Beginning to Victorian Flashcards
Summary of Arcadia?
Sir Philip Sydney (1554 –1586)
Arcadia(1590)
Plot: PYROCLES and MUSIDOUS had to stay inside a hovel due to a heavy storm where they met PAPHLAGONIA, who was a blind king and his son LEONATUS.
They recount their sufferings due to the bad weather, wearing bad clothes.
PLEXIRTUS, who was the king’s illegitimate son manipulated him into hating his legitimate son. He ordered to kill Leonatus, but he fled away to become a soldier. Plexirtus started governing him, blinded him and threw him out.
Leonatus takes care of his father, but his father wants to commit suicide with his help. Plexirtus attacks the hovel but Leonatus defeats him in the end. King dies and Leonatus becomes the king. Leonatus grants pardon to Plexirtus.
Influence
The book influenced Shakespeare in writing King Lear. In this play, Edmund influenced Gloucester to throw his legitimate son Edgar out.
Critical Opinion
This work deals with the lack of trust between father and son due to the fear of losing the throne. Plexirtus is greedy for the throne. Hence, he influences his father to kill his son. In the end, we see that there is a triumph of truth over lies and the worthy one becomes the king.
Summary of Utopia
Thomas Moore (1779-1852)
He was an Irish poet and entertainer.
Utopia (1516) first written in Latin
• It depicts a fictional island society and all its customs, which also deal with its monasteries.
• It is inspired by Raphel’s travels and Amerigo Vespucci’s voyages of discovery(Who discovered America)
• The island in the novel has 54 cities founded by King Utopus and divided into four parts with Amaurot as its capital.
• It’s written in two parts
• Book One: Dialogue of Council
• Book two: Discourse on Utopia.
• Book One: Told from the perspective of More, who is the narrator of the work.
• PETER GILES, his friend introduced him. Along with them, there was another traveller called Raphel Hythloday(expert of nonsense in Greek)
• Book Two: Now HYTHLODAY is the narrator who tells us about Utopia after living there for five years. He praises that place narrating about how superior it is to the interlocutors.
What is Picaresque Novel
A picaresque novel (comes from picaro, which is Spanish for rogue) is about a rogue belonging to the lower strata of the society, who although travels around doing wrong things, but is appealing to the readers. Diego Hurtado de Mendoza is considered to be the father of Picaresque with his novel, Lazarillo de Tormes(1554). The most famous example is of Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
Summary of Unfortunate Traveller?
Thomas Nashe
The Unfortunate Traveller: or, The Life of JACKE WILTON (1594) is a picaresque novel* set during the reign of Henry VIII of England.
Plot: It is about the adventures of Jack Wilton, who goes to Europe and gets involved in the political situation of the sixteenth century. It’s written in an Episodic form and the characters keep going from one place to another.
• JACK is along with his English counterparts at a military encampment.
• Next, we see him in Munster, Germany
• He is the witness of the massacre of JOHN LEYDEN’s Anabaptist faction by the Emperor and the Duke of Saxony.
• He also meets many historically important figures like the Earl of Surrey, who is his companion when it comes to deceiving prostitutes and pimps in Italy.
• He also meets Thomas More, Erasmus etc during his journey.
• At Bologna, JACK and DIAMANTE observe the public execution of CUTWOLF, the brother of Esdras’s lackey Bartol.
• Nashe highlights the hypocrisy in the field of religion in the novel.
Pilgrim’s Progress Summary
John Bunyan (1628-1688)
Pilgrim’s Progress from this world to that which is to come (1678)
• In a jungle, while sleeping in a cave, John Bunyan is dreaming about a CHRISTIAN, who has left the city as he has read in the good book that wrath of God will descend upon it.
• His family didn’t come with him and he doesn’t know how to reach the CELESTIAL CITY. Christian and his neighbour fall in the SLOUGH OF DESPOND
with a burden of sins on his back. He is gets rescued from sinking in the mud of the slough. Pliable leaves him.
• THE WORLDLY WISEMEN tries and convince him to not leave for the journey, but Evangelist intervenes and warns him that the two gentlemen who are the dwellers from the village of Morality, MR LEGALITY is fraud and MR CIVILITY is a hypocrite and he shouldn’t remove their burden from him.
• On the wicket gate, it’s written, “Knock, and it shall be opened unto you,” where he meets Good- Will. An interpreter shows him the vision of the Day of Judgment and he gets scared of Hell.
• His sins fall from his back near the Holy Cross and the Sepulchre of Christ.
