Female Heroine?

“She had a thin awkward figure, a sallow skin without colour, dark lank hair, and strong features;-so much for her person;-and not less unpropitious for heroism” (13)

With this description, Jane Austen offers the reader an image of a very casual female figure who finds herself quite far from that of a Gothic heroine. However, the latter is presented as a goal that Catherine Morland wants to attain. This character wants to be modelled on the heroines that are included on the Gothic literature she is reading: “from fifteen to seventeen she was training for a heroine …” (15)

A process of maturity can be noticed on her when she stays at Bath. Her intrusion within society makes her being far from innocence, she is stepping into adulthood. It is a process of identifying herself as part of society. She starts facing her situations even though she does not show her emotions. That is completely opposite to the idea of a gothic figure.

Since Austen’s work is a parody of the Gothic, she draws the image of an active woman who is reacting against any circumstance and not the passive female character that is developed by the influence of typical Gothic incidents in which she is involved.

Catherine is constantly reading Gothic fiction and therefore she wants to enjoy gothic adventures but she hardly finds them. She fulfils her enthusiasm when she enters the Gothic inspired abbey. However, she fails at finding any mysterious aspect. Being that failure a useful lesson for her to be learnt: using reason before giving free use to imagination.

Widmark, Elisabeth. "Catherine Morland in Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey, an unlikely Gothic heroine".University of Gothenburg, June 2011.

Rewarded for virtue or intelligence?

Pamela and Shamela are two completely opposite characters who can be analysed from the point of view of the role they play in those two different works which received the same name of these two main protagonists.

From one stand point, Richardson’s Pamela is shaped as a very virtuous woman who has to overcome a great number of difficulties. She is also portrayed as a very weak character who does not have the strength to face all those situations. However, Richardson guides the reading with a very optimistic approach so that Pamela gets what she wanted even though she can be understood as a victim who does not fight for her rights. Pamela’s positive attitude towards the apparently impossible marriage is what makes her end up by marrying a man who was never thought as someone that she could reach.

From another stand point, Henry Fielding’s Shamela is more about pretending to be that virtuous woman. She is the one who chooses her opportunities and she does not wait for everything to come she simply acts in the way she wishes without caring about the implications. There are no characters that cannot be reached but more down-to-earth ones. Their goal is always achieved but this time it is by means of overcoming some troubles and accepting those bad sides of real life.

To tie this up, it can be observed in these two different works that they both get a reward, that of happiness, even though they were facing their puzzling circumstances from very divergent eyes.  

 

Withington, Keri. "Literary analysis: Virtue and vice in Pamela vs.Shamela, by Henry Fielding.”

physical and mental deterioration

There are some noticeable aspects in Gulliver’s Travels that can be easily recognised by the reader. One of the most remarkable one is the expression of physical and moral corruption of mankind.

This corruption is spread among several fields such as society or politics. In fact, every single place in the book is dealing with different ways of being corrupted under the influence of those scopes.

There is an important figure in the text and it is that of the master. It is represented as an idealized image of a ruler who wants to have submissive people surrounding him in order to impose his authority. This idealisation is created by the ‘slave’ himself. However, since the leader does not use his rationality all his attempts fail. Jonathan Swift is reflecting this image on that of English politicians.

As part of this critic, Swift creates an island above earth in order to express the naivety of those people who want to make up an image of themselves that they can never reach. And also of those who let themselves be corrupted by their political leaders or the society itself. In addition, it can be remarked that humankind is deformed by his own vices.

 Therefore, it can be guessed that the author chooses intellect over the whole savagery and deterioration to which human kind is exposed.

Guthrie, Ben. Jonathan Swift’s Use of Satire in Gulliver’s Travels

Physical and Mental Size

   Lilliputian’s physical appearance is not just a symbol of pettiness but of emptiness. They are no more than six inches tall and that represents not only their height but the small mind they have and so the few knowledge they can acquire.

