FICTION

1.Sons and Lovers-D.H. Lawrence

-themes: quest for identity, love( Pauls relationship with his mother(Mrs. Morel)-Oedipus complex,
mother fixation; Paul and Miriam; Paul and Clara, Mr. Morel and Mr. Morel)
-narrative technique: point of view (omniscient); stream of consciousness( to reveal a characters
inner thoughts); setting( scenery-flowers and nature- the scene where Paul puts flowers in Claras
hair; symbolism: flowers, colours)
-self versus ego ( define self cf. Jung i. e. self= consciousness + unconsciousness; ego: in the center
of consciousness) ego cf. Freud: part of the psyche connected to the reality principle, it works with
reason
-symbols: ash tree ( darkness,tragedy, disharmony: Mrs. Morel vs Mr. Morel), the swing( Miriam and
Paul; their love-hate relationship, two extremes), coal pits( Mr. Morel: a certain life style)
(http://siobhanleandro.blogspot.ro/2012/03/sons-and-lovers-techniques-motifs-and.html)
2.1984- G. Orwell
Realism( what is real in this novel?) -opression, purges( get rid of a certain segment of population;
annihilate them), desire for power and control( power hunger of leaders)-control of the media, fake
statistics, censorship, isolation from other countries( totalitarianism= physical torture: elements of
fantasy- Ministry of Plenty( food ratio, because people should be kept weak, malnourished) ,
Ministry of Love( room 101; the 2 minutes hate), Ministry of Peace( state of war), Thought
Police( doublethink; duck speak) + psychological : love for Big Brother, media control, education,
manipulation of history, permanent state of war)
Fantasy-the division of the world, objects that dont exists(telescreens), technology that is
described( speak writes, versificators, memory holes=> Eastern philosophy + modern Western
development
Grotesque: torturing Winston, public executions, room 101, physical image of Winston after being
tortured, starvation, movies about war.
The power of language: to control and manipulate (media, education, telescreens, two minutes hate,
propaganda, newspeak, new lexicon, the idea that people use words in order to express themselves; if
words such as freedom do not exist, the concept itself disappears)
(source: seminar)
3.Lord of the Flies- W. Golding
-from civilized to savages( primitives)
- English school boys, stranded on a deserted island( paradisiac setting)-> no rules-> two rival
groups( 1. Jack is the leader of the savages who kill for pleasure: mother sow versus 2.the group
represented by Ralph: insists of the civilized values, hopes to be rescued)
-symbols: Piggys glasses(reason, civilization)-they are broken, things get out of hand; the
conch( democracy: everyone who holds the shell has the right to state his opinion during the

meetings), the fire( double significance: at first, the boys tried to use fire in order to signal their
location; in the end, they set the island on fire; ironically, that fire was powerful enough to make them
visible and finally rescued)
(http://www.studymode.com/essays/Lord-Of-The-Flies-Civilization-Vs-169935.html?topic)
4. Heart of Darkness- J. Conrad
-racism, slavery
possible interpretations of the title:
a. darkness: literally, the inhabitants are mainly niggers( slaves), the Nile is narrow and dark
b. darkness: the blindness of white men( power-drunk Europeans) who abuse black peopleironically, niggers: cannibals , even though they were considered animals, were more human
and civilized ( the scene on the boat) ; white men who are greedy and become savages when
they are exposed to riches( ivory); the darkness( evil) in their hearts
c. the jungle( psychoanalytical perspective)= the psyche(heart of darkness= id cf. Freud)
-Kurz ( from civilized to primitive)
(source: seminar)

5. The French Lieutenants Woman- J. Fowles

-the characters and the setting are Victorian, but this is not a Victorian novel( Fowels wants to mock
the atmosphere of the period, to criticize the conventions, the ideas:there were forces that determined
ones life, the ideal woman, how the narrator is like a puppeteer etc)
-a novelist is like a God
-narrative technique: many females figures( Sarah, Ernestina, Mrs. Poulteney, Mary), no feminine
perspective in the novel( the narrator seems to be a male)
- point of view: 3rd person narration( however, the narrator inserts himself in the story, manipulates
events, he is even suspected to be a character- the bearded man who turns back the time, flips the coin
, gives the illusion that his characters have a mind of their own and their own will, deceptive freedom(
we get to choose between one of the three endings- links to Reader Response Criticism: the reader
creates the meaning, he participates in the creative act)
-challenges tradition: the three endings in order to avoid a definite truth; anachrony: events happen at
the same time but are shown sequentially; time is played with( see above)
(source:seminar)
6. Waiting for Godot- S. Beckett-tragic-comedy, thetre of the absurd, postmodernism
-waiting: non-action; static
-Godot( might be interpreted as God- who is Godot? does he really exist?; however, the play was
written in French, god=dieu, and Beckett was supposed to be an atheist)

