love through the ages Flashcards
what is taming presented as?
a satire and farce
much ado about nothing
shows young witty banter between modern relationships
does taming align with a comedy?
‘Battle between the sexes’ aligns with a comedy. But the problematic ending does not align with expectations of a comedy- he subverts conventions to challenge the ridicule of women.
what can petruchio be recognised by?
two Commedia dell ’Arte types- Capitano (the boastful swaggerer) or Cavaliere (the successful wooer of women).
expectations of a comedy
relatability (disguise and slapstick humour subvert expectations), a story with a happy ending (problematic final scene is open to interpretation), building up to marriage (play is centred around deterioration of marriage).
what is the message of taming?
Does not advocate for sexual inequality, rather it critiques men’s attempts to subordinate women.
aristotle’s definition of a comedy
presents ordinary, unheroic people who learn moral lessons through grief and folly.
is taming a typical depiction of women in renaissance literature?
Shakespeare creates resourceful women.
what do patriarchal figures in taming act on?
disguise and deception.
what does lucentio play?
a stock character- Innamorato (the lovers).
what did shakespeare used the treatment of kate to satirise?
patriarchal views and challenge the traditional connections between gender and dominance.
what did shakespeare aim to show?
show a more realistic perspective of love and ‘Courtly Love’ at the time- similar to Sonnet 130 mocking Courtly stereotypes and expectations of female beauty.
what does the subplot reveal?
how there is no ‘correct’ tradition in terms of love. The concept of love is something to be deconstructed with his ultimate satire of ‘Courtly Love’.
what did 16th century italy think of women?
held religious virtues of chaste, modest, silent and subordinate women.
what was religion a target of?
theatrical satire. Extreme Puritanism was portrayed for comedic effect.
what is the induction?
self-consciously theatrical (metatheatre) and challenges identity.
what did subversive theatre produce?
religious, social, and political change- playwrights include Christopher Marlowe and Doctor Faustus.
‘the isle of dogs’ 1597
satirical play was considered a threat to national security and the playwrights were imprisoned.
what does love poetry in henrican era explore love as?
painful and challenging, yet infinitely rewarding.
taming viewpoints
Female subjugation used to challenge views of society.
Expectations can be a barrier to fulfilling relationships.
A feminist critique might assert that drawing attention to Bartholomew suggests that women’s roles and behaviours are constructed by male playwrights.
what is bartholemew?
a “wish-fulfilment fantasy of female subordination”.
what is kate’s abuse played for?
“Katherina’s abuse is played for laughs when what should be communicated is her suffering.”
what is the play often described as?
“disgusting to modern sentiments.”
taming subjugation quote
“A statement of contemporary doctrine, of male fantasy, or of almost unbelievable sustained irony.”
genre of gatsby
Post war prosperity, reaction to death and loss of innocence.
Social satire and realism- explores themes of sex, social order, adulty, death.
west egg vs east egg
West Egg represents new money and East Egg represents old money.
what caused prohibition?
18th Amendment and Volstead Act caused prohibition 1919-33 and led to bootlegging.
narrative in gatsby
Intradiegetic narrator.
what did fitzgerald coin in 1922?
‘jazz age’
what did modernism experiment with?
‘stream of consciousness’ and dark sides of human nature.
Postmodern literature explored social mobility in the modern world and the destructive impact of love.
gatsby and tragedy
fatal flaw of a hero (hamartia) leads to their downfall and provides catharsis to audiences- Gatsby’s refusal to see change catalyses his death.
what does fitzgerald expose?
the excess of the prosperous 1920s and the Roaring Twenties.
Sends strong messages about elitism ingrained in society.
Embodies the American spirit and reinvention.
what do social class and desire for social mobility act as?
a barrier between meaningful relationships
what does fitzgerald highlight?
the failure of the American Dream through the lives of his characters- materialism and corruption.
what is flapper feminism?
rejected the idea that women should uphold society’s morals through temperance and chastity- drive towards materialism and consumerism. Novel highlights the limitations of rebellion.
what does the valley of ashes represent?
the moral and social decay that comes with the pursuit of wealth.
what does tom’s absolute power highlight?
the consequences of capitalism.
why was gatsby written?
to confront Fitzgerald’s own feelings towards the Jazz Age- pining after a woman (Zelda) who symbolised the American Dream and their turbulent marriage.
what was the main focus for women in the 1920s?
Although the 1920s saw rapid change, marriage, motherhood, and domestic life remained the main focus for most women, regardless of background.
gatsby viewpoints
Reflects Marx’s theory of class consciousness as Gatsby and Myrtle are unable to escape their origins.
Mocking critique of American capitalist culture.
Feminist lens shows the difficulties of defying social norms of the time- through negatively depicted ‘New Woman’.
Marxist approach would criticise Gatsby for denying his working class roots and using criminal means to enter the ruling class, then behaving like a knight in old-fashioned romance.
what does gatsby live in?
“the world of romantic energies and colours”
how does bewley describe daisy and gatsby?
Daisy’s “monstrous indifference” and Gatsby “embodies the core conflict in the American Dream between illusion and reality.”
quote about daisy’s identity
“Nick and Gatsby progressively devitalise Daisy’s symbolic meaning until she exists as a vulgar emblem of the money values which dominate their world.”
what did whoso imitate?
Imitated Petrarchan sonnet (unrequited love). Wyatt was an ambassador to Henry VIII and romantically involved with Anne Boleyn. He was arrested on adultery charges.
whoso hunting metaphor
Hunting was for royalty and aristocracy, and a metaphor for courtship and violence. Uses extended metaphor of hunting a deer to convey the dynamics of their relationship.
Artemis and Anne Boleyn both represent unattainable love, and Cesar evokes power- representation of Henry VIII.
what is one of shakespeare’s most famous sonnets?
sonnet 116- has a historical influence of Italian Renaissance and Elizabethan era.
Endurance and perseverance as true love becomes something spiritual. Challenges the traditional and generalised identity of true love.
who was donne?
a metaphysical poet- the study of being and reality- who rebelled against the norms of society. He was concerned with the experience of man and betrayed his faith as a Catholic.
who was marvell?
an associate of Donne. He lived through the Interregnum of 1641 and was an ambiguous figure in the English Civil War. Unknown where his loyalties lay- took mysterious trips abroad.
what did marvell’s poems have?
a royalist attitude, but he also worked for Cromwell. Very political- many of his satirical works were too controversial to be published.
who was lovelace?
a Cavalier poet and supported the king during the Civil War. He came from a wealthy family and wrote poems about love and eroticism.
Seen as a social connoisseur in college, ideas of carpe diem and celebrating women.
who was wilmot?
classed as a libertine- indulged in sexual pleasure with no regard for moral principles. Hedonism and debauchery in Restoration literature as the ‘wickedest man in England’.
what did wilmot embody?
the new era and was infamous for his wild behaviour. Died at 33 from alcoholism.
who was blake?
Romantic poet whose work embraced the imagination as ‘the body of God’. He was seen as mad, but now considered central to the art of the romantic age.
what did romanticism emphasise?
intuition over reason.
what did blake believe?
Believed politics and sexuality were intrinsically linked. Critiqued the Industrial Revolution and organised religion. Spoke out about monarchy, institutions, and the church.
who was burns?
National poet of Scotland. He almost left his wife and emigrated to the West Indies with his lover- exchanged letters with a married Nancy using pseudonyms. She returned to her husband in Jamaica. He wrote the poem and sent it to her once she had reconciled with her husband.
who was part of the second generation romantics?
Byron- they were notorious for scandal and immoral lifestyles. He was ‘mad, bad and dangerous to know’. He fled Britain for Europe, as he felt they were less uptight and judgemental about his love life.
rumours about byron
Rumours he was abusive and had an incestuous affair. Inspired by meeting his cousin Anne Beatrix at a ball when she was in mourning.
what was rosetti a part of?
the pre-Raphaelite movement with her brother Dante. Her father’s death led to financial difficulty and depression- she had a nervous breakdown at 14.
Ended three potential engagements on grounds of religious conviction.
what did pre-raphelites reflect?
the Romantic movement’s commitment to nurture as central to art. Focus on mood, atmosphere, artistic introspection, and spirituality.
who was hardy?
Victorian realist, influenced by Romantics and critical of declining society. Focused on tragic characters struggling against social circumstances. He was interested in social reform and the plight of women.
what did hardy criticse?
hypocrisy of society and his protagonists struggle against crushing moralistic and judgemental views. Lived through Secular Era. Autobiographical poem inspired by a real event with Florence Henniker in 1893. Tragedies of social circumstance.
who was the youngest of the romantics?
Keats- Wrote with the shadow of death hanging over him after the moved to Italy upon showing signs of tuberculosis.
who did keats fall in love with?
Fanny Brawne but kept apart for financial reasons. Died at 25, did not live up to his potential. Insecure in love and women and scared of commitment- wrote as a personal rebellion against the pains of love.
what does non sum qualis explore cynara as?
a lost love compared to Horace’s poem (leading Roman poet) where she is unimportant to him. He lived an active social life, but his parents’ death in 1894 quickly led to his decline.
what did dowson become?
the cliché of a drunken poet- expressed the woes of unrequited love and hopeless nature of the world. Decadent movement combined sexual promiscuity with classical literature and Catholicism. Believed art should celebrate beauty, not politics.
imprisonment in marriage
‘the portrait of a lady’ shows imprisonment in marriage and ‘their eyes were watching god’ reflects how violence supersedes love.
love in marriage can survive
‘who’s afraid of virginia woolf’ shows martha and george’s marriage embrace disharmony and emotional irrartionality. uses oxymorons rooted in courtly love.
what does zora neale hurtson explore?
disastrous and unfulfilling marriages before the protagonist Janine finds happiness with Teacake.
oscar wilde’s ‘the importance of being earnest’
is a comedy where women make the rules. Focuses on radical themes and abnormal love in the Victoria era- seen in the proposal scene between Gwendolyn and Jack.
moral deceit
no characters in gatsby are depicted positively.
Kerouac’s ‘On the Road’ reveals the truth of American culture, and the natural dishonesty and deceitful nature of people. Negative consequences of pleasure, excess and hedonism.
social class and love
‘The Grapes of Wrath’ advocates social change by showing the unfair working conditions when the Joads move to California during the Great Depression. The extended metaphor of the turtle symbolises the constant social struggles and perseverance of humanity.
conscience and change
Briony’s immaturity in McEwan’s ‘Atonement’ leads her to commit a morally wrong crime. Gets an innocent man convicted of rape, but has realised her wrongdoings by the end of the novel and has chosen to write it to find atonement,
what did victorian era explore?
changing moral structure of modern world- Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein on the traumatic search for love
what did female writers explore?
the sacrifice of individualism in love and marriage- such as monogamy and the ‘Fallen Woman- in Browning and Rosetti’s work.
Bronte’s heroines reflect an escape from social reality and Wilde criticised the institution of marriage.
Browning and Rosetti explore issue of love and marriage- Browning explores love for Robert Browning and reflects on their courtship, compared to Rosetti’s fear of restriction and death.
