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The Metamorphosis

2006-04-18T18:14:12Z

Bmaloy: /* Study Questions */

==Summary==
Gregory Samsa is a traveling salesman who financially supports his family. He wakes up in the morning to find out he has been transformed into a Dung Beetle. He is in shock after his reality sets in and tries to figure out how he is going to get to work. Although they try to assimilate the change, his family is horrified and keeps Gregory locked in his room. Gregory eventually dies, leaving his family free.

==Study Guide==
*[[The Metamorphosis: Chapter 1|Chapter 1]]
*[[The Metamorphosis: Chapter 2|Chapter 2]]
*[[The Metamorphosis: Chapter 3|Chapter 3]]

===Chapter 1 Summary===
The first chapter of The Metamorphosis is the chapter that Gregory Samsa wakes up to find that he has morphed into a bug. The bug is never truly revealed and Kafka wanted it to be that way. Kafka said that a "concrete image would be too distracting and shut off sympathy" (Fleissner 225), so the true identity of the bug is left up to the reader.

Gregory's parents worry about him when he has not gotten up to go to work, so his family goes to his room and then Gregory's chief clerk comes to his house to see why Gregory has not come to work. Gregory hears that that the clerk has come to check on him so he tries to make it out of his room by turning the key with his mouth and when he opens door, he frightens his family and the clerk, sending the clerk running and sends his father into a frenzied state to put Gregory back in his room. Gregory’s mother faints when she sees him. His family stays away from him, careful not to disturb him or disturb themselves. Gregory eventually loses his human voice and takes on all appearances and actions of a bug. The chapter ends when “The door was banged to with the stick, and at last there was silence” (1976). This is when Gregory’s father successfully shoves him back to his room away from the rest of the family for the time being.

===Chapter 3 Summary===

It has been a month since Gregory’s injury form the apple. He now resembles an “elderly invalid” and has trouble with mobility. Gregory’s parents and sister all have jobs now; his mother works as a seamstress, his father works at the bank and his sister works as a shop assistance. A new maid has also been hired. Gregory spends most of his days and nights sleeping and thinking about his family and his former job. His sister Meg begins spending less time with him and his appetite has begun to deplete. Three lodgers come to stay at his house. While they are there, the door where Gregory can see out of stays shut so he can not see out. One night, Meg plays the violin for the men. The door that is usually shut was left open by the maid and Gregory peeps out. The middle lodger spots him and is grossed out. He gives notice to Gregory’s parents that they will be leaving and that they do not intend to pay for their stay because of the filthy conditions. The next morning, the maid goes in to clean Gregory’s room and finds him dead. She informs his family and they decide to move to a smaller, less expensive apartment. The chapter ends with talk of finding Meg a husband.

==Major Themes==

===Alienation===
The theme of alienation plays a major role in the story because Gregory is alienated from his family and society before the metamorphosis occurs and even more so afterwards. Kafka uses the theme of alienation in this story to "comment on the human need to experience love and acceptance" (Hughes). Gregory's mother tells his boss when they first discover that something is wrong, "He's not well, sir, you can take it from me. What else would make him miss his train? Why, the boy thinks of nothing but his work! It makes me quite cross that he never goes out in the evening..." (1970). Before the metamorphosis, Gregory's work is what alienates him from his family and society.

After the metamorphosis, however, it is his distinct features that alienate him. One example of the alienation is that his family locks him in his bedroom. Gregory is not allowed to be a part of the family. Gregory then has to make the adjustment from being a man in the working world and traveling everyday, to being a prisoner in his own bedroom (Hughes). Another way that Gregory's family alienates him is that when they talk about him, they openly talk about his features in front of him because they think that he cannot understand what they are saying. "If he understood what we said...we might be able to come to an arrangement with him. But as things are..." (1995). They refer to Gregory as "it" rather than by his name. "It has to go...it's the only way, father. You must just try to get out of the habit of thinking that it's Gregory" (1995). In this way, the reader finds out that the family has stopped acknowledging Gregory as their son. The family also treats Gregory like an animal by the way that they feed him. Gregory's sister would bring in scraps from the table that the family wouldn't eat to feed him. "She brought him a whole selection of things, all laid out on an old newspaper, to see what he liked. There were some old half rotten vegetables; the bones from supper, covered with congealed white sauce; some raisins and almonds; a piece of cheese...two days old; a slice of dry bread..." (1978). The family treated him like an animal, rather than their son who got sick and needed his family to look after him.

===Guilt===
The theme of guilt is relevent to the story because it is a very powerful emotion. Gregory is upset that he can't go out and work because of what has happened to him. Even though the metamorphosis wasn't his fault, he still blams himself (Altshuler). Gregory also feels guilty because his family can't move on, literally and mentally. The thing that kept his family from moving on was "their feeling of utter dispair and the idea that they had been struck by a misfortune exceeding anything ever experienced within their entire circle of friends and relations" (1989). Gregory blams himself for this because if this tragedy hadn't happened, his family wouldn't feel the need that they had to move. Gregory also has a guilty feeling because he wants to see his mother, but he knows that he cannot because her reaction to seeing him would not be a good one. When Meg and her mother were moving furniture out of Gregory's room, the mother saw him on the wall. Her reaction was "in a shrill, strident voice, 'Oh God, oh God!' and with arms outstretched as if giving up altogether fell back on the couch and lay still" (1985). Gregory knew that his mother would not take well to seeing him like that, but he stayed on the wall just the same, to protect a painting.

===Novella===
Technically a theme, but more of a genre so to speak, that is unknown to most of us present day readers of Kafka is novella. "A novella is a short novel; a narrative work of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prose prose] fiction somewhat longer than a short story but shorter than a novel. A common length is about 50 to 100 pages. The extra length is generally used for more character development than is possible in a short story, but without the much greater character and plot development of a novel. Novellas often are characterized by satire or moral teaching" (Wikipedia).

Satire: This is clearly evident as "[http://litmuse.maconstate.edu/litwiki/index.php/The_Metamorphosis#Summary The Metamorphosis] is obviously a story about alienation. Gregor's life is dictated by his dead-end job and family responsibilities to the extent that even when he travels to different towns, he prefers to stay in his hotel room studying train timetables rather than experience what the new location has to offer. That isolation is mirrored in his relationship with his family, for whom he is the bread-winner but from whom he locks himself away at night. This alienation becomes so pronounced that, one day, he discovers himself to be literally no longer human. Gregor's earlier sentiment is reciprocated when his family begins locking and bolting the door shut behind him in his room. Late in the story, he briefly considers what it means to be 'human'; if he can be so moved by his sister's music then surely he cannot be an animal. And ultimately, his acceptance that he must go shows an act of genuine humanity" (Archer).

Moral Teaching: Try interpreting the story without Gregor's transformation. "In this interpretation, the other characters in the story would not see a man-sized beetle. Instead, they see a man so alienated from reality that he chooses to reject it totally. He is still a man, the same man they saw the previous day, but now he is crawling awkwardly on the floor and squeaking rather than speaking. He would prefer the shame of living as an insect to the hopelessness of living as a man. He would rather live in squalor and eat scraps from the rubbish than deal with the mind-numbing sameness of his life and accept responsibility for changing it. The abhorrence the family displays upon seeing him would still be the same - perhaps it would be even greater if they still just saw a man. They would be forced to accept the situation in the same way; still hoping [http://litmuse.maconstate.edu/litwiki/index.php/The_Metamorphosis#Gregory_Samsa Gregor] will put himself right before finally admitting the man they knew will never return. As nightmarish as the scenario presented in the book is, maybe the only thing worse than inexplicably transforming into a giant bug overnight is wishing you had" (Archer).

===Reversal of Roles===

At the begining Gregory is the one who supports his family. He is bringing home the money while his father sits in his chair and sleeps. This may have "crippled the father's self-esteem because he took over the father's position in the family" (Coulehan). After Gregory's transformation, the roles reversed and the father re-assumes his positon as the provider forthe family. Gregory now becomes weak and his father kills him.

===Loss of Humanity===

The theme of humanity is shown in the story by how it is taken away from Gregor. His humanity is slowly taken away from him throughout the story not just by his transformation into a bug. Gregor’s first link to humanity that is taken away was that of him being the bread winner for the family. “Gregors humanity, to the extent that his parents and sister acknowledge it, is inextricably tied to his function as economic provider.” (Rowe). Later in the story more is pulled away when Grete begins taking objects out of his room. This made Gregory reminisce about his human life. “They were clearing his room out, taking everything that was dear to him…”(p.1985). Here the last things that ever tied him to having a human existence were removed. When a person is inflicted with a severe illness it is easy for those around that person to be horrified by that person’s appearance (Rowe). The ill patient can not defend his or herself so the people around do not think about how the patient feels (Rowe). This causes the patient to lose their humanity (Rowe). Gregor is inflicted with a unique illness but the outcome is the same. The most famous occurrence of a patient losing their humanity is that of Terry Schiavo. Everybody had their own opinion of Shiavo’s fate. Schiavo could not defend herself or give her opinion of her fate. That situation was turned into a political circus and ultimately stripped Schiavo of her humanity. Rowe states that The Metamorphosis warns against this treatment of people with illnesses.

===Materialistic===

Modern Society is leading us down a path to care more about the material things rather than the things that truly matter. Gregory Samsa, the one person who cared more about his family than money, worked long hours at a job that he disliked not because of his love for the job, but so that his family could have a good life. His family on the other hand was enjoying a work free life. Mankind gets so caught up in the bureaucracy of society that we sometimes forget what what matters most. We get jobs so that we can buy the materialistic things we desire. This need for money and material things can change our mindset and forget what is truly important in our lives. In, The Metamorphosis, Gregory turns into some sort of insect, while this is something that is very dramatic and would be very hard to deal with, Kafka is trying to show how Gregory’s family rejects him, not only because of his appearance but because he can no longer go to work, no longer will his family be able live off the income he generates, no more material things without a little hard work. After the metamorphosis Gregory will no longer be able to fit into society, therefore his family begins to shun him. Not one of his family members ever tries to find out what happened and what could be done to fix it. One by one Gregory’s family members grow further away from him, forgetting all of the selfless deeds he did for all of them.

===Modern Spirituality===

Franz Kafka’s ''The Metamorphosis'' goes against what most writers would consider normal writing layout. His style is peculiar in that he places the climax at the beginning of the narrative-instead of at the end. By choosing to write in this fashion, Kafka steers his readers away from the traditional Aristotelian form of narrative (complication and denouncement) and instead creates his own form. ''The Metamorphosis'' is a brilliant novella that replaces the denouncement and conclusions one would normally expect with a form created from itself.
The first line of the novella proclaims Gregory’s death and the rest of the story a description of his slow dying: “As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect” (Bloom 19). Gregory’s metamorphosis is the truth of his life, and his consciousness has lied to him about himself.

==Characters==

===Gregory Samsa===
A traveling salesman responsible for providing for his family. His metamorphosis into a insect leaves a stuggle between his human mind and insect needs.

===Mother===
Gregory's mother seems to be the weakest and hit the hardest by her son’s metamorphosis. The effect of this metamorphosis on her health is terrible. Every time she sees him, she has some sort of panic attack. Gregory’s father and sister try to protect his mother from him.

===Father===
Gregor's father more less plays the role of dictator in the story and this is due to his hostilities and interpersonal power dynamics in the family, This is evident with passages such as, "His father looked hostile and clenched a fist as if to force Gregory back into his room;" (1973). Some would describe his father as "A slouching, defeated man whose business failure has seemingly sapped his vitality, Gregor's father finds new confidence and better posture once the economic necessity engendered by Gregor's misfortune forces him to work again. His fruit-flinging fit of rage is the catalyst for Gregor's declining health and eventual demise (Lichtenstein). Even though Gregor is the bread-winner and provider of the family, the Samsas are still a patriarch type of family.

===Grete===
The sister of Gregory Samsa who feeds him and takes care of him.

==Literary Interpertation==

==Study Questions==
#What sort of bug does Gregory Samsa change into overnight?
#What is the significance of Gregory's job? How does his job effect his family?
#How does the chief clerk from Gregory's job act towards the Samsa's and in general about the entire situation?
#What two people does Gregory think would be the "strongest" and most able to help get him out of bed in the morning? What do you think that this signifies?
#What family member feeds Gregory after he is changed into a bug?
#What is the outside weather like during the "Metamorphosis"? Does this climate help set the mood at all?
#What type of relationship does Gregory have with his sister Meg? How would you describe it?
#How does Gregory die at the end of "The Metamorphosis"?

==External Links==
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/metamorph/

==Works Cited==
Altshuler, Roman. "GradeSaver: ClassicNote: The Metamorphosis - Major Themes." www.gradesaver.com. 17 April 2006. GradeSaver. 17 April 2006 <http://www.gradesaver.com/classicnotes/titles/metamorphosis/themes.html>.

Bloom, Harold. “The Metamorphosis”. ''Modern Critical Interpretations''. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1988.

Coulehan, Jack. "The Metamorphosis". Bantam (New York)1997.

Hughes, Katherine. "Seperate and Alone: Alienation as a Central Theme in Tolstoy's The Death of Ivan Ilyich and Kafka's Metamorphosis." 9 November 2002. 17 April 2006. <http://www.gradesaver.com/classicnotes/titles/metamorphosis/essay1.html>

Fleissner, Robert F. "Is Gregor Samsa a Bed Bug? Kafka and Dickens Revisited." ''Studies in Short Fiction''. Vol. 22, Issue 2 (1985): p 225.

"Novella". Wikipedia. 11 April 2006. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 17 April 2006.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novella>.

"Kafka's 'The Metamorphosis' ". Ed. Archer, Lincoln. 25 October 2004. [http://www.bbc.co.uk/home/d/ BBC]. 17 April 2006.
<http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A3023065>.

Rowe, Michael. "Metamorphosis: Defending the Human." Literature In Medicine. Baltimore: Fall 2002. vol 21, 264-281

Lichtenstein, Jesse. "SparkNote on The Metamorphosis". 16 April 2006. 17 Apr. 2006. <http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/metamorph/characters.html>

[[Category:World Literature]]

Franz Kafka

2006-04-18T18:10:19Z

Bmaloy: /* Historical Period */

==Biography==
Franz Kafka was born in Prague, now in the Czech Republic but then part of Austria. His father was Hermann Kafka, an owner of a large dry goods establishment, and mother Julie (Löwy) Kafka, who belonged to one of the leading families in the German-speaking, German-cultured Jewish circles of Prague. Hermann Kafka was a domestic tyrant, who directed his anger against his son. Kafka also had three sisters, all of whom perished in Nazi camps. Many of Kafka's stories deal with the struggle between father and son, or a scorned individual's pleading innocence in front of remote figures of authority (1). Due to his line of descent, Kafka became an immediate outcast in the Czechoslovakian society. To add insult to injury, his religious affiliation, Jewish, did not mesh with the anti-Semantic Catholic country in which he lived, and even Kafka's parents did not have much contact with their son, due largely to the amount of responsibility that comes with owning one's own business (Contemporary).

Kafka's family situation was very stressed, even at times bordering on dysfunctional. Given the hatred he had for his father's domestic tyranny (1), it is reasonable to assume that much tension arose as a result of this. Add this to his societal rejection as a member of Prauge's Jewish minority and his family life really begins to shape up. Kafka was educated at the German National and Civic Elementary School and the German National Humanistic Gymnasium. In 1901, he entered Ferdinand-Karls University, where he studied law and received a doctorate in 1906. During these years Kafka became a member of a circle of intellectuals, which included Franz Werfel, Oskar Baum and Max Brod, whom Kafka met in 1902. About 1904, Kafka began writing, making reports on industrial accidents and health hazard in the office by day, and writing stories by night. His profession marked the formal, legalistic language of his stories which avoided all sentimentality and moral interpretations - all conclusions are left to the reader. (1)

Due to the the large amount of debts that began to pile up on his family's shoulders, Kafka retained a position in the aforementioned insurance company, still writing on the side (Contemporary). Until his retirement, Kafka worked at the insurance business (1907-23), first at an administrative position in a Prague branch of an Italian insurance company and then at the Workmen's Accident Insurance Institute of Prague. His work was highly valued at the company and during World War I his supervisors arranged for his draft deferment.(1 This is proof that he was not a socially inept person as some of his works suggest. However, in 1922, he left the company, no longer able to work due to the advancement of his illness.
According to this source (1), Kafka had many girlfriends, affairs, and broken engagements. He also had one son (Contemporary).