• He goes to the House Beautiful by crossing Presumption, Simple, Formalism and Hypocrisy along with two lions.
• Now he has the sword and the Shield of Christian Faith.
• He is warned by Apollyon in the Valley of Humiliation, “Prepare to Die”. He drives the beast away. He wounded himself but healed with the leaves of the tree of life.
• In Valley of Shadow of Death, crossing the obstacles to the bottomless quagmire, Christian goes to the Caves of giants Pope and Pagan, joined by Faithful.
• In the town of Vanity, there is a year-long fest (Vanity Fair), created by Beelzebub and the fienois of Hell. Where townspeople beat him up after falsely blaming them for disturbing the peace.
• HOPEFUL RESCUES HIM, but both are captured by the GIANT DESPAIR and thrown into a dungeon. Pursued to commit suicide but they don’t.
• They meet four shepherds called Knowledge, Experience, Watchful and Sincere, with whom they go to the peak of Delectable Mountains.
• They can see the Celestial City but are warned of mistaking their path towards hell.
• They THROW themselves into the RIVER OF DEATH, Christian touches the bottom. He recovers from the darkness as Hopeful gives him a hand, and reaches the Celestial City. Greeted by the HEAVENLY HOST with an angelic choir in the praise of God.
• John Bunyan wakes up from the dream.
Critical Opinion
• A Christian Allegory using personifications of the virtues and vices related to Christianity. It is a spiritual as well as a physical journey towards salvation. It is a clever satirical commentary on contemporary society as well.
About Daniel Defoe
Daniel Defoe
Born in London in 1660. He was the son of a butcher.
He published a pamphlet called “The Shortest Way with Dissenters,” he was misunderstood and sent to jail.
He wrote 250 works. He was also a journalist and wrote nine volumes of a newspaper called The Review.
• Robinson Crusoe (1719) – originally published in two volumes
o The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner: Who Lived Eight and Twenty Years […]
o The Farther Adventures of Robinson Crusoe: Being the Second and Last Part of His Life […]
• Captain Singleton (1720)
• Memoirs of a Cavalier (1720)
• A Journal of the Plague Year (1722)
• Colonel Jack (1722)
• Moll Flanders (1722)
• Roxana: The Fortunate Mistress (1724)
Summary of Robinsone Crusoe?
Robinson Crusoe (1719)
Context: Considered by many as the first English Novel.
It’s written as a picaresque novel. Inspired by a real event wherein 1711, ALEXANDER SELKIRK returned to England after spending five years on JUAN FERANDEZ Island in Chile.
Plot: Robinson wanted to go to the sea although his father wanted him to become a lawyer.
He went to the town near the sea called Hull.
On September 1, 1651, he started his journey, but after a storm and he vows not to go again if reaches back on the shore.
The sea is calming and he liked being a part of the sea adventure,
He was inside an African travelling vessel and sold as a slave. He tries to escape in a boat and found by a Portuguese Freighter going to Brazil.
He becomes a sugar planter, but wanting more African slaves he decides to sail towards the Slave coast of Africa.
He gets shipwrecked into an unknown Island near the northeast coast of South America. He only has a knife, a pipe, and some tobacco. He goes back to the ship and finds supplies. He then makes a crude raft to go back to the ship. He finds £ 36 apart from other things.
He recovers from his fever and starts living his life normally on the island. He plants barley, hunts for food and clothing. He fails at making pots, planting trees fails. He starts making a canoe to go away from the island, but it is so heavy that he cannot reach the sea.
He learns to grow crops, has goats for milk.
He finds human footprints after twelve years on the island. He makes a hiding place and starts searching for the intruder.
After 24 years he finds out that cannibals are living on the island, cooking, and eating one prisoner. He saves him by killing many of the cannibals.
This man, who is also a cannibal, is taught English by Crusoe and is named FRIDAY. He tells Crusoe that there are 17 captive White men. He makes a boat with Friday’s help. They also end up saving Friday’s father and a Spaniard.
They find an English ship and help the captain to recapture it and sail towards England. Crusoe returns as a rich man in England with Friday. He has a fortune in Portugal. His parents are dead. He marries and has children. After his wife dies he goes back to the island.
In the Sequel to the book called, The Further Adventure of Robinson Crusoe. He finds out that the shipwreck Spaniards and the rebel English sailors become one and married natives to establish a colony. After a while, Friday is killed and Crusoe had to return to England.
