Assignment Paper :- 108

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Assignment Paper :-108 (The American Literature) 

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Name :- Aarti Bhupatbhai Sarvaiya 

Batch :- M.A. Sem. 2 (2022-2024)

Enrollment N/o. :-  4069206420220027

Roll N/o. :-  01

Subject Code & Paper N/o. :- 22401 Paper 108: The American Literature 

Email Address :-  aartisarvaiya7010@gmail.com

Submitted to :- Smt. S. B. Gardi Department of English        – Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University – Bhavnagar – 364001

Date of Submission :- 31 March, 2023

(2022-2024

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An effect of the world war 1, in literary writers

Introduction :-

World War I, the war that was originally expected to be “over by Christmas,” dragged on for four years with a grim brutality brought on by the dawn of trench warfare and advanced weapons, including chemical weapons. The horrors of that conflict altered the world for decades – and writers reflected that shifted outlook in their work. As Virginia Woolf would later write, “Then suddenly, like a chasm in a smooth road, the war came.”

Early works were romantic sonnets of war and death.

Among the first to document the “chasm” of the war were soldiers themselves. At first, idealism persisted as leaders glorified young soldiers marching off for the good of the country.

English poet Rupert Brooke, after enlisting in Britain’s Royal Navy, wrote a series of patriotic sonnets, including “The Soldier,” which read:

"If I should die, think only this of me:

That there’s some corner of a foreign field

That is for ever England."

Brooke, after being deployed in the Allied invasion of Gallipoli, would die of blood poisoning in 1915.

The same year, Canadian doctor Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae, upon seeing how red poppies grew in the fields that had been ravaged by bombs and littered with bodies, wrote “In Flanders Fields.” The poem, memorialising the death of his friend and fellow soldier, would later be used by Allied militaries to recruit soldiers and raise money in selling war bonds:

"In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place, and in the sky,

The larks, still bravely singing, fly,

Scarce heard amid the guns below."

The tone of literature shifted after years of gruelling WWI combat.While both Brooke’s and McCrae’s works lent patriotic tones to the sacrifices of war early in the conflict, as time wore on, the war’s relentless horrors spawned darker reflections. Some, like English poet Wilfred Owen, saw it their duty to reflect the grim reality of the war in their work.

As Owen would write, “All a poet today can do is warn. That is why the true poet must be truthful.” In “Anthem for the Doomed Youth,” Owen describes soldiers who “die as cattle” and the “monstrous anger of the guns.”

First World War Fiction - Key takeaways

• First World War Fiction refers to fictional works that are written about the First World War (1914- 1918).

• Much of First World War fiction features the following themes: the idealisation of war, the reality of war and how war affects relationships.

• The genre of First World War poetry is under the broader genre of war poetry. These poems were often written by poets who had served in the war.

• Some famous writers of First World War fiction are Ernest Hemingway, Richard Aldington and Virginia Woolf.

• One of the most famous examples of First World War poetry is Wilfred Owen's 'Dulce et Decorum Est' (1920).

An effect of the world war in Literary writers :-

The First World War (WWI) took place from 1914 to 1918. In English fiction, real-life experiences and events were drawn upon. A common theme in literature inspired by the events of the First World War is the idealisation of war versus the reality of war. Many authors and poets who created World War I fiction served in the war, so many used first-hand experiences in their works. They showed the realities of war in their work: the horror of battle and the internal struggles during warfare. They often reflected on the war as well, showing the effects of the war on soldiers’ health and personal relationships. The First World War is also known as ‘the Great War’ because it was the first great conflict in modern history that involved many countries throughout the world. Modern weaponry was used for the first time and it brought great destruction on a scale never seen before in the modern history of Europe. The First World War was a war in which trenches had to be dug because of the sustained and lethal barrage of artillery during battle.Some literature was patriotic towards the British war effort.

The First World War instilled in the young men surviving its horrors a sense of a half-life; those who walked away from the trenches sacrificed a part of themselves on Europe’s battlefields.This sense of loss was manifested most compellingly in postwar literature created by what came to be known as the Lost Gener-

ation. The Lost Generation embodied a shift in the tone of literature following the war. Specifically, the attempt to capture as well as define the physical, mental, and emotional suffering of those that survived the war. 