-theatre of the absurd( type of drama which lacks the conventions of a traditional play): life is absurd,
human existence is meaningless,the setting is gone, time frame: gone-questioning time, space,
identity, traditional characters: gone(not evolving,cannot change their faith,seem to be lost in an
alienating world), dialogue:lack of focus, doesnt mean anything, failure to understand each other->
Nothing to be done; language becomes powerless, identity put under question, irrationality( linked
to postmodernism)
-poetic of absence: everything in the play is conditioned by absence(play, setting, meaning, logic,
reason, certainty, empty dialogue-day to day language, not an elevated style)
What are the characters waiting for? Godot, a deeper meaning to their lives, a definite objective,
truth which doesnt exist, salvation-out of reach
(source: seminar)
7.Small World- D. Lodge
-small world- even though the characters travel around the world, and this creates the illusion of a
big world, the characters meet one another at the least probable places.
-point of view: third person narrator, omniscient ; linear tale
-parody: an imitation of a particular writer, artist or a genre, exaggerating it deliberately to produce a
comic effect.( http://literarydevices.net/parody/)
-prologue: parody of the Canterbury Tales prologue
-plot: parody of the medieval Grail legend
-the international conferences of the scholars: the medieval pilgrimage
-the quest is an individual one: fame, power, love affairs
-the Holy Grail: the UNESCO chair for literary criticism
-academic romance- Persse(parody of the romantic hero) in love with Angelica
-setting: ten thousand metres above the sea during the flights to various conferences around the world(
there are various plots: standard comic, romantic, thriller, reunion, and the characters move from one
plot to another- the use of present tense in order to raise the excitement, to show immediacy in scenes,
to describe a characters rapid change of feelings)
(source:http://www.researchgate.net/publication/27486339_Quest_and_Conquest_in_the_Fiction_of_
David_Lodge)
8. Ulysses- J. Joyce
-the action takes place in Dublin, Ireland, in 1904, June( 16 th -17th ) between 8am and 3am
-three parts, eighteen chapters( section one: focus on Stephen Dedalus who sees in Leopold Bloom a
father figure; section two: focus on L. Bloom; section three-female perspective: focus on Stephen,
Leopold and Molly-her monologue consists of a couple of sentences written in dozens of pages with
no punctuation marks except for the period at the end of the novel- free flow of thoughts)

-each title is linked with Homers Odyssey (parody, as Odyssey was about a meaningful
adventurous journey-which lasts ten years, and Ulysses is about an uneventful life), there is also
mentioned the time, scene, color, symbol, technique
-stream of consciousness technique( a characters flow of thoughts, inner feelings)
-Hades-death-Paddy Dignam
-Calypso, Penelope- nymph, Molly
-3rd person narration
-language: refined, elevated, vulgar, new words: noctambules(night walkers), abbreviations,
unpunctuated sentences, passages in all capital letters(including poetry), combining two words to
create a new one: hocus-pocus, candleflame , dogbiscuits, repetition: Love loves to love love
-members of a wedding associated with trees
(source: http://www.cummingsstudyguides.net/Joyce.html)
9. To the Lighthouse- Virginia Woolf
-indirect interior monologue-it allows the reader an insight into each characters mind; the narrative
leaves one mind and enters another; the narrator never lets the characters thoughts flow without
control, and maintains logical and grammatical organization;the narrator is present within the
narration
-the characters are fixed in space while their consciousness move in time
-inner time: irregular and disrupted wrt the conventional conception of time
-feminist perspective: Mrs. Ramsay-wife, mother, knits, soothes James, subjective, irrational versus
Mr. Ramsay-philosopher, rational,male, makes his wife feel inferior to him( the argument about the
weather); Charles Tansley says that woman cannot paint nor write( Lily: painter)
-Someone had blundered(Tennyson, Mr. Ramsay tries to reassure himself that effort matters more
than success)
(http://keynes.scuole.bo.it/ipertesti/movie_minds/Mrs.Dalloway/ideology%20and%20style.htm ;
http://www.gradesaver.com/to-the-lighthouse/study-guide/summary-the-window-chapters-v-vii)
PLAYS
10.Murder in the Cathedral- T. S. Eliot
-influenced by Greek tragedy
-Chorus aim: to introduce the theme of fate; in the beginning it is discussed whether it is better to
take life as it is, to be self-indulgent and live in a comfortable misery or to be passionately and try to
change it, even though it may lead to conflicts
-the priests are powerless, even though they have a high status; they do not know how to react

-symbol: the wheel: supreme power and control( Gods will,he decides what to do with his people,
linked to the idea of fate- human beings are not aware of Gods plan who is always in control of
everything): medieval theology
-Thomas Becket: drunk with pride, he is tempted by four Tempters: a. luxurious life, to cherish life as
he used to b. worldly power( limited) c.to get rid of the king d. martyrdom for the wrong
reasons(pride, to be remembered)
-the four Tempters: reminders of Beckets past
(source: http://www.gradesaver.com/murder-in-the-cathedral/study-guide/summary-part-i-afterbeckets-entrance)
11. The Dumb Waiter- H. Pinter
-a dumb waiter= a lift used to carry things, especially food; symbol for the fact that Ben(dominant)
and Gus(submissive) are speaking to each other, not actually having a conversation; the characters
carry information, they can be compared to dumb waiters, as they are not supposed to think, but to
execute orders
-routine( going to the bathroom, the toilet flushing, having a job Gus does not like) associated with
fatigue; it destroys human spirit transforming it into a dumb waiter; life does not have a purpose
-Wilson is seen as a malevolent and whimsical god(he does not even justifies his order to kill Gus;
Ben does not question it, even though it implies betraying his partner in crime-> 1. Wilson: god and
he is not to be questioned; 2. Wilson: higher in rank and he has to be pleased), may be compared to
Godot( Beckett), as he is invisible. He does not appear in the play, yet he is suspected to be upstairs,
giving orders-> hierarchy, capitalism, corporations
-Ben and Gus live in the basement: low class, are perceived only as instruments
- language( vernacular): silence- foreshadows violent acts( the end of the play)
-light the kettle- Ben reacting violently, chocking Gus; Ben is pleased when the person living
upstairs uses the same phrase he used, he feels superior to Gus
(http://www.slideshare.net/circewine/the-dumb-waiter-harold-pinter)
12.Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead- T. Stoppard
-parody, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are two minor characters in Shakespeares Hamlet, in this play
the focus is on them
-theatre of the absurd-the absurdity of human existence, life is meaningless, repetitive actions
-dialogue that does not make sense
-written after WWII, no noble heroes
-the setting is irrelevant, however they are dressed in an Elizabethan style( reference to Shakespeare
and the Elizabethan Theatre)
-Whats the first thing you remember?- time is played with

-issue of identity, the characters are interchangeable ( the scene where they meet the troupe of
tragedians-no self consciousness; even Hamlet confuses their identity)
-Alfred- brings up the problem of individuality, of free will, Alfred is seen like an object, an
instrument
-they pass time by flipping coins( money does not matter, the winner in this absurd game does not
seek for material gain, but he tries to pass the time which seems infinite)
-the effort of the two major characters is in vain( the discussions with Hamlet); the world does not
make sense
(source: seminar)
13. Look back in anger- Osborne
-kitchen sink drama( focus on interior domestic life and characters feelings, they rebel against the
political context of Britain)
-the Angry Young Man motif( artists frustrated with British cultural life)
-language- vernacular, day-to-day, blunt
-setting: an attic, simply furnished
-characters: Jimmy( dominant, masculine, intense, angry, frustrated with life, intellectuay superior),
Cliff( peasant-Jimmy, likable, more appreciative of Alison), Alison( seems to be resigned with her
domestic monotonous life, mocked by Jimmy, represses her anger)
(http://www.gradesaver.com/look-back-in-anger/study-guide/summary-act-i-pages-1-25)
14. Amadeus-P. Shaffer
-rivalry between Mozart and Salieri(court composer, jealous of Mozart, craves to be remembered, the
inability to achieve greatness that leads to frustration and despair)
-focus on Salieris perspective, seeks support in the audience
-Mozart is seen through Salieris memory
-the subjective perspective, truth is unreliable
(http://www.encyclopedia.com/article-1G2-2693800012/amadeus.html#D)
POETRY
15. Whos Who- Auden
-Father:-paternal figure( Did little jobs about the house with skill); a famous person (the greatest
figure of his day); religious figure
-focus on the individual, on his life, on his emotions( Love made him weep)
-like you and me- feelings are universal, concentrates on the human being

16. The Unknown Citizen- Auden

-satire
-unknown- lack of focus on the individual, because the average citizen is described
- the reason for the building of the monument of the citizen is somehow ironic, because the citizen
was considered to be a saint due to his correctitude towards government.
-citizen and not person
- modern world issues brought into question ( war, system of government, institutions)
(http://www.bachelorandmaster.com/britishandamericanpoetry/the-unknowncitizen.html#.VWo5nEYQt1V ; http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/unknown-citizen)
17.The Wanderer- Auden
-theme of alienation, exile of the individual
-the individual is lonely, nostalgic, experiences suffering and pain because he is an outcast
-Old English style
-it could be interpreted that the soul is wondering, instead of the body; he seeks refuge in God
18. Our Hunting Fathers-Auden
-man is an animal and he is tempered by reason, animals should be treated as gods ( animal= a
persons instinct)
-love= primal instinct
-hunger, illegally the attitude towards sex
(http://genius.com/W-h-auden-our-hunting-fathers-annotated#note-6366019)
19. Musee des Beaux Arts- Auden
-free flow of thoughts that the speaker of the poem associated with the picture The Fall of Icarus
-people tend to be insensitive towards other peoples suffering
-first, the idea of pain and suffering and the attitude of the people not involved are stated; then it is
described the picture from the museum
(http://www.shmoop.com/musee-des-beaux-arts/poem-text.html)
20.Our Bias- Auden
-time linked to objects created by human beings :hourglass-> time is an abstract concept invented
by people, it is perceived differently by nature( roses, lion)-> this human-created concept has no
influence over natural world
-men had lost their connection with nature, they use words in order to be successful

(https://whauden.wordpress.com/2010/03/04/w-h-auden-%E2%80%93-our-bias-1939/ ;
http://baybeeface01.tripod.com/id2.html)
21. In Memory of W B Yeats- Auden
-commemorates the death of Yeats
-expresses the importance of art in a society that is in a state of war (WWII)
-even though the poet(Yeats) passed away, his poems will still be remembered
-Yeats will live through his art
-while he is mortal, his art is immortal
(http://www.gradesaver.com/w-h-auden-poems/study-guide/summary-in-memory-of-w-b-yeats)
22. The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock- T. S. Eliot
-modern mans identity problematized
-not a love story
-epigraph from Dantes Inferno( linked to the attitude of J. Alfred Prufrock towards society and to the
way in which both Guido and Prufrock repress themselves)
-narrow streats, cheap hotels, smoke- modern mans world is like a hell
-smoke-> confusion
-stream of consciousness technique( free flow of thoughts)
-repetitions( Michelangelo)-> the futility of human existence
( source : my essay, seminar )
23. Sweeney among the Nightingales- T. S. Eliot
-hints about the location: Rio de Plata, oranges-> Uruguay
-epigraph- Agamemnons last words( untranslated!->failure of communication, the world is
incomprehensible)->Sweeney compared to Agamemnon and Tereus( who raped Philomela who seeks
revenge)
-two women are supposed to conspire against Sweeney
-nightingale= Philomel (Gr.)
-what happens to Sweeney is a mystery
(http://www.cummingsstudyguides.net/Guides6/Sweeney.html)
24.The Waste Land- T. S. Eliot
-April-spring-cycle of death and rebirth-seen as something tragic ( post war modern industrialized
Britain)

-fragmentation- the poem is not linear-anxiety, but chaotic, lacks unity, incomprehensible(:Weialala
leia / Wallala leialala)
-stream of consciousness technique
(http://www.bartleby.com/201/1.html, http://www.gradesaver.com/the-waste-land/studyguide/summary-section-i-the-burial-of-the-dead)

