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4/12 in-class assignment
Individually:
- In 1-2 sentences, identify a theme, scene, setting, or character that particularly interests you, and explain why.
- What words are phrases are associated with the element you identified? That is, how is it described? Write down about 5 examples.
- Analyze what you found. What additional meaning is conveyed by these particular words or phrases?
As a group:
- Discuss your individual work. What broad themes emerge?
- Are these themes transferable to the modern era?
- How might an author or artist convey meaning about these themes today? You can think in terms of descriptive writing, but you are also encouraged to think across media: how might you use visual, auditory, sculptural, or conceptual elements to convey your interpretation of these themes today?
“On Ghosts” by Mary Shelley
Mary Shelley has always been influenced by great stories depicting ghosts and the supernatural. Her great work “Frankenstein” was written under a rather extraordinary situation, she wrote it after accepting a dare which was to see who could write the best horror story in her group of friends. We all know the horror aspects that “Frankenstein” has are great, but without taking any authenticity from them, we have to acknowledge the fact that they were all influenced by horror stories, more specifically a collection of German horror stories under the title “Fantasmagoriana”. Mary Shelley references 2 stories from the “Fantasmagoriana” the first is called “The History of The Inconstant Lover” and the second was “The Tale of The Single founder of his Race”. If that does not facilitate that horror stories influenced Mary Shelley than her own essay titled “On Ghost” should do it.
The essay “On Ghost” was printed in the London Magazine in March of 1824. In this essay, Mary Shelley laments with a great feeling of melancholy the lack of mystery, wonder, and supernatural in modern literature and culture. She explains how the strange tails believed and feared by past generations are no longer seen to be part of reality or have an effect during this wiser age.
“What has become of enchantresses with their palaces of crystal and dungeons of palpable darkness? What of fairies and their wands? What of witches and their familiars? and, last, what of ghosts, with beckoning hands and fleeting shapes, which quelled the soldier’s brave heart, and made the murderer disclose to the astonished noon the veiled work of Midnight?”
Mary then goes on to question whether modern human society has really stopped believing in ghost and the supernatural entirely. With that in her mind, she explains the notion that it is easy to dismiss the possibility of the supernatural in the light of noon-day; but a midnight everything seems to change, when we find ourselves inside a lonely house with flapping curtains, eerie hallways, cold night wind blowing, reading the Bleeding nun, we’re not so certain and fear begins to overwhelm us. While Mary explains that she has never seen a real ghost herself, she relates the tales of Thomas Jefferson Hogg, who claimed to have seen the lost ghost of a recently-deceased friend, and Angelo Mengaldo, who saw the headless ghost of a war comrade who had killed himself after falling in love with a woman who did not return his passion.
These tales may come across as rather far-fetched, but both men are presented as being reliable and of sound mind; Hogg is described as a person of ‘strong and virile intellect’, and Mengaldo is said to be ‘by no means addicted to superstition’. During this time Mary Shelley also plays with the idea that the nature of the supernatural meaning the good and evil depends on the circumstances of the individuals death, we see how Hogg’s friend came back to visit him while he slept and caressed his cheek and as soon a Hogg moved out of the house, the ghost of his friend stopped appearing. While on the other hand, Mangaldo’s experience is far more sinister, perhaps due to the fact that his companion died by suicide, he committed a sin and now his soul is distorted. The essay closes with a final account that Mary describes as not so authentic but none the less amusing. The story, Mary explains, was told by M. G. Lewis, the famous author of The Monk. It is certainly a strange supernatural tale, but is it true? I’ll leave you to make up your own mind.
Discussion Questions
- Why has our society moved away from stories regarding the supernatural?
- What do you think made Mary Shelley fascinate about horror stories?
- What aspects of the supernatural do you see in Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein”?
- What’s your opinion on ghosts?
Jekyll, Hyde and Duality
Chapter 6 or “Remarkable Incident of Dr. Lanyon” begins with aa description of how Dr. Jekyll has changed back for the better after the disappearance of Mr. Hyde. He has started to be more social and positive, entertaining and working more in charity. But then suddenly Jekyll starts refusing to take visitors. Utterson knows that Lanyon has seen Jekyll so decides to talk to him, only to find that Lanyon is in terrible condition. He explains he’s had “ a shock” and he expects to die soon. He also shows a great distain for Jekyll. He explains that after his death all will be explained. Utterson then exchanges letters with Jekyll but this doesn’t shed anymore light on the matter. Jekyll explains that he understands Lanyon’s views and still refuses visits. Soon later Lanyon dies and Utterson picks up an envelope marked for him to open at Lanyon’s death; only to find another envelope marked to be opened at Jekyll’s death. Utterson honors the marking of the letter.
