'Cousin Kate' by Christina Rossetti-Time and sequence

The time and sequence in the poem is quite deliberate in building sympathy for the speaker. If she had started the poem talking about how happy she is with her son then it would have been a lot more difficult to gain the readers sympathy. So the poem starts with the speaker looking back in restrospective at her life before she slept with the lord. The first stanza is filled with regret and wonder as to why it had to be her. This is shown in "why did the great lord find me out and praise my flaxen hair?"-it's as if she's asking a higher power why it had to be her. Why the lord had to pick her out. The fact that the man is just referred to as the lord could have a religious connotation. She could be asking why god chose her to be the one that succumbed to the man and then must bare all the guilt and consequence.

The speaker then shows how low she has sunk in the eyes of sociey etc by dwelling on what happened and how foolish she was. She also shows her bitterness towards cousin Kate. Her unhappiness and regret is shown in "now I moan an unclean thing, who might have been a dove"-She is now dirty in the eyes of everyone around her and she is filled with remorse and bitterness that she could have been this pure, virtuous woman had it not been for the lord.

However at the end of the poem the speaker drops in a twist, she reveals she has gained a son from her experiences and she seems to be sure that everything will be ok as she talks of her son inheriting the lord's lands. So we go on a journey with the speaker. We see he go from high to all time low to another, new different high. One that revolves around her son and the promises he holds for the future. Finally as we are told about her son at the end it's the last thing in our minds having read the poem. So the last message we get from the poem is that something good always comes out of a bad situation. In this case the speaker has become a stronger person and re-gained her pride in the form of her son.

Overall the sequence of the poem is ordered and simple so that there is no confusion. The time and sequence helps build on the morals and themes of the poem as well.

'Cousin Kate' by Christina Rossetti-Setting and a Tiny Bit About Destination

The setting is shown in many lines in the poem 'Cousin Kate'. For example the first line including "cottage maiden" suggests the countryside. As does the mention of "working  among the rye" and the word "lane". These are all things I would associate with rural areas as apposed to urban areas. "Cottage maiden" also is symbollic of vulnerability and low social status ans wealth. So this helps with the understanding of the poem. Also when the speaker mentions the "lord" I imagine a lord of the manor, with a big estate in the country. His land is also refered to later on. The fact that the poem is set in the country could also show why the speakers actions with the lord are considered so scandalous. The society in the country could be a lot more sheltered than that of the city. Plus the atmosphere is set with "hardened by sun and air"-it creates a very romantic feeling of the countryside, however what happens in the poem between the lord and the speaker isn't the least bit romantic.

The setting used in the poem may not be real, but may just be symbolic for creating atmosphere. Also for foreshadowing the destination of the poem in terms of the innocent maiden being taken advantage of by the powerful lord. However the destination of the poem is not as expected. The fallen woman metaphorically gets back on her feet at the end and prevails over the other characters. She doesn't wallow in self pity, she embraces her new life with her son and seems in control. This is not what I expected when I read the beginning or middle of the poem. So the twist at the end makes the destination unpredictable which, I think, adds to the poem as a whole.

Ooh look, I didn't write a lot!!!!

'Cousin Kate' by Christina Rossetti-Voice and Points of View

Voice
The voice throughout the poem is that of the narrator, the woman who has become an "outcast thing" in society due to her brief love affair with the lord without marriage. For the majority of the poem the narrator or speaker is talking to her cousin Kate, who could actually be her cousin or she could be representative of how women should be close (like family/cousins) yet they stab each other in the back often. She is reflecting on everything that has happened to her and adressing Kate directly-"O Lady Kate, my cousin Kate". In the poem the way the speaker talks to Kate it's like she's providing a voice for all these so-called 'fallen women who may have done nothing wrong. Rossetti could have done this intentially as she may have worked with such women, who are also single mothers at St Mary Magdalene's penitentiary in Highgate.
In the last few lines of the poem, the speaker stops talking to Kate and starts addressing her son. "Cling closer, closer yet: Your father would give lands for one to wear his coronet"-So maybe the speaker was just telling a story to her son about society and the injustice of it, but that they will benefit in the end.