Originally a small group of writers,over the course of the twentieth century, The Lost Generation has come to be referred to as the style or genre of postwar authors and artists. This group of writers included Ernest Hemingway, F.Scott Fitzgerald, T.S. Eliot, and other contemporary writers. While Those authors are most commonly thought of as the Lost Generation, it did not take long for other artists apart from novelists to join the ranks of the lost, such as Percy Wyndham Lewis and Will Longstaff. These other artists added to the collective remembrance

of veterans’ trauma of the war. 

Still, these original writers set the stage and created the works that veterans and civilians both most heavily identified with during the 1920s and 30s, and continued into the twentieth century with following generations. The Lost Generation’s works of literature encapsulated the collective suffering felt by many survivors of the First World War. These writers sought to explain first the part of themselves they lost on the battlefields of Europe, secondly to find a remedy for their conditions of hopelessness, disillusionment, and regret. Authors such as Ernest Hemingway and Erich Maria Remarque never completely found closure after the war, while J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis experienced relief through their insertion of lived experiences into their imagined worlds.

The novels written by former soldiers were no longer just stories; they took on a deeper meaning to the authors as ways to cope with what they witnessed during the war. These direct ties to the experiences of soldiers allowed survivors of the war to more closely relate to these stories. 

Ernest Hemingway and Erich Maria Remarque, one American, the other German, both produced works that spoke to the collective sense of disillusionment toward

life that started during the war years and grew out into the postwar world. Their work relied on their characters’ experiences with the war and how they coped with the horrors witnessed. They did this with the use of their own war experiences both during and after the war through their writings.

Ernest Hemingway also transformed his personal war experiences into works of literature that resonated with post-war readers, veterans and civilians alike. These two both reflected the bitterness soldiers developed directed at the war and eventually toward life outside the war. Two of Hemingway’s World War I novels gave little account of the characters in the war. In The Sun Also Rises, The story follows former soldiers several

years after the war, and A Farewell to Arms, while it took place during the war, used few descriptions of the trenches and the fighting, favouring hospitals and Italian cities. 

Narnia, the fictional world created by C.S. Lewis, embodied reflections of Lewis’s wartime experience both the sight of battle and the life of a soldier. This imagined land created a place for Lewis to express his war trauma in a landscape outside of reality. In several moments of Lewis’s book titled The Lion, the Witch

and the Wardrobe, scenes of combat reflected what Lewis experienced in the trenches.

The Poems were often written by poets who had been in service during the war. The genre has poems that discuss themes like patriotism, loyalty, courage, comradeship, death and sacrifice. These poems depicted the horrifying realities of warfare, exposing them to readers and breaking through the illusions of glory and heroism young soldiers believed in. 

For example, English poet Rupert Brooke’s poem ‘The Soldier’ (1915) is a patriotic poem. Brooke imagines an ‘English heaven’ (line 14) that will exist after he is dead. This ‘heaven’ (line 14) exists as a result of his contribution to Britain’s Royal Navy. This poem is idealistic and plays on the expectations of glory for oneself and for the country that many young soldiers believed they would obtain. It is important to note that Brooke’s poem was written at the start of the war. The patriotic tone of this poem written at the start of the war differs greatly from the critical tone of many literary works written towards the end of the war or after the war. 

Richard Aldington (1892-1962), was an English writer famous for his novel Death of a Hero (1929). The novel details the story of George Winterbourne, who joins the British army at the start of WWI. Winterbourne struggles to return to everyday life and struggles with navigating his personal relationships upon his return from the war.

Virginia Woolf (1882-1941), was an English writer. One of her novels about the First World War is Mrs. Dalloway (1925). It focuses on post-World War society in England and the protagonist is Mrs. Dalloway. One of the characters in the novel, Septimus Smith, is a war veteran who suffers from shell shock, which is now known as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Smith is sent to a psychiatric institute to help him, however, he commits suicide once admitted.

Conclusion :-

From First World War fiction, we can learn about the personal, social and political effects of the war. First World War fiction is a collection of the experiences of those who served in the war or those who were in proximity to the war, like soldiers' families. By showing the realities of the war, we hope to learn about the amount of damage and suffering as a result of the war. First World War fiction should serve as a lesson for us to avoid replicating such a conflict in the future. Since the war affected so many people, many could relate to the themes of loss, courage and suffering that were featured in First World War fiction.

