F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby" uses imagery to convey various divides between different characters, and repeated symbols to show the significance of certain points in the novel and create the "intricate" patterns that Fitzgerald mentioned in his comment. Many of these instances of imagery and symbolism are also comparable to "Brideshead Revisited" by Evelyn Waugh, which also has imagery and symbolism which accomplishes similar aims. In The Great Gatsby, extravagant imagery is used to show the divide between Gatsby who has new money that he has earned, and the Buchanans who have old money that they have inherited. Gatsby's parties are portrayed early in the novel as a spectacular event. This is done through the descriptions of items at the party such as the salads with their "harlequin designs" which imply that the party is like a circus - a show or some sort of act.
Washington Irving is identified with the gothic with his “Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, however the gothic mode can also be identified in his story, “Rip Van Winkle”. To begin, both will be compared with their use of the Gothic Mode. Edgar Allan Poe’s writing set the mold for most gothic literature to follow. From “The Raven” to “The Tell-Tale Heart” his writing sets the reader on edge and fills them with unease. “Its style tends to be ornate, unnatural” (Carter 134).
31 March 2011 The Sacrifices In Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities, the theme of sacrifice is manifest in the novel in regards to the characters selfless actions from Lucie Manette devoting time to her husband before his final hours to Carton substituting his life in the place of a friend. The characters in the novel sacrifice their time to aid others. In order to preserve the life of a loved one, one may have to offer the life of another. Sydney Carton would surrender him at any opportunity he gets to extricate Ms. Manette or anyone she loves out of a troublesome situation. Carton stated that “if [his] career were of that better kind that there was any opportunity or capacity of sacrifice in it, [he] would embrace any sacrifice for [Lucie] and for those dear to [her]” (Dickens chapter 19).
Khaled Hosseini once said that “humans find meaning and redemption in the most unusual human connections.”In A Tale of Two Cities, this plays especially true concerning the connections between all the characters. While helping others with little regard to their own condition, each character adds value to their own lives in various ways. In A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens exemplifies the theme that self-sacrifice achieves redemption through the characters of Charles Darnay, Doctor Manette, and Sydney Carton. Charles Darnay risks himself to save Gabelle during the French revolution despite of the tremendous danger. For much of his life, Darnay feels his family, the Evremondes’, “have done wrong, and are reaping the fruits of wrong” (Dickens 117) and “[injured] every human creature who came between [them] and [their] pleasure” (Dickens 117).
The books Nashville 1864, written by Madison Jones, and Slaughterhouse 5, by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr, are both intriguing tales that are set in troublesome times of upheaval. The first story is set during the American War of Independence and the second during World War II. Both authors combine fiction and history to tell the story of their protagonists. It is quite interesting to note that both authors have used history, i.e. important events that follow a chronology in the past, to evolve their narratives, as the ultimate ends of the stories are probably already familiar to the reader.
Paige Gowan Ms. Guissi Honors English 2 December 18, 2012 A Tale of Prejudice In many famous works of literature, a popular theme that is explored is “The first impression is not a true depiction of one’s character”. Both Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities feature characters in their novels that epitomize this theme in ways that both parallel and contrast each other. In Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen there is one character in particular that thoroughly exemplifies this theme. Mr. Darcy is a wealthy gentleman in his late twenties from a well-established family. As the novel’s protagonist, Elizabeth, first meets him, she deems him conceited and arrogant.
In both of these stories the authors use imagery to help drive home their main points, although in a somewhat different manner. In “Desiree’s Baby" Chopin uses imagery to hint at the “truth” and lead up to the ironic ending. While in Carver’s “Cathedral” imagery is used to reinforce his main theme of don’t judge a book by its cover. Now we will take a closer look at imagery, and examine the intricacies of how these great authors use it in their works. So what is imagery?
Carver rewrote the story with some minor changes and renamed it “Little Things”. These small changes do make a difference though. I will describe both how the stories are the same and also how they differ. It’s these slight differences that make, in my opinion, the newer “Little Things” the better version of this story. I believe the genre for both stories would be considered gothic fiction.
The presentation of such creatures however, has morphed over time. Stoker relies heavily on the conventions of Gothic fiction, a genre that was extremely popular in the early nineteenth century. Gothic fiction traditionally includes elements such as gloomy castles, sublime landscapes, ‘Of bell or knocker there was no sign. Through these frowning walls and dark window openings it was not likely my voice could penetrate’. ‘Dracula’ contains all of the criteria of for a Gothic novel.
Northanger Abbey was posthumously published in 1816 and despite this, was also one of the first written by her. It centres around the enlightenment of Catherine Morland, a naïve girl whom has a fascination for the gothic, a motive which is driven heavily throughout the novel, with heavy gothic leanings and imagery preceding over her narration. At the time, it was written as a parody towards the gothic, whilst further highlighting the idiotic viewpoints society held towards gothic literature; yet in by doing so, does this parody lean itself towards a celebration or a condemnation? It can be inferred that through the excessive hyperbole and extended socio-economic allegories, that Northanger Abbey is in fact a true celebration of all things associated with the Gothic. The uses of excessive description and hyperbole in Catherine’s language (especially during chapters 23, 24 and 25) can show in some ways that Northanger Abbey is very much celebratory of the gothic genre.