Week 10: Atmospheric Short Stories of the Early and Mid-Twentieth Century (1930s and 1940s) Flashcards
What is the term georgic in literature?
It glorifies outdoor labour and simple country life.
Example “Painted Door”: “there’ll be chores for me to do”
What is the difference between pastoral and georgic in literature?
Pastoral: Idealized form of the shepherd’s lifestyle (focus on one activity)
Georgic: simple country life (focus on multiple activities)
What is pathetic fallacy in literature?
Giving emotions to something non-human
ex.: “the sun was smiling down upon him”
Who is Elizabeth Bowen, and what is her contribution to short fiction?
She’s an Irish writer
Writes about world war
What is the difference between the ghost story genre and the gothic genre?
Ghost story: contains an actual ghost/spirit + setting can be modern
Gothic genre: mostly settled in a castle, with emphasis on the protagonist’s state of mind, dark scenery
What is the story/myth of the demon lover?
A figure who comes back (from the dead) to take away his unfaithful lover who broke her promise to love him only forever.
Who is Sinclair Ross, and what is his contribution to short fiction?
Canadian author and used to be a banker
Focuses on setting of Canadian prairies and its isolation
What are 3–4 words repeated in “The Painted Door” that seem to be key elements of his prairie fiction?
Silence, cold, isolation, loneliness
How is “The Painted Door” a modernist story?
Focuses on internal monologue
There is not much action
Rejection of certainties, ideas and values
Theme of adultery (taboo)
In “The Painted Door”, Ann is described as brooding multiple times in the story. What does brood mean?
Moody, unhappy, thoughtful, serious
The “double wheel around the moon” is a repeated image in the story. Why is it important and what does it represent?
It represents an upcoming storm. In the story, it means two storms: one in her head and one outside.