Word Count :- 1782

Assignment Paper :- 107

 

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Assignment Paper :-107 ( Twentieth Century Literature: From World War II to the End of the Century )

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Name :- Aarti Bhupatbhai Sarvaiya 

Batch :- M.A. Sem. 2 (2022-2024)

Enrollment N/o. :-  4069206420220027

Roll N/o. :-  01

Subject Code & Paper N/o. :- 22400 Paper 107: The Twentieth Century Literature: From World War II to the End of the Century 

Email Address :-  aartisarvaiya7010@gmail.com

Submitted to :- Smt. S. B. Gardi Department of English – Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University – Bhavnagar – 364001

Date of Submission :- 31 March, 2023

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Memory in the novel An Artist of the Floating World

Introduction :-

'An Artist of the Floating World' is a novel written by Kazuo Ishiguro. This is a story of an artist Masuji Ono, who was once very famous for his paintings but as time passes his paintings become worst for the society and he is shown as a respectable person,and he is criticised by the society because of his paintings. The memory of Masuji Ono is described in this novel.

About the Author :-

Kazuo Ishiguro, in full Sir Kazuo Ishiguro, (born November 8, 1954, Nagasaki, Japan), Japanese-born British novelist known for his lyrical tales of regret fused with subtle optimism. In 2017 he won the Nobel Prize for Literature for his works that “uncovered the abyss beneath our illusory sense of connection with the world.”

In 1960 Ishiguro’s family immigrated to Great Britain, where he attended the universities of Kent (B.A., 1978) and East Anglia (M.A., 1980). Upon graduation he worked at a homeless charity and began to write in his spare time. He initially gained literary notice when he contributed three short stories to the anthology Introduction 7: Stories by New Writers (1981).

Awards And Honors: Nobel Prize (2017) Booker Prize (1989) Costa Book Awards (1986)

Notable Works: “A Pale View of Hills” “An Artist of the Floating World” “Klara and the Sun” “Never Let Me Go” “Nocturnes: Five Stories of Music and Nightfall” “The Remains of the Day” “The Saddest Music in the World” “The Buried Giant” “The Unconsoled” “The White Countess” “When We Were Orphans” 

About The Novel :-

Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel An Artist of the Floating World grapples with the themes of memory, regret, and the quest for redemption against the backdrop of post-World War II Japan. Masuji Ono, an ageing painter who reflects on his life as an artist and a prominent member of society in pre-war Japan, is the protagonist of the novel.

This historical fiction begins with the sight of Ono living in obscurity in the postwar period, reflecting on his prewar life as an artist and member of the upper class in Japan. Ishiguro expertly employs Ono’s recollections to create a vivid picture of pre-war Japan’s “floating world,” a world of artistic and social excess that ultimately led to the country’s demise.

Ishiguro’s writing is evocative and lyrical, and he stitches poetic language with beautiful imagery to drive home the stolid yet sombre mood of the novel. The novel exudes rich symbolism, with the “floating world” representing the languidly fleeting nature of life and the pre-war era. 

'Memory' in The Novel :-

Memory in An Artist of the Floating World has focused on the diverse narrative techniques that this novel encompasses, to show that memory serves as a medium for the narrator to understand his past in order to assimilate into the present. However, little attention has been paid to the different settings that the narrator constantly reiterates and describes in his memoir. 

An Artist of the Floating World is the second novel of the Nobel Prize winner Kazuo Ishiguro. The novel deals with the role of memory in a post-Second World War Japan, and the narrative voice is Masuji Ono, an old painter who was part of militarist organisations before the war. Ono’s conflict arises as he remains attached to the pre-war values of imperialism and nationalism while the new generation looks forward to imitating Western democracies. The novel is constructed as a memoir that shows Ono’s strive between the changing environment of the present and the old days to which he repeatedly digresses. In fact, the novel follows a chronological structure —from October 1948 until June 1950—, nevertheless the narrative is cyclical because the narrator constantly refers to the past.

Memory is understood as “the process or faculty whereby events or impressions from the past are recollected and preserved. [And] collective memory [involves] widely shared perceptions of the past. It shapes the story that groups of people tell about themselves, linking past, present and future in a simplified narrative”. Scholars have argued that memory in An Artist of the Floating World provides the narrator with a better understanding of his own past, and that individual memory is influenced by the collective one because the changing attitudes makes the major character rethink his own past.

However, a much less discussed issue seems to be the significance of the different places in the novel in the context of individual and collective memory. Places are focused on memories, and as such, “the analysis of how memory and forgetting pervade real public space, the world of objects, and the urban world we live in becomes crucial”. 

