(A conjuring twist on Aphra Behn’s Oroonoko) To be a man is to have power. As a woman, I’ve been treated as a commodity for my life’s entirety; though love has shown me mercy. In my native land of Coramantien, I had fallen in love in Prince Oroonoko, a man who saw me as an […]
My Dearest Eliza, Upon our last meeting I impressed upon you a certain point of view, of which was my good intention to guide you though the mazes of marriage and happiness, but, now, have come to further understand that there is greater trepidation that must be observed. My greatest and most profound point of […]
Dearest Lydia, I am enthralled at hearing of another ball at your house, yet I am sad to say that I shall not be in attendance to it. As much as it pains me to say so, father forbids me from coming to your abode (260). Saying this, I would rather that you would not […]
Authors note: I chose to stray from the guidelines of the assignment because I thought it would be interesting to see the effects of Mr. Brocklehurst’s absence from Lowood and his thoughts on Jane as a governess. I assumed that as Brocklehurst is an extremely self-righteous person, he would be disgusted at the thought of […]
Dear Jane, My health is failing rapidly and it is becoming increasingly clear to me that I may not see you once more before I die (75). I have decided to write you this letter because I have not been completely honest with you about my past and my views on life. Jane, I am […]
(Author Note: I chose to do something a little different and write diary entry in the voice of Adele. It is set during her time at the school where Rochester sends her after Jane leaves Thornfield. It is based on the ending of the novel where Jane explains to us what she learned about Adele […]
Greetings Mr. Darcy, It must be odd to receive a letter from me, for I only write to Lizzie once in a while, but I feel like I have no other choice. After Lydia’s erratic behavior with Mr. Wickham as to be “so lost to everything but love of him as to consent to live […]
Dear Cousin Jane Rochester, I hope this letter finds you well and at peace with the Lord our God. I am certain you are surprised to hear from me as we have not been in contact for over 35 years. My years at the convent have been serene and fulfilling. As I enter the last […]
To Mister Robert Wringham Colwan, This is a matter of most urgency. You do not know me, though I am a fallen acquaintance of your adoptive father, the elevated Reverend Robert Wringham. Most refer to me as Bell Calvert. Normally, I am “invisible; a being to be heard of, not seen,” but I have […]
Dearest Jane, Words cannot express the joy of myself and Mary upon hearing that you are married. You must, by and by, tell us all that occurred to bring the two of you together, for I long to hear the whole of it from you. I will never doubt that it was the hand of […]
To my dearest Elizabeth, Please don’t be upset with me, by now you have surely heard that I have gotten married. I do not blame you if shock and confusion were the first things you felt, and please do not envy me and my good fortune. But more importantly, do not assume that I don’t […]
My Dear Estranged Cousin, It has been many years since we have seen each other though I doubt we will forget our time together as children growing up a Gateshead. Do you not still remember you cousin John Reed? I hope that I am not yet too distant of a memory though perhaps I should […]
April 16, 1845 Mr. Edward Rochester, I have heard that you are intending to marry Jane Eyre. The Eyre family and the Mason family have other ideas and I wish to spare you a good deal of trouble with them. If you want your marriage to be one of wedding bliss instead of torment by […]
Weathering Heights by Emily Bronte has is fair share of violent and emotionally tainted characters. Though there is tension and malice in the relationships between Edgar, Catherine, Isabella, and Heathcliff, the relationship between Hindley and most everyone is distant and harsh. The question that becomes clear is how Hindley became so violent and miserable in […]
Dear Edward, It has recently come to my attention that you are to be married to your governess, Miss Eyre. I have yet to receive a formal invitation, but I can understand how awkward it would be if I were to be present. Still, I am stunned and shocked, since I had the inclination that […]
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. […]
MY DEAR NIECE, Your uncle, sister and I arrived in London a few hours ago. I do hope the change of scenery will brighten Jane’s spirits, for she seems quite melancholy at present. We will do our best to keep Mr. Bingley out of her mind and away from her presence; it is my greatest […]
Mr. Lockwood is the guest of Heathcliff at Wuthering Heights and his stay is quite disastrous. He is repeatedly attacked by dogs and treated roughly by Heathcliff and others. He seems like a foil to Heathcliff as he is the polite, snooty man in contrast to Heathcliff’s bestial and bizarre appearance and behavior. Lockwood seems […]
In Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, Heathcliff is represented as the “feral child”, but could he have been domesticated like Catherine was at Thrushcross Grange? We are first introduced to Heathcliff in the novel as a “dirty, ragged, black-haired child; big enough both to walk and talk –indeed, its face looked older than Catherine’s –yet, when it was […]
Since we get a lot of different opinions out of Cathy in the beginning part of the novel about love and other notions, it is hard to fully understand what she means or wants. When it comes to love I myself am completely lost on what she really wants, and I don’t think that she […]
Illness, especially mental illness, is a common aspect between many of the novels that we have read so far for this class. For example, in Robinson Crusoe, Robinson suffers from a bout of illness shortly after arriving on the island, and in Jane Eyre, Rochester’s wife is mentally ill and therefore she is hidden away. […]
What’s interesting about Wuthering Heights is the struggle that we see between the old and the new. Heathcliff is considered to be a wild child by his “peers”, almost an embodiment of nature and pagan-like ways. He is disheveled and almost feral. His tendencies question aspects of humanity that boarder on animalistic. But is Heathcliff […]
In Wuthering Heights we meet Catherine and Heathcliff, they were raised together since they were children and later grew very fond of each other. They lived in a closed off part of England, thus they did not have many people around and especially children their age. From a young age they meet Edgar and Isabella, […]
In Wuthering Heights, Heathcliff is a character who gets a bad rap as someone wild and to be looked down upon, or disliked. However, even though Heathcliff may possess some less than desirable traits there does still exist a hint of humanity in his character. Looking at the scene on pages 54 and 55 where […]
In Emily Bronte’s novel Wuthering Heights, Catherine claims to be in love with Heathcliff, but as we discussed in class, her view on what love is seems to be a bit warped. Someone in class claimed that they believed Catherine only loves Heathcliff because he is so much like her, and that there actually a […]
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 […]
In Emily Bronte’s, Wuthering Heights, love is an all-consuming fiery religion. It consists of obsession, necessity, passion, and madness. Their love, as a religion, is as extreme as the Calvinism presented in The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner. It is personal and cannot be understood by all. For Catherine Linton and Heathcliff, the consequences […]
“I don’t want your permission for that-I shall marry him.”-Wuthering Heights Understanding the different marriages that occur throughout Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre conclude with the two very interesting choices. While the idea of marrying for love was not relevant at that time, we do see both character, Jane and Cathy acknowledge (and accept) […]
In chapter three of Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights we find Lockwood trapped in a dream. I’m not sure about anyone else, but when I dream, and feel “trapped”in a dream, it carries on even after I’m awake. I can’t remember if the people and places in the dream are real, or just imagined. Days later […]
Rochester has libertine traits and aspects of a Byronic hero but in many ways he seems quite conventional and has strong traditional morals. Rochester says that nature made him to be “on the whole, a good man” (128) and looking at his behavior in the novel so far I agree. One part of being a […]
This past Monday, I had the opportunity to lead a discussion in our British Novel course about the Gothic elements found in Charlotte Brontë’s novel, Jane Eyre. With endless ways to approach this topic, I found it best to focus on one element: the Bluebeard reference. It occurs when Jane is ending her tour of Thornfield Hall: “Mrs […]
To say that Mr. Rochester is a hero would be a bit of a stretch, but to knock him for his actions is also extreme. He may lie to Jane and keep the fact that he has another wife a secret, but he does so for good reasons, and we must look at the motives […]
Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre has a distinct underlying theme of vanity that is not especially focused on but it most definitely there. Jane grows up in a house where she is regarded as a lesser human being and even when she is moved to Lowood she is taught put aside he thoughts of herself and […]
Jane Eyre is the story of Jane, a lonely girl whom grew up with an awful childhood but managed to marry for love at the end. Now, it is not as easy as it seems; add an evil aunt, bullies, an awful school and an alluring (rich) man with many secrets, a tragic accident and […]
Jane Eyre does something I did not expect from a protagonist in a story like this: She physically and verbally fights and oftentimes wins. The prior books I had read that cover women protagonists this year typically show the women as being polite, coy and not stating what they really feel too often. Jane Eyre […]
I think that the first few paragraphs tell us a lot about who Jane really is and her disposition. Jane states in the very beginning of the book that, “the cold winter wind had brought with it clouds so sombre, and a rain so penetrating, that further out-door exercise was now out of the questions” […]
Jane Eyre on all levels is a coming of age story. However, if we dig a little below the surface it quickly becomes also a story about finding love. On page 66 Jane has a conversation with Helen, when she says, “No; I know I should think well of myself; but that is not enough: […]
It is interesting, society’s emphasis on heroines. All over the internet are adaptations of Elizabeth Bennett, Jane Austen’s heroine in Pride and Prejudice. There are articles, cartoons, magazines, books, films, and more! Lizzie Bennett’s character is relatable and loveable. She is critical, playful, and independent. Her education stands out amongst her sisters’, and by education […]
When it comes to the conventions of the Bildungsroma, the “coming of age” story, certain expectations are set within the reader. What will be the driving force which acts as a catalyst for maturity or acceptance in society? Who or what are the antagonists which drive the protagonist to maturity? While Charlotte Bronte’s novel is […]
Inequality is harmful. It places people in a hierarchy, which can result in unequal treatment and an unequal access to resources. In her novel Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte shows the harmful effects of inequality in relation to socioeconomic status. Through this novel, Bronte critiques the class system that exits in society by showing the harm that it […]
Many books have built their storylines around the coming-of-age structure, but few ever have the realistic qualities that Charlotte Bronte executes in Jane Eyre. Life was, of course, a struggle for anyone back in the 1800’s – that is if you weren’t lounging on your family’s estate drinking sherry after a day of party-planning. What […]
Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre in its first few chapters is much about the isolation felt by Jane in her first eighteen years and how it can affect the way in which she sees the world. Jane’s first station in life is to be forcefully adopted by a woman who despises her and give her the […]
Although we have not discussed much of Charlotte Bronte’s novel, Jane Eyre, I would like to delve deeper into the novel. I have read it twice and have seen two different adaptations of the novel: one for television and the other as a major motion picture. So there may be spoilers in this post. In an […]
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 […]
Looking back at the past few novels we have read that star female antagonist, it is interesting to note the overall lack of education those girls had and what their other option was. Elizabeth, from Pride and Prejudice, seems to be the only one who has interest in things other than marriage. And while Charlotte, […]
Jane Eyre, the central character of Charlotte Bronte’s novel Jane Eyre, is a complex character that relies on resilience to survive the harsh world she lives in, surrounded by characters that show her cruelty and neglect. Helen, however, is shown to be a much more passive character, showing no resistance to her poor treatment, even […]
Through the entire beginning of the book I have been going back and forth between feeling bad for Robert and thinking that he deserves what is coming to him. In the beginning of the book we see that Robert is sort of an outcast. His “father” doesn’t want him because he seems to be illegitimate. […]
I found it curious how Hogg laid out the sections of The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner, primarily because when we enter the piece we find ourselves in an editorial narrative. Which should be seen as being the most accurate depiction of events, as they are told how they are seen from […]
The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner centers on the life of young Robert Wringham and is mostly directed toward the actions of his adult life. What is the most interesting part of this novel is not what is known, it is what is glimpsed at and vaguely described: the first half of […]
The novel entitled The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner, by James Hogg, focuses on many heavy and controversial topics. Interestingly, many topics in this story continue to be questioned many years later by other prominent authors. Friedrich Nietzsche himself raises many of the same questions asked in The Private Memoirs and Confessions […]
The struggles of Robert are clearly marked by the murder of his brother George. Robert, along with his mother and “natural” father, believe that reprobation is their salvation from eternal damnation, regardless of the sins that they committed. But the issue in this doctrine is that there is no evidence for anyone to know if […]
Being both German (where the word originates) and a twin (although fraternal) myself, I find doppelganger’s to be very interesting. However, when I first encountered the term, it was from the angst-filled television show “The Vampire Diaries” and their version was a bit different. Merriam-Webster defines doppleganger as “a ghostly counterpart of a living person” […]
