The Narrative Construction of the Female Body in the British Novel of the 19th CenturyGRIN Verlag, 2007 - 140 עמודים Diploma Thesis from the year 2007 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: Gut, University of Vienna (Institut für Anglistik und Amerikanistk), language: English, abstract: Based on a variety of social and cultural confinements regarding the depiction of certain parts of the female body in literature, 19th century British novelists had to concentrate on those bodily attributes of women which were considered proper and decent to be displayed in writing. Answering the social rules prohibiting the public exhibition of female passions and feelings, such as sexual arousal, love or wrath, authors turned to methods of substituting the direct reference to those very emotions, thereby employing the parts of the female body they could with a clear conscience depict in their interpretations. This method of illustrating the female body in connection with women's emotional state is going to be discussed on the basis of Jane Austen's novels Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice, Charlotte Brontё's Jane Eyre and the short novel Daisy Miller by Henry James. A prominent feature of 19th century literature, used to demonstrate the interdependency of mind and body, is illness. The body suffering from physical as well as mental diseases is frequently instrumentalized by novelists as a messenger delivering information about a person's emotional condition. Additionally, 19th century authors tend to use illness as a starting point for character and plot changes as well as romantic relationships between men and women, and refer to a character's sickness as his or her lawful punishment for improper conduct. One of the most important tools for novelists in revealing their characters' thoughts and emotions is the female complexion. Frequently subject to blushing or turning pale, the female face functions as an apt communicator of a woman's mind and heart. A blush can uncover a character's romantic affections, embarrassment, guilty conscience, exciteme |
תוכן
| 4 | |
| 16 | |
The body in illness | 29 |
Revealing complexions | 57 |
The body in motion | 90 |
Proofs of sentiment | 97 |
Conclusion | 126 |
Appendix | 132 |
מהדורות אחרות - הצג הכל
מונחים וביטויים נפוצים
19th century actually affection already analysis appearance attributes authors awareness beauty becomes behavior Bennet Bingley blush body Brontz causes chapter character character’s Charlotte color communicate complexion concerning consequences considered Daisy Daisy’s Darcy Dashwood daughter death depicted distress Edward Elinor Elizabeth embarrassment emotions engagement environment example expression eyes face fact feelings female finally frequently function girl give going Gorman grief hand happiness heart heroine husband illness importance improper Jane Austen Jane Eyre Jane’s kissed later leave less lives look Lucy Marianne Marianne’s marriage married means meeting mind Miss mother nature never novel obvious pale perceived person physical Pride and Prejudice reaction reader reason referred reflected regard relations relationship reveals Rochester Rochester’s scene Sense and Sensibility sexual shock shows signs sister situation smile social society suffering taking tears thought true turn understanding voice walk wife Willoughby wish woman women
קטעים בולטים
עמוד 122 - Oh! certainly,' cried his faithful assistant, 'no one can be really esteemed accomplished, who does not greatly surpass what is usually met with. A woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing, and the modern languages, to deserve the word; and besides all this, she must possess...
עמוד 18 - Had Elizabeth's opinion been all drawn from her own family, she could not have formed a very pleasing picture of conjugal felicity or domestic comfort. Her father captivated by youth and beauty, and that appearance of good humour, which youth and beauty generally give, had married a woman whose weak understanding and illiberal mind, had very early in their marriage put and end to all real affection for her.
עמוד 22 - Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain, and little, I am soulless and heartless? You think wrong! — I have as much soul as you, — and full as much heart!
עמוד 39 - Elinor, this eldest daughter whose advice was so effectual, possessed a strength of understanding and coolness of judgment which qualified her, though only nineteen, to be the counsellor of her mother, and enabled her frequently to counteract, to the advantage of them all, that eagerness of mind in Mrs. Dashwood which must generally have led to imprudence. She had an excellent heart; her disposition was affectionate, and her feelings were strong, but she knew how to govern them.
עמוד 110 - ... with gratitude and pleasure his present assurances. The happiness which this reply produced was such as he had probably never felt before, and he expressed himself on the occasion as sensibly and as warmly as a man violently in love can be supposed to do. Had Elizabeth been able to encounter his eye, she might have seen how well the expression of heartfelt delight diffused over his face became him...
עמוד 20 - But no sooner had he made it clear to himself and his friends that she had hardly a good feature in her face, than he began to find it was rendered uncommonly intelligent by the beautiful expression of her dark eyes.
עמוד 46 - Our clothing was insufficient to protect us from the severe cold ; we had no boots, the snow got into our shoes, and melted there; our ungloved hands became numbed and covered with chilblains, as were our feet. I remember well the distracting irritation I endured from this cause every evening, when my feet inflamed; and the torture of thrusting the swelled, raw, and stiff toes into my shoes in the morning. Then the scanty supply of food was distressing; with the keen appetites of growing children,...
עמוד 121 - ... us. During all my first sleep, I was following the windings of an unknown road; total obscurity environed me; rain pelted me; I was burdened with the charge of a little child: a very small creature, too young and feeble to walk, and which shivered in my cold arms, and wailed piteously in my ear. I thought, sir, that you were on the road a long way before me; and I strained every nerve to overtake you and made effort on effort to utter your name and entreat you to stop — but my movements were...
עמוד 21 - Tall, fine bust, sloping shoulders; long, graceful neck: olive complexion, dark and clear; noble features; eyes rather like Mr Rochester's: large and black, and as brilliant as her jewels. And then she had such a fine head of hair; raven-black and so becomingly arranged: a crown of thick plaits behind, and in front the longest, the glossiest curls I ever saw. She was dressed in pure white; an...
עמוד 42 - I have now been married ten years. I know what it is to live entirely for and with what I love best on earth. I hold myself supremely blest blest beyond what language can express; because I am my husband's life as fully as he is mine. No woman was ever nearer to her mate than I am: ever more absolutely bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh.