In this essay, the author proposes to explore Mansfield＇s ＂special prose＂ by examining the two issues raised in her journal entries： First, the phrase ＂perhaps not in poetry. No, perhaps in Prose＂ in her journal...In this essay, the author proposes to explore Mansfield＇s ＂special prose＂ by examining the two issues raised in her journal entries： First, the phrase ＂perhaps not in poetry. No, perhaps in Prose＂ in her journal entry of 22 January 1916 shows that Mansfield plans to experiment with a kind of poetic prose, or in her own words--＂special prose＂. The profound affinity between the ＂special prose＂ and the notion of elegy, ＂a mournful poem for the dead＂ （OED, ＂elegy＂, n. sense 1）, calls attention to her work＇s decisive but still insufficiently examined relationship to poetry and her preoccupation with mortality. Second, the words ＂scraps＂, ＂bits＂, and ＂nothing real finished＂ in her journal entry of 19 February 1918 indicate that the mortal fragility she writes about in her ＂special prose＂ is closely bound up with verbal fragility, as embodied, for example, in the form of an ellipsis mark that she uses extensively elsewhere in her short stories. Her connection to poetry and her use of ellipsis marks will be discussed by looking at the impact of John Keats＇s poems on her own work and ＂The Canary＂ （1922）, the last story she completed before her death.展开更多
George Meredith （1828-1909） is acknowledged as a creator of memorable female characters. Meredith＇s heroines are radically different from the women generally encountered in Victorian fiction. Characteristically, Me...George Meredith （1828-1909） is acknowledged as a creator of memorable female characters. Meredith＇s heroines are radically different from the women generally encountered in Victorian fiction. Characteristically, Meredith constructs a type of female character who, in a social context hostile to any break with convention, refuses to conform to the stereotype of the weak, passive, and dependant woman. In accordance with J. S. Mill＇s observations in The Subjection of Women （1869）, Meredith thought that the progress of society could be possible only through female emancipation and admittance of women into public practice. This paper discusses the themes of marital disintegration and ＂conscious adultery＂ that affirm the legitimacy of female pleasure against coercion Thus, the paper will take into consideration the sonnet sequence Modern Love （1862） and one of Meredith＇s most neglected novels, Lord Ormont and His Aminta （1894）, whose heroines are unexpectedly depicted as non-conventional, strong, and proud. A close reading of the texts will reveal the narrative strategies and textual devices through which Meredith exploited a model of womanhood that, by subverting the current ideas on sex, marriage, and gender roles, is able to countermine male ＂egoism＂, the only obstacle to the genuine progress of Victorian society toward real democratization展开更多
文摘In this essay, the author proposes to explore Mansfield＇s ＂special prose＂ by examining the two issues raised in her journal entries： First, the phrase ＂perhaps not in poetry. No, perhaps in Prose＂ in her journal entry of 22 January 1916 shows that Mansfield plans to experiment with a kind of poetic prose, or in her own words--＂special prose＂. The profound affinity between the ＂special prose＂ and the notion of elegy, ＂a mournful poem for the dead＂ （OED, ＂elegy＂, n. sense 1）, calls attention to her work＇s decisive but still insufficiently examined relationship to poetry and her preoccupation with mortality. Second, the words ＂scraps＂, ＂bits＂, and ＂nothing real finished＂ in her journal entry of 19 February 1918 indicate that the mortal fragility she writes about in her ＂special prose＂ is closely bound up with verbal fragility, as embodied, for example, in the form of an ellipsis mark that she uses extensively elsewhere in her short stories. Her connection to poetry and her use of ellipsis marks will be discussed by looking at the impact of John Keats＇s poems on her own work and ＂The Canary＂ （1922）, the last story she completed before her death.
文摘George Meredith （1828-1909） is acknowledged as a creator of memorable female characters. Meredith＇s heroines are radically different from the women generally encountered in Victorian fiction. Characteristically, Meredith constructs a type of female character who, in a social context hostile to any break with convention, refuses to conform to the stereotype of the weak, passive, and dependant woman. In accordance with J. S. Mill＇s observations in The Subjection of Women （1869）, Meredith thought that the progress of society could be possible only through female emancipation and admittance of women into public practice. This paper discusses the themes of marital disintegration and ＂conscious adultery＂ that affirm the legitimacy of female pleasure against coercion Thus, the paper will take into consideration the sonnet sequence Modern Love （1862） and one of Meredith＇s most neglected novels, Lord Ormont and His Aminta （1894）, whose heroines are unexpectedly depicted as non-conventional, strong, and proud. A close reading of the texts will reveal the narrative strategies and textual devices through which Meredith exploited a model of womanhood that, by subverting the current ideas on sex, marriage, and gender roles, is able to countermine male ＂egoism＂, the only obstacle to the genuine progress of Victorian society toward real democratization