“Incident at the Window” begins with Utterson and Enfield taking their walk discussing the door, Hyde, and Jekyll. After discussing concern for his health, they see Jekyll at his window. They ask him to join their walk but he refuses politely, though they suggest it would be good for him. They decide to continue talking when suddenly a look of horror appears on Jekyll’s face and he slams the window, vanishing. This encounter shocks both men.
In “The Last Night” Poole come to Utterson concerned for the well being of Jekyll. When reach the house the voice coming from the lab is not Jekyll’s. The voice refuses to receive visitors and Poole explains that he keeps getting sent on errands by this person, for an ingredient that no one has. Poole reveals that the man inside is Mr. Hyde. With this new knowledge Utterson decides to break into the lab. Utterson demands to be let in but the voice, which Utterson knows to be Hyde’s, refuses. They break down the door and find Hyde on the floor seemingly poisoned. Hyde is clearly wearing a suit of Jekyll’s but there is no sign of him or his body. They then find an envelope addressed to Utterson containing a will leaving everything to him, a note telling him to read Lanyon’s letter, and a sealed envelope. Utterson then leaves to read Lanyon’s letter.
The chapter “Dr. Lanyon’s Narrative” shows the events as they transpired according to Lanyon through a letter to Utterson. The story begins with Lanyon receiving a letter from Jekyll after his dinner party. The letter asked him to break in to Jekyll’s lab and steal a specific drawer, take it home and wait. It said that if he did this all would be explained. He did as asked with the help of Poole and a locksmith taking vials with red liquid, salt, and a book of notes. He waited at home and at the stroke of midnight Hyde showed up exchanging no pleasantries and asking to be directly shown to the drawer. Hyde mixed the ingredients and before drinking to offered Lanyon to not see what would happen next. After he drank it Lanyon watched Hyde transform back in to Dr. Jekyll. The letter then explains that this wrecked all that Lanyon had understood to be true and would lead to his death.
The final chapter is the tale told from the perspective of Dr. Jekyll through the letter he leaves for Utterson. In his letter he explains that he has always felt that there were two sides to him and he always felt guilt for the darker one he hid from the world. He explains that in creation the potion he risked his life by taking it a first but after the transformation his darker impulses took hold. At first he welcomed the new him in which he was able to release his repressed impulses without guilt. This was fine until he transformed without taking the potion. This scared him into stopping the transformation for two months, until he gave in to his desire and drank the potion again. Hyde having been repressed for so long lashed out and murdered Carew, with no remorse. This made him vow to never transform again. This was fine until Hyde took over again; knowing the police would stop him if he went home had Lanyon get his potions. He was growing weaker as Hyde grew stronger, having to take double potion to hold him back. Not being able to recreate the potion and facing certain death, Hyde decided to poison them both and end it.
Anne Stiles compares Jekyll and Hyde to the “Dual-Brain Theory”, which states that the left side of the brain relates to intelligence, linguistic, and logical thinking; while the right is more emotional, inferior, and prone to wrongdoing. This theory is problematic at its base as it states that the left side is more predominantly used by white intellectual males, while the right is for the feminine and animal. Putting aside its racist and sexist connotations, it does have a strong connection to the literature. Through this lens, you see Dr. Jekyll as the clear left brain and Mr. Hyde as the clear right, even giving Hyde animal like characteristics.
Diving further into their characteristics making them both great examples of this theory. On the side of the left brain you have Jekyll, a well-mannered, well liked, intellectual. But this potion seems to switch the function of his brain to the lesser used right side. This leaves you with Hyde, an unpleasant man, who is disliked by everyone who meets him. Hyde also connects the criminal aspect of this theory by literally committing assault and murder. As the right side is used more it grows while the other shrinks.
Though this connection clearly holds up, I always thought of it a little differently. I always thought of both sides as one cohesive person, and what makes us who we are is what we choose to listen to and/or repress. It was also my understanding that the potion was a metaphor for drugs or alcohol. The way it inhibits our normal behavior and can wildly change someone who is known to be a stand-up person. The thoughts have always been there but the filter or decision making holding them back is gone.
A connection I definitely did see was to Samuel Taylor Coeridge’s “Christabel”. How you see this kind person and everything is not quite what it seems. You never quite know what is happening in someone’s head or what they’re capable of. Such as Geraldine has a façade and turns out to have malicious intent.
