... the ideological distortion of human interests, recognising the relation between civilisation and barbarity in literature, but without simply mirroring the current system of production." Therefore, the conceptions within literary and fundamental Marxism can easily be directed towards inequality and the complex economic relations within families. It criticises the oppressive determinist social values and norms in society that govern the ... Although May Sinclair's focus in the novel is upon Psychoanalysis and the repression of sexuality, the actions, virtues and social systems within this t...

• Word Count: 1734
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... in the field of Shakespearian studies is that which considers the various roles that women play in the Shakespeare's comedies and tragedies. Literary and historical scholars agree that women did not enjoy political, economic, or social parity with men during Shakespeare's time, and this ... of her decision, which has left the interpretation of her motives and even her mental state up to the judgment of readers and literary critics, many of whom have been as brutal and unforgiving as Hamlet in their condemnation of Gertrude's behavior. An alternate reading, however ... other reasons, the...

• Word Count: 2208
• Approx Pages: 9
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Graduate

... of mortal beings. To a Shakespearean as to a modern audience, their drama would have seemed unrealistic and inaccessible. Discuss. Shakespeare's superhuman characters Antony and Cleopatra would have been accessible to any audience through time, but they would not necessarily have the ability to relate to ... of infinite variety but also "no more but e"en a woman." This is a play in which human figures are elevated in keeping with classical literary traditions and mythology. Yet Shakespeare is also addressing what it is to be female and a leader in a moral world. Parallels can be made to...

• Word Count: 1463
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... and the Roman empires as well as the darkness of the Middle Ages. It has been such an important factor during our existence that it has influenced enormously also the literary world. Two works in particular are perfect reflections of this perennial conflict: Le Colonel Chabert by the great Honore de Balzac and The Cherry Orchard by the Russian play writer ... Anton Chekhov. These two literary pieces, although written a little less than a century apart and in two different countries and cultures, present many similarities that can help us understand how the social stratification was and ...

• Word Count: 1327
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Charles Dickens' literary masterpiece, "Great Expectations," was written as a brutal commentary on the social hierarchy system during the Victorian era. The novel exemplifies the Victorian's desire for upward mobility and dispels the common fantasy that anyone can rise to higher social status if only they would come into a source of wealth. Throughout the novel, the essentially good-hearted characters learn to live with ... what they have and therefore, find peace and happiness in even the harshest of life's realities. Some of these "good" characters are noteworthy; Joe, Wemmick, Herbert and ...

• Word Count: 1549
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... in puns. The double meaning behind the word Earnest, which functions both as a male name and as an adjective describing seriousness. The play twists and turns around this theme, its characters lying in order to be "Earnest-, and then discovering that because of a number of remarkable circumstances they had in not in fact been lying at all. Much of British society ... to Wilde's wit is his use of epigrams "short, witty sayings "to shed light on a given situation. These epigrams express ironic views contrary to what we would expect characters to believe. We see this type of humour at work...

• Word Count: 1627
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

Alexander Solzhenitsyn's One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich and Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis are both literary works in which food is a major part of the setting. The role of food in literature is an intriguing topic of study because its presence in society is almost always ... knows how cold it is, and probably is uncomfortably cold without it on, but his Russian upbringing prevents him from covering his head while at the table. There are other characters that have their own special habits at meals. The old veteran, Prisoner Y-81, for whom Shukhov expresses his admiration, uses a pie...

• Word Count: 1484
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... cause people to lose sanity. The story's main character sifts though a meaningless corporate life until he stumbles upon the rebellious character of Tyler Durden. After numerous incidents help unite the characters into a synonymous mind-frame, the revelation of these fight clubs begin. Together, the narrator and Durden become a leader of men, freeing a society from the shackles of modern life and empowering ... as deterrence against the sheltered living offered by the status quo. Conrad Wright, a philosophy professor of the Massachusetts Historical Society, describes transcendentalism a...

• Word Count: 1390
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate