Essay on Roman Fever

“Roman Fever” is successful in revealing a darker side of interpersonal interactions and the lust for the role of the superior in relationships. It conveys this message by showing the transfer of

In modern society, men and women share more equality, however sexual discrimination played a larger part in the perceived role of women in the Victorian Era as seen in Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë , and through Jane’s devout passion and defying the normalities and expectations for women of this era, the concept of feminism is portrayed through Jane caused by the manipulation of the patriarchy through the significant men seen in this book. The concept of gender roles isn’t a genuine truth, but is a product of the dominant patriarchy and social practice that is so alluded to throughout the novel. Now, as the active role of women is increasingly recognized by society, the actual controversy lies in the idea that an uncontrollable factor such as gender can determine the portrayal of a person in that society, and that women aren’t accepted as mutual equals, but victimized to be subservient to men. The bestowed role of women is apparent in all societies, but is especially evident concerning the direct placement of women and constant suppression of character and desires, such as Jane endured throughout her lifetime. As Jane’s restless spirit becomes agitated with her stagnant place, she often seeks solitude in the solemn attic to dwell in silence. There she paces, allowing her ever-expanding thoughts to wander, and now she considers the achievability of satisfaction, and the unattainability of tranquility and contentment. Jane demonstrates her frustration, and how the

Novelist Edith Wharton wrote her defining work, 1905's the House of Mirth, on a subject she knew all too well: the style-over-substance realm of New York's upper-crust society during the Gilded Age. Having been raised in this "fashionable" society, Wharton knew both its intricacies and cruelties firsthand. The triumphant rise and tragic fall of protagonist Lily Bart demonstrate both the "sunshine and shadow" of the Gilded Age. The House of Mirth not only exposes the reality of how "the other half live," but also satirizes and condemns their elitist existence.

In Edith Wharton’s novel, Ethan Frome, one major critical theory revolves around the psychological criticism. The novel revolves around this critical theory because Wharton wanted the reader to observe how the setting becomes dependent on the emotional state of the character and vice versa. Throughout the novel, Wharton makes changes to the environment to represent Ethan’s fondness for certain characters. On the contrary, Wharton displays how the setting directly influences Ethan’s mental state. As the reader perceives this influence that each character has on Ethan Frome, they can develop an understanding of the relationships established in the novel. This critical theory will be expressed throughout the literary analysis paper, specifically in the Novel Summary section and Literary Criticism sections. The following text will analyze the drastic changes in the environment and compare it to Ethan’s mental state.

The final line of “Roman Fever” alters the entirety of the story. Rereading in the knowledge of Mrs. Ansley’s security in her relations with Mr. Slade, and in the understanding of Mrs. Slade’s bittering jealousy towards Mrs. Ansley’s betrayal, infuses lines with manipulation and belittling jabs. In this passage Mrs. Slade asserts her preference for the “sentimental dangers” of their time. She mentions, “the spice of disobedience thrown in,” perhaps references the “disobedience” of Mrs. Ansley’s late night escapade to the Colosseum. Adding that it was, “no worse risk than catching cold” directly points at Mrs. Ansley’s sickness after her night with Mr. Slade. Mrs. Slade’s “eyes rested on her with a deepened attention” watching for a reaction

The moment a reader opens a book, they invest their trust solely into the narrator, depending on them for a truthful, accurate and impartial portrayal of events and characters within the story. Edith Wharton, in the Introduction to her work Ethan Frome, claims that the narrator of her story is “capable of seeing all around” and is “the sympathizing intermediary between his rudimentary characters, and the more complicated minds to whom he is trying to present them” (viii). This is not an accurate description of her narrator, for he lacks credible sources and includes Ethan’s personal bias in his account of Starkfield and its inhabitants.

This obliviousness parallels dangers of her late-night rendezvous at the Coliseum with Mr. Giovanelli and foreshadows her downfall. The danger did not lie in the fact that she was unsupervised all night with a man, but simply being outdoors all night in an area where malaria ran rampant. The fearless ignorance to romantic and cultural affairs is not her flaw, but the absence of mindfulness to such a serious threat. Then we have Frederick Winterbourne, whose thoughts and outlook make up the majority of the narrative.

