World Literature: Feminism seen through Alice Munro's "Prue" and Mavis Gallant's "My Heart is Broken"

Mingyu Kim
121015

World Literature: Feminism seen through Alice Munro's "Prue" and Mavis Gallant's "My Heart is Broken"

Feminism in literature saw its rise during the 19th century as the feminist movement emerged as an important social movement. The first wave, as the movement's beginning is commonly called, started from the 19th century and spanned for nearly a hundred years until around 1960s. The first wave mostly emphasized rights and equality, mostly politically. The second wave, lasting from around 1960s to late 19th century, highlighted the social and cultural equality of women, especially regarding social expectations about women. The third wave, which began in the late 19th century and is still in effect, mostly emphasizes the portrayal of societies' perception of women rather than actively displaying as in the first wave the social limits and violations of women's rights.

Feminism can clearly be depicted through literature in a variety of ways, as seen in the different waves of feminism. Mavis Gallant's "My Heart is Broken" (1961) and Alice Munro's "Prue" (1981) are both short stories that reflect that feminist movement--they both possess very similar elements yet the stories are expressed by each author in very different perspectives.

In Mavis Gallant's "My Heart is Broken" (1961), the contrast between social expectations and personal interests are explicitly shown. Therefore, this story would fit into the second wave feminism. There is Mrs. Thompson, who is the more traditional women of the time and believes that women should stay at home, stay out of trouble, and fulfill her duty as a loyal wife. And in contrast to Mrs. Thompson, there is Jeannie, who seemingly desires a freer role in life and possesses personal interests. From what the readers learn about Jeannie, it seems that she is also quite open minded about having casual relationship with men as seen in her relationship with the German at where she previously lived. Though it is rather clear from a feminist standpoint that Jeannie is the more desirable and modern woman who challenges the traditional beliefs, it would be unfair to conclude that Jeannie is the enlightened ideal woman who every feminist at the time lived up to be since Jeannie was still greatly influenced by the traditional beliefs of the time as well. How Jeannie sadly states how she thought "they all liked me" and how she wouldn't have made the fuss had the rapist "at least liked her" shows that Jeannie is only used to being loved and admired by her husband Vern like a pretty flower.

Alice Munro's "Prue" (1981) was similar to "My Heart is Broken" in that they both highlight social expectations about women and how women respond to them. However, "Prue" is much more subtle in depicting this as a clear conflict between social expectations and personal interests is not shown. This makes sense in a third wave feminism story like "Prue" because by this time, the focus has already shifted away from the necessity of basic rights and social equality, and the urgency of the matter has also died down to a degree as well so the depiction of the story need not be as radical. The narrator tells the readers that Prue is a very likeable person. But looking at how nonchalant Prue is about her relationships leaves the readers wondering whether Prue truly meets the social expectation by being casual as part of her own natural personality or if she herself has adapted to the social expectations to become accepted. The narrator states that Prue "hated to be thought suspicious" but this is probably because she believes that to be thought suspicious is not a socially desirable trait. Prue is definitely similar to Jeannie in that she is very open about having sex and maintaining casual relationship with men. But Prue seems to be much more mature or at least much more aware of the social expectations of her role.

As I read the two stories, I felt that "Prue" came to me much more personally than "My Heart is Broken." Granted, "My Heart is Broken" did depict the conflict of views much more explicitly so it was naturally easier to understand the feminist element. However, I felt that "Prue" came to me as something more than just a feminist depiction as everyone, to some degree, feel the social expectations on their shoulders and strive to meet that standard. It's part of a survival strategy. Personally, when I endure a failure of some sort, I learn to get over it by being casual about it. Once you tell yourself repeatedly that it is not a big deal, it gets into your head. Eventually, I'm able to make jokes about my failures and laugh with my friends about it.

World Literature: Anton Chekhov “The Student”

Mingyu Kim 121015

World Literature: Anton Chekhov “The Student”

“The Student” is a short story that keeps getting better and better every time one reads it. At first glance, the story feels rather mundane and unremarkable—a student of the clerical academy preaches to two widows about Apostle Peter and is struck by a sudden epiphany that the past, the present, and the future are all intertwined in an “unbroken chain of events.” It is certainly not a story which a typical reader can feel a strong connection to on the first read. Yet, for some reason “The Student” is considered the epitome of short stories and is often deemed the “perfect short story” by many scholars. Why?

“The Student” is a work that requires further exploration in order to fully appreciate its sophisticated theme. Furthermore, it is a controversial story because its open ending allows for various interpretations. I personally found “The Student” to be rather uninteresting in regards to the story itself but I do admire it as a work of literature. The story is surely not purported for mere entertainment but rather serves to provide a perspective on a particular attitude held by the Russian society at the time or perhaps even on the philosophy that the past, present and future are related.

                  The first time I read this story, I didn’t know what I read. It was unlike any short story I had ever read before. There was no evident plot nor was there a clear conclusion. The story begins with the student, Ivan Velikopolski, preaching about Apostle Peter to the two widows he had just met and ends with the student in an intangible epiphany. Throughout the story, one of the most important scene open for interpretation is the meaning of the tears of the old woman, Vasilisa. If the tears were as the student had thought from the connection to Apostle Peter, his epiphany may have been considered valid. However, otherwise, Ivan's so-called epiphany would have been a false epiphany as he failed to understand that his perception of the world as an educated elite differ greatly from others.

Rereading helped me get a grip on the general flow of the story but it was the historical context of Russia at the time and also characteristics of Anton Chekhov that allowed me to get a greater understanding on the story. In the year 1894, in which the book was written, Russia was experiencing a transition from the reign of Alexander III to the reign of Nicholas II. The reign of Alexander III, during which I suppose the short story would have been written, was a period defined by three keywords: Russian Orthodoxy (religion), Autocracy, and Nationality. Russia in 1891-1892 also suffered from a terrible famine along with a cholera epidemic that swept across the nation. In other words, it was a time of oppression, a time of destitution, and a time of crisis. Anton Chekhov was an atheist during a period which everyone was forced to accept the Eastern Orthodox Church—it seems obvious that Chekhov was not an ardent supporter of the autocratic regime that was in place at the time. I took these factors into consideration to reach the conclusion that the ultimate message of the story leans towards cynicism rather than optimism. He wouldn't be appealing for optimism as it would become a propagand for the Russian regime-something Chekhov wouldn't want.

Through this story, I personally think Anton Chekhov intended to criticize the student, Ivan Velikopolski, for his limited view of the world. Though it seems that Ivan is not from an affluent family, he did receive education at the clerical academy which usually for the elite. It would seem that this type of upbringing influenced Ivan greatly as he is only able to view the world from his perspective—from the perspective of a student with an elite upbringing. The student preached his ideals and knowledge, believing that it applied to everyone. I think Chekhov wanted the readers to acknowledge and view the world from a broader perspective.

 

Roald Dahl on Human Nature

Roald Dahl Tales of the Unexpected

Reading Journal #1

 

             In his collection of short stories, Tales of the Unexpected, Roald Dahl conveys human nature from a rather satirical perspective. In fact, unlike in his stories for younger children, this work aimed at adults brings to light the sociopathic aspects of human beings. Each of the short stories deals with a horrible and crazy issue: in the first story, “Taste”, Mike Schofield decides to take a risky bet wagering his own daughter; in the second story, “Lamb to the Slaughter,” Mary Maloney kills her husband with a frozen lamb leg; in “Man from the South”, a boy engages in a crazy bet with a stranger where he must wager his finger; and etc. However, Roald Dahl presents these creepy plots in a comical manner with an unexpected yet realistic twist at the end of each story.

             From the stories we have read so far, I cannot clearly make out what Roald Dahl was attempting to convey through the book. I can be sure, though, from the way Dahl described his characters that he did not mean highlight the greatness of mankind. Rather, I would say his stance on human nature was critical perhaps even a bit cynical. From the short stories of the Tales of the Unexpected, many of the characters are sociopathic. Most of the characters show irrational decision making, insane obsessions, and susceptibility to the temptation of betting. In “Taste,” the temptation of gaining two houses gets the better of Mike Schofied, Mary Maloney in “Lamb to Slaughter” loses her mind (but not her cool) and kills her husband in a cold calculated method, in “Skin,” the temptation of food and a good life makes Drioli pay with his skin/life. These events are very unrealistic situations in our everyday life. But here, in these stories, Roald Dahl puts the characters in an extreme situation, and the characters are forced to make a decision. It’s an interesting approach of making the readers imagine “what if?” Right now, sitting comfortably in our rooms, we would never imagine having our fingers chopped off for anything. But could we know for sure that we will be able to resist the temptation of a free sports car? We, the readers, are never going to be put in such a situation but if we are, what kind of a decision would we make and what are the consequences? In most of these stories, the characters fall for temptation and ends up losing something very dear to them (or at least almost in the case of “Man from the South”.) All in all, many of these stories revolve around plots that highlight the folly of human nature.

