Pamela; or the Virtue Rewarded

 Name :- Himanshi Parmar

Paper :- 102, Literature of the neo - classical period.

Roll number :- 08

Enrollment number :- 4069206420210025

Email id :- himanshiparmar3004@gmail.com

Batch :- 2021 - 23 (M. A. Sem 1)

Submitted to :- S. B. Gardi, Department of English, Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University.

                                                      

 Introduction :-

   Pamela; or Virtue rewarded is an epistolary novel first published in 1740, by English writer Samuel Richardson. It is also known as the first true english novel. The novel reflects the idea of Richardson, about marriage, Class differences, and the condition of females of his time. If we see the full title, 'Pamela; Or the Virtue Rewarded', it simply indicates, that in the second part of the novel Pamela marries Mr. B and tries to acclimatise to her new position in upper - class society.

   Here we find that Richardson wants to give a happy ending to the novel. And give a happy, worthy life to his female protagonist. Which we find by the letters written by Pamela. 

                                     

  Plot overview of Pamela :-

      Pamela is a fifteen-year-old maidservant in Bedfordshire. She is innocent and virtuous. She serves Lady B, who is kind to her. Unfortunately, Lady B has just passed away. Pamela is nervous about her work situation, as she does not come from money. Lady B’s son, Mr. B, promises to keep her and all the other servants employed.

    Mr. B begins making advances towards Pamela. At first, they are just verbal, as she reports to her parents. She promises she will do everything to preserve her virtue. Her parents agree with her, but advise her if Mr. B ever makes physical advances towards her she should return home, despite their impoverishment. Soon thereafter, Mr. B makes a physical advancement towards Pamela, which she rebuffs. He attempts to pay her to keep her quiet, but she refuses and tells her friend the housekeeper, Mrs. Jervis.

   Mr. B continues to make advances towards Pamela, including trying to kiss her while she undresses for the evening after hiding in her closet. She faints, which dissuades Mr. B from continuing. Pamela threatens to return home to her parents. Mr. B is against this and thwarts her return. He offers Pamela more money, then marries a Lincolnshire clergyman named Mr. Williams. She refuses and packs her bags to return home. Mr. B tricks Pamela and sends her to his estate in Lincolnshire. He also writes to her parents telling them he has sent her away to preserve her virtue, as she has had an affair with a penurious clergyman. Pamela’s father does not believe him and attempts to retrieve her at the Bedfordshire estate, but she is not there.

    Pamela begins a journal in Lincolnshire, hoping one day her parents will read it and understand. She is virtually a captive there, under the watch of Mrs. Jewkes, the spiteful housekeeper. Mr. B writes to Pamela and invites her to be his mistress. She refuses. Pamela begins to plan her escape and enlists the help of Mr. Williams. They exchange letters, leaving them next to the sunflower in the garden. Mr. Williams tries his best to help her, even asking the local gentry for assistance. They refuse due to Mr. B’s social standing, advising Mr. Williams to marry Pamela.

      Mr. Williams asks Pamela to marry him to help her escape, but she refuses. Pamela is concerned when Mr. Williams is robbed, wondering if Mr. B set the robbery up to steal her letters. She is determined to escape but gives up on this idea when she is hurt during her attempt.

    Mr. B soon arrives at Lincolnshire. He again asks Pamela to be his mistress and she refuses. Mr. B and Mr. Jewkes come up with a plan for Mr. B to finally seduce Pamela. He dresses up as a female servant named Nan and pretends to be drunk. As Nan, he sneaks into Pamela’s bed. When Pamela realises what is happening, she has a violent fit, similar to a seizure.

    After Pamela’s fit, Mr. B’s demeanour changes. He seems regretful in his actions, but continues to pursue her, albeit without force. Pamela begs him to stop his advances. He admits that he loves Pamela, but feels he is unable to marry her due to the social gap. Pamela is shocked, but somewhat stirred by his confession. She hopes he means what he says. Mr. B leaves his estate for a few days. While he is gone, Pamela is stopped by a fortune teller who says Mr. B is trying to force her into a sham marriage. She rethinks her burgeoning affection for Mr. B.

    When Mr. B returns, Mrs. Jewkes gives him some of Pamela’s recent writings. After reading them, his affection for Pamela only grows. He feels guilty for the way he has treated her and promises to make things right by marrying her. Pamela is still suspicious of him and denies him, asking to return home. Mr. B is upset and angry, but allows Pamela to go home. Pamela feels strangely sad.

    On her way home, she receives a letter from Mr. B, imploring her to return and marry him. He speaks of reform and changing his ways, and Pamela, believing him, decides to return. On her return, they wonder how the gentry will react to their marriage, and Pamela tells Mr. B why she was wary of his proposal. He admits he thought of luring her into a sham marriage, but changed his mind.

The gentry accept Pamela easily, due to her charm. Her father comes looking for her, worried that she is now a mistress, but is happy and excited to see her engaged and content. Mr. B and Pamela are soon married. Pamela then has a hostile interaction with Mr. B’s sister, Lady Davers where she effectively holds Pamela hostage, disparaging her social status. Lady Davers forces Mr. B to confess to a dalliance he had as a young man. Pamela learns there was a child produced from this dalliance named Miss Goodwin. He introduces Pamela to Miss Goodwin, who believes Mr. B is her uncle. Miss Goodwin’s mother is happily married in Jamaica.

    Mr. B sets up Pamela’s parents to look after Mr. B’s estate in Kent. Lady Davers ultimately accepts Pamela. Pamela has many children with Mr. B and visits with her family often. She is happy and takes Miss Goodwin under her wing, ensuring that she becomes as pious as Pamela.

 About the author :-

     Pamela was Written by Samuel Richardson, it is widely regarded as one of the earliest novels in the English language. The author himself was one of the greatest ones in the 18th Century. The novel is also arguably the first novel to introduce Epistolary as a style of fiction writing. Let me first discuss the author in brief. And then about Pamela as an epistolary novel.

    Samuel Richardson was born on 19th August 1689, in Mackworth, Derbyshire, England. Along with Henry Fielding, Tobias Smollett, and Lawrence Stern, Richardson was one of the best authors of the 18th Century. It was an era that revolutionised the art of storytelling and introduced various genres and styles of writing. Richardson was an established printer and publisher and printed almost 500 different works in his lifetime. These include novels, journals, magazines, and more. His notable works, Pamela, Clarissa, and, The History of Sir Charles Grandison, are the epitome of Epistolary novels.

