Motif-tracing
During this week(end), try to:
1. Identify a motif (developing in so far);
2. Read its significance against ONE of the (literary) critical approaches we've workws with in the past, or have mentioned recently;
*hint - for instance, the male/female domination motif read through psychological criticism; or alienation/ambivalence read through new (formalist) criticism; or 'flight'/movement/restlessness read through mythological criticism, etc.
3. Then, post your findings on the blog!
posted by belag @ Wednesday, September 19, 2007
14 Comments:
ok, would you care to elaborate a bit?
ok,
drinking = emancipation/liberartion/fighting against patriarchy;
jealousy is more of a trope (a theme) than a motif...
keep up the good work!
I’m not really sure that this can be considered as a motif… but I didn’t want to go with the things we already discussed in class, so…
Throughout the book, all conversations between the characters are somewhat unfinished, incomplete, leave a feeling of disruption, fragmentation, and dishonesty.
If we look at this from the historical-approach-criticism, this would be a mirror to the disjointedness of the Lost Generation.
The characters are never honest when they speak. They never actually speak what’s on their mind, but rather, indulge in a senseless game where everybody is friends with everyone and they can all go drinking in a bar.
Very rarely the conversations have an ending point… and this usually happens after an unpleasant event. For example, Jake talks openly with Brett after he sees her with another man, and in his despair, asks her to live with him.
So, the disrupted conversations are possibly another motif…
yes - now, in true spirit of historical criticism, you'd have to look at the people behind the conversations (representation)?
as a matter of fact, the way you have identified this motif, and how you link it with Hemingway's past (in Paris), you are using the historical apporach. Just have a look at the worksheet I have given you, the section that deals with historical/biographical criticism, especially the questions that this way of reading a text asks.
Throughout the book, we can see Brett dominate the men. I think it can best be related to the Feminist Approach because she is not placed in the traditional female role (obedient, quiet, very ladylike);infact, Brett can be called a feminist (short hair, outspoken, always surrounded by men, dressed up i man's clothes, etc). Jake is "in love" with her, but she can never have anything with him because of his wound; and despite those feelibgs she goes to him whenever shes in trouble. She let Cohn fall in love with her, and encouraged it by going with him to San Sebastian. She's about to marry Mike, but still goes off with other men. She even infatuates Pedro Romero. The only person left is Bill. Bill Gorton can "see right through her", and therefore does not "fall" for her. That also proves the true friendship that he and Jake have. That leads into another motif of true friendships, or better said false freindships. Even though they have been through the WWI (except Cohn), they still don't have a real friendship bond connecting them.All of them feel comfortable with each other. They drink together and have a superficial conversations. The only true friendship can be seen between Jake and Bill (for example in the fishing scene).
the count's wound is not from the Great War
I do not think the Count has a wound the same way as Jake. The Count's wound is completly physical. He even showed it off when he, Jake and Brett were sitting around drinking. However, Jake's wound is much more burdensome. He carries it on his shoulder everywhere and it has a much greater effect on his life.
Also, I like what Savica said about Brett. It is certainly unlike Hemingway to allow women to show any kind of dominace (or even intelligence: See Cathrine in "A Farewell to Arms") yet Brett certainly shows signs of being a strong female character. This is the first time I have seen this in a Hemingway novel.
bela I'm not sure if we should post our comments on this blog and if these are our assignments but anyways...
yes, this is the blog and these are the assignments
1. Expatriate circle of "friends" - All of the characters except Bill, who treats his stay in Paris and Spain as a vacation. Jake and Cohn are Americans living in Paris, and Mike and Brett are Englishmen living in Paris. They are all drunkards and have nothing meaningful to do with their lives. As Bill states; "You are an expatriate, see? You hang around cafes."
2. Furthermore, I will focus on Jake's character by using mythological criticism. Jake as an expatriate has lost touch of the soil, has become impotent and entirely unsuccessful. Therefore, we can apply the Fisher King archetype, by examining the extent to which Jake is not able to fulfill his duties as a Fisher King, (most evident when Jake catches small fish). The myth basically states that the potency of the land and the existence of the people depend on the potency of the ruler. Jake's impotence, gained from the fact that he is an expatriate, and could be seen as a part of the "Lost Generation", aids to his incapability to have, and control the flesh, body and soul.