Kafka pulled from his own life feelings of alienation whenever he wrote. He often mixed "prosaic realism and nightmarish, infinitely interpretable symbolism" in his works, and his protagonists were "driven to find answers in an unresponsive world, and they are required to act accordingly to incomprehensible rules administered by an inaccessible authority" (1964). In 1912, Kafka published ''The Metamorphosis,'' the longest of his works actually completed in his lifetime (1965). This work can be compared to Kafka's own childhood, alienated from his family (Contemporary). Living with an angry father, Kafka's protagonist Gregory Samsa also deals with issues regarding familial violence after his transformation into a giant beetle. Samsa, like Kafka, also feels a certain amount of loathing for himself--Kafka for his perceived failures, and Samsa for his inability to provide for his family, being a giant bug.

Other of Kafka's famous works include ''The Trial,'' ''The Judgment,'' ''Amerika,'' and "In the Penal Colony". Kafka died of tuberculosis in 1924. In his wake, he left behind two novellas, numerous short stories, and three unfinished manuscripts. The manuscripts, considered to be failures by Kafka, were published by the executor of his estate Max Brod, who disregarded the author's final wish to have them destroyed (1964). The following is Kafka's legacy:

:"Critically, Kafka's works have prompted a vast and varied array of interpretations. He has been hailed as a realist, an absurdist, a sociologist, and even, by Thomas Mann, as a comedic theologian. Some writers have emphasized the psychological in analyzing his works, others have concentrated on the Judaic aspects; some have traced his fiction as thinly disguised autobiography, and others have noted the same works as full-fledged fantasies. Consistent in these divergent interpretations is the respect accorded Kafka's works as unique and compelling, and the regard for Kafka as a literary master" (Contemporary).

==Significant Works==
*[[The Metamorphosis]]
*[[The Trial]]
*''Amerika''
*''The Judgment''
*''The Castle''
*''Letter to My Father''

==Historical Period==

'''Czech Independence'''

Czechoslovakia had been under the rule of the Austria-Hungarian Empire the citizens were weary of the “restriction of democratic rights in the Czech lands” (www.livingprague.com). A resistance to the oppression by the German influenced monarch built up during World War I. A lead “university professor, philosopher, and politician Tomas Masaryk” ([http://www.livingprague.com www.livingprague.com]) led the fight for Czechoslovakian independence abroad. On the home front resistance grew gradually until it was clear that “things were not in Austria-Hungary’s favor” ([http://www.livingprauge.com www.livingprague.com]). Czechoslovakia became an independent republic on October 28, 1918.

==Links==
==Works Cited==
"Franz Kafka". April 17 2006. <http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/kafka.htm>

"Franz Kafka". ''Contemporary Authors Online'' (2003). ''Contemporary Authors.'' 17 Apr. 2006. [http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/LitRC?vrsn=3&OP=contains&locID=maco12153&srchtp=athr&ca=1&c=1&ste=6&tab=1&tbst=arp&ai=U13007810&n=10&docNum=H1000051755&ST=Franz+Kafka&bConts=16047 Franz Kafka]

Kafka, Franz. "The Metamorphosis." The Northern Anthology of Western Literature. Ed. Sarah Lawall. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, Inc., 2006. 1964-1999.

[http://www.livingprague.com www.livingprague.com]

Franz Kafka

2006-04-18T18:08:01Z

Bmaloy: /* Works Cited */

==Biography==
Franz Kafka was born in Prague, now in the Czech Republic but then part of Austria. His father was Hermann Kafka, an owner of a large dry goods establishment, and mother Julie (Löwy) Kafka, who belonged to one of the leading families in the German-speaking, German-cultured Jewish circles of Prague. Hermann Kafka was a domestic tyrant, who directed his anger against his son. Kafka also had three sisters, all of whom perished in Nazi camps. Many of Kafka's stories deal with the struggle between father and son, or a scorned individual's pleading innocence in front of remote figures of authority (1). Due to his line of descent, Kafka became an immediate outcast in the Czechoslovakian society. To add insult to injury, his religious affiliation, Jewish, did not mesh with the anti-Semantic Catholic country in which he lived, and even Kafka's parents did not have much contact with their son, due largely to the amount of responsibility that comes with owning one's own business (Contemporary).

Kafka's family situation was very stressed, even at times bordering on dysfunctional. Given the hatred he had for his father's domestic tyranny (1), it is reasonable to assume that much tension arose as a result of this. Add this to his societal rejection as a member of Prauge's Jewish minority and his family life really begins to shape up. Kafka was educated at the German National and Civic Elementary School and the German National Humanistic Gymnasium. In 1901, he entered Ferdinand-Karls University, where he studied law and received a doctorate in 1906. During these years Kafka became a member of a circle of intellectuals, which included Franz Werfel, Oskar Baum and Max Brod, whom Kafka met in 1902. About 1904, Kafka began writing, making reports on industrial accidents and health hazard in the office by day, and writing stories by night. His profession marked the formal, legalistic language of his stories which avoided all sentimentality and moral interpretations - all conclusions are left to the reader. (1)

Due to the the large amount of debts that began to pile up on his family's shoulders, Kafka retained a position in the aforementioned insurance company, still writing on the side (Contemporary). Until his retirement, Kafka worked at the insurance business (1907-23), first at an administrative position in a Prague branch of an Italian insurance company and then at the Workmen's Accident Insurance Institute of Prague. His work was highly valued at the company and during World War I his supervisors arranged for his draft deferment.(1 This is proof that he was not a socially inept person as some of his works suggest. However, in 1922, he left the company, no longer able to work due to the advancement of his illness.
According to this source (1), Kafka had many girlfriends, affairs, and broken engagements. He also had one son (Contemporary).

Kafka pulled from his own life feelings of alienation whenever he wrote. He often mixed "prosaic realism and nightmarish, infinitely interpretable symbolism" in his works, and his protagonists were "driven to find answers in an unresponsive world, and they are required to act accordingly to incomprehensible rules administered by an inaccessible authority" (1964). In 1912, Kafka published ''The Metamorphosis,'' the longest of his works actually completed in his lifetime (1965). This work can be compared to Kafka's own childhood, alienated from his family (Contemporary). Living with an angry father, Kafka's protagonist Gregory Samsa also deals with issues regarding familial violence after his transformation into a giant beetle. Samsa, like Kafka, also feels a certain amount of loathing for himself--Kafka for his perceived failures, and Samsa for his inability to provide for his family, being a giant bug.

Other of Kafka's famous works include ''The Trial,'' ''The Judgment,'' ''Amerika,'' and "In the Penal Colony". Kafka died of tuberculosis in 1924. In his wake, he left behind two novellas, numerous short stories, and three unfinished manuscripts. The manuscripts, considered to be failures by Kafka, were published by the executor of his estate Max Brod, who disregarded the author's final wish to have them destroyed (1964). The following is Kafka's legacy:

:"Critically, Kafka's works have prompted a vast and varied array of interpretations. He has been hailed as a realist, an absurdist, a sociologist, and even, by Thomas Mann, as a comedic theologian. Some writers have emphasized the psychological in analyzing his works, others have concentrated on the Judaic aspects; some have traced his fiction as thinly disguised autobiography, and others have noted the same works as full-fledged fantasies. Consistent in these divergent interpretations is the respect accorded Kafka's works as unique and compelling, and the regard for Kafka as a literary master" (Contemporary).

==Significant Works==
*[[The Metamorphosis]]
*[[The Trial]]
*''Amerika''
*''The Judgment''
*''The Castle''
*''Letter to My Father''

==Historical Period==

'''Czech Independence'''

Czechoslovakia had been under the rule of the Austria-Hungarian Empire the citizens were weary of the “restriction of democratic rights in the Czech lands” (www.livingprague.com). A resistance to the oppression by the German influenced monarch built up during World War I. A lead “university professor, philosopher, and politician Tomas Masaryk” (www.livingprague.com) led the fight for Czechoslovakian independence abroad. On the home front resistance grew gradually until it was clear that “things were not in Austria-Hungary’s favor” (www.livingprauge.com). Czechoslovakia became an independent republic on October 28, 1918.

==Links==
==Works Cited==
"Franz Kafka". April 17 2006. <http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/kafka.htm>

"Franz Kafka". ''Contemporary Authors Online'' (2003). ''Contemporary Authors.'' 17 Apr. 2006. [http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/LitRC?vrsn=3&OP=contains&locID=maco12153&srchtp=athr&ca=1&c=1&ste=6&tab=1&tbst=arp&ai=U13007810&n=10&docNum=H1000051755&ST=Franz+Kafka&bConts=16047 Franz Kafka]

Kafka, Franz. "The Metamorphosis." The Northern Anthology of Western Literature. Ed. Sarah Lawall. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, Inc., 2006. 1964-1999.

[http://www.livingprague.com www.livingprague.com]

Franz Kafka

2006-04-18T18:06:53Z

Bmaloy: /* Works Cited */

==Biography==
Franz Kafka was born in Prague, now in the Czech Republic but then part of Austria. His father was Hermann Kafka, an owner of a large dry goods establishment, and mother Julie (Löwy) Kafka, who belonged to one of the leading families in the German-speaking, German-cultured Jewish circles of Prague. Hermann Kafka was a domestic tyrant, who directed his anger against his son. Kafka also had three sisters, all of whom perished in Nazi camps. Many of Kafka's stories deal with the struggle between father and son, or a scorned individual's pleading innocence in front of remote figures of authority (1). Due to his line of descent, Kafka became an immediate outcast in the Czechoslovakian society. To add insult to injury, his religious affiliation, Jewish, did not mesh with the anti-Semantic Catholic country in which he lived, and even Kafka's parents did not have much contact with their son, due largely to the amount of responsibility that comes with owning one's own business (Contemporary).

Kafka's family situation was very stressed, even at times bordering on dysfunctional. Given the hatred he had for his father's domestic tyranny (1), it is reasonable to assume that much tension arose as a result of this. Add this to his societal rejection as a member of Prauge's Jewish minority and his family life really begins to shape up. Kafka was educated at the German National and Civic Elementary School and the German National Humanistic Gymnasium. In 1901, he entered Ferdinand-Karls University, where he studied law and received a doctorate in 1906. During these years Kafka became a member of a circle of intellectuals, which included Franz Werfel, Oskar Baum and Max Brod, whom Kafka met in 1902. About 1904, Kafka began writing, making reports on industrial accidents and health hazard in the office by day, and writing stories by night. His profession marked the formal, legalistic language of his stories which avoided all sentimentality and moral interpretations - all conclusions are left to the reader. (1)

Due to the the large amount of debts that began to pile up on his family's shoulders, Kafka retained a position in the aforementioned insurance company, still writing on the side (Contemporary). Until his retirement, Kafka worked at the insurance business (1907-23), first at an administrative position in a Prague branch of an Italian insurance company and then at the Workmen's Accident Insurance Institute of Prague. His work was highly valued at the company and during World War I his supervisors arranged for his draft deferment.(1 This is proof that he was not a socially inept person as some of his works suggest. However, in 1922, he left the company, no longer able to work due to the advancement of his illness.
According to this source (1), Kafka had many girlfriends, affairs, and broken engagements. He also had one son (Contemporary).

Kafka pulled from his own life feelings of alienation whenever he wrote. He often mixed "prosaic realism and nightmarish, infinitely interpretable symbolism" in his works, and his protagonists were "driven to find answers in an unresponsive world, and they are required to act accordingly to incomprehensible rules administered by an inaccessible authority" (1964). In 1912, Kafka published ''The Metamorphosis,'' the longest of his works actually completed in his lifetime (1965). This work can be compared to Kafka's own childhood, alienated from his family (Contemporary). Living with an angry father, Kafka's protagonist Gregory Samsa also deals with issues regarding familial violence after his transformation into a giant beetle. Samsa, like Kafka, also feels a certain amount of loathing for himself--Kafka for his perceived failures, and Samsa for his inability to provide for his family, being a giant bug.

Other of Kafka's famous works include ''The Trial,'' ''The Judgment,'' ''Amerika,'' and "In the Penal Colony". Kafka died of tuberculosis in 1924. In his wake, he left behind two novellas, numerous short stories, and three unfinished manuscripts. The manuscripts, considered to be failures by Kafka, were published by the executor of his estate Max Brod, who disregarded the author's final wish to have them destroyed (1964). The following is Kafka's legacy:

:"Critically, Kafka's works have prompted a vast and varied array of interpretations. He has been hailed as a realist, an absurdist, a sociologist, and even, by Thomas Mann, as a comedic theologian. Some writers have emphasized the psychological in analyzing his works, others have concentrated on the Judaic aspects; some have traced his fiction as thinly disguised autobiography, and others have noted the same works as full-fledged fantasies. Consistent in these divergent interpretations is the respect accorded Kafka's works as unique and compelling, and the regard for Kafka as a literary master" (Contemporary).

==Significant Works==
*[[The Metamorphosis]]
*[[The Trial]]
*''Amerika''
*''The Judgment''
*''The Castle''
*''Letter to My Father''

==Historical Period==

'''Czech Independence'''

Czechoslovakia had been under the rule of the Austria-Hungarian Empire the citizens were weary of the “restriction of democratic rights in the Czech lands” (www.livingprague.com). A resistance to the oppression by the German influenced monarch built up during World War I. A lead “university professor, philosopher, and politician Tomas Masaryk” (www.livingprague.com) led the fight for Czechoslovakian independence abroad. On the home front resistance grew gradually until it was clear that “things were not in Austria-Hungary’s favor” (www.livingprauge.com). Czechoslovakia became an independent republic on October 28, 1918.

==Links==
==Works Cited==
Franz Kafka. April 17 2006. <http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/kafka.htm>
"Franz Kafka". ''Contemporary Authors Online'' (2003). ''Contemporary Authors.'' 17 Apr. 2006. [http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/LitRC?vrsn=3&OP=contains&locID=maco12153&srchtp=athr&ca=1&c=1&ste=6&tab=1&tbst=arp&ai=U13007810&n=10&docNum=H1000051755&ST=Franz+Kafka&bConts=16047 Franz Kafka]
Kafka, Franz. "The Metamorphosis." The Northern Anthology of Western Literature. Ed. Sarah Lawall. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, Inc., 2006. 1964-1999.
[http://www.livingprague.com www.livingprague.com]

Franz Kafka

2006-04-18T18:05:28Z

Bmaloy: /* Biography */

==Biography==
Franz Kafka was born in Prague, now in the Czech Republic but then part of Austria. His father was Hermann Kafka, an owner of a large dry goods establishment, and mother Julie (Löwy) Kafka, who belonged to one of the leading families in the German-speaking, German-cultured Jewish circles of Prague. Hermann Kafka was a domestic tyrant, who directed his anger against his son. Kafka also had three sisters, all of whom perished in Nazi camps. Many of Kafka's stories deal with the struggle between father and son, or a scorned individual's pleading innocence in front of remote figures of authority (1). Due to his line of descent, Kafka became an immediate outcast in the Czechoslovakian society. To add insult to injury, his religious affiliation, Jewish, did not mesh with the anti-Semantic Catholic country in which he lived, and even Kafka's parents did not have much contact with their son, due largely to the amount of responsibility that comes with owning one's own business (Contemporary).

Kafka's family situation was very stressed, even at times bordering on dysfunctional. Given the hatred he had for his father's domestic tyranny (1), it is reasonable to assume that much tension arose as a result of this. Add this to his societal rejection as a member of Prauge's Jewish minority and his family life really begins to shape up. Kafka was educated at the German National and Civic Elementary School and the German National Humanistic Gymnasium. In 1901, he entered Ferdinand-Karls University, where he studied law and received a doctorate in 1906. During these years Kafka became a member of a circle of intellectuals, which included Franz Werfel, Oskar Baum and Max Brod, whom Kafka met in 1902. About 1904, Kafka began writing, making reports on industrial accidents and health hazard in the office by day, and writing stories by night. His profession marked the formal, legalistic language of his stories which avoided all sentimentality and moral interpretations - all conclusions are left to the reader. (1)

Due to the the large amount of debts that began to pile up on his family's shoulders, Kafka retained a position in the aforementioned insurance company, still writing on the side (Contemporary). Until his retirement, Kafka worked at the insurance business (1907-23), first at an administrative position in a Prague branch of an Italian insurance company and then at the Workmen's Accident Insurance Institute of Prague. His work was highly valued at the company and during World War I his supervisors arranged for his draft deferment.(1 This is proof that he was not a socially inept person as some of his works suggest. However, in 1922, he left the company, no longer able to work due to the advancement of his illness.
According to this source (1), Kafka had many girlfriends, affairs, and broken engagements. He also had one son (Contemporary).

Kafka pulled from his own life feelings of alienation whenever he wrote. He often mixed "prosaic realism and nightmarish, infinitely interpretable symbolism" in his works, and his protagonists were "driven to find answers in an unresponsive world, and they are required to act accordingly to incomprehensible rules administered by an inaccessible authority" (1964). In 1912, Kafka published ''The Metamorphosis,'' the longest of his works actually completed in his lifetime (1965). This work can be compared to Kafka's own childhood, alienated from his family (Contemporary). Living with an angry father, Kafka's protagonist Gregory Samsa also deals with issues regarding familial violence after his transformation into a giant beetle. Samsa, like Kafka, also feels a certain amount of loathing for himself--Kafka for his perceived failures, and Samsa for his inability to provide for his family, being a giant bug.

Other of Kafka's famous works include ''The Trial,'' ''The Judgment,'' ''Amerika,'' and "In the Penal Colony". Kafka died of tuberculosis in 1924. In his wake, he left behind two novellas, numerous short stories, and three unfinished manuscripts. The manuscripts, considered to be failures by Kafka, were published by the executor of his estate Max Brod, who disregarded the author's final wish to have them destroyed (1964). The following is Kafka's legacy:

:"Critically, Kafka's works have prompted a vast and varied array of interpretations. He has been hailed as a realist, an absurdist, a sociologist, and even, by Thomas Mann, as a comedic theologian. Some writers have emphasized the psychological in analyzing his works, others have concentrated on the Judaic aspects; some have traced his fiction as thinly disguised autobiography, and others have noted the same works as full-fledged fantasies. Consistent in these divergent interpretations is the respect accorded Kafka's works as unique and compelling, and the regard for Kafka as a literary master" (Contemporary).

==Significant Works==
*[[The Metamorphosis]]
*[[The Trial]]
*''Amerika''
*''The Judgment''
*''The Castle''
*''Letter to My Father''

==Historical Period==

'''Czech Independence'''

Czechoslovakia had been under the rule of the Austria-Hungarian Empire the citizens were weary of the “restriction of democratic rights in the Czech lands” (www.livingprague.com). A resistance to the oppression by the German influenced monarch built up during World War I. A lead “university professor, philosopher, and politician Tomas Masaryk” (www.livingprague.com) led the fight for Czechoslovakian independence abroad. On the home front resistance grew gradually until it was clear that “things were not in Austria-Hungary’s favor” (www.livingprauge.com). Czechoslovakia became an independent republic on October 28, 1918.

==Links==
==Works Cited==
#Franz Kafka. April 17 2006. <http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/kafka.htm>
#"Franz Kafka". ''Contemporary Authors Online'' (2003). ''Contemporary Authors.'' 17 Apr. 2006. [http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/LitRC?vrsn=3&OP=contains&locID=maco12153&srchtp=athr&ca=1&c=1&ste=6&tab=1&tbst=arp&ai=U13007810&n=10&docNum=H1000051755&ST=Franz+Kafka&bConts=16047 Franz Kafka]
#Kafka, Franz. "The Metamorphosis." The Northern Anthology of Western Literature. Ed. Sarah Lawall. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, Inc., 2006. 1964-1999.
#www.livingprague.com

Franz Kafka

2006-04-17T17:36:47Z

Bmaloy: /* Biography */

==Biography==
Franz Kafka was born in Prague, now in the Czech Republic but then part of Austria. His father was Hermann Kafka, an owner of a large dry goods establishment, and mother Julie (Löwy) Kafka, who belonged to one of the leading families in the German-speaking, German-cultured Jewish circles of Prague. Hermann Kafka was a domestic tyrant, who directed his anger against his son. Kafka also had three sisters, all of whom perished in Nazi camps. Many of Kafka's stories deal with the struggle between father and son, or a scorned individual's pleading innocence in front of remote figures of authority (1). Due to his line of descent, Kafka became an immediate outcast in the Czechoslovakian society. To add insult to injury, his religious affiliation, Jewish, did not mesh with the anti-Semantic Catholic country in which he lived, and even Kafka's parents did not have much contact with their son, due largely to the amount of responsibility that comes with owning one's own business (Contemporary).

Kafka's family situation was very stressed, even at times bordering on dysfunctional. Given the hatred he had forhis father's domestic tyranny (1), it is reasonable to assume that much tension arose as a result of this. Add to this his societal rejection as a member of Prauge's Jewish minority and his family life really begins to shape up. Kafka was educated at the German National and Civic Elementary School and the German National Humanistic Gymnasium. In 1901 he entered Ferdinand-Karls University, where he studied law and received a doctorate in 1906. During these years Kafka became a member of a circle of intellectuals, which included Franz Werfel, Oskar Baum and Max Brod, whom Kafka met in 1902. About 1904 Kafka began writing, making reports on industrial accidents and health hazard in the office by day, and writing stories by night. His profession marked the formal, legalistic language of his stories which avoided all sentimentality and moral interpretations - all conclusions are left to the reader. (1)

Due to the the large amount of debts that began to pile up on his family's shoulders, Kafka worked kept a position in an insurance company, still writing on the side (Contemporary). Until his retirement, Kafka worked at the insurance business (1907-23), first at an administrative position in a Prague branch of an Italian insurance company and then at the Workmen's Accident Insurance Institute of Prague. His work was highly valued at the company and during World War I his supervisors arranged for his draft deferment.(1 This is proof that he was not a socially inept person as some of his works suggest.
According to this source (1), Kafka had many girlfriends, affairs, and broken engagements. He also had one son (Contemporary).

Kafka pulled from his own life feelings of alienation whenever he wrote. He often mixed "prosaic realism and nightmarish, infinitely interpretable symbolism" in his works, and his protagonists were "driven to find answers in an unresponsive world, and they are required to act accordingly to incomprehensible rules administered by an inaccessible authority" (1964). In 1912, Kafka published ''The Metamorphosis,'' the longest of his works actually completed in his lifetime (1965). This work can be compared to Kafka's own childhood, alienated from his family (Contemporary). Living with an angry father, Kafka's protagonist Gregory Samsa also deals with issues regarding familial violence after his transformation into a giant beetle. Samsa, like Kafka, also feels a certain amount of loathing for himself--Kafka for his perceived failures, and Samsa for his inability to provide for his family, being a giant bug.

Other of Kafka's famous works include ''The Trial,'' ''The Judgment,'' ''Amerika,'' and "In the Penal Colony". In his wake, he left behind two novellas, numerous short stories, and three unfinished manuscripts. The manuscripts, considered to be failures by Kafka, were published by the executor of his estate Max Brod, who disregarded the author's final wish to have them destroyed (1964). However, in 1922, he left the company, no longer able to work due to the advancement of his illness. Kafka died of tuberculosis in 1924. The following is Kafka's legacy:

:"Critically, Kafka's works have prompted a vast and varied array of interpretations. He has been hailed as a realist, an absurdist, a sociologist, and even, by Thomas Mann, as a comedic theologian. Some writers have emphasized the psychological in analyzing his works, others have concentrated on the Judaic aspects; some have traced his fiction as thinly disguised autobiography, and others have noted the same works as full-fledged fantasies. Consistent in these divergent interpretations is the respect accorded Kafka's works as unique and compelling, and the regard for Kafka as a literary master" (Contemporary).

==Significant Works==
*[[The Metamorphosis]]
*[[The Trial]]
*''Amerika''
*''The Judgment''
*''The Castle''
*''Letter to My Father''

==Historical Period==
==Links==
==Works Cited==
#Franz Kafka. April 17 2006. <http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/kafka.htm>
#"Franz Kafka". ''Contemporary Authors Online'' (2003). ''Contemporary Authors.'' 17 Apr. 2006. [http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/LitRC?vrsn=3&OP=contains&locID=maco12153&srchtp=athr&ca=1&c=1&ste=6&tab=1&tbst=arp&ai=U13007810&n=10&docNum=H1000051755&ST=Franz+Kafka&bConts=16047 Franz Kafka]
#Kafka, Franz. "The Metamorphosis." The Northern Anthology of Western Literature. Ed. Sarah Lawall. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, Inc., 2006. 1964-1999.

Franz Kafka

2006-04-17T17:35:29Z

Bmaloy: /* Works Cited */

==Biography==
Franz Kafka was born in Prague, now in the Czech Republic but then part of Austria. His father was Hermann Kafka, an owner of a large dry goods establishment, and mother Julie (Löwy) Kafka, who belonged to one of the leading families in the German-speaking, German-cultured Jewish circles of Prague. Hermann Kafka was a domestic tyrant, who directed his anger against his son. Kafka also had three sisters, all of whom perished in Nazi camps. Many of Kafka's stories deal with the struggle between father and son, or a scorned individual's pleading innocence in front of remote figures of authority (1). Due to his line of descent, Kafka became an immediate outcast in the Czechoslovakian society. To add insult to injury, his religious affiliation, Jewish, did not mesh with the anti-Semantic Catholic country in which he lived, and even Kafka's parents did not have much contact with their son, due largely to the amount of responsibility that comes with owning one's own business (Contemporary).

Kafka's family situation was very stressed, even at times bordering on dysfunctional. Given the hatred he had forhis father's domestic tyranny (1), it is reasonable to assume that much tension arose as a result of this. Add to this his societal rejection as a member of Prauge's Jewish minority and his family life really begins to shape up. Kafka was educated at the German National and Civic Elementary School and the German National Humanistic Gymnasium. In 1901 he entered Ferdinand-Karls University, where he studied law and received a doctorate in 1906. During these years Kafka became a member of a circle of intellectuals, which included Franz Werfel, Oskar Baum and Max Brod, whom Kafka met in 1902. About 1904 Kafka began writing, making reports on industrial accidents and health hazard in the office by day, and writing stories by night. His profession marked the formal, legalistic language of his stories which avoided all sentimentality and moral interpretations - all conclusions are left to the reader. (1)

Due to the the large amount of debts that began to pile up on his family's shoulders, Kafka worked kept a position in an insurance company, still writing on the side (Contemporary). Until his retirement, Kafka worked at the insurance business (1907-23), first at an administrative position in a Prague branch of an Italian insurance company and then at the Workmen's Accident Insurance Institute of Prague. His work was highly valued at the company and during World War I his supervisors arranged for his draft deferment.(1 This is proof that he was not a socially inept person as some of his works suggest.
According to this source (1), Kafka had many girlfriends, affairs, and broken engagements. He also had one son (Contemporary).

Kafka pulled from his own life feelings of alienation whenever he wrote. He often mixed "prosaic realism and nightmarish, infinitely interpretable symbolism" in his works, and his protagonists were "driven to find answers in an unresponsive world, and they are required to act accordingly to incomprehensible rules administered by an inaccessible authority" (1964). In 1912, Kafka published ''The Metamorphosis,'' the longest of his works actually completed in his lifetime (1965). This work can be compared to Kafka's own childhood, alienated from his family (Contemporary). Living with an angry father, Kafka's protagonist Gregory Samsa also deals with issues regarding familial violence after his transformation into a giant beetle. Samsa, like Kafka, also feels a certain amount of loathing for himself--Kafka for his perceived failures, and Samsa for his inability to provide for his family, being a giant bug.

Other of Kafka's famous works include ''The Trial,'' ''The Judgment,'' ''The Trial,'' ''Amerika,'' and "In the Penal Colony". In his wake, he left behind two novellas, numerous short stories, and three unfinished manuscripts. The manuscripts, considered to be failures by Kafka, were published by the executor of his estate Max Brod, who disregarded the author's final wish to have them destroyed (1964). However, in 1922, he left the company, no longer able to work due to the advancement of his illness. Kafka died of tuberculosis in 1924. The following is Kafka's legacy:

:"Critically, Kafka's works have prompted a vast and varied array of interpretations. He has been hailed as a realist, an absurdist, a sociologist, and even, by Thomas Mann, as a comedic theologian. Some writers have emphasized the psychological in analyzing his works, others have concentrated on the Judaic aspects; some have traced his fiction as thinly disguised autobiography, and others have noted the same works as full-fledged fantasies. Consistent in these divergent interpretations is the respect accorded Kafka's works as unique and compelling, and the regard for Kafka as a literary master" (Contemporary).

==Significant Works==
*[[The Metamorphosis]]
*[[The Trial]]
*''Amerika''
*''The Judgment''
*''The Castle''
*''Letter to My Father''

==Historical Period==
==Links==
==Works Cited==
#Franz Kafka. April 17 2006. <http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/kafka.htm>
#"Franz Kafka". ''Contemporary Authors Online'' (2003). ''Contemporary Authors.'' 17 Apr. 2006. [http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/LitRC?vrsn=3&OP=contains&locID=maco12153&srchtp=athr&ca=1&c=1&ste=6&tab=1&tbst=arp&ai=U13007810&n=10&docNum=H1000051755&ST=Franz+Kafka&bConts=16047 Franz Kafka]
#Kafka, Franz. "The Metamorphosis." The Northern Anthology of Western Literature. Ed. Sarah Lawall. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, Inc., 2006. 1964-1999.

Franz Kafka

2006-04-17T17:33:22Z

Bmaloy: /* Significant Works */

==Biography==
Franz Kafka was born in Prague, now in the Czech Republic but then part of Austria. His father was Hermann Kafka, an owner of a large dry goods establishment, and mother Julie (Löwy) Kafka, who belonged to one of the leading families in the German-speaking, German-cultured Jewish circles of Prague. Hermann Kafka was a domestic tyrant, who directed his anger against his son. Kafka also had three sisters, all of whom perished in Nazi camps. Many of Kafka's stories deal with the struggle between father and son, or a scorned individual's pleading innocence in front of remote figures of authority (1). Due to his line of descent, Kafka became an immediate outcast in the Czechoslovakian society. To add insult to injury, his religious affiliation, Jewish, did not mesh with the anti-Semantic Catholic country in which he lived, and even Kafka's parents did not have much contact with their son, due largely to the amount of responsibility that comes with owning one's own business (Contemporary).