 "As far as I am concerned, I freely admit I made many mistakes. I accept that much of what I did was ultimately harmful to our nation, that mine was part of an influence that resulted in untold suffering for our own people. I admit this."

•  Museji Ono

Masuji Ono, a narrator and the protagonist of the novel, believes that there is no artist who can accurately capture their own likeness in a self-portrait, and neither can a writer impartially recall the past. The novel revolves around Ono's life, told by himself, but he retells his story imperfectly. He repeatedly concedes that the conversations he recounts may have not gone exactly as he recalls. There are even direct contradictions to his account of events. A pivotal moment in the novel is Setsuko's, Ono's daughter , admonishing him to take precautions about his past. This prompts Ono to visit Matsuda and Kuroda, yet later Setsuko claims she has no memory of saying that to her father. Readers are left to wonder if Ono has misremembered events, seeking to mitigate the damage of his past out of his own anxiety or guilt, or if Setsuko doesn't remember or is being deceptive for some reason. In either case the events of the novel are indefinite, involving many long-past conversations, characters, and places, all altered with the passage of time.

The author also uses the structure and diction of the novel to convey the theme of memory. The nonlinear pattern of the plot—jumping around chronologically from Ono's present to youth to glory days to present again—is similar to stream-of-consciousness writing. However, the author deliberately uses this nonchronological plot to mimic not only thought patterns but also an elderly mind. Ono finds himself in rooms without knowing why he entered them and stares off into space, a habit his younger daughter interprets as laziness but is more likely a common symptom of old age.

As he enters the final stages of life, Ono's memories occupy his thoughts more and more, and they are colored by his need to justify his actions to himself. The suggestion of self-delusion or self-deception appears early in the novel. Ono admits that conversations he recalls may not have happened as he recalls them. He thinks he said a particular thing but admits he may not have. He also makes excuses for various people, trying to explain to the reader why Mori-san was so haughty while others were not, portraying Noriko as unjustifiably irritated and rude to him. Perhaps the strongest evidence for self-deception, though, is what is not included in Ono's thoughts. He says almost nothing about the deaths of his wife and son. They are mentioned but without much emotion and almost no detail. Ono seems to repress his most painful memories while allowing lesser traumas to resurface over the course of the novel.

Memory and nostalgia often go hand in hand, and the novel is suffused with wistful recollections of life in Japan before the war, of Ono's best years as an artist. Nostalgia paints the past with a rosy hue and glosses over difficulties. For example, Ono recalls giving Kenji,Ono's Son)his first taste of sake, Japanese rice wine, but not the moment he learned his only son had been killed in the war. He remembers how his wife always laughed about their disagreements but can't recall the substance of their fights. The most nostalgic memory that occupies Ono's thoughts is that of the pleasure district before the war. He fondly recalls so many nights at the Migi-Hidari drinking with his students or at Mrs. Kawakami's in the lantern light. This vanished world holds incredible nostalgia for the artist.

Conclusion :-

To Conclude, the novel is based on the concept of an artist's life and his problems which he/she can face as an artist. This novel is based on the theme of , What is the importance of art and artists in society. In this novel also the suffering of an artist is described through his past and present experience.

Word Count:- 1550

Assignment Paper :-106

 

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Assignment Paper :-106 (The Twentieth Century Literature: 1900 to World War II)

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Name :- Aarti Bhupatbhai Sarvaiya 

Batch :- M.A. Sem. 2 (2022-2024)

Enrollment N/o. :-  4069206420220027

Roll N/o. :-  01

Subject Code & Paper N/o. :- 22399 Paper 106: The Twentieth Century Literature: 1900 to World War II

Email Address :-  aartisarvaiya7010@gmail.com

Submitted to :- Smt. S. B. Gardi Department of English – Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University – Bhavnagar – 364001

Date of Submission :- 31 March, 2023

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'Class Conflict' in 'The Great Gatsby'

Introduction :-

OPENING QUOTATION

Then wear the gold hat, if that will move her; If you can bounce high, bounce for her too, Till she cry "Lover, gold-hatted, high-bouncing lover, I must have you!"

-THOMAS PARKE D'INVILLIERS

Social Conflict and The American Dream are two main themes of the novel. Characters of this novel are divided into two classes as per their class they are living. For e.g., East Egg and West Egg. All the characters of the novel are having a dream to be rich. Class conflict is mainly described in this novel.

About the Writer :-

F Scott Fitzgerald, in full Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald, American short-story writer and novelist famous for his depictions of the Jazz Age (the 1920s), his most brilliant novel being The Great Gatsby (1925). His private life, with his wife, Zelda, in both America and France, became almost as celebrated as his novels.

During his lifetime, he published four novels, four story collections, and 164 short stories. Although he achieved temporary popular success and fortune in the 1920s, Fitzgerald received critical acclaim only after his death and is now widely regarded as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century.

Notable works :-The Beautiful and Damned, 

 The Great Gatsby, 

All the Sad Young Men, 

Tender Is the Night

About the Novel :- 

The Great Gatsby, Third novel by American author F. Scott Fitzgerald, published in 1925. Set in Jazz Age New York, it tells the tragic story of Jay Gatsby, a self-made millionaire, and his pursuit of Daisy Buchanan, a wealthy young woman whom he loved in his youth. The book is narrated by Nick Carraway, who recounts the events of the summer of 1922, after he takes a house in the fictional village of West Egg on Long Island. There he lives among the newly rich, while across the water, in the more refined village of East Egg, live his cousin Daisy and her brutish wealthy husband, Tom Buchanan.  

Fitzgerald considered The Great Gatsby to be his greatest achievement at the time it was published, but the book was neither a critical nor commercial success. The novel gained popularity in the 1950s, soon becoming a standard text of high-school curricula, and is now considered a masterpiece of American fiction. There have been several film adaptations, notably a production directed by Jack Clayton in 1974, starring Robert Redford as Gatsby, and one in 2013 directed by Baz Luhrmann, starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

Characters of the Novel :-

1. Jay Gatsby :- The protagonist who gives his name to the story. Gatsby is a newly wealthy Midwesterner-turned-Easterner who orders his life around one desire: to be reunited with Daisy Buchanan, the love he lost five years earlier. His quest for the American dream leads him from poverty to wealth, into the arms of his beloved and, eventually, to death.

2. Nick Carraway The story's narrator. Nick rents the small house next to Gatsby's mansion in West Egg and, over the course of events, helps Gatsby reunite with Daisy (who happens to be Nick's cousin). Nick's Midwestern sensibility finds the East an unsettling place, and he becomes disillusioned with how wealthy socialites like the Buchanans lead their lives.

3. Daisy Buchanan Beautiful and mesmerising, Daisy is the apex of sociability. Her privileged upbringing in Louisville has conditioned her to a particular lifestyle, which Tom, her husband, is able to provide her. She enraptured men, especially Gatsby, with her diaphanous nature and sultry voice. She is the object of Gatsby's desire, for good or ill, and represents women of an elite social class.

4. Tom Buchanan Daisy's hulking brute of a husband. Tom comes from an old, wealthy Chicago family and takes pride in his rough ways. He commands attention through his boisterous and outspoken (even racist) behavior. He leads a life of luxury in East Egg, playing polo, riding horses, and driving fast cars. He is proud of his affairs and has had many since his marriage. Myrtle Wilson is merely the woman of the moment for Tom.

5. Jordan Baker Professional golfer of questionable integrity. Friend of Daisy's who, like Daisy, represents women of a particular class. Jordan is the young, single woman of wealth, admired by men wherever she goes. She dates Nick casually, but seems offended when he is the first man not to fall for her charms. Although she is savvy, she comes off as somewhat shallow in her approach to life.

6. Myrtle Wilson Married lover of Tom Buchanan. Myrtle serves as a representative of the lower class. Through her affair with Tom she gains entrée into the world of the elite, and the change in her personality is remarkable. She conducts a secret life with Tom, wherein she exhibits all the power and dominance she finds lacking in her everyday life. She eventually suffers a tragic end at the hands of her lover's wife.

7. George Wilson Myrtle's unassuming husband. He runs a garage and gas station in the valley of ashes and seems trapped by his position in life. Eventually, he finds out about his wife's double life and his response to it helps drive her to her death. Distraught at what happens, Wilson becomes Fitzgerald's way of expressing the despair prevalent in the seemingly trapped lower-middle class.

8. Meyer Wolfsheim Gatsby's business associate and link to organised crime. A professional gambler, Wolfshiem is attributed with fixing the 1919 World Series. Wolfshiem helped build Gatsby's fortune, although the wealth came through questionable means.

