is one of the few heroes who is not royalty. Othello was an outsider who earned his fame through hard work. I appreciate Othello as an impressive literary accomplishment because of the number of future literary stereotypes it introduced. From Greek heroes to modern heroes there have been reoccurring themes, but Shakespeare highlighted those which have become most powerful in modern culture. From race, to being an outsider, to love triangles, to jealousy, to infidelity Othello hit it all. Shakespeare pulled out all the stops which made each death in the final scene all the more powerful. While the body count wasn't as high as Hamlet, the power behind each death was ten fold what it was in Hamlet.
I find Othello as an enticing shakespearean read because the issues presented in the elizabethan play are still prevalent in modern society.

what has been missed and what will be missed

John Milton was a fascinating poet who went blind.

After Milton went blind he wrote a poem called "When I Consider How My Light Is Spent." During the Renaissance god was an important figure, particularly in government. Milton was both a religious man and a civil servant to Oliver Cromwell, however, after he went blind he questioned his faith and gods reasoning. 

I was surprised at how openly Milton questioned god. Losing his sight had to have been traumatic, however, he did not let it get in his way of having an incredibly successful career. Had Milton accepted going blind as god's will, would he have been as successful?

The Failure of Society

"Everyman" portrays generalisations of traits that still exist in the modern world. A successful allegory about the failures of morality, the character Everyman is an obnoxious whiny character who is so bigheaded he can't see past his own misfortune. Whether the anonymous author was trying to accomplish a character this obnoxious isn't wholly relevant, regardless of his intentions he did.

To strip down what each character was saying could potentially equate to a teenage boy being drafted to war. A whiny man who feels the world is out to get him and is setting him up to fail. Of course the safest way to fail is to do it with friends, because really, if someone else fails too its not your fault right?

Wrong.

This play could find success today among crowds of people who need reassurance that they aren't the only ones who feel the world spites them. However, it would be horribly ridiculed by several religious groups. To open up a play that will have several references to Jesus Christ, Mary, and other Saints with a portrayal of God as weak and whiny is not the strongest plan. Right on page one God is quoted explaining all the wondrous deeds he performed. From "heal[ing] their feet" to "shedding of [his own] blood" (1) God felt as if he succeeded and it was his angels and the people that were unkind and blind.

Everyman was a character that could have portrayed the grouping together of the general population, unfortunately, complaints are heard louder than compliments. A fair 98% of what Everyman says is a complaint or excuse. From a cramped toe (11) to his 'friends' forsaking him, Everyman is challenged with his insolent personality affecting his relations with others.

"Everyman" reminded me of a poorly written Inferno with less inspiring character development. The protagonist of a story can be as hated as Dante and Everyman or as loved as Harry Potter but it is not often that we see a hero as weak as Everyman.

True heroes stay strong in the darkest of times. What is Everyman's excuse? Better yet, what is societies excuse?

The Source of Evil

The Wife of Bath's tale is a satirical portrayal on the importance of women. Chaucer uses a young knight to embody the goals, ambitions, and desires. Similarly to most young men, especially those with power, he sought a young beautiful woman. However, because of his indiscretions the knight found himself on a quest to discover the true desire of a woman. Along this quest the knight spoke to many young women and none could agree on an answer, eventually he stumbles upon an old woman who would tell the knight the answer he sought, as long as he would marry her. 

After much debate and deliberation the knight marries the old woman. The woman is important because she has a different perspective than most Medieval heroes. She even goes as far as to change the story of King Midas from Greek Mythology to paint women in a negative light. 

Women in medieval times were valued for their beauty above all else. Chaucer sent a knight who raped a beautiful maid out on a quest to talk to other young women. Eventually the knight stumbled upon an old hag who helped him. In return, the old woman demanded for the knights hand in marriage. The knight begrudgingly kept his word and married the hag, but did not want to consulate the marriage. He believed that she was old and ugly and poor so could never truly please him. Once she explains herself he is willing to settle for her, and in return for his commitment she becomes "young and lovely, [and] rich in charms" (292). Once she was young and beautiful she could "give him pleasure" (292). 

This is disgustingly sexist. It sets the stage for a woman only being able to satisfy a man if she meets his preference, in the case of this young knight it is possible since he seems to be a preferential rapist, but once he gave into her ugliness she rewarded him with beauty. Medieval women were formed to spend their time beautifying themselves, to please and to be loyal to their husbands. The wife of bath partially challenges this by demanding his respect and to dominate rather than be dominated. But ultimately she did succumb to the mans desires.