For me, these short stories felt much like dark humor. It is not only shown throughout the plot but also in the tone of narration. For stories like “Taste”, “Lamb to the Slaughter,” “Dip in the Pool” and “Skin,” where the plot is told from a third person viewpoint by an outside narrator, it was quite notable how the tone of the narrator is more light and amused rather than grave even as he/she is describing something terrible. Moreover, because in many stories the ending is never explicitly given away by the narrator, there is still a room for imagination as to what happened in the end. By leaving conclusion for the readers to decide, the narrator is more so able to take a lighter stance to a heavily grave issue.

 

Reading Journal #3: The Controversy of "The Picture of Dorian Gray"

At first glance, Oscar Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray" may appear to be a work that initially sparked the controversy between aestheticism and morality. After all, the novel embodies the spirit of aestheticism while at the same time, constantly pits aesthetic beliefs against the moral values of the Victorian era. When the novel was first released, it was harshly rebuked by critics for being ‘foul’ in nature and was condemned a ‘fallen work.’ Many readers were outraged when aestheticism prevailed over moral values and eventually destroyed Dorian Gray. Among the outspoken diatribes was a review by the Scots Observer, which stated “It (the novel) is false art for its interest is medico-legal; it is false to human nature—for its hero is a devil; it is false to morality—for it is not made ...sufficiently clear that the writer does not prefer a course of unnatural iniquity to a life of cleanliness, health and sanity.” However, according to Oscar Wilde, “The Picture of Dorian Gray” can hardly be considered an ‘immoral’ book. Oscar Wilde had no intention of persuading the readers that any particular belief was more valid than the other. He was not emphasizing his belief that aestheticism was superior to morality, nor did he implicate any sort of moral lesson. The conflict between aestheticism and Victorian moral values only exist to make the novel more ‘beautiful.’ In his letter rebutting the Scots Observer, he stated “If a work of art is rich and vital and complete, those who have artistic instincts will see its beauty, and those to whom ethics appeal more strongly than aesthetics will see its moral lesson. It will fill the cowardly with terror, and the unclean will see in it their own shame. It will be to each man what he is himself. It is the spectator, and not life, that art really mirrors.” Here, in this letter, Oscar Wilde makes it clear that the importance of beauty and morality in art is very subjective to each individual. Therefore, it is perhaps more accurate to assume that Oscar Wilde had no actual intention while writing this novel to bring to light the prevalence of art’s beauty over morality as shown in The Picture of Dorian Gray. Rather, he simply brought up the conflict to create a fascinating plot and to present the novel in an artful manner, suitable to meet his standards of aesthetcism. In this sense, The Picture of Dorian Gray is not meant to be a book that brings up controversy—it is a book that uses a controversial issue to strengthen a clever plot.

The Picture of Dorian Gray: Reflection of Aestheticism

“There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written, or badly written. That is all.”-Oscar Wilde

As the above quote suggests, Oscar Wilde was an as aesthete, appreciating art and beauty over its moral issues. How does Wilde portray aestheticism in his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray? Is it viewed in a positive light or negative?

