Heart of Darkness Contemporary Responses

Top Quotes from Responses

"Those who seek for the finest expositions of the modern spirit Heart of Darkness cannot be neglected."
"Fiction may roughly be divided into two classes: that dealing with movement and adventure, and the other dealing with characterization and the human mind. Heart of Darkness has stepped outside these boundaries and made his own class of work [effectively mixing elements of both]."
"Heart of Darkness is to be the high-water mark of the author's talent... and shows that human life is not just black and white in this psychological masterpiece [that analyzes] the sub-couscious life and our motives within us."

These contemporary responses, especially these selected quotes, help to illustrate the opinions on Heart of Darkness outside of our present perspective

• A must-read due to the morals it carries
• Thought that it would one day have much influence in creating new genres of literature because it broke away from old molds
• A pivotal aid and a forefront in the growing field of psychology

Serene: My Word

I chose the word serene for a few reasons. First of all, I stumbled upon it on the list and it just kind of stuck out to me. I knew it was partially synonymous with peaceful and it just sounded nice to write about something that easygoing. Also, after researching the word, I learned that it used to accompany a tangible definition and now it has more of an intangible connotation. It used to be related to like the weather and light showers; now, it is intangible in regards to calm. Lastly, it's interesting that it was used in royal titles.

Another Sir Gawain Story

The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle is a 15th century English poem. The poem begins as King Arthur, Sir Gawain, and a group of other knights are hunting in the mystical, haunted Inglewood Forest. During the hunt, King Arthur becomes separated while stalking a deer. After killing the deer, a man appears named Sir Gromer who poses as a threat to King Arthur. Sir Gromer claims that Arthur took his land and gave it to Sir Gawain. King Arthur apologizes and tells Gromer that he will give him whatever he wants as an apology. Sir Gromer states that he wants Arthur to come back to this same spot in the forest in one year and one day prepared to fight unless he has an answer to Gromer's question. Sir Gromer then proceeds to ask, "What is it that women want most in life?" King Arthur then walks away and pleads for Gawain's help. Sir Gawain and King Arthur spend months searching for the answer until one day a "terrible and unsightly" woman comes up to King Arthur and says that she will reveal the answer if she is married to Gawain. The two marry and the woman reveals her name, turning out to be Ragnelle, Gromer's sister. Ragnelle then tells Sir Gawain and King Arthur that the answer to the question is "soveryente" or the sovereignty for women to make their own decisions. King Arthur then meets Sir Gromer in the forest and answers his question. That night, Ragnelle and Sir Gawain head to the bedroom to celebrate. Despite Ragnelle being "unsightly," Gawain must do his manly and knightly duties. However, Ragnelle reveals that the question was a curse and now because it has been answered she can return to her former self... for half of the day as the beautiful woman she had been and asks Gawain which half of the day she should be attractive. Sir Gawain mentions that she must show her own sovereignty and choose. This breaks the curse forever leading Sir Gawain and the now "[drop dead] gorgeous lady to retire for the night.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wedding_of_Sir_Gawain_and_Dame_Ragnelle

Wealthow's Personal Perspective: An Interior Monologue

I still remember the day that I was given away… given away like a child gives away an old toy. As I think about that day, I never anticipated the events that would occur. Yes, I awoke like any other and wondered what the day would have in store. However, never, never in my life, did I think that I would be wished away to keep some peace. Ugh, men and their wars… to prove what… their honor? Soldiers go off and leave their family and their baby’s piercing screams behind to instead be pierced by gruesome metal. Ugh, men and their wars. My mind has always been too idealistic. Well, on that day, I learned to face the actualities of my life and fulfill my duty to my people.

I couldn’t have objected. Could I have? No, of course not. I am shuddering at the simple thought. Hrothgar was right when he rejected my brother’s riches, even the bear… however big it might have been. I have come to terms with my fate. It is my job to keep the peace. I have had two kids and even raised Hrothgar’s nephew. It all feels like so along. This might even be my place now. At first, I thought I’d spend my life as a living treaty. However, I’ve grown accustomed to life in Heorot.

At first, I thought I’d just be pouring mead in the background. However, I do much more than that. I care for the kids… no, not just the kids, but the warriors as well, Unferth and Beowulf. My children and the nephew are growing up; Beowulf should be their adult-figure. Hrothgar is aging quickly and as he ages, his legacy, the foundation of his power, fades. Beowulf would make a great figure to care for them. He is courageous. Not just courageous, but fearless. As fearless of death as those who are have already died. Unferth, on the other hand, needs my compassion. Beowulf overshadows him. That is why I patted Unferth on the shoulder, to show him he isn’t as invisible as the breeze. He might be a breeze to others after his mocked defeat and Grendel’s condescending patronizing, but in actuality, he is just a troubled man forever lost on the path of an aspiring hero. Yes, looking back, I have made a difference by Hrothgar’s side. However, in the end, I guess that I truly did it to protect my people. It was me, a peacekeeper, or an ultimatum of war and its piercing metal against my people. Ugh, men and their wars. 

