Update on Anna Karenina

Sorry I haven't been able to post much lately! Work and school have been crazy the past few weeks. So far I've read about 50 pages and Tolstoy's book is truly amazing. Wish I had more time to finish it as I usually read long books within a few days. Working on getting A's in my classes right now so as soon as finals are done I will power through that book and give my analysis, praise, and criticism for the novel. In the meantime I will wait to see the movie and I will also try to Ace my finals haha. Wish me luck! And let me know if you've read this book before!
~LitGirl

Post 4: Upcoming Novel Review

"All happy families resemble one another, each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way" ~First sentence of Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy.

As soon as I saw the movie trailer for Anna Karenina it inspired me to buy the book.  The movie looks like it's been done really well and has one of my favorite actresses, Keira Knightly, playing the lead role.  I prefer to read a book before seeing the movie, so I've decided to challenge myself to read this massive novel before I see the movie. I'm going to attempt to read it within 2 weeks while still having to go to school, work, and maintain some form of a social life. Wish me luck!
I will post updates as I read with my opinion as I get lost in the book.  Leo Tolstoy is an amazing writer and I look forward to reading the 963 page story.

Check back soon to see what I think of the book, in the meantime, leave a comment and let me know if you've read the book or are looking forward to seeing the movie!

~LitGirl

Post 3: Comparison of Austen and Bronte's literature

Comparison of some of Jane Austen's and Charlotte Bronte's works.

This is something I wrote a year ago on a few of my favorite books simply comparing them.  It doesn't go too in depth on the writing style, rather it analyzes the story, authors, and time period more.

            Breaking free from norms of a neoclassic past, Pride and Prejudice breaks into new grounds of literature where love triumphs over caste systems.  Pride and Prejudice set the bar for authors to come like Charlotte Bronte, who also was a romantic and admired Wordsworth, a prominent romantic author.  It is easy to draw parallels between Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice.  The two authors clearly valued emotion over reason advocating for social change regarding social classes of their time and became revered writers to this day.  Charlotte Bronte followed Austen’s model when Jane Eyre fell for the brooding and passionate Mr. Rochester alike Elizabeth falling for her Mr. Darcy similar to Rochester who was also very brooding and passionate.  Jane Austen’s work strayed from political and religious focus, making her books memorable and adored by the world, however Bronte’s Jane Eyre deviated from politics as well but kept a firm grasp of religion and added in the romance and suspense.   

In the 19^th century, it was unusual for a woman to write novels that were published; consequently many female authors used pen names.  Charlotte Bronte used a masculine pseudonym to conceal her real identity from the publishers, whereas Jane Austen never truly stated her name yet would say “a Lady” in place of her name or “the author of Pride and Prejudice” showing humility by not boasting her name, and courage to admit to the publisher that she was a woman.  Jane Austen was not afraid to write on different topics rather than what was more commonly written about at that time, she observed society around her and wrote on situations of rank, family, and the need to marry.  Her courageous spirit is demonstrated through the character of her heroines in her books; Elizabeth, back talking to higher rank, willing to speak her mind, and not settle with the first man to get down on one knee; and Emma, willing to be free of marrying to stay by her father’s side and willing to match make against her future lover’s forewarnings.  Her characters embody real personality.

            Romantic authors and authoresses took time to develop characters, and as a result, their audience can’t help but to fall in love with the characters (or hate the character).  Jane Austen took care not only to develop main characters but also smaller roles like that of Mr. Collins.  The reader picks up easily on his annoying person and can readily make an image of him in their heads.  Additionally Austen managed to create the arrogant Miss Bingley, phony Mr. Wickham, and kind Jane Bennett. 

            Upon further analyzing the romantic style of writing, Austen clearly broke from rules of the past to create a romantic setting when Elizabeth turns down two suitors she did not love breaking free from the woman’s need to marry well as her mother wanted.  Elizabeth also is not afraid to stand up to higher ranks of wealth and authority such as when she talks back to Lady Catherine.  Not only is this demonstrated in Pride and Prejudice but as well as in the novel Emma with Emma’s wit and imaginative character.  Emma disregards the advice of others at times like the warning of her beloved Mr. Knightly to stop her matchmaking schemes.  However, Austen repeatedly reminds the reader of the time period with character’s views being somewhat neoclassical.  Mr. Elton refuses to marry Emma’s dear friend stating she is too low for him; another instance is when Emma denies socializing with those of lower status as it is not proper.  Jane Eyre follows the Romantic spirit as well when Jane marries Mr. Rochester, when she turns down Mr. St. John, and when she speaks out against her aunt.   Elizabeth, Emma, and Jane are all independent thinkers and intelligent, however are completely oblivious to their hearts feelings until they almost lose their loved one, some way or another.

            Reasons as to why we all love these romantic novels so much, is because it appeals to the heart with sincere love which many stories today lack.  The writing makes the reader truly feel for the characters and their situations, enough so, that after reading one believes they are in that time period until their phone begins to ring calling them back to reality.  In Jane Eyre, little Jane is an orphan searching for family and purpose.  The audience can truly feel for the poor child the first quarter of the book through all her hardships, after the sorrow expressed by Bronte the reader finds hope for Jane once she is at Mr. Rochester’s mansion in charge of an adorable little girl.  In the third quarter of the book, where she leaves Rochester’s arms, the reader is thrust again into anguishing for poor Jane, however as the book comes to a close the ending is bitter sweet and we can cry and smile for Jane and Rochester’s end.  In Emma, Austen develops the story around the heroine Emma whom Austen thought, “no one but myself will much like.” Emma turns out to be adored by many however, despite her strong headedness and self deluded spirit.  Emma lives an easy life with her father however the tale takes an interesting twist as soon as we discover more characters, more of Emma’s crazy match making dreams, and as we become attached to her own feelings.  Finally, Pride and Prejudice is centered around the Bennet family with the fanatical mother and caring father.  Pride and Prejudice would not be quite the loved story it is without the crazy family, thankfully Austen elaborates on their qualities and involves the family in nearly every chapter from their urgings to marry.  From the mishaps of unwise choices resulting in “patched up marriages,” to embarrassing scenes of improper manners in balls, Elizabeth must deal with all her family’s un-functional dysfunctions as well as her prejudices against Mr. Darcy and her own pride in order for the audience to find her true love of Mr. Darcy.  

            In Pride and Prejudice Elizabeth’s two youngest sisters, especially Lydia, symbolize the common girl of the time back then obsessive with only the thoughts of marrying, consequently ending with flirting with any testosterone that walks by.  Mrs. Bennet demonstrates her constant worry for the welfare of her children wanting them to marry as in that time period was necessary for a child to marry off well. Jane is complacent and finds nice things in everyone which allows her to be happy in any situation with a man, luckily she happens upon Mr. Bingley whom she truly loves.  Elizabeth is intelligent and witty however is prejudiced and even proud in many instances, she represents the romantic spirit in the book.  Mr. Bennet is the supportive loving father which ties in the whole family. Mary simply is worried with becoming accomplished and is most likely ashamed of half her family’s embarrassing faults despite the fact she herself has caused shame in the family a few times most notably at the Netherfield ball where she plays the piano and sings awfully.

            From hardships the characters face to sheer joy, the audience feels like they are in the story.  It can be easy to forget how lucky we are in our time period today to have freedom to choose whom we want to marry, but when immersed in romantic novels such as Jane Austen’s masterpieces and Charlotte Bronte’s, we are thrown back into how life was and that what we often times take for granted, was fought for back in the 19^th century.  We can all learn valuable lessons from books of this genre, appreciate what we have, don’t have too much pride and don’t pre-judge others, do not try to predict other’s lives by matchmaking to an extreme, and don’t go against your heart as Jane Austen made plain to read in Northanger Abbey, “the worst crimes are the crimes of the heart.”

Post 2: Some Favorite Quotes of Mine

I just wanted to share a few of my favorite quotes, or quotes that came to mind today.


“The worst crimes are the crimes of the heart” ~Northanger Abbey

“Carpe Diem!”

“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me; I am a free human being with an independent will” ~Jane Eyre

“The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love, and be loved in return” ~Moulin Rouge

“Be the change you wish to see in the world” ~Mahatma Ghandi

“Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there” ~Will Rogers

“I failed my way to success” ~Thomas Edison

“Ce’st la Vie”

“You may delay, but time will not” ~Benjamin Franklin

“May the force be with you” ~Star Wars

Let me know what your favorite quotes are by commenting! Thanks!


~LitGirl

Post 1: A Comparison of Poetry

This blog will be dedicated to English Literature.  It is a book club of sorts, a book club of the digital era, as well as a journal of my thoughts as I critique books and poetry that I read.

Today I will simply post a comparison paper that I had written in my Romantic-Modern Literature course.  The paper compares Wordsworth’s “The world is too much with us” and Hopkins’ “God’s Grandeur.” I have attached the two poems at the bottom for reference.