                  In 1890, during the Victorian era in which the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray was written, England had an upright society with a strict moral code. Aestheticism, a branch of philosophy that valued beauty and art over morality, was rebuked by many Victorian critics for its attempt to free art from its moral burden, that art strives solely for beauty and need not have any moral significance. Throughout his career, Oscar Wilde was well-known for being an advocate of aestheticism, as displayed in his famous epigram, “There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written, or badly written. That is all.” And though regarded as the masterpiece today, his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray received poor critique when it was first published due to its aesthetic elements and ‘immoral, poisonous’ plot. However, some considerations must be done before concluding The Picture of Dorian Gray as a novel embodying aestheticism. Just because Oscar Wilde is an ardent supporter of aestheticism, does that mean The Picture of Dorian Gray is also its proponent? Or is Oscar Wilde criticizing aestheticism by reminding us that even appreciation of beauty must have its limits. Regardless of what Wilde’s true intentions were, The Picture of Dorian Gray seems to suggest that aestheticism must only be confined to the realm of art and that its extension to real life may actually result in disaster.

                  One of the principal elements of aestheticism is the appreciation of beauty. It is aesthetes’ beliefs that pursuit of beauty must come first in art before considering its moral validity. However, The Picture of Dorian Gray takes it a step further by personifying ‘art’ into a person ^[1]. In other words, Wilde creates a rather extreme situation by applying the sense of aestheticism to a person’s perspective of life, something that is beyond art. From the beginning of the novel, elements of aestheticism subtly appear from the discussion between Basil Hallward and Lord Henry. In Chapter One, Lord Henry remarks the way he values beauty (or good looks in this case):

“I make a great difference between people. I choose my friends for their good looks, my acquaintances for their good characters, and my enemies for their good intellects.” (Ch.1 p.11, Penguin Classics)

Starting from Chapter Two, however, readers can feel an abrupt leap as the theme of aestheticism intensifies. Unlike in Chapter One, Lord Henry clearly seems more radical and silver-tongued as he persuades Dorian Gray. Note how he uses the word "genius" to describe beauty as if it was the most important virtue of life:

“You have a wonderfully beautiful face, Mr. Gray. Don’t frown. You have. And Beauty is a form of Genius—higher, indeed than Genius, as it needs no explanation. It is of the great facts of the world, like sunlight, or spring-time, or the reflection in dark waters of that silver shell we call the moon. It cannot be questioned. It has it divine rights of sovereignty.” (Ch.2 p.24, Penguin Classics)

After Lord Henry charmingly convinces Dorian Gray about the importance of youth and beauty, Dorian Gray begins his pursuit for eternal youth and beauty. And Lord Henry is also enthralled by the beauty of his new ‘art’ of having an influence on Dorian Gray.

“To a larger extent the lad was his own creation. He had made him premature….Sometimes this was the effect of art and chiefly of the art of literature, which dealt immediately with the passions and the intellect. But now and then a complex personality took the place and assumed the office of art, was indeed, in its way, a real work of art, Life having its elaborate masterpieces, just as poetry has, or sculpture, or painting.” (Ch.4 p.57, Penguin Classics)

This seems to suggest that Lord Henry considers Dorian Gray as his masterpiece of art rather than a human being, an application of aestheticism on the perspective of human life just as mentioned above. Lord Henry values Dorian Gray for his beauty more than anything, and as Lord Henry had such an influence in shaping Dorian’s life, Dorian was merely a form of art in which Lord Henry could express himself.

From the first few chapters, Lord Henry’s excessive emphasis on beauty makes the readers view him in a disgusted, pejorative way. Naturally, as a result, the way Lord Henry applies aestheticism in his life philosophy is also looked down upon. So can we really say Wilde was depicting aestheticism in a positive way? I think not.

Another element of aestheticism is freedom from the burden of morality. However, the novel is not without any moral issues. For example, when Dorian’s lover, Sibyl, kills herself after Dorian had broken her heart, Dorian falls into a deep dilemma. 

“Suddenly something happened that made me afraid. I can’t tell you what it was, but it was terrible. I said I would go back to her. I felt I had done wrong. And now she is dead. My God! My God!” (Ch.8 p.97, Penguin Classics)

This shows that Lord Henry’s influence until now had not been absolute and that Dorian still had remnants of his moral conscious. But once again, Lord Henry comes into play and convinces Dorian yet again that if one thinks about it her death was quite ‘beautiful.’ Lord Henry continually acted as someone who freed Dorian Gray from the burden of moral issues (values of aestheticism in art) while his aging portrait was the reminder. Generally throughout the novel, Lord Henry tended to have negative influences on Dorian, thereby his aesthetic views, it would seem to me, were also depicted in a negative light.

