Wednesday, August 21, 13
Wednesday, August 21, 13
The Question “ Honour’s always been honour, and honesty honesty ... and will be till I'm carried out of it feet first,” says Mrs Mingott. Comment on the ways in which this view bears out in the novel. Wednesday, August 21, 13
Wednesday, August 21, 13
Context (Found in Introduction ) • World War 1 took place from 1914-1918. • Result of World War 1: Old orders had fallen, dreams had ★ been demolished • Novel was written in 1920 which was just after World War 1. Wharton learnt that cultures can ★ die Wharton’s ‘war-novel’: a salute to ★ the new age and a memorial to the age departed A desire for America to embrace ★ maturity (balance between personal happiness & the survival of the community) Wednesday, August 21, 13
Wharton • Pre-war New York: era of bold vigor and active virtue • Post-war Old New York: privileged class had become “enervated and complacent - narrow and rigid and sometimes pointlessly punitive” • This was the New York that Wharton was born into Wednesday, August 21, 13
Wharton (cont’d) • Wharton’s mother preferred her sons ★ Result: A cold, hostile mother ★ Wharton’s childhood memories “acknowledge a peculiar mixture of strengths and deficiencies in the society ★ On one hand: ancient values (honour, loyalty and devotion to family) persisted ★ On another hand: Old New York had become unimaginative, lethargic & potentially rigid in the exercise of these virtues Wednesday, August 21, 13
“France had triumphed over war because of its honesty, its realistic sense of values, and its devotion to a coherent set of traditions...” ★ Relationship between self & society was intrinsic & inescapable - to be a happy, mature, fulfilled adult, one must have a rewarding and viable social role to play. ★ Failure to find this meaningful place in this community will result in a fatal consequence - exclusion from society ★ “Absolute personal fulfillment” did not exist Wednesday, August 21, 13
York’s elite is thus, presented as a prison-like ‘clan’. Mrs Mingott’s resolute desire to protect the honour in New New York is a reinforcement of the values York: experimentation & individual satisfaction are rejected of New while tradition & self-denial are celebrated. Wednesday, August 21, 13
By the first of November this household ritual was over... And punctually at about this time Mrs. Archer always said that New York was very much changed. Observing it from the lofty stand-point of a non-participant, she was able, with the help of Mr. Sillerton Jackson and Miss Sophy, to trace each new crack in its surface, and all the strange weeds pushing up between the ordered rows of social vegetables. It had been one of the amusements of Archer's youth to wait for this annual pronouncement of his mother's, and to hear her enumerate the minute signs of disintegration that his careless gaze had overlooked. For New York, to Mrs. Archer's mind, never changed without changing for the worse; and in this view Miss Sophy Jackson heartily concurred. (Ch 26, 210) Lecture Notes P2 Wednesday, August 21, 13
Analysis ‘ordered rows of social vegetables’ reflects a society that is mechanised and dehumanised ‘cracks’ and ‘weeds’ which refer to Ellen Olenska & Julius Beaufort then highlight the minute threats to society. Society is degraded by ‘cracks’ from within (Ellen Olenska) and ‘weeds’ from without (Julius Beaufort). Wednesday, August 21, 13
before you begin writing Wednesday, August 21, 13
Find the trigger! Option 1: STYLE Eg. Use of Setting Option 2: CONCERN/THEME Eg. “Honour and Honesty” in ONY Option 3: CHARACTER Eg. Newland Archer The TRIGGER is your starting point! Wednesday, August 21, 13
Find the trigger! Option 1: STYLE Eg. Use of Setting Option 2: CONCERN/THEME Eg. “Honour and Honesty” in ONY Option 3: CHARACTER Eg. Newland Archer The TRIGGER is your starting point! Wednesday, August 21, 13
1. Honour and Respect 2. Financial Dishonour 3. Marital Dishonour 4. Familial Dishonour Wednesday, August 21, 13
Wednesday, August 21, 13
1. Honour and Respect 2. Financial Dishonour 3. Marital Dishonour 4. Familial Dishonour Wednesday, August 21, 13
FINANCIAL DISHONOUR Wednesday, August 21, 13
