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(2013
midterm assignment) Index to Sample Student Midterm answers 2013 #1: Long Essay |
LITR 4232 |
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Amanda Duarte
Part 1:
Long Essay
The Romantic Umbrella
When I first came into the course I didn’t know what to expect. I did, however,
have a slight idea of what the class was about thanks to the course name “The
American Renaissance.” I assumed that we would analyze the required texts and
write formal, analytical essays. After a couple of class sessions I began to
understand that in addition to analyzing the texts, an important part in the
study of literature is to know terms such as gothic, color code, sublime,
romanticism, romance, romantic, transcendentalism, symbols, and the list goes
on. Knowing such terms makes the text much easier to follow, and to make
connections or arguments with other ideas, beliefs, and views.
A trouble area that I came across was with terms that did not seem to fit in
with one another like gothic in romantic terminology. For example, the reader
often feels a sense of romance when reading the more gothic novel, “Ligeia.”
Even throughout the years of studying literature, I never stopped and thought
about how a gothic work could also be romantic. We have related modern,
“popular” literature to these terms and ideas that clarified how often this type
of mix (gothic romance) occurs. One example is Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight saga.
In the series there are countless instances of gothic elements yet the spark
between Bella, a human, and Edward, a vampire, is extremely romantic. Poe’s
description of Ligeia is also quite romantic although the work itself is gothic.
There are several instances throughout the text that give off this romantic,
gothic feel. For instance Poe sees the beauty in Ligeia that no one else does.
These instances can clearly be found in the third, fourth, and eighth paragraph
of “Ligeia.” Poe uses gothic phrases to describe her like that she has marble
like hands, a pale forehead, and ivory skin. Then he says romantic things like
“in beauty of face no other maiden ever equalled her,” and “here was indeed the
triumph of all things heavenly” (pp 3). After reading “Ligeia” with Dr. White’s
notes and class discussion, I was able to recognize that gothic elements can be
used in romantic terms.
To give you another example of how gothic and romance intertwine, in James
Fennimore Cooper’s historical fiction “The Last of the Mohicans,” Cooper uses
the gothic color code (red, black, and white) in the character’s skin color.
Where white means purity and red and black are impure. For example, Hawkeye’s
color is white, which is associated with honor; Alice’s color is also white but
associated with her fair skin and the damsel in distress innocence. Magua’s
color is red, which makes sense because in the novel he has been corrupted by
civilization/alcohol. Then there is Cora, who is a mixed race. Her color is most
symbolically significant because in that time period, mixed races were frowned
upon. I think that part of the reason why his novel has lived this long is
because Cooper tiptoes around the whole interracial marriage issue by not
directly saying that it is acceptable but leads the readers to want Cora and
Uncas’ relationship to work out. That is, he denies interracial marriage but it
is actually happening. In the case of “The Last of the Mohicans,” color code is
a symbolic system that aligns distinct colors with various identities or values
(Dr. White’s lecture). The symbolic (gothic) color code in The Last of the
Mohicans is a great example of how the terms in this course intertwine.
I have always been fascinated with Edgar Allan Poe’s work; and as I had never
paid attention to how other literary terms fit in with romanticism, I had never
paid attention to how much Poe incorporates a lot of the elements of romanticism
in his poem “Sonnet—To Science.” He uses gothic terms such as peering eyes,
preyest, and vulture which help set up a gothic tone. The mythical allusions he
uses are there to show that science takes away the enchantment of the world.
This can especially be seen on line 9 “Hast thou not dragged Diana from her
car.” And those are to only name a couple of examples of the many romantic terms
used in this poem.
Another one of Poe’s poems that shows such a vast number of terms is “Romance.”
In “Romance,” there are aspects of the sublime in a gothic sense when he
mentions the storm in the second stanza. The way he uses light and dark, as well
as heaven makes this gothic and sublime:
[2.1]
Succeeding years, too wild for song,
[2.2]
Then rolled like tropic storms along,
[2.3]
Where, though the garish lights that fly
[2.4]
Dying
along the troubled sky
[2.5]
Lay bare, through vistas thunder-riven,
[vista = view or prospect]
[2.6]
The blackness of the general Heaven,
[Heaven = sky]
[2.7]
That very blackness yet doth fling
[2.8]
Light
on the lightning's silver wing.
Tropic storms, flying, and heaven are all subliminal; as garish lights, dying,
blackness, and light, are all gothic. Even though there are many other instances
of the gothic elements, I felt that this stanza was best in showing the mix of
the gothic and the sublime.
One thing that Dr. White said in class really opened my eyes to understanding
romanticism, “[it] is like an umbrella that the other terms stand under.”
Had he not given that metaphor, I would have taken a lot longer to realize that
there are so many terms in relation to romanticism. After reading, analyzing,
and discussing Ligea, The Last of the Mohicans, Sonnet—To Science, and Romance,
I can be assured that I fully understand the concept of romanticism and the
terms that follow.