'Class Conflict' in 'The Great Gatsby' :-

Social class is a critical theme in the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald as it focuses on life during the 1920s in the Roaring Twenties era. The author sets up the novel into distinct social classes – upper class, middle-class and lower class. Throughout the novel The Great Gatsby, the author F. Scott Fitzgerald makes a connection between the setting presented in the novel and the theme of social class to illustrate different viewpoints and attitudes toward life during the Roaring Twenties.

East Egg (upper class)	West Egg (Lower Class of Newly rich people)
Tom Buchanan	Jay Gatsby
Daisy Buchanan	George
Jordan	Myrtle Wilson

The Great Gatsby's characters represent the wealthiest members of 1920s New York society. Despite their money, however, they are not portrayed as particularly aspirational. Instead, the rich characters' negative qualities are put on display: wastefulness, hedonism, and carelessness,the novel also suggests that wealth is not equivalent to social class. Tom Buchanan comes from the old money elite, while Jay Gatsby is a self-made millionaire. Gatsby, self-conscious about his "new money" social status, throws unbelievably lavish parties in hopes of catching Daisy Buchanan's attention. However, at the novel's conclusion, Daisy chooses to stay with Tom despite the fact that she genuinely loves Gatsby; her reasoning is that she could not bear to lose the social status that her marriage to Tom affords her. With this conclusion, Fitzgerald suggests that wealth alone does not guarantee entrance into the upper echelons of elite society.

Through the characters Fitzgerald describes the class Conflict. In this novel there is two places East Egg and West Egg in which the people were leaving as per their class.Firstly, East Egg is known as the place where all the wealthy people such as Tom and Daisy Buchanan and Jordan have inherited their money from generations before as it is known as ‘old money.’ They live luxurious lifestyles and look down upon anyone who is of West Egg, also known as new money, and have a different attitude toward life in this time period. 

The people of West Egg, also known as ‘new money’ were born into the middle-class or a poor family and worked their way up to being wealthy by working hard to achieve the American Dream.  

The author mentions the area between the East Egg and the West Egg known as ‘The Valley of Ashes.’ This area is described as a “desolate area of land” which represents the lower class and the people left behind in the pursuit of the American Dream. Nick describes this area as “a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens; where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke… with a transcendent effort, of ash-grey men, who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air”. This portrays the hopelessness of the setting as the author depicts the lower class during this time period of the Roaring Twenties and their daily struggle to simply get by. In addition, George and Myrtle Wilson are among the people who live in The Valley of Ashes and they are clearly looked down upon by the upper class – specifically Tom. When Tom visits Wilson’s garage, he is disrespectful to Wilson because he feels superior to him because of his social status and therefore mistreats him to make himself feel powerful. To add to the point, Wilson’s garage is symbolic of the isolation of the people who lived in this area as well as the selfishness of the upper class. While their isolation is a product of the East Egg, Tom makes no effort to be kind and generous to them as he continues to look down upon the lower class because of their social status. Therefore, Fitzgerald’s connection between the Valley of Ashes and social class further illustrates the attitudes toward life during this time period.

At the end of the novel, all the characters who are innocent,who doesn't commit any kind of illegal things but than also they are killed. Tom have a extramarital affair with myrtle and Daisy is also loves Gatsby but because of the social structure she married with Tom,a wealthy man. At the end of the novel, myrtle is killed by Daisy but she saved with the use of money and Jay is blemmed as a murdered and then as a result George kills Jay and this is how all the lower class's characters are killed and Tom ,Daisy both are criminal but they release innocently. 

Conclusion :-

To conclude, the author makes various connections between the central idea of social class in the novel and the various settings discussed. Fitzgerald illustrated the different behaviours and attitudes from the different social classes presented in the novel – East Egg, West Egg and The Valley of Ashes to describe how people were seen in the Roaring Twenties based on their social class.

Work Cited :-

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"Social Class in Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby." UKEssays. ukessays.com, November 2018. Web. 19 March2023.<https://www.ukessays.com/essays/literature/social-class-in-the-great-gatsby.php?vref=1.

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby: Readers Edition. United Kingdom, Wildside Press LLC, 2021.

Britannica, The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia. "The Great Gatsby". Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 Mar. 2023, https://www.britannica.com/facts/The-Great-Gatsby. Accessed 19 March 2023.

Doe, John. "Online Citation Generator". Pen and the Pad, 15 Oct. 2023, https://penandthepad.com.

Word Count :- 1893

Orlando by Virginia Woolf

 Hello everyone, I'm a student of the Department of English,M.K.B.U. This blog is a part of a thinking activity assigned by Megha Ma'am. In this blog I'm going to give answers to several questions which are given by Megha Ma'am.

