The figure of Queen Margaret, formerly Margaret of Anjou, her marital relationship with her new h... more The figure of Queen Margaret, formerly Margaret of Anjou, her marital relationship with her new husband, King Henry VI, her relationship with her lover, the Duke of Suffolk, and the figure of Suffolk himself in 2 Henry VI, which was probably written in 1591 (Norton Shakespeare, 203) can be seen as an oblique commentary on the situation in England in the 1590s.
In this paper, I will briefly focus on three ways in which the marital relationship can be regarded as relevant to the turbulent events of the 1590s: as a commentary on the monarchy in general and on Elizabeth in particular, as a commentary on the domestic situation in England, and as a commentary on England’s international situation.
Food is a central motif in the Joseph narrative in the Bible. Whether directly referred to or mer... more Food is a central motif in the Joseph narrative in the Bible. Whether directly referred to or merely alluded to, food is a vehicle for Joseph’s downfall; his rise to power, his exercising of power as Egyptian viceroy vis-à-vis his family, the Jewish nation and the land of Egypt. The food motif is so pervasive in the Joseph narrative in Genesis that it is even an element in Jacob’s final blessing to Joseph within the context of his final blessing to his children that he gives just before his death.
Renaming is a prominent element that Avitam Ghosh uses in his novel, Sea of Poppies, to depict th... more Renaming is a prominent element that Avitam Ghosh uses in his novel, Sea of Poppies, to depict the relationship between cultures, especially the relationship between the culture of a colonial power – Great Britain – and the culture of the colonized – the native population of 19th-century India. I will focus here on two types of renaming: friendly renaming, which expresses acceptance and/or appropriation of the Other, and inimical renaming, which expresses rejection of, even contempt for, the Other and a clear demarcation line between the renamer and the renamed Other. There is a connection between friendly or inimical renaming and colonialism and, on the other hand, there is a connection between friendly renaming and hybridization.
It is interesting to note how one of the chapters in Dionne Brand's What We All Long For succinct... more It is interesting to note how one of the chapters in Dionne Brand's What We All Long For succinctly expresses three major motifs in the novel: first, the false dynamism of mainstream city life, which conceals its character as a closed-circuit, trapped existence; second, the artificiality of immigrant success in material terms, and a third motif that undermines the first two – the concept of the city as a mother.
The discussion here will focus on five prominent metaphors in selected poems by Nelly Sachs in th... more The discussion here will focus on five prominent metaphors in selected poems by Nelly Sachs in the anthology O The Chimneys – sand/dust, smoke, the chimney, the hourglass and the terrible puppeteer. The first two, which figure prominently in her poems, constitute a pair in which the first element – dust/sand (which will be treated here as virtually synonymous and identical) – represents a natural process and the second a deliberate action. The next three are bridging metaphors, which, although not as commonly encountered in this collection, play a critical role as transformers and amplifiers. The hourglass and the chimney turn dust/sand and smoke respectively into sinister things, while the terrible puppeteer image performs two actions: First, it transforms the innocuous, pleasing image of a child's toy into the grotesque image of human beings whose every move is dictated by other humans. Second, in a related movement, it turns the human condition, where all mortals must obey physical laws (of gravitation, of physical attrition), into a situation where they must obey cruel laws established by other mortals.
Although the central female protagonist and the narrator in Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca is not ca... more Although the central female protagonist and the narrator in Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca is not called Rebecca, which is the name of Maxim de Winter's late wife, the name Rebecca permeates the entire novel. When the biblical Rebecca and the first Mrs. de Winter are compared, the latter appears to be the complete reverse of the second Matriarch. However, the narrator, who is also Mrs. de Winter (namely, the second Mrs. de Winter), not only – and naturally – assumes the name, she begins to act like the late Rebecca and even considers that she has taken her place beside Maxim. A comparison between the biblical Rebecca and the narrator, who, to a certain extent, can be viewed as a second Rachel, shows several interesting parallels and differences.
The biblical Rebecca will first – and briefly – be compared, or, rather, primarily contrasted with du Maurier's Rebecca. She will then be compared with the narrator in connection with the following four topics: deception, barrenness, handicap, and the replacement of a previous powerful female presence.
