In The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, Dorian becomes transfixed with jewels in chapter 11. For this blog post, I researched one specific person Dorian discussed within the novel. I researched the alchemist, Pierre de Boniface. In chapter 11 of the novel Wilde writes, “According to the great alchemist, Pierre de Boniface, the […]
The perception of beauty is a common theme within The Once and Future King by T.H. White and Till We Have Faces by C. S. Lewis. These two novels focus heavily on beauty standards and the perception of beauty versus ugly. Though this is a commonality shared between the two novels, each book seems to […]
In The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, Dorian becomes transfixed with jewels in chapter 11. For this blog post, I decided to research one specific jewel that Dorian discussed within the novel. I chose to analyze the amethyst gemstone. It’s surprising how relevant this gemstone is to the themes within the novel.
In class, we’ve read A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. While reading, I found myself drawn to a specific detail. I was intrigued by the women who helped lead the French Revolution by knitting codes and names in order to keep the movement organized. Knitting of all things! I found this idea fascinating […]
Dear Jane, I have received knowledge from Mr. Briggs about your recent marriage to Mr. Rochester1. I find this news rather disturbing because I expected more from you. He was married to my sister for a long time and kept her locked away like a secret, even after he supposedly fell in love with you. […]
Everyone understands the frustration that accompanies trying to obtain information from someone but not gaining the unbiased version of the story. This happens within the novel Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë with the narrator Nelly Dean. Nelly Dean’s subjective observations of characters within the novel help spin the readers’ perspective of these main characters. Nelly’s subjective character descriptions […]
Charlotte Brontë’s novel Jane Eyre, presents Jane, the main character, as an uncommonly plain heroine. A journal article by Jen Cadwallader compares the main character Jane to fairytale heroines. The article examines the similarities between Jane Eyre and classic fairytales like Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast. One major difference between these stories, and Jane […]
While studying novels, it is important to look for patterns within the works. However, recently I have encountered a pattern between the different novels that I have read for the British Novel class. I have noticed that many of these novels contain some form of paratext. This pattern influenced me to look into the important […]
Throughout the novel Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner play an important role because they emphasize key themes found within the novel. Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner are the aunt and uncle to the Bennet sisters. In the novel, the Bennet family is desperately in search of Lydia because she ran off […]
Students all understand what it’s like to feel stressed. We can especially relate to this feeling at this point in the semester frequently facing exams and projects. In a novel by Jane Austen, I discovered a character that was also quite stressed. Throughout the novel Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Mrs. Bennet is portrayed […]
In a class that analyzes The British Novel, it is not surprising that one of the works we read contains social commentary about the acceptance of novels within society. Northanger Abbey, a novel written by Jane Austen, depicts the adventures of a young woman, Catherine Morland. Throughout the story, Austen highlights the differences between […]
The Female American is a novel packed with connections between different cultures and the effect they have on the women within those societies. While closely examining some sections of the novel, I realized that many examples of a woman making slightly unusual decisions, especially for the early 17th century, are portrayed via marriage proposals. Thus, […]
Recently, I had the opportunity to investigate an example of a Robinsonade in an English Class that focuses on the British novel. The class was given access to the original manuscripts of Sy Salkowitz. Mr. Salkowitz produced the 1975-1976 television show The Swiss Family Robinson. I decided to examine the manuscript for The Swiss Family […]