In The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner we meet George and Robert, two brothers with different fathers and beliefs. George, being the first one, was accepted as a Laird’s son and raised under minimal religious beliefs. Robert, on the other hand, was the second one and the Laird doubted he was his […]
Father figures throughout literature have always been worth investigating to evaluate their role in the lives of the characters and contribution to the overall theme. In James Hogg’s The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner, father figures are continuously placed in a destructive role towards the overall well-being of the characters, especially when […]
“…They say the deil’s often seen gaun sidie for sidie w’ye, whiles in ae shape, an’ whiles in another. An they say that he whiles takes your ain shape, or else enters into you, and then you turn a deil yourself…” Scottish author James Hogg combines dark comedy with horror, extremist religion with antiquated, yet […]
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 […]
Whose version of events are readers supposed to trust in James Hogg’s novel, The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner? The first version of the story is written by an anonymous editor in “The Editor’s Narrative,” and as our class discussed, it seems evident that the story may be skewed as a result […]
In prior books we have read in class, and typical of the romance genre, it seems, the women are the ones who suffer a great deal at the hands of men. One such misfortune is adultery, another is society forcing them into rotten marriages. Mr. Rochester is an interesting contrast to these sufferings as he […]
Through the whole novel I think it is an up and down between whether we would see the book having a happy ending for its characters or not. In the beginning we have many hardships that happen such as Bingley leaving Netherfield never to return as well as Lydia running away with Wickham. But as […]
When reading Pride & Prejudice in today’s day and age, it’s difficult to qualify any part of it as action. However, we need to not judge it as a contemporary novel, but rather as a novel being read in a contemporary society. If we do this, and judge the novel by the time period in […]
Jane Austen writes Pride and Prejudice through a mostly third-person omniscient point of view, which is a mode of narration that provides a trustworthy and sound platform for readers when discussing issues of love, social and economic statuses, and reputation. We absorb and believe the characters’ stories as truth (not regarding genre). Yet, here and […]
As a novel, Pride and Prejudice is one that I’m sure all of us have encountered in some medium before this class. This is due to its popularity with both film producers and High School syllabi creators, which is important because it is a novel which informs American society about the economics of society and marriage in general in British […]
The written word is extremely powerful in our society. Anne-Laure Fayard and Anca Metiu examine the power of writing in their book entitled The Power of Writing in Organizations: From Letters to Online Interactions. In this book, Fayard and Metiu express the belief that different “mechanisms” in writing “give writing its power” (Weeks 451). In […]
For those of us who have read Pride and Prejudice, we understand the distinct personality traits of our amiable Mr. Darcy, taking special note of those initial acts of indifference towards Elizabeth. But as the novel progresses, and as Darcy’s and Lizzy’s relationship deepens, we come to understand the love, which had begun to grow […]
After reading Pride and Prejudice, all I could think was how Lizzie would be in today’s time. Every Bennet girl is different, each one possess a unique personality that distinguishes her as a character. Jane being the oldest, tends to be the more mature and sophisticated of the five girls. On the other hand, we […]
The final third of the novel relies heavily on epistolary fiction and overheard conversations to drive the novel and it seems as if too much is told and not enough is shown. The problems of all the characters are neatly resolved and rarely does one see somebody personally reacting to his or her life with […]
When I was first introduced to Elizabeth Bennet I knew that while she was going to be the novel’s main character, she might also be Austen’s first relatable character. Lizzy from certain angles could be viewed as a modern day “rebel” who doesn’t want to accept the fast and hard rules of the time. […]
Pride and Prejudice focuses much on the obvious want of marriage for the Bennet sisters. The want of marriage is an uncontested theme but the structure around the intention for marriage is portrayed in many different ways. The comparisons of these intentions continue to contrast one another throughout the novel. There are marriages of love, […]
Marriage is not a foreign concept to the Bennet family, on the contrary, the Bennet daughters were considered eligible for marriage as soon as they reached their early teens. And yet, despite all four girls being constantly exposed to the same goals of Mrs. Bennet and internalizing the same ideas in their household, they don’t […]
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen centers first and foremost around marriage and the economy of marriage. While both Mr. and Mrs. Bennet want their daughters to get married they have completely different agenda’s for the marriages. This can be seen clearly at the end of the story when “Lizzy” talks to her father and […]
In Lady Catherine’s eyes, Mr. Darcy and Miss de Bourgh have been engaged to be married since their births. The cousins’ impending union has been arranged, or at least hoped for, by both of their mothers as a way to create an even stronger family alliance. With these wishes and hopes in mind, how is […]
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 […]
While reading the beginning of Pride and Prejudice I found the likability between characters very interesting. Right off the bat, we can see that Mr. Bennet is always rooting for Elizabeth, like when he tells his wife “…though I must throw in a good word for my little Lizzy” (5) when she is saying that […]
As we stated in class, the first interaction between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth is characteristic of very poor social skills on his part. The way he expresses himself around others, his blatant arrogance and judgmental critique of Elizabeth as “tolerable” all draw the reader to conclude that Mr. Darcy is a mystery, or an anomaly, […]
Pride and Prejudice is a novel often argued about as a piece being about economics and status. While there is truth to this, I wonder, why can’t this novel be about love? Why can’t it be a romance? At the time, and even to this day, marriage has economic undertones, and it always will. But […]
First impressions are undeniably important. The importance of first impressions is only increased in the novel Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen, as social interactions in this novel are matters of heavy consequence, especially for women during this time. Unfortunately, first impressions do not always work in the favor of people during social interactions because many […]
I know that I’m not the only one who has witnessed the many incarnations of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Speaking from experiencing the variety of media portrayals of Elizabeth Bennet’s story of developing love with Mr. Darcy, I can see the indirect address that alludes to the reluctant relationship that later ensues between them. […]
Mapping and visualizing The String of Pearls demonstrates how well everything was set up for the criminal enterprise of Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett. The River Thames brings in rich but ignorant victims for Sweeney Todd to kill and rob and give to Mrs. Lovett for her pies. The location of the barber shop and […]
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 […]
Most of us have either read, seen or know what Jane Austen’s delightful novel, Pride and Prejudice is about. In Austen’s novels, dancing occurs throughout, and in Pride and Prejudice’s case the scenes in which dancing takes place mirrors the relationship between the two partners. During the era this was written, the person you danced with the […]
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen outlines the many structures within society, family, and courtship. There is much to be said about its detail in how ladies should act in public, at home, or in a relationship. There is special emphasis on the idea of pride and vanity. It seems these are both are important […]
Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice often features the helplessness of women in society. And by that I mean that their safety and future success is only tied to marrying a husband who will be able to provide for her and her family. Mr. Darcy has a long laundry list of expectations for a woman to possess […]
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. This opening line of Pride and Prejudice is important in addressing the opinion of the narrator and identifying the social conventions that make up this time and place. It implies that women […]
Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice written in 1813 allows us to delve into the family dynamics of the Bennet Family. At first Mr. Bennet seems removed from his household which consists of only his wife and five daughters. This living situation alone would cause most men to create a “haven of male space”, better known […]
From morning until evening, Mrs. Bennet feels the full weight regarding the instability of her and her daughters’ futures. In Jane Austen’s novel, Pride and Prejudice, it’s Mrs. Bennet’s responsibility, and sole concern, to ensure that her girls marry well. Her husband will eventually die, and the house they live in will fall into the […]