Analysis
Defoe was influenced by the several explorations that were happening during that period. He believed in the idea that men have exceptional ability to do anything they want to. Crusoe was able to create his own little England on a faraway island. It also tells us about the expansion of colonization of all the European countries. They were fighting with each other to get more lands to get raw material and people for the growth of capital in their countries.
About Jonathan Swift?
Jonathan Swift (1667-1745)
Born: Dublin, in 1667 to English Parents.
He was the cousin of John Dryden. He was educated in Trinity College, Dublin. He became the secretary of Sir William Temple.
He wrote satires like The Battle of Books, and A Tale of Tub (1704)
He became a clergyman.
His Modest Proposal was a prose piece of satire, where he defended Ireland against English rule.
He suffered from a Mental disease. It said on his epigraph, “Here lies one… whose heart was lacerated with savage indignation.
Summary of Gulliver’s Travels?
Gulliver’s Travels (1726)
He started writing the book in 1723. It was an anti-Whig book so he made someone else copy the manuscript, so that he wouldn’t be prosecuted for writing it.
Benjamin Motte was the publisher. He altered many controversial passages to save himself.
Plot:
LEMUEL Gulliver had to become a ship doctor on a ship called ANTELOPE after he leaves the job due to his ethical nature.
The ship leaves towards the south seas from the port of Bristol on May 4, 1699.
It gets shipwrecked in a storm Northwest of VAN DIEMEN’S ISLAND.
Lilliput: He somehow reaches an island, where they tie him up and threaten him with a poisoned arrow. They show him to their Emperor. Lilliputians were at war with Blefuscu. They have two different parties, High heels, and low heels and two opposing religious sects, The Big ENDIANS and the Little Endians.
Gulliver given the title of NARDAC AND FILMNAP and, becomes his enemy because it costs them too much to feed him. He also thinks Gulliver is having an affair with his wife. He is asked for help by them to destroy the fleet of BELFUSU to stop them from invasion. He beats them but denies destroying them completely which makes the Emperor angry. He takes refuge in Blefuscu and is treated well. He takes a large boat to go back to England with cattle to show the people.
Brobdingnag
He feels restless without travel and takes a ship called Adventure for India. They reach an unknown land and he loses sight of his party. He finds himself among forty feet tall field of grain with giant farmers. A farmer takes him as a toy for his child GLUMDALCLITCH. He comes to know that the place was Brobdingnag.
The farmer shows Gulliver to others to make a lot of money. He is sold to the queen. Wise men in the court laugh at his size. He tells the king about how great England is. Gulliver feels endangered all the time because of the size of all the things. He escapes drowning when a dwarf throws him into a cream pitcher.
He somehow escapes the island when a giant bird lifts the box which is his house and drops it in the sea to be spotted by a vessel that is going to England.
He gets bored and travels again now to a land called BALNIBARBI which is east of JAPAN. It is a colony ruled by LAPUTA who have only two interests in life Music and Mathematics. They are RATIONAL people who cannot do anything practically. They are not able to wear proper clothes or have a proper house.
In the Academy of Projectors, scientists try to do stupid discoveries like extracting sunbeams from cucumbers.
He then travels to GLUBBDUBRIB, an island of SORCERERS. They summon great historical figures like Alexander, Hannibal, Caesar to answer questions by Gulliver about their great actions.
On the island of LUGGNAGG he meets STRULDBRUGS, who are immortal. He finds out that they are not the wisest and learnt people but are mad and want to die. This makes him disillusioned.
Yahoos and Houyhnhnms
On the next voyage, he reaches an island with people who are called YAHOOS. They run away from creatures called Houyhnhnms (horses) who are master of the land, they think Gulliver is a Yahoo who are more beastly than the horses who are rational and civilized. He describes life in England to them and they start believing that human beings are evil. The horses do not how to lie, Gulliver agrees that it is better to live with the horses than with the evil human race. Houyhnhnms decide that Gulliver is a Yahoo and a threat to the horses. He is ordered to leave. He builds a canoe and finds a Portuguese ship under Pedro de Mendez.
Gulliver is now a Misanthrope but Pedro tries to convince him that not all men are bad. After returning he enjoys the company of horses more than Human beings.
What is Epistolary Novel?
Epistolary Novel is a type of novel written in the form of documents. Generally as letters written by different characters or the narrator. It can also be written by combining diary entries, newspaper clippings and other documents. Electronic “documents” such as recordings and radio, blogs, and e-mails are also used in the recent times. The first epistolary novel, the Spanish “Prison of Love” (Cárcel de amor) (1485 CE) was written by Diego de San Pedro
Context of Pamela The Virtue Rewarded?
