Cultural Studies in ‘Frankenstein’

To evaluate my assignment. click here.

Topic: Cultural Studies in ‘Frankenstein’

                   

Name:  Hariyani Kishan R.

Semester:  2

Paper No:  8: Cultural studies

Roll No :  21

Enrollment No:  PG15101021

Email ID:  kishanhariyani1992@gamil.com

Submitted To: Department of English Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University

Year:  2016

Cultural Studies in : ‘Frankenstein’

·     Introduction

          Mary Shelley’s Sci-Fi adventure, thriller and dramatize the novel in that one can do the thing which challenging the God’s creation, the cultural sign and its major aspects. In this novel we come across with mythical story or we can say culture tale like “Prometheus”, “Narcissus” and “Paradise lost”. Mary Shelley has presented very fruitfully and with appropriate facts. Her novel has morphed into countless forms in both height brow and popular culture. Her creation teaches us not to underestimate the power of youth culture. It is truly captivating powerful novel that analyzes ‘Monstrosity’ with regard to ‘humanity’. However without a sound understanding of the context, in which the text was written one couldn’t completely comprehend the themes, ideas and references did not present nor can the apparent link between monstrosity and humanity be completely fathomed.

          In the novel Victor Frankenstein is the first character, who makes a cultural discourse and who occupies our attention, a character for whom his desire to create life is everything while to accept that life is not important. For him the creation ‘Monster’ is not his child and responsibility now.

Ø Frankenstein, Innocent child or Monster?

Firstly we cannot say clearly but by the further reading its shows the harsh face of society and its look towards the “new born baby” by that the situation starts that also shows the other facts and the influenced by the Romantic period, the scientific inquiry of her time, and her own life that’s also examination point here. By investigating the novels scientific and philosophical context one can discern the reason behind Mary Shelley depicting the creature’s creation and development in the manner she chose to researching into the literary context provides one with superior appreciation of inter- textual references, the style in which the novel has been written and the novel’s secondary title ‘The Modern Prometheus’. Similarly an understanding of the historical context grants one the ability to identify the allegory of the industrial revolution.

The creation was made of human parts. It was in essence human can on judge this as being monstrous. Bearing in mind that the historical context and allegory of the industrial revolution. Electricity was Victor Frankenstein can be seen as the modern Prometheus. Again, with greater knowledge of the context the “spark of being” is further clarified. Shelley ideally represents electricity as the modern heavy fire”. The main influence on Frankenstein avoid had been through the presentation of the Promethean legend. The individual and his quest can be interpreted as Frankenstein or the creature whose journey to achieve revenge. But after all majority people see a monster looks on Frankenstein.   

Ø The Modern facts:

What is today’s generation see towards this creation? The answer is maybe an irony and power. With regard to the text “historical context”, Frankenstein is interpreted as allegorical of the industrial revolution. Hence, from the knowledge of the novels scientific context one experiences a greater understanding of firstly where the text predominant idea had its origin, and also elucidates the creation. As it was human influence that converted the creature into an “evil” being. Some negative aspects can be seen as monstrous if they resulted from humans from the texts scientific context one can see that victor Frankenstein achievement was the objective for many scientists of that time. Actually some facts we can find that Mary Shelley presented her views that can be a matter but how she think of writing a novel like this?  According to me, I can say that her time is the substance here. Or the facts of cultural aspects and society’s dark side or one can say a evilness that shown. The novel starts with letters and in which we observe that Mary Shelley is outsider of the novel. The novel itself begins with a series of letters from the explorer Robert Walton to his sister, Margaret Saville. Walton, a well-to-do Englishman with a passion for seafaring, is the captain of a ship headed on a dangerous voyage to the North Pole. In the first letter, he tells his sister of the preparations leading up to his departure and of the desire burning in him to accomplish “some great purpose” discovering a northern passage to the Pacific, revealing the source of the Earth’s magnetism, or simply setting foot on undiscovered territory.