I remember reading a while ago an article about big name authors who had been originally rejected countless times from publishers; Rowling, King, and Faulkner, just to name a few. (More here) And while we know Austen did have a hard time originally publishing her works, some even having to be published after her death, […]
In Pride and Prejudice we meet various characters whom developed different types of love and thought us how love can take any form. We are shown Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty, and Lydia, also known as the Bennet sisters; each of them possess very different personalities. In the blog, I will focus on Jane, Elizabeth and […]
While reading the first part of the book I had many different thoughts on the idea of influence between characters. The main characters that are the influencers are John and Isabella Thorpe. Really the only person who gets influenced by these two is Catherine. She is constantly at battle between them and herself as to […]
Northanger Abbey was Jane Austen’s first written novel, but not the first one to be published. It was published by her brother after her death with her real name on the cover. The novel follows young Catherine Morland as she falls in love with Henry Tilney and on their ups and downs until they marry […]
The only thing more boring than the English people, the dullest ethnicity in history by a wide margin, is reading about them. I have no doubt that Jane Austen does a wonderful job describing a nauseatingly class-conscious group of strivers and marital money grubbers, but so what? Jane Austen positively glories in the dullness of […]
Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey, introduces to the public a very different character than what was seen in most novels at the time; even starting the novel off with the sentence that the main character was in no way thought to be portrayed as a heroine. Her actions and abilities are listed as neither […]
In my examination of Jane Austen’s “Northanger Abby” I came to the conclusion that while this novel is thematically a discussion and critique of novel-reading, an interesting perspective may be drawn from reading the actual text and observing the characters presented. Austen’s portrayal of what constitutes both the proper “female heroine” and what constitutes the […]
In Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey Catherine can be seen as a parody of a gothic heroine. She possesses some of the same qualities, she’s inquisitive, and child-like (youthful) in her nature at certain points. However, her differences to the formulaic structure of a gothic heroine far outweigh the similarities. Even though she questions her surroundings, […]
When it comes to figuring out the “rules of society,” Catherine Morland is completely dependent upon those around her. In Jane Austen’s novel, Northanger Abbey, there are many occasions and rituals that require sound judgment: riding in open carriages and dancing with men. Our heroine desperately wants to remain proper, and therefore, trusts in her […]
In the novel Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen, Austen gives a critique on the beauty standards that exist in society. Through her description of the appearance and actions of the characters, especially the female characters, Austen is able to point out the flaws that exist in beauty standards and highlight the negative effects on women […]
Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey centers on heroine Catherine’s perusal of Henry Tilney but there is a growing sub story with her female friendships. Austen makes it a point to emphasize the growing relationships between Catherine and Isabella Thorpe along with Miss Tilney. The quickness of the friendship that Catherine and Isabella develop is quite startling. […]
Throughout Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen, something that stood out to me was Catherine’s continuous cluelessness when it came to social matters with other people. For this reason, I frequently wondered throughout my reading whether she could be defined as a heroine or not. Frequently, other characters express surprise at Catherine’s lack of knowledge when […]
“You know I carry notions of friendship very high,” a quote from the protagonist’s best friend Isabella Thorpe in the novel, Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen (pg. 141). However, should Isabella really be considered an ally to Catherine Morland? In fact, could she be considered an antagonist in the novel? Isabella Thorpe is one of three […]
In Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey the first line of the story states, “No one who had ever seen Catherine Morland in her infancy, would have supposed her born to be a(n) heroine. Her situation in life, the character of her father and mother, her own person and disposition, were all equally against her”.(1) So […]
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 […]
What digital assignments does for literature, specifically Northanger Abbey. When Jane Austen wrote Northanger Abbey, I doubt she envisioned classrooms analyzing her words closely to hypothesize her motives, decisions, and outcomes. How is it that we are able to communicate so effectively in today’s time about great works of the past? Digital Humanities are one […]