Pamela The Virtue Rewarded(1740)
Context: The full title reveals the purpose of Richardson in writing the novel. It is an Epistolary Novel
It also has a Sequel called Pamela in her Exalted Condition (1742). He also tried to create a male Pamela in Sir Charles Grandison (1753).
According to Memoirs of Lady H, the Celebrated Pamela (1741), Richardson got the inspiration to write the novel by a marriage of a coachman’s daughter, Hannah Sturges to the Baronet Sir Arthur Hesilrige in 1725.
It also is like a Persian tragic romance tale of Khosrow and Shirin written by Nizami Gajnavi.
Summary of Pamela the Virtue Rewarded?
Plot: Pamela Andrews is a 16-year-old maidservant working for Mr B a rich land lord. After her mother dies, her master tries to make inappropriate attempts to lure her. She is trained religiously against having any desire and she tries to get the approval of her master by writing many letters to him. Apart from that she also wrote many journal entries. She also wrote many letters to her family members. The novel is written by combining all these letters (hence epistolary) After trying to capture her by seduction, attempts of kidnapping and assaults Mr B finally sends a proposal of marriage. In the novel’s Second part Pamela gets married to Mr B and tries to be comfortable in her new upper-class setting.
Summary of Tom Jones?
The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling.
It is a picaresque novel, a Bildungsroman* published in 1749. According to Somerset Maugham, it is the earliest novel.
Plot: SQUIRE ALLWORTHY lived peacefully after his retirement with his sister BRIDGET in the landed gentry of Somersetshire. He finds a baby boy lying in his bed. He takes care of him. They think that it is JENNY JONES who must be the mother of the child and the local schoolmaster his father. They were sent away.
Bridget gets married to Captain BILFIL who is only concerned about the wealth that Allworthy will leave after his death. Tom doesn’t have a good relationship with Blifil(Bridget’s son). Thwackum and Square become the teacher of Tom who beat him to teach. Square is found with a prostitute and Tom’s education ends. Tom has a friend called SEAGRIM who is always there with him in his adventures.
Squire Western lives with his daughter SOPHIA. Sophia is impressed with Tom and he spends a lot of time with them.
He falls in love with Sophia when he has to spend a lot of time with them due to his arm injury when he tries to catch hold of her horse.
Allworthy recovers from his ill health after Tom visits him. Tom celebrates that with a drink that is not liked by Blifil, who refers to him being an illegitimate child.
Sophia shows her interest in younger Bliful to hide her relationship with Tom, but her aunt asks Squire Western to prepare for the wedding of Sophia and Bliful after assuming their relationship. When they come to know about the truth they feel angry and don’t want Tom as their Son-in-Law.
Allworthy learns about Tom’s drinking behaviour from Bliful and banishes him with 500 Pounds to help him. Sophia is locked in her room after she refuses to marry Blifil. She escapes out of the house to meet her aunt in London.
Tom gets into fight with rowdy soldiers and gets wounded. He is treated by a local barber who is a banished Patridge who becomes his friend for the journey ahead. Tom rescues Mrs Waters from the soldiers and takes her to an inn at Upon.
Sophia also comes to the inn and mistakes Tom to be infidel due to a miscommunication given by Mr Fitzpatrick. She departs in anger and leaves her muff behind.
Sophia meets Mrs Bellaston and Tom and Patridge follow her to London. He meets Sophia in a play and tells her that he is entirely devoted to her. Squire Western is trying to find his daughter. Squire Allworthy and Bliful have arrived in London for the marriage with Sophia. He is jailed when he wounds Mr Flitzpatrick who is jealous.
In the jail, Mars Waters visited and it is revealed that she is Jenny Jones known to be his mother. Allworthy is told that Tom was not guilty of the duel with Mr Flitzpatrick.
Allworthy is angry with Tom for his behaviour with Mrs Waters, but she tells them that she is not his mother. It is Bridget who is the real mother of Tom. Bliful destroyed her message where she had written in a letter on her deathbed that she is indeed Tom’s mother. Bliful also tried to get Tom hanged for the duel by bribing the officials.
Tom is released from prison and becomes rich by becoming the heir of Allworthy. He is married to Sophia. Bliful is sent away with a stipend.
Criticism
It is a comic epic in three parts. He represented the careless nature of human beings, but in the end, they are essentially good. They should not be forced to have morality but they should be given time to find out their morality. Although Tom is a rogue, in the beginning, he can find out his purpose in life and becomes stable in the end.
Summary of Joseph Andrews?
