The relations between art and life is explored throughout Martin McDonagh’s play, The Pillowman and Muriel Spark’s Loitering With Intent. They explore these relations through discussing the stylistic features of their characters and how these characters are perceived in real life. Both authors explore how the preconceived ideas of what a character should be is dismantled and the line which distinguishes between art and life is becoming less clear. Another way in which these authors explore the link between art and life is through the act of storytelling. This suggests that life is a form of art. Both texts deal with the argument of whether it is life that influences art or art that influences life. Some literary critics such as Henry James …show more content…
This reveals two contrasting views of what a character is: one who becomes emotionally attached to a fictional character and assigns human traits to them in order to make them more relatable and the other, who believes that you cannot become attached to these characters as they are not real people. It could be argued that readers have become accustomed to fiction having a hero and a villain which is not only addressed when dealing with Warrender Chase but also with Loitering With Intent as despite some may taking more of a liking to Fleur rather than Sir Quentin. However, Fleur does use some of the same tactics as Sir Quentin when trying to get her novel back. From this, it is clear that writers were attempting to come away from this idea of there being a hero and a villain. This notion of preconceiving characters before we read a text is addressed by Germaine Bree, and Margaret Guiton in their text An Age of Fiction: The French Novel From Gide to Camus. They argue that: The novel hero, previously imprisoned in the closed, mechanistic world of determinist theory, he becomes a free agent, capable of shaping his own life and choosing his own destiny.
This shows that authors of the twentieth century were attempting to dismantle these preconceptions that readers had of their characters before they had even read the text. The preconceiving of characters is a way in which readers blur the line which distinguishes between fiction and reality as they attach human
Throughout history, authors have utilized their works of literary art to entertain and also to inform. Some texts have no merit as a form of instruction, but those usually do not last the test to time. Of the literary works that have survived through the years, the vast majority of them have a lesson to teach the reader which warns them against a certain set of behaviors which may serve as a hindrance to them either in their life or in the afterlife. Characters in works of literature can function either as ideal examples of how a person should behave, or they can function as counterexamples wherein the reader is encouraged absolutely not to emulate their behaviors. Each story provides a unique lesson and an expectation from the author that the reader will understand what it is that they are trying to teach. This is certainly true for the likes of authors such as the Beowulf author, Geoffrey Chaucer, and John Milton in their most famous literary works.
A higher level of awakening occurred in the 18th century that forced people to empathize. What changed during this time period that caused this transformation? Hunt’s conclusion is that the popular novels of this era had wide audiences that could identify as characters. The relationships
It is unrealistic that a teenage boy could survive upwards of 200 days in the middle of the Pacific Ocean alongside a 450-pound tiger. But literature does not reflect ordinary life, therefore it is important in the study of literature to separate the two, because literature is not about being practical or realistic, it is about being imaginative. The unreality of Life of Pi allows the Hero’s Journey archetype to be easily identifiable, for example, as literature provides the extremes of scenarios, stretching the capacity of the imagination to the very heights and depths of what the human mind can conceive. Literature provides us with an experience that reality cannot, because in reality, the imagination is limited to what is physically possible, but in literature, the imagination is able to be free. Through understanding the conventions of literature, the individual, in studying more complex works, is able to appreciate the use of the imagination to reach beyond what reality offers us and is able to refine his sensibilities as he recognizes the partition between life and literature.
Beautiful imagery laced amidst a wondrous storyline, accompanied by memorable and lovable characters are all elements pertaining to enjoyable works of fiction. Tales that keep one up late into the night forever reading just “one more page” forever propelling the intrinsic imagination for a novel enthusiast. Yet, at times there are deeper meanings hidden between the lines. Symbols, analogies, and latent parallels all connecting to real life events and situations being portrayed by the author. Using literary theory can bring a more profound understanding of the reading material at hand, as well as unique insight as to what the author was feeling or intending to portray at the time of writing.
I have never been as comfortable with people made of flesh and bone than I have been with those made of words. Whatever information I lose in the contours of the human face, I have no trouble locating in the unchanging, permanent text of a book. There is something about literature that felt safe to me; the worlds created within far more welcoming to little girls with problems fitting in than the one outside the pages. For this reason, fiction, from Harry Potter to The Book Thief, has remained my greatest passion ever since I learned to read.
In other words, reading literature goes beyond just the words of the author. As readers, we become more aware of what the narrator and of what the characters might be feeling. There are feelings that form our underlying base of who we are and a lot of the times we avoid them because they’re a constant reminder of what’s real versus what we want to think is real. From time to time literature may make the readers thing of something personal that gives us a sense of reality. Through John Updike’s Rabbit Run, Vladimir Nabokov’s Pale Fire, Margaret Atwood’s Happy Endings, James Joyce’s Araby, Patrick White’s The Vivesector, and Jorge Luis Borges’ Pierre Menard, Author of the ‘Quixote’ readers come to find a sense of reality within the characters portrayed through these works.