Ø Revolutionary Births:

Hardly a day goes by without our seeing an image or illusion to Frankenstein, from CNN descriptions of Saddam Hussein as an “American-created Frankenstein.” Born like its creator in an age of revolution, Frankenstein challenged accepted ideas of its day. As it has become increasingly co modified by modern consumer culture, one wonders whether its original revolutionary spirit and its critique of scientific, philosophical, and political and gender issues have become obscured instead its continuing transformation attests to its essential oppositional nature. Hardly a day goes by without out seeing an image or allusion to magazine articles that warn of genetically engineered “Frankenstein”, test-tube babies, and cloning.

Ø The creature as proletarian:

                       

            We recall from earlier chapters that Mary Shelly lived during times of great upheaval in Britain, not only was her own family full of radical thinkers but she also met many others such as Thomas Paine and William Blake, P.B.Shelley was thought of as a dangerous radical bent on labor reform and was spied upon by the government. Shelly also met many others such as Thomas Paine and William Blake. Mary Shelly’s Creature and moral paradox, both an innocent and cold-blooded murderer. Not only are the eternal questions about the ways of God and man in Paradise Lost relevant to the Creature’s predicament, but in Milton’s epic poem, as Timothy Morton puts it, as a “seminal work of republicanism and sublime that inspired many of the Romantics.” We can take help of the example from Milton’s “paradise lost”. In this epic God governed Satan. He thought it is better to rule in hell rather than heaven.

Ø From Natural Philosophy to Cyber:

Today in the age of genetic engineering, biotechnology and cloning, the most far-reaching industrialization of life forms to date. Frankenstein is more relevant than ever. Developments in science were increasingly critical to society during the Romantic period when a paradigm shift occurred from science as natural philosophy to science as biology, a crucial distinction in “Frankenstein”. Mary Shelley attended public demonstrations of the effect of electricity on animal and human bodies, living and dead. Has science gone too far? According to cultural critic Laura Kranzler, Victor’s creation of life and modern sperm banks and artificial wombs show a “masculine desire to claim female productivity”

‘Luigi Galvani's frog leg experiments’

Actually today we are constantly confronted with new developments in fertility science and new philosophical conundrums that result from genetic engineering, in vitro fertilization, cloning and the prolongation of life by artificial means. Couples taking fertility treatments sometimes have to face the difficult choice of “selective reduction” or the possible adverse results of multiple premature births. People wonder, has science gone too far? According to cultural critic, victor’s creation of life and modern sperm banks and artificial wombs show a masculine to claim female reproductively”. “Frankenstein” and its warnings about the hubris of science will be with us in the future as science continues to question the borders between life and death, between viability and selective reduction between living and life support. We can take example of a doctor who lives in Anand. He knows about the surrogate mother.

Ø Archetype of Frankenstein in popular culture:

Timothy Morton uses the term Frankenstein, drawn from sonic elements of language, as used in structural linguistics and visual elements as “elements of culture that are derived from “Frankenstein”. We end with a quick look at someof the thousands of retelling, parodies and other selected Frankenphemes as they have appeared in popular fiction, drama, film and television. 

Ø Fiction:

           Frankenstein’s fictions peter Haining, editor of the indispensable Frankenstein omnibus has called Frankenstein “the single greatest horror story novel ever written and the most widely influential in its genre”. The first story about a female monster is French author Villiers de Lisle Adam’s “the future Eve”, an 188 novelette not translated into English until fifty years later, in which an American inventor modes on Thomas Edison makes an artificial woman for his friend. Jack London’s early story, “A thousand Deaths” (189), is a gruesome science fiction tale of a scientist who stays at sea on his laboratory ship, repeatedly killing then reviving his son, until the son has enough and kills his father.

·       Conclusion :

In short in this novel we can find out some cultural elements and each and every literary work always coming with cultural elements in this way it provide some glimpse of culture of that era as wel as society represents in which it satisfied our curiosity about culture of victorian society and dealing with reality of life and greediness of human.

To evaluate my assignment. click here.

Figurative Language by I. A.Richards

To evaluate my assignment. click here.

