Literature in English

Key unit competence: 

To be able to analyse texts according to their social, historical and political contexts in European literary tradition.

Introductory activity 

Answer the questions below. 

 1. Explain the earlier periods of the European literary traditions basing on concrete examples, time and characteristics. 

2. Match the European literary tradition in column A with their characteristics in column B below.

Note: Contrary to Lemony Snicketin the book entitled, “The Blank Book”, he said, “Just because something is traditional is no reason to do it, of course”. We have to analyse it instead and deepen it to our satisfaction.

People from all different corners of the country need to share such views that are rarely found and analyse them to praise their beauty in their times. This brings us to appreciate them or criticize them accordingly. 

A literary tradition is a literature that is written and spoken as well. Literary traditions are thought to have a form of underlying interconnectedness and coherence..

1.1 Romantic literature

Activity 1.1 

Answer the following questions.

1. The Romantic Movement is also referred to “Revolution in the art.” Explain? 

2. What are two key terms associated with the Romantic Movement? How do you know? 

3. a. Using library or internet try to explain deeply the term romanticism. 

    b. Examine its characteristics and its positive effects on society. 

4. Basing on its publication date, in which period is this novel “The Pearl” by John Steinbeck? Discuss how it fits within the romanticism period. 

5. Analyse the contribution of this literary work to the social, political and cultural context of Rwanda.

Note: At the beginning of 19^th century,the Enlightment idea of reason gradually gave way to another major movement, Romanticism. Romanticism was a movement of arts and ideas. It showed deep interest both in nature and in thoughts and in the  feelings of individual. In many ways, Romantic thinkers and writers reacted against the ideals class. They turned from reason to emotion, from society to nature. Nationalism also fired the Romantic imagination. For example, a fighter for freedom in Greece,Lord Byron, ranked as one of the leading Romantic poets of the time.

The idea of Romanticism emotion, sometimes wild emotions, was a key element of Romanticism. Neverthless, Romanticism went beyond feelings. It expressed a wide range of ideas and attitudes. 

In general, Romanticism thinkers and artists: 

• Emphasized inner feelings, emotions, imagination. 

• Focused on the mysterious and the supernatural; they also on the odd, exotic, and grotesque or horrifying 

Not all Romantic authors gave change on emphasis to these features. The Brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, for example, concentrated on history and on the sense of national pride it fostered. During the first half of 19th century, they collected German fairy tales. They also created a dictionary and grammar on the German language. 

Etymologically, the word romanticism is derived from “Roman” in the various European languages, such as “romance” and Romanesque. By the middle of the 18th century, two words “romantic” in English and;romantique’ in French were both in universal use as adjectives of praise for natural phenomena such as views and sunsets, in a sense close to modern English usage but without the amorous connotation. 

It was characterized by its emphasis on emotion and individualism as well as glorification of all the past and nature, preferring the medieval rather than the classical. It was partly a reaction to the Industrial Revolution where the aristocratic social and political norms of the Age of Enlightenment, the scientific rationalization of nature, all components of modernity embodied most strongly in the visual arts, music, and literature. Its major impact on historiography, education, social sciences, and natural sciences had a significant and complex effect on politics, with romantic thinkers influencing liberalism, radicalism, conservatism and nationalism.

In the visual arts, landscape painting, gothic architecture and other different arts were of paramount importance.

Application activity 1.1

Read the following extract from “The  Pearl” by John Steinbeck and then answer the questions that follow.

“Kino”, this pearl is evil. Let us destroy it before it destroys us. Let us crush it between two stones. Let us throw it back in the sea where it belongs. Kino, it is evil!

And as she spoke the light came back in Kino’s eyes so that they glowed fiercely and his muscles hardened and his will hardened.

“No, “he said.” I will fight this thing, I will win over it. We will have our chance.” His fist pounded the sleeping mat. “No one shall take our good fortune from us, “he said. His eyes softened then and he raised a gentle hand to Juana’s shoulder. “Believe me, “he said.” I am a man.” And his face grew crafty.

“In the morning we will take our canoe and we will go over the sea and over the mountains to the capital, you and I. we will not be cheated. I am a man.”

“Kino,” she said fiercely. “I am a man. Hush.” And she was silent, for his voice was command. “Let us sleep a little,” he said. In the first light we will start. You are not afraid to go with me?”

“No my husband.”

His eyes were soft and warm on her then, his hand touched her check. “Let us sleep a little,” he said.

“The Pearl” by John Steinbeck

Questions

1.  Describe Kino’s character as shown in this passage. 

2.   Why do you think this literary work is still relevant today? 

3.  Evaluate the role of women in this extract comparing it to the Rwandan women of today.

1.2. Realism

Activity 1.2

Read the following excerpt from “Animal Farm” by George Orwell and answer questions.