As several other classmates have pointed out, the plot of the novel “The Female American” bears many similarities to Daniel Defoe’s “Robinson Crusoe”. The tropical island setting, the theme of being marooned on an island, and the foundation of a “colony” all bear similarities to Defoe’s text. However, in my opinion this novel approaches the […]
In The Female American by Unca Winkfield, we see female characters who assume dominant roles in over males that are contradictory to the patriarchal society that was predominant across the world. At the beginning of the book, Unca (the author) describes the love story between her mother and her father. Not only did Unca’s mother step […]
Unca Winfield is a pathological, liar who founds a colony for her own personal benefit. The fact that she is a protagonist who is both a woman and non-White gives excellent cover to her colonialist deceit. Readers who would be outraged by this conduct were it to come from a White man are encouraged to […]
The Female American by Unca Eliza Winkfield is considered to be the first female Robinsonade. The heroine, Unca Eliza, gets stranded on an island and with the advice of a hermit, whom spent almost forty years there, manages to survive. But unlike Robinson Crusoe, she is more open minded and at the same time, close […]
Robinson Crusoe of Daniel Defoe’s novel of the same name and Unca Eliza Winkfield of The Female American are both characters who put their faith in God and His providence. However, their respective views of what this providence means are vastly different. Crusoe, having passed through peril time and time again, sees this as a […]
Critical Race Theory, in the words of Richard Delgado and Jean Stefancic, is “a collection of activists and scholars interested in studying and transforming the relationship among race, racism, and power” (1). In society, stereotypes are often formed about groups of people in terms of race and culture. Unfortunately, these stereotypes are usually negative, and […]
Considering the fact that people come from separate regions of the world and have differing cultures and traditions it’s discouraging how when they come together they’re determined to find similarities with one another and are not accepting of each others’ values. The Female American is a great example of this kind of cultural assimilation in […]
The Female American by Unca Eliza Winkfield is surprising in its credibility. There is much that stirs the reader’s trust in the narrator. Unca is presented on the cover of the book as the author and as most people who pick up books have been conditioned to think, she is the author. A few pages […]
It can be debated that the spread of western culture through Imperialism was one of the greatest feats in the last few hundred years. The spread of western ideals, religion, and society transformed the world we know. But it also suffocated and extinguished many other cultures, which were subject to religious conversion and social upheaval. […]
The Female American is the “true” history of Unca Eliza Winkfield, and her life when she is marooned on an island by the captain after refusing to marry his son. A resounding similarity can be seen between The Female American and Robinson Crusoe since both have similar plots. However, can The Female American be considered a Robinsonade? Overall, The Female […]
The Female American, is said to be written by Unca Eliza Winkfield. This I find very interesting because through the three editions published, the facts in her preface change drastically. By saying in the first edition that she had gotten the manuscript from her father, we automatically can assume that Unca Eliza Winkfield is not […]
Does Unca Eliza Winkfield practice what she preaches? In the novel, The Female American, the protagonist Unca wants to convert the neighboring islanders to Christianity by stopping them from worshipping a false idol. When preparing to go and live among them, she dresses herself in gold and gemstones. Is it just me, or does she […]
The Robinsonade is a genre that began with the novel Robinson Crusoe, authored by Daniel Defoe. We have explored other books that are a part of this genre, such as Gulliver’s Island and The Female American. One very notable difference between The Female American and the other novels under this Robinsonade umbrella rests in the […]
“By keeping them ignorant of who I was, or how I came to them, I might preserve a superiority over them, sufficient to keep them in awe, and to excite their obedience: yet I determined to speak no untruth” –The Female American, 110 I wanted to focus on the relationship established with Unca and the […]
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, […]
What strikes me the most in The American Female by Unca Eliza Winkfield is it’s close similarity to Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe. I realize it is considered a Robinsonade, but I agree with the editors of our edition when they write of the similarities between Crusoe and Winkfield. I also consider it to be too […]
