Essay about A Critical Response to Lady Chatterley's Lover

During the 19th century female authors were commonly degraded especially when books had a sexual nature. A now notable biography from this period is Charlotte Brontё’s “Jane Eyre”, a detailed account of the life of a young girl that blossoms into adulthood having to face the challenges and social norms of the time. In many works of literature a character intentionally deceives others to either hurt or offer protection. In “Jane Eyre” a character intentionally deceives a loved one with the intention to protect everyone including himself. This particular deception plays a large role in developing the characters of the narrative and the plot development, contributing to the work as a whole.

fate of the lovers will be, as well as the state of his own feelings

Vic Lang, one of the central characters, is arguably most affected by the constraints society places on gender — succumbing to romanticised ideologies.

Secondly, promiscuity has obliviously changed the outlook of relationships. Every relationship in the book has been some form of interactions that would be considered immoral in our world. When talking about Henry, Linda surprisingly said to Lenina, “’Only 4 months!’... Fanny went on, pointing an accusing finger” (Huxley 29) explaining to the reader how absurd it is to have any kind of intimate relationship. We now know that any type of long-lasting relationship is not only absurd but unheard of. Continuing the lifestyle of the new world, elementary sex was being taught to children of London as an aspect to strive for. The activity gives kids in school time to play around with other girls and boys naked in a courtyard to become more familiar with bodies of the opposite sex. Tying together all these changes their world had made, family had been changed as well. “… families, no conditioning, monstrous…” (Huxley 69). Given the last aspect that not only love, but family, as well, faded away from this society as well.

From across the room, I felt his eyes upon me. Louis had us seated at a table near a window overlooking the slow flowing muddy river. Myles Laveau sat across the room, his dinner companion’s back was toward the room and to me- I was seething with a need to view her face. Why was I feeling this way, he was not mine… I had no right to be angry. I had Louis to my left and Boudreaux to my right, but wanted what was out of reach- at least for the moment. I knew I could have him again; Myles Laveau affected me the same way the flame-haired woman had, but unlike her, he made himself available. The simplest touch from him sent quivers through my pleasure place; just the touch of his eyes upon me had me quivering with desire for him, and

The Victorian Era was known for its propriety, and for its social standards that could be as strict as the caste system in India. Citizens in England of low social regard faced many prejudices and limitations that could be almost insurmountable to overcome. Much like the caste system, people considered to be the dregs of society were often alienated and had little room for opportunity. In Charlotte Bronte’s novel Jane Eyre, the main character, Jane, suffers social prejudice because she is a simple governess, revealing much about the social stigmas about the working class during the Victorian Era. Jane’s social status limits her not only from being with the one she loves, but also hinders her endeavor to achieve true autonomy.

Main Idea: In a large part, thanks to Freud, a lot of things can be interpreted as being sexual in nature, and this is definitely true in literature. Even before Freud, sexual symbolism has run rampant in literature since its existence. For instance, in Chivalric Romance, the Knight with his Lance and the Holy Grail are all connected to the idea of sexuality. Foster explores the range of scenes that can be created to symbolize sex, without it actually being sex. In literature a lot of times, sexual acts are actually disguised as something different entirely or at least not explicitly shown.

Throughout time, there has been a battle present in which females try to rise above the power of men and the hold they have on women. Whether the battle be for the equal treatment of both sexes or simply establishing a level of respect and understanding from the opposite sex, the meaning stands the same in which there is an ever-present power struggle that is continuously ongoing between the sexes. No matter the intentional meaning of the work, women suppression by men are seen when one looks beyond the simple statements given and examines the female characters in great detail to better understand the struggle she endures daily due to men. One author in particular that allows an interesting viewpoint into the mind of a blossoming woman is Susan Minot. Minot demonstrates in her story “Lust” how the female narrator is influenced and altered by her male sexual partners. Through each sexual encounter, the reader is able to see the changes these encounters have on the young woman emotionally and other affects a man has on her as she grows up in a male dominated world. This can all be determined by observing closely the figurative language used in the story, the fluctuations in emotions seen in the female character, and the thoughts the woman has about men throughout the story.

Upon a comparative study of the texts Emma and Clueless, we can see that the quality of relationships in society bears strong similarities, despite their different contexts. Emma is set in 16th century England, where the rigid social structure dominated social interaction. This is contrasted to Clueless, which is set in 1990’s Beverly Hills where popularity was integral to determining a relationship. Being integral to modern society, relationships were used as medium to secure wealth and to find purpose in one’s life, in different contexts. Additionally, the restrictive nature of relationships has changed over the course of time despite still existing in a different sense. The strict class based society of the Regency Era limited relationships in Emma while social groups at school dictated the dynamics of relationships in Clueless. However, the popularity of marriages has decreased, with many teens opting to settle with dating before any further commitment. By discussing the different purposes and changes in relationships over the two texts we can develop clear ideas about the quality of relationships in society.

Sexuality has an inherent connection to human nature. Yet, even in regards to something so natural, societies throughout times have imposed expectations and gender roles upon it. Ultimately, these come to oppress women, and confine them within the limits that the world has set for them. However, society is constantly evolving, and within the past 200 years, the role of women has changed. These changes in society can be seen within the intricacies of literature in each era. Specifically, through analyzing The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne and The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, one can observe the dynamics of society in regards to the role of women through the lens of the theme of sexuality. In both novels, the confinement and oppression of women can be visibly seen as a result of these gender roles. Yet, from the time The Scarlet Letter was published to the time The Bell Jar was written, the place of women in society ultimately changed as well. Hence when evaluating the gender roles that are derived from sexuality, the difference between the portrayals of women’s oppression in each novel becomes apparent, and shows how the subjugation of women has evolved. The guiding question of this investigation is to what extent does the theme of sexuality reflect the expectations for women in society at the time each novel was written. The essay will explore how the literary elements that form each novel demonstrate each author’s independent vision which questions the

-- D. H. Lawrence’s stories have the sense that they’re ritualistic; his rough home life. He had a God awful dysfunctional family. His mom and dad were polar opposites which caused them to Fight battle through the kids. In early 20’s he got ill, and diagnosis 100 years ago tuberculosis. It was incurable then. . He knew he was dying therefore he decided he wouldn’t waste what he had. He

The selected authors represent this through sexual deviance, alcoholism, and gambling. In particular, this is apparent through the narrative struggle in ‘The Sentimental Bloke’. Bill’s place in a “larrikin” gang establishes anti-social behaviour, which inhibits his upward social mobility within the text (Thompson 178). This results in several incidents, which impact his relationship with Doreen. For example, this includes Bill’s coarse behaviour at the theatre, his relapse into gambling, and his attempts to fight her suitors (Longford 1918). These actions mirror those of Grant’s “brutality” during the “kangaroo hunt”, as they subvert his metropolitan social values (McFarlane 35). The effect of the imposition of these negative masculine values is clear. Authoritative characters, such as Ginger Mick and Crawford, encourage behaviour that excludes men from wider society. The authors symbolise this through the prospect of marriage. In ‘Coonardoo’, Hugh’s refusal to marry for love is the result of his mother’s boundaries. Hugh may only fulfil the role of protector of his station, and by extension, Coonardoo, due to the “sublimation of his sexual desire” (Thomas 238). This suggests that the masculine roles drawn from mateship disregard the possibility of emotional fulfilment. Comparably, Kotcheff also represents this through his depiction of women.

Another important aspect of the novel is that of sexuality and of same-sex desire. Froehlich states that, in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries,

In Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar and Alice Munro’s Lives of Girls and Women, Esther and Del try to take control of their sexuality and their sexual lives. These two female protagonists attempt to gain sexual confidence by quietly rejecting the societal images of women. They are able to seduce men and pilot their own sexual lives. These women are also able to ignore the popular beliefs about marriage and motherhood, thus freeing them from the traditional, restrictive female sexual roles. By rejecting the popular notions of womanhood, sexuality, and marriage, Esther and Del become the mistresses of their sexuality and sexual

In Marge Piercy's book, Woman on the Edge of Time, sex plays a major role in both the utopia and the dystopia. The portrayal of sex in the novel comes from a feminist point of view. The main character, Connie, is caught between a utopian world and a dystopian world where the takes on sex are on different levels. By using a feminist approach, the two worlds of sex can be examined and contrasted.