Points of View
The main point of view we see in the poem is evidentily that of the speaker, however we also get hints of general society's view. We know that the speaker achknowledges she was tricked by the lord but still seems bitter as she feels she didn't do anything wrong. This is shown in "Shameless shameful life"-she feels she hasn't sinned, but society says she has. We see society's view when it says "The neighbours call you good and pure, call me an outcast thing"-society obviously values marriage very highly and thinks it important in order for a woman to remain "pure". Whereas through the speaker's point of view we see this is unfair, as the same rules don't apply to men.
Also when the speaker says "why did the great lord find me out?" and repeats this it's evident she feels it's the man's fault and that anyone in her situation would have been tricked just as she was. We also see that the speaker thinks it's wrong that Kate married the lord,  and she says she would have "spat in his face". She seems to think that Kate has done more wrong than her as her love for the lord was short-lived and she betrayed the speaker.
The speaker seems to find the most fault in the lord, she repeats over and over again how "he" did this and "he" did that. To perhaps illustrate that he was in the wrong. She was the object and he was the subject.

Finally it is the narrator's point of view that she is still strong at the end of the poem. She is a fallen woman with the means to metaphorically get back on her feet, for example she has a new joy in her son. She shows this by saying "I've a gift you have not got and seem not like to get"-the fact she refers to her son as a gift shows that, in her view she doesn't see her son as proof of her shame etc, she feels she has gained something wonderful by having him. She refers to him as her "shame" and "pride"-again it's like in the view of society he is her shame, whereas in her eye, he is simply her pride.

So overall we are pursuaded by the narrator to see her point of view, we aren't supposed to side with anyone else.

'Cousin Kate' by Christina Rossetti-Characters

Today we continued to look at the poem 'Cousin Kate' by Christina Rossetti. In this entry I'm going to look at the way Rossetti presents the characters in the poem.

The Speaker
The speaker in the poem is the one who has become an "outcast" in society due to her brief love affair with a lord she wasn't married to. The way the speaker talks about the events that unfold, it's obvious we are supposed to be on the speaker's side, rather than the lord's and cousin Kate's.
For example the description the speaker gives of herself at the beginning suggests to me she was innocent and very happy with her life before she made the mistake of mistaking sex for love with the lord. "cottage maiden" suggests to me virginity and innocence. Plus she obviously isn't from the city so she could be seen to be vulnerable-she is being set up as the victim already. Also we are told she was "contented with my cottage mates"- Rossetti/the speaker is illustrating how everything in the girl's life was good before, until the lord tricked her and messed it all up. We are also told that the speaker doesn't know she's beautiful, "not mindful I was fair". This suggests to me that she was virtuos, humble and pure.

Then when the speaker starts to tell us what happened we see that she was indeed the victim. She says that the lord "lured" her to his home. The word "lured" again suggests he is leading her, and she is merely following him, taken in by his influence and her own love for him. We see how he cruelly used her for sex and she bares the consequences of this because she is a woman and has no power. So again this links to feminism and the idea of 'fallen women'. The speaker achknowledges that she was merely his "plaything" and he has made her an "unclean thing" in the eyes of society. There is also an injustice in that she actually loved the lord, "my love was true".

So we are already sympathising with the speaker. Then she introduces cousin Kate, the woman who the lord left her for. In a way cousin Kate was in the exact same position as the speaker, the only difference is the lord "bound" her with his ring. The use of the word "bound" also suggests he trapped her in a way simular to the speaker. So all this makes us feel sorry for the speaker as we see she is the same as Kate, yet Kate is called "good and pure" because she is married, and the speaker is called "an outcast thing" as she isn't-thing, not person. We also side with the speaker as she acknowledges she was naive to have been tricked by him, this is shown where she says "fooled".

Finally we prefer the speaker to any of the other characters as she is shown to have good morals. She ensures cousin Kate that were their places reversed, the lord "would not have won her with his love" or "bought her with his land". So the speaker is presented as good as she would have stuck to her morals and not given in to the lord for want of fortune.

The lord
The lord is made out to be a very seedy, horrible man. He "lures" the speaker into sleeping with him out of wedlock and then he goes in living his life without regret or prejudice against him.  We are told he "changed me (the speaker) like a glove"-after he used her for sex he easily discarded her. We are also told he "sits up high"-so we can infer he's very rich and high up in the social hierarchy. This also makes him sound almost godlike, perhaps to show man's power over women. The lord also seems arrogant as he "chose you (Kate0 and cast me by (speaker)"- he feels he can just pick and choose women when he feels like it. So we see the lord isn't a nice man at all.

Cousin Kate
Cousin Kate is made out by the speaker to be very weak for agreeing to marry the lord, despite the fact she presumably knew about what he did to the speaker. The speaker says "He lifted to from mean estate"-So the lord took Kate from rags to riches, and this may have been why she married him. We are also told Kate "sits in gold and sings"- she is enjoying the good life and having a "pure" reputation. The speaker also says that Kate's "love was writ in sand"- this shows how Kate never really loved the lord like the speaker did, her love for him was very imperminant like writing in sand. We also dislike Kate because she is respected by everyone in society just because she's married. She seems to have got away very lightly compared to the speaker.
We also see from the speakers description of Kate that she seems to have only married the lord for want of material things, like land and "clothes and wedding ring". So she is living this false life of virtuosness and happiness, whilst the speaker is looked down upon and considered a fallen woman living a "shameful life".

Ooh look I wrote a lot.

Fallen Women-Cousin Kate by Christina Rossetti

In todays lesson we looked at the idea of a 'fallen woman' and what this might invlove. We also read Rossetti's poem 'Cousin Kate' and linked the 'fallen woman' idea into the poem.

When we tried to define a fallen woman we came up with many ideas. One that stood out was this concept of a woman who's been entised into sex by a man, and therefore lost her innocence and the respect of society. We realised that if women sleep around they are called a whore, slag, tart etc, the names are endless and they lose respect, whereas if a man sleeps around it is, and always has been considered more acceptable and can even be seen to raise the man's status. He may be called a 'man whore' but this is still using the female term of 'whore' and is therefore refering to women. So it was excepted that if a woman had sex before marriage she is dirty and disgraced, whereas a man in the same situation would be thought nothing of. This point is illustrated a poem called 'The Deceived Girl' which we briefly read through. In this poem a woman is tricked into sleeping with a man who uses her. It's the usual story expected when you hear of a 'fallen woman'.
One person (India) also suggested it could be a metaphor for an angel falling from heaven.

We then read 'Cousin Kate' by Rossetti, which is about a woman who slept with this lord out of wedlock whom she loved, however he then left her and married her cousin Kate, leaving her an outcast, looked down upon in society. So the speaker in the poem is the perfect example of the 'fallen woman', however she then flips the stereotype around and rather than just accepting the injustice of her situation she concentrates on what she has gained from her experience. We see towards the end of the poem that the speaker was made pregnant by her brief love affair and she shows how proud she is of her son. For example she says "I've a gift you have not". So there's this idea that all though she lost alot, her acceptance in society and innocence, there's always something to be gained. So she breaks the stereotype by not being bitter at the end of the poem, but by having a plan, displaying strength and control over her own life. Plus she almost rubs it in cousin Kate's face that she has an heir to the lord's land etc as it seems Kate cannot have children.

So that's what we came up with about 'fallen women'. However, there is always the possibility that a fallen woman is just a woman that has fallen on the floor. I find this very unlikely though! =D
I look forward to analysing the poem more next lesson sir!!

'Goblin Market' Interpretations- Feminism, Marxism, Moral and Redemption

In our last English Lit lesson we looked in more detail at the other 4 interpretations that I mentioned in my previous blog entry. I will write a little bit about them each now, obviously I won't be talking about erotic as I gave a detailed blog entry about that previously.

Feminism
'Goblin Market' contains many aspects of feminism. For example the only representation of men in the poem are the goblins. This suggests that this was how Rossetti wanted us to see men in general. The goblins are animalistic in appearance and when they speak they hiss etc. So men are portrayed as evil, ugly creatures that "leer" at women and force themselves on them. Plus they seem quite seedy, a quote that illustrates this is "Pretty Goblin' still for 'Pretty Polly". The goblins are in a way patronising Laura.
In contrast, Laura and Lizzie are the only women in the poem, so we can assume they are symbollic of how Rossetti sees all women. In the poem women are all virtuous and good, but the goblin men ruin their relationships and steal their innocence. The women themselves have pure relationships with each other. For example Laura and Lizzie's relationship is so intimate it goes beyond sisterhood. This is shown in "cheek to cheek and breast to breast"-This is not necasserily erotic, it simply shows the pure relationships of women in comparison to men.

Finally in the poem women prevail over men as Lizzie is the heroine and she effectively defeats the goblins. So again Rossetti is showing women to be good and stong in a different way to men. For example even when it mentions that Laura and Lizzie marry at the end, there is still no reference to men. Instead it says "For there is no friend like a sister" to emphasise women's importance.

Marxism
Another way in which 'Goblin Market' could be interpreted is through Marxism. I found Marxism interesting as I had never heard of it before, and apparently it refers to money, trade and, in particular, consumerism.
I must admit I think that Marxism is the least important interpretation. However there are a few key points to be made. For example you could argue that in the poem there's this idea that consumerism is bad, and that we are never satisfied with what we have. An example of this in the poem is that once Laura has had a taste of the fruit she immediately wants more. This is shown in Laura in an absent dream...longing for the night". Laura is just wasting away waiting for the night to come so she can hear the goblins cry yet again. This could also link to Rosseti's religious views as Laura seems to show greed or gluttony which is one of the seven deadly sins.
Finally the goblins could represent business men, who trick people into buying their products. For example when it says "brother to sly brother" it's as if the goblins have spotted a vulnerable customer which they know they can pursuade to buy their produce.
However, like I said I consider Marxism to be the weakest of the five interpretations, for example in the poem the goblin refuse to take Lizzie's penny towards the end, yet money is the centre of business.

Moral
Morality is, I think, one of the if not the most important interpretations of 'Goblin Market'. This is because it ties in with the other interpretations so much. For example in the poem Rossetti gives us moral messages about Marxism, feminism, redemption and erotica/sex.
Rossetti's moral views are heavily influenced by her religion, and this is reflected in 'Goblin Market'. For example there is the allusion to the Biblical story of Adam and Eve, as the fruit is mentioned it links to the garden of eden. So the fruit represents temptation and the goblins could represent Satan. We are warned (ironically by Laura) right of the beginning of the poem against the dangers of the fruit and goblin men; "We must not look at goblin men, we must not buy their fruits". So Rossetti could be saying that temptation is wrong is all ways, in regards to sex and greed.

In the poem Laura's actions represent the wrong thing to do. For example she gives in to temptation and sell herself in a way, to buy the fruit (links to prostitution). This has severe consequences as she ages prematurely and seems to become depressed in her longing for the fruit. This is shown in "Her hair grew thin and grey; She dwindled". She has lost herself along the way. We also see how the consequences of your own bad or 'sinful' actions can hurt other people, for instance Lizzie is "trod and hustled" and physically abused by the goblins whilst trying to save Laura.
Lizzie's actions in the poem show good and kindness. She self-lessly gives herself to the goblins for attack, and she still manages not to give in to temptation. This is shown in "she would not open lip from lip"-She refuses to succumb to the goblins.

So overall I think that 'Goblin Market' has many moral messages lying beneath the surface, and I have briefly touched on some of the key ones here. In my previous blog entry about erotic interpretations of the poem I talked about some of the sexual morals I believe Rossetti may have been trying to put across.

Redemption
Redemption is quite an important interpretation of 'Goblin Market'. There is the idea of forgiveness in the poem as soon as Laura succumbs to the goblins. At first Laura wants to be forgiven for eating the fruits and for leaving her sister alone whilst she gave in to her desires. However due to how affected Laura is by the fruit, she cannot redeem herself. So Lizzie, as her sister takes on this role. Lizzie's suffering at the hands of the goblins in order to save her sister/redeem her sins, shows parallels with the Christian redemptive story of Jesus on the cross. So in the story Lizzie's abuse would be reflective of Jesus' crucifiction, in which he dies so the human race can be forgiven for it's sins. For example Lizzie's body is broken (like Christ) so that Laura's sins can be forgiven. Lizzie's abuse is shown in "Twitched her hair out by the roots, stamped upon her tender feet"-She is clearly suffering.
Then, when Lizzie has saved Laura there is the idea of restoration, which, depending on how you interpret the poem can mean different things. For example it could be Laura being redeemed for her sins or it could symbollise her virginity being restored etc.

Finally at the end of the poem we see how grateful Laura is to her sister for saving her, "would tell them how her sister stood in deadly peril to do her good"-So Laura is almost trying to further redeem herself for what happened to Lizzie because of what she did. She does this by showing her gratitude and teaching her children how brave her sister was.
So overall I think redemption is quite a strong interpretation that again links to morals.

Overall, I think the two most important or strong interpretations of 'Goblin Market' by Christina Rossetti are moral and erotic, with redemption and feminism close behind, and Marxism at the bottom as I believe it's the weakest point for interpretation.

The 'Goblin Market' Interpretations-Erotic

In our last English Lit lesson we were concentrating on different interpretations of 'Goblin Market' by Christina Rossetti. There we five main categories of how you could interpret the peom, these are:

• Erotic
• Feminist
• Marxist
• Redemptive
• Moral

The category my group was given was eroctic. So I will be concentrating on how you could say 'Goblin Market' is purely about sex etc.

You could argue the whole poem is about sexual frustration, temptation and release. Perhaps that Rossetti, being a devout Anglo-Catholic, portrays sex as a sinful act that should not be given in to. Some critics have even suggested that 'Goblin Market' has aspects of repressed sexuality and therefore hints at homosexuality. However I am not so sure of this, purely because of who wrote the poem and when.

The poem contains many innuendos and sexual imagery from the start. For example all the fruits the goblins sell could represent parts of the body, such as "plump unpecked cherries" The description of unplucked cherries also suggests virginity. The two girls in the poem are made out to seem very innocent and sweet, however then one of them gives in to the goblins and her innocence is lost and destroyed. So Rossetti could have been giving a religious message about sex. That you shouldn't give in to temptation otherwise you will be punished for being sinful. Or she could have been illustrating how young girls rush into sex and are very vulnerable to it, thus showing how much damage and pain this can bring. For example when Lizzie tries to buy the fruit for her sister she appears to be sexually as well as physically abused by the goblins. So she is making sex seem very dangerous and negative-especially in the long run. These views could have been influenced by the things Rossetti saw and experienced whilst volunteering with helping prostitutes and single-mothers.

So the girls, Laura and Lizzie, are made to seem very innocent at the beginning of the poem. For example they are described as "maids". However when Laura hears the tempting goblin call of "come buy" it's as if in her mind she is fighting herself not to give in, but she quite quickly does. This is shown when it says "last restraint is gone"-it's as of her desire has overcome her. Laura then shows her vulnerabilty by cutting a lock of golden hair and giving it to the goblins as payment. This could be symbollic of the belt of chastity being cut. Also with the line "she never tasted such before" we see Laura's sexual tension being released. This could have an underlying message from Rossetti, that sex is enjoyable; however she feels that girls become addicted and can't stop once they give in - again this shows links with prostitution.

This picture shows Laura giving her golden hair to the goblins.

There are many phrases used in 'Goblin Market' that seem/sound very erotic and, in parts, very graphic. These include "sucking fruit globes", "sweeter than honey from the rock" and finally "she sucked and sucked and sucked the more, fruits which that unknown orchard bore; she sucked until her lips were sore". All of these quotes could be interpreted to represent sexual acts or just sex itself ( I won't go into detail!!). These quotes also make sex sound rough, the picture formed in your head when you interpret these terms in a sexual way isn't pleasant. They make sex sound quite vulger.

Then later on when Lizzie enters the goblin clearing she seems to be sexually abused by the goblins. They could represent dirty, seedy men who "leer" at girls and entise them (again Rossetti could have drawn from stories she'd heard from the prostitutes she helped rehabilitate at St Mary Magdalene's penitentiary). Lizzie's sexual abuse is shown in "held her hands and squeezed their fruits against her mouth to make her eat"- It could be interpreted to be symbollic of the fact the goblins are forcing themselves on her.

Despite their supposed abuse, Lizzie doesn't surrender to sexual temptation. She keeps in mind what she is there for (her sisters well-being) and she refuses to succumb to the tempting offer the goblins make. This is metaphorically shown in "would not open lip from lip"- she won't say a word and will also not let them invade her body (she is a closed book in every crude way). Even though Lizzie has the same wants and desires as her sister, she puts her faith in her sister first. This could mirror how Rossetti feels- she would put her divine love of God before fulfilling her earthly sexual desires.

So overall I think 'Goblin Market' can be interpreted to be completely erotic, as many lines in the poem are impossible to read without sexual implacations springing to mind (unless you're a child). However I think even if the poem is entirely focused on sex, it's not just pure erotica. I think Rossetti has linked in a moral message about sex that may be linked to her strong religious views. This view is that it is not sinful to have sexual feelings and desires, but it is sinful to act upon them. Therefore explaining why Laura is effectively destroyed by her eating of the fruit or symbolically giving up her virginity and innocence voluntarily. She, along with her sister, pay a high price for her brief moment of bliss and satisfaction.

The poem could also be showing how Rossetti felt with regards to her sexuality etc.