Literature is susceptible to misconception. At times, the presentation of content, enticing details, and storyline take away from the morals and ideas being presented in a piece of text. Most times, as a result of focusing on the distracting elements of a novel, audiences fail to recognize the deeper meaning or purpose of why the author choses to include certain sections of a novel. A book’s intention is to accurately express an author’s thoughts, but, many times, the delivery of unfamiliar content results in fear and a lack of understanding from the reader.
Characterization is arguably the key to exceptional literature. Every aspect, from speech to mannerism, is essential to a character’s effectiveness. Characters both enhance and complete a work of literature. The way a statement is whispered, or an implicit comment uttered, is vital to the way a story flows and how a novel evokes intensity. The personality of each character is the gateway to an undiscovered realm; a place only found between the confines of two covers. Characters offer insight into that vast world in order to reveal a newfound understanding of the contents on each and every page. Willa Cather’s novel exemplifies the significance of characterization impeccably. In A Lost Lady, the characters in the novel establish social influence and insurmountable change on the inhabitants of Sweet Water.
Upon glancing at various beautiful paintings there is to offer at the Museum of Fine Arts, only one astonishing artwork caught my immediate attention. The artwork is named “The Windmill on the Onbekende Gracht, Amsterdam” and it was painted by Claude Monet of the impressionist period in 1879. The medium is oil which is used for the oil painting on a canvas. Besides the subject matter, the content of the overall painting represents a serene and beautiful setting in which one can take ease and enjoy. It is a breathtaking view that captures a fleeting moment of a town setting by the riverside. Furthermore, the title also signifies the importance of the central object, which is the windmill.
Writers of fiction will use a mixture of common and individual traits when writing their characters, this is to enable audience identification. Vogler argues that “Storytellers do this by giving their Hero’s a combination of qualities, a mix of universal and unique characteristics” (Vogler, 2007, pp.30). When reading ‘The Lepidoctor’ readers are most likely to understand and empathise with Baxter’s need to rescue the helpless butterflies from their almost catatonic and captive state. And as Vogler writes, this enables the readers to “become a Hero for a while” (Vogler, 2007, pp30) if only through the medium of fictional characters. In I Am Legend Robert Neville has an intense need to cleanse the world of vampires even if the task becomes too much for him, for example, Neville cannot reuse the stakes he kills the vampires with and must continue to make dozens at a time.
“The Madonna and Child with Saint Anne and an Angel” is an art piece with many different art principles and elements that are conveyed in such a manor that alludes complexity and great importance. The picture consists of four individuals- an angel, a baby, a Madonna or mother, and Saint Anne. The baby, cradled and asleep, is being overlooked by an angel, as the angel seems to be covering the child with a white blanket and much great care. Contrary to modern pictures, the angel has black wings wearing normal clothes similar to that of the mother and Saint. An important characteristic of the baby is that he has bright blonde and orange hair, a trait that resembles Jesus Christ. The mother and Saint Anne seem to be having a very important face-to-face discussion. All characters in the painting, including the child, are wearing late 15th century early 16th century clothing (rags and clothe looking material dresses) and recognizable colors.
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In many ways, fiction of each era reflects the insecurities, concerns, and ideals of its generation. Through fiction, authors are able to construct entire universes of their own fantasy, with characters that both reject and adhere to traditional conceptions of what is considered to be socially acceptable. The same holds true for works of the fin-de-siècle (end-of-century). Authors of the late 19th and early 20th century question traditional Victorian notions of the boundaries of socially acceptable gendered behavior and sexual roles. Writers, such as Bram Stoker, Mary Shelley, and Robert Louis Stevenson, prove that figures that breach social conceptions of a gendered binary are liminal because the boundaries that they transgress are mutable, rather than the characters themselves. These boundaries and their mutability, however, must be considered in relation to the author’s biases because the constructions of these universes are not perfect renditions of reality.
Art is not just a picture on a wall or in a museum, art comes in many forms. It can be a song you just heard, a video you watched, or a painting you saw in a gallery. Also, art can be just text. All forms of art grasp you in different ways and make your thoughts evolve to new distances. Art can bring you feelings you did not think you had. You can perceive the art in many ways and the creator wants it to influence you. I believe that yes, at can truly influence society and inform human behavior. While it may seem to some that pictures, songs, and videos influence you the most, it is actually true that books are the most influential and informative because they get in touch with your mind and emotions.
The history of art dates back to ancient times. Artwork can be, and was, found around the world. What makes art interesting is that it can be created in any way, shape or form with any materials. It seems that the artwork can also tell us a lot about the artist. Art seems to be simply, a direct, visual reflection of the artist’s life. Therefore, one can assume that an artist’s life experiences and beliefs directly influence their art. If we look at examples from different periods of art we will be able to see the connection between the artist and the art.