Poor Liza Character in 20th Century Russian Literature Essay

What is social expectation and how does it affects one’s life? In the short stories – “A Pair of Silk Stockings”, “A Shameful Affair”, and “The Story of Hour” – by Kate Chopin from the novel The Awakening and Selected Stories of Kate Chopin, they uncover the expected roles and responsibilities of women in the early 1900s. Through imagery and diction, Chopin reveals that people tend to fall into others’ expectations upon their marriage and even before it, which leads to lose their personal freedom and gain desires in conflict with social expectations.

Marriage in 1894 was not all about love, but a choice made for you. The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin, shows how not all marriage has a happy ending. The story is a perfect example of why a spouse should not be chosen for you. No one shall experience a tragic ending similar to Louise Mallard. Although the story was written 122 years ago, it is shocking that till this day, some relationships are comparable to Brently Mallards and Louise Mallard’s marriage.

My initial observation of Dashkova is her ability to be extraordinary despite her difficult upbringing. Her intelligence was compelling to the Empress Catherine and the men that she had encountered during her traveling. Dashkova portrayed herself as a strong, versatile woman, who’s not only different from most of the women during the time period, but can also outperform her male counterparts in various tasks (e.g. surgery, debate, carpenting, etc.) (pg. 144). She surprised the readers at the first moment when she met Prince Dashkov, a Moscow man. She fell in love with him and got married at the age of 16. The proposal was informal and emotional unlike the traditional arrangement with its strict regulations. Just 5 years after, Prince Dashkov passed away, leaving Dashkova 2 children and his mountainous gambling debt. In the most hopeless scenario, Dashkova managed to raise her 2 children and provided her son a wonderful education while still remaining faithful to the Empress Catherine II. She declared, “My own poverty affected me not at all” (pg. 149).

First and foremost, women of Chopin’s time, like Edna, are confronted with the bonds of matrimony. In 1899, when the book was written, society deemed the husband as the full proprietor of the house and of all possessions, to the point where even the wife was considered an asset. Likewise, while sitting in the hot sun at the beach, Leonce, Edna’s husband, remarks that Edna is “burnt beyond recognition,” and views his “wife as one looks at a valuable piece of

The argument has been put forth that Elizabeth failed to marry due to her council’s attitude. While her council played a vital role, they weren’t the only contributing factor; unsuitable candidates and the political advantage that came with negotiations also resulted in her failure to marry. Elizabeth was ultimately in control of the matches, however relied on the support provided by her councillors.

Marriages tended to be for strategic purposes rather than love, so family life in the Elizabethan Era was different than family life today ("Elizabethan Family Life” 1).

takes the readers through what Mrs. Mallards husband’s friend, Mr. Richard broke the news first

The end of the nineteenth century marked a brilliant period in Russian literature defined by innovation and experimentation. With political and economic changes sweeping over Russia, its literature displayed the anxious, even hostile reaction to the modernization of a nation that hadn’t seen transformations in decades. The Petty Demon, Wings, and Petersburg considered to be some of the greatest works of the time, were unique pieces of literature in the decadence period, although they borrowed and built on elements from other authors of the time. The analysis of these novels, in terms of conventional categories of literary analysis, including thematics, narration, and setting is not only a means to display the uncommon structure of the novel, but also to demonstrate its association with other influential authors. In the writings of The Petty Demon, Wings, and Petersburg these authors dismantle the ideas of other authors and then parody them, therefore subverting the norms of realist pros and making reader think of a particular style of writing and then goes to write the complete opposite.

“Days of a Russian Noblewoman” is a translated memoir originally written by a Russian noblewoman named Anna Labzina. Anna’s memoir gives a unique perspective of the private life and gender roles of noble families in Russia. Anna sees the male and female gender as similar in nature, but not in morality and religiosity. She sees men as fundamentally different in morality and religiosity because of their capability to be freely dogmatic, outspoken, and libertine. Anna implies throughout her memoir that woman in this society have the capacity to shape and control their lives through exuding a modest, submissive, and virtuous behavior in times of torment. Through her marriage, Labzina discovers that her society is highly male centered.

Kate Chopin’s stories "Desiree's Baby," "The Story of an Hour," "At the 'Cadian Ball," and "A Pair of Silk Stockings," were written in the 19th century in times when women had no rights, and had to portray an image of a loving wife. They were considered selfish if they thought otherwise, and their job was to make their husbands happy at all times. This was the century of a turning point for women, in which they had desires test their limits imposed on their sex. Critics of her stories list the analysis of assumptions, desertion, and stereotype. However, most critics leave out the analysis of grief.

His fervent and imperious ways were in instilled in her since birth. Knowing the princess’s nature, the king did not just “happen” to find out about their affair it was planned. The fact was obvious, her choice in men was not one of which her father would approve. The discovery was a perfect way to ride her of the youth. She had no future.

It occurred to him that what had appeared perfectly impossible before, namely that he had not spent his life as he should have done, might after all be true. It occurred to him that his scarcely perceptible attempts to struggle against what was considered good by the most highly place people, those scarcely noticeable impulses which he had immediately suppressed, might have been the real thing, and all the rest false. And his professional duties and the whole arrangement of his life and of his family, and all his social and official interests, might all have been false. He tried to defend all those things to himself and suddenly felt the weakness of what he was

In 19th century Russian literature there was often a gender inequality depicted between the male and female characters. Women were expected to get married, start a family, and obey their husbands. Women often made sacrifices and married men they weren’t fond of in order to support their families. Anton Chekhov’s writing questions these gender relationships. The female characters have a strong presence within Chekhov’s works, and they transcend typical gender roles.

Russian Avant-Garde was born at the start of the 20th century out of intellectual and cultural turmoil. Through the analysis of artworks by Aleksandr Rodchenko and El Lissitzky this essay attempts to explore the freedom experienced by artists after the Russian Revolution in 1917. This avant-garde movement was among the boldest and most advanced in Europe. It signified for many artists an end to the past academic conventions as they began to experiment with the notions of space, following the basic elements of colour, shape and line. They strove for a utopian existence for all benefited by and inspired through the art they created. They worked with, for and alongside the politics of the time. The equality for all that they sought would

Liza Ward I imagine wore pearls and a sweet grin; she wrote of abiding emptiness. An image of neatly trimmed edges in navy blue with long brunette waves of classic beauty, her words echo with hollow despair and the impossibility of overcoming the past. Answering the phone for this interview, a high-pitched, girlie voice chirps “Hi, how are you?” with genuine interest. Her novel speaks from the other side, from the silence of a happy life.