Topic: Figurative Language by I. A.Richards

Name: Hariyani Kishan .R.

Semester: 2

Paper No: 7 Literary Theory & Criticism.

Roll No: 21

Enrollment No: PG15101021

Email ID: kishanhariyani1992@gmail.com

Submitted To: Department of English

Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University

Year: 2016

Figurative Language by I. A .Richards

·      Introduction:

I.A Richards, Who’s full name was Ivor Armstrong Richards, who was one of the most influential figure among the critics of the 20th Century. He was born on February 26, 1893, Sandbank, Cheshire, England and also died on September 7, 1979, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, lived very long time and did also very notable things in the history of English Criticism. He was an English critic and poet. While a lecturer at Cambridge, Richards wrote influential works, including Principles of Literary Criticism (1924), in which he introduced a new way of reading poetry that led to the New Criticism. A student of psychology, He took education at Cambridge. In fact, T.S. Eliot and I.A.Richards are considered to be the pioneers in the field of New Criticism. They differ a lot in the views. Critics like

John Crowe Ronsom, Kenneth Brooke, cleanth Brooks, R.P.Blackmur, and Robert Penn Warren William Empson were in debted to I.A.Richards.

         That period he wrote three of his most influential books: The Meaning of meaning (1923) a pioneer work on semantics and Principles of Literary Criticism (1924) and Practical Criticism (1929), companion volumes that he used to develop his critical method. The latter two were based on experimental pedagogy: Richards would give students poems in which the titles and authors’ names had been removed and then use their responses for further development of their close reading skills. Richards is best known for advancing the close reading of literature and for articulating the theoretical principles upon which

these skills lead to “practical criticism,” a method of increasing readers’analyticpowers.

A student of psychology and philosophy along with literary forms, Richards concluded that poetry performs a therapeutic function by coordinating a variety of human impulses into an aesthetic whole, helping both the writer and the reader maintain their psychological well-being. He valued poetry of inclusion that was able to contain the widest variety of warring tensions and oppositions.

I.A Richards is remembered today for his notable works as enlisted below:

1. The Meaning of Meaning- 1923

2. The Practical of Criticism – 1929

3. The Principles of Literary criticism-1924

I.A.Richards differs from the New Critics in one important respect, while the New Critics limit themselves rigorously to the poem under consideration, I.A.Richards also take into account its effect on the readers.  For him, the real value of a poem lies in the reaction and attitudes it creates weather or not it is conductive to greater emotional balance equilibrium, peace and rest in the mind of the readers. For him the value of a work of art lies in its power to harmonies and organizes complex and warring human impulses into patterns that are lasting and pleasurable.

In his work I.A. Richards discusses about the figurative language as well as metaphorical language, which was an orthodox advocate of a close textual and verbal study and analysis of work of verbal study and analysis of work of art. According to Richards there are three objectves to write The Practical criticism.

Ø Four kinds of meanings:

 According to him the poet writes to communicate, and language is the means of that Communication Language is made of words and therefore it is a study of words is all important if the meaning of work of art is understood. Words carry four kind of meaning sense, Feelings Tone and intention, which are enlisted below

Let’s discuss these four kinds of meanings in detail.

Ø Sense:

Sense is very much important in the any work of art or literature. Here Sense deals with the simple as well as plain meanings of any literary work according to I.A Richards. Because Sense is an integral element of the poetry due to it one can understand the entire meaning of the poem. By sense it meant something that is communicated by the plain literal meanings of the words. About Sense one scholar comments

“In most poetry the sense is as important as anything else;

It is quite as a subtle, and as dependent of the syntax as in

Prose; it is the poet’s chief instrument to other aims when it is not

Itself his aim. His control of our thoughts is ordinarily his chief means to the

Control of our feeling, and in the immense majority of instances we miss nearly everything"

Ø Feelings:

Feelings are very much necessary for the poet and for the reader also because one is able to grasp the meaning but if he cannot understand the feelings of the poet or what the poet wants to convey his or her ideas through words then the poet fails in the field of poetry. Feeling Refers to emotional attitudes desire, will, pleasure, unpleasure and the rest words express feelings.

