English Literature 1

Chiara Battisti – English literature 2015/2016

Basic elements of the novel (romanzo)

Plot

• Characters and their development
• Writing style
• Length
• Fictionality
• Hayden White (theorist) [1979 Metahistory, function between history and narration]

Fictionality is one of the means of distinction between history and novel. For the historian, details must be invented to enrich the texts. For the novelist, especially in the Victorian novel, he could describe, with details, social, political, legal realities of a period or of a place (it could be considered a proper description of the reality).

Until the beginning of the 20^th century, there was a difference between history (considered as objective science) and literary texts (considered as fictional text), they were different ‘cos of the fiction. History as objective fact is questioned; the center of the thought of the 20^th century is in "Metahistory" of White (1979).

H. White reflects on the functionality, he thinks that history is a narration; there are historical data + a narrative structure. The narrator chooses what to underline and what to eliminate.

Our point of reference is the Victorian novel which was easier to be read and to be understood by people, the plot was more interesting than others of the period, the main characters were the same people who read the novel (deeply involved), the writer and his readers share the same values ‘cos they belong to the same middle class. There is a precise time, setting: cities in evolution.

The time of the romance was "once upon a time", setting: castles, magical places.

The French lieutenant’s woman by Fowls

1979 (postmodern)

Fowls’ postmodern Victorian literature knowledge. He follows many conventions of that period, but he criticizes them too. The novel is set in the middle century. There are three main characters:

• Sara, the woman of the title, the F L wore. Setting: coast town Lyme Regis. She is considered a disgraced woman ‘cos she was abandoned by a French officer, he was married and she didn’t know it, they had an affair and he returned to France
• Charles, the gentleman
• Ernestina, Charles’ fiancée, the perfect Victorian woman, beautiful, superficial, naive

Charles is fascinated by the story of Sara and he tries to keep in touch with her.

Conventional Victorian narration then chapter 13 is a metafictional chapter.

Metafiction

Metafiction (and here metanovel): we use these terms to underline the moment in which the novel reflects in its construction, (reflections on the role of the author, reader) we are talking about a narration that stops; there are not details, only reflections on the method of writing. [Una sospensione della narrazione tradizionale per una riflessione sull’atto dello scrivere; il testo postmoderno usa di più questa tecnica (che cos’è la scrittura, qual è il ruolo dell’autore, del lettore), perché ne è conscio, ne è presente una teorizzazione ≠ Shakespeare (Amleto dà agli attori le indicazioni di come devono recitare)]

Text analysis

Epigraph -> literary device placed at the beginning, e.g. it can be a summary; in this case, Fowls uses it to deeply the meaning and reinforce the interpretation of the passage which the epigraph refers to. Here the epigraph is a reference to the monologue by Tennyson (?). The epigraph introduces the temporal setting of the novel (Victorian period) and of the passage. There is also a key to understand the text (it is impossible to know the intention of the God, so the author, ‘cos these intentions are hidden by a veil), the function of Fowls/the reader is to highlight the literary constructions present in the novel, in order to leave the veil and to make the artificiality of the novel explicit [slide 2, in ogni cap. di the FLW c’è un’epigrafe diversa, in questo caso per sollevare il velo che copre le intenzioni di Dio, bisogna essere consci degli artifici letterari che stanno alla base del romanzo stesso. Fowls dà strumenti che permettono di guardare con occhio più critico il romanzo postmoderno e che permettono inoltre di guardare in maniera diversa il romanzo vittoriano].

R. Barthes

R. Barthes (critic of the 20^th Century) is mentioned in chapter 13 of the FLW. Fowls said "it is only a game" (the novel), an interaction between the author and reader. Barthes says that reading is pleasure. For Barthes, the reader is involved in a dance of language, each act of reading is a game.

It is mentioned also a novelist here, Grillet (novelist of the 20^th Century). Barthes goes from structuralism to poststructuralism. Structuralism is the way of seeing the poem as a close entity, the critic decipher the main meaning of the poem. Poststructuralism says that the novel has plural meanings, so there is not a final one.

Gioco=piacere -> collegamento Barthes; per il lettore piacere è la danza del linguaggio, sprazzi di significato (poststrutt.) Fowls cita Barthes e Grillet, importanti per la loro traiettoria evolutiva perché passano dal modernismo al postmodernismo (campo letterario) e dal strutturalismo al poststrutturalismo (campo critico).

*Strutturalismo: il romanzo e il poema sono entità chiuse con significato preciso e dove il critico deve trovare quello nascosto. Poststrutturalismo: infiniti significati e il critico ne mette in luce uno, ma non è quello giusto ed unico.

Emphasis on the role of the author

During the Victorian period the author is compared to God (analogy) Fowls author stands next to God (he’s second). F. says that the idea of God has changed, not the idea of the author. Since we have this new perception of God, also that of the author has changed. F. uses the grand narrative of Religion, in analyzing the function of the author.

