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Literature of Mid-Centuary American Fiction:Philosophical Concepts -…
Literature of Mid-Centuary American Fiction:Philosophical Concepts
Concept: Seduction
:red_flag: The concept of seduction is an idea that was primarily seen in
Lolita
. The philosophical concept of seduction are the ways in which one persuades another to do their bidding through the use of charm and sexaul feeling.
Seduction:
Lolita
:<3: Lolita uses seduction on two levels: The first being the ways in which Humbert tries to seduce Dolores and the second being the ways in which the author tries to seduce the audience. Throughout the novel H.H. seduces Dolores through the use of his words, just like Nabokov does with the reader. Nabokov uses beautiful wording and an advanced writing ability to seduce the reader into thinking that Humbert’s actions can be morally justified. For example a segment from the opening of the novel highlights Nabokov’s attempt to seduce the reader: “the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth” (Nabokov, 11) Nabokov takes the tropes of a romance novel: “A seduction novel presents the story of a virtuous, but helpless woman who is seduced by a man that will eventually betray her” and twist them until they are warped into something else entirely.
Concept: Solipsism
:warning: Solipsism is a philosophical concept that only one's mind is sure to exist. That everything that exists outside of one's mind cannot be known for certain and that external minds may not exist at all. This concept has been highlighted in a multitude of works throuought our semester.
Solipsism:
Seize the Day
:question: This concept is highlited in
Seize the Day
by the novel's protagonist Tommy Wilhelm. Tommy is someone who cannot think outside himself. He is a character that has been trapped within his own delusions and fails to see that he keeps on making the same mistakes. Tommy is incapable of placing blame upon himself and constantly speaks as if others are the cause of his misery, his wife, his father, Dr. Tamkin, they are all the problems in the mind of Tommy. Tommy is portrayed as a man who is drowning, drawing in his own failures and his own mind.
Saul bellow
:silhouette: Born in 1915, Bellow said he drew from his own life and experiences when writing.
Solipsism:
The Crying of Lot 49
:fire: In this novel, the character of Oedipa can be seen as someone who is solipsistic but wants to stop this way of thinking. Oedipa is in constant pursuit of the unknown. Through her journey hat she comes to understand that she is a part of this world too even though she had never realized. Yet, her realization is one of sadness, the fact the she is never able to obtain the knowledge she seeks depresses her. Unlike Tommy, Oedipa is aware of her faults and she does try to better herself, but in the end the endless knowledge of the unknown is too much for her to bear.
Thomas Pynchon :silhouette:
Born in 1937, Pynchon has a multitude of works that deal with the concept of solipsism. His most popular novel
Gravity's Rainbow
also deals with solipsism and other themes that were found in
The Crying of Lot 49
.
Pynchon studied under Vladmir Nabokov and lot of his work has been done in response to Nabokov's teaching and writing style.
Concept: Gender :silhouettes:
Gender played an important role in many of the novels we have read throughout the semester and is a topic that is still very relevant today. The concept of gender in literature was not as common in mid-century America but certain novels we read were some of the first to dive deep into the subject. Gender in literature is often explored through the differences between men and women but authors during this era began to dive deeper, analyzing how individuals define themselves and how they are judged by others on the basis of their gender.
Gender:
The Left Hand of Darkness
:black_flag: One of the most important themes found within this novel is the one of gender. On Gethen, the natives of the planet are neither male nor female while also being both. This aspect of biology is the foundation of their civilization, as gender plays a role in their politics, social habits, and morality. The novel then places its protagonist, Genly Ai, (someone unaware of these gender roles) into the middle of everything and asks the reader if they see a change in him after the events of the novel. We see how over time, Genly begins to open up to the differing viewpoints of the Gethonians and learns to accept and understand the differences between peoples. Just like the protagonist, Le Guinn asks the reader to reconsider the lens through which they view gender, and asks the important question: just how dependant is our society on the arbitrary rules of gender?
Ursula K. Le Guinn
: :silhouette: Born in 1929, Ursula Le Guinn was one of the first authors to analyze the roles of gender in a science-fiction novel and
The Left Hand of Darkness
was among the first books in the genre known as feminist science fiction.
In Novel's that followed, Le Guinn began experementing with alternate wordings instead of only using "him". In a short story set on Winter she only uses the pronoun "she" to create balance.
“I eliminated gender, to find out what was left. Whatever was left would be, presumably, simply human. It would define the area that is shared by both men and women alike”
Gender:
Lolita
:<3: Lolita explores gender through the use of gender power dynamics and sexuality.
Lolita
is told through the voice of the narrator Humbert Humbert, who is defined by his need to control and manipulate young women. Humbert must posses that what he wants, and he must succeed at all costs. For Humbert women are objects to be controlled and fought for possession of by men. While Le Guinn’s goal was to highlight the positive aspects of gender and to showcase an ideal scenario where gender is not the ultimate deciding factor, Nabokov highlights and focuses on an individual with a warped sense of gender roles. Nabokov displays the ways in which this individual causes harm to those around him. Dolores is never seen as human in Lolita, she is seen as woman, which in turn means Humbert views her as an object of his possession, a pawn that can be manipulated and controlled.
Vladamir Nabokov
: :silhouette: Born in 1899, Nabokov wrote and published a multitude of works ranging from novels to poetry before dying in July of 1977. As most would, Nabokov was hesitant to publish
Lolita
because of the controversial topics within. He feared that his intended message would be lost not only because of his own gender but because he was afraid that people would not understand that the novel was high literary art and not “soft pornographic material”. Interestingly, it was his wife Vera, a woman, who pushed him to complete and publish the novel. Vera understood that the novel’s intention was not to depict women in a negative manner but to highlight the disturbing nature of men who use gender roles to prey upon the helpless.
Nabokov was also very interested in the study of butterflies. "Literature and butterflies are the two greatest passions known to man"
Concept: Music Through Language
:pen: The concept of illustrating music through writing is one that was seen a multitude of times throughout the semester. Music is not different than any other aspect of reality when it comes to showcasing it through writing. There are a multitude of different ways to describe the different aspects of music, but the challenge comes with making the reader feel the same emotions they would be feeling when actually listening to music. For example, everyone can
hear
a crescendo but they wouldn’t know what to
feel
when reading the word in a novel. Certain texts we have read in this semester do an excellent job of translating the feeling of jazz music on to paper. These texts don’t just only translate the feeling, they translate the history and emotions of the artform as well.
Music Through Language:
Invisible Man
:explode: Music plays a large role in story of
Invisible Man
. Ellison’s Narrator controls the narrative and showcases the complex histories of jazz music and how it is tied to the struggle of African Americans, by mimicking the complex harmonies, abrupt rhythms, and improvisations of jazz music. The narrator feels confined, controlled, and forgotten by society because of his racial profile. He feels alone in the world and invisible because his actions result in no real meaning and have been smothered by society. Ellison illustrates this concept by likening the narrator sentiments with the Harlem Renaissance. For years, black culture was smothered in the very same manner that Ellison’s narrator was, but this all came to an end after the explosion of African American art and culture during the Harlem renaissance where jazz music had come to the forefront. Ellison’s narrator seeks the same sort of “revival”, so Ellison illustrates the concept by showcasing the music through his writing technique.
Ralph Ellison
:silhouette: Born in 1914, Ellison has stated that Jazz music has had a great impact on his life. Ellison has cited Louis Armstrong has one of his favourite artists and his greatest inspiration.
Music Through Language:
Mumbo Jumbo
:confetti_ball: In Mumbo Jumbo, Reed tells the tale of an epidemic that surrounds black culture: “Jes Grew”. The epidemic is concerned with aspects of black culture such as song, dance, and other elements. This plague is rapidly spreading through America due to “Jes Grew carriers”. Like Invisible Man, Reed is concerned with celebrating the overlooked aspects of African American culture and uses music (jazz more specifically) as a metaphor for the growing popularity of black art. Like Ellison, Reed uses writing technique that copies the rhythmic flows of Jazz melodies to illustrate the connection between the celebration of black culture and feeling of belonging and acceptance.
Ishmael Reed
:silhouette: Born in 1938, Reed has also stated that Jazz music has had a great influence on both him and his work. Reed has even said that Jazz impacted the way that he writes: "My novels and poems are meant to be read aloud. That’s why jazz musicians have been able to adapt my stuff"
Concept: Dehumanization
:forbidden: The philosophical concept of dehumanization is the idea that one is denied the right to humness accompanied by cruelness and harmful intent. Or simply viewing another has something less than human.
Dehumanization:
Lolita
:<3: In
Lolita
we see how Humbert no longer considers her as a human. In his mind Lolita is simply an object that belongs to him. Nabokov strips away Dolores' humanity on purpose in order to showcase the horrors of Humbert's actions. There are many examples of how Humbert takes away the humanity of Dolores, for instance, he gives her the name 'Lolita'. This signifies how Humbert only sees her as an object. There have been other "Lolitas" before, and if nothing is done to stop Humbert, there will be again.
Dehumanization:
Invsible Man
:explode: This novel provides us with another example of the concept of dehumanization. the narrator in this novel feels as if he is invisble and no longer human. The term "dehmanization" perfectly sums up the treatment of African Americans during the time the novel is set.
Philosophical Concepts:
This mind map will highlight the major philosophical concepts Throughout the term. The purpose of this map is to showcase and define the important concepts seen throughout the semester and highlight the connections between these philosophical concepts and the novels we have read. By doing this, the map will help distinguish the prevalent themes and symbols that are found across all the novels and help put them into perspective. The mind-map will also showcase connections between novels that may be more obscure.