Ø Tone:

                                         

As far as Tone is concerned, it is equally required in the poetry that tone should be there in any literary work. Tone deals with the tone of the poet because sometimes it is possible that tone helps us to understand the meanings of the poem. Tone here means the writers attitude towards his audience. The writer chooses his words and arranges them keeping in mind the taste of his readers. Feeling is only state of mind.

Ø Intention:

Intention deals with the purpose of the poet. Due to Intention reader sometimes cannot or fails to grasp the meaning of the poetry. Many times it is observed that what the poet wants to say one cannot understand the entire poetry. Intention is authors conscious or unconscious aim, it is the effect that one tries to produce. Also intention controls the emphasis, shapes the arrangement, or draws attention to something of importance.

After discussing four kinds of meanings then I.A Richards proceeds further to convey his idea about Importance of Rhyme and Rhythm.I.A. Richards by his own work could make literary Criticism factual, Scientific and complete. It no longer remains a matter of the application of set ruler the New Critics everywhere.Words in poetry have an emotive value and the figurative language used by poets conveys those emotions effectively and forcefully.

Ø Significance of Rhyme and Rhythm:

Rhythm and Metre are organic and integral and important parts of any integral and important parts of any poem because they determine the meaning of the words used by the poets Rhythm, meter and meaning cannot be separated they from together a single system. Rhythm and its specialized form, meter, depend upon repetition and expectancy. Equally where what is expected recurs and where it fails, all rhythmical and metrical effects spring from anticipation.

Ø The Nature of poetic Truth:

Metaphorical language is important purpose of communication. The Nature of poetic Truth is very much important but it differs from the scientific truth.“It is evident that the bulk of poetry consists of statements which only the very foolish would think of attempting to verify.very special combinations so as to correspond to the ways in which things actually hang together, can be either true or false and most references in poetry are not knit together in this way.

Ø Source of Misunderstanding in Poetry:

In practical criticism a study of literary judgment, I.A.Richards has given the theory of Figurative language. He starts discussion first on sources of misunderstanding in poetry. He says that it is very difficult to find the source which creates misunderstanding. Further, he says that there are four sources of misunderstanding as far as are poetry is concerned. According to I.A. Richards there are four sources of misunderstanding of poetry. It is difficult to diagnose with accuracy and definiteness, the source of some particular mistake or misunderstanding of the sense of poetry. It arises from inattention, or sheer carelessness.

Ø The Value of Figurative Language:

Sometimes it is possible that figurative language may create some misunderstanding in any literary work. Therefore it is necessary to identify the figures of speech. It is difficult to turn poetry into logical respectable prose. Is combining with recognition of the liberties which are proper for a poet, and the power and value of figurative language.There are various comments on the above piece of the hyperbole of the sea-harp. The only concrete simile in the octave is the likening of the sea to a harp- surely a little extravagant.

Ø The Value of Personification:

Personification is the best way to express the idea of poet.Bacause personification adds more colours into the language of poetry. Sometimes it looks like very ornamental language. Personification comes naturally to us. Personification may not express sense but it expresses the feelings of the poet towards what he is speaking about. Personification enables the poet to clear and comprehend the difficult work.

Now about value of Personification I.A Richards comments  

There are indeed very good reasons why poetry should personify. The structure of language and the pronouns, verbs and adjectives that come most naturally to us constantly invite us to personify. And to go deeper, our attitudes, feelings, and ways of thought about inanimate things are moulded upon and grow out of our whys of thinking and feeling about one another.

·      Conclusion:

In this way we can say that according to I.A Richards a proper understanding of figurative language required close study of the poem. Reader should read the poem into the context of close reading. its literal since must be carefully followed, but such literal reading must not come in the way of imagination appreciation of it judicious balance must be struck between literalism and imaginative freedom .and it provide the way of analysis poem and study of words and metaphor .this kind of Richards’s work provide theory of study poem.  

To evaluate my assignment. click here.