A gloomy silence fell upon the party. No one really liked Beaufort, and it was not wholly unpleasant to think the worst of his private life; but the idea of his having brought financial dishonour on his wife's family was too shocking to be enjoyed even by his enemies . Archer's New York tolerated hypocrisy in private relations; but in business matters it exacted a limpid and impeccable honesty . It was a long time since any well-known banker had failed discreditably; but every one remembered the social extinction visited on the heads of the firm when the last event of the kind had happened. (Ch 26, 212) Lecture Notes P3 Wednesday, August 21, 13
Analysis The sly narrator... hints at the hypocrisy behind New York’s tolerance of private dishonour through the contrast between their private and public behaviour. COPY THIS DOWN Wednesday, August 21, 13
Analysis ‘limpid’ and ‘impeccable’ The next clause in the sentence is straightforwardly and forcefully declarative as suggested by the word ‘exacted’. More importantly, the absolutes like ‘limpid’ and ‘impeccable’ suggest that the financial honesty society seeks to uphold is unassailable. COPY THIS DOWN Wednesday, August 21, 13
Spot the ‘WHAT’, ‘HOW’ and ‘WHY’ TOPIC SENTENCE The absolute intolerance towards public disgrace is illustrated through society’s reaction towards Julius Beaufort’s financial dishonour underlining New York’s expectation of ‘unflinching’ adherence to social order . COPY THIS DOWN Wednesday, August 21, 13
What : ‘Financial Dishonour’ Topic sentence ( 10% of word count ) ELABORATION How : ‘Society’s reaction’ - Evidence and analysis ( 60% ) Why : ‘absolute adherence to social order’ - Your interpretation ( 30% ) Spot the ‘WHAT’, ‘HOW’ and ‘WHY’ Wednesday, August 21, 13
MARITAL DISHONOUR Wednesday, August 21, 13
A sudden blush rose to young Mrs. Archer’s face; it surprised her husband as much as the other guests about the table. “Oh, Ellen —” she murmured, much in the same accusing and yet deprecating tone in which her parents might have said: “Oh, the Blenkers—.” It was the note which the family had taken to sounding on the mention of the Countess Olenska’s n a m e , s i n c e s h e h a d s u r p r i s e d a n d inconvenienced them by remaining obdurate to her husband’s advances. (Ch 26, 213) Lecture Notes P4 Wednesday, August 21, 13
Analysis surprised and inconvenienced The euphemism of the term ‘surprised’ underscores the shock and shame that Ellen has brought and continues to bring to the Mingott-Welland and Archer- van-der-Luyden clans. COPY THIS DOWN Wednesday, August 21, 13
Everybody knew that the Countess Olenska was no longer in the good graces of her family. Even her devoted champion, old Mrs Manson Mingott, had been unable to defend her refusal to return to her husband. The Mingotts had not proclaimed their disapproval aloud: their sense of solidarity was too strong. It was a fact, that Ellen, in spite of all her opportunities and her privileges, had become simply “Bohemian.” The fact enforced the contention that she had made a fatal mistake in not returning to Count Olenski. After all, a young woman’s place was under her husband’s roof, especially when she had left it in circumstances that... well... if one had cared to look into them... (Ch 26, 214) Lecture Notes P4 Wednesday, August 21, 13
Analysis The use of ‘even’ epitomises Ellen’s fall from the ‘good graces of her family’, as it reveals that even Ellen’s champion, Mrs Mingott chooses to stand by family honour rather than her granddaughter. COPY THIS DOWN Wednesday, August 21, 13
Everybody knew that the Countess Olenska was no longer in the good graces of her family. Even her devoted champion, old Mrs Manson Mingott, had been unable to defend her refusal to return to her husband. The Mingotts had not proclaimed their disapproval aloud: their sense of solidarity was too strong. It was a fact, that Ellen, in spite of all her opportunities and her privileges, had become simply “Bohemian.” The fact enforced the contention that she had made a fatal mistake in not returning to Count Olenski. After all, a young woman’s place was under her husband’s roof, especially when she had left it in circumstances that... well... if one had cared to look into them... (Ch 26, 214) Lecture Notes P4 Wednesday, August 21, 13
Spot the ‘WHAT’, ‘HOW’ and ‘WHY’ TOPIC SENTENCE Marital dishonour is illustrated through May and Mrs Archer’s disapprobation of Ellen’s divorce - suit highlighting New York’s expectation of marriage as a social institution intended to uphold social order while encouraging readers to sympathise with Ellen . COPY THIS DOWN Wednesday, August 21, 13
Recommend
More recommend