The Female American is a bonafied “Robinsonade” that portrays an independent woman, Unca Eliza Winkfield, capable of surviving, and thriving, in a new world. There are similarities that cannot be denied: the book is written in first person – the lone survivor of a dangerous situation; the narrator is lost on a seemingly deserted island; she […]
Since the publication of Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe in 1719, individuals have been replicating the story with the use of the novel’s epic plot. A castaway becomes stranded on a desert island and must find a way to survive the dangers he or she encounters. These dangers may be posed by the surrounding natural world, […]
The story of The Swiss Family Robinson is a classic Robinsonade that was written in 1975 as a short lived television series. A family of castaways must survive on an uncharted island in the Caribbean while experiencing a series of adventures and odd chances to escape. Compared to the classic character created by Daniel Defoe, […]
The Robinsonade is a genre of writing that deals with shipwrecked people on deserted islands and their emotional and physical struggles to survive. The first and most famous of this is Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe, which talked about an adventuring man Robinson and his island native companion, Friday, to create his own colony or kingdom. […]
The manuscript I chose was the final cut, or shooting final, of the episode “Neptune’s Nephew” from the television series The Swiss Family Robinson. The episode was written by Joseph Bonaduce, accepted on August 5, 1975 and its genre would be script. This episode forms part of the first season and it is number seven; […]
Nature is a dangerous place full of threats to the safety and well-being of those who aimlessly explore its unknown areas. However, through ingenuity and perseverance, survival can be achieved despite the threat of the unknown. For my Robinsonade analysis, I chose the manuscript titled “The Pit” which is in the shooting final stage of […]
“Neptune’s Nephew:” Robinsonades and the Struggle for Power The second draft of the script entitled “Neptune’s Nephew,” written for the show Swiss Family Robinson, is both similar to and different from the typical Robinsonade and the novel Robinson Crusoe itself. Though the script has similar themes to Robinson Crusoe, including human conquest and power, it […]
My research in the University Archives started when I chose the manuscript entitled “The Pit.” It was the first draft of the script to The Swiss Family Robinson series, originally submitted on June 2nd 1975 and later released on television in October of that same year. The content was as much as you would expect […]
I recently had the opportunity to view a Robinsonade from an American television series that aired and ended in the 1970’s titled The Swiss Family Robinson. Sy Salkowitz, the producer, gave his scripts and papers to the University of Wisconsin, Madison who graciously lent the scripts and papers to the Archives at the University of Wisconsin, Green […]
The idea is to capture the general ideas of Defoe’s novel and combine them in a way that stays similar to the classic work. In the Robinson Crusoe novel, we see a man displaced from all civilization on an island, where he remains and somewhat thrives for nearly thirty years. Throughout the book we see […]
A Robinsonade is any story, novel, and/or video that imitates the plot of Daniel Defoe’s novel, Robinson Crusoe. Considering the vast amount of novels and films out there, it is not surprising that we have seen similar themes from the novel represented in different mediums. The Swiss Family Robinson, is one of the mediums that holds several similarities to […]
Shipwrecked and forced to live on a deserted island. Enslaving men for personal gains. Facing moral dilemmas that involve saving others’ lives. The idea of providence. All of these motifs exist in both Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe and Sy Salkowitz’s The Swiss Family Robinson. While there seem to be many liberties taken with Defoe’s original […]
I was lucky enough to be part of a research project looking at Robinsonades based on modern television series’, as modern as the 1970’s were that is. Due to Sy Salkowitz’s generous donation of his scripts for the ABC television series The Swiss Family Robinson 1975-76 to the Wisconsin Center for Theatre Research at the […]
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 […]
The Swiss Family Robinson, signed by Sal Salkowitz, received May 29, 1975 #6820 Box 83 Folder 8 Good triumphing over evil. Right versus wrong. Americans tend to have strong opinions on ethical and moral dilemmas. Stories like Robinson Crusoe are popular because of their adventure and made into movies each year. Television series in […]
The Robinsonade genre is one that has taken off due to the novel Robinson Crusoe, authored by Daniel Defoe. In the American television series The Swiss Family Robinson (1975), there are visible elements of this tradition, along with others that have been changed. Preceding this American series was a Robinsonade novel of the same name, […]