marie antoinette iz diz austrian princezz who haz a well bad lyf. her muvva woz lyk a propa cow and wonted 2 marri her off 2 sum total french minga (note: I don't have anything against French people) when she woz 14. hiz name woz louis xv whateva that iz an she had 2 leave austria 2 live wiv im...gutted. louis woz a crap boyf an husband an he used to sit on hiz own an he woznt bovvered abat her an she woz a bit fed up tbh >:[. she turned into a reight slag an slept wiv sum ova man who woz another gals. i mean wot happened to bros b4 hoes marie? she said it woz all liez but it woz v obz cuz she had 4 kidz and he couldnt hav made em so...
anywai marie got dun for sum necklace or summat and france went into sum reight bad money probz and marie wonted 2 help but every1 thought she woz a propa bitch an the king an queen woz like in sum reight cra. then later she well annoyed sum commoners an they went to kill her an called her a 'austrian whore' - bit harsh? so she ran off wiv louis whateva his name iz an then sum country called prussia an austria wer well miffed wiv france an they had a scrap an prussia won. they wonted rid ov marie so they sumhow found her an lyk lopped 'er head off an she woz well gutted at that...the end ov marie antoinette.
Monday, 28 November 2011
Thursday, 24 November 2011
How does Austen create her characters in Chapter 11?
Austen is very unique in her creation of characters in Pride and Prejudice, as she uses very minimal physical descriptions. Even then she only does it to highlight another factor of the character, as the main focus of Austens characters is their moral qualities (if they have any.)
In Chapter 11, the first paragraph is the narrator's opinion on Miss Hirst and Miss Bingley, however, it seems that Elizabeth's opinion is entwined into the narration. Elizabeth seems to be the centre of conciousness in Pride and Prejudice for this reason.
Miss Bingleys attention switches from Elizabeth to Mr Darcy as soon as he enters the room, which shows how fickle she is and also the theme of Chapter 11 (Miss Bingley will constantly try and get Darcys attention and attempt to make him fall in love with her.) This is also shown by the fact she mimics his opinion on the dances, in an attempt to create a connection between the two of them.
Also, when the three men enter, Austen uses what they say to build their characters, as Mr Hurst was 'very glad' and Mr Darcy offered 'polite congratulations' to Elizabeth, which shows their possible cold personalities. Then Mr Bingley offers 'polite congratulations' but warmer, which further shows he is a more reliable, positive character in Pride and Prejudice.
Miss Bingley constantly mimics Mr Darcy, for example, she picks up volume 2 of a book Mr Darcy is reading, even though she hasn't read the first volume. It then says about her gaining 'obtained private intelligence,' which shows she has planned to secure Mr Darcy as a husband and that is her sole purpose (which is parallel to Mrs Bennets goal for her daughters.) She constantly tries to attract his attention (when she is reading, she has no interest in the book,) which shows her personality and that she is an ingenuine character.
Chapter 11 shows Mr Darcys feelings towards Elizabeth, beginning with the contrast between how he looks at Miss Bingley (he's not bothered and doesn't even look up) and Elizabeth (unconciously closes his book, which shows his unintentional feelings towards her.) Also, Elizabeth and Miss Bingley are further contrasted by the fact that Elizabeth teases Mr Darcy and doesn't like him at this point, whereas Miss Bingley wants to go to him and not disappoint him.
The connection between Mr Darcy and Elizabeth is shown when they are bickering, as there is no mention of who is speaking, which shows how strong their connection is as you don't need to say who is speaking, as you already know instinctively. Miss Bingley is not happy at this because she has to attempt to create the connection between herself and Mr Darcy, and Elizabeth has a natural connection with him, even though she doesn't like him. This could show Miss Bingley to be a revengeful character later in the book. The narrator then notes that Miss Bingley is 'tired of the conversation.'
In Chapter 11, the first paragraph is the narrator's opinion on Miss Hirst and Miss Bingley, however, it seems that Elizabeth's opinion is entwined into the narration. Elizabeth seems to be the centre of conciousness in Pride and Prejudice for this reason.