        A comparison between Gulliver’s height and the Lilliputians’ is established all the way through in the first book, but not just from a physical perspective but from a psychological one. That is to say, while the reader can see Gulliver as a very active and voluntary character, the Lilliputians are seen as hypocrite people and as human beings with malice. It is easily observed when they attacked Gulliver with arrows at first sight. However, Gulliver helps them in their war with the Blefuscudians by landing all their boats and forcing them to surrender. The Lilliputians are tiny compared to Gulliver and that is what makes the latter more capable than the former. Gulliver asserts that they were intelligent once and as a matter of fact they speak quite a number of languages, but their current ignorance leads them to be corrupt. Therefore, they are no longer wise people. Together with the war scene there are several situations in which Gulliver’s effort on being a powerful and useful character is represented. For instance, when Gulliver is asked to get rid of his belongings, the Lilliputians’ ignorance is clearly observed. The do not know what a watch is and they keep looking at it wondering how was it made and what is it used for. Finally, another example is how the effort that the Lilliputians do to extinguish the empress’ apartment fire is vanished after being blown out by merely Gulliver’s urination.

      With these opposite behaviors Gulliver wants to contrast the non-effectiveness of many government officers, represented by the Lilliputians, with a humble position of a perfect ruler on behalf of Gulliver in this narrative.

Jan, K.M. Perspectives on Gulliver’s Travels. Atlantis Publishers and Distributors, 2004.

Macheath Vs Satan

There is a curious link that can be established in this play, it is that of, one of Gay’s characters in The Beggar’s Opera, Macheath, and Satan in Milton’s Paradise Lost. The idea is to present the bond that joins their images within both works in terms of their behaviour.

The strategy that Gay uses is that of a creation of a male highway robber who is opposed to other characters’ attitude; so that everyone can see how he differs from other characters. In fact, he reacts in such an opening way that everyone can distinguish his honest actions. Therefore, he admits publicly that he steals but with this idea he can be shaped by everyone else as a person whose deeds are justified by the situation in which he is involved.

Afterwards we find another character in Paradise Lost, Satan, whose attitude is leading the reader to think of him as an almost complete hero. His character often appears to talk rationally and although we also see irrational speeches, his persuasive way of speaking contributes to the idea of being a heroic figure.  He shares his pain all the way through so that he can be seen as a victim.

There we come to the joining point, two apparently different characters that can be seen as dupe figures because they are forced by the circumstances that surround them. They struggle to get what they want: money and destroying humankind respectively.  Thus, any of them are complete embodiment of evil but characters who follow their instinct to get what situation is requiring from them.  

http://www.articlemyriad.com/

Beauty as a weapon

Although The Rape of the Lock as a work parodies the serious, elevated style of the classical epic poem, Alexander Pope uses them as patterns to be based on. There are links to themes like women as representative figures of beauty. For instance, in The Odyssey, women play a very important role, that of human beings who represent seductress.

In this classic work we find figures like Calypso who is tempting Odysseus with her destructive power of the enchantress, although he denies her; and Circe, whose charms are directed towards the same person as well. In addition, there is a very significant moment when she turned Odysseus’s men into the image of pigs. A vivid image of animals compared to men that can be kept by women as if they were pets.

Then, as we can see through Alexander Pope’s poem, the element that guides Belinda’s behaviour is the defence of her honour. In fact, when the images of cosmetics pervade the poem, the author is not just suggesting war but a fight for Belinda’s honour. In addition, Belinda’s beauty and her “tempting” locks are represented as weapon themselves because she can bring mankind to ruin with desire.

And so, as a result, what we have is two apparently different works which can be linked one to each other. They both use female beauty and enchants as a useful tool for them in order to gain a certain amount of power through their sexual charms.

Female values in Aphra Behn's works

                    

Female characters within Aphra Behn’s works are represented as women trapped within social limitations. The female writer is using her characters as symbols of the voice which needs to be heard.

In the women’s search for happiness, throughout Behn’s works, the reader can see her attempts to show that they can be seen as the perfect symbol of wealth.

When women are exemplified as independent or isolated characters, it can be appreciated how the female character is being created without the restrictions imposed by society. Therefore, isolation and, in some cases, death, is not a tragic moment but a liberation or escape from the restrictions in which they were emerged.

Behn’s plays and many poems explore desire. In addition, it needs to be specified that a desirable woman possesses beauty, the power to evoke passion in men, and wit. She also gives her female characters the power of the word. Thus they also work properly as the perfect intellectual individual.

However, Behn establishes a difference between the idea of female beauty and female wealth. The first one is just a step to reach the whole perfection of a complete woman.

Lastly, I would say that as well as wanting to be a remarkable writer, Aphra Behn also wished that her characters were outstanding female figures.