Discussion Questions:
1) If anything what do you think the distinction between Jekyll and Hyde symbolizes?
2) Do you think all people have a good and evil side?
3) Would the potion have the same effect on all people?
Robert Louis Stevenson,”The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Ch 1-5
A wealthy lawyer, Mr. Utterson is a very boring man, who is very close with his relative, Mr. Enfield. One day, on their usual Sunday stroll, Enfield walks pass a building and recalls a incident that happened late night as he was walking past the neighborhood. He recalls that a very despised man was crashed into a young girl and tried to run away, but Enfield grabbed him by his collar and took him back to the angry crowd. They wanted to kill him, but he offers a big check to them. As Enfield saw the name on the check, he let him go and went on with his night. When, Enfield reveals the name of the accused’s name, Hyde to Utterson, he is taken into utter shock. After he came back from his walk, Utterson studies the will that he drew up for his client/friend, Dr. Jekyll. It states that if Jekyll goes missing or dies, all of his property will be given to Edward Hyde. Utterson feels that Hyde is probably holding something over his friend, after hearing about his behavior. At night, he is tormented with nightmares of a faceless man running after a small kid and he is standing besides Jekyll’s bed, giving him orders. Soon after, Utterson walks past the same neighborhood Enfield had described to him, hoping to cross paths with Hyde. When Hyde finally appears, Utterson introduces himself and as he gets a clear picture of his face, he is utterly taken back with his not so appealing features. He could not describe what was so ugly about him. Hyde tells him where he lives, and Utterson took this as a sign to Jekyll’s death. After paying visit to him, Utterson runs down to Jekyll’s house and realizes that Hyde’s building is connected to Jekyll’s townhouse. He runs into Jekyll’s butler, Poole, who reveals that every servant has to obey Hyde’s orders. A couple of weeks later, when Utterson is invited to Jekyll’s house, where he finally comes out clean about the will and says that he does not trust Hyde. However, Jekyll makes him promise to carry out the will if anything happens to him.
One year later, a maid sitting by window witness a murder across the street, by a man who she recognized as Mr. Hyde. She describes that he beat the man to death with a stick. Police finds a letter with Utterson’s address on the death body. Utterson takes the police to the place, where Hyde used to stay, where he ponders upon the fact that a man like him is heir of Jekyll’s property. As they look around, police find a burned check book and a murder weapon. They hope that Hyde will eventually withdraw some money and they will have to wait for that moment. Utterson visits Jekyll once again and Jekyll discloses that Hyde and him and are no longer friends. He then shows him a letter that Hyde wrote to him stating that he has hope to escape and he does not feel worthy of his Jekll’s fortunes. Utterson takes the letter with him, when one again he runs into Poole, who disclaims that no letter was ever delivered to Jekyll. Finally, Utterson consults with his clerk, Mr. Guest, a handwriting expert. He discloses that the writing on the letter matches with the writing of Jekyll’s.
The theme of Good vs. Evil quickly changes as we come to the end of chapter 5. From the beginning, we have seen Hyde as the Evil man, beating up a little girl, his ugly face symbolizing the darkness he possess and spreads around the entire London. However, we realize that Jekyll is forged a letter for a murder. Why is that? We always focus on the outer appearance of the person and be ignorant of how a person is from inside. The appearance is also another major part of the story.
We can compare this piece of literature with Frankenstein’s novel Monster, which also depicts the story of a horrified ugly looking monster. Dr. Frankenstein and Dr. Jekyll are scientists in their respective tales. They both consisted of an individual that they obsessed about and played an important part in the character. Frankenstein was passionate with “creature”, whereas Jekyll with Hyde. Both novels consisted of a laboratory that plays an important role in the literatures. Frankenstein creates a monster that he despises of, whereas Jekyll’s laboratory is connected with Hyde’s building, who also has the keys. Both tales pick children as their first victims, who is murdered by their obsessions. Most importantly, they are both isolated from the society.
Discussion questions
- what kind of a relationship does Hyde and Dr. Jekyll?
- Why is this literature focusing more on the appearance of the individuals?
- why is there a connection between Hyde’s building and Jekyll’s building?
