Midterm Flashcards
1
Q
Explain how nature is one of the main themes of Reveries of a Solitary Walker?
A
- Rousseau thinks civilization is bad because we lose out sincerity because we pay too much attention to outside things like reputation but not who we actually are
- He is against modern luxuries like technology, industrialization
- The point of walking for him is to be in nature - he thinks walking beings the environment into focus
- Invests himself in botany
- Toward the end he goes on his walks in order to look for plants - by doing this he completely immerses himself in nature and therefore escapes himself
2
Q
Explain how happiness is a major theme of Reveries?
A
-Rousseau thinks that human happiness is extremely difficult to obtain because the world is in constant flux - this means that what makes us happy at one point will pass away - our passions are always either ahead of us or lagging behind - there is never anything solid for the heart to hold on to - the present is impossible to hold on to
3
Q
What is the difference between thinking and a reverie
A
- A reverie is something that requires very little of you - you kind of just go with it - there is no goal in mind
- Thinking requires a lot of you - you are looking for something specific - you are trying to get some sort of answer
4
Q
Explain how walking is a major theme of Reveries?
A
- Rousseau uses walking to be in nature, outside of society and act inside himself
- Walking is what sets out minds in motion because it gives you access to new experiences and a new state of mind
- We use walking to get rid of self - we walk away from the self that you don’t like and find a new one
- Rousseau is a wounded walker - not walking because he did some crime but because he is sad - he is driven by some kind of restlessness
- He never really talks about walking but uses it as a sort of meditation to generate important ideas
5
Q
Why does Rousseau say he does not like writers and what does he claim to be?
A
- He thinks writers write in vain, for public recognition
- He thinks that they write to have public recognition
- Claims he is not a writer but a copyist (he copies music) because you can’t make it up - it is a very honest completely predetermined activity and removes the self in a way that he really wants
6
Q
What is the significance of solidarity in Reveries?
A
- Rousseau introduces himself as an outcast
- He is Ina state of absolute detachment that must reorient himself and figure out who he is
- Claims to have found pleasure in solitude but not convincing because he goes back and forth between loving solitude and being upset about being an outcast and does not convey the truth about how isolated he actually is (he has a wife, servant, encounters people on walks)
- Claims he does not care about what people think of him but when he has his accident with dog and people spread rumours about his death it drives him crazy and admits that this is not something a man that does not care about the outside world would think
- Absolute solitude creates a vacuum and something must fill it - imagination cannot create ideas so he fills it with botany at the end
- Instead of being in a community of people he creates a community of plants
7
Q
What are the two central themes of Rime of the Ancient Mariner?
A
- The idea of the supernatural journey or a journey that has supernatural elements ex. Skeleton ship, figures of life and death on skeleton ship, zombie crew members
- The outcast sailor who wonders the world trying to make up for his guilt, meaning he is going through some kind of penance
8
Q
What is the symbolism of the albatross in Rime?
A
- The killing of the albatross represents committing a sin that you cannot return from
- The albatross is a signal of good luck for sailors so when the AM shoots it he is going against nature
- Shows that when man and the natural world are not in sync there are consequences
9
Q
How is torment a major theme in Rime?
A
- The AM is a tormented figure
- He is a wanderer (a very common romantic archetype)
- The AM must go on telling his story for the rest of his life
10
Q
What is the significance of the wedding guest in Rime?
A
- It is interesting he would choose a wedding guest since a wedding is an act of communion, coming together where the AM’s experience was total isolation
- Trauma is displaced onto another person
11
Q
What is the significance of nature in the Rime?
A
- The place is extremely remote (remote on two levels because of where he is and because all crew members die)
- Dealing with struggles of stormy climate far away from a place where they could get any help
- Vulnerability is a huge stress from being so remote
- Huge emphasis on cold - they are people who do not have any experience of being in the cold
- Idea of companiableness is important when dealing with relationship between man and nature
12
Q
What is the function of the letters as the introduction in Frankenstein?
A
- Sets up a context so the imagination is engaged and disbelief is suspended
- It was a common technique in outlandish stories where they didn’t think the reader would engage in it easily - the letters act as a transition space carrying the reader through uncertain portions of the text
13
Q
What is the significance of the opening frame?
A
- It gives the story credibility - you can see Walton processing facts and he is in a way standing in for us
- The letters prepare us for Victor’s story
- Introduces the synergy between Walton and Victor - both are explorers of some type, both are doing something that estranges them from their family, both claim to be embarking of missions that they think is for the greater good
14
Q
What are the similarities between the three narratives? (Walton, Victor and the creation)
A
- Strong emphasis on education - they all had to struggle to educate and were all misguided (all had the wrong idea)
- All trying to achieve uncharted territory (positioned at the margin of the known)
- All isolated in some way from human society
15
Q
What are the key parts of Walton’s narrative?
A
- He is misguided in education - had to teach himself through reading and his imagination is sharpened through reading
- Talks about lacking a friend - realize he is talking about Victor Frankenstein here
- Because he writes his letter to his sister you get the sense that they are kind of orphaned (just like Frankenstein’s mother died and father is not involved and how the creature was abandoned by creator)