The pigs now revealed that during the past three months they had taught themselves to read and write from an old spelling book which had belonged to Mr. Jones’s children and which had been thrown on the rubbish heap. 

Napoleon sent for pots of black and white paint and led the way down to the fivebarred gate that gave on to the main road. Then Snowball (for it was Snowball who was best at writing) took a brush between the two knuckles of his trotter, painted out Manor Farm from the top bar of the gate and in its place painted “Animal Farm”. This was to be the name of the farm from now onwards. After this they went back to the farm buildings, where Snowball and Napoleon sent for a ladder which they caused to be set against the end wall of the big barn. 

They explained that by their studies of the past three months the pigs had succeeded in reducing the principles of Animalism to Seven Commandments. These Seven Commandments would now be inscribed on the wall; they would form an unalterable law by which all the animals on “Animal Farm” must live for ever after. With some difficulty (for it is not easy for a pig to balance himself on a ladder) Snowball climbed up and set to work, with Squealer a few rungs below him holding the paint-pot. The Commandments were written on the tarred wall in great white letters that could be read thirty yards away. They ran thus:

The Seven Commandments

 “Animal Farm” by George Orwell

Questions

1. Analyse the seven commandments in Animal Farm and show their moral lesson in your daily life.  

2. As a Rwandan citizen, how can you observe the country rules and regulations to maintain peace and values of people? 

3. Why is the novel “Animal Farm” written in the 20^th century still considered an instrument of social transformation in today’s society? 

4. What is George Orwell’s message in the novel Animal Farm? 

5. With examples from “Animal Farm”, demonstrate how power and corruption are portrayed and their impact on society.

Note: Realism in literature is defined as an approach that attempts to describe life without idealization or Romantic subjectivity. It was introduced in England by William Dean Howells. Chiefly it was concerned with the commonplaces of everyday life among middle and lower classes, where character was a product of social factors and environment was the integral element in the dramatic complication. Some of Realism major writers are  GeorgeEliot (1819-1880), Edith Wharton (1862-1937), Mark Twain (1835-1910), Henry James, (1843-1916), etc…

Realists rejected Romanticism which had dominated French literature and art since the late 18th century. Realism was born in a chaotic era marked by revolution and social change.It revolutionised painting and expanding conceptions of arts. Dramatically, it changed the life of Europe because of the introduction of machine within Industrial Revolution in Europe. 

Application activity 1.2

Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow.

The Absolutely True Diary of A Part Time Indian.

Questions

1. Referring to Yana, explain realism. 

2. Differentiate between Romanticism and Realism in terms of characteristics.

1.3. Modernism

Activity 1.3 

Answer the questions below.

1. Referring to the novel “Animal Farm,” what does “Beasts of England” symbolize in modernism? 

2. What do yo understand by modernism?

Note: Modernism can be defined as a style or movement in the art that aimed to depart significantly from classical and traditional forms, in accordance with modern ideas, especially in the Catholic Church in the later of 19th early 20th centuries mainly in Europe and North America.

Among  the  factors that shaped modernism was the development of modern industrial  society, rapid growth of cities, which were followed by the harrowing reaction to World War I.  It rejected the certainty of Enlightenment thinking and religious belief. It was characterized by self-consciousness and irony concerning literary and social traditions, which often led to experiments with forms, along with the use of techniques that drew attention to the process and materials used in creating painting, poems, buildings, etc…

In literature, modernism was a diverse movement that spanned Europe, , the Americas, and even parts of Africa and Asia. In England, it took hold in the first decade of the 20^th century. As the economic, political, and social structure of Britain began to crumble in those years, British writers began to experiment with ways that would question the basic elements of literature of a poem or the narrative elements of a fictional story.

A key figure in the modernist movement was James Joyce, whose novels, short stories, and poetry were anything but traditional. The 1922 publication of his work Ulysses marked the peak of the modernist movement in fiction Other modernist fiction writers include Woof , J Con Joyce, D.H. Lawrence, Aldous Huxley and Evelyn Waugh.

Application activity 1.3 

Read the novel “Animal Farm” by George Orwell and answer the questions that follow.

1. Why did George Orwell choose a farm as the novel’s setting? 

2. a) Which symbols are featured in “Animal Farm”? 

    b) Are they easily recognized by readers who do not know the historical context of the novel? Why?

1.4. Post modernism

Activity 1.4.1

Read the following passage, analyse it and answer the questions that follow

I belong to that classification of people known as wives. I am A Wife. And, not altogether incidentally, I am a mother. Not too long ago a male friend of mine appeared on the scene fresh from a recent divorce. He had one child, who is, of course, with his ex-wife. He is looking for another wife. As I thought about him while I was ironing one evening, it suddenly occurred to me that I, too, would like to have a wife. Why do I want a wife?I would like to go back to school so that I can become economically independent, support myself, and, if need be, support those dependent upon me. I want a wife who will work and send me to school. And while I am going to school, I want a wife to take care of my children. 

