Long Paper Topic

I’m not quite sure what I am going to write my paper on yet, but I have it down to two options.

Option One: The first option that I am considering is inspired by Pudd’nhead Wilson, and it is related to the use of fingerprinting and palmistry in the novel. I am thinking that I could write a paper about the prevalence of pseudoscience (palmistry, phrenology, etc.) in the late 19^th century. I thought it was interesting that both fingerprinting (based on actual science) and palmistry (which is nothing close to a science) are considered the same thing. I think that it is interesting that in the 19^th century, a time of so much scientific progress (at the tail-end of the age of enlightenment and the formulation of Darwin’s theory of evolution) that so much nonsense could be taken for actual science.

Option Two: The other option utilizes my interest in the dialects which are used by different characters. I would (probably) focus on how a character’s manner of speech affects their ability to pass. I would specifically focus on the Characters of Eliza (& George) in Uncle Tom’s Cabin and Roxanna in Pudd’nhead Wilson. In the cases of both sets of characters they appear as though they could be white (or Mediterranean or Creole) one is in a much better position to pass for one because of their dialect. While both Eliza and Roxanna were raised in similar circumstances, Roxanna finds herself at a disadvantage when compared to Eliza.

I have some qualms in regards to both of these topics. First off, I’m pretty sure that the former topic is too broad and vague for a paper to be done well on that topic, without it being sharply narrowed. I also fear that the latter topic may be too specific, and I will not be able to produce a paper that is long enough. While I know that the second option is more refined, I am unsure of whether I’ll be able to find sources (specifically historical ones) that will relate to my topic, while I am sure that an abundance of material exists in regards to pseudoscience.

Basically, I’m not very sure. Marie, what are your thoughts?

'Pudd'nhead' Wilson and true identity

Thank God for Mark Twain. Finally something I’m enjoying. Not tolerating, enjoying. Okay, that’s enough of that.

Pudd’nhead Wilson is interesting in that it uses the ‘comedy of errors’ but in a really interesting way. While in part, the crux of the plot reminds me of Twain’s earlier work, The Prince and the Pauper, it’s distinctly American setting (among other things) clearly differentiates this story from its earlier thematic sibling. The switched identities of Tom and Chambers, allows Twain to make an interesting statement about racial roles and identities.

By having Tom (who is in fact Chambers) and Chambers (who is in reality Tom) switched at birth by their nurse (and Chambers’ mother) Roxy, each receives a role different from that which they were assigned at birth. While Roxy prevents her from being separated from her son by having him “sold down river”, her actions turn him into a cruel, spoiled, young man. As a result the “real” Tom is all his opposites (if only because he is a slave).

I find the results of Roxy’s action interesting because (despite the frequent racist attitudes of the book) it seems to support the idea of nature vs. nurture. The reason that Tom acts the way he does is not because of any weakness in his race, but because his upbringing allowed him to act in such a way with little to no repercussions. Yet, when Tom’s true parentage is revealed he is beside himself. Tom (takes the easy way out and) blames all of his weaknesses and flaws on his racial identity, rather than taking responsibility for his actions.

That Twain presents a story that (even though 30 years removed from the civil war and emancipation) seems to favor nurture over nature is surprising to me. While Roxy and Chambers speak in “slave” dialects and Tom does not, it has nothing to do with their (innate) intelligence. Instead should Chambers (the ‘real’ Tom) have been raised as he should have, he would have spoken like Tom and vice versa. While this is not particularly revolutionary to a reader of today, at the time of its publication some readers, no doubt, found it shocking that the wits of black slaves are equal to those of their white owners.

This use of a racist system to make a more liberal statement is interesting. While Twain did this more famously in Huckleberry Finn in the 1870s, some two decades later, he still held his liberal beliefs about slavery and racism.

Portrait of a Lady and Realism

At first I thought that I knew where The Portrait of a Lady was going; rich European aristocrats running around Europe and courting the beautiful and self-sufficient (Or so James tells us) American, Isabel. She rejects Lord Warburton, much like her previous American suitors (most notably Caspar Goodwood), only to fall in love with Gilbert Osmond. Right when I thought the story was going to continue with a (clichéd) happy marriage, James turned the tables on me.

He instead decided to depict the situation realistically. The character of Osmond is not as it appears to Isabel, but is that which is suspected by her cousin (and unrequited lover) Ralph, who believes that Osmond is just acting in the way that Isabel wants. Their marriage quickly goes downhill, as the difference in their true natures are revealed, and Isabel is stuck in a loveless marriage with a man who only wanted access to her money.

Though it started less than realistically, Isabel being invited to her relatives’ English estate, being left a sizeable fortune by Mr. Touchett, and being courted by an English lord; as the book progressed, however, it became more true to life.

This really reminded me of Emile Zola’s Germinal, in that rather than focusing on a fanciful story, it was true to real life. Though James is branching towards realism and Zola referred to the style of realism that he developed as “naturalism” they are similar in their style. The biggest difference between the two and their style is the setting and characters. While The Portrait of a Lady concerns the wealthy well-to-do of Europe, Germinal focuses instead upon coal miners who make up the lowest rungs of the working class. Their approaches are similar though, as James presents the marriage between Osmond and Isabel as unhappy (which makes sense and is more likely than wedded bliss) Zola allows only one character to survive the climatic mine cave-in (which kills a number of the book’s central characters), they allow what would happen in the real world to occur, rather than what would give the stories a happy ending.

I also found interesting that not only would she be in an unhappy marriage (which is not necessarily unheard of in literature of the time) but that she refuses to leave Osmond though she is treated shabbily. She remains faithful to him, even though staying around him makes her miserable (and he is not faithful to her, as he is involved with Merle).

I have to say that this change of events made this book all the more interesting, when I feared it would be a cliché romance amongst the elite of British society.

Paper Idea

While reading the large amount of text we’ve had to read so far, one thing really stuck out to me as interesting, and it came from both the short stories/novellas which we had to read. In both Frederick Douglass’ “The Heroic Slave” and Herman Melville’s “Benito Cereno” we see shipboard slave rebellions. While this plot point is similar, otherwise the two works are very different. One of the biggest differences has to do with the portrayals of the revolt leaders, Madison Washington in Douglass and Babo in Melville. So in my paper I am interested in comparing these two revolt leaders, who other than being smart and leading a revolt, are quite dissimilar. Perhaps addressing what each author’s characterization says about what the author values? I’m not really sure what the full focus will be.