25. Four Quartets- T. S. Eliot

-Burnt Norton( manor with a rose garden):air, East Coker(Eliots home):earth- rebirth, The Dry
Salvages(group of rocks):water, Little Gidding(17th century community- linked to religion and
spirituality):fire- of purification
-past+present+future= an eternal present
-individual versus universal( epigraph)
-temporal versus eternal(no temporal boundaries)
-the rose and the fire- spiritual unity
(https://www.mum.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/fairchild.pdf)
26.Portrait of a Lady- T.S. Eliot
-the interactions between two personas: male(interlocutor), female(lady)
-recurrent words that express the passage of time, friendship(friend) and superficial
appearances(smile, music-false note)
-December( archetype: death; the lady feels like she is dying); April(spring-archetype: rebirth),
August(autumn); October( fall)
-smile- mask
-the male: apathy-> increasingly influenced by the lady->guilt that he will keep on living after she had
died
(http://comewithmeifyouwanttoread.blogspot.ro/2013/11/ts-eliots-portrait-of-lady.html)
27. Sick Love- R. Grave
-invocation and epithets(royal array, heavenly causeway)- seem traditional( recall Elizabethan
poetry) HOWEVER:
-The dumb blind beast, the paranoiac fury- violent imagery, colloquial language, contrast=> modern
language versus traditional language; clash between periods of time
momentariness-> love is temporary, nothing lasts forever
(http://archive.org/stream/robertgraves00cohe/robertgraves00cohe_djvu.txt ;
http://www.ablemuse.com/erato/showthread.php?t=223)

28. The Devils Advice to Story-Tellers- R. Grave

- literature is used to talk about literature(metaliterary)
-enjabament: Nor yet make diligent transcriptions of
Known instances of virtue, crime or love.
-rhyme: scraps/perhaps , quite regular pattern
-the devil-symbol of rebellion, not following the rules
-lie- one should use their imagination and fantasy in the creative act
(http://alvaro.cat/en/humanities/marianne-moores-poetry-and-robert-graves-the-devils-advice-tostory-tellers.html; http://gregbarron.com/resources/storytellers/#)
29.The Persian Version- R. Grave
-it refers to the Battle of Marathon, where Persians were defeated by the Greeks
-satire , it discusses how the Persians viewed their defeated and how they concealed the truth( in war,
truth is a casualty in order to create propaganda and manipulate masses)
-truth is only an illusion
(https://creativeconflictwisdom.wordpress.com/2013/04/09/the-persian-version-conflict-poem-byrobert-graves-1895-1985/; http://www2.gvsu.edu/klitzkee/efforts/schoolwork/persian_version.htm)
30. Waterfall- S. Heaney
-burn= a small water course
-the noise of water falling is created by the use of s (alliteration)
-through alliteration and words describing the waterfall such as acceleration, sudden breaking
the writer gives the reader the impression of varied movements until standing still( announces the
end of the poem as well as immobility, stillness, everything seems to freeze: glacier)
(http://yeatsjournal.or.kr ; fawbie.com/2012/01/10/waterfall/)
31.Docker- S. Heaney
-the conflict between Protestants and Catholics( related to the troubles in Ireland in the 20 th century)
-the description of a Protestant
-satire about a working class Protestant male( it is described a typical day in the life of a dock
worker)
-the dock worker: communicates only when he has to, is strict in his beliefs( Speech is clampedrepression)
(https://prezi.com/5fyb0_tnirja/docker-by-seamus-heaney/)
32.The Outlaw- S. Heaney
-animalistic nature
-bull- brutality, primal instincts, violence, symbol of virility
-tether= rope, phallic symbol

-alder, catkin- vegetal symbol, life and rebirth

-business-like mating associated with animals(roughness found in words such as curt)
(https://prezi.com/d9w6omgonf5x/seamus-heaneys-the-outlaw/)
33. Leda and the Swan- W. B. Yeats
-intertextuality(connected to the Ancient Greek myth about the queen of Sparta,Leda who was raped
by Zeus, in the form of a swan)
-the retelling of the myth
-feminist perspective due to the fact that the poem was written in 1924 and The Juries Act(1924)
restricted womens rights to serve on juries-> Yeats may have mocked the womens efforts to be seen
as equal
-woman- object of desire
-fragmentation specific to modernists( Ledas body: thighs)
-feathered glory- virility, Zeus
-violence, not seduction
(source: seminar handouts)