Hope this is right!!!!!

Christina Rossetti

Christina Rossetti was an English poet that lived in the 19th Century. She wrote many different things, including childrens nursery rhymes and other poetry with more adult symbolism. A lot of her poetry, especially the poems for children centre around nature and have religious aspects. This is because Christina herself was a devout Christian so her poetry was often influenced by her religious views. For example one of her most famous poems called 'Goblin Market' shows similarities with the Biblical story of Adam and Eve. Although the poem was said to be a mere fairy tale for children at the time, it seems to have more adult themes throughout and contains hints of sexual imagery. Some call it a tale of repressed sexuality and sisterhood. However Rossetti never preached,  but showed her views on the tensions between earthly passions and divine love of God.

 Other poems of hers are centred around romance and are quite morbid. Christina herself was engaged but never married, on religous grounds. In some of her work she shows intense feelings about love and relationships.

Rossetti is also considered to be one of the great female poets of the Victorian era because of the way her poems portray women. She was a big believer in feminism and believed that women should have equal rights etc. She volunteered for ten years at St Mary Magdalene's penitentiary for prostitutes and unmarried mothers in Highgate.

In the later years of her life Rossetti got Graves disease and it took it's toll on her life. Some of her last poems contain the reacurring theme of the loss of beauty.

She died in 1894.

English Lit-Goblin Market by Christina Rossetti

One of the poets we are studying is Christina Rossetti. The first text we are looking at of hers is 'Goblin Market'. Having never heard of her poetry before I was intrigued by the way she writes. The poem (or short story as I believe it should be called as it is eleven pages long!!!!) was very dark and told a clear story throughout, with a beginning, a middle and an end. Now I must admit poetry is not my favourite aspect of literature and I often find it hard to follow, however with 'Gobin Market' I found myself thoroughly intrigued and, whether it's because it's so long or it's just written brilliantly, I understood it well.

The poem has quite a gothic air to it and the story told is simular to that of the Biblical story of Adam and Eve and the forbidden fruit (except with goblins). For example the poem involves goblins that move around a woods selling all the fresh fruits you can imagine, two girls come across the goblins and one is tempted into buying the fruit and it effectively destroys her and causes her previous innocence to wilt as a result of her having consumed the forbidden fruit, and this again links to the idea of temptation being her downfall. I won't spoil the rest!

In the beginning of the poem everything seems quite innocent and magical. As I read it I imagined an enchanted forest with these sweet and ripe fruits being sold by the goblins. Everything has such an innocence at the start of the poem, however as the poem progresses and the two sisters, Laura and Lizzie are introduced, the goblins seem too mysterious and fear of the unknown starts to take hold. Then when Laura cannot resist the goblins call of "Come buy, come buy" the goblins are described as these grotesque animalistic characters, which flips the poem from magical, to sinister and frightening. Laura's vulnerability is exposed and the golbins seem to relish it, and then her innocence is gone and her addiction to the fruit takes hold of her. Again there is reference to Christianity as when Laura is eating the fruit Rossetti describes it so she seems greedy, "She sucked and sucked and sucked the more Fruits which that unknown orchard bore; She sucked until her lips were sore" This links to gluttony which is one of the so-called seven deadly sins.
We haven't gone through the whole poem in depth yet (should only take a couple of years =D) so that's all I can shed real light on at the moment.

However I do think the poem is written brilliantly, Rossetti was able to maintain the steady rhythm throughout the poem which makes you really get involved with the poem as it progesses. Plus the language used by Rossetti is fantastic and you find yourself totally pulled in by the words. For example the fact that the rhyming couplets continue throughout is enough to amaze me, but like I said I'm not the biggest poem buff ever!

I look forward to analysing more of the poem next lesson Mr F!

English Literature Lesson Number 2

Today I had my second offiicial English Lit lesson with Mr F. I'm really enjoying them so far and I find what we're studying particuarly interesting!

I have never really thought about how the narrator creates the story before, and the realisation that everything in a story has been carefully thought out and used for a reason really draws me in and makes me excited to study more! (never thought I'd say that!!). Although to most it may seem obvious, I'd never thought of it and just skimmed through a lot of the narrative parts in books to get to the more "exciting" parts. Whereas now I realise I may have skipped crucial hints at the way the story is going.