     Richardson got his education at Christ’s Hospital grammar school. However, from an early age, he confessed that he had a penchant for letter writing. In fact, Richardson himself admitted that helping people in his community write letters of correspondence for various purposes was one of his most favourite things to do.

     Unlike his contemporaries, Richardson did not belong to the higher class of clergy or nobles. Instead, he came from the working-class, and this was quite apparent in his writing. He was aware of the social evils present in the society, like class discrimination, and the exploitation of the underprivileged at the hands of those belonging to the upper class. In his novels, Richardson tries to depict the problems, and usually provides solutions to them, an approach that was quite unique during the period. Samuel Richardson passed away on 04th July 1761, in London, England.

          

What is epistolary novel :-

      The epistolary novel is a unique storytelling method that blends a nonfiction medium with a fictional narrative.Or in another words,

    'In an epistolary novel, the story is told through the form of love letters, diary entries, newspaper clippings, telegrams, or other documents'.

A modern novel in the epistolary form may include electronic documents such as emails or text messages.Epistolary fiction may be monologic in which the story is told exclusively through journal entries or letters of the main character, thus representing their point of view. Epistolary writing may also be dialogic or polylogic consisting of a series of letters or other correspondence between two or more characters, in which multiple points of view are represented through an array of documents.

 Pamela as an epistolary novel :-

     The novel is divided into seven volumes of letters of conversations. Pamela had with her parents, and others. That's why we are able to consider Pamela as a marvellous epistolary novel. And also it is considered the first original English language novel, which was written in this style of writing.

   In her initial letters written to her parents, she describes her state working for the mistress, the knight’s mother, and describes that she is quite happy. When the mistress passes away, Pamela shows her concerns in the subsequent letters, as she would have to go back to her parent’s village and live the life in poverty again. And when the knight informs the servants that wouldn’t terminate any of them, she expresses her joy and relief.

     As the story progresses, her letters become more and more intense. With each letter, one comes to know more and more about the characters, especially Pamela. Her feelings, her dilemma, her desire for a financially stable life, her determination to protect her modesty, etc, all her feelings grip reader, and being letters it comes straight out of the horse’s mouth.The novel also shows multiple conversations Pamela has, like with her parents, and with the man in the unknown town. In fact, with the latter, Pamela exchanged letters by hiding them in sunflower fields, as the meeting wasn’t a possibility. Each conversation gives an insight into her character from a different perspective, which is essentially an important characteristic of an epistolary novel.

     Even when Pamela suffers through her worst times in the unknown town, she continues to write the letters to her parents, though they never reach them. Somewhere deep inside, by the end of the novel, one realises the hidden desire she had for the knight, and the only thing that kept her from submitting to his demands was her wish to become a wife rather than a mistress. Subtly hidden throughout the letters, her desire to break from the lower class, and rise up to the higher ones was always there, though not intentionally. The length of the text is too large, and the premise of the story too common and predictable. However, that’s my analysis from a 21st Century perspective. Back in the day, Pamela was ground-breaking stylistically. It paved the way for a number of epistolary novels that followed, and continue to do so even today.

                                                  Conclusion :-

Here i discussed about the marvellous epistolary novel by Samuel Richardson. Which is devided into seven volumes of letters of conversion by pamela. And the plot is most interestingly portrayed by Richardson.

Words :- 1934

Paragraphs :- 8

References :-

1 - Masterclass.com

2 - Bombayreads.com

3 - Suppersummary.com

Assignment- Paper 101 (Semester- 1) Shakespearean Tragedy .

Name :- Himanshi Parmar

Paper :- 101,  Literature of the Elizabethan and Restoration period.

Roll number :- 08

Enrollment number :- 4069206420210025

Email id :-  himanshiparmar3004@gmail.com

Batch :- 2021 - 23 (M. A. Sem 1)

Submitted to :- S. B. Gardi, Department of English, Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University.

What is tragedy?

Word tragedy was derived from the Greek word,tragoidia,it means 'the song of the goat'. which is refers to ancient rituals, sacrifice of goat,which is associated with Dionysus,The ancient  Greek God.

According to Oxford Dictionary,

"Tragedy is an event causing great sadness,or suffering." Or we can say.

"Tragedy is a serious play with an unhappy ending."

   This is the general meaning of Tragedy,now let me discuss Shakespeare Tragedy.

  What is a Shakespearean tragedy?

       "Shakespearean tragedy is a play,which was written by Shakespeare himself,and  in his own different style."

         "Shakespearean tragedy is a play written by other authors,but is in the style of shakespeare." 

    Shakespear wrote 10 tragedies during his lifetime..

(1)Titus andronicus

(2)Romeo and Juliet

(3)king Lear

(4)Hemlet

(5)Othello 

(6)Julius caesar

(7)Macbeth

(8)antony and Cleopatra

(9)coriolanus 

(10)Timon of athens

        All these tragedies have a hero or we can say protagonist that must overcome external and internal obstacles and the end of all heroes are quite tragic, and miserable Shakespearean tragedy is a very different form of writing tragedies.

        This are the most important elements of shakespearean tragedy which are known as characteristics of shakespearean tragedy.

(1)THE TRAGIC HERO 

            

          A tragic hero is one of the important figures of Shakespearean tragedy. Mainly this kind of tragedy revolves around one person. Or we can say protagonist. The person or protagonist is either male or female, and he or she must suffer because of their cruel fate. Some flow their own or other characters. The hero is someone who is the most tragic person in the play. According to Andrew Cecil Bradley, notable 20th century Shakespeare scholar,Shakespearean tragedy is "essentially a tale of suffering and calamity conducting to death".

      Mainly the hero died in such kind of play. Also the hero or heroine of the play's is towering personality in state /kingdom/ Country, and holds the high position. May be such kind of figures are kings, princess, military, generals, and others. If we analyse Macbeth, we find he is a general or kingsman. Who later on became king. Also Hamlet, prince of Denmark, highly educated, sociable, charming and philosophic bent. At the end meet his own tragic end. So the heroes of Shakespearean tragedy, we always found unfortunate and most tragic personality among others.

(2)  STRUGGLE BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL

Shakespearean tragedies always struggle between good and evil. Mostly the supremacy of evil. Suppress the good. Evil characters are always introduced as having the most solid personality and necessary existence. As Edward Dowden, poet of light century and Literary critic of the same age, noted that,

"Tragedy as conceived by Shakespeare is concerned with the ruin or restoration of the soul and of the life of man. In other words, it's subject is the struggle of good and evil in the world".

   The main character turns to evil at last and suffers terribly, and fails due to his fatal flaw. This we see in Macbeth also, as in starting he is shown as a good character and then turned into the evil. In between, we found him suffering from his own mental confusion, and conflicting mental States.

(3) HAMARTIA 

   We found the word complex because hamartia is a greek word,used for 'sin' or 'error',which derives from the verb hamatanein,it means 'to ear' or ''to miss the mark". In Shakespearean tragedy this word is used for tragic flaw. If we analyse Shakespearean tragedy, we must find that every hero fell, or died just because of his or her own tragic flaw, or we are also able to say that they have a strong deed Indeed and that's why they always met a tragic end at last. Sometimes they fall from high positions or sometimes fate leads them towards death. one good example of Hamartia we found in Macbeth where at last Macbeth died because of his extreme greed and fat also Lady Macbeth soon died.

(4) Conflict 

     There are two types of conflict in the Shakespearean tragedy.

1 external conflict

2 internal conflict

1 - External conflict:

    This type of conflict causes a mess in the mind of a tragic Hero. in a Shakespearean play every Shakespearean hero Suffered by the external conflicts.Hamlet we see,he wants to kill his uncle,Claudius as a revenge but because of his tight and effective security. Hamlet isn't able to translate his idea into action.

2 - Internal Conflict:

In Shakespearean tragedy,internal conflicts are reflected as an inner confusion in the mind of the hero. Internal conflict is mainly responsible for the hero's fall,along with fate or destiny. The tragic Hero can not make a decision,which will come out as his failure. Macbeth is a perfect example: somehow,he wants to kill the king, but somewhere, he was confused about his work. Similarly, Hamlet wanted to kill his uncle but felt inner conflict, ''Do, or not to Do'' which at the end led him towards his death.

(5)CATHARSIS 

       This is a remarkable feature of Shakespearean tragedy. mainly the work of catharsis is to help the audience to release their emotions by tragedy. For example, if we watch any play, we connect the character personally. and that gives us some opportunity to feel pity for a certain character and fear for another. when a villain is working against the hero,we feel disgust for him and when hero like Macbeth, Hamlet and Othello died,  we feel sorry for them and the same time we also feel happy that finally they received their punishment.

(6) SUPERNATURAL ELEMENTS 

    Supernatural Elements are always in the middle of Shakespearean tragedy. In the play they create a kind of atmosphere of wonder,fear,awe  etc. They generally used to advance the story and drive the plot, As we see in Macbeth. The three witches by their progressive lead the play ahead. Similarly in Hamlet,the ghost of king Hamlet leads the play.

(7)COMIC ELEMENTS 

      Shakespeare used comic scenes in his play. He didn't follow the footsteps of his classical predecessors..while writing tragedies, Greek and Roman writers didn’t use comic relief. But Shakespeare wanted to relieve the tension for the reader and lighten up the mood here and there. A few examples of comic relief scenes include the gravedigger scene in Hamlet, the drunken porter scene in Macbeth, the fool is smarter than the king dialogue in King Lear.

                                               Conclusion :-

Thus to conclude, we can able to say that, Shakespearean tragedy is fully different tragedy, introduced by William Shakespeare. He broke down all the stage rules and tried to write something which no one else wrote. And this came out as a Shakespearean tragedy. Most popular form and still playwrights used to write in this widely.

Words:- 1183

References :-

https://owlcation.com/humanities/Shakespearean-Tragedy-Definition-and-Characteristics-of-Shakespearean-Tragedy

https://www.bl.uk/shakespeare/articles/an-introduction-to-shakespearean-tragedy

Break Break Break by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.

Hello, i am Himanshi Parmar, as a part of Thinking activity task, here i write a blog about one of the famous poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson, titled as a Break, Break, Break.

Break, Break, Break, is a poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson. Written in 1835 and published in 1842. In the poem Break, Break, Break, Tennyson includes the themes of death, the power of nature, and change. The poem divided into four stanza. And each stanza has four lines. Let us firstly discuss about poet Tennyson and later on about the poem.

About Poet :-

Full name of the Tennyson is Alfred lord Tennyson. Was an English poet. He was the poet laureate during queen victoria's reign and remain as a most popular poet among British poet. He hold the laureateship for 42 years. He was born 6 August 1809 in united Kingdom. And died at 6 October 1892, in Lurgashall, United Kingdom, in 1829. He was awarded the chancellor's gold medal at Cambridge for one of his first piece, 'Timbuktu'. He wrote so many poems like, "the charse of the light Bridge", "Tears, idle Tears", "crossing the Bar", etc. He also wrote some notable blank verse including, "Idylls of the king", "Ulysses", and "Tithonus". He also try to write drama, but it can not earn much success. But his blank verse and phrases have became commonplace in English language. Now let me disccuss about one of his work named Break, Break, Break.

Poem Break, Break, Break :-

"Break, Break, Break" is a poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson written during early 1835 and published in 1842. The poem is an elegy that describes Tennyson's feelings of loss after Arthur Henry Hallam died and his feelings of isolation while at Mablethorpe, Lincolnshire.

Full poem :-

Break, break, break,

   On thy cold gray stones, O Sea!

And I would that my tongue could utter

The thoughts that arise in me.

O, well for the fisherman's boy,

         That he shouts with his sister at play!

O, well for the sailor lad,

         That he sings in his boat on the bay!

And the stately ships go on

         To their haven under the hill;

But O for the touch of a vanish'd hand,

         And the sound of a voice that is still!

Break, break, break

         At the foot of thy crags, O Sea!

But the tender grace of a day that is dead

         Will never come back to me.

-Lord Alfred Tennyson

Summary of the poem :-

Stanza -1

The first stanza of the poem Break, Break, Break, by Alfred Lord Tennyson presents the picture of the poet sitting near his friend's grave on the sea-beach as he says “Break Break, Break, On thy cold gray stones, O Sea! And I would that my tongue could utter The thoughts that arise in me”.

