Literary Analysis Of The House Of Mirth

Love, a prominent theme in William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” entangles an ensemble of characters into a compelling but also frustrating plot that ultimately questions whether “love at first sight” exists. As someone who doesn’t believe in “true love,” I see the concept of “love at first sight” as an unrealistic physical need that is ultimately a copping mechanism to subdue or numb the outside world. Ultimately, through the characters of Bottom and Titania this falsehood of falling of love at first glance is revealed through their magically developed relationship that occurs when the character of Puck places a “love juice” on Titania’s eyes.

In “Debasing Exchange: Edith Wharton’s The House of Mirth,” author Wai-Chee Dimock argues that the society portrayed in the novel, which is a reflection of 19th century upper class New York, revolves around the idea that the business ethics of the economic “marketplace” determines all aspects of the culture. More specifically, this causes all forms of social interactions to be viewed as “currency,” with the precise value of a certain act or relationship determined by whoever possesses the most power. As Dimock herself puts it, “as a controlling logic, a mode of human conduct and human association, the marketplace is everywhere and nowhere, ubiquitous and invisible” (375). While some might wonder whether the marketplace really is the ultimate guiding structure for this particular fictionalized society, Dimock contends nevertheless that this interpretation is a viable one, due to the marketplace’s “ability to reproduce itself,” and thus “assimilate everything… into its domain” (375). I myself find Dimock’s argument both interesting and useful in interpreting The House of Mirth because of the clarity with which she presents the often complicated, critical lens of Marxism.

The poem’s structure as a sonnet allows the speaker’s feelings of distrust and heartache to gradually manifest themselves as the poem’s plot progresses. Each quatrain develops and intensifies the speaker’s misery, giving the reader a deeper insight into his convoluted emotions. In the first quatrain, the speaker advises his former partner to not be surprised when she “see[s] him holding [his] louring head so low” (2). His refusal to look at her not only highlights his unhappiness but also establishes the gloomy tone of the poem. The speaker then uses the second and third quatrains to justify his remoteness; he explains how he feels betrayed by her and reveals how his distrust has led him

“For That He Looked Not upon Her” is written in the form of an English sonnet which helps to illustrate the speaker’s desperation in a conversational tone. The first quatrain develops an idea that the speaker does not wish to look at a specific woman. The poem is consistent iambic pentameter throughout which makes it seem as though the speaker is conversing with the reader. This creates an ambiguous tone in the beginning, for the reader does not know why he will not look towards this woman. The third line states, “And that mine eyes take no delight to range” (3). By using the spondee of “mine eyes” the speaker puts an emphasis on his broken heartedness, therefore, answering the question as to why the speaker refuses to look her direction. The second quatrain then addresses that the speaker wishes to look at his lover but is afraid of the repercussions. In this quatrain Gascoigne creates a slant rhyme with the words “bait” and “deceit” to enact the speaker’s tone of distrust (6,8). The speaker fights against his inner

Inner conflicts often dictate what the narrator wants, but cannot have, which creates the overall attitude of the poem. The narrator struggles to look at this woman because his "eyes take no delight to range/ about the gleam which on your face do grow" (3-4). He is not able to look at her even though she is beautiful due to the heartbreak that she left him with. This attitude carries on throughout the poem where he acknowledges her beauty but is unwilling to be hurt by her again. He is in agony from the emotions that she inflicts, and the readers see his mental process of working through it as he comes to the conclusion that he will "wink or else hold down my head" because it is her eyes that cause his "bale" (14-15). His attitude changes from being at war with his inner feelings to being accepted to the fact that if he looks at her he will be in danger of being hurt a second time. The irony being applied shows how his conflicted attitude is made clear by acknowledging that he will not give in to his desire despite what his repressed emotions are saying. Irony can be highly influential in discovering the narrator's hidden agenda and purposes, and the words chosen to reveal these purposes have an impact on the overall attitude of a piece of

“For That He Looked Not upon Her” is an English sonnet written in the sixteenth century. Like all English sonnets, this is written in iambic pentameter, which creates an ironically conversational and light tone for a topic that is focused on restricted lust, broken heartedness, and pain. The first quatrain of Gascoigne’s sonnet introduces the image of the speaker keeping his head low, ashamed, refusing to glimpse the face of the woman he is speaking to. To help her understand his actions, the second quatrain compares the speaker’s situation to that of a mouse going after “trustless bait” (6). Like a mouse trap, the speaker knows the dangers the woman holds, yet pursued her regardless. The third quatrain again uses metaphor, explaining how, like a fly attracted to fire, the speaker realizes the consequences of his lust