When reading Wordsworth’s “the world is too much with us,” and Hopkins’ “God’s grandeur,” one can’t but help feel their Victorian poems’ striking similarities and manage to find some differences in their style as well. Using sensory imagery, rhyme, and other poetic devices the poets convey their sonnets’ messages of longing for nature among other things in a changing world.

In “The world is too much with us” and in “God’s Grandeur” we find the same rhyme scheme of “A-B-B-A.” Both poems are also sonnets in which the first 8 lines, or the octet, demonstrates the exposition in which they introduce their thoughts and describe the setting; the last 6 lines, or the sextet, embodies the meaning or their commentary of their poem. However the reader notes that in Wordsworth’s poem there is no use of repetition, little alliteration, and use of allusion to Greek mythology. His allusion to Greek mythology keys the reader into the meaning of the poem and significance. Wordsworth also uses random capitalization to stress certain words such as “nature” (line 3) and “sea” (line 5). In “God’s Grandeur” we are subject to alliteration, repetition, and enjambment, as well as rhetorical question. The use of repetition adds to the flow of the poem, which is iambic pentameter alike Wordsworth’s poem, as well as drawing the reader’s attention to what is repeated such as, “have trod, have trod, have trod” (line 5), which stresses his feelings toward how humanity has treated nature in his changing industrial world. Enjambment also has the same effect and purpose as the alliteration and repetition. The utilization of the rhetorical question adds to this and makes his audience a participative listener or reader by making them think on the matter in more depth and also by highlighting the poems purpose. Overall both poems are iambic pentameter sonnets that use some same poetic devices and structure, yet each adds their own style with some differing literary techniques.

Imagery is very powerful in literature, and these two poems are certainly no exception.  Both poems use beautiful words and pleasant visual imagery and descriptive words such as in Wordsworth’s poem “pleasant” (line 11), “sleeping flowers” (line 7), and “wreathed horn” (line 14), as well as in Hopkins’ poem, “dearest freshness” (line 10), and “bright wings” (line 14). The beautiful imagery in both poems describe the nature and peace. Both poems also use darker and more harsh imagery however. In “The world is too much with us,” we see words such as “sordid boon” (line 4), “forlorn” (line 12), and “getting and spending” (line 2). Hopkins’ poem also does this by using words such as “trod” (line 5), “and all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil” (line 6), and “man’s smell” (line 7). The harsh and unpleasant imagery used shows the distaste both poets feel towards mankind’s alterations on natures’ beauty.

The overall meaning in both poems are similar yet vary slightly. Both long for nature and show the aesthetics of nature and a distaste for the change, which echo the message of the romantic era of poetry, yet Wordsworth’s poem calls out to God in line 9 or a higher power, then alludes to Greek Mythology in yearning to be a “Pagan” that worships the gods that each represent nature as “Proteus” from the”Sea” . Wordsworth also says that humanity is “out of tune” (line 8 ) and that “we have given our hearts away” (line 4) and don’t appreciate the surrounding nature. His poem in tone, seems to be a cry to a higher power, and almost seems as though there is no hope for what humanity does to nature. However in “God’s Grandeur” Hopkins seems to say that there is hope and that “nature is never spent” (line 9). He believes that Gods’ power is still strong and nature cant be bent. In the end, both poems communicate their message through their styles, imagery, and meaning. this longing for nature epitomizes the theme of the poem and culminates their feelings.

The world is too much with us

by Wordsworth

The world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers;
Little we see in Nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!
This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon;
the winds that will be howling at all hours,
And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers,
For this, for everything, we are out of tune;
It moves us not. - - Great God! I'd rather be
a Pagan suckled in a creed outworn;
So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,
Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;
Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;
Or hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn.
God’s Grandeur

By Hopkins

The world is charged with the grandeur of God.
    It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;
    It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil
Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?
Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;
    And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil;
    And wears man’s smudge and shares man’s smell: the soil
Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.
And for all this, nature is never spent;
    There lives the dearest freshness deep down things;
And though the last lights off the black West went
    Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs —
Because the Holy Ghost over the bent
    World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.


Next post I will share my thoughts on the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.  I promise it will not be from a paper I’ve written for a class.

Thanks for reading through this and let me know what you think! Share this if you found it interesting please! Thank you!

~ LitGirl

P.S. I tried to keep the essay short for two reasons: 1) time constraints (this was a timed essay done in class) and 2) I could write forever about these two poems as there is so much to say about them!