Miss Bingleys attention switches from Elizabeth to Mr Darcy as soon as he enters the room, which shows how fickle she is and also the theme of Chapter 11 (Miss Bingley will constantly try and get Darcys attention and attempt to make him fall in love with her.) This is also shown by the fact she mimics his opinion on the dances, in an attempt to create a connection between the two of them.
Also, when the three men enter, Austen uses what they say to build their characters, as Mr Hurst was 'very glad' and Mr Darcy offered 'polite congratulations' to Elizabeth, which shows their possible cold personalities. Then Mr Bingley offers 'polite congratulations' but warmer, which further shows he is a more reliable, positive character in Pride and Prejudice.
Miss Bingley constantly mimics Mr Darcy, for example, she picks up volume 2 of a book Mr Darcy is reading, even though she hasn't read the first volume. It then says about her gaining 'obtained private intelligence,' which shows she has planned to secure Mr Darcy as a husband and that is her sole purpose (which is parallel to Mrs Bennets goal for her daughters.) She constantly tries to attract his attention (when she is reading, she has no interest in the book,) which shows her personality and that she is an ingenuine character.
Chapter 11 shows Mr Darcys feelings towards Elizabeth, beginning with the contrast between how he looks at Miss Bingley (he's not bothered and doesn't even look up) and Elizabeth (unconciously closes his book, which shows his unintentional feelings towards her.) Also, Elizabeth and Miss Bingley are further contrasted by the fact that Elizabeth teases Mr Darcy and doesn't like him at this point, whereas Miss Bingley wants to go to him and not disappoint him.
The connection between Mr Darcy and Elizabeth is shown when they are bickering, as there is no mention of who is speaking, which shows how strong their connection is as you don't need to say who is speaking, as you already know instinctively. Miss Bingley is not happy at this because she has to attempt to create the connection between herself and Mr Darcy, and Elizabeth has a natural connection with him, even though she doesn't like him. This could show Miss Bingley to be a revengeful character later in the book. The narrator then notes that Miss Bingley is 'tired of the conversation.'
Friday, 7 October 2011
The Convent Threshold
Today in English we started talking about another Christina Rossetti poem, The Convent Threshold. It is the story of a woman trying to persuade her lover to repent his sins and join her in heaven, while fighting her temptations to sin. We were thinking about how voices, character, point of view, setting and destination impacted the story. We split up into groups and spoke about the poem. We found it a bit difficult because the poem is very vague, so we did a few points on setting and places, then switched to characters.
Setting and Places
We said that the poem was like Heaven vs Earth for the speaker, as she has to decide which is better, as her lover wants to stay on Earth (and I believe the sinful/rebellious part of her wants to stay on Earth too) and she wants to repent and go to Heaven, 'your eyes look downward, mine look up.' She also has a dream, which I believe worries her about her lover going to Heaven and becoming drunk on knowledge and her not loving him anymore. Rossetti also makes it at times like Earth is the better place, as the speakers lover is there and she believes that if she goes to Heaven without him, it will be hell for her as she can't live without him.
Character
The speaker is in constant conflict with herself for the entire poem, over which to choose - religion or love. She wants to repent back to her Christian, pure life, but she loves her lover so much - 'I prayed against my will.' She may want him to repent too, so everything in the afterlife will be perfect for her. This may parallel Rossetti's real life, as she had to choose between religion and love herself. However, she chose religion and refused to marry two men she loved, because they were a different religion to her. The speaker also has worries about decending to hell in her dream for the sins they commited - 'Crushed downwards through the sodden earth.' She also doesn't want to go to Heaven without him, which is why she is pleading to him throughout the poem to repent with her - 'How should I rest in Paradise or sit on the steps of Heaven alone?'