Kafka's family situation was very stressed, even at times bordering on dysfunctional. Given the hatred he had forhis father's domestic tyranny (1), it is reasonable to assume that much tension arose as a result of this. Add to this his societal rejection as a member of Prauge's Jewish minority and his family life really begins to shape up. Kafka was educated at the German National and Civic Elementary School and the German National Humanistic Gymnasium. In 1901 he entered Ferdinand-Karls University, where he studied law and received a doctorate in 1906. During these years Kafka became a member of a circle of intellectuals, which included Franz Werfel, Oskar Baum and Max Brod, whom Kafka met in 1902. About 1904 Kafka began writing, making reports on industrial accidents and health hazard in the office by day, and writing stories by night. His profession marked the formal, legalistic language of his stories which avoided all sentimentality and moral interpretations - all conclusions are left to the reader. (1)

Due to the the large amount of debts that began to pile up on his family's shoulders, Kafka worked kept a position in an insurance company, still writing on the side (Contemporary). Until his retirement, Kafka worked at the insurance business (1907-23), first at an administrative position in a Prague branch of an Italian insurance company and then at the Workmen's Accident Insurance Institute of Prague. His work was highly valued at the company and during World War I his supervisors arranged for his draft deferment.(1 This is proof that he was not a socially inept person as some of his works suggest.
According to this source (1), Kafka had many girlfriends, affairs, and broken engagements. He also had one son (Contemporary).

Kafka pulled from his own life feelings of alienation whenever he wrote. He often mixed "prosaic realism and nightmarish, infinitely interpretable symbolism" in his works, and his protagonists were "driven to find answers in an unresponsive world, and they are required to act accordingly to incomprehensible rules administered by an inaccessible authority" (1964). In 1912, Kafka published ''The Metamorphosis,'' the longest of his works actually completed in his lifetime (1965). This work can be compared to Kafka's own childhood, alienated from his family (Contemporary). Living with an angry father, Kafka's protagonist Gregory Samsa also deals with issues regarding familial violence after his transformation into a giant beetle. Samsa, like Kafka, also feels a certain amount of loathing for himself--Kafka for his perceived failures, and Samsa for his inability to provide for his family, being a giant bug.

Other of Kafka's famous works include ''The Trial,'' ''The Judgment,'' ''The Trial,'' ''Amerika,'' and "In the Penal Colony". In his wake, he left behind two novellas, numerous short stories, and three unfinished manuscripts. The manuscripts, considered to be failures by Kafka, were published by the executor of his estate Max Brod, who disregarded the author's final wish to have them destroyed (1964). However, in 1922, he left the company, no longer able to work due to the advancement of his illness. Kafka died of tuberculosis in 1924. The following is Kafka's legacy:

:"Critically, Kafka's works have prompted a vast and varied array of interpretations. He has been hailed as a realist, an absurdist, a sociologist, and even, by Thomas Mann, as a comedic theologian. Some writers have emphasized the psychological in analyzing his works, others have concentrated on the Judaic aspects; some have traced his fiction as thinly disguised autobiography, and others have noted the same works as full-fledged fantasies. Consistent in these divergent interpretations is the respect accorded Kafka's works as unique and compelling, and the regard for Kafka as a literary master" (Contemporary).

==Significant Works==
*''The Metamorphosis''
*''The Trial''
*''Amerika''
*''The Judgment''
*''The Castle''
*''Letter to My Father''

==Historical Period==
==Links==
==Works Cited==
#Franz Kafka. April 17 2006. <http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/kafka.htm>
#Contemporary Authors Online. "Franz Kafka". Gale 2003. 17 Apr. 2006. [http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/LitRC?vrsn=3&OP=contains&locID=maco12153&srchtp=athr&ca=1&c=1&ste=6&tab=1&tbst=arp&ai=U13007810&n=10&docNum=H1000051755&ST=Franz+Kafka&bConts=16047 Franz Kafka]
#Kafka, Franz. "The Metamorphosis." The Northern Anthology of Western Literature. Ed. Sarah Lawall. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, Inc., 2006. 1964-1999.

Franz Kafka

2006-04-17T17:31:33Z

Bmaloy: /* Works Cited */

==Biography==
Franz Kafka was born in Prague, now in the Czech Republic but then part of Austria. His father was Hermann Kafka, an owner of a large dry goods establishment, and mother Julie (Löwy) Kafka, who belonged to one of the leading families in the German-speaking, German-cultured Jewish circles of Prague. Hermann Kafka was a domestic tyrant, who directed his anger against his son. Kafka also had three sisters, all of whom perished in Nazi camps. Many of Kafka's stories deal with the struggle between father and son, or a scorned individual's pleading innocence in front of remote figures of authority (1). Due to his line of descent, Kafka became an immediate outcast in the Czechoslovakian society. To add insult to injury, his religious affiliation, Jewish, did not mesh with the anti-Semantic Catholic country in which he lived, and even Kafka's parents did not have much contact with their son, due largely to the amount of responsibility that comes with owning one's own business (Contemporary).

Kafka's family situation was very stressed, even at times bordering on dysfunctional. Given the hatred he had forhis father's domestic tyranny (1), it is reasonable to assume that much tension arose as a result of this. Add to this his societal rejection as a member of Prauge's Jewish minority and his family life really begins to shape up. Kafka was educated at the German National and Civic Elementary School and the German National Humanistic Gymnasium. In 1901 he entered Ferdinand-Karls University, where he studied law and received a doctorate in 1906. During these years Kafka became a member of a circle of intellectuals, which included Franz Werfel, Oskar Baum and Max Brod, whom Kafka met in 1902. About 1904 Kafka began writing, making reports on industrial accidents and health hazard in the office by day, and writing stories by night. His profession marked the formal, legalistic language of his stories which avoided all sentimentality and moral interpretations - all conclusions are left to the reader. (1)

Due to the the large amount of debts that began to pile up on his family's shoulders, Kafka worked kept a position in an insurance company, still writing on the side (Contemporary). Until his retirement, Kafka worked at the insurance business (1907-23), first at an administrative position in a Prague branch of an Italian insurance company and then at the Workmen's Accident Insurance Institute of Prague. His work was highly valued at the company and during World War I his supervisors arranged for his draft deferment.(1 This is proof that he was not a socially inept person as some of his works suggest.
According to this source (1), Kafka had many girlfriends, affairs, and broken engagements. He also had one son (Contemporary).

Kafka pulled from his own life feelings of alienation whenever he wrote. He often mixed "prosaic realism and nightmarish, infinitely interpretable symbolism" in his works, and his protagonists were "driven to find answers in an unresponsive world, and they are required to act accordingly to incomprehensible rules administered by an inaccessible authority" (1964). In 1912, Kafka published ''The Metamorphosis,'' the longest of his works actually completed in his lifetime (1965). This work can be compared to Kafka's own childhood, alienated from his family (Contemporary). Living with an angry father, Kafka's protagonist Gregory Samsa also deals with issues regarding familial violence after his transformation into a giant beetle. Samsa, like Kafka, also feels a certain amount of loathing for himself--Kafka for his perceived failures, and Samsa for his inability to provide for his family, being a giant bug.

Other of Kafka's famous works include ''The Trial,'' ''The Judgment,'' ''The Trial,'' ''Amerika,'' and "In the Penal Colony". In his wake, he left behind two novellas, numerous short stories, and three unfinished manuscripts. The manuscripts, considered to be failures by Kafka, were published by the executor of his estate Max Brod, who disregarded the author's final wish to have them destroyed (1964). However, in 1922, he left the company, no longer able to work due to the advancement of his illness. Kafka died of tuberculosis in 1924. The following is Kafka's legacy:

:"Critically, Kafka's works have prompted a vast and varied array of interpretations. He has been hailed as a realist, an absurdist, a sociologist, and even, by Thomas Mann, as a comedic theologian. Some writers have emphasized the psychological in analyzing his works, others have concentrated on the Judaic aspects; some have traced his fiction as thinly disguised autobiography, and others have noted the same works as full-fledged fantasies. Consistent in these divergent interpretations is the respect accorded Kafka's works as unique and compelling, and the regard for Kafka as a literary master" (Contemporary).

==Significant Works==
The Metamorphisis

==Historical Period==
==Links==
==Works Cited==
#Franz Kafka. April 17 2006. <http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/kafka.htm>
#Contemporary Authors Online. "Franz Kafka". Gale 2003. 17 Apr. 2006. [http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/LitRC?vrsn=3&OP=contains&locID=maco12153&srchtp=athr&ca=1&c=1&ste=6&tab=1&tbst=arp&ai=U13007810&n=10&docNum=H1000051755&ST=Franz+Kafka&bConts=16047 Franz Kafka]
#Kafka, Franz. "The Metamorphosis." The Northern Anthology of Western Literature. Ed. Sarah Lawall. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, Inc., 2006. 1964-1999.

Franz Kafka

2006-04-17T17:25:04Z

Bmaloy: /* Biography */

==Biography==
Franz Kafka was born in Prague, now in the Czech Republic but then part of Austria. His father was Hermann Kafka, an owner of a large dry goods establishment, and mother Julie (Löwy) Kafka, who belonged to one of the leading families in the German-speaking, German-cultured Jewish circles of Prague. Hermann Kafka was a domestic tyrant, who directed his anger against his son. Kafka also had three sisters, all of whom perished in Nazi camps. Many of Kafka's stories deal with the struggle between father and son, or a scorned individual's pleading innocence in front of remote figures of authority (1). Due to his line of descent, Kafka became an immediate outcast in the Czechoslovakian society. To add insult to injury, his religious affiliation, Jewish, did not mesh with the anti-Semantic Catholic country in which he lived, and even Kafka's parents did not have much contact with their son, due largely to the amount of responsibility that comes with owning one's own business (Contemporary).

Kafka's family situation was very stressed, even at times bordering on dysfunctional. Given the hatred he had forhis father's domestic tyranny (1), it is reasonable to assume that much tension arose as a result of this. Add to this his societal rejection as a member of Prauge's Jewish minority and his family life really begins to shape up. Kafka was educated at the German National and Civic Elementary School and the German National Humanistic Gymnasium. In 1901 he entered Ferdinand-Karls University, where he studied law and received a doctorate in 1906. During these years Kafka became a member of a circle of intellectuals, which included Franz Werfel, Oskar Baum and Max Brod, whom Kafka met in 1902. About 1904 Kafka began writing, making reports on industrial accidents and health hazard in the office by day, and writing stories by night. His profession marked the formal, legalistic language of his stories which avoided all sentimentality and moral interpretations - all conclusions are left to the reader. (1)

Due to the the large amount of debts that began to pile up on his family's shoulders, Kafka worked kept a position in an insurance company, still writing on the side (Contemporary). Until his retirement, Kafka worked at the insurance business (1907-23), first at an administrative position in a Prague branch of an Italian insurance company and then at the Workmen's Accident Insurance Institute of Prague. His work was highly valued at the company and during World War I his supervisors arranged for his draft deferment.(1 This is proof that he was not a socially inept person as some of his works suggest.
According to this source (1), Kafka had many girlfriends, affairs, and broken engagements. He also had one son (Contemporary).

Kafka pulled from his own life feelings of alienation whenever he wrote. He often mixed "prosaic realism and nightmarish, infinitely interpretable symbolism" in his works, and his protagonists were "driven to find answers in an unresponsive world, and they are required to act accordingly to incomprehensible rules administered by an inaccessible authority" (1964). In 1912, Kafka published ''The Metamorphosis,'' the longest of his works actually completed in his lifetime (1965). This work can be compared to Kafka's own childhood, alienated from his family (Contemporary). Living with an angry father, Kafka's protagonist Gregory Samsa also deals with issues regarding familial violence after his transformation into a giant beetle. Samsa, like Kafka, also feels a certain amount of loathing for himself--Kafka for his perceived failures, and Samsa for his inability to provide for his family, being a giant bug.

Other of Kafka's famous works include ''The Trial,'' ''The Judgment,'' ''The Trial,'' ''Amerika,'' and "In the Penal Colony". In his wake, he left behind two novellas, numerous short stories, and three unfinished manuscripts. The manuscripts, considered to be failures by Kafka, were published by the executor of his estate Max Brod, who disregarded the author's final wish to have them destroyed (1964). However, in 1922, he left the company, no longer able to work due to the advancement of his illness. Kafka died of tuberculosis in 1924. The following is Kafka's legacy:

:"Critically, Kafka's works have prompted a vast and varied array of interpretations. He has been hailed as a realist, an absurdist, a sociologist, and even, by Thomas Mann, as a comedic theologian. Some writers have emphasized the psychological in analyzing his works, others have concentrated on the Judaic aspects; some have traced his fiction as thinly disguised autobiography, and others have noted the same works as full-fledged fantasies. Consistent in these divergent interpretations is the respect accorded Kafka's works as unique and compelling, and the regard for Kafka as a literary master" (Contemporary).

==Significant Works==
==Historical Period==
==Links==
==Works Cited==
#Franz Kafka. April 17 2006. <http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/kafka.htm>

Franz Kafka

2006-04-17T16:40:13Z

Bmaloy:

==Biography==
==Significant Works==
==Historical Period==
==Links==
==Works Cited==

Arthur Rimbaud

2006-04-08T18:15:36Z

Bmaloy: /* Historical Period */

==Biography==
On October 20, 1854, Jean-Nicholas-Arthur Rimbaud was born in Charleville, France. His father abandoned the family when Rimbaud was a young child, so Rimbaud's mother took on the job of raising her children completely alone. Rimbaud's teacher George Izambard became a friend and confidant to the young boy, even enouraging his charge to publish his first poem in 1870 ([http://www.popsubculture.com/pop/bio_project/sub/arthur_rimbaud.html Deese]).

The year, 1870, proved to be one of great change for Rimbaud. Besides having his poem published, Rimbaud also decided to run away from home, intending to head for Paris. However, he did not have enough money to purchase a train ticket and was sentenced to spend ten days in jail before being returned home (1573). Somewhere during all of this, Rimbaud's personality underwent a drastic change. He "had changed into a bitter, arrogant, disheveled, foul-talking adolescent," already showing signs of dissatisfaction with life ([http://www.popsubculture.com/pop/bio_project/sub/arthur_rimbaud.html Deese]). In 1871, Rimbaud returned to Paris where he became involved with the poet, Paul Verlaine. Verlaine had entered into a marriage with Mathilde Maute the previous year with the hopes of a prosperous union, but the couple seperated and eventually divorced over Verlaine's relationship with Rimbaud (1567). The relationship troubles between Verlaine and Rimbaud reached a climax in 1873 when Verlaine shot Rimbaud in the wrist and recieved two years in prison for the assault.

After the end of the disasterous relationship with Verlaine, Rimbaud attempted to return to his normal life. At twenty-one, he tired of French society and writing poetry. So, Rimbaud packed up and moved to Africa, virtually disappearing from the world. Lack of proper medical facilities in Africa brought Rimbaud back to France where he was diagnosed with a malignant tumor on the knee. The unfortuantely afflicted leg was amputated at the Marseille hospital in 1891, and Rimbaud was dead six months later in November of the same year (1573).

Rimbaud leaves a legacy behind. He spent his life rebelling against the constraints and rules of socity. He denounced his Catholic religon, although a sister claimed that Rimbaud reaccepted the religion upon his deathbed ([http://www.popsubculture.com/pop/bio_project/sub/arthur_rimbaud.html Deese]). Rimbaud's popularity and influence did not just extend to France during his lifetime. Many years after his death, he is still inspiring artists from all different genres. Painters, such as Picasso, were inspired by Rimbaud, and musicians from the Beats to Bob Dylan to Patti Smith used Rimbaud's life and beliefs as inspiration in their own art (Merkin).

==Works==
*''[[The Drunken Boat]]'' (1871)
*''[[A Season in Hell: Night of Hell]]'' (1873)
*''Les illuminations'' (1874)
*''Poesies''
*Letters

==Historical Period==

Arthur Rimbaud wrote during a period known as the Symbolist Movement. With its origins in France, the Symbolist Movement began around 1885 and ended somewhere around 1914. It should be noted that while this movement was mainly centered in France, poets and artists in other countries--United States, England, and Russia--did contribute. Other well-known Symbolist poets include Charles Baudelaire, [http://litmuse.maconstate.edu/litwiki/index.php/St%C3%A8phane_Mallarm%C3%A8 Stephane Mallarme], and Paul Verlaine.