[L’autore ad inizio capitolo è evocato come Dio (period vittoriano), ma F. usa poi stand next to -> consapevolezza. Mette inoltre sempre in discussione le metanarrazioni, anche nel brano, ora ne usa una per distruggerle]

Literary theory

It is a new way to study English literature. In the past the idea of teaching English -> people need to be civilized, it is used as a tool to provide values to uncivilized people. F. Raymond/T.S. Eliot try to offer answers and certainties ≠ postmodernists (contemporary critics) who shows the diversity.

Understanding literature is not a natural process, we use tools to find meanings in texts. No interpretation is neutral ‘cos when you interpret a novel, it is full of presuppositions and expectations. [teoria letteraria: prima il testo letterario trasmette valore e certezze, civilizza le persone. Interpretation: capire un testo non è un processo naturale, quando leggiamo ci focalizziamo su alcune idee e ne scartiamo altre. Nessuna interpretazione è oggettiva; ci si basa su elementi innati in noi che mi fanno leggere un testo in un determinato modo.

Traditional approach (Leavis method)

[C’è la necessità di un canone (insieme di opere migliori mai scritte). "Civilizing" è connesso a forzare persone in uno schema di idee definito Englishness.]

• The reader must demonstrate sensibility and a natural reaction to the text -> this is impossible ‘cos we use tools to understand it.
• Practical criticism is an objective, almost scientific way to read literature.
• Canon of literary works, but judgment a world can’t be neutral (?)
• Intrinsic artistic worth of a literary text, but it is impossible to judge a worth…’cos we’re influenced by…

[Se tutti fossero stati uguali e avessero condiviso lo stesso sistema di valori allora sarebbe esistito un solo modo di leggere• Un’opera deve essere letta in modo oggettivo, ma ciò è impossibile;• Il lettore deve dimostrare sensibilità di fronte al testo, ma non esiste altrimenti non sarebbe insegnata letteratura. La sensibilità è condizionata da schemi mentali.• Il practical criticism vorrebbe un obj. Reading di un testo, ma come abbiamo già detto non è possibile.• L’ipotesi del canone: esistono opere che si devono leggere e ammirare.• Leggere per il valore intrinseco del testo letterario, ma chi è giudice di questo valore?]

Literary theory

Literary theory= ideas and methods that we use in the practical reading of literature.-This approach formulates the relationship between author and work.- it develops the significance of race, class, and gender for literary study.-literary theory offers different approaches for understanding the role of historical context in interpretation as well as the importance of linguistic and unconscious elements of the text.

Signifier and Signified

Signifier= significante

Signified= significato

Literary criticism

New approaches try to create new ways to read a text. Literary criticism offers huge possibility of approaches. [la teoria letteraria è utile perché spesso non si utilizza nemmeno un metodo, non c’è un unico approccio al testo letterario. L’approccio emerge attraverso domande poste al testo stesso (cosa succede in questo punto della trama, come sono usati gli artifici letterari). A seconda della domanda ci si focalizza su aspetti diversi. Le domande della teoria letteraria sono diverse ad esempio possono riguardare gli abiti, ecc.]

E.g. approaches: Shrek vs Cinderella

Approccio=femminismo

• Shrek: protagonista non è una principessa– principe nano, non charming e che non salva
• Cinderella: eroina principessa

Approccio= culturale

• Shrek: Fiona bella di giorno e brutta di notte
• Cinderella: bella

Barbara Bellman (?) and Lucy Webster outline 6 steps in this process.

• Own initial response to the text
• Listen to the responses of friends/other people
• Soundbites ‘bout text (short ideas that illuminates the text/context)
• Read essays and reviews of the text to find different approaches
• Try to understand the critical positions of the text (you can pretend to be in a feminist/postcolonialism e.g. critic)
• Set of ideas become part of your literary critical tool kit.

Victorian Age (1837-1901)

Reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901)

Keywords: progress – expansion – mobility

They evoke a preoccupation of the society. Huge increase of population  Evolution of industrial society  Towns/cities  [aumento alfabetizzazione, cultura della stampa, biblioteche circolanti, nascita di un pubblico di lettori di massa]

Technology development (so expansion of travel communications)  New lands explored  [connotazione positive di progresso + ansia rivelata dal testo letterario, ben rappresentata da metafore centrali di rabbia, contagio in Dickens, disturbi che si diffondono nella società]

Matthew Arnold//"The dialogue of the mind with itself"; we have this preoccupation present; in itself and in the society. E.g. Christmas carol, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (the double, the inner reality, anticipation of Freud psychoanalysis), Dracula (by the Marxist pov; the vampire stands for the preoccupation of the English society)

[interpretazione marxista di Dracula; è un aristocratico e vi è la paura dell’alterità (di chi non è inglese), pretende di essere umano e di aderire al sistema legale umano.]

Science- technology – innovation

The Victorian period is characterized by scientific activity. Cheaper access to printed materials and science -> the government supports science studies and there is a relationship between industries and the sciences + greater literary rates-> Darwin//"on the origin of the species" (1859); idea of natural selection and natural survival of the fittest. He’s also connected to literature (19^th century), ‘cos some writers adopted his ideas.

