The Catcher in the Rye

 "The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger, published in 1951, follows the story of Holden Caulfield, a disillusioned and disenchanted teenager. After being expelled from an elite prep school, Pencey Prep, Holden decides to leave before the end of term and heads to New York City, where he spends a few days before returning home.

Throughout the novel, Holden struggles with the phoniness and superficiality he perceives in the adult world. He often fantasizes about being the "catcher in the rye," a figure who saves children from falling off a cliff, representing his desire to protect the innocence and purity of youth.

Holden's interactions and observations during his time in New York City reveal his deep-seated alienation, inner conflicts, and a longing for authenticity in a world he views as hypocritical. He engages in various encounters with people, including a prostitute, an old girlfriend, a teacher, and his younger sister, Phoebe.

As the story progresses, Holden's mental state becomes increasingly unstable, grappling with his feelings of alienation, grief over the loss of his younger brother Allie, and his own disillusionment with the adult world. The novel ends with Holden in a mental institution, recounting his experiences.

"The Catcher in the Rye" is a quintessential coming-of-age novel that explores themes of adolescence, identity, alienation, and the struggle to maintain innocence in a world that seems full of contradictions and complexities. The book remains a classic and is celebrated for its portrayal of teenage angst and rebellion against societal norms.

The Great Gatsby

 "The Great Gatsby," written by F. Scott Fitzgerald and published in 1925, is a classic novel set in the summer of 1922 in Long Island and New York City. The story is narrated by Nick Carraway, who moves to West Egg, Long Island, and becomes friends with his enigmatic and wealthy neighbour, Jay Gatsby.

Gatsby is known for hosting extravagant parties at his mansion, hoping to attract his lost love, Daisy Buchanan, who lives across the bay in East Egg with her husband, Tom Buchanan. Daisy and Gatsby had a romantic relationship before Daisy married Tom.

The novel delves into themes of the American Dream, love, wealth, and the contrast between old money and new money. Gatsby's lavish lifestyle is an attempt to win back Daisy and recapture the past. As the story unfolds, the characters' lives become entangled, leading to dramatic events and revelations.

Tragedy strikes as Gatsby's dream of rekindling his romance with Daisy collapses. Ultimately, the novel ends with disillusionment, death, and the realization that the American Dream, as represented by Gatsby's pursuit of wealth and love, is elusive and unattainable.

Fitzgerald's work critiques the materialism and moral decay of the Roaring Twenties, portraying the hollowness of the American Dream and the consequences of living a life based on illusions and unattainable aspirations.

Pride and Prejudice

 Pride & Prejudice

Pride and Prejudice is one of the most beloved novels in all of literature, not just because it's a great love story but also because it tackles social norms such as class and reputation within English society through the protagonist Elizabeth Bennet. Generations of readers have learned the importance of staying true to themselves.

                  Jane Austen was born on December 16th 1775 in Stevenson Hampshire England. When Austen was in her early 20s she wrote a novel called First Impressions this was the basis for the book that eventually became Pride and Prejudice. It was submitted to a publisher but rejected. Austen later revised the manuscript and changed the title. The English publisher Thomas Edgerton released the book in 1813 under Austen's pen name a lady the first printing of the book sold out and would become Austen's most popular novel. Was only upon her death that her brother Henry revealed her authorship.

                   She died on July 18th 1817 at the age of 41 and is buried at Winchester Cathedral despite the enormous and continuing popularity of her books her tombstone makes no mention of her role as a writer.  

                   Pride and Prejudice was composed in England's Georgian era but revised during the Regency era. During this time the English were worried Napoleon Bonaparte would cross the English Channel in response militias formed around the country. One of the postings was in Meriton where most of the novel takes place it's also important to note that England was entering the Industrial Revolution making it possible for commoners to accumulate massive wealth by a trade and manufacturing.

                   The plot follows women of the gentry in search of a husband. Social classes were distinguished by who had land, wealth and title. Although different classes socialized with one another. It was uncommon for landed gentry and nobility to marry beneath their social class.

                   The story follows the Bennet sisters in their attempts to be married. It starts with Charles Bingley moving into the Neighbourhood. Jane Bennet and Charles Bingley are interested in one another. Elizabeth Bennet and Bingley's friend Darcy don't really hit it off at first. Jane and Bingley spend more time together and through social events Darcy grows fond of Elizabeth. But he's worried that Bennett's are too low-class. When Darcy proposes to Elizabeth she rejects him. Darcy, despite the rejection saves the Bennett's from humiliation by paying the scoundrel Wickham to marry the youngest Bennet daughter Lydia. Jane and Bingley marry setting an example of a love. Darcy proposes again, Elizabeth accepts and they marry.

                     Symbols in Pride and Prejudice includes: Houses which not only indicate social status but also reflect their owner’s character. Nature symbolizes freedom where Elizabeth goes to escape the constraints of society.

                   Three Themes in Pride and Prejudice are social class, reputation and love versus marriage. Social class this is especially important as a social constraint on who you can marry. Reputation this is especially important for females who are judged on etiquette and politeness. Love versus Marriage when marriage is viewed as a practical matter love comes second the impact of Pride and Prejudice on the literary world is undeniable it has sold millions of copies and enjoyed film and TV adaptations and been translated into dozens of languages this timeless tale is destined to continue to capture readers imaginations for generations.

Allusion

 

Allusion:

An illusion is a casual or indirect reference to something else such as another work of literature a historical event a biblical story or mythology. An Illusion is an act of deception or a false portrayal of reality. Make sure not to get them confused.