Supernatural
Jonathan Fayzakov
English 151W
Professor Leila Walker
Glossary Entry
Supernatural and its Relation to Christabel
As defined by the Meriam Dictionary, the supernatural is defined as “that which exists, yet cannot be explained by the laws of nature (Supernatural).” The term pertains to an order of existence beyond the visible and observable universe. Often in works of literature, film, and art, the supernatural is depicted as god like. Examples often include qualities portrayed in spirits, ghosts, demons, angels, along with numerous others that are not identified as a common and known being. As opposed to naturalism or the idea that natural laws and forces govern the world, supernaturalism is the belief that the supernatural is interpreting or controlling the world. All religions include elements of the supernatural and it is believed by many that supernaturalism originated from religious concepts. In literature, the use of supernatural themes allows readers to vicariously envision the creative expression and imagination of authors. Throughout generations, supernaturalism has gained popularity across the world and has been incorporated into numerous works of literature (Dalby).
On work of literature that incorporates the idea of supernaturalism is “Christabel” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. In the poem, the character Geraldine plays as the supernatural being that takes over the castle. Throughout the poem there are numerous references towards Geraldine’s supernatural abilities. One of the most significant moments in the play that clearly suggest supernaturalism occurs when Geraldine and Christabel are in Christabel’s room. Geraldine takes Christabel in to her arms and mentions that the spell is working on her: ‘In the touch of this bosom there worketh a spell, Which is lord of thy utterance, Christabel! Thou knowest to-night, and wilt know to-morrow, This mark of my shame, this seal of my sorrow.” Christabel wakes up from the dreaming “trance” that following morning and we get a hint that the two ladies engaged in sexual activities. This portion of the poem portrays supernaturalism because through a certain spell, Geraldine was able to manipulate Christabel’s mind and body and was able to enforce what she desired. Later in the text we witness Christabel under the spell once more. When Christabel awakens she begs to send Geraldine away and in turn is yelled at for disrespecting Geraldine: “That thou this woman send away!’ She said: and more she could not say: For what she knew she could not tell, O’er-mastered by the mighty spell (Coleridge).” Despite controlling Christabel physically and mentally, Geraldine was able to take control over the actions of Christabel’s father, Sir Leoline. Geraldine’s character demonstrates how super naturalistic abilities lead to complete control over the castle. It is ambiguous as to what type of supernatural being Geraldine’s character classified as, but her role in the poem clearly demonstrated the supernatural.
Work Cited
Dalby, Daesha. “Literature and the Supernatural.” Teen Ink, www.teenink.com/nonfiction/academic/article/587126/Literature-and-the-Supernatural/.
Coleridge, Samuel Taylor. “Christabel by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43971/christabel.
“Supernatural.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/supernatural.
Blog redesign proposals
How does a website communicate information?
- organization by pages rather than by paragraphs
- reader/user can skip to the part of interest — which means that self-referentiality has to be integrated throughout
- should be easy to find your way through
- limited amount of space — information should be conveyed in a shorter format
- author as character (in case of blogs)
- thesis statement — title, homepage — gives purpose
- name of blog and URL can cause confusion if different
- “evidence” and “analysis” contained to each page/post
- could each blog post be evidence/analysis
- could comments be considered analysis?
- what is the purpose? thinking in terms of audience — is the audience the class? or a public?
- right now, it privileges student ability to find course information, rather than featuring student work
- can there be additional incentive to post/comment?
- more interactivity?
- homepage could feature student work
- or glossary on homepage
- can we make blog posts connect in some way? structure blog posts as debate — have a whole debate page?
- can there be a reminder part to the page?
Ecocriticism
Jonathan Fayzakov
English 151W
Professor Leila Walker
Glossary Entry
Ecocriticism and it’s Relation to Frankenstein
As defined by the Purdue online learning center, ecocriticism is “the study of the relationship between literature and the physical environment” (Brizee, Tompkins, Chernouski, Boyle, & William). It is the study of literature and the environment from an interdisciplinary point of view. This idea suggests that literature content is affected by the environment on earth during the period in which a certain text was composed. Starting from the romantic era, authors began to incorporate this literary element to promote “greening of humanities,” to address environmental crisis’s (Smith). Ecocriticism is frequently used as a “catchall;” it is used in media, film, philosophy, and history, however it primarily functions as a literary theory (Galdwin). Many authors, and particularly cultural scholars rely on this literary element to investigate certain global and/or ecological crisis’s. It is the authors methods of conveying a certain message regarding the environment and typically a need for change to better society. Authors often incorporate this element in a symbolic and an ambiguous manner and frequently rely on metaphors to convey their message and concern. Ecocritics also consider possible solutions for the improvement of modern-day ecological crisises, however not all ecocritics agree on the purpose and/or mythology of ecocriticism. Ecocriticism asks us, the readers, to examine ourselves and the world around us and to assess the way we interact with and perceive our environment and nature all together.
