Seminar on the modernism in english literature. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

SEMINAR ON THE MODERNISM

IN ENGLISH LITERATURE

(J. Joyce – “A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man”; D.H. Lawrence “Lady Chatterley’s Lover”)

1.  Speak on the peculiar features of the Modernism in English literature. Comment on the role of Sigmund Freud in changing the mass consciousness.

2.  Speak on the James Joyce’s literary work.

3.  Consider “Ulysses” as “the encyclopaedia of modernism”.

4.  Interpret the title of Joyce’s novel “A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man”. How does the use of articles in the title reinforce the ideas it conveys?

5.  Analyze the epigraph to the novel, “Et ignotas animum dimittit in artes” – “And directs his thought to unknown arts” (Ovid, Metamorphoses, VIII, 18) and say how it foreshadows the development of the ideas.

6.  Discuss the genre characteristics of the novel. Note a variety of literary terms which may be used to define the genre of the novel (a Bildungsroman, coming of age novel, a family novel, etc.)

7.  Where and to what effect does Joyce resort to stylistic form called stream-of-consciousness? Analyze the passage at the beginning of the novel, in which Stephen’s early childhood is recreated in a sequence of memories and perceptions. Comment on the vocabulary that reproduces sensory impressions: tactile, auditory, visual. In what way does this technique of a sensual montage of Stephen’s earliest childhood memories suggest the process of portrait painting? Do you find this section of the book effective in plausibly recreating the thoughts and feelings of a very young boy? Give your reasons.

8.  Analyze the way Stephen’s family affects him as his character develops throughout the novel. How does he react to his father’s patriotic nostalgia and to his mother’s solemn Catholicism? Dwell on the Christmas-dinner scene and say what basic confrontations that will dominate Stephen’s story are introduced.

9.  Say how Stephen’s attitude towards his parents changes as the novel unfolds. Why does he feel that he needs to escape from his family at the end of the novel?

10. Enlarge on Stephen’s experience at Clongowes Wood College. What influenced his decision to reject a life of Christian piety?

11. Compare and contrast Stephen with some of the other boys and young men with whom he associates. How is he different from them? How does he feel about being different?

12. Discuss the role Stephen’s burgeoning sexuality plays in his development as a character. With particular reference to his encounter with the prostitute, how does his Catholic moralism complicate his experience of sexuality?

13. Consider Joyce’s use of religious imagery and language throughout the novel. What are Stephen’s doubts about the religious faith?

14. Speak on the role of Stephen’s moment of epiphany in the presence of the young girl. How does this moment of profound insight influence his worldview?

15. Dwell on the symbolism of the protagonist’s name:

1)  Stephen;

2)  Dedalus.

16. Compare and contrast Stephen’s perception of art with his perception of any of the factors by which he feels constrained – family, religion, education, country.

17. Dwell on Stephen’s attitude to the concept of patriotism. How does it change as the novel unfolds?

18. Speak on the role of the various settings of the novel: its national setting, its local settings, and the settings of particular scenes. How do they affect the characters and the plot? How is Stephen influenced by the idea of Ireland?

19. Comment on the following viewpoint: “A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is an autobiography in the guise of fiction” (Gower R. Past into Present). Can we regard the novel as Joyce’s attempt to read the hidden emotional life and even the unconscious experiences and motives of his narrative voice Stephen Dedalus?

20. Does Joyce treat Stephen as his hero or as a character with flaws to be explored?

21. Judging by the novel, what do you think was Joyce’s own attitude to the Irish Revival and to the relations between Irish and world literature?

22. Present an overview of D.H. Lawrence’s life and work.

23. Say what features of Lawrence’s writing make him an undoubtedly outstanding explorer of the human psyche.

24. Restore the time-line of the novel “Lady Chatterley’s Lover”. What is the significance of settings the actions in the three differing surroundings: in Wragby Hall, in Tevershall and in the forest?

25. Discuss the working of the conflicts that drive the plot. Distinguish between the psychological and the social ones. Does the author offer any solution?

26. Say if there is a cause-and-effect connection between events or do they have an arbitrary nature?

27. Do you think the characters represent any ideas? Are they symbolic? Is Mellor’s occupation a symbol? Is there any symbolism in the fact that Clifford’s motorized chair breaks down when he ventures into the wood?

28. Consider D.H. Lawrence’s message in showing the inevitability of Connie’s involvement with Mellors.

29. Say what sequence in the novel signifies that the lovers are reborn into a new life?

30. Analyze the way in which the writer expresses his psychological postulates. Which of the themes in the story can be looked at from the psychoanalytic point of view?

31. Comment on the following scenes from the novel: crisis of relationship between Connie and Clifford; rain dance; D.H. Lawrence’s analyses of Connie’s changed condition.

32. Analyze the beginning and end of the novel. Do these two points mark a “revolution in our way of looking at love and life”?

33. Why does D.H. Lawrence so vehemently reject the contemporary “mechanical” civilization?

34. What is the principal way of salvation for D.H. Lawrence?

35. Is love a religion for the writer?

36. What complexes of the unconscious does D.H. Lawrence demonstrate in the novel?

37.  Can the characters be regarded as the symbols of the “id”, the “ego” and the “super-ego”?

38. How does D.H. Lawrence explain his use of obscene words, and how does he treat human sexuality?