Setting and Places
We said that the poem was like Heaven vs Earth for the speaker, as she has to decide which is better, as her lover wants to stay on Earth (and I believe the sinful/rebellious part of her wants to stay on Earth too) and she wants to repent and go to Heaven, 'your eyes look downward, mine look up.' She also has a dream, which I believe worries her about her lover going to Heaven and becoming drunk on knowledge and her not loving him anymore. Rossetti also makes it at times like Earth is the better place, as the speakers lover is there and she believes that if she goes to Heaven without him, it will be hell for her as she can't live without him.
Character
The speaker is in constant conflict with herself for the entire poem, over which to choose - religion or love. She wants to repent back to her Christian, pure life, but she loves her lover so much - 'I prayed against my will.' She may want him to repent too, so everything in the afterlife will be perfect for her. This may parallel Rossetti's real life, as she had to choose between religion and love herself. However, she chose religion and refused to marry two men she loved, because they were a different religion to her. The speaker also has worries about decending to hell in her dream for the sins they commited - 'Crushed downwards through the sodden earth.' She also doesn't want to go to Heaven without him, which is why she is pleading to him throughout the poem to repent with her - 'How should I rest in Paradise or sit on the steps of Heaven alone?'
Thursday, 6 October 2011
Cousin Kate...
We spent the lesson planning what we could write in the exam question 'To what extent do you agree that the women in Cousin Kate are heroic?' We made lists of why Cousin Kate and the speaker are heroic and not heroic.
Heroic
We said the speaker is heroic because she acknowledges her mistakes with 'my shame, my pride' and 'shameless shameful life.' Also, you could say that Cousin Kate is heroic because she stayed pure and virtuous, it is just the speaker that portrayed Kate as horrible. The speaker is heroic, as she challenges the stereotypical 'fallen woman,' as she builds herself back up rather than just falling to pieces. The speaker also stays strong in the face of injustice, as it wasn't her fault, it was the Lords.
Not Heroic
The speaker cannot move on from her 'bad experience' and constantly ridicules Kate about the fact that she cannot have children. Kate also marries the Lord even though she doesn't love him and just does it for materialistic purposes - 'your love was writ in sand.' The whole poem is patriarchal, as men control everything (the Lord is the reason the speaker is not pure and partially the reason what splits up the relationship between Kate and the speaker.) Lastly, Kate doesn't speak up for her cousin in any way and just lets the speaker become an outcast from the village and doesn't do anything about it.
Heroic
We said the speaker is heroic because she acknowledges her mistakes with 'my shame, my pride' and 'shameless shameful life.' Also, you could say that Cousin Kate is heroic because she stayed pure and virtuous, it is just the speaker that portrayed Kate as horrible. The speaker is heroic, as she challenges the stereotypical 'fallen woman,' as she builds herself back up rather than just falling to pieces. The speaker also stays strong in the face of injustice, as it wasn't her fault, it was the Lords.
Not Heroic
The speaker cannot move on from her 'bad experience' and constantly ridicules Kate about the fact that she cannot have children. Kate also marries the Lord even though she doesn't love him and just does it for materialistic purposes - 'your love was writ in sand.' The whole poem is patriarchal, as men control everything (the Lord is the reason the speaker is not pure and partially the reason what splits up the relationship between Kate and the speaker.) Lastly, Kate doesn't speak up for her cousin in any way and just lets the speaker become an outcast from the village and doesn't do anything about it.
Monday, 3 October 2011
Cousin Kate
In lesson, we were talking about the narrative methods in 'Cousin Kate.' We spoke about character, setting, point of view, language, sequence and destination.
Character
I thought that you may side with the speaker because she acknowledges her mistakes, even though she is not ashamed of them, through the use of 'shameless shameful life' and 'my shame, my pride.' You also feel empathy for the character by how she is treated by the Lord, who tosses her aside for someone more beautiful than her and also by how the neighbours call her a 'thing' for not being a virgin and not being married. However, the reader may lose symapthy for the speaker because of how bitter she is towards Kate.
Setting
The poem is set in a village, which may be done by Rossetti to make the speaker and Kate 'cottage maidens,' which makes them sound innocent and pure. I also believe it is a village setting to make the speaker more isolated in her experience, as in a town, there might be more 'fallen women,' so the poem wouldn't have been as effective.
