“But
supposing at twelve years old, I had been wrenched from the Heights, and every
early association, and my all in all, as Heathcliff was at that time, and had
been converted at a stroke into Mrs. Linton, the lady of Thrushcross Grange,
and the wife of a stranger; an exile, and outcast, thenceforth, from what had
been my world—You may fancy a glimpse of the abyss where I groveled!...Why am I
so changed?” (Vol.1, Chapter XII).
INTRO: In
both Frankenstein and Wuthering Heights, the idea of innocence vs. experience
is at play, where characters are thrown into an awareness of the horrors of
adulthood (death, sexuality, brutality, marriage, sin, class, etc.) without a
proper parental figure guiding them through the ritual. As a result, characters
are constantly “exiled” from their youth and their childish selves, becoming
split in two, until they scarcely even recognize themselves. Why do you think
both Shelley and Brontë are so obsessed by this theme? Why are so many of the
characters, from Victor, Elizabeth, the Creature, Cathy (both of them!),
Heathcliff, and Isabella constantly at war with who they were—and where they
belong?
Q: For your
second paper, I want you to discuss characters in both books who seem to be
struggling with the same sense of division. What makes them split apart? What
aspect of experience makes them lose their ‘innocent’ self, and why can’t they
reclaim it? How is the transition like Blake’s “The Garden of Love,” where
children are forbidden to return to a garden which is now “bound with briars”
by priests wearing dark robes? Also, what role do the parental figures—or lack
thereof—play in their transformation? Why does something like love become evil
to them, or the people they love become monsters? Or why do they become
monsters to themselves? Consider, too, that women are writing both of these
works, so there must be an element of autobiography here; perhaps both works
are metaphors for their own isolation and exile?
REQUIREMENTS
* Discuss at
least 1-2 characters from each book that are united by a common theme of
innocence vs. experience (your choice)
* Quote from
each book and discuss the connections between the characters
* Use MLA
format throughout: when introducing a book/passage, be sure to introduce the
quote, cite it, and respond to the quotation (why you used it or why it’s
relevant to your discussion).
* At least 4-5
pages double spaced
DUE
Wednesday, March 25th by 5pm [we have class that day!]
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