Furthermore, there is also an ironic part in the novel regarding the purpose of art. Though Oscar Wilde would argue that “there is no moral or immoral book, only well-written or badly written,” Chapter Eleven of his novel shows the immoral effects of some books. In Chapter Ten Dorian Gray receives a strange yellow book which he describes ‘poisonous.’

“It was a poisonous book. The heavy odour of incense seemed to cling about its pages and to trouble the brain. The mere cadence of the sentences, the subtle monotony of their music, so full as it was of complex refrains and movements elaborately repeated, produced in the mind of the lad, as he passed from chapter to chapter, a form of reverie, a malady of dreaming, that made him unconscious of the falling day and creeping shadows.” (Ch.10 p.121, Penguin Classics)

This sentence, contrary to Oscar Wilde’s famous epigram, shows that Wilde acknowledged the moral influences that some books tend to have. The novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, shows the importance of being morally conscious of actions, may it be beautiful or not, and that books do have, to some extent, a moral bearing.

                  Oscar Wilde’s quote that there are no moral or immoral books sounds rather convincing. However, whether a book has moral or immoral elements in them is an entirely different story. As for The Picture of Dorian Gray, there are a whole lot of moral issues; the plot is based around the moral issue of aestheticism. Without a moral stance, there would be no plot as there would not be a difference in perspective between the protagonist and the antagonist. The novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, is not an immoral book; it merely brings up a moral issue regarding the application of aestheticism beyond the realm of art.

[1] This interpretation may be considered controversial as Dorian Gray is, in a sense, a work of art—Basil Hallward considers him an embodiment of true beauty in art. However, even then, Wilde would be simply juxtaposing between the applications of aestheticism in art and perspective of life.

The Picture of Dorian Gray Journal Chapter 1

The Picture of Dorian Gray Journal
Chapter 1

For me, the most conspicuous characteristic of the first chapter as I began reading was the length of the first two sentences. From the start, the style of the author Oscar Wilde (or at least the style in which he approached this particular novel) became more evident; his abundant elaboration on each figure with details that appeal to our senses and his perhaps-too-frequent  use of imagery was clearly displayeed by the intoduction. The introduction was captivating and effective, as long as I did not get lost in all the meticulous details.

As I read along the first two chapters of the novel, I found that the signficance of the first chapter was the introduction of our main characters- Basil Hallward, Lord Henry, and Dorian Grays- and the connection to the next chapter that would help identify the conflict. In a way, it foreshadows the change that may occur over the next chapter, and the first chapter would be the standard for comparison.

From the first chapter, there is rather a great deal of character introduction. Oscar Wilde doesn't yet bring Dorian Gray directly into the scene but uses Basil Hallward as a mean of establishing the basic characterisitcs of the figure. The characters of Basil and Lord Henry are also extensively displayed-throughout their long discussions, it becomes clear that Basil appreciates a spiritual connection while Lord Henry appreciates the outer apperance of everything. When Basil mentions of how he had put in too much of himself in the painting, Lord Henry interpretted in terms of outer appearance while for Basil, he meant such in a more emotional term. Throughout the first chapter, Lord Henry often uses terms that are used to describe the appearance of something, such as the word 'hideous (p.5)' and the phrase "I choose my friends for their good looks (p.14)."

Of course, now such contrast in values of these two individuals also bring up an important theme of this novel: What is beauty? For Lord Henry, beauty is nothing complicated. It is youth and pleasure itself. As we will find out soon in the next chapter, he is a patron of hedonism. However, for Basil, beauty is something that can be only whispered. Basil understands the evanescence of beauty. Dorian Gray is the embodiment of Basil's belief in beauty and in the concluding sentences of the first chapter, Basil tries to stop Lord Henry from meeting Dorian. He tries to protect epitome of beauty from being influenced by another individual because then the beauty might just fade away. He tries to prevent especially Lord Henry from meeting Dorian because he believes that Lord Henry is not a good influence. And from what I've read in Chapter 2, this was a crucial foreshadowing.

So far, although I've only read the first two chapters, I'm very satisfied with the book. Of course not much has happened yet, but the foundation that has been laid for the characters, and the foreshadowing of their future development in the later chapter is something that I definitely look forward to.