He is full of grief at the death of his friend, Arthur Hallam. He observes the waves striking. against the rocks. The poet sees the sea-waves rising, advancing and striking against the rocks. The rock-bound sea-beach is hard and would not melt in response. The poet feels that just as the sea is unable to express its sorrow, he himself is unable to do so. His sorrow is too deep for words. It is overwhelming, and in spite of his desire to give vent to it, he feels tongue-tied. The thoughts, which rise in the poet's heart, cannot find expression in words. Here we note a contrast between the waves which rise and strike against the rocks, and the poet's thoughts which arise and remain unexpressed. In these four lines, Tennyson reflects on the connection between the sea and himself. The sea breaks up on rocks much as the poet's thoughts seem to break up on his tongue before he can explain how he feels. This connection between the sea and the poet is reinforced by the fact that "Sea" rhymes with "me." In addition, the two lines about the sea and the two lines about the poet have the same three-beat rhythm. Tennyson could have directly stated how he felt by writing something like: "I wish I could tell you how rotten I feel today." By using poetry, however, Tennyson helped his readers both understand and feel how he felt.

Stanza 2 :-

 O well …… on the bay! The idea is that there may be gloom in life the world at large, and specially the community of children is not seized with gloom. The merry-go-round of humanity continues uninterrupted. The grief of the poet becomes all the more poignant at the sight of cheerfulness of the fisherman's boy.

Stanza 3 :-

 And the stately ship that is still! The poet imagines to be on the sea-shore near the spot where his dead dear friend lies buried. He observes that the life in the place is going on as usual. The fisherman's children and the sailor's boy are in a playful and pleasant mood. The ships coming from abroad are proceeding to their harbour below the hill to rest and pack themselves for further voyage. Thus, the trend of worldly life shows no signs of slackness or sadness. Only the poet is sad because his bosom-friend, Arthur Hallam, is dead, and the poet is deprived of his company and mutual conversation for good.

Stanza 4 :-

 Break, break, break come back to me. These lines constitute the fourth stanza of the poem "Break, Break, Break", by Lord Tennyson. The poet is lamenting the death of his friend Arthur Hallam. He is standing near the spot of his friend's burial on the sea-shore. Seeing the waves of the sea beating against the rocks the poet feels that the sea might express its grief by lashing the coastal stones, but he himself would never enjoy the tender beauty of the days when his friend was alive.

Structure of Break, Break, Break :-

‘Break, Break, Break’ by Alfred Lord Tennyson is a four stanza poem that is separated into sets of four lines, known as quatrains. These quatrains do not follow a strict rhyme scheme but there are some good examples of perfect rhymes, such as “Sea” and “me” in stanza one. In regards to the meter, there are various patterns that change throughout the poem. There are many instances of trimeter, although the stresses change locations, there are other lines with more or fewer syllables. 

Analysis of the poem :-

Stanza One - 

Break, break, break,

On thy cold gray stones, O Sea!

And I would that my tongue could utter

The thoughts that arise in me.

In the first stanza of ‘Break, Break, Break’ the speaker begins by talking directly to the waves. This is a technique known as anaphora. He speaks to them although they are unable to respond. The speaker directs them to continue breaking powerfully against the “cold gray stones” of the shore. They hold a gloomy power that speaks to his emotional state at that time. He wishes, in lines three and four, that he could get his tongue to “utter / The thoughts” that are haunting him. He has thus far been unable to express his emotional state. It is too complex, or perhaps too dark, for him to find the words. 

Stanza Two -

O, well for the fisherman’s boy,

That he shouts with his sister at play!

O, well for the sailor lad,

That he sings in his boat on the bay!

In the second stanza, there is a good example of anaphora with the repetition of “O, well for the” at the start of linesmen and three. This phrase introduces the two different experiences that he sees around him. The “fisherman’s boy,” his “sister” and the “sailor lad” are all experiencing the sea differently than he is. These are good examples of juxtaposition, especially the young man who is singing “on the bay”. He’s finding joy in his life and the ability to express his emotions.

Stanza Three -

And the stately ships go on

To their haven under the hill;

But O for the touch of a vanish’d hand,

And the sound of a voice that is still!

In the third stanza of ‘Break, Break, Break,’ the speaker takes note of “stately ships” that are sailing off into the distance. They too are living differently than he is. He hopes that they are going to a new land, somewhere sorrow can’t touch. But, the lovely sight of the ships doesn’t keep the speaker’s mind occupied for long. He is quickly brought back to the experiencing of touching a “vanish’d hand”. Tennyson might have been thinking of the hand of Arthur Hallam, his deceased friend. The voice that is now lost also comes to his mind. It appears that no matter what the speaker does, he can’t escape the memories of the person he lost.

Stanza Four -

Break, break, break

At the foot of thy crags, O Sea!

But the tender grace of a day that is dead

Will never come back to me.

The fourths stanza begins with the repetition of the line “Break, break, break” which began the poem. He tells the waves again to break against the shore at the “foot of thy crags”. Tennyson used an exclamation point at the end of line two in order to emphasize his, or his speaker’s, passion.

Here i share one YouTube video of poem, sung very beautifully in the video.

Words :- 1288

Paragraphs :- 12

Images :- 2

Videos :- 1

References :-

1) Wikipedia.com

2) poetryfoundation.com

3) poemanalysis.com

The Importance of being Earnest by Oscar Wilde.

Hello, i am Himanshi Parmar. Here i write a blog on The importance of Being Earnest, by Oscar Wilde. Which was given to us as a thinking activity task for paper number - 4, Literature of the Victorians. Unit number - 2. Here i discussed about few of the questions and summary of the play.

The importance of being Earnest, A trivial comedy for serious people, was written by Oscar Wild. Was first published in 1898. The play was first performed on 14 February 1895. At the st. James's theatre in London. It is a farcical comedy in which the protagonist maintain fictitious personae to escape burdensome social obligations. The play set in London, and an estate in Hertfordshire. It is a comedy of identity and self-invention. It is a satire on the hollowness of Victorian society and has the themes of homosexual relationships. It was thought to be Wilde’s most original work, however, it has been borrowed from most of the other plays. Let me briefly discuss about the summary of the play.

Summary of the play :-

Act 1 -

Algernon Moncrieff (Algy) is seen waiting for his aunt Lady Bracknell and cousin Gwendolen Fairfax (her daughter). His servant comes and both talk about marriage and drink. Meanwhile, his friend ‘Ernest’ arrives.