Key Facts about Orlando :-

Full Title: Orlando: A Biography

When Written: 1927-1928

Where Written: London, England

When Published: 1928

Literary Period: Modernism

Genre: Historical Fiction; Experimental Biography

Setting: London and Constantinople, spanning from the 16th to the 20th century

Climax: October 11, 1928, when Orlando wakes at 10:00 a.m. to “the present moment.”

Antagonist: Society

Point of View: Third-person omniscient

About the Writer :-

Adeline Virginia Woolf (25 January 1882 – 28 March 1941) was an English writer, considered one of the most important modernist 20th-century authors and a pioneer in the use of stream of consciousness as a narrative device.

Her novels, through their nonlinear approaches to narrative, exerted a major influence on the genre. 

While she is best known for her novels, especially Mrs. Dalloway (1925) and To the Lighthouse (1927), Woolf also wrote pioneering essays on artistic theory, literary history, women’s writing, and the politics of power. A fine stylist, she experimented with several forms of biographical writing, composed painterly short fictions, and sent to her friends and family a lifetime of brilliant letters.

Notable works :-

• Mrs Dalloway (1925)

• To the Lighthouse (1927)

• Orlando (1928)

• A Room of One's Own (1929)

• The Waves (1931)

About Orlando :-

"Orlando" is a novel by Virginia Woolf, first published in 1928. The book follows the story of a young nobleman, Orlando, who lives in Elizabethan England and ages very slowly, experiencing both male and female genders throughout their life.

The novel is divided into several sections, each of which covers a different period in Orlando's life. The book is notable for its unconventional approach to gender and sexuality, as well as its exploration of the nature of time and historical change.

Woolf was inspired to write "Orlando" by her friend and lover, Vita Sackville-West, who served as the model for the novel's protagonist. Sackville-West was a celebrated writer and gardener, and the novel incorporates many elements of her life into its pages.

"Orlando" is considered a landmark work of modernist literature, and it has been praised for its innovative narrative structure, its wit and humour, and its subversion of traditional gender roles. The book has been adapted into several stage productions and films, and it remains a popular and influential work in the canon of English literature.

Questions based on Orlando :-

1). How far do you feel that Orlando is influenced by Vita and Virginia's love affair? Does it talk only about that or do you find anything else too?

"Orlando" is undoubtedly influenced by Virginia Woolf's relationship with Vita Sackville-West. The novel's main character, Orlando, is modeled after Sackville-West, and many of the book's themes and ideas are rooted in Woolf's experiences with her lover.

However, "Orlando" is not simply a retelling of Woolf and Sackville-West's relationship. The book is a complex exploration of gender and identity, and it delves into themes of history, literature, and the nature of time.

Through Orlando's transformation from a young man to a woman, Woolf explores the ways in which gender and identity are constructed and performed, and how they change over time. The novel also questions the stability of historical narratives and conventions, as Orlando's long lifespan allows her to witness and participate in many historical events and cultural shifts.

Overall, while Woolf's relationship with Sackville-West certainly influenced "Orlando," the novel is a multi-layered work that explores many themes and ideas beyond their love affair.

2). Who do you think is confused about their identity Vita or Virginia? Explain with illustrations.

It is not appropriate to diagnose or make assumptions about an individual's identity or personal experiences based on their work or public persona. Both Vita Sackville-West and Virginia Woolf were complex individuals with their own unique identities, and their personal lives and relationships were undoubtedly influenced by many factors beyond their sexual orientation or gender identity.

That being said, both Sackville-West and Woolf were openly bisexual and had relationships with both men and women. In "Orlando," Woolf explores the fluidity of gender and identity, suggesting that these categories are not fixed or stable, but rather constantly evolving and subject to change over time.

It is important to remember that sexuality and gender identity are complex and multifaceted, and cannot be reduced to a simple binary of "confusion" or "clarity." Both Sackville-West and Woolf were pioneers in exploring the nuances of sexuality and gender in their work, and their contributions to queer literature and culture continue to be celebrated and studied today.

3). What is society's thought about women and identity? Do you agree with them? If Yes then why? If not then why?

Gender enters into all our social relations. When people interact, their view of themselves, including their identity and their rights and possibilities, comes up against the way they are perceived by other people, and the way that others behave towards them.