Mystical Aphorisms of the Fortune Cookie

Chaucer wrote his tales of the pilgrimage a thousand years ago. 
Even in the prologue the reader can identify when Chaucer is building a character up and when he is going to use comedy to tear it down. Justice Antonin Scalia approaches his opinions in a similar way. Scalia uses comedic or satirical phrases to ridicule an argument. However, similarly Chaucer would say something almost nice and then end the line with a tongue and cheek comeback. This is displayed in the prologue when Chaucer compares the knight to his son, the squire. When Chaucer makes subtle comments about the knights horses but also his dirty clothes, or the squires pressed hair, he brings subtle digs at sexuality and wealth without being overly offensive. 
Chaucer set the precedent for a justifiably nice sentence, with maybe two words that seem nice but their tone changes the meaning being deemed okay. Scalia follows this guideline in his opinions, he will write a seemingly nice or well composed paragraph with a random line that edges on randomly inappropriate, but as a whole brings a comedic aspect to the long article. 

Confident or Cocky

The ultimate hero indisputable in my mind was Harry Potter. Leader of the golden trio, the chosen one, a bad ass who defeats every monster in his path, and still humble. Harry has no clue what goes on in his world, the wizarding or the muggle world, and he just goes along with whatever happens.
A much as I would like to give J.K. Rowling all the credit for this beautiful creation, I can't. So many of the topics or characters that she bestowed in the magical series stemmed from Beowulf.
So much of Beowulf is about lineage, and although in Harry Potter Hermione is awesome and a muggle born, that plays an important role. Harry will always look just like James but with Lily's eyes, and Beowulf just can't seem to start speaking without being proclaimed "Ecgtheow's son." (Like seriously what's up with that you slayed a freaking dragon, and two other unbeatable beasts and you still have to live in you father's shadow?)
Another important part of Beowulf is his wyrd or his fate, in almost a predestined way the world has created what it wants for Beowulf. For Harry Potter there is a mystical orb that proclaims that he must be willing to die, for Beowulf his sword "failed when he unsheathed it."Each hero has to deal with what comes his way and both are given a death sentencing challenge.
De ja vu hmm it seems like I have read to this fight before? Both heroes fight pretty much the same battle. Several times. Thank you mysterious author for teaching modern authors that you don't have to come up with new innovative ideas to have a best seller.
For every similarity between the two books (and there are many many more) there is one major difference. Harry Potter is confident, but faces challenges that humble him. HP would not have survived book one had it not been for his two friends and hell of a lot of luck. He has to acknowledge his limitations and be willing to ask for help in order to succeed. Beowulf is not as likeable. His fatal flaw is hubris, and there is no escaping his encompassing skill in his opinion.

Remember to ask for help and not act like a pompous jerk. That is not a way to make friends, unless of course you don't care, in which case continue on your merry way.

A Quest of Epic Proportions

"Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" sounds mythical, doesn't it? And mythical it was. Simon Armitage beautifully translated Gawain's heroic tale into an enchanting read with a twist you won't expect. Magic is practically written into the title with the mention of a green knight, and the plot does not disappoint. If you decide to pick this up for a light read, don't expect to put it down until you are done.
This is the first post for the English IV British Literature course that I enrolled in as one of my English courses for my senior year. What better book to start it off with than one that screams Britain? A story about a knight? Check. Something mythical and vaguely magical? Check. A jaw-dropping plot twist? Triple check. To me those are three criteria that seem very stereotypically British.
The summer before I started this English IV course I was asked to read two books; "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" and "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime". For this blog we were asked to pick between "the two texts [we] read this summer, [and] which did [we] like and why?"
I picked "Sir Gawain" because I thought it captured the magical essence of good storytelling and left me "buzzed with thoughts" and ideas (Armitage 27).
I read Gawain's tale while I was on vacation,  relaxed, happy and carefree. But my mind was not quiet, Gawain proved he was a hero but challenged my definition of a hero. Each time Gawain performed a heroic deed there were also the underlying themes of failure, disappointment, and mistakes. Yet I still read on, believing that Gawain was a hero.
I strongly believe a hero should be honourable and brave. But I also believe a hero should be human, and no human is perfect. Unless of course you are Harry Potter, in which case your imperfections make you more perfect.
                                      
Harry Potter bias aside, I genuinely found that Harry Potter and Gawain had certain similarities that emphasised their heroism. Both delve into treacherous situations without flinching, even if they don't have "the faintest idea" about what they are getting themselves into (91). Both are proud, honest, and true to their word.
As important as true bravery was to the characters' stories, their bravery was even more admirable when they "feigned a fearless state" (171). Gawain thought he was going to die, and he was terrified, but to be true to his word Gawain pretended that this was an everyday occurrence so he would die honourably. That shows true heroism, putting aside your own feelings for the greater good.
Gawain's story was captivating, with great plot twists, and with imaginative language.  While I was reading it while lounging in the sun I felt like I was with Gawain "sitting high in the saddle" riding through the English countryside (35).

A New Year

So if you have been following this blog for a while you will notice a lack of posts from the last two years. Long story short, life got busy but nothing felt worthwhile to post.
This year I joined a new English class that asks for weekly blogposts. Thanks to this little push from my teacher I am back in blogging action. My english class this year focuses on British Literature, although I am sure the topics will be modern and interesting. Stay Tuned!