For example, we are studying the classic 'Pride and Prejudice' by Jane Austen. Although I enjoyed the book the first time I read it, it took me a while to really get into it. It proboably didn't help that I was rushing it as I was on holiday. However I am currently reading through it again at what I would call a leisurely pace! Already I find myself understanding it more and the language used seems less alien than before!

There are many examples of different aspects of narrative in even the first chapter of 'Pride and Prejudice'. One that we looked at today was the way the destination of the story is presented. From the very first famous paragraph of "It is a truth universally achknowledged, that a single man in possession of  a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." we already have been presented with an idea or theory which foreshadows the way in which the book will progress, and the destination in which the book is heading. It's the idea of marriage and fortune and about how they link together more than most would expect. Not only are these famous words the first in the book, they are in a paragraph of their own, perhaps to signify their importance and tell you as the reader that they present an idea crucial throughout the novel.

Also the way in which Austen barely uses description during the first chapter keeps you focused on the conversation the Bennets are having rather than thinking about them as people. This shows the conversation to be of high significance as Austen wants you to concentrate purely on what is being said by the characters, rather than the characters themselves. The conversation they are having foreshadows the novel's destination as it mirrors the ideas put forward in the first paragraph.
 Although Austen dedicates a small paragraph at the end of the chapter to desciptions, the last line of the chapter again refers to this idea of marriage and wealth. "The business of her life was to get her daughters married; its solace was visiting and news." So this leaves the reader with this idea fresh in their mind: that marriage is key theme throughout the book and that the novel will surely revolve around the events and difficulties faced by Mrs Bennet as she attempts to assure her daughters are married well to someone of a comfortable salary, and that one of them will surely be married to Mr Bingley since he is the centre of Mrs Bennet's attentions in the first chapter.

Hope this is somewhat right Mr F!! I'm not sure if I brought my ideas across that well, but I know what I'm getting at even if no one else does!
Really enjoying English Lit so far though! Thanks for the good start!

"Mr Francis entered the room. There was a piece of paper on the floor"

Why is the inclusion of the detail of the paper on the floor important?

The inclusion of the detail of the paper on the floor is important as it was purposely written into the story by the narrator. Therefore it must mean something and be of some significance to the plot otherwise the writer wouldn't have included it, the paper isn't on the floor by accident, the author has intentially placed it there for whatever reason.

The paper on the floor could be used to set the scene, for example it could help illustrate that the room is messy and untidy. It could also be representative of the fact that the character or "Mr Francis" is not in control of the situation as he can't keep his room tidy, or it could suggest that his students are unruly and he can't control them.
It could also be used to describe his character, for example he is messy and leaves things lying around, or it could be a sign about the character's life. Perhaps things are never where he wants them and this could symbolise that he is never where he wants to be in life. Also the fact that the paper on the floor is the first thing "Mr Francis" notices, or the first thing the reader is told about the room, could represent the fact that the character always looks for the worst in things. So it could tell us that he has a negative personality.

The paper could also be significant in creating a certain atmosphere. The paper on the floor could be a sign to the reader that things are not as they seem, for example someone has been into the room and moved things around, perhaps searching through things they shouldn't have been. So the description of the paper being out of place on the floor could be used to aid the narrator in creating suspense or tension in the story. The paper being on the floor could also trigger a reaction in the character that is important to the plot, for example "Mr Francis" could become very angry about the paper as it could be the last straw in a terrible day he's had, etc etc.

What is on the paper itself could also be important for the plot to progress. The fact that the paper is on the floor could be to grab the characters attention so they look at it immediately rather than just tossing it aside. The paper could contain infomation vital for the plot to move on, for example an important letter or a note from another key character, it could be a list, a bank statement, a document, anything.

Finally the paper could be symbolic of something, and may reflect an important or reaccuring theme within the story. For example if the paper was scrunched up it could be symbollic of how the character is feeling at the time. He could be feeling defeated, his confidence knocked so he wants nothing more than to just lie on the floor by the paper and collapse. Or it could mean that the character is feeling defensive and scared so he has metaphorically scrunched himself into a ball, just like the paper, to hide his feelings or emotions.

Overall the inclusion of the detail of the paper on the floor is important as it must be key in one way or another to the plot as the narrator has included it. The narrator isn't describing a real scene in which things are there for no reason, the narrator has created this scene and therfore the paper on the floor must be there for a reason, regardless of how important this reason is.

Hope this is along the right lines sir! I rambled on a little bit but that's what I've been doing all my life and it seems to have worked so far!