However, it often appears that gender in its truest sense is absent from our social relations, because the way in which most people perceive gender tends to be internalised so deeply that it appears ‘normal’ and natural.

Gender identity is defined as a personal conception of oneself as male, female, both, or neither. This conception is intimately related to a perceived gender role; this is defined as a presentation (typically within an external context) that reflects a given gender identity. A gender role is usually determined by a culture or community, and may have rigid or loose definitions depending on the approach by the community for rules placed upon any gender categories. 

4). What are your views on Gender Identity? Would you like to give any message to society?

Gender roles in society means how we’re expected to act, speak, dress, groom, and conduct ourselves based upon our assigned sex. For example, girls and women are generally expected to dress in typically feminine ways and be polite, accommodating, and nurturing. Men are generally expected to be strong, aggressive, and bold.

Every society, ethnic group, and culture has gender role expectations, but they can be very different from group to group. They can also change in the same society over time. For example, pink used to be considered a masculine colour in the U.S. while blue was considered feminine. Our views towards people , especially for different genders are wrong because what we have to do is our personal choice and we should not interfere anyone in that matter . 

5). Write a note on the direction of the movie. Which symbols and space caught your attention while watching the movie?

“Vita and Virginia” is a captivating biographical drama by a British director, Chanya Button. This film portrays the intricate relationship between two literary icons of the twentieth century, Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West, played by Elizabeth Debicki and Gemma Arterton.

“Vita & Virginia” wastes the talents of four people—its two subjects and the two women that play them. It is a deeply frustrating movie, a film that not only can’t find the right tone from scene to scene but feels disjointed in individual moments too. It is a bit of a chamber piece, a bit of a romance, a bit of a commentary on creativity, a bit of social commentary, even a bit of magical realism. At a certain point, I started to wonder if the disjointed nature of “Vita & Virginia” was designed purposefully to replicate the structure and themes of Woolf’s Orlando. 

What I have particularly enjoyed about this film is its meticulous attention to detail. In spite of the low budget, the amount of work done to depict the ambience of bohemian London in the 1920s is positively impressive. Authentic period costumes, picturesque sets, and the splendour of interiors, let alone the delicate shots of Vita’s typed passages and Virginia’s elegant handwriting, immerse the viewers into the literary universe of a different era.

6). "Vita and Virginia" had to be made into a Bollywood Adaptation. Who do you think would be fit for the role of Vita and Virginia?

For playing the role of Vita and Virginia these qualities are important which Vita and Virginia have. The qualities are like these.,

To portray Vita Sackville-West, an actor would need to be able to capture her wit, charm, and strong personality. Sackville-West was known for her unconventional style and her love of gardening and the outdoors, so an actor with a natural and earthy presence might be a good fit for the role.

To portray Virginia Woolf, an actor would need to capture her intellectual curiosity, sensitivity, and vulnerability. Woolf was a gifted writer and thinker, and her struggles with mental illness and personal relationships were a significant part of her life story. An actor who can convey these complex emotions with subtlety and depth would be well-suited to the role.

According to me, Shraddha Kapoor for Vita Sackville-West and Karisma Kapoor for Virginia Woolf, both actresses can be suit for the roles of Vita and Virginia.

6). Write your views on the movie Orlando What differences and similarities have you noticed in the movie Vita and Virginia and Orlando?

In the book, Orlando's sexual adventures begin (most explicitly) in the 18th century, when she begins cross-dressing, becomes friends with the prostitute Nell, and "enjoyed the love of both sexes equally". In the film, Orlando appears to be celibate until the 19th century, when s/he meets Shelmerdine in the sequence headlined "SEX." 

The film emphasizes the bad quality of Orlandos writing far more than the book does, particularly in the scene in which Nick Greene quotes some of it before writing his poem satirizing Orlando. The book emphasizes Orlandos love of literature and compulsion to write and rewards her with a prize for her poem 'The Oak Tree'.

The most striking difference between the book and the film is the ending. In the book, Orlando marries Shelmerdine, has a son, and gets her estate back. In the final scene, Orlando cries out Shelmerdines name and he returns heroically in an aeroplane, drawn by her pearls burning "like a phosphorescent flare in the darkness" . In the film, Orlando does not marry Shelmerdine, loses the estate, has a daughter , and ends the movie back at the oak tree with her small daughter videotaping her and, in the sky above, an androgynous angel singing "I am coming . . . at last I am free."

The End ..

Word Count :- 1759

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