Roman fever, later explained as an outbreak of respiratory illness, is then lumped together with the sentimental dangers their mothers had feared for their daughters. Without danger, Mrs. Slade seems to be saying, there can be no sentiment. Without dangers, their own daughters are missing out on love. Mrs. Slade continues:

The short story, “Roman Fever” illustrates the shocking relationship between two women, Mrs. Ansley and Mrs. Slade, by a chance meeting in Rome. As the story opens the two women are sitting on the terrace of a Roman restaurant that has an astonishing view of the Colosseum and other Roman ruins. While the women sit in silence and enjoy the tranquil view from the terrace they notice their daughters down below running off to spend a romantic evening with two young men. This triggers Mrs. Slades memories of her and Mrs. Ansley’s quixotic adventures in Rome as young adults and their first encounter with “Roman fever”. Wharton uses the term Roman fever to illustrative the women’s past relationship that is embedded with destruction,

“A bad friend is worse than an enemy, an enemy you can see and avoid, but to detect an insincere friend is hard” (Habyarimana).When it comes to a bad friend you do not expect them to treat you poorly because they are suppose to be your friend. Sadly, in the end you ultimately find out the intentions and wrong doings that were involved in that toxic friendship. This is exactly the concept that Edith Wharton expresses in her short story “Roman Fever”. Wharton uses the Roman structures, the Forum, Palatine Hill, and the Colosseum to give insight into Mrs.Ansley and Mrs.Slade’s friendship. These structures when looked at from a historical and cultural view give more meaning to them being discussed within the story.

The short story “Roman Fever”, by Edith Wharton, uses symbolism to explain the vicious relationship between Mrs. Slade and Mrs. Ainsley. Through the symbol of the knitting, Wharton shows the manipulation, competition, and plotting that drove this relationship. Wharton also used the symbol of the Roman ruins, specifically the Forum and the Coliseum, to illustrate the ruin of their relationship. Lastly, the symbol of the moon represents both the wolf-like viciousness of the two women and the romantic aura that the moon created for Mrs. Ainsley and other Roman lovers. These symbols help create an interesting story with an abundance of layers and hidden meanings.

Roman Fever The short story, Roman Fever and the author Edith Wharton share similarities between the story and her life. The story opens with two middle aged rich American women. American author, Edith Wharton, is known best for her stories and novels about the upper class society into which she was also born into. Some of Edith Wharton’s writings are portrayed as tragic victims who are trapped in bad relationships or other circumstances.

Pride and Prejudice is one of the most popular novels written by Jane Austen. This romantic novel, the story of which revolves around relationships and the difficulties of being in love, was not much of a success in Austen's own time. However, it has grown in its importance to literary critics and readerships over the last hundred years. There are many facets to the story that make reading it not only amusing but also highly interesting. The reader can learn much about the upper-class society of this age, and also gets an insight to the author's opinion about this society. Austen presents the high-society of her time from an observational point of view, ironically describing human behavior. She describes what she sees and adds her own

Septimus’s is viewed in society as a man who suffers from trauma from the war versus Clarissa, who is described and an elegant woman that loves lavish parties and hanging around her friends. Having both of the characters, Clarissa Dalloway and Septimus Smith, Virginia Wolfe presents how two different sides of society, the upper class and the middle class, can have and face very similar pressures. Each scene describing their outlooks from within Virginia’s eyes show a very similar effect on the people who dwell within themselves.

Although the majority of the characters that appear in this extract of Nöel Coward’s Hay Fever (1925) are members of the same family, there is this major sense of disconnection and dysfunctionality throughout. In this particular extract, the Bliss family find that they have all invited people to their home, without the approval of their other family members, whom they each consider as being unwelcome to their household. The sense of dysfunctionality appears throughout the extract, with this notion of the conflicting Bliss family members being fundamental to Coward’s scene. This close analysis will discuss the various juxtapositions and conflicts in the extract, to show the extent of the apparent dysfunctionality in the Bliss family. Focusing on the extract provided, it will consider the juxtapositions in the initial stage directions, the clashing of Simon and Sorel Bliss, and the disputatious dialogue to show that the problem is not in guests that have been invited, but in the family that has invited them. Suggestions will also be made as to how the disparities among the family members in this extract might be staged.