==Links==
*[http://www.mag4.net/Rimbaud/indexe.html Arthur Rimbaud]
*[http://www.angelfire.com/ca4/hippie2001/rimbaud.html Rimbaud: Overview and Analysis]
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Rimbaud Arthur Rimbaud at Wikipedia]

==Works Cited==
*Deese, Patrick. "Arthur Rimbaud." ''The Biography Project''. PopSubCulture(dot)com. 29 Mar. 2006 [http://www.popsubculture.com/pop/bio_project/sub/arthur_rimbaud.html Deese].

*Merkin, Daphne. "Rimbaud Rules." ''The American Scholar 72,'' no.1 (2003): 45-52. Literature Resource Center. 27 Mar. 2006. Keyword: Arthur Rimbaud.

Arthur Rimbaud

2006-04-08T18:13:10Z

Bmaloy: /* Historical Period */

==Biography==
On October 20, 1854, Jean-Nicholas-Arthur Rimbaud was born in Charleville, France. His father abandoned the family when Rimbaud was a young child, so Rimbaud's mother took on the job of raising her children completely alone. Rimbaud's teacher George Izambard became a friend and confidant to the young boy, even enouraging his charge to publish his first poem in 1870 ([http://www.popsubculture.com/pop/bio_project/sub/arthur_rimbaud.html Deese]).

The year, 1870, proved to be one of great change for Rimbaud. Besides having his poem published, Rimbaud also decided to run away from home, intending to head for Paris. However, he did not have enough money to purchase a train ticket and was sentenced to spend ten days in jail before being returned home (1573). Somewhere during all of this, Rimbaud's personality underwent a drastic change. He "had changed into a bitter, arrogant, disheveled, foul-talking adolescent," already showing signs of dissatisfaction with life ([http://www.popsubculture.com/pop/bio_project/sub/arthur_rimbaud.html Deese]). In 1871, Rimbaud returned to Paris where he became involved with the poet, Paul Verlaine. Verlaine had entered into a marriage with Mathilde Maute the previous year with the hopes of a prosperous union, but the couple seperated and eventually divorced over Verlaine's relationship with Rimbaud (1567). The relationship troubles between Verlaine and Rimbaud reached a climax in 1873 when Verlaine shot Rimbaud in the wrist and recieved two years in prison for the assault.

After the end of the disasterous relationship with Verlaine, Rimbaud attempted to return to his normal life. At twenty-one, he tired of French society and writing poetry. So, Rimbaud packed up and moved to Africa, virtually disappearing from the world. Lack of proper medical facilities in Africa brought Rimbaud back to France where he was diagnosed with a malignant tumor on the knee. The unfortuantely afflicted leg was amputated at the Marseille hospital in 1891, and Rimbaud was dead six months later in November of the same year (1573).

Rimbaud leaves a legacy behind. He spent his life rebelling against the constraints and rules of socity. He denounced his Catholic religon, although a sister claimed that Rimbaud reaccepted the religion upon his deathbed ([http://www.popsubculture.com/pop/bio_project/sub/arthur_rimbaud.html Deese]). Rimbaud's popularity and influence did not just extend to France during his lifetime. Many years after his death, he is still inspiring artists from all different genres. Painters, such as Picasso, were inspired by Rimbaud, and musicians from the Beats to Bob Dylan to Patti Smith used Rimbaud's life and beliefs as inspiration in their own art (Merkin).

==Works==
*''[[The Drunken Boat]]'' (1871)
*''[[A Season in Hell: Night of Hell]]'' (1873)
*''Les illuminations'' (1874)
*''Poesies''
*Letters

==Historical Period==

Arthur Rimbaud wrote during a period known as the Symbolist Movement. With its origins in France, the Symbolist Movement began around 1885 and ended somewhere around 1914. It should be noted that while this movement was mainly centered in France, poets and artists in other countries--United States, England, and Russia--did contribute. Other well-known Symbolist poets include Charles Baudelaire, Stephane Mallarme, and Paul Verlaine.

==Links==
*[http://www.mag4.net/Rimbaud/indexe.html Arthur Rimbaud]
*[http://www.angelfire.com/ca4/hippie2001/rimbaud.html Rimbaud: Overview and Analysis]
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Rimbaud Arthur Rimbaud at Wikipedia]

==Works Cited==
*Deese, Patrick. "Arthur Rimbaud." ''The Biography Project''. PopSubCulture(dot)com. 29 Mar. 2006 [http://www.popsubculture.com/pop/bio_project/sub/arthur_rimbaud.html Deese].

*Merkin, Daphne. "Rimbaud Rules." ''The American Scholar 72,'' no.1 (2003): 45-52. Literature Resource Center. 27 Mar. 2006. Keyword: Arthur Rimbaud.

Arthur Rimbaud

2006-04-04T02:11:24Z

Bmaloy: /* Historical Period */

==Biography==
On October 20, 1854, Jean-Nicholas-Arthur Rimbaud was born in Charleville, France. His father abandoned the family when Rimbaud was a young child, so Rimbaud's mother took on the job of raising her children completely alone. Rimbaud's teacher George Izambard became a friend and confidant to the young boy, even enouraging his charge to publish his first poem in 1870 ([http://www.popsubculture.com/pop/bio_project/sub/arthur_rimbaud.html Deese]).

The year, 1870, proved to be one of great change for Rimbaud. Besides having his poem published, Rimbaud also decided to run away from home, intending to head for Paris. However, he did not have enough money to purchase a train ticket and was sentenced to spend ten days in jail before being returned home (1573). Somewhere during all of this, Rimbaud's personality underwent a drastic change. He "had changed into a bitter, arrogant, disheveled, foul-talking adolescent," already showing signs of dissatisfaction with life ([http://www.popsubculture.com/pop/bio_project/sub/arthur_rimbaud.html Deese]). In 1871, Rimbaud returned to Paris where he became involved with the poet, Paul Verlaine. Verlaine had entered into a marriage with Mathilde Maute the previous year with the hopes of a prosperous union, but the couple seperated and eventually divorced over Verlaine's relationship with Rimbaud (1567). The relationship troubles between Verlaine and Rimbaud reached a climax in 1873 when Verlaine shot Rimbaud in the wrist and recieved two years in prison for the assault.

After the end of the disasterous relationship with Verlaine, Rimbaud attempted to return to his normal life. At twenty-one, he tired of French society and writing poetry. So, Rimbaud packed up and moved to Africa, virtually disappearing from the world. Lack of proper medical facilities in Africa brought Rimbaud back to France where he was diagnosed with a malignant tumor on the knee. The unfortuantely afflicted leg was amputated at the Marseille hospital in 1891, and Rimbaud was dead six months later in November of the same year (1573).

Rimbaud leaves a legacy behind. He spent his life rebelling against the constraints and rules of socity. He denounced his Catholic religon, although a sister claimed that Rimbaud reaccepted the religion upon his deathbed ([http://www.popsubculture.com/pop/bio_project/sub/arthur_rimbaud.html Deese]). Rimbaud's popularity and influence did not just extend to France during his lifetime. Many years after his death, he is still inspiring artists from all different genres. Painters, such as Picasso, were inspired by Rimbaud, and musicians from the Beats to Bob Dylan to Patti Smith used Rimbaud's life and beliefs as inspiration in their own art (Merkin).

==Works==
*''[[The Drunken Boat]]'' (1871)
*''[[A Season in Hell: Night of Hell]]'' (1873)
*''Les illuminations'' (1874)
*''Poesies''
*Letters

==Historical Period==

Arthur Rimbaud wrote during a period known as the Symbolist Movement. With its origins in France, the Symbolist Movement began around 1885 and ended somewhere around 1914. It should be noted that while this movement was mainly centered in France, poets and artists in other countries--United States, England, and Russia--did contribute.

==Links==
*[http://www.mag4.net/Rimbaud/indexe.html Arthur Rimbaud]
*[http://www.angelfire.com/ca4/hippie2001/rimbaud.html Rimbaud: Overview and Analysis]
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Rimbaud Arthur Rimbaud at Wikipedia]

==Works Cited==
*Deese, Patrick. "Arthur Rimbaud." ''The Biography Project''. PopSubCulture(dot)com. 29 Mar. 2006 [http://www.popsubculture.com/pop/bio_project/sub/arthur_rimbaud.html Deese].

*Merkin, Daphne. "Rimbaud Rules." ''The American Scholar 72,'' no.1 (2003): 45-52. Literature Resource Center. 27 Mar. 2006. Keyword: Arthur Rimbaud.

Arthur Rimbaud

2006-03-30T02:10:23Z

Bmaloy: /* Works */

==Biography==
On October 20, 1854, Jean-Nicholas-Arthur Rimbaud was born in Charleville, France. His father abandoned the family when Rimbaud was a young child, so Rimbaud's mother took on the job of raising her children completely alone. Rimbaud's teacher George Izambard became a friend and confidant to the young boy, even enouraging his charge to publish his first poem in 1870 ([http://www.popsubculture.com/pop/bio_project/sub/arthur_rimbaud.html Deese]).

The year, 1870, proved to be one of great change for Rimbaud. Besides having his poem published, Rimbaud also decided to run away from home, intending to head for Paris. However, he did not have enough money to purchase a train ticket and was sentenced to spend ten days in jail before being returned home (1573). Somewhere during all of this, Rimbaud's personality underwent a drastic change. He "had changed into a bitter, arrogant, disheveled, foul-talking adolescent," already showing signs of dissatisfaction with life ([http://www.popsubculture.com/pop/bio_project/sub/arthur_rimbaud.html Deese]). In 1871, Rimbaud returned to Paris where he became involved with the poet, Paul Verlaine. Verlaine had entered into a marriage with Mathilde Maute the previous year with the hopes of a prosperous union, but the couple seperated and eventually divorced over Verlaine's relationship with Rimbaud (1567). The relationship troubles between Verlaine and Rimbaud reached a climax in 1873 when Verlaine shot Rimbaud in the wrist and recieved two years in prison for the assault.

After the end of the disasterous relationship with Verlaine, Rimbaud attempted to return to his normal life. At twenty-one, he tired of French society and writing poetry. So, Rimbaud packed up and moved to Africa, virtually disappearing from the world. Lack of proper medical facilities in Africa brought Rimbaud back to France where he was diagnosed with a malignant tumor on the knee. The unfortuantely afflicted leg was amputated at the Marseille hospital in 1891, and Rimbaud was dead six months later in November of the same year (1573).

Rimbaud leaves a legacy behind. He spent his life rebelling against the constraints and rules of socity. He denounced his Catholic religon, although a sister claimed that Rimbaud reaccepted the religion upon his deathbed ([http://www.popsubculture.com/pop/bio_project/sub/arthur_rimbaud.html Deese]). Rimbaud's popularity and influence did not just extend to France during his lifetime. Many years after his death, he is still inspiring artists from all different genres. Painters, such as Picasso, were inspired by Rimbaud, and musicians from the Beats to Bob Dylan to Patti Smith used Rimbaud's life and beliefs as inspiration in their own art (Merkin).

==Works==
*''[[The Drunken Boat]]'' (1871)
*''[[A Season in Hell: Night of Hell]]'' (1873)
*''Les illuminations'' (1874)
*''Poesies''
*Letters

==Historical Period==
==Links==
*[http://www.mag4.net/Rimbaud/indexe.html Arthur Rimbaud]
*[http://www.angelfire.com/ca4/hippie2001/rimbaud.html Rimbaud: Overview and Analysis]
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Rimbaud Arthur Rimbaud at Wikipedia]

==Works Cited==
*Deese, Patrick. "Arthur Rimbaud." ''The Biography Project''. PopSubCulture(dot)com. 29 Mar. 2006 [http://www.popsubculture.com/pop/bio_project/sub/arthur_rimbaud.html Deese].

*Merkin, Daphne. "Rimbaud Rules." ''The American Scholar 72,'' no.1 (2003): 45-52. Literature Resource Center. 27 Mar. 2006. Keyword: Arthur Rimbaud.

Arthur Rimbaud

2006-03-30T02:09:53Z

Bmaloy: /* Works */

==Biography==
On October 20, 1854, Jean-Nicholas-Arthur Rimbaud was born in Charleville, France. His father abandoned the family when Rimbaud was a young child, so Rimbaud's mother took on the job of raising her children completely alone. Rimbaud's teacher George Izambard became a friend and confidant to the young boy, even enouraging his charge to publish his first poem in 1870 ([http://www.popsubculture.com/pop/bio_project/sub/arthur_rimbaud.html Deese]).

The year, 1870, proved to be one of great change for Rimbaud. Besides having his poem published, Rimbaud also decided to run away from home, intending to head for Paris. However, he did not have enough money to purchase a train ticket and was sentenced to spend ten days in jail before being returned home (1573). Somewhere during all of this, Rimbaud's personality underwent a drastic change. He "had changed into a bitter, arrogant, disheveled, foul-talking adolescent," already showing signs of dissatisfaction with life ([http://www.popsubculture.com/pop/bio_project/sub/arthur_rimbaud.html Deese]). In 1871, Rimbaud returned to Paris where he became involved with the poet, Paul Verlaine. Verlaine had entered into a marriage with Mathilde Maute the previous year with the hopes of a prosperous union, but the couple seperated and eventually divorced over Verlaine's relationship with Rimbaud (1567). The relationship troubles between Verlaine and Rimbaud reached a climax in 1873 when Verlaine shot Rimbaud in the wrist and recieved two years in prison for the assault.

After the end of the disasterous relationship with Verlaine, Rimbaud attempted to return to his normal life. At twenty-one, he tired of French society and writing poetry. So, Rimbaud packed up and moved to Africa, virtually disappearing from the world. Lack of proper medical facilities in Africa brought Rimbaud back to France where he was diagnosed with a malignant tumor on the knee. The unfortuantely afflicted leg was amputated at the Marseille hospital in 1891, and Rimbaud was dead six months later in November of the same year (1573).

Rimbaud leaves a legacy behind. He spent his life rebelling against the constraints and rules of socity. He denounced his Catholic religon, although a sister claimed that Rimbaud reaccepted the religion upon his deathbed ([http://www.popsubculture.com/pop/bio_project/sub/arthur_rimbaud.html Deese]). Rimbaud's popularity and influence did not just extend to France during his lifetime. Many years after his death, he is still inspiring artists from all different genres. Painters, such as Picasso, were inspired by Rimbaud, and musicians from the Beats to Bob Dylan to Patti Smith used Rimbaud's life and beliefs as inspiration in their own art (Merkin).

==Works==
*''[[The Drunken Boat]]'' (1871)
*''[[A Season in Hell:Night of Hell]]'' (1873)
*''Les illuminations'' (1874)
*''Poesies''
*Letters

==Historical Period==
==Links==
*[http://www.mag4.net/Rimbaud/indexe.html Arthur Rimbaud]
*[http://www.angelfire.com/ca4/hippie2001/rimbaud.html Rimbaud: Overview and Analysis]
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Rimbaud Arthur Rimbaud at Wikipedia]

==Works Cited==
*Deese, Patrick. "Arthur Rimbaud." ''The Biography Project''. PopSubCulture(dot)com. 29 Mar. 2006 [http://www.popsubculture.com/pop/bio_project/sub/arthur_rimbaud.html Deese].

*Merkin, Daphne. "Rimbaud Rules." ''The American Scholar 72,'' no.1 (2003): 45-52. Literature Resource Center. 27 Mar. 2006. Keyword: Arthur Rimbaud.

Arthur Rimbaud

2006-03-30T02:09:13Z

Bmaloy: /* Works */

==Biography==
On October 20, 1854, Jean-Nicholas-Arthur Rimbaud was born in Charleville, France. His father abandoned the family when Rimbaud was a young child, so Rimbaud's mother took on the job of raising her children completely alone. Rimbaud's teacher George Izambard became a friend and confidant to the young boy, even enouraging his charge to publish his first poem in 1870 ([http://www.popsubculture.com/pop/bio_project/sub/arthur_rimbaud.html Deese]).