No, this is not a difficult assignment. :)
Method: gender criticism (I've never done it before)
Motif: expatriate masculinity (or lack thereof, in the case of the men)
Case Study No. 1
Patient: Jacob Barnes aka Jake
Jake's lack of masculinity is epitomized in his wound. As a sign of his impotence, the wound represents his incapacity to be sexually involved with the woman he loves (Brett). As a result, Jake takes the traditional female role in the relationship; he is the damsel in distress that needs to be saved. On the other hand, masculinity is delineated in all aspects of Brett's character; she is strong, has short hair, exhibits domineering attitude with Jake, and acts solely in her own self-interest. She never gets to save Jake, the damsel in distress, because (1) she cannot undo his wound and (2) she does not want to be sexually involved with Jake. Their relationship provides the emotional safety and care she needs from a man. She can get sexual satisfaction easily by other men. She is with him for some time since she knows that Jake is unlike the other men in that aspect.
Case Study No. 2
Patient: Robert "We Love You" Cohn
Cohn's lack of masculinity is represented by his inability to dominate (if we're taking traditional gender roles in consideration) or at least be equally represented in his quasi-relationship with Brett. He is head over heels in love with her. For her, he is just a good way to spend a weekend. He is obsessed with her. She just does not care. He cannot take his eyes from her. She wishes he gives her some slack (that's too colloquial, I know). Cohn's lack of masculinity is best shown in his inability to be proud when it comes to Brett. USUALLY, men do not care about ordinary one-night adventures, while women freak out when they hear that it meant nothing particular to the man. In this case, the roles are switched. Cohn is hurt (his wound=Brett's lack of interest for him), while Brett just does not care.
Case No. 3
Patient: Michael Campbell aka Mike
Mike's lack of masculinity is depicted through his inability to take responsibility (and that's a manly thing to do in a relationship). His wound is the fact that he is a drunk. His constant state of drunkenness disables him to even try to prevent Brett's adventures with Cohn and Pedro Romero. For Brett, Mike is only a source of money. Ironically, even Mike does not have those money. In a relationship in which a man provides the money, the woman is usually a housewife, taking care of children. Yet, Brett is no housewife; Brett does not even think about having children until the last chapter(s). Thus, Brett takes advantage of the situation and gets all the good things (for her, as a woman) out of it; she does not have to care about money. The fact that she does not do the expected thing in return makes Mike look foolish and, of course, demasculinated (it's probably spelled weirdly).
Exemplary Case
Example: Lady Brett Ashley
I do not want to repeat myself. I feel I will be more boring if I do that. In the three previous cases, it is obvious that Brett is the one who is in charge, that is carrying out the role of the male in all the relationships she is in (with the three men mentioned as case studies).
Case Study No. 4
Patient: Lady Brett Ashley
Brett becomes a patient during her relationship with Pedro Romero. Only then she feels hurt. Her wound is the fact that her behavior is only acceptable among the expatriates (I know I should not mention the Lost Generation although I would love to now); her short hair, her lack of sensitivity when it comes to tradition (FLIRTING WITH A BULLFIGHTER), and the other dominantly masculine traits of her character are all useless when it comes to Pedro Romero. He wants her to grow her hair. His family does not like the fact that she is British who has got the handsomest, most capable, young Spanish bullfighter. She is nobody out of her circle of people. She is nobody when she faces real men. She is only dominant when it comes to feminised males, such as Jake, Cohn, and Mike. Pedro Romero has no wounds when it comes to his masculinity, and that kills Brett.
I hope this is not crappy.
Quite nice. A point: perhaps the need for Mike's company does not lie in the money (or the lack thereof) but with the shared commonality (the need of shorthand - both had been raised and reared in the same English ways). Sometimes life is easier if one 'breaks bread' with one's cultural other.
One of the motifs in "The Sun Also Rises" is (false) friendship. In order to look at it through historical criticism, I had to do some research.
Since the novel is a "romana clef" (a novel with a key), most of the characters are representations of real people.
The trip to Pamplona, Spain is actually the trip Hemingway took with his friends in 1924.
The relationship between Robert Cohn and Jacob Barnes is a kind of a false friendship. They are tennis buddies and nonethless, Jake is jealous when he finds out that Cohn has spent a romantic weekend with Lady Brett Ashley in San Sebastian. A historical representation of Robert Cohn is Harold Loeb, who boxed on Princeton University as well as Cohn. He was a sparring partner to Hemingway.
Hemingway represents himself in the character of Jake and Lady Duff Twysden is represented with Lady Brett Ashley. Loeb spents a romantic weekend with Lady Duff in Normandy before they go to Spain and there is a reflection of the event in the novel. Even in real life Hemingway and Loeb weren't really friends but just "friends for the sake of being friends". Hemingway, Lady Duff, Loeb and Pat Guthrie (represented by the character of Mike) were all drinking friends and expats of World War I. There was no real friendship between them as well as there is no real friendship between the characters in the novel.
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