Point of View
You see all the characters through the speaker, and it is a very feminist view, which is a running theme in Rossetti's poems. It says that the Lord is evil and is to blame for corrupting the speaker, who is the victim. Like traditional feminsist writing , the heroine overcomes her problems to be stronger in the end. She also makes Kate out to be very weak, but not refusing the Lords offer of marriage, even though she doesn't love him - 'your love was writ in sand.'
Language
The poem mentions 'sun and air' in the first verse, which as well as symbolising purity, could be a hint to the eventual end and the speaker having a son and inheriting land. The whole poem contrasts the speaker and Kate, for example, calling Kate 'good and pure' and the speaker an 'outcast thing.' There is also a lot of imagery such as the mention of doves, which symbolise the purity the speaker could have had. The bitterness of the speaker is also shown by how the speaker calls her 'Cousin Kate' and puts emphasis on the fact they are related, which may seem like a betrayal (the poem also seems to be written to Kate.)
Sequence
The poem is in chronological order and looks at the speakers past, present and future. It is done this way to show the highs and lows the speaker goes through and so the big twist can occur at the end. If it wasn't this way, I do not believe the poem would flow properly.
Destination
At the beginning of the poem it seems like a traditional fallen woman story (a woman becoming an outcast never to return) but then the ending of her having a child with future land to inherit proves the destination changes throughout.
Character
I thought that you may side with the speaker because she acknowledges her mistakes, even though she is not ashamed of them, through the use of 'shameless shameful life' and 'my shame, my pride.' You also feel empathy for the character by how she is treated by the Lord, who tosses her aside for someone more beautiful than her and also by how the neighbours call her a 'thing' for not being a virgin and not being married. However, the reader may lose symapthy for the speaker because of how bitter she is towards Kate.
Setting
The poem is set in a village, which may be done by Rossetti to make the speaker and Kate 'cottage maidens,' which makes them sound innocent and pure. I also believe it is a village setting to make the speaker more isolated in her experience, as in a town, there might be more 'fallen women,' so the poem wouldn't have been as effective.
Point of View
You see all the characters through the speaker, and it is a very feminist view, which is a running theme in Rossetti's poems. It says that the Lord is evil and is to blame for corrupting the speaker, who is the victim. Like traditional feminsist writing , the heroine overcomes her problems to be stronger in the end. She also makes Kate out to be very weak, but not refusing the Lords offer of marriage, even though she doesn't love him - 'your love was writ in sand.'
Language
The poem mentions 'sun and air' in the first verse, which as well as symbolising purity, could be a hint to the eventual end and the speaker having a son and inheriting land. The whole poem contrasts the speaker and Kate, for example, calling Kate 'good and pure' and the speaker an 'outcast thing.' There is also a lot of imagery such as the mention of doves, which symbolise the purity the speaker could have had. The bitterness of the speaker is also shown by how the speaker calls her 'Cousin Kate' and puts emphasis on the fact they are related, which may seem like a betrayal (the poem also seems to be written to Kate.)
Sequence
The poem is in chronological order and looks at the speakers past, present and future. It is done this way to show the highs and lows the speaker goes through and so the big twist can occur at the end. If it wasn't this way, I do not believe the poem would flow properly.
Destination
At the beginning of the poem it seems like a traditional fallen woman story (a woman becoming an outcast never to return) but then the ending of her having a child with future land to inherit proves the destination changes throughout.
Wednesday, 28 September 2011
The Fallen Woman
In lesson we were talking about the fallen woman, who is a woman who has had sex before marriage and is socially cast aside in shame. We first read 'The Decieved Girl,' which is about a traditional fallen woman, who is shamed and called a whore and no longer a part of society because of this. We then read Cousin Kate by Christina Rossetti.
