While reading Pride and Prejudice and Great Expectations, we see the portrayal of social status and snobbery repeatedly represented throughout both novels. It was the common theme in both and it was represented strongly by the characters that evolved throughout them. During the 1800’s, social status was a very important factor in peoples’ lives and we see that through Jane Austen and Charles Dickens’ works, how it influenced both of them and their writings. Great expectations has been described as a story of a 'snobs progress' as we see Pip transition from a young boy at the forge to a gentleman, in this essay I will discuss the ways in which Dickens keeps the readers sympathy for Pip even though at times his rude behaviour has shocked readers. Also I will explore snobbery in other characters in the novel which I will compare to Pride and Prejudice.
Charles Dickens was known as a social reformist and so particularly wrote novels about social class. Dickens wrote ‘Great Expectations’ to draw attention to the issue of how different the lives were of the rich and the poor. This had never been done before, so it engages the reader. This was done using the characters, language, setting, historical context and narrative perspective. Dickens engages the reader by using different interesting characters.
There are also many ways this novel resembles some of the ideas expressed during the Victorian period. Therefore, the two major themes in the novel are dual personalities and ideas of the Victorian period. These are the things that make this novel one of Stevenson’s best selling stories. Stevenson gives the main character two identities in order to show moral duality. “It’s use of duality as both a structural and thematic device suggests that its application goes beyond a simple antithesis of moral opposites or physical components.” (Anatomy of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Article).
Satire being irony, or sarcasm used to expose vice or a moral fault had became the idea for the novel. Thus the setting being World War II made the novel purpose even better. The setting is where the achievement lays “that Heller’s achievement lies in his brilliant use of the setting as metaphor or a satirical macrocosm for many of the macrocosm idiocies afflicting the postwar era in general” (Aldridge). Heller uses satire in order to reveal the idiocy of war (Aldridge). Making Catch-22 the remarkable as well as groundbreaking masterpiece it is today.
The Great Gatsby and Huckleberry Finn Compare/Contrast Mark Twain, which is a pen-name for Samuel Clemens, encompasses an era in his novels. Using is famous wit and grasp of human vices, Clemens skillfully handles the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Huck Finn delves deep into the major issues of society in the late nineteenth century, from the discerning of wealthy and the poor to the ethics of the time (racism, primarily. F. Scott Fitzgerald, the chief writer of the Roaring Twenties, also focused a lot of his writing on society's foibles. Fitzgerald's critically acclaimed story, The Great Gatsby, also explores social issues (but this time from the 20's), giving insight on the same issues Clemens spoke about in Huckleberry Finn, though updated and rejuvenated for a new generation but just as timeless.
Nathanael’s literary style and theme of his stories were passionate romanticism and mainly dark romanticism. The spectacular author had many amazing works and so many popular books. One of his greatest works was The Scarlet Letter (1850) and Twice-Told Tales (1837). Edgar Allan Poe once said, "The style of Hawthorne is purity itself. His tone is singularly effective—wild, plaintive, thoughtful, and in full accordance with his themes... We look upon him as one of the few men of indisputable genius to whom our country has as yet given birth".
John Steinbeck’s novella Of Mice and Men is often considered a classic work of American literature – its gritty realism stuck a chord with critics and readers during the Great Depression in which the novel takes place, and with its strong imagery yet accessible prose, it tackled many of the same themes that would later appear in Steinbeck’s famed novel The Grapes of Wrath, particularly the impossibility of and disillusionment with the “American Dream”. The majority of the characters in Of Mice and Men express a desire to chase the alusive American Dream. The focal point of the story is George and Lennie's desire to have a piece of property that is all their own and to "live off the fatta the lan". (15). They build their dream up to such an
* Joseph Marie Eugene Sue (1804-1857) * French novelist at the time of Romantic Movement * His sympathy for the poor. * Victor Hugo (1802-1885) * Poet, novelist, * Les miserables (1862) offer another indictment of the conditions of the poor through the injustice of the era * From the roots of these works, we see a canon of characters, situations and tropes, which explore stories in VULGAR fashion. * That is, though their emphasis on our emotional connection to the events portrayed. * Arising between the Romantic period and the industrial revolution, melodrama as a genre appears to have been well suited to express the crisis of its time. * The persistence of melodrama in popular culture suggests a fascination the evolving nature of the social, political and ideological crisis of the day.
Written and set during the first half of the 19th century, Charles Dickens’s novella ‘A Christmas Carol’ presents not only a warning to society but presents his critique of the morality and injustice of the Victorian era. Dickens uses the development of the characters to warn against the consequences of inhumane and selfish actions in constructing his moral message. Furthermore Dickens uses the entertainment value of ‘A Christmas Carol’ to broaden the appeal of the novella to popularise his moral warning. However Dickens’s core objective was to critique the poverty, inequality, and greed of Victorian society which had undergone dramatic change through The Industrial Revolution. Dickens uses the characters of Scrooge, Marley, and Bob Cratchit to develop a moral warning against the consequences of heartless and selfish actions.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, by Ken Kesey, can be seen to be more than a portrayal of the mental health system of the 1960’s, it is a commentary on society. It remains to be a revolutionary piece of literature as it was written as the counter-culture of the 1960’s, with its distrust and dissatisfaction with authority, was emerging. Kesey uses many literary devices to emphasize his idea of the corrupt society of this age. This is most prominently seen through his use of theme, character and style. The themes of the novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, illustrates Kesey’s view on society.