Henry James' The Aspern Papers
The Aspern Papers by Henry James illustrates a classic opposition throughout the story: the underestimation of the old by the young. The narrator, Aspern’s publisher, sets himself to the task of retrieving several mysterious “papers” from a former lover of his idol, and goes in with the easy confidence of a young man who never dreams that anyone, much less an elderly lady, could be not one, but in fact several, steps ahead of him at all times in his hunt for literary gold. The relationship between Miss Bordereau and the narrator is that of the cat and the mouse, with the narrator believing he is the cat, and Miss Bordereau knowing that she has the upper hand by the simple fact of possession. The narrator
…show more content…
I think that if Miss Bordereau had thought it would get rid of him, she would have told him directly that, yes, she had the papers, and no, she had no intention of giving them up. However, because their relationship actually began with Miss Tina’s terse reply to the narrator’s associate, telling him that under no circumstances were the two Bordereau’s interested in any nonsense as frivolous as a dead author’s romantic entanglements. This response comes back to haunt the narrator as he buries himself deeper and deeper in intrigue to keep his true identity a “secret” from Miss Bordereau. When they converse, the narrator is on his toes and very aware of the effect of every word, while Miss Bordereau throws out tidbits to entice him into an indiscreet comment or demand for the papers. For example, she deliberately declines to give him a receipt for his rent payment, prompting the narrator to conclude “She had given me a part of her house, but she wouldn’t add to that so much as a morsel of paper with her name on it” (James, 27). While she is ostensibly neglecting only a nicety of business, in truth it seems she is teasing him, saying that if she will not even give him her signature on a receipt, there is nothing on earth that might compel her to part with the Aspern papers.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the competitive relationship between Aspern’s publisher and Miss Bordereau is the inclusion of a
The wedge of sunshine that poured in through the tiny window on that fine August afternoon lifted the children's spirits. And a hopeful butterfly fluttered into the basement through Anna's open story as Joseph sat on the floor and read to Willy. He began by clearing his throat and then he revealed, "Far away on a warm hillside where wildflowers bloomed after summer rains there once lived a handsome black caterpillar named Max. All day long Max munched on wildflowers and grew stronger. As Max grew he watched beautiful butterflies flutter by, and he decided that he wanted to fly. So one day he ran off the end of a leaf and lifted all of his sixteen of legs. But he simply floated down and landed with a splat on his belly. Next he scampered to
The life of a lady in the 19th century is painted in a romantic light. Pictured in her parlor, the lady sips tea from delicate china while writing letters with a white feathered quill. Her maid stands silently off in the background, waiting for orders to serve her mistress. What is not typically pictured, is the sadness or boredom echoed on the lady’s face. Perhaps the letter is to a dear friend, not seen in ages, pleading with the friend to visit, in hopes that the friend will fill the void in the lady’s life made from years spent in a loveless marriage; or possiblyk20 the lady isn’t writing a letter at all, but a novel or a poem, never to be read by anyone but her. Edith Warton and Charlotte Perkins Gilman, are 19th Century ladies who dare to share their writing with the world. Through their works, the darker side of a woman’s life in the late 1800’s is exposed. Gender politics in the 19th dictates that a lady is dependent on her husband for her financial security and social standing; that is if she is fortunate enough to marry at all. In Edith Warton’s The House of Mirth, Lily Bart is a beautiful woman in her late 20’s, who fails to marry a wealthy man. The narrator in Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper slowly goes insane under her physician husbands misguided attempts to cure her of depression. The downfall of Lily Bart and the narrator of The Yellow Wallpaper is
The fifth president of the United States was James Monroe (1817-1825). He was born on April 28, 1758, in Virginia and raised there.
James Monroe was born April 28, 1758 in Westland County, Virginia. The son of Spence and Elizabeth Jones Monroe, also known as “the last cocked hat”, James was home schooled and met with a tutor at age 12. After that his dad sent him to the school of Parson Archibald Camp Bell. He would leave early in the morning, bring his rifle, and play shooting games. At age 16 he started at the college of William and Mary. However the stirring events of the revolutionary war made him drop out and go to the army.
My family always felt that knowing one 's history was of the utmost importance. Binders and books track my maternal heritage through centuries; however, my paternal side kept oral records of our heritage, so much of it was lost through the generations. Determined to find the lost information, my father and I took it upon ourselves to create our own genealogy report and dug through different documents to back trace our ancestry. It was then we discovered Thomas Glass, a Native American also known as Tagwadihi (Catawbakiller) or Chief Glass of the Chickamauga tribe in the early nineteenth century. Desperate to know more about this man, we discovered a journal that gave detailed descriptions of who he was and what he did. That journal is called the Journal of Major John Norton of 1816. This memoir gives glimpses into knowing one of my ancestors, reading from his friend 's perspectives and sharing in the interactions of a family member long since perished and otherwise unknown. From reading it I discovered the wonderful ethnographic data that it embodied. Norton 's descriptions of his acquaintances in the Cherokee nation "are frequently supported and never contradicted by historical records" and historical figures who were briefly mentioned in Cherokee documents become fully-developed in his journal (Klinck lxvi). However it raises questions as to where this journal belongs. Does it belong in Native American Studies, historical studies, or literary studies? Does John Norton have
I'm doing my report on James Monroe. James Monroe was born in Westmoreland County, Virginia on April 28, 1758 then died July 4, 1831 in New York, New york. When James Monroe was younger they use to call him The Last Cocked Hat, The Last of The Crooked Hats, and The Era of Good Feelings President.