  Algy comes to know that Jack has come from the country to propose Gwendolen whom he is in love with. Algy doesn’t like this idea. He doubts Jack’s identity and inquires about the inscription on his cigarette case that calls him ‘Uncle Jack’ which was given to him by Cecily (who is no other but Ernest’s ward).Ernest finally confesses that his real name is Jack and he is the guardian of Cecily. He visits London to meet his pretend brother Ernest and while in London he assumes the name of Ernest (a high-class name) as Gwendolen desires that the name of his lover should be ‘Ernest’.

Hearing this, Algy confesses that he also has created pretend friend in the countryside namely Mr. Bunbury (it refers to homosexuality) whom he often visits. He does this in order to search for Cecily whose love letters he often got (as well as the cigarette pack). 

Jack at once recognizes that the girl sending him letters is no other but his ward and Algy has fallen in love with him. Thus he tries to hide his address from Algy. Algy’s aunt and cousin arrive. Jack introduces himself as Ernest before Gwendolen and the latter exclaims, ‘my idea has always been to love someone of the name of Ernest’ and agrees to marry him. Lady Bracknell seeing her daughter and Ernest together orders Gwendolen to go-outs and starts asking questions to Jack. Upon knowing that he was adopted by Mr. Thomas Cardew (Cecily’s grand-father) after being found in a handbag at Victoria Station, she rejects his proposal and advice him to rather adopt some parents of high class.

In spite of knowing the fact, Gwendolen loves Jack. Jack gives her his address. Algy who has been secretly listening to them notes down his address. 

Act 2 -

Act II opens in the countryside. Cecily is seen watering plants. Miss Prism forces her to read books but Cecily tells that she hates reading books. Dr. Chusable, a local Vicar who is in love with Miss Prism enters. Both exchange love glances and then leave. While Cecily is alone, Algy arrives and introduces himself as Ernest, Jack’s wicked brother. As Cecily always longed for Ernest, she falls in love with him.

Jack who was supposed to return by Monday comes back the same day with fake news that his brother Ernest died. He is shocked to know that Algy has come to meet Cecily assuming himself as Ernest. He tries to get rid of Algy but the latter refuses to go back.While both are engaged in an argument, Gwendolen arrives and befriends Cecily. However both the ladies start quarrelling as both of them love Ernest, each claiming that Ernest belongs to her. Meanwhile, Algy and Jack arrive and get exposed. Both justify their relation and abuse other’s affair. An argument begins as who will be Christened as Ernest.

Act 3 -

Gwendolen and Cecily remain emotionless before Jack and Algy. After a short argument, both couples lock in an embrace. Lady Bracknell enters. She doesn’t approve the marriage proposal of Jack and prepares to leave.

Jack tells her about the status and fortune of Cecily. Lady Bracknell at once expresses her desire to marry Cecily to Algy. However, Jack as the legal guardian rejects her proposal and declares that he will give his consent only when she approves his proposal. While Lady Bracknell is preparing to leave, she happens to hear the name of Miss Prism. On seeing her she at once recognizes her as the maid of her sister who lost a child (of Lady Bracknell’s sister) in a bag and a novel book at Victoria Station because of her absent-mindedness. Jack brings the same bag and Prism recognizes it. Thus Jack turns out to be the son of Lady Bracknell’s sister and brother of Algy. It is also revealed that their father’s name was Ernest. Hence lovers are united at last.

To understand the play more clearly. Let me share here full video of movie based on this play.

The play repeatedly mocks Victorian traditions and social customs, marriage and the pursuits of love in particular. Through which situations and characters is this happening in the play :-

It is no exaggeration to say that “Importance of Being Earnest” is a social satire. Oscar Wilde has targeted the Victorian Society of England in his own language. A lot of symbols are there in this play, which in hidden meanings, are referring something to the audience. Every word, each dialogue and all characters of the play satirize the Victorian society. Oscar Wilde, through this play, tries to cover each and every aspect and manner of life, spent by people of his own era. Notwithstanding, he primarily focuses on elite class and shows us that if a society has no morality then it would not survive. Oscar Wilde is aware of the general principle that it is prime duty of every artist to satirize the society in case it is crossing its limits. As a result, he has written this play to give some morality to the audience. From “Importance of Being Earnest”, it seems that Oscar Wilde has fulfilled his duty. It is undeniable fact that “Importance of Being Earnest” is a social satire.

Oscar Wilde, like other dramatists, has considered that it is his responsibility to aware the people of their snobbish attitude. Doing so, he tries to correct the absurd behavior of people. The second reason is that the Victorian Society used to flee away from its responsibilities. It used to focus only on appearances. Showing off was their prime purpose. Not only Oscar Wilde but also many other writers tried their best to speak against it. In a usual manner, “Importance of Being Earnest” is a direct attack on Victorian Society.

To exemplify, Earnest flees from his house and enjoys luxuries of life. Similarly, a person can have children besides wedlock and no one is going to question him if his apparent image is maintained. Thus, that society was far away from morality. These reasons force Oscar Wilde to do social satire in form of “Importance of Being Earnest”.

There are a lot of examples in the play which prove that the play is a mockery of Victorian Society. Lady Bracknell’s character is important in this context. She being representative of upper class/Victorian Society performs a negative role. She is a greedy and fashion conscious lady. In that age, when people become wise, Lady Bracknell has become foolish. However, she knows the importance of money. She has prepared a list of people, who are wealthy and is going to interview them to select a rich husband for Gwendoline. She rejects Jack because his parentage is unknown. In her eyes, if her daughter solemnizes marriage with Jack, it would disrespect her. She is a narrow-minded, conservative, and ruthless woman.It seems that Oscar Wilde has presented her in the play to create humor but it is also true that the primary purpose of her is to tell people about the foolishness of Victorian Society.

The character of Algernon Moncrieff is also of the same kind. He also belongs to the same class. Life of Algernon Moncrieff is comfortable but his bills are overdue. He has nothing to eat but his dresses are up-to-date. For a living, he does nothing. Even in poor condition, he shows off. He has created a fictional character named “Bunbury” to save himself from obligations and duties. Lady Bracknell utters an important dialogue, which is worth referring here. She says, “Algernon has nothing but his debts to depend upon”. He has no worries. He has nothing to do with responsibility. His attitude is evident from his actions. For instance, he tears his letters, which are actually bills, because he cannot pay them. This character satirise such kind of people of Victorian age. Who showcase more than their ability.

Title of the play “Importance of Being Earnest” itself is a social satire. The word earnest is loveable. Both the girls of this play are in love with the person having name “Earnest” instead of his moralistic qualities. In Miss Gwendolen Fairfax eyes, this word has music of its own. It is not the person who is charming but the name itself. It is the case with Miss Cecily Cardew; she writes letters to Earnest and imagine him in her dreams without knowing him. Oscar Wild through this character wants to prove that the typical girls of Victorian society have created their ideals and they live with them in imaginary worlds. Moreover, they focus on self-improvement.

Tea ceremony scene in Act-II is fully satirical. Gwendoline and Miss Cecily start a foolish war while serving tea. Servants become just spectators of it. Both these ladies are representative of young girls of Wilde’s era. The audience can watch and laugh at their unwise behaviors. It also moralizes the audience and compels them to think twice on their attitude in case the audience belongs to the upper class. Thus, these incidents also prove that “Importance of Being Earnest” is a social satire.

Canon Chasuble maybe is the minor character of this play but his role is important. He belongs to the religious class and is supposed to be a serious person but he surprises us through his dialogues. Indeed, his dialogues directly come from the mouth of Oscar Wilde and he has deliberately written them to prove that not only the elite class is corrupt but also the religious class. Religious people like Dr. Chasuble also take part in corrupting the society. Both moral and physical corruptions have been shown in the play. Remarks of Canon Chasuble about Miss Prism are full of sexuality. He always praises her physical body. Somewhere he talks about her lips and somewhere about her hairs. For instance, in a dialogue, he says:

“Were I fortunate enough to be Miss Prism’s pupil, I would hang upon her lips.”

Although he, in the next dialogue, tries to cover his wish by declaring his statement as a metaphor yet the audience knows that he is morally and physical corrupt.

Also Whide is satirizing the institution of marriage, as it is not based on love, but on more vain superficial criteria. Although in this case there is exaggeration used to satirize the vanity of the aristocrats, Wilde still brings across the point that both Gwendolen and Cecily may have refused to marry the ‘men of their dreams’ if their names weren’t ‘Ernest.’ Cecily clearly states to Algernon,

“There is something in that name that seems to inspire absolute confidence. I pity any poor married woman whose husband is not called Ernest.”

Apart from it, many other incidents are there in “Importance of Being Earnest” which demonstrate that the play was written for the purpose of social satire. The dramatist has presented the upper class and has shown their snobbery. Through farcical comedy, he has exposed the reality of so-called upper-class Victorian society. Perhaps, the only purpose of “Importance of Being Earnest” was to uncover the stupidity of society. In order to achieve his goal, Oscar Wilde freely uses artistically techniques like epigrams, humor, and paradoxes. In an interesting manner, he, in hidden words, says those things which can never be said directly to the people.

Which of the female character is the most attractive to you among Lady Augusta Bracknell, Gwendolen fairfex, Cecily Cardew, and miss prism. Give your reason for she being most attractive among all :- 

Lady Bracknell is first and foremost a symbol of Victorian earnestness and the unhappiness it brings as a result. She is powerful, arrogant, ruthless to the extreme, conservative, and proper. In many ways, she represents Wilde's opinion of Victorian upper-class negativity, conservative and repressive values, and power.

She is portrait as a strong woman among all other women of the play, but in negative way. She constantly interrupting between jack and Gwendolen's marriage. First she denied their marriage because she found jack orphan or the person who knows nothing about his parentage. And in the scene where she come to know about affair of Jack and Gwendolen, she told jack that she wants to ask him few questions, and then only she decide that he is perfect mach for Gwendolen or not. This show that she has certain kind of authority. And no one dare to move against her.

Even Gwendolen and Jack waited long to her approval for marriage. His nephew Algernon and Cecily also ask her many times for approval. This thing prove that she is one of the strong women. Who held authority, which make her more attractive and strong among other women in drama.

Another is, she is very practical woman, more than other females of play. Gwendolen and Cecily seems unpractical and the girls who are living in their imaginative world. Miss prism is also shown as a practical woman but at some point we found her unpractical like when she forgotten the child at railway station, put the child is in bag.

Where at another point Lady Bracknell is far practical than them. Her dialogue in last part, that for marriage, one person among to is needs to be wealthy. So that both can leave happily. Shows her practial natur. Even she asked Cecily that how much fortune she has. Which is needed to live happily and she know that well. She also married to a wealthy man, just because of to live happy, rich life. Which show that she is a practical women. Who not just think about present, but also think for future.

Thats why i found her so strong, most influencial, and attractive character among all other female character of play.

Words :- 2496

Paragraphs:- 11

Images:- 2

Videos :- 3

References :-

1)Englishsummary.com

2)maenglishselfstudy. Wordpress.com

3) askliterature.com

4) cliffnotes.com

The Rover by Aphra Ben

Hello, i am himanshi parmar. Here i write a blog about The Rover by Aphra Behn. As a task of thinking activity of paper number - 1, Literature of the Elizabethan and Restoration period. Unit number - 3.

   Angelica concider marriage and prostitution, both the relationships are somehow same because both the relationships are relay on financial negotiation. Of course, they both are entirely not same. But if we look from Angelica's perspective, then we can't able to deny her point. Here, writer satire to the society, by the statement of Angelica. Marriage can be turned as amoral as proatitution, if people can relate it with monetary value. Instead of looking for love and culture or social value and state.

To under state the point of Angelica, it is very important to know about the entire plot of the rover. So let me here put summary of the play firstly.

Summary of the Rover :-

The Rover, or The Banish’d Cavaliers is a 1677 play in two parts by the English author Aphra Behn. A rewriting of a similar play, Thomaso, or The Wanderer written thirteen years earlier, it focuses on the adventures of a group of Englishmen who have traveled to Naples to celebrate Carnival. A bawdy, humorous play, it is considered one of Behn’s most ambitious works and features a twist-filled story with many characters. Behn, a loyalist to the crown during a time of much dissent, frequently put her politics into her work and the play is noted for its rough treatment of Puritans. The titular “rover” is Willmore, a Naval captain who falls in love with a young woman named Hellena who is being sent to a convent. However, when a powerful woman sets her eyes on Willmore, their love story is complicated. In a side story, Hellena’s sister Florinda is seeking to marry her true love Colonel Belvile rather than her arranged marriage. The third main story focuses on the misadventures of Blunt, who finds that the girl he has fallen for is not everything she appears to be.