For an example of Allusion if an author writes Dante was a modern-day Romeo and the girls just fell for him. Because the author is referencing Romeo and how easily girls love him from William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet, this is an illusion.

Different types of Allusion:-

There are four main types of Allusions:

Literary Allusions reference another work of literature.

Historical Allusions reference an event in history. 

Classical Allusions reference Greek mythology.  

Biblical Allusions reference an event in the Bible.

Allusions provide context without having to give a lengthy description look at the example- He is a modern-day Romeo. If you know the backstory of Romeo you know how easily Juliet fell in love with him. So it's easier to use an Allusion than to explain Romeo's description.

Allusion

 

Allusion

Sometimes my dog is Dr. Jekyll. But other times he is  Mr. Hyde. Why does the man refer to a well-known character when describing his dog?

You remember the story of Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde, right?

Dr.Jekyll is kind and friendly. ...but sometimes he turns into Mr.Hyde, who is violent and evil. By referring to Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde, the man can quickly illustrate his dog's personality. This is called allusion.

“An allusion is a reference to someone or something commonly known from literature, history, religion, or other areas of culture. It helps writers and speaker express ideas quickly and effectively”.

Alliteration

 

Alliteration

When the same sound is repeated at the beginning in a group of words it is called alliteration.

 

For example:-

All the amazing apples arrived at the airport. We can see that the initial sound of letter “a” is repeated in more than one word in this sentence. Therefore this is an example of Alliteration. Alliteration is a fun way of learning English make funny poems and descriptions using alliteration.

Let us look at some more examples of alliteration.

Dancing dogs to not dangle from dusty doors.

Carrots and cartoons can be carried in crazy cars.

Big brown bears buy bunches of blueberries.

Age of Chaucer- Hundred Years War

 

Hundred Years War :-

We need to take a look at the Hundred Years War which qualifies to be one of the major sources of heavy taxation, it also heavily drained the resources of England. This makes it important for us to understand the trajectory of this war which was spread over 116 years, a little more than 100 years though for convenience, historians have chosen to name it as a Hundred Years War.

 

Norman Conquest:

The origins of this contest with France; it dates back to 1066 AD, if you remember that was when the Norman Conquest happened.

 William the Conqueror:

The William the Conqueror who led the Norman Conquest against the English, against the Anglo-Saxons and won over them, he ended up ruling England and Normandy in France together. There was the island of England on one hand and Normandy in France on the other. So all the subsequent kings of England, they, all the successors continued to rule England and Normandy simultaneously and it was seen as quite a rightful claim as well.

Henry II:

Also, we notice that from the time of Henry II, this - a lot of territorial disputes which emerge and it also becomes a little difficult to control the land which is situated in a distance land, in a distant land. And around the same period, this difficulty in controlling the land leads to a lot of territorial disputes between England and France leading to a lot of hostile emotions as well. And if you remember, it is around the same period, in the 14th and 15th century that England also in England, the French also begins to lose its prominence and loses out to the English language. So a lot of factors contribute to this hostility and this becomes a triggering factor to contribute towards a war-like situation as well.

The Reign of Edward the III:

And what happens by the reign of Edward the III is quite significant, we find that by 1327, compared to the entire land of Normandy, there are only two provinces left in France under the control of England. This is a major source of concern as the source of revenue was also getting limited and also the English kings begin to take it as a matter of prestige, as a matter of honor. And around the same time we find that in France, another turn of events are happening. So in 1328 in France, King Charles IV, he dies and there is no heir and Edward III is the king of England during this period. And Edward III’s mother who is Isabella, Isabella happened to be Charles IV's sister. So Edward III’s mother, Isabella assumes that since Charles IV has died leaving no heir as a successor, they assume that there is a rightful claim for Edward III that we also should remember that he was only 15 years old then, yeah. So Edward III and his mother, they assume that there is a rightful claim for Edward III to the crown for France, so they lay a claim to the English king Edward III who happens to be the nephew of the deceased king, Charles IV. He lays a claim to the crown of France which is not taken very kindly by the French people because they had other plans in hand. And they also . . . there is this rule which prevails in France that one can become king only through their father’s line and not through their mother’s line. But in England, one can become king through either way, through the father's line or through the mother's line. So because of this, the French people are very unhappy with Edward III accessing the crown of France. And with this, a kind of dispute emerges and France in general was against this and they bring in a new king and the Hundred Years War, we find, it breaks out. And it was at this point of time that the Hundred Years War breaks out between England and France. And to be noted, this was not a single series of war happening, it was not a single war which happened between England and France; in fact, it was a series of wars, a series of battles which happened. And there was in the initial period, victory was mostly on the English side, but eventually it happens so that France wins over. And even the two provinces which were held by Britain, they lose out on those two provinces by 1453, by the end of the war. We shall not be getting into further details of the Hundred Years War, but some of the details we shall be taking a look at again when we engage with the 15th century because a war is spread over such a long time that it continued to inform the ways in which social, political history of Britain was formed. So coming back to our original point, due to the various things happening especially as the age was dominated by war, the general mood of 14th century, it was not very favorable for the common man. But in spite of that, we do find that Chaucer continues to write and he gets qualified as the Father of English literature itself. So this is how we sum up the challenging period of 13th and 14th century. There was famine, there was death, anarchy, tyranny, wars, heavy taxation and you name it and you have it. It was such a challenging period for Britain.

So we look forward to seeing you in the next session, thank you.