E.g. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Dickens, Great Expectations: they point out a strong Darwinian influence. [Darwinismo di Dickens, manca il credo nell’ereditarietà, presente nei romanzi precedenti] O. Twist, he inherits middle class from parents [eredita virtù che lo rendono immune dagli effetti negativi della banda dei ladruncoli].

Distopie del 20° secolo

Debate between two cultures, Snow and Leavis. The anticipation of this was the debate between Huxley and Arnold. (Snow-Huxley + Leavis+Arnold).

[Darwinismo sociale -> la società è un organismo, sopravvive il più forte, anche economicamente, chi è più debole vedrà decrescere il potere]

Chiara Battisti – Letteratura inglese 2015/2016

Thanks to the developing of railway lines, there is an optimization of the circulation system (fast movement). -Schivelbusch work’s (writer); he analyses the positive and negative of the fast transformation and how the railway change the perception of reality. He highlights that people on the train are able to see only what is in front of their window in a brief amount of time. It is not so simple, like it was in the past, to distinguish things.

[C’è un forte effetto sulla percezione della realtà, non è più facile percepire oggetti del mondo esterno a causa della velocità del mezzo (train speed), percepiamo la realtà di fronte a noi e per un breve periodo di tempo]

The invention of railway corresponds to a new way of perceiving reality.

• The modernity has changed human perception
• The perception of reality that you have from the windows on the train can be compared to the perception of reality created by the montage of a film (that means, different images are placed one after another).

The perception on the train is called panoramic vision or panoramic perception: passengers are not able to distinguish objects. The travelers see the objects through the apparatus. Therefore, in the 19^th Century, there is an anticipation of the cinematograph, we talk about pre-cinema, "romanzieri" develop a vision that admits the conception of cinema. This vision depends on the new perception of the reality.

-Eyenstein (director and critic), "Dickens, Griffith and the Film today", in his essay emphasizes the link between several chapters of O. Twist and cinematic technique, in particular the technique of parallel intercutting (montaggio parallelo), according to Eyenstein Dickens anticipates parallel intercutting. (Parallel intercutting: in a film you have two or more scenes, they are happening at the same time, and they’re intercutting (intervallate) Dickens anticipates "parallel intercutting" (scene parallele intervallate) to create suspense, so the reader is going’ to buy the new book and he’s going to continue reading.

Imperialism Colonialism

It involves the claiming and exploiting of territories (To reformate) it involves the transformation of the outside of one national boundary for different social structure, government, culture, and economy reason. [Volontà di trasporre le strutture britanniche in unE.g. Great Britain want to increase his importations altro paese] and holding, but it also want to obtain materials and create a market for the goods. [Pretendere territori non nazionali e sfruttarli; non implica la volontà di riformare I vari sistemi] *il colonialismo non implica la presenza dell’imperialismo, e viceversa*

E.g.I. India was a colony, controlled by India Company and GB. II. Africa was a colony and there was a missionary activity too. GB justifies the imperialism and colonialism with a missionary activity; this was based on the moral, racial, superiority of GB. III. Est Europe was considered less involved than West Europe, so they could not govern themselves.

Consequences of colonialism

The first is the creation of a post-colonial approach or theory. Some schools in order to understand the reality and the consequences of colonialism, started to analyze the difference between colonizers and colonized. Here there are some authors connected to the studies.

Post colonialism is an academic discipline, which started from postmodern schools of thought, it analyses the politics of knowledge (creation, control, distribution of knowledge, with focus on the functional relations of the social/political power that are at the bases of colonialism and neocolonialism [il postcolonialismo si focalizza sulle politiche del sapere, con un focus sulle relazioni funzionali di potere sociale e politico che stanno alla base del colonialism, analizza il come e il perché della rappresentazione imperialistica del colonizzatore e del colonizzato].

When we talk ‘bout colonialism, we must remember critics e.g.:

• Orientalism (text of 1978) by Edward Said, it is a foundational text of this movement, according to Said, the connotations of the term orientalism are expanded in order to describe what Faid calls the false culturaly sunption ? of the Western word – > western word created cultural mis-representation of the Orient (in particular Middle East) which established the East as opposed to the West. West e.g. is active and east is passive, West is rational and East irrational, so unable to take decisions, ‘cos it is more connected to feelings.

Orientalism= false cultural construction created by the western world, which facilitated the cultural misrepresentation of the Orient in general and Middle East in particular (Said focused on this). [Orientalism: testo del movimento postcolonialista, indica una falsa rappresentazione culturale del mondo orientale (Il medio oriente nel caso dell’autore Faid). Oriente (passivo) è opposto all’Occidente (attivo)]

• Black Skin, White Masks by Fanon is about the psychopathology of colonization, he explains the feeling to not be adequate in a particular world that black people experienced in a white world, so the necessity to wear a white mask (for black people) to look different. ‘Cos they look less important than the colonizers. Therefore, Fanon says that it is stupid to hide your origin and your culture, it is important to wear a black mask if you are black.