Joseph Andrews or The History of the Adventures of Joseph Andrews and his Friend Mr Abraham Adams (1742)
A comic epic poem in prose. It combines mock-heroic style with the domestic prose style of Daniel Defoe and Samuel Richardson.
It is inspired by Don Quixote and the picaresque style of narrative. He reacted against the moral hypocrisy of Richardson in writing Pamela first writing a pamphlet called Shamela.
He reacted against the moral compass of Pamela, where the chastity of a woman is given so much importance as a commodity. It inspired him to write Joseph Andrew as a parody.
Plot
Book 1
Joseph Andrew’s in the brother of Pamela. He becomes an apprentice of Sir THOMAS BOBBY. He is employed by Lady Booby, Sir Thomas’s wife as a FOOTMAN at the age of seventeen.
After Sir Thomas dies, the lady’s affection changes to flirting which is refused by him. It parallel’s Pamela’s rejection of Mr B(in Pamela) Fanny Goodwill is Joseph’s true love, who is poor and beautiful.
Joseph is reunited with Parson Adam after a thief steals from him. Parson gives a lot of his fortune to him.
Book 2
Adam’s sermons are mocked by a bookseller. He is told by his wife earlier to take shirts with him, he goes back to the inn along with Joseph to find the sermon and Fanny. Joseph meets Madam Slipslop who tells him about a girl called Leonara (subplot “The History of Leonara, or the unfortunate jill”
Adam finds a stranger who runs away when a sound is heard and rescues Fanny, but they are accused of robbery. After the release, they are stuck in a storm where Joseph is also staying with Slipslop who is jealous of the reuniting of the lovers.
Book 3
They hear a party calling to murder anyone they meet and run away to a house. Mr Wilson, the owner informs them about a gang of murderers who are sheep stealers. From here, we have the story of Wilson(Similar to Fielding) his father died when he was 16. He left school and travelled to London to womanise girls to call himself a ‘beau’. He is financially broken due to his lifestyle and affairs including gambling. He gives away his lottery ticket which wins £ 3,000. The daughter of the lottery winner pays his debt. Fielding writes about issues such as the lottery system, abused literary market, and prison for small debts. Joseph and their friends are robbed in the inn with nothing left. Squire accuses them of kidnapping Fanny and jails them. She is rescued and they go forward in the journey with Lady Booby’s Stewart, Peter Pounce.
Book IV
Lady Booby is overwhelmed with emotions such as anger and love. Joseph is accused of Larceny by her, to delay the marriage.
Mr Booby comes along with Pamela as his wife. He helps him to reunite with his sister. Didappear is brought to seduce Fanny but fails. Andrew identifies Fanny as his lost daughter, who was stolen from her parents and Joseph was kept instead of her. It is revealed through a birthmark that Joseph is Wilson’s son. They are married by Adams.
Adaptation
The novel was adapted for the screen in 1977 by Tony Richardson, Allan Scott and Chris Bryant. Richardson directed the critically well-received work, with Michael Hordern as Adams, Peter Firth as Joseph, and Lady Booby played by Swedish-born Ann-Margret, who received a Golden Globe nomination for the role.
Summary of The Vicar of Wakefield?
The Vicar of Wakefield – subtitled A Tale, Supposed to be written by Himself. It was written from 1761 to 1762 and published in 1766.
Plot: Dr CHARLES PRIMROSE lives with his wife DEBORAH and son George and daughters Sophia and Olivia with three other children. He got an inheritance from a relative and is wealthy due to his investing in that property. He also donates to orphans and war veterans. When George is getting married Vicar becomes bankrupt as his merchant investor leaves the town suddenly. Arabella’s father calls off the wedding. George is sent to the town and all other family members now live in Squire Thornhill’s land, he is a well-known womanizer, unlike his uncle who is quite popular for being generous.
Sophia is rescued from drowning by Mr Burchell, she gets attracted to him. Thornhill and Burchell keep visiting their household. Olivia runs away. Squire Thornhill deceives her who leaves her after a mock wedding.
Their house is burnt down, yet the Squire wants the rent, hence the Vicar has to go to jail. Olivia is reported to be dead, Sophia is abducted and George is sent to prison after he asks Thornhill for a duel.
Mr Burchell solves all the difficulties in their life by rescuing Sophia. Olivia is not dead. It is revealed that It is Burchell who is Sir William Thornhill in disguise He marries Sophia. It is also found out that Squire married Olivia as his servant tricked him to do so. In the end, Vicar gets back his wealth.