Cousin Kate is the story of a woman who falls in love with a Lord and sleeps with him, even though they are not married. She is then forgotten when the lord sees the speakers cousin, Kate, who is more beautiful than the speaker. He then marries Kate and even though they have both done the same thing (slept with the Lord,) the speaker is called a whore and Cousin Kate is called pure, because she is married.
Cousin Kate is different from a traditional fallen woman story, because the speaker is in power at the end, as she has a son who will inherit their families land and it is made out by Rossetti that Cousin Kate is unable to have children. The speaker shows pride and strength at the end and she doesn't seem to be as bothered as other fallen women would be by what has happened to her. This is another feminist poem by Rossetti, which seems to be a running theme in her poems.
Cousin Kate is the story of a woman who falls in love with a Lord and sleeps with him, even though they are not married. She is then forgotten when the lord sees the speakers cousin, Kate, who is more beautiful than the speaker. He then marries Kate and even though they have both done the same thing (slept with the Lord,) the speaker is called a whore and Cousin Kate is called pure, because she is married.
Cousin Kate is different from a traditional fallen woman story, because the speaker is in power at the end, as she has a son who will inherit their families land and it is made out by Rossetti that Cousin Kate is unable to have children. The speaker shows pride and strength at the end and she doesn't seem to be as bothered as other fallen women would be by what has happened to her. This is another feminist poem by Rossetti, which seems to be a running theme in her poems.
Friday, 23 September 2011
Goblin Market - Other Interpretations
In lesson today we were listening to each other ideas about the different interpretations of Goblin Market. These are the other interpretations spoke about (Erotic, Feminist, Marxist and Moral.)
Erotic
The group mentioned how 'unpicked cherries' could symbolise Lizzie and Lauras virginity and how the fruit could symbolise temptation. I think the strongest arguement, is the symbolism of prostitution and rape. When Laura sells her hair, it could be symbolising her selling herself (prostitution) for the fruit. Towards the end, when Lizzie sacrifices herself for Laura and they try and force her to eat the fruits could be the idea of the goblins attempting to rape Lizzie. In this interpretation, Lizzie is portrayed as strong, as she refuses to let the goblins rape her 'would not open lip from lip.'
Feminist
In the feminist view, Lizzie is the hero as she saves her sister. There is the sisterly love between Lizzie and Laura and the idea is that their relationship is pure and intimate, which in the poem is a complete contrast with the relationship between a man and woman, which is very violent. The feminist view that Christina Rossetti wrote portrays the goblins as very animalistic and evil, and just wanting to feed the women the fruit. The view says that the goblin men break the bond between Lizzie and Laura, by tempting Laura to eat the fruit. Rossetti also says the line 'stamped on her tender feet' contrasting the men (violent) and women (soft and vunerable.)
Marxist
This interpretation is the idea of consumerism and trade. The strongest arguement in this interpretation is the trickery of the goblins, as she sells herself for the fruit, but it is never enough and never satifies, as the person eating becomes addicted. It also mentions about the bad side of trade, they beat Lizzie and try to force her to eat the fruit.
Moral
The main point in this interpretation I believe is that Lauras choices (eating the fruit) affects Lizzie (she sacrifices herself and is beaten up.) The moral message of the poem is that if you get married it will cleanse your soul and also there is a connection between one of the stanzas and the vow you make when you marry someone. The moral interpretation has large links to Christianity, such as Adam and Eve with the forbidden fruit (Lizzie and Laura and the goblin juice) and Lizzie being beaten up is parallel to Jesus' cruxifiction.
I believe the strongest interpretations are feminist and redemptive, because they have the strongest arguements.
Erotic
The group mentioned how 'unpicked cherries' could symbolise Lizzie and Lauras virginity and how the fruit could symbolise temptation. I think the strongest arguement, is the symbolism of prostitution and rape. When Laura sells her hair, it could be symbolising her selling herself (prostitution) for the fruit. Towards the end, when Lizzie sacrifices herself for Laura and they try and force her to eat the fruits could be the idea of the goblins attempting to rape Lizzie. In this interpretation, Lizzie is portrayed as strong, as she refuses to let the goblins rape her 'would not open lip from lip.'
Feminist
In the feminist view, Lizzie is the hero as she saves her sister. There is the sisterly love between Lizzie and Laura and the idea is that their relationship is pure and intimate, which in the poem is a complete contrast with the relationship between a man and woman, which is very violent. The feminist view that Christina Rossetti wrote portrays the goblins as very animalistic and evil, and just wanting to feed the women the fruit. The view says that the goblin men break the bond between Lizzie and Laura, by tempting Laura to eat the fruit. Rossetti also says the line 'stamped on her tender feet' contrasting the men (violent) and women (soft and vunerable.)
Marxist
This interpretation is the idea of consumerism and trade. The strongest arguement in this interpretation is the trickery of the goblins, as she sells herself for the fruit, but it is never enough and never satifies, as the person eating becomes addicted. It also mentions about the bad side of trade, they beat Lizzie and try to force her to eat the fruit.
Moral
The main point in this interpretation I believe is that Lauras choices (eating the fruit) affects Lizzie (she sacrifices herself and is beaten up.) The moral message of the poem is that if you get married it will cleanse your soul and also there is a connection between one of the stanzas and the vow you make when you marry someone. The moral interpretation has large links to Christianity, such as Adam and Eve with the forbidden fruit (Lizzie and Laura and the goblin juice) and Lizzie being beaten up is parallel to Jesus' cruxifiction.
I believe the strongest interpretations are feminist and redemptive, because they have the strongest arguements.
Thursday, 22 September 2011
Interpretations
Last lesson, we were talking about the various interpretations of Goblin Market by Christina Rossetti there is. There was erotic, feminist, marxist, redemptive and moral interpretations and I was put in the redemptive group.
We spoke about how Laura has to redeem herself to Lizzie, as Lizzie is the one who sacrifices herself (she gets beaten up by the goblins) for her sisters temptation and addiction. This means Lizzie saved Lauras life and Laura has to redeem herself to Lizzie.
In the last few lines, Laura is indirectly thanking Lizzie for what she did by saying 'there is no friend like a sister' which could be a way Laura feels she is redeeming herself to Lizzie without telling her.
The last verse shows Laura has redeemed herself to God, by leading a traditional Christian life (getting married and having children.) She also avoids sinning, even though the temptation is still there, for her sister, children and God.
Redemption could also be in the form of a kind of rebirth, by the line 'is it death or is it life?' said by Laura after waking up after drinking the Goblins juices Lizzie collected. It is like the evil and temptation in Laura has been killed and the goodness and innocence has been reborn/redeemed. We also said that Rossetti mentions how Laura 'laughed in the innocent old way' which is like redemption has been redeemed and given back.
We spoke about how Laura has to redeem herself to Lizzie, as Lizzie is the one who sacrifices herself (she gets beaten up by the goblins) for her sisters temptation and addiction. This means Lizzie saved Lauras life and Laura has to redeem herself to Lizzie.
In the last few lines, Laura is indirectly thanking Lizzie for what she did by saying 'there is no friend like a sister' which could be a way Laura feels she is redeeming herself to Lizzie without telling her.
The last verse shows Laura has redeemed herself to God, by leading a traditional Christian life (getting married and having children.) She also avoids sinning, even though the temptation is still there, for her sister, children and God.
Redemption could also be in the form of a kind of rebirth, by the line 'is it death or is it life?' said by Laura after waking up after drinking the Goblins juices Lizzie collected. It is like the evil and temptation in Laura has been killed and the goodness and innocence has been reborn/redeemed. We also said that Rossetti mentions how Laura 'laughed in the innocent old way' which is like redemption has been redeemed and given back.