In act one, Hellena and Florinda discuss Florinda’s love life. Florinda is in love with the English Colonel Belvile, but their father wants her to marry an elderly man named Don Vincentio. Their brother, Don Pedro, wishes her to marry his friend Don Antonio, but encourages her to obey their father. When Florinda refuses, Pedro agrees to help her by arranging her marriage to Don Antonio the next day. Florinda and Hellena disguise themselves to go to Carnival. Meanwhile at Carnival, three men, Belvile, Blunt, and Frederick, are enjoying the festivities, although Belvile is depressed because his love’s father has denied him permission to marry her. They meet up with their friend Willmore, and enjoy the night. They are soon joined by Florinda, Hellena, and their cousin Valeria, who are disguised as Gypsies. Willmore and Hellena hit it off, while Florinda and Belvile arrange to sneak off together in the middle of the night. Blunt, meanwhile, who is seen as the most foolish of the group, becomes infatuated with a local woman, Lucetta, and sneaks off with her. Frederick informs his friends that Angellica Bianca, a powerful courtesan, has arrived in Naples.

In act two, as Willmore, Belvile, and Frederick head over to see Angellica, they meet up with Blunt who believes that Lucetta is in love with him. He becomes angry when they imply she is planning to cheat him. Angellica, whose price as a courtesan is high, is frustrated by the lack of takers. She decides to pursue Don Pedro and Don Antonio, but they get into a fight over who has claim to her first. As they challenge each other to a duel. Willmore attempts to steal a portrait of him. When he is caught, Angellica asks him to stay behind with her. Although he attempted to steal from her, she doesn’t particularly care and is instead excited by this rogue she has encountered. He attempts to con her into sleeping with him for free, and she agrees because she has apparently fallen in love with him. Her maidservant, Moretta, warns her off, but she ignores her.

In act three, we catch up with Florinda, Hellena, and Valeria. Still in disguise, Hellena cannot stop thinking about Willmore, but when the men return without him she worries. Willmore is retrieved and brags about having been with Angellica for free. Hellena pretends she hasn’t heard anything and she and Willmore begin to flirt again, but Angellica has followed him in disguise. She sees that Willmore is not true to her. When Hellena confronts Willmore, she makes him promise not to see Angellica again.  Florinda and Valeria attempt to test Belvile’s loyalty by attempting to seduce him in disguise, but he holds firm. The locket Florinda gives Belvile makes him think Florinda’s been kidnapped. Meanwhile, hapless Blunt is seduced by Lucetta, and is promptly robbed and falls into the sewer. He emerges, angry at being tricked. That night, Florinda waits for Belville, but Willmore enters drunk and mistakes her for a prostitute. He attempts to rape her when Belvile and Frederick arrive. The ensuing fight attracts Pedro and is servants, and the Englishmen flee. Belvile is enraged, and Willmore runs off to seek refuge at Angelica’s house. When he arrives, Antonio is already there, and they fight. Willmore injures Antonio and flees. When Belvile arrives in pursuit of Willmore, he is arrested for attacking Antonio.

In act four, Antonio believes Belvile has attacked him, and orders him to take his place in the duel with Pedro. Belvile agrees, believing the duel to be over Florinda. Meanwhile, Florinda worries that Belvile did not come to find her that night. At the duel, the various mistaken identities and disguises are revealed when Wilmore comes crashing in, and Pedro refuses to bless the union. As Willmore, Angellica, and Hellena pursue and follow each other, Florinda runs off and hides in Belvile’s house to avoid her brother. Blunt finds her and is convinced she’s a prostitute. He attempts to rape her due to his anger at all women, but Frederick thinks she might be valuable like Angellica and suggests they lock her up for ransom.

Act five concludes the story Blunt tells his fellow men that he’s captured a woman. They decide to have their way with her, but Valeria gets Pedro out of the room and Florinda reveals her identity. Florinda and Belvile are quickly married by a local priest, and Blunt and Frederick are horrified by what they almost did. Angelica bursts in with a gun and threatens to kill Willmore. Don Antonio’s deception is revealed, and Pedro reluctantly agrees to the union between Belvile and Florinda - only to find out it’s already occurred. As Angelica decides to let Willmore live, Hellena and Willmore reunite. They become engaged, and the group enjoys Carnival, their dramas settled at last. 

Here i share three videos of all three Separate acts of The Rover.

Angelica considers the financial negotiations which one makes before marrying a prospective bride the same as prostitution. Do you agree?

Women in seventeenth-century Europe had few options in terms of marriage. They could not initiate relations with men, and often their parents made the final decision about whom they would marry. Families sometimes used marriages to seal business and political relationships, ignoring the daughter’s interests. This is something seems similar to prostitution system. That they sell their daughter for money or business. Similarly the whore sell her body for money. The practice of paying a dowry was also still common. Most families would invest their dowry money in the eldest daughter, vying to marry her into the best family possible. And to find richest family. Younger daughters often were consigned to a convent, thus reducing expenses, while at the same time “contributing” to the church. In poorer families, prostitution became a viable option. Once married, often to a man she neither knew nor liked, a woman became his property, as did all of her belongings. With no means to prevent pregnancies, the wife became a baby “machine,” producing heirs for the family and very often mourning their early deaths, since child mortality rates were shockingly high. Nevertheless, men expected sexual gratification from their wives, as well as from their mistresses and required obedience and fidelity.

In The Rover, Aphra Behn portrays the typical pattern of options available to women. As the eldest, Florinda is to be married to a man of her father’s choosing. Hellena wryly describes the loveless marriage, bed that lies in store for Florinda if she marries the aging Don Vincentio. However, since their father is away, her brother has jurisdiction over her and has chosen his best friend as her mate. Because he is wealthy enough. Hellena, he has dispatched to a nunnery. She has come home for a brief visit before taking her vows. Neither Florinda nor Hellena wants to obey Pedro’s wishes, yet they have no recourse but to try to enjoy a day and night of freedom before their fates are sealed. That they both end up with the man they love and the freedom to marry him is nothing more than a matter of blind luck. Similarly willmore is a person who don't love Angelica, but just want physical pleasure by her. And thats why when he saw Hellena and found her beautiful so he try to seduce her. But when the matter of marriage come, firstly he neither choose Angelica nor Hellena. Because he only think both as a thing to enjoy pleasure. But at the end we find that he will be ready to marry Hellena. Because she find her noble woman. And refused Angelica because she has no social status, and she is prostitute. So the concept of protitution and marriage plays vital role in it.