This theory of ecocriticism is seen in Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein.” Mary Shelley composed the book during the romantic era in the year of 1818. This period is regarded to as the period of climate change and a period where romantics were concerned with the polar ice. Siobhan Carroll’s “Crusades Against Frost: Frankenstein, Polar Ice, and Climate Change in 1818” demonstrates the climatic fears regarding polar ice experienced by romantic authors. Her article primarily emphasizes the poetic schemes incorporated by authors to reflect on the fear of polar ice (Carrol). During a certain conversation between the characters Walton and Victor, an allusion towards climate change is seen. Victor insists that the human race will ultimately overcome the empire of ice because it is regarded to as mutable: “This ice is not made of such stuff as your hearts may be; it is mutable and cannot withstand you if you say that it shall not (Shelley).” This quote is a clear depiction of ecocriticism because Mary Shelly is utilizing her text to convey a certain notion about the climate. We also witness ecocriticism being used through the rejection of the creature by society. Despite his horrendous appearance, the creatures character had the capability of being a good and kind character, however was neglected and abandoned by his creator, and society. This idea may have been used to convey Europeans rejection to embrace and render cosmopolitan responses to ecological crisis’s. Another area in the book that incorporated the idea of ecocriticism is seen during Victors attempt to find and kill the monster. The text indicated that the winter was cold, and food was scarce: “As I still pursued my journey to the northward, the snows thickened and the cold increased in a degree almost too severe to support. The peasants were shut up in their hovels, and only a few of the most hardy ventured forth to seize the animals whom starvation had forced from their hiding-places to seek for prey (text quote).” The sever conditions made the chase for the creature extremely difficult and resulted in the death of Victor. Victors death may have been used signify the rough climate conditions.
Work Cited
Brizee, Allen, et al. “Ecocriticism (1960-Present).” Purdue OWL: Literary Theory and Schools of Criticism, Aug. 2017, owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/722/13/.
Gladwin, Derek. “Obo.” Ecocriticism – Literary and Critical Theory – Oxford Bibliographies, 15 Feb. 2018, www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780190221911/obo-9780190221911-0014.xml.
Smith, Brady. “What Is Ecocriticism?” Department of English Language and Literature, 2015, english.uchicago.edu/courses/what-ecocriticism.
Carrol, Siobhan. Crusades Against Frost: Frankenstein, Polar Ice, and Climate Change in 1818. 20 Mar. 2013, www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10509585.2013.766402.
Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft. “Frankenstein;or, the Modern Prometheus.” The Project Gutenberg E-Text of Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft (Godwin) Shelley, www.gutenberg.org/files/84/84-h/84-h.htm.
Narrator
Juan Barrios
Professor Leila Walker
ENGL 151W
12, March 2018
Narrator (Glossary Entry 2)
According to Cambridge Dictionary, the definition for the word “narrator” is, “a person who tells a story, or a person who speaks during a film or television program not as an actor but to describe or discuss the pictures being shown” (1). We use narrators in readings, television shows. It is a popular form of Most of the time a narrator is used in literature. Authors use a narrator in their works of literature to create a different point of view from the characters. They are also able to talk or touch on moments in a way that characters are not able to.
For my supplementary reading i was asked to read “Young Romantics” by Daisy Hay. This text is a perfect example for the word “Narrator.” This is a piece of text from the book, “Six weeks after the beginning of his sentence, Hunt was ready to receive visitors. His friends made their way through the dirty South- wark streets and the prison’s dark corridors to find him settled in a riot of colour and comfort” (Hay 23). This piece of text exhibits narration. There is someone other than the character speaking through the dialogue. Here the narrator is explaining what Hunt is experiencing in the text. Sometimes in literary texts, we do not know who the narrator is or their gender. When the narrator states their name and we know the origin of them in a text, it is probably because the character is narrating their own story or a story of someone whom they know in the text. It is also the character who tells you what is happening in a book or film. Narration is mostly used in fiction stories, memoirs and elegies.
Works Cited
Hay, Daisy. Young Romantics: the Shelleys, Byron and Other Tangled Lives. Bloomsbury, 2010.
“Narrator | Definition of Narrator in English by The Cambridge Dictionary.” Cambridge Dictionaries | English, Cambridge Dictionaries, https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/narrator