Whitcross is one of Jane Eyre's most fascinating images. The whitewashed “stone pillar set up whe... more Whitcross is one of Jane Eyre's most fascinating images. The whitewashed “stone pillar set up where four roads meet” is both a symbol/cross-reference and a structural device. Similarly, its two components, white and cross, are both symbols/cross-references and structural devices. What is particularly intriguing is the fact that the two functions are intertwined.
Since this duality would require an extensive and lengthy discussion, the present essay will offer only a brief introduction to the image's double role.
Both Abigail in Christopher Marlowe's The Jew of Malta and Jessica in William Shakespeare's The M... more Both Abigail in Christopher Marlowe's The Jew of Malta and Jessica in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice rebel against their fathers and their Jewish faith. Both daughters display considerable energy; however, unlike Jessica, Abigail is silenced, victim of her own father.
In this paper, Abigail will be compared to her biblical namesake; it is difficult to compare Jessica with her biblical counterpart, Iscah. Unlike the biblical Abigail, who is fleshed out as a character in 1 Samuel, Iscah is mentioned only once – and without any fleshing-out of her character – in Genesis 11:29. However, as figures whom their fathers either sacrifice or want to sacrifice, both Marlowe's Abigail and Shakespeare's Jessica can be compared to Jephthah's daughter.
The figure of Queen Margaret, formerly Margaret of Anjou, her marital relationship with her new h... more The figure of Queen Margaret, formerly Margaret of Anjou, her marital relationship with her new husband, King Henry VI, her relationship with her lover, the Duke of Suffolk, and the figure of Suffolk himself in 2 Henry VI, which was probably written in 1591 (Norton Shakespeare, 203) can be seen as an oblique commentary on the situation in England in the 1590s.
In this paper, I will briefly focus on three ways in which the marital relationship can be regarded as relevant to the turbulent events of the 1590s: as a commentary on the monarchy in general and on Elizabeth in particular, as a commentary on the domestic situation in England, and as a commentary on England’s international situation.
Food is a central motif in the Joseph narrative in the Bible. Whether directly referred to or mer... more Food is a central motif in the Joseph narrative in the Bible. Whether directly referred to or merely alluded to, food is a vehicle for Joseph’s downfall; his rise to power, his exercising of power as Egyptian viceroy vis-à-vis his family, the Jewish nation and the land of Egypt. The food motif is so pervasive in the Joseph narrative in Genesis that it is even an element in Jacob’s final blessing to Joseph within the context of his final blessing to his children that he gives just before his death.
Renaming is a prominent element that Avitam Ghosh uses in his novel, Sea of Poppies, to depict th... more Renaming is a prominent element that Avitam Ghosh uses in his novel, Sea of Poppies, to depict the relationship between cultures, especially the relationship between the culture of a colonial power – Great Britain – and the culture of the colonized – the native population of 19th-century India. I will focus here on two types of renaming: friendly renaming, which expresses acceptance and/or appropriation of the Other, and inimical renaming, which expresses rejection of, even contempt for, the Other and a clear demarcation line between the renamer and the renamed Other. There is a connection between friendly or inimical renaming and colonialism and, on the other hand, there is a connection between friendly renaming and hybridization.
It is interesting to note how one of the chapters in Dionne Brand's What We All Long For succinct... more It is interesting to note how one of the chapters in Dionne Brand's What We All Long For succinctly expresses three major motifs in the novel: first, the false dynamism of mainstream city life, which conceals its character as a closed-circuit, trapped existence; second, the artificiality of immigrant success in material terms, and a third motif that undermines the first two – the concept of the city as a mother.
The discussion here will focus on five prominent metaphors in selected poems by Nelly Sachs in th... more The discussion here will focus on five prominent metaphors in selected poems by Nelly Sachs in the anthology O The Chimneys – sand/dust, smoke, the chimney, the hourglass and the terrible puppeteer. The first two, which figure prominently in her poems, constitute a pair in which the first element – dust/sand (which will be treated here as virtually synonymous and identical) – represents a natural process and the second a deliberate action. The next three are bridging metaphors, which, although not as commonly encountered in this collection, play a critical role as transformers and amplifiers. The hourglass and the chimney turn dust/sand and smoke respectively into sinister things, while the terrible puppeteer image performs two actions: First, it transforms the innocuous, pleasing image of a child's toy into the grotesque image of human beings whose every move is dictated by other humans. Second, in a related movement, it turns the human condition, where all mortals must obey physical laws (of gravitation, of physical attrition), into a situation where they must obey cruel laws established by other mortals.