Ivanhoe: Languages for Naming Animals and the Food Produced

Reading the first chapter of Ivanhoe truly provided an insight into the discrepancies of naming between the animals and the food they produce. Both Gurth and Wamba act as significant characters; Gurth represents the Anglo-Saxon language for naming animals, while Wamba signifies the French language for naming the food which animals produced. The sources both support and discuss some of the reasons why there is a change in the use of language between animals and the food. The animals are named by the Anglo-Saxon framework. On the other hand, the food is described through the French language. One of the main reasons for this change is that the Anglo-Saxon language was used for much more mundane and descriptive purposes, while the French language is described to be much more luxurious related to the process of dining.

IMAGE: Gurth and Wamba Conversation about Animals

Sources for blog post:
- Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott
- The Anthropology of Food and Eating by Sidney Mintz: JStor Article
- Straightdope.com/columns/read/2008/why-do-we-eat-beef-and-pork-rather-than-cow-and-pig

Key Points- William Veeder: The Women of Frankenstein

1. In constructing her female characters, Mary Shelley implies for them to be stronger than men and impervious to the woes of effeminacy. However, many critics state that this intention failed. Instead, the female characters are mentioned to "be charged with extreme weakness" and to have learned the "lessons of submissiveness and devotion" almost too well. Shelley does not help her case when she furthers the downfall of her women by "creating a world impossibly strong" to resist.

2. The audience is meant to sympathize with Justine and the other women not as weak or damaged, but rather as victims. Shelley creates a situation for Justine in which she confesses after the verdict, despite not even having committed the crime. However, Justine is able to hold out for awhile before being "besieged by [her] confessor." By the end of the courtroom scene, Justine proves that the females in the book are not weak, but rather beaten down by the plot. For example, how could Justine have imagined "that an eight-foot-tall, man-made monster had sneaked up and slipped the miniature into her pocket. Thus, Shelley's plot creates excessively negative effects on the women of the novel.

3. Elizabeth and Justine, despite being punished by the plot at times, still serve a purpose. Shelley reveals that her true women are destroyed for "a radical purposiveness that releases them." Therefore, these female characters each push the novel forward and are used to prove significant points.

- The fact that Shelley's female characters are unable to resist the negative effects of the plot and still serve a radical purpose has truly supplied a new perspective on the book. For example, following the destruction of the De Lacey cottage, the drowning little girl will either be ended by the plot or saved by the creature. Because the creature saves the girl and is still shot, Shelley implies that the plot is unable to be combated by women even with outside help; for example, Elizabeth's sticking up for Justine carries no benefits. In the end, this new perspective points that Shelley's failure to make female characters stronger than men leads to a plot of struggle for women.

Shelley's Complex Attitude of Victor's Pursuits

In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley truly constructs a complex attitude towards Victor’s work early on.  Mary Shelley portrays Victor’s actions as misguided and allows those actions to blind him in his pursuit. Victor’s actions throughout these two paragraphs illustrate how his simple goal transformed into an obsession. Shelley demonstrates this by forcing Victor to disregard and ignore any last minute hesitations. Instead, these hesitations of uncertainty are filled with haughty desires to achieve obsessive success.

Throughout the first paragraph, Mary Shelley constructs a complex attitude by trying to state the reasoning and justification behind Victor’s intent. His actions are justified because Victor believes he will be “pouring a torrent of light onto a dark world.” Shelley establishes Victor to have a god-like personality through the idea that Victor will be blessed “by a new species as its creator.” Victor becomes so blinded and engulfed in his very own mission when he believes to have the ability to “renew life where death had apparently devoted the body to corruption.” Thus, throughout the first paragraph, Victor’s justification and motives are outlines.

This complex attitude is furthered when Victor acknowledges, yet ignores the mental and physical harm of his own pursuit. This “unremitting ardour” is used to once again highlight Victor’s obsession; Victor is swept into a “frantic impulse [and] urged forward” despite his work’s detrimental personal effects. Lastly, Shelley adds complexity through Victor’s mention of “who shall conceive the horrors of my secret toil.” This statement illustrates that, at the time, Victor cannot foresee any ramifications of his actions; however, in reality, it sets up the remainder of the novel and pushes Victor to look back at his obsession with regret. 

By the end of the two paragraphs, Shelley has certainly constructed a complex attitude. Victor’s misguided haughtiness, justification of his obsession, ignorance of the effects his work has on his body, and foreshadowing of the book all constitute Shelly’s beautifully formed complex attitude.