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‘Fiction is the lie through which we tell the truth’ - Albert Camus
This section explores various texts - from plays, to fiction, to poetry - and analyses their themes, literary devices, and motifs to present the polysemic nature of texts and deepen your understanding of each text.
Neutral Tones - Thomas Hardy
Disgrace - Carol Ann Duffy
How are the complexities of a breakup portrayed in ‘Neutral Tones’ and ‘Disgrace’?
Through metre, form, rhyme, and language Hardy and Duffy present the harsh complexities of the breaking of a relationship. Writing in different epochs - Hardy, Victorian; Duffy, postmodern - comparisons can be drawn between customs and conventions.
To the Lighthouse - Virginia Woolf
How do the internal and external worlds combine in Virginia Woolf’s To The Lighthouse?
A story told through “fifty pairs of eyes”, To the Lighthouse explores the equivocal nature of existence and the polysemic nature of meaning - in life and in literature. Arranged in there sections, the novel follows various members of the Ramsey family during visits to their summer residence on the Isle of Skye in Scotland.
Dover Beach - Matthew Arnold
How does Arnold’s ‘Dover Beach’ reflect transformation?
Through the use of natural imagery and classical references, Arnold highlights the existential crisis that occurs when one learns of new information that does not fit with a previous set of beliefs. It addresses the decline of religious faith in the modern world and offers the fidelity of affection as its successor.
Ode on a Grecian Urn - John Keats
How does Keats focus on human relations in ‘Ode on a Grecian Urn’?
Examining the close relationship between art, beauty, and truth, Keats reveals how the vibrancy of humanity can be frozen in time, eternally alive through the beauty of art, keeping life “forever young”. The lovers are always in love, and the trees never loose their leaves, yet Keats shows the reader that eternal life is not what it seems.
White Nights - Fyodor Dostoevsky
‘White Nights primarily focuses on isolation and the yearning for human connection.’ How far do you agree with this statement?
This short story follows a young man in St. Petersburg fighting his inner restlessness. It explores the despair and guilt of unrequited love with a light narrative. The protagonists are initially brought together by their shared sense of alienation. It appeals gently to the feelings and senses as it blends realism and romanticism.
Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
Obsession, Perversity, and Art.
Set against the post-World War II American landscape, Lolita explores themes of language, alienation, and the consequences of unchecked desire. The setting is significant, as Nabokov's portrayal of suburban America becomes a backdrop for Humbert's startling thoughts and actions.
Dubliners - James Joyce
Albert Camus wrote, “Unless we choose to ignore reality, we must find our values in it.” What values does Joyce
espouse in Dubliners?
Dubliners is a collection of short fiction stories published in 1914. All of the stories are set in or around Dublin, Ireland, and addresses the conflicts of interpersonal relationships, religious tension, and political concerns of the time. This essay pays particular attention to ‘A Painful Case’, ‘Eveline’, ‘A Little Cloud’, and ‘Grace’.
Howards End - E.M. Forster
How is the theme of connection portrayed in Howards End?
‘Only connect the prose and the passion, and both will be exalted, and human love will be seen at its highest. Live in fragments no longer. Only connect!’ Written at the turn of the century in England, the novel concerns class relations, connecting and bridging those class relations even as they exist within the middle class.
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