Also when we see the character of Hellena, she is the lady who is seems independent but when it comes to marriage. She Also choose Willmore even if she know that he has affair with Angelica, he seduce Angelica, and also try to seduce Florida twice or thrice. And still she is ready to marry willmore. This show her weaker personality. It reflect the poor situation of that age. Similarly even if Frederic, Blunt try to seduce florida, still she forgive them, and also forgive willmore. Because this is something normal thing in that age. Which prove that the statement of Angelica is fully true.

in Behn’s play is the clear distinction that was made between “ladies of quality” and “whores.” Frederick, who nearly gang-rapes Florinda, along with Blunt, exclaims that he would not want to be “trussed up for a rape upon a maid of quality when we only believe we ruffle a harlot.” The shift in terminology from “rape,” which is an act of violence, to “ruffle,” which connotes a harmless trifle, aptly represents the vast difference in social responsibility between the two classes of women. The distinction between women seeking men for marriage and women who sell themselves for money lies at the heart of Behn’s play. As Elin Diamond explains in her essay “Gestus and the Signature in Aphra Behn’s The Rover,” this play “thematizes the marketing of women in marriage and prostitution.”

To read more about the play Rover, it's themes, character sketches, symbols (click here)

Words :- 1905

Paragraphs :- 8

Images :- 3

Videos :- 3

References :-

1)Gradesaver.com

2) suppersummary.com

3) encyclopedia.com 

Pamela as a reliable narrator or not?

Hello, i am Himanshi Parmar. As a task of thinking activity given for paper number -2, neoclassical literature. Unit - 4, samuel Richardson's pamela ; Or, The virtue rewarded. Here i write a blog on given question, is pamela a reliable narrator? Yes, then why? If not, then why?

Befor writing about the Pamela is a reliable narrator or not! Let me give over view about the plot and some factual information about the novel.

Pamela structure and plot construction :-

Panela ; or, virtue rewarded is a very well known apistolary novel by Samuel Richardson. First published in 1740 by

Messrs Rivington & Osborn. Richardson was a very famous English writer, wrote the novel very well. And in this novel he put his views about marriage.

Pamela tells the story of a fifteen-year-old maidservant named Pamela Andrews, whose employer, Mr. B, a wealthy landowner, makes unwanted and inappropriate advances towards her after the death of her mother. Pamela strives to reconcile her strong religious training with her desire for the approval of her employer in a series of letters and, later in the novel, journal entries all addressed to her impoverished parents. After various unsuccessful attempts at seduction, a series of sexual assaults, and an extended period of kidnapping, the rakish Mr. B eventually reforms and makes Pamela a sincere proposal of marriage. In the novel's second part Pamela marries Mr. B and tries to acclimatise to her new position in upper-class society. The full title, Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded, makes plain Richardson's moral purpose. A best-seller of its time, Pamela was widely read but was also criticised for its perceived licentiousness and disregard for class barriers. Furthermore, Pamela was an early commentary on domestic violence and brought into question the dynamic line between male aggression and a contemporary view of love. The action of the novel is told through letters and journal entries from Pamela to her parents. Richardson highlights a theme of naivety, illustrated through the eyes of Pamela. Richardson paints Pamela herself as innocent and meek to further contribute to the theme of her being short-sighted to emphasize the ideas of childhood innocence and naivety.

Here i put a video of summary of the novel pamela. The video is in hindi. But much easier to understand.

 Afater knowing the story let me discuss about the question Is pamela a reliable narrator? Yes then why? If No then why?

I don't find the pamela as a reliable narration. the story consists of Pamela's first person narration, offered via her letters to her parents. The main story opens with just such a letter, with Pamela lamenting "I have great Trouble, and some Comfort, to acquaint you with".

The first part of the story is a series of letters Pamela writes to her parents relating her problems with Mr. B. and asking for their advice. And through this letters, pamela narrates the story.when Readers read the novel they come to know about the storyline, by the letters of pamela. In The second and much longer part is a journal that she keeps, still addressing her parents as though writing a long letter to them, telling them of her trials and assuring them of her determination to preserve her honor. She also tries to analyse people’s motives, including her own.

Richardson chose the epistolary form because of its immediacy. The first-person voice of someone in the throes of the experience does draw in the reader. Unfortunately, Pamela’s voice did not remain interested very long. It soon began to find her endless complaining tiresome and her infinite perfection quite irritating. Even if, she is writing to her parents, so it is natural to relay compliments that she has received, knowing that they would enjoy hearing praise of her, but she goes on at such length about how everyone finds her so remarkable, so good, so smart, so beautiful, that it’s hard not to think “and so vain”.

It is very difficult to say that is pamela reliable narrator or not. Because Pamela’s story is far more than the narration of the experience of a

servant girl. Pamela’s storytelling is wondrous the method by which the narration is especially important. Letters help to ground this book in reality, while their information smooth over problems of narration and make Pamela an unreliable narrator. However, in defiance of Behn and Defoe, Pamela’s unreliability makes sense; after all, she has to be careful that nothing she writes about could condemn her to further mistreatment by the Master who harasses her.

When readers come across the letters written by pamela to her parents. They must attached with pamela. And feel sympathy towards her. But when the story moves ahead, we find that the flow of letters by pamela still going on. But its seems like unworthy and give us a boring sign. It seems like she is praising herself all the time. And tried to potray Mr. B as a bad man to potray herself good and virtuous. Of course, Mr. B is not proved as a good man at all. But we also find that pamela is also have duel personality. many times, She got chance to go back to her parents, but by one and another reasons She refusing it. And readers come to know about the reasons by her letters. But when we deeply analysis the letters. We must find that somehow the reasons are not valuable and acceptable. She just try to hide her inner little desire to marriage with Mr. B.

When we read the starting points when pamela used start writing letters to her parents. She most of the time write about only mr. B and praising her. This narration show us that she is interested in mr. B but later on when mr. B asked her for marriage at first time, she refused her. So that i thought pamela is nor reliable narrator at all. Because she has a duel personality which is also reflected in her writing.

To read more about the narration in pamela; Or, The virtue rewarded. (Click here)

Words :- 1029

Paragraphs :- 8

Images :- three

Video :- one

References :-

1) bmorrison.com

2) Wikipedia.com

3) shmoop.com

4)riseofthenovel. wordpress.com