Monday, 19 September 2011
Christina Rossetti
Christina Rossetti was born in 1830 and lived with her parents and three siblings in London (her father was also a poet). She was a very religious woman and was an Anglican, as were her mother and sister. She was so religious that she refused to marry two men on religious grounds (James Collison was Roman Catholic and Charles Bigot was Agnostic.) Her religion and refusal to marry is believed to have had a lot of influence on her poetry. She wrote her first and longest poem, Goblin Market in 1859 and it was published in 1862, she is also most known for this poem because of its ten page length. Soon after she fell ill and was left bedridden, but continued to write poems and sonnets from her bed. She wrote many other poems including Remember (a love poem), In Bleak Midwinter (a Christmas Carol poem) and many others before she got cancer in 1891, which was fatal, and she died in 1894.
An interesting fact was that at a 9/11 memorial service, Dame Judi Dench read Remember by Christina Rossetti.
An interesting fact was that at a 9/11 memorial service, Dame Judi Dench read Remember by Christina Rossetti.
Friday, 16 September 2011
Goblins Market
This lesson we were talking about the beginning of the Christina Rossetti poem 'Goblins Market.' We talked about symbolism in the poem and how the many mentions of fruit symbolises the idea of 'forbidden fruit' and temptation. Also we spoke about the how Laura & Lizzies long blonde hair symbolises purity and how Laura's disappears when she cuts her hair and gives into the temptation of the Goblins Market. I thought this lesson was really interesting, and as well as that really good because, i'll admit, before the lesson I was quite confused about the poem and understood some parts but not others, and now after reading it again after the lesson, I understand it so much better, so todays lesson really helped.
Thursday, 15 September 2011
The Destination of a Story
(After attempting to login for the past 25 minutes, i'm finally writing this!!)
We were talking about the destination of a story & how the beginning of some books has hints as to what happens at the end of the book & we looked at the 1st chapter of Pride & Predudice by Jane Austen.
We talked about how there was no description in the 1st chapter until the last paragraph, which showed how Austen wanted the reader to focus on the conversation between the two characters (Mr & Mrs Bennet), who were talking about Mr Bingley moving into town & Mrs Bennet wanting to marry one of her daughters off to him, because he has money. This conversation is so important, because you then know this is Mrs Bennets aim throughout the novel & the destination of the novel will have something to do with marriage & money.
We also spoke about the fact no characters are introduced until the 3rd paragraph. Before that, Austen only mentions theories to do with marriage (no description of characters or places.) Austen does this to show the reader the destination of the story straight from the beginning. This is a very uncommon way to begin a novel.
Also, the first paragraph is one sentence on it's own ('it is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.') Due to this sentence being the first in the book & in a paragraph on it's own shows that it must have some significance to the story (and it does, the destination is marriage, and the 1st sentence is about rich men wanting a wife.)
We were talking about the destination of a story & how the beginning of some books has hints as to what happens at the end of the book & we looked at the 1st chapter of Pride & Predudice by Jane Austen.
We talked about how there was no description in the 1st chapter until the last paragraph, which showed how Austen wanted the reader to focus on the conversation between the two characters (Mr & Mrs Bennet), who were talking about Mr Bingley moving into town & Mrs Bennet wanting to marry one of her daughters off to him, because he has money. This conversation is so important, because you then know this is Mrs Bennets aim throughout the novel & the destination of the novel will have something to do with marriage & money.
We also spoke about the fact no characters are introduced until the 3rd paragraph. Before that, Austen only mentions theories to do with marriage (no description of characters or places.) Austen does this to show the reader the destination of the story straight from the beginning. This is a very uncommon way to begin a novel.
Also, the first paragraph is one sentence on it's own ('it is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.') Due to this sentence being the first in the book & in a paragraph on it's own shows that it must have some significance to the story (and it does, the destination is marriage, and the 1st sentence is about rich men wanting a wife.)
Tuesday, 6 September 2011
'Mr Francis entered the room. There was a piece of paper on the floor...'
The 'paper on the floor' in any other situation seems pretty boring & unimportant, but in narrative, it actually has some significance. I think it's because it actually will have something to do with the plot of the book, because if it had nothing to do with anything in the story, it would have been taken away in the editing of the story. For example, the piece of paper on the floor may be a clue to help figure out a murder, or something along those lines.
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