The year, 1870, proved to be one of great change for Rimbaud. Besides having his poem published, Rimbaud also decided to run away from home, intending to head for Paris. However, he did not have enough money to purchase a train ticket and was sentenced to spend ten days in jail before being returned home (1573). Somewhere during all of this, Rimbaud's personality underwent a drastic change. He "had changed into a bitter, arrogant, disheveled, foul-talking adolescent," already showing signs of dissatisfaction with life ([http://www.popsubculture.com/pop/bio_project/sub/arthur_rimbaud.html Deese]). In 1871, Rimbaud returned to Paris where he became involved with the poet, Paul Verlaine. Verlaine had entered into a marriage with Mathilde Maute the previous year with the hopes of a prosperous union, but the couple seperated and eventually divorced over Verlaine's relationship with Rimbaud (1567). The relationship troubles between Verlaine and Rimbaud reached a climax in 1873 when Verlaine shot Rimbaud in the wrist and recieved two years in prison for the assault.

After the end of the disasterous relationship with Verlaine, Rimbaud attempted to return to his normal life. At twenty-one, he tired of French society and writing poetry. So, Rimbaud packed up and moved to Africa, virtually disappearing from the world. Lack of proper medical facilities in Africa brought Rimbaud back to France where he was diagnosed with a malignant tumor on the knee. The unfortuantely afflicted leg was amputated at the Marseille hospital in 1891, and Rimbaud was dead six months later in November of the same year (1573).

Rimbaud leaves a legacy behind. He spent his life rebelling against the constraints and rules of socity. He denounced his Catholic religon, although a sister claimed that Rimbaud reaccepted the religion upon his deathbed ([http://www.popsubculture.com/pop/bio_project/sub/arthur_rimbaud.html Deese]). Rimbaud's popularity and influence did not just extend to France during his lifetime. Many years after his death, he is still inspiring artists from all different genres. Painters, such as Picasso, were inspired by Rimbaud, and musicians from the Beats to Bob Dylan to Patti Smith used Rimbaud's life and beliefs as inspiration in their own art (Merkin).

==Works==
*''[[The Drunken Boat]]'' (1871)
*''[[A Season in Hell]]'' (1873)
*''Les illuminations'' (1874)
*''Poesies''
*Letters

==Historical Period==
==Links==
*[http://www.mag4.net/Rimbaud/indexe.html Arthur Rimbaud]
*[http://www.angelfire.com/ca4/hippie2001/rimbaud.html Rimbaud: Overview and Analysis]
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Rimbaud Arthur Rimbaud at Wikipedia]

==Works Cited==
*Deese, Patrick. "Arthur Rimbaud." ''The Biography Project''. PopSubCulture(dot)com. 29 Mar. 2006 [http://www.popsubculture.com/pop/bio_project/sub/arthur_rimbaud.html Deese].

*Merkin, Daphne. "Rimbaud Rules." ''The American Scholar 72,'' no.1 (2003): 45-52. Literature Resource Center. 27 Mar. 2006. Keyword: Arthur Rimbaud.

Arthur Rimbaud

2006-03-30T02:03:22Z

Bmaloy: /* Biography */

==Biography==
On October 20, 1854, Jean-Nicholas-Arthur Rimbaud was born in Charleville, France. His father abandoned the family when Rimbaud was a young child, so Rimbaud's mother took on the job of raising her children completely alone. Rimbaud's teacher George Izambard became a friend and confidant to the young boy, even enouraging his charge to publish his first poem in 1870 ([http://www.popsubculture.com/pop/bio_project/sub/arthur_rimbaud.html Deese]).

The year, 1870, proved to be one of great change for Rimbaud. Besides having his poem published, Rimbaud also decided to run away from home, intending to head for Paris. However, he did not have enough money to purchase a train ticket and was sentenced to spend ten days in jail before being returned home (1573). Somewhere during all of this, Rimbaud's personality underwent a drastic change. He "had changed into a bitter, arrogant, disheveled, foul-talking adolescent," already showing signs of dissatisfaction with life ([http://www.popsubculture.com/pop/bio_project/sub/arthur_rimbaud.html Deese]). In 1871, Rimbaud returned to Paris where he became involved with the poet, Paul Verlaine. Verlaine had entered into a marriage with Mathilde Maute the previous year with the hopes of a prosperous union, but the couple seperated and eventually divorced over Verlaine's relationship with Rimbaud (1567). The relationship troubles between Verlaine and Rimbaud reached a climax in 1873 when Verlaine shot Rimbaud in the wrist and recieved two years in prison for the assault.

After the end of the disasterous relationship with Verlaine, Rimbaud attempted to return to his normal life. At twenty-one, he tired of French society and writing poetry. So, Rimbaud packed up and moved to Africa, virtually disappearing from the world. Lack of proper medical facilities in Africa brought Rimbaud back to France where he was diagnosed with a malignant tumor on the knee. The unfortuantely afflicted leg was amputated at the Marseille hospital in 1891, and Rimbaud was dead six months later in November of the same year (1573).

Rimbaud leaves a legacy behind. He spent his life rebelling against the constraints and rules of socity. He denounced his Catholic religon, although a sister claimed that Rimbaud reaccepted the religion upon his deathbed ([http://www.popsubculture.com/pop/bio_project/sub/arthur_rimbaud.html Deese]). Rimbaud's popularity and influence did not just extend to France during his lifetime. Many years after his death, he is still inspiring artists from all different genres. Painters, such as Picasso, were inspired by Rimbaud, and musicians from the Beats to Bob Dylan to Patti Smith used Rimbaud's life and beliefs as inspiration in their own art (Merkin).

==Works==
*[[The Drunken Boat]]
*[[A Season in Hell: Night of Hell]]

==Historical Period==
==Links==
*[http://www.mag4.net/Rimbaud/indexe.html Arthur Rimbaud]
*[http://www.angelfire.com/ca4/hippie2001/rimbaud.html Rimbaud: Overview and Analysis]
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Rimbaud Arthur Rimbaud at Wikipedia]

==Works Cited==
*Deese, Patrick. "Arthur Rimbaud." ''The Biography Project''. PopSubCulture(dot)com. 29 Mar. 2006 [http://www.popsubculture.com/pop/bio_project/sub/arthur_rimbaud.html Deese].

*Merkin, Daphne. "Rimbaud Rules." ''The American Scholar 72,'' no.1 (2003): 45-52. Literature Resource Center. 27 Mar. 2006. Keyword: Arthur Rimbaud.

Arthur Rimbaud

2006-03-30T02:01:35Z

Bmaloy: /* Works Cited */

==Biography==
On October 20, 1854, Jean-Nicholas-Arthur Rimbaud was born in Charleville, France. His father abandoned the family when Rimbaud was a young child, so Rimbaud's mother took on the job of raising her children completely alone. Rimbaud's teacher George Izambard became a friend and confidant to the young boy, even enouraging his charge to publish his first poem in 1870 (Deese).

The year, 1870, proved to be one of great change for Rimbaud. Besides having his poem published, Rimbaud also decided to run away from home, intending to head for Paris. However, he did not have enough money to purchase a train ticket and was sentenced to spend ten days in jail before being returned home (1573). Somewhere during all of this, Rimbaud's personality underwent a drastic change. He "had changed into a bitter, arrogant, disheveled, foul-talking adolescent," already showing signs of dissatisfaction with life (Deese). In 1871, Rimbaud returned to Paris where he became involved with the poet, Paul Verlaine. Verlaine had entered into a marriage with Mathilde Maute the previous year with the hopes of a prosperous union, but the couple seperated and eventually divorced over Verlaine's relationship with Rimbaud (1567). The relationship troubles between Verlaine and Rimbaud reached a climax in 1873 when Verlaine shot Rimbaud in the wrist and recieved two years in prison for the assault.

After the end of the disasterous relationship with Verlaine, Rimbaud attempted to return to his normal life. At twenty-one, he tired of French society and writing poetry. So, Rimbaud packed up and moved to Africa, virtually disappearing from the world. Lack of proper medical facilities in Africa brought Rimbaud back to France where he was diagnosed with a malignant tumor on the knee. The unfortuantely afflicted leg was amputated at the Marseille hospital in 1891, and Rimbaud was dead six months later in November of the same year (1573).

Rimbaud leaves a legacy behind. He spent his life rebelling against the constraints and rules of socity. He denounced his Catholic religon, although a sister claimed that Rimbaud reaccepted the religion upon his deathbed (Deese). Rimbaud's popularity and influence did not just extend to France during his lifetime. Many years after his death, he is still inspiring artists from all different genres. Painters, such as Picasso, were inspired by Rimbaud, and musicians from the Beats to Bob Dylan to Patti Smith used Rimbaud's life and beliefs as inspiration in their own art (Merkin).

==Works==
*[[The Drunken Boat]]
*[[A Season in Hell: Night of Hell]]

==Historical Period==
==Links==
*[http://www.mag4.net/Rimbaud/indexe.html Arthur Rimbaud]
*[http://www.angelfire.com/ca4/hippie2001/rimbaud.html Rimbaud: Overview and Analysis]
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Rimbaud Arthur Rimbaud at Wikipedia]

==Works Cited==
*Deese, Patrick. "Arthur Rimbaud." ''The Biography Project''. PopSubCulture(dot)com. 29 Mar. 2006 [http://www.popsubculture.com/pop/bio_project/sub/arthur_rimbaud.html Deese].

*Merkin, Daphne. "Rimbaud Rules." ''The American Scholar 72,'' no.1 (2003): 45-52. Literature Resource Center. 27 Mar. 2006. Keyword: Arthur Rimbaud.

Arthur Rimbaud

2006-03-30T01:52:25Z

Bmaloy: /* Biography */

==Biography==
On October 20, 1854, Jean-Nicholas-Arthur Rimbaud was born in Charleville, France. His father abandoned the family when Rimbaud was a young child, so Rimbaud's mother took on the job of raising her children completely alone. Rimbaud's teacher George Izambard became a friend and confidant to the young boy, even enouraging his charge to publish his first poem in 1870 (Deese).

The year, 1870, proved to be one of great change for Rimbaud. Besides having his poem published, Rimbaud also decided to run away from home, intending to head for Paris. However, he did not have enough money to purchase a train ticket and was sentenced to spend ten days in jail before being returned home (1573). Somewhere during all of this, Rimbaud's personality underwent a drastic change. He "had changed into a bitter, arrogant, disheveled, foul-talking adolescent," already showing signs of dissatisfaction with life (Deese). In 1871, Rimbaud returned to Paris where he became involved with the poet, Paul Verlaine. Verlaine had entered into a marriage with Mathilde Maute the previous year with the hopes of a prosperous union, but the couple seperated and eventually divorced over Verlaine's relationship with Rimbaud (1567). The relationship troubles between Verlaine and Rimbaud reached a climax in 1873 when Verlaine shot Rimbaud in the wrist and recieved two years in prison for the assault.

After the end of the disasterous relationship with Verlaine, Rimbaud attempted to return to his normal life. At twenty-one, he tired of French society and writing poetry. So, Rimbaud packed up and moved to Africa, virtually disappearing from the world. Lack of proper medical facilities in Africa brought Rimbaud back to France where he was diagnosed with a malignant tumor on the knee. The unfortuantely afflicted leg was amputated at the Marseille hospital in 1891, and Rimbaud was dead six months later in November of the same year (1573).

Rimbaud leaves a legacy behind. He spent his life rebelling against the constraints and rules of socity. He denounced his Catholic religon, although a sister claimed that Rimbaud reaccepted the religion upon his deathbed (Deese). Rimbaud's popularity and influence did not just extend to France during his lifetime. Many years after his death, he is still inspiring artists from all different genres. Painters, such as Picasso, were inspired by Rimbaud, and musicians from the Beats to Bob Dylan to Patti Smith used Rimbaud's life and beliefs as inspiration in their own art (Merkin).

==Works==
*[[The Drunken Boat]]
*[[A Season in Hell: Night of Hell]]

==Historical Period==
==Links==
*[http://www.mag4.net/Rimbaud/indexe.html Arthur Rimbaud]
*[http://www.angelfire.com/ca4/hippie2001/rimbaud.html Rimbaud: Overview and Analysis]
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Rimbaud Arthur Rimbaud at Wikipedia]

==Works Cited==

The Drunken Boat

2006-03-30T01:03:05Z

Bmaloy: /* Study Questions */

==Literary Analysis==
===As a Life Work===
===Major Themes===
====Freedom From Society/Rebellion====
====Reality vs. Fantasy====

===Literal Action===

==Study Questions==

1. The main theme of the poem is rebellion. From what is the speaker rebelling, and what does he hope to gain by rebelling?

2. Is the boat a metaphor of the poet? Give examples from the text to support this.

3. The sea is an important symbol in literature, and Rimbaud used that representation in “The Drunken Boat.” What does the sea mean?

4. What journey is depicted in “The Drunken Boat”?

5. What does the boat represent?

6. What do we know from the text about Rimbaud’s life that might assist us in understanding the poem?

Arthur Rimbaud

2006-03-30T00:52:47Z

Bmaloy: /* Links */

==Biography==
==Works==
*[[The Drunken Boat]]
*[[A Season in Hell: Night of Hell]]

==Historical Period==
==Links==
*[http://www.mag4.net/Rimbaud/indexe.html Arthur Rimbaud]
*[http://www.angelfire.com/ca4/hippie2001/rimbaud.html Rimbaud: Overview and Analysis]
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Rimbaud Arthur Rimbaud at Wikipedia]

==Works Cited==

The Drunken Boat

2006-03-29T04:54:42Z

Bmaloy: /* Major Themes */

==Literary Analysis==
===As a Life Work===
===Major Themes===
====Freedom From Society/Rebellion====
====Reality vs. Fantasy====

===Literal Action===

==Study Questions==

Arthur Rimbaud

2006-03-28T19:16:14Z

Bmaloy: /* Links */

==Biography==
==Works==
*[[The Drunken Boat]]
*[[A Season in Hell: Night of Hell]]

==Historical Period==
==Links==
*[http://www.mag4.net/Rimbaud/indexe.html Arthur Rimbaud]

==Works Cited==

Arthur Rimbaud

2006-03-28T19:14:59Z

Bmaloy: /* Links */

==Biography==
==Works==
*[[The Drunken Boat]]
*[[A Season in Hell: Night of Hell]]

==Historical Period==
==Links==
*[http://www.mag4.net/Rimbaud/Biography.htm Arthur Rimbaud]

==Works Cited==

A Season in Hell: Night of Hell

2006-03-28T19:05:42Z

Bmaloy:

==Literary Analysis==
===As a Life Work===
===Major Themes===
===Literal Action===
==Study Questions==

The Drunken Boat

2006-03-28T19:05:06Z

Bmaloy: /* Literary Analysis */

==Literary Analysis==
===As a Life Work===
===Major Themes===
===Literal Action===

==Study Questions==

The Drunken Boat

2006-03-28T19:03:13Z

Bmaloy:

==Literary Analysis==

==Study Questions==

Arthur Rimbaud

2006-03-28T18:58:28Z

Bmaloy: /* Works */

==Biography==
==Works==
*[[The Drunken Boat]]
*[[A Season in Hell: Night of Hell]]

==Historical Period==
==Links==
==Works Cited==

Arthur Rimbaud

2006-03-28T18:55:43Z

Bmaloy:

==Biography==
==Works==
==Historical Period==
==Links==
==Works Cited==

World Literature II

2006-03-28T18:52:15Z

Bmaloy: /* Texts */

[http://earthshine.org/node/399 ENGL 2112, World Literature II], examines national literatures other than those of Britain and America from the Renaissance to the present. Particular emphasis is placed on western literature, especially continental, Russian, and Latin American fiction of the 19th and 20th centuries. World Lit II will explore texts — poems, novels, novellas, plays, and short stories — in their historical and cultural contexts as well as consider how those texts still inform our views of ourselves today. Since we have only a limited time in this survey, we will concentrate on both diversity of texts explored and the detail of that exploration. Texts include those by Voltaire, Pushkin, Dostoyevsky, Baudelaire, Rimbaud, Ibsen, Mann, and Borges, among others.