James Monroe was born in the quiet town of Westmoreland County, Virginia on April 28, 1758. His father, Spencer Monroe, was married to Elizabeth Jones in 1752. Spencer Monroe was a circuit judge and a farmer for the town (Kane 40). Monroe was the oldest of five. There were four other children; Andrew, Joseph, and Elizabeth. His third brother had died in his early childhood. He attended grammar school at a small academy for boys. This school had a reputation for serving the best of men, like George Washington and John Marshall (Kane 40), which is unique because he later followed George Washington as president. George Washington was a family friend of the Monroe’s. He admired Washington and was influenced by him at a young age. At age 16
In her story, “Old Woman Magoun” she delivered a feminist message more directly than ever. It’s based in turn-of-the-century New England, patriarchy still defined relationships even though the men themselves had degenerated. The story reflects the realities of Freeman’s own life, as her father’s business failed and her mother became the support of the family. However, Freeman’s life was not unique; rural New England is
In addition to the extreme limitations of their daily routine, both characters in MacLeod’s and Gilman’s short stories are subject to their significantly overbearing and oppressive spouses. The domineering management of their lives compels these characters to engage in either reading or writing, as an act of defiance towards their authority wielding partners. This minor form of rebellion allows the characters to feel as though they have at least some aspect of control over their lives. The father in MacLeod’s story is aware of his wife’s aversion to and disapproval of reading; however, this antagonism does not deter him from spending all his minimally free-time devouring books in his room. The narrator notes that his mother “despised the room and all it stood for,” yet his father remained inside it every night while “the goose-necked lamp illuminated the pages in his hands,” in an act of passive-aggressive opposition towards his wife’s
The other reading of the story might be based on the maturing of a young woman. As it is probably the most important period in every adolescent's life, when they keep searching for their own identity, it should by strongly influenced by their parents. If it is not, a teenager starts looking for directions outside their home, and sometimes has difficulties with distinguishing what is good and evil. They are very often affected by
Progress is key to living life, but if one is advancing through life with the motivation of revenge, then, in actuality, he or she is truly regressing. Revenge is an extremely corruptive trait. It causes people to do uncharacteristic things that normally would not be done. The perception of right and wrong is blurred and one takes inadvertent actions that may cost friendships, possessions, and even lives. Revenge is often a major motivating factor in the characters that are in the works written during the Dark Romanticism period. One of the most celebrated and influential American authors in history, Herman Melville, was born on August 1, 1819; his reputation was not quite
William James was a philosopher and psychologist but was most well known in the field of Psychology for developing the philosophy of pragmatism, or the Functionalist theory: "Theory of mental life and behavior that is concerned with how an organism uses its perceptual abilities to function in its environment." He was also the first Psychologist to be born in America.
The story I chose to analyze is “Why I Live at the P.O.” by Eudora Welty. The author, Eudora Wetly, is originally from Mississippi from a prosperous family, she was born in 1909 and passed away in 2001.During her early days she worked at small places involved with writing until she launched her literary career. ‘Why I Live at the P.O’ is about sibling rivalry and favoritism among family. My thesis states that this story shows a good example of favoritism among families and good insight from the outcast.
Through the years, it has been known that sin is bad and is at the root of evil. Many claim that it causes feelings of guilt; feelings that do not easily go away. Nathaniel Hawthorne stated his feelings by stating “Show freely to the world, if not (their) worst, yet some trait whereby the worst may be inferred.” to say how he felt people should react after they commit sins. He tells future posterity of how they can be redeemed of their sins, and though he may have been correct on some of the ways to repent, he may have also missed some key details. While we do need to come forward from our sins to be completely forgiven, it may not be necessary to become a living embodiment of the sin like Nathaniel believes that we should be.
Victoria was Queen of Great Britain and Ireland from 1837 to 1901. She was the only daughter of Edward, the Duke of Kent. Her father died shortly after she was born and she became heir to the throne. The Victorian Age was characterised by rapid change and developments in almost everything. From advances in medical, scientific and technological knowledge, to changes in population growth and location. Today, we associate the 19th century with the work ethic, family values, religious observation and institutional faith. In 1840, Queen Victoria married her first cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. At first, the British public did not particularly like the German prince, and he was excluded from holding any official political position. At times, their marriage was hectic because they both had