I want a wife to keep track of the children’s doctor and dentist appointments and to keep track of mine, too. I want a wife to make sure my children eat properly and are kept clean. I want a wife who will wash the children’s clothes and keep them mended. I want a wife who is a good nurturing attendant to my children, who arranges for their schooling, makes sure that they have an adequate social life with their peers, takes them to the park, the zoo, etc. I want a wife who takes care of the children when they are sick, a wife who arranges to be around when the children need Special care, because, of course, I cannot miss classes at school. My wife must arrange to lose time at work and not lose the job. It may mean a small cut in my wife’s income from time to time, but I guess I can tolerate that. Needless to say, my wife will arrange and pay for the care of the children while my wife is working.

I want a wife who will take care of my physical needs. I want a wife who will keep my house clean. I want a wife who will pick up after my children, a wife who will pick up after me. I want a wife who will keep my clothes clean, ironed, mended, replaced when need be, and who will see to it that my personal things are kept in their proper place so that I can find what I need the minute I need it. I want a wife who cooks the meals, a wife who is a good cook.  I want a wife who will plan the menus, do the necessary grocery shopping, prepare the meals, serve them pleasantly, and then do the cleaning up while I do my studying. I want a wife who will care for me when I am sick and sympathize with my pain and loss of time from school. I want a wife to go along when our family takes a vacation so that someone can continue to care for me and my children when I need a rest and change of scene.

I want a wife who will not bother me with rambling complaints about a wife’s duties. But I want a wife who will listen to me when I feel the need to explain a rather difficult point I have come across in my course studies. And I want a wife who will type my papers for me when I have written them. I want a wife who will take care of the details of my social life. When my wife and I are invited out by my friends, I want a wife who will take care of the baby-sitting arrangements. When I meet people at school that I like and want to entertain, I want a wife who will have the house clean, will prepare a special meal, serve it to me and my friends, and not interrupt when I talk about things that interest me and my friends. I want a wife who will have arranged that the children are fed and ready for bed before my guests arrive so that the children do not bother us. 

I want a wife who takes care of the needs of my guests so that they feel comfortable, who makes sure that they have an ashtray, that they are passed the hors d’oeuvres, that they are offered a second helping of the food, that their wine glasses are replenished when necessary, that their coffee is served to them as they like it. And I want a wife who knows that sometimes I need a night out by myself.

I want a wife who is sensitive to my sexual needs, a wife who makes love passionately and eagerly when I feel like it, a wife who makes sure that I am satisfied. And, of course, I want a wife who will not demand sexual attention when I am not in the mood for it. I want a wife who assumes the complete responsibility for birth control, because I do not want more children. I want a wife who will remain sexually faithful to me so that I do not have to clutter up my intellectual life with jealousies. And I want a wife who understands that my sexual needs may entail more than strict adherence to monogamy. I must, after all, be able to relate to people as fully as possible.

If, by chance, I find another person more suitable as a wife than the wife I already have, I want the liberty to replace my present wife with another one. Naturally, I will expect a fresh, new life; my wife will take the children and be solely responsible for them so that I am left free.

When I am through with school and have a job, I want my wife to quit working and remain at home so that my wife can more fully and completely take care of a wife’s duties. 

My God, who wouldn’t want a wife?

                                                                                                             “I want a wife” by Judy Brady

Questions

1.According to the essay by Brady, identify the different activities that a wife is needed for.

2.a) What point do you think Brady is trying to put across in the essay above?

   b)How is the point of this essay related to Post-modernism? 

3.How does the choice of form -serve the writer’s purpose?

4.How significant is the ordering of the paragraphs in which Brady presents his message.

Activity 1.4.2

Study the characteristics of modernism given in the table below and share your view with your partner.

Note: Post-modernism is late 20^th-century style and concept in the arts, architecture, and criticism, which represents a departure from modernism and is characterized by the selfconscious use of earlier styles and conventions, a mixing of different artistic styles and media, and a general distrust of theories. It is largely a reaction to the assumed certainty of scientific, or objective, efforts to explain reality. In mind, it shoots from a recognition that reality is not simply mirrored in human understanding of it, but rather, is constructed as the mind tries to understand its own particular and personal reality.

Some of the common characteristics are aligned like: truth is relative; consumerism is all, transformation of the mix, disillusionment with the idea of progress, uncertainty, fragmentation of social life, incessant choice, globalisation and the impact of ICT. It has been enlightened by irony, playfulness, black humour, pastiche, inter-sexuality, meta-fiction, temporal distortion, techno-culture and hyper-reality, a sense of paranoia, maximalismand minimalism, fiction and tabulations, magic realism and scepticism toward all sort of meta narratives.

Application activity 1.4 

Answer the following questions.

End unit assessment activities 

Read and answer the following questions.