The House of Mirth is a novel that revolves around Lily Bart’s attempts to find a husband as a way to have a successful life. Through discussing Lily’s attempts to find a spouse, Wharton gives a glimpse to upper class society in the late 1800s and early 1900s. For the first passage, Selden ponders on Lily Bart. For the second passage, Lily confesses to Gerty her true intentions of marriage when Lily experienced distress about her current state and her past choices.

Throughout The House of Mirth, by Edith Wharton, the relationship Mrs. Peniston has with Lily changes. After Lily’s mother dies, Mrs. Peniston, Lily’s aunt, takes her in. Mrs. Peniston “had the kind of moral mauvaise honte which makes the public display of selfishness hard”(36). Lily appreciates her aunt’s charitable actions, and is “grateful for the refuge offered”(36). She even says that she has “no intention of taking advantage of [Mrs. Peniston’s] good nature”(36). In the beginning, Mrs. Peniston and Lily get along well with each other. Both make efforts in helping the each other out, and they appreciate what the other does for them. Even though Lily would have preferred to have a fixed income, she is grateful that Mrs. Peniston “supplemented [her]

"She had never been able to understand the laws of a universe which was so ready to leave her out of its calculations" (Wharton). Lily Bart, an unlucky woman who went from riches to rags, fights to retain her position in high-class society. Unfortunately, her lack of wealth and status as an unmarried 29-year old woman makes her vulnerable to that same society. This novel explores the dark sides of humanity and depicts the lesson that life is never fair. Lily makes her own choices, however, they are not entirely made of her own volition.

This reflects Lily throughout the novel because her careful pursuits to find a rich husband are ruined because of a careless

Lily Bart is 29 years old in early 20th century America, unwed and unattached to any family money. The House of Mirth follows her story, ten years after her family is financially ruined and she is orphaned, as she desperately clings to the wealth of her friends and attempts to marry into money. Among the many suitable prospects, Lily finds Lawrence Selden, a bachelor who exists on the edge of rich society with no fortune of his own and no desire to acquire any, the most alluring. References to the Bible and Greek mythology serve to flesh out the respective approaches to life of Lily and Selden, how those approaches adapt to the course of their lives and the overall struggle between pleasure and survival.

Despite their untruthfulness, they still make a large impact on the lives of the aristocracy. People treat them like truth, which causes them to almost become a truth themselves. The myths of the aristocracy make a large impact on the lives they define, usually in a negative way. They make their victims feel confined to these myths even if they are positive. They create an environment where everyone treats these people like the myths, which they inhabit. The myth becomes more human than the actual person. The myths arise from one small fact then speculation and assumption come and transform the fib into reality. One of the most significant myths in the novel is the idea that Lily is an object. It follows her where ever she goes in her society and warps people’s actions directed towards her. In The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton the myth of Lily being an object makes people treat her like a decoration or a prize to be won instead of an actual human being, which causes Lily to have the skills of an object and the soul of a being.

Shakespeare essay: Other than comic relief, what is the purpose of the workers in the play?

A Midsummer Night’s Dream was written by Shakespeare around 1595 yet this clever and witty comedy manages to night only retain its comedic effect with modern audiences, but it also stands to be one of Shakespeare's best comedies of all time. Shakespeare masterfully uses a variety of comedic devices including irony, puns, comedic reliefs, and double entendres to entertain the reader and set up both the characters and the story. In the end, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, delivers memorable characters and lines from which much comedic appreciation can be drawn.

What literary criticism lens is most effective in creating meaning and entertainment throughout Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream? The play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, has several characters involved in a love triangle. Many scenes in the story involves power being used or taken away and use of money. Throughout the play, readers and viewers experiences Hermia’s power is being taken away by her father, Eugues,which is her kindred, not letting her marry the man she truly loves,Lysander. Later throughout the story, Robin, character from the story contains a enthrall love juice that has power and makes another character from the story, Titania, fall in love with a donkey.The marxist literary criticism lens is the most effective in creating meaning and entertaining readers and viewers in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.