== Texts ==
Presented in chronological order. Please add most entries off of the [[World Literature]] page.
* [[Molière]]: [[Tartuffe]]
* [[Voltaire]]: [[Candide]]
* [[Alexander Pope]]: [[The Rape of the Lock]]
* [[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe]]: [[Faust]]
* [[Alexander Pushkin]]: “[[The Queen of Spades]]”
* [[Nikolai Gogol]]: "[[The Overcoat]]"
* [[Robert Browning]]: “[[My Last Duchess]]”
* [[Fyodor Dostoyevsky]]: [[Notes from Underground]]
* [[Stèphane Mallarmè]]
*[[Arthur Rimbaud]]
*...

==Historical Periods==
* [[Enlightenment]]
* [[Neoclassicism]]
* [[Restoration]]
* [[Romanticism]]
* . . .

==Users that are familar with Wiki Markup==
If you are familiar with the wiki set and are willing to help others with the wiki please add your name to the list below.
*[[User:rsellars| Rohan]]
*[[User:mrish| Mark]]

== External Links ==
* [http://earthshine.org/ Earthshine]

----
[[Class Pages]] > World Literature II
[[Category:Course Documents]]

World Literature II

2006-03-28T18:50:48Z

Bmaloy: /* Texts */

[http://earthshine.org/node/399 ENGL 2112, World Literature II], examines national literatures other than those of Britain and America from the Renaissance to the present. Particular emphasis is placed on western literature, especially continental, Russian, and Latin American fiction of the 19th and 20th centuries. World Lit II will explore texts — poems, novels, novellas, plays, and short stories — in their historical and cultural contexts as well as consider how those texts still inform our views of ourselves today. Since we have only a limited time in this survey, we will concentrate on both diversity of texts explored and the detail of that exploration. Texts include those by Voltaire, Pushkin, Dostoyevsky, Baudelaire, Rimbaud, Ibsen, Mann, and Borges, among others.

== Texts ==
Presented in chronological order. Please add most entries off of the [[World Literature]] page.
* [[Molière]]: [[Tartuffe]]
* [[Voltaire]]: [[Candide]]
* [[Alexander Pope]]: [[The Rape of the Lock]]
* [[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe]]: [[Faust]]
* [[Alexander Pushkin]]: “[[The Queen of Spades]]”
* [[Nikolai Gogol]]: "[[The Overcoat]]"
* [[Robert Browning]]: “[[My Last Duchess]]”
* [[Fyodor Dostoyevsky]]: [[Notes from Underground]]
* [[Stèphane Mallarmè]]

==Historical Periods==
* [[Enlightenment]]
* [[Neoclassicism]]
* [[Restoration]]
* [[Romanticism]]
* . . .

==Users that are familar with Wiki Markup==
If you are familiar with the wiki set and are willing to help others with the wiki please add your name to the list below.
*[[User:rsellars| Rohan]]
*[[User:mrish| Mark]]

== External Links ==
* [http://earthshine.org/ Earthshine]

----
[[Class Pages]] > World Literature II
[[Category:Course Documents]]

Notes from Underground

2006-03-15T05:21:02Z

Bmaloy: /* History */

:"What sort of Crystal Palace would it be if any sort of doubt were allowed?" —the Underground Man

''Notes from Underground'' written by [[Fyodor Dostoyevsky]].

== Study Guide ==
Brief summaries, commentaries, and notes on ''Notes''.

=== Notes from Underground, Part 1===
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 1|Chapter 1]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 2|Chapter 2]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 3|Chapter 3]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 4|Chapter 4]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 5|Chapter 5]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 6|Chapter 6]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 7|Chapter 7]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 8|Chapter 8]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 9|Chapter 9]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 10|Chapter 10]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 11|Chapter 11]]

=== Notes from Underground, Part 2: Apropos of Wet Snow ===
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 1|Chapter 1]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 2|Chapter 2]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 3|Chapter 3]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 4|Chapter 4]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 5|Chapter 5]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 6|Chapter 6]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 7|Chapter 7]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 8|Chapter 8]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 9|Chapter 9]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 10|Chapter 10]]

==History==
''Notes from Underground'' is considered to be Dostoevsky's first major literary work during the second phase of his writing, or in other words, the elements of social realism give way to "psychological, existential, and philosophical concerns" in his works (Newton). Clearly, the novel fights against scientific thinking, making its point by giving examples from the narrator's personal experiences. ''Notes from Underground'' stands the test of time as a work of great literary importance, and the Underground Man emerges "...into the vocabulary of the modern educated consciousness, and this character has now begun--like Hamlet, Don Quixote, Don Juan, and Faust--to take on the symbolic stature of one of the great archetypal literary creations," this written by Joseph Frank almost a hundred years after its first publication (Jones).

However, perhaps it is best to understand the time in which the novel was written. The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1860s 1860s] were a busy time for both Europe and North America, a fact that the narrator points out by exclaiming, "Take this entire nineteenth century of ours during which even Buckle lived. Take Napoleon--both the great and the present one. Take North America--that eternal union. Take, finally, that ridiculous Schleswig-Holstein..."(1266). America struggles with a raging Civil War that ripped the country in two. The reference to Napoleon, of course, refers to the French emporers by that name, both of whom engaged in numerous battles. The mention of Schleswig-Holstein refers to Prussia taking that holding from Denmark, who had controlled it for almost a hundred years. Finally, Buckle wrote ''History of Civilization in England'', in which he concludes that "with the developement of civilization wars will cease" (Jones). So, the historical theme for the 1860's appears to be, for the most part, wars.

Let's not forget what happens in Russia at this same time. Russia goes through the Great Reforms, a time of political instability. During this four year period, society began to notice an uprising of groups within the society; these will eventually--but not at this particular time--lead to political parties ([http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~kimball/cvl.pbl.sixties.htm Kimball]). Thus, began the modern revolutionary movements in Russia.

All of the previously mentioned events provided a basis for Dostevsky's beliefs, which he states through the Underground Man's rantings. Dosteovsky satarizes the political and social troubles that plague these continents to express his true thoughts. He does not believe that man is a rational creature by nature or that civilization will bring an end to warfare. Perhaps, too, we see a bit of a warning in this text--a warning much like that in George Orwell's novel, ''1984,'' written eighty years later. Apparently, the threat had not abated but had instead gotten worse.

==Timeline==

==Characters==

===The Underground Man===
The Underground Man is the narrator and protagonist of Notes of Underground. The Underground Man can be viewed as: "a sheer irrationalist whose rejection of Rational Egoism is a tortured emotional outburst with no logical credentials" (Scanlan). He beleives that consciousness is a disease: " I swear to you, gentlemen, that being overly conscious is a disease, a genuine, full-fledged disease" (1257). Such consciousness shows: "within Underground Man's self-descriptions, while relational in the ways not reducible to behavior" (Hagberg).

==Themes==
===The Fallacies of Rationalism===

===The Fallacies of Utopianism===

===The Artificiality of Russian Culture===
For decades, the Russian social and intellectual elite had been imitating western Eropean culture, in the middle of the nineteenth century. In Russia, a man was considered "developed" and "educated" only if he was familiar with the literary and philosophical traditions of Germany, France, and England. Dostoevsky may have shared this view when he was a young man, but by the time he wrote ''Notes from Underground'' he had decided that that certain mindset was destructive. In being captavated by the west, Russian intellectuals had lost touch with the true way of the Russian life. The life that many of the peasants and lower-class workers still practiced (Madden).

===Paralysis of the Conscious Man in Modern Society===

== Major Symbols ==
===Underground===
It is the home of the underground man. It is also refered to as his corner. " Yet the underground is more than a physical placeof isolation; it's a psychological hang-up as well. Possessing the overly sensitive and sheltered consciousness of the underground, the underground man finds himself unable and unwilling to meaningfully interact with others, despite his desire to do just that" (Novelguide). The underground man claims to prefer the underground to the real world. There he is able to express his indviduality.

===The Ant Hill===
This shows that there is no individuality. All of the ants are working for one main goal.

===St. Petersburg===

===The Crystal Palace===

===Money===
Money, for the Underground Man, represents power. In the second part he is cross-examined and is asked his salary. He tells his 'friends' what he makes. "'It's not very handsome,' Zverkov observed majestically. "'Yes, you can't afford to dine at cafes on that,' Ferfichkin added insolently. "To my thinking it's very poor,' Trudolyubov observed gravely (Nabokov 123). All these men scrutinize the Underground Man for his lack of wages.The UM borrows money from a friend, Simonov, but he repays him the next day plus more. Having to borrow money makes him feel incapable of providing for himself and embarrassed of his poverty, making him feel inferior to his 'friends'. The Underground Man offers Liza, the woman he met at the prostitution house, money. She refuses his money. If he was to give her money it would demonstrate moral dominance.

==Critical Perspectives==
''Notes from the Underground'' is an important work in Western European history. " It has attracted attention for many reasons. For one , it contains an all-out assault on Enlightenment rationalism and the idea of progress which foreshadows many such assaults in the mid-to-late twentieth century" (WSU). Another example of this novels' importance is the fact that it has one of the first anti-heroes in fiction. " It portrays a protagonist utterly lacking every trait of the Romantic hero and living out a futile life on the margins of society. Such figures were to dominate much serious fiction in the mid-twentieth century" (WSU).

=== Literary Criticism ===
=== The underground man: A question of meaning by Linda Williams ===

Linda L. Williams explores Dostoyevsky’s Underground Man in her article entitled The underground man: a question of meaning. Williams looks at how the main character searches for meaning and value in his self and his life from the very first words of his notes exclaiming that he is a “sick [and] spiteful man” (1). She also examines how Dostoyevsky uses the underground man to “question whether human beings can be their own source of meaning” (Williams 1). This novel is a reaction to the ideas prevalent in Western Europe at the time that “reason provides the foundation for all knowledge” (Williams 1).

Williams looks at why the Underground man refers to himself as a “zloi” which has been translated as spiteful but in actuality carries the connotation of immorality and malicious behavior in which a person isn’t by nature, but is because they are made that way due to circumstances that person has control over. The author of the article contends that this is because the underground man’s “refusal to attach the common man’s meaning to himself and due to his exaggerated consciousness and vanity.”

In part two we see the underground man’s attempt to “make his life as meaningful to others as it is to him” (Williams 2). This is done through several attempts by the underground man to be noticed by a young officer, some old friends, and Liza. With the young officer the underground man’s desire for the “officer to step aside becomes a measure of the meaning and value of the underground man as a person” (Williams 3). In the case of his meeting with the old friends, we witness the night through his very subjective eyes in which he has “one humiliation piled on top of another” (Williams 4) in his attempt to present himself as having meaning and value in the eyes of others. Since the underground man has the ability to blame his behavior on alcohol as opposed to deliberate action, Williams contends that Dostoyevsky proves that “when an individual is the sole foundation for meanings and values, he may twist them any way he likes”
( Williams 4).

Through his experience with Liza, we see that “his existence has finally been affirmed just as if [the officer] had thrown him through the tavern window” (Williams 5). He then must change the “significance of the encounter with Liza to recapture the sarcasm of his vain ego” (Williams 6) because he has failed to prove himself of any value to anyone other than someone he sees as lower than himself. He attempts to regain control over what he feels like he has lost by asserting himself in a position of power over Liza by insulting her and then exerting “domination and possession over her body” (Williams 6). The underground man tries to “rationalize his sick, zloi act away [by giving her] money” (Williams 6), but Liza’s refusal to accept it along with “all its implications” (Williams 6) reveals what Williams calls the ugly truth about him.

The underground man is incapable of loving anyone due to his unlimited vain ego. Further more, it is this ego that has led him to commit an act that “in the nineteenth century was considered more terrible than murder” (Williams 7) hence the reason why the term originally used in he beginning of the text as zloi which is translated as spiteful. Williams then goes on to say that “The underground cannot be his own foundation for meaning” and to Dostoevsky “the foundation of meaning does not lie in science or in Chernyshevsky’s rational egoism but in placing others interests before your own—in genuinely loving others” (Williams 7).

The author looks at the underground man’s motives in a manner that is easy to understand although the character himself is not. I agree with Williams’s depiction of the underground man’s search and failure to gain the respect of his colleagues which only served to push him into farther underground. In the last moments when he has to reconcile with the fact that he can neither give nor receive love seals his fate in the underground where he is writing from years later. It is least likely that he will encounter another chance to escape. In the underground we will find him languishing untll his death.

==External Links and Resources==

http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/underground/themes.html

==Works Cited==
*Hagberg, Garry L. "Wittgenstein Underground." ''Philosophy and literature'' 28.2 (2004): 379-392.

*Jones, Malcolm V. "Dostoevsky: Notes from Underground (1864)." ''The Voice of a Giant: Essays on Seven Russian Prose Classics.'' Ed. Roger Cockrell and David Richards. (1985): 55-65. Literature Resource Center. University of Exeter. 09 Mar. 2006. Keyword: Notes from Underground.

*Kimball, Alan. "Russian Civil Society and Political Crisis in the Epoch of Great Reforms, 1859-1863." 25 Oct. 1989. University of Oregon. 14 Mar. 2006 <http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~kimball/cvl.pbl.sixties.html>.

*Madden, Caolan. SparkNote on Notes from Underground. 12 Mar. 2006 <http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/underground/>.

*Nabokov, Vladimir. "Lectures on Russian Literature". New York, 1981. 115-125.

*Newton, K.M. "Notes from Underground: Overview." ''Reference Guide to Short Fiction, 1st ed.'' Ed. Noelle Watson. St. James Press: 1994. Literature Resource Center. 13 Mar. 2006. Keyword: Notes from Underground.

*Scanlan, James P. "The Case against Rational Egoism in Dostoevsky's ''Notes from Underground''." ''Journal of the History of Ideas'' 60.3 (1999): 549-567.

*''Novelguide.com''. "Notes from the Underground". March 2006 [<http://www.novelgude.com/notesfromtheunderground/metaphoranaylysis.html>.][[Category:World Literature]]

*Williams, Linda. "The underground man: A qusetion of meaning." ''Studies in the novel.'' Summer 1995, Vol. 27, Issue 2. 129,12

Notes from Underground

2006-03-15T00:46:28Z

Bmaloy: /* Works Cited */

:"What sort of Crystal Palace would it be if any sort of doubt were allowed?" —the Underground Man

''Notes from Underground'' written by [[Fyodor Dostoyevsky]].

== Study Guide ==
Brief summaries, commentaries, and notes on ''Notes''.

=== Notes from Underground, Part 1===
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 1|Chapter 1]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 2|Chapter 2]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 3|Chapter 3]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 4|Chapter 4]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 5|Chapter 5]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 6|Chapter 6]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 7|Chapter 7]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 8|Chapter 8]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 9|Chapter 9]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 10|Chapter 10]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 11|Chapter 11]]

=== Notes from Underground, Part 2: Apropos of Wet Snow ===
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 1|Chapter 1]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 2|Chapter 2]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 3|Chapter 3]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 4|Chapter 4]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 5|Chapter 5]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 6|Chapter 6]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 7|Chapter 7]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 8|Chapter 8]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 9|Chapter 9]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 10|Chapter 10]]

==History==
''Notes from Underground'' is considered to be Dostoevsky's first major literary work during the second phase of his writing, or in other words, the elements of social realism give way to "psychological, existential, and philosophical concerns" in his works (Newton). Clearly, the novel fights against scientific thinking, making its point by giving examples from the narrator's personal experiences.

