11 An outline of British literature

BRONTË FAMILY

• The sisters (Charlotte, Emily, Anne) are well known as a trio of sibling poets and novelists

• Lived near the Yorkshire moors

CHARLOTTE BRONTË 1816-1855

• The oldest sister (3rd of six)

• A teacher and governess

• Got married – however, she was of poor health, died along with her unborn child

• Her best work - Jane Eyre – novel about moral and psychological problems; partly autobiographical

• Jane Eyre - a first-person narrative of the title character. It describes the life of a poor and unattractive girl, Jane, who is brought up by a cruel aunt and sent to a harsh school. Later she works as a governess in a rich man‘s house. His name is Edward Rochester. He falls in love with her.

When Jane finds out that he is married, she leaves him although she knows that his wife is mad. In the end, the wife sets the house the house on fire and dies. Jane returns, marries Mr Rochester.

EMILY BRONTË 1818-1848

• Emily's health, like her sisters', had been weakened by unsanitary conditions at home, the source of water being contaminated by runoff from the church's graveyard. She caught a cold during the funeral of her brother in September 1848. She soon grew very thin and ill, but rejected medical help and died in December 1848

• Her only novel - Wuthering Heights – dealt with moral and psychological problems

ANNE BRONTË 1820-1849

• The youngest sister

• Wrote poetry and novels

• Died of tuberculosis

• Her work is different to her sisters' - she wrote in a realistic rather than romantic style

• Agnes Grey – a novel, based upon her experiences as a governess; deals with issues of oppression and abuse of women and governesses, isolation and ideas of empathy; has a happy ending – Agnes opens a small school with her mum and finds happiness with a man who loves her for herself

LATE VICTORIAN LITERATURE

OSCAR WILDE 1854-1900

• Playwright, novelist, an Irish writer and poet

• He was born in Dublin, he declared the cult of „ Art for Art‘s sake“

• Wilde‘s homosexuality was an open secret (he was prosecuted and imprisoned in1895).

• Wilde‘s writing is varied and original as well as full of freshness, wit and imagination.

• The picture of Dorian Gray - a novel, full of hidden symbols and meanings. The main theme is the good and the evil of human nature.

• Studied in Dublin and Oxford; lectured on Art in America and Canada; then returned to London.

• He was famous for his biting wit and flamboyant dress.

• At the height of his fame and success, Wilde sued his lover's father for libel. After a series of trials, Wilde was convicted of homosexuality and imprisoned for two years' hard labour. Upon his release he left immediately for France. He never to return to Ireland or Britain. He died destitute (with no money and possessions) in Paris at the age of 46.

• Today he is remembered for his epigrams (short poems), plays and the tragedy of his imprisonment, followed by his early death.

• His works:

• The Happy Prince and Other stories – fairy stories

• The Picture of Dorian Grey – a novel

• Plays: An Ideal Husband, The Importance of Being Earnest, Lady Windermere's Fan, A Woman of No Importance

• An Ideal Husband – about blackmail and political corruption, public and private honour. It is set in London, in "the present", and takes place over the course of twenty-four hours. "Sooner or later," Wilde notes, "we shall all have to pay for what we do." But he adds that, "No one should be entirely judged by their past."

• The Importance of Being Earnest - a comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious personae in order to escape burdensome obligations. The play's major themes are the triviality with which it treats institutions as serious as marriage, and the resulting satire of Victorian ways.

• Lady Windermere‘s Fan - a biting satire on the morals of Victorian society, particularly marriage. The story concerns Lady Windermere who discovers that her husband may be having an affair with another woman. She confronts her husband but he instead invites the other woman, Mrs Erlynne, to her birthday ball. Angered by her husband's unfaithfulness. Lady Windermere leaves her husband for another lover. After discovering what has transpired, Mrs Erlynne follows Lady Windermere and attempts to persuade her to return to her husband and in the course of this, Mrs Erlynne is discovered in a compromising position. She sacrifices herself and her reputation in order to save Lady Windermere's marriage.

• A Woman of No Importance - the upper classes have gathered for a weekend house party at Lady Hunstanton's country estate. The wildly attractive Lord Illingworth is free to show off his seduction skills. Lord Illingworth who has offered the post of secretary to Gerald Arbuthnot. Gerald's mother is invited to join the party, after arrival she realises this offer is more complicated than it seems and her secret could be revealed - Illingworth is the father of her illegitimate son who refused marriage all those years ago.

• The Picture of Dorian Grey - The novel tells of a young man named Dorian Gray, the subject of a painting by artist Basil Hallward. Basil is impressed by Dorian's beauty and falls in love with him, believing his beauty is responsible for a new mode in his art. Dorian meets Lord Henry Wotton, a friend of Basil's, and becomes excited by Lord Henry's world view. Lord Henry suggests the only things worth pursuing in life are beauty and fulfillment of the senses. Realizing that one day his beauty will fade, Dorian (whimsically) expresses a desire to sell his soul to ensure the portrait Basil has painted would age rather than himself. Dorian's wish is fulfilled, plunging him into immoral acts. The portrait serves as a reminder of the effect each act has upon his soul, with each sin displayed as a disfigurement of his form, or through a sign of aging. After seeing this, Dorian kills Basil and then by stabbing the painting he in fact kills himself and is found by his servants on the floor as a horribly looking old man. The Picture of Dorian Gray is considered a work of classic gothic horror fiction with a strong Faustian theme.

• The Happy Prince and Other stories – the stories included are e.g. The Happy Prince; The Nightingale and the Rose; The Selfish Giant; The Remarkable Rocket