Although the central female protagonist and the narrator in Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca is not ca... more Although the central female protagonist and the narrator in Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca is not called Rebecca, which is the name of Maxim de Winter's late wife, the name Rebecca permeates the entire novel. When the biblical Rebecca and the first Mrs. de Winter are compared, the latter appears to be the complete reverse of the second Matriarch. However, the narrator, who is also Mrs. de Winter (namely, the second Mrs. de Winter), not only – and naturally – assumes the name, she begins to act like the late Rebecca and even considers that she has taken her place beside Maxim. A comparison between the biblical Rebecca and the narrator, who, to a certain extent, can be viewed as a second Rachel, shows several interesting parallels and differences.
The biblical Rebecca will first – and briefly – be compared, or, rather, primarily contrasted with du Maurier's Rebecca. She will then be compared with the narrator in connection with the following four topics: deception, barrenness, handicap, and the replacement of a previous powerful female presence.
Whitcross is one of Jane Eyre's most fascinating images. The whitewashed “stone pillar set up whe... more Whitcross is one of Jane Eyre's most fascinating images. The whitewashed “stone pillar set up where four roads meet” is both a symbol/cross-reference and a structural device. Similarly, its two components, white and cross, are both symbols/cross-references and structural devices. What is particularly intriguing is the fact that the two functions are intertwined.
Since this duality would require an extensive and lengthy discussion, the present essay will offer only a brief introduction to the image's double role.
Both Abigail in Christopher Marlowe's The Jew of Malta and Jessica in William Shakespeare's The M... more Both Abigail in Christopher Marlowe's The Jew of Malta and Jessica in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice rebel against their fathers and their Jewish faith. Both daughters display considerable energy; however, unlike Jessica, Abigail is silenced, victim of her own father.
In this paper, Abigail will be compared to her biblical namesake; it is difficult to compare Jessica with her biblical counterpart, Iscah. Unlike the biblical Abigail, who is fleshed out as a character in 1 Samuel, Iscah is mentioned only once – and without any fleshing-out of her character – in Genesis 11:29. However, as figures whom their fathers either sacrifice or want to sacrifice, both Marlowe's Abigail and Shakespeare's Jessica can be compared to Jephthah's daughter.
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Papers by Mark E Shapiro
In this paper, I will briefly focus on three ways in which the marital relationship can be regarded as relevant to the turbulent events of the 1590s: as a commentary on the monarchy in general and on Elizabeth in particular, as a commentary on the domestic situation in England, and as a commentary on England’s international situation.
The biblical Rebecca will first – and briefly – be compared, or, rather, primarily contrasted with du Maurier's Rebecca. She will then be compared with the narrator in connection with the following four topics: deception, barrenness, handicap, and the replacement of a previous powerful female presence.
Since this duality would require an extensive and lengthy discussion, the present essay will offer only a brief introduction to the image's double role.
In this paper, Abigail will be compared to her biblical namesake; it is difficult to compare Jessica with her biblical counterpart, Iscah. Unlike the biblical Abigail, who is fleshed out as a character in 1 Samuel, Iscah is mentioned only once – and without any fleshing-out of her character – in Genesis 11:29. However, as figures whom their fathers either sacrifice or want to sacrifice, both Marlowe's Abigail and Shakespeare's Jessica can be compared to Jephthah's daughter.
In this paper, I will briefly focus on three ways in which the marital relationship can be regarded as relevant to the turbulent events of the 1590s: as a commentary on the monarchy in general and on Elizabeth in particular, as a commentary on the domestic situation in England, and as a commentary on England’s international situation.
The biblical Rebecca will first – and briefly – be compared, or, rather, primarily contrasted with du Maurier's Rebecca. She will then be compared with the narrator in connection with the following four topics: deception, barrenness, handicap, and the replacement of a previous powerful female presence.
Since this duality would require an extensive and lengthy discussion, the present essay will offer only a brief introduction to the image's double role.
In this paper, Abigail will be compared to her biblical namesake; it is difficult to compare Jessica with her biblical counterpart, Iscah. Unlike the biblical Abigail, who is fleshed out as a character in 1 Samuel, Iscah is mentioned only once – and without any fleshing-out of her character – in Genesis 11:29. However, as figures whom their fathers either sacrifice or want to sacrifice, both Marlowe's Abigail and Shakespeare's Jessica can be compared to Jephthah's daughter.