However, perhaps it is best to understand the time in which the novel was written. The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1860s 1860s] were a busy time for both Europe and United States, facts that the narrator points out. America struggles with a raging Civil War that ripped the country in two. Russia goes through the Great Reforms, a time of political instability. During this four year period, society began to notice an uprising of groups within the society; these will eventually lead to political parties ([http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~kimball/cvl.pbl.sixties.htm Kimball]). Thus, began the modern revolutionary movements in Russia.

==Timeline==

==Characters==

===The Underground Man===
The Underground Man is the narrator and protagonist of Notes of Underground. The Underground Man can be viewed as: "a sheer irrationalist whose rejection of Rational Egoism is a tortured emotional outburst with no logical credentials" (Scanlan). He beleives that consciousness is a disease: " I swear to you, gentlemen, that being overly conscious is a disease, a genuine, full-fledged disease" (1257). Such consciousness shows: "within Underground Man's self-descriptions, while relational in the ways not reducible to behavior" (Hagberg).

==Themes==
===The Fallacies of Rationalism===

===The Fallacies of Utopianism===

===The Artificiality of Russian Culture===
For decades, the Russian social and intellectual elite had been imitating western Eropean culture, in the middle of the nineteenth century. In Russia, a man was considered "developed" and "educated" only if he was familiar with the literary and philosophical traditions of Germany, France, and England. Dostoevsky may have shared this view when he was a young man, but by the time he wrote ''Notes from Underground'' he had decided that that certain mindset was destructive. In being captavated by the west, Russian intellectuals had lost touch with the true way of the Russian life. The life that many of the peasants and lower-class workers still practiced (Madden).

===Paralysis of the Conscious Man in Modern Society===

== Major Symbols ==
===Underground===
It is the home of the underground man. It is also refered to as his corner. " Yet the underground is more than a physical placeof isolation; it's a psychological hang-up as well. Possessing the overly sensitive and sheltered consciousness of the underground, the underground man finds himself unable and unwilling to meaningfully interact with others, despite his desire to do just that" (Novelguide). The underground man claims to prefer the underground to the real world. There he is able to express his indviduality.

===The Ant Hill===
This shows that there is no individuality. All of the ants are working for one main goal.

===St. Petersburg===

===The Crystal Palace===

===Money===
Money, for the Underground Man, represents power. In the second part he is cross-examined and is asked his salary. He tells his 'friends' what he makes. "'It's not very handsome,' Zverkov observed majestically. "'Yes, you can't afford to dine at cafes on that,' Ferfichkin added insolently. "To my thinking it's very poor,' Trudolyubov observed gravely (Nabokov 123). All these men scrutinize the Underground Man for his lack of wages.The UM borrows money from a friend, Simonov, but he repays him the next day plus more. Having to borrow money makes him feel incapable of providing for himself and embarrassed of his poverty, making him feel inferior to his 'friends'. The Underground Man offers Liza, the woman he met at the prostitution house, money. She refuses his money. If he was to give her money it would demonstrate moral dominance.

==Critical Perspectives==
''Notes from the Underground'' is an important work in Western European history. " It has attracted attention for many reasons. For one , it contains an all-out assault on Enlightenment rationalism and the idea of progress which foreshadows many such assaults in the mid-to-late twentieth century" (WSU). Another example of this novels' importance is the fact that it has one of the first anti-heroes in fiction. " It portrays a protagonist utterly lacking every trait of the Romantic hero and living out a futile life on the margins of society. Such figures were to dominate much serious fiction in the mid-twentieth century" (WSU).

=== Literary Criticism ===
=== The underground man: A question of meaning by Linda Williams ===

Linda L. Williams explores Dostoyevsky’s Underground Man in her article entitled The underground man: a question of meaning. Williams looks at how the main character searches for meaning and value in his self and his life from the very first words of his notes exclaiming that he is a “sick [and] spiteful man” (1). She also examines how Dostoyevsky uses the underground man to “question whether human beings can be their own source of meaning” (Williams 1). This novel is a reaction to the ideas prevalent in Western Europe at the time that “reason provides the foundation for all knowledge” (Williams 1).

Williams looks at why the Underground man refers to himself as a “zloi” which has been translated as spiteful but in actuality carries the connotation of immorality and malicious behavior in which a person isn’t by nature, but is because they are made that way due to circumstances that person has control over. The author of the article contends that this is because the underground man’s “refusal to attach the common man’s meaning to himself and due to his exaggerated consciousness and vanity.”

In part two we see the underground man’s attempt to “make his life as meaningful to others as it is to him” (Williams 2). This is done through several attempts by the underground man to be noticed by a young officer, some old friends, and Liza. With the young officer the underground man’s desire for the “officer to step aside becomes a measure of the meaning and value of the underground man as a person” (Williams 3). In the case of his meeting with the old friends, we witness the night through his very subjective eyes in which he has “one humiliation piled on top of another” (Williams 4) in his attempt to present himself as having meaning and value in the eyes of others. Since the underground man has the ability to blame his behavior on alcohol as opposed to deliberate action, Williams contends that Dostoyevsky proves that “when an individual is the sole foundation for meanings and values, he may twist them any way he likes”
( Williams 4).

Through his experience with Liza, we see that “his existence has finally been affirmed just as if [the officer] had thrown him through the tavern window” (Williams 5). He then must change the “significance of the encounter with Liza to recapture the sarcasm of his vain ego” (Williams 6) because he has failed to prove himself of any value to anyone other than someone he sees as lower than himself. He attempts to regain control over what he feels like he has lost by asserting himself in a position of power over Liza by insulting her and then exerting “domination and possession over her body” (Williams 6). The underground man tries to “rationalize his sick, zloi act away [by giving her] money” (Williams 6), but Liza’s refusal to accept it along with “all its implications” (Williams 6) reveals what Williams calls the ugly truth about him.

The underground man is incapable of loving anyone due to his unlimited vain ego. Further more, it is this ego that has led him to commit an act that “in the nineteenth century was considered more terrible than murder” (Williams 7) hence the reason why the term originally used in he beginning of the text as zloi which is translated as spiteful. Williams then goes on to say that “The underground cannot be his own foundation for meaning” and to Dostoevsky “the foundation of meaning does not lie in science or in Chernyshevsky’s rational egoism but in placing others interests before your own—in genuinely loving others” (Williams 7).

The author looks at the underground man’s motives in a manner that is easy to understand although the character himself is not. I agree with Williams’s depiction of the underground man’s search and failure to gain the respect of his colleagues which only served to push him into farther underground. In the last moments when he has to reconcile with the fact that he can neither give nor receive love seals his fate in the underground where he is writing from years later. It is least likely that he will encounter another chance to escape. In the underground we will find him languishing untll his death.

==External Links and Resources==

http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/underground/themes.html

==Works Cited==
*Hagberg, Garry L. "Wittgenstein Underground." ''Philosophy and literature'' 28.2 (2004): 379-392.

*Jones, Malcolm V. "Dostoevsky: Notes from Underground (1864)." ''The Voice of a Giant: Essays on Seven Russian Prose Classics.'' Ed. Roger Cockrell and David Richards. (1985): 55-65. Literature Resource Center. University of Exeter. 09 Mar. 2006. Keyword: Notes from Underground.

*Kimball, Alan. "Russian Civil Society and Political Crisis in the Epoch of Great Reforms, 1859-1863." 25 Oct. 1989. University of Oregon. 14 Mar. 2006 <http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~kimball/cvl.pbl.sixties.html>.

*Madden, Caolan. SparkNote on Notes from Underground. 12 Mar. 2006 <http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/underground/>.

*Nabokov, Vladimir. "Lectures on Russian Literature". New York, 1981. 115-125.

*Newton, K.M. "Notes from Underground: Overview." ''Reference Guide to Short Fiction, 1st ed.'' Ed. Noelle Watson. St. James Press: 1994. Literature Resource Center. 13 Mar. 2006. Keyword: Notes from Underground.

*Scanlan, James P. "The Case against Rational Egoism in Dostoevsky's ''Notes from Underground''." ''Journal of the History of Ideas'' 60.3 (1999): 549-567.

*''Novelguide.com''. "Notes from the Underground". March 2006 [<http://www.novelgude.com/notesfromtheunderground/metaphoranaylysis.html>.][[Category:World Literature]]

*Williams, Linda. "The underground man: A qusetion of meaning." ''Studies in the novel.'' Summer 1995, Vol. 27, Issue 2. 129,12

Notes from Underground

2006-03-15T00:23:04Z

Bmaloy: /* History */

:"What sort of Crystal Palace would it be if any sort of doubt were allowed?" —the Underground Man

''Notes from Underground'' written by [[Fyodor Dostoyevsky]].

== Study Guide ==
Brief summaries, commentaries, and notes on ''Notes''.

=== Notes from Underground, Part 1===
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 1|Chapter 1]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 2|Chapter 2]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 3|Chapter 3]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 4|Chapter 4]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 5|Chapter 5]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 6|Chapter 6]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 7|Chapter 7]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 8|Chapter 8]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 9|Chapter 9]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 10|Chapter 10]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 11|Chapter 11]]

=== Notes from Underground, Part 2: Apropos of Wet Snow ===
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 1|Chapter 1]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 2|Chapter 2]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 3|Chapter 3]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 4|Chapter 4]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 5|Chapter 5]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 6|Chapter 6]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 7|Chapter 7]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 8|Chapter 8]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 9|Chapter 9]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 10|Chapter 10]]

==History==
''Notes from Underground'' is considered to be Dostoevsky's first major literary work during the second phase of his writing, or in other words, the elements of social realism give way to "psychological, existential, and philosophical concerns" in his works (Newton). Clearly, the novel fights against scientific thinking, making its point by giving examples from the narrator's personal experiences.

However, perhaps it is best to understand the time in which the novel was written. The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1860s 1860s] were a busy time for both Europe and United States, facts that the narrator points out. America struggles with a raging Civil War that ripped the country in two. Russia goes through the Great Reforms, a time of political instability. During this four year period, society began to notice an uprising of groups within the society; these will eventually lead to political parties ([http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~kimball/cvl.pbl.sixties.htm Kimball]). Thus, began the modern revolutionary movements in Russia.

==Timeline==

==Characters==

===The Underground Man===
The Underground Man is the narrator and protagonist of Notes of Underground. The Underground Man can be viewed as: "a sheer irrationalist whose rejection of Rational Egoism is a tortured emotional outburst with no logical credentials" (Scanlan). He beleives that consciousness is a disease: " I swear to you, gentlemen, that being overly conscious is a disease, a genuine, full-fledged disease" (1257). Such consciousness shows: "within Underground Man's self-descriptions, while relational in the ways not reducible to behavior" (Hagberg).

==Themes==
===The Fallacies of Rationalism===

===The Fallacies of Utopianism===

===The Artificiality of Russian Culture===
For decades, the Russian social and intellectual elite had been imitating western Eropean culture, in the middle of the nineteenth century. In Russia, a man was considered "developed" and "educated" only if he was familiar with the literary and philosophical traditions of Germany, France, and England. Dostoevsky may have shared this view when he was a young man, but by the time he wrote ''Notes from Underground'' he had decided that that certain mindset was destructive. In being captavated by the west, Russian intellectuals had lost touch with the true way of the Russian life. The life that many of the peasants and lower-class workers still practiced (Madden).

===Paralysis of the Conscious Man in Modern Society===

== Major Symbols ==
===Underground===
It is the home of the underground man. It is also refered to as his corner. " Yet the underground is more than a physical placeof isolation; it's a psychological hang-up as well. Possessing the overly sensitive and sheltered consciousness of the underground, the underground man finds himself unable and unwilling to meaningfully interact with others, despite his desire to do just that" (Novelguide). The underground man claims to prefer the underground to the real world. There he is able to express his indviduality.

===The Ant Hill===
This shows that there is no individuality. All of the ants are working for one main goal.

===St. Petersburg===

===The Crystal Palace===

===Money===
Money, for the Underground Man, represents power. In the second part he is cross-examined and is asked his salary. He tells his 'friends' what he makes. "'It's not very handsome,' Zverkov observed majestically. "'Yes, you can't afford to dine at cafes on that,' Ferfichkin added insolently. "To my thinking it's very poor,' Trudolyubov observed gravely (Nabokov 123). All these men scrutinize the Underground Man for his lack of wages.The UM borrows money from a friend, Simonov, but he repays him the next day plus more. Having to borrow money makes him feel incapable of providing for himself and embarrassed of his poverty, making him feel inferior to his 'friends'. The Underground Man offers Liza, the woman he met at the prostitution house, money. She refuses his money. If he was to give her money it would demonstrate moral dominance.

==Critical Perspectives==
''Notes from the Underground'' is an important work in Western European history. " It has attracted attention for many reasons. For one , it contains an all-out assault on Enlightenment rationalism and the idea of progress which foreshadows many such assaults in the mid-to-late twentieth century" (WSU). Another example of this novels' importance is the fact that it has one of the first anti-heroes in fiction. " It portrays a protagonist utterly lacking every trait of the Romantic hero and living out a futile life on the margins of society. Such figures were to dominate much serious fiction in the mid-twentieth century" (WSU).

=== Literary Criticism ===
=== The underground man: A question of meaning by Linda Williams ===

Linda L. Williams explores Dostoyevsky’s Underground Man in her article entitled The underground man: a question of meaning. Williams looks at how the main character searches for meaning and value in his self and his life from the very first words of his notes exclaiming that he is a “sick [and] spiteful man” (1). She also examines how Dostoyevsky uses the underground man to “question whether human beings can be their own source of meaning” (Williams 1). This novel is a reaction to the ideas prevalent in Western Europe at the time that “reason provides the foundation for all knowledge” (Williams 1).

Williams looks at why the Underground man refers to himself as a “zloi” which has been translated as spiteful but in actuality carries the connotation of immorality and malicious behavior in which a person isn’t by nature, but is because they are made that way due to circumstances that person has control over. The author of the article contends that this is because the underground man’s “refusal to attach the common man’s meaning to himself and due to his exaggerated consciousness and vanity.”

In part two we see the underground man’s attempt to “make his life as meaningful to others as it is to him” (Williams 2). This is done through several attempts by the underground man to be noticed by a young officer, some old friends, and Liza. With the young officer the underground man’s desire for the “officer to step aside becomes a measure of the meaning and value of the underground man as a person” (Williams 3). In the case of his meeting with the old friends, we witness the night through his very subjective eyes in which he has “one humiliation piled on top of another” (Williams 4) in his attempt to present himself as having meaning and value in the eyes of others. Since the underground man has the ability to blame his behavior on alcohol as opposed to deliberate action, Williams contends that Dostoyevsky proves that “when an individual is the sole foundation for meanings and values, he may twist them any way he likes”
( Williams 4).

Through his experience with Liza, we see that “his existence has finally been affirmed just as if [the officer] had thrown him through the tavern window” (Williams 5). He then must change the “significance of the encounter with Liza to recapture the sarcasm of his vain ego” (Williams 6) because he has failed to prove himself of any value to anyone other than someone he sees as lower than himself. He attempts to regain control over what he feels like he has lost by asserting himself in a position of power over Liza by insulting her and then exerting “domination and possession over her body” (Williams 6). The underground man tries to “rationalize his sick, zloi act away [by giving her] money” (Williams 6), but Liza’s refusal to accept it along with “all its implications” (Williams 6) reveals what Williams calls the ugly truth about him.

The underground man is incapable of loving anyone due to his unlimited vain ego. Further more, it is this ego that has led him to commit an act that “in the nineteenth century was considered more terrible than murder” (Williams 7) hence the reason why the term originally used in he beginning of the text as zloi which is translated as spiteful. Williams then goes on to say that “The underground cannot be his own foundation for meaning” and to Dostoevsky “the foundation of meaning does not lie in science or in Chernyshevsky’s rational egoism but in placing others interests before your own—in genuinely loving others” (Williams 7).

The author looks at the underground man’s motives in a manner that is easy to understand although the character himself is not. I agree with Williams’s depiction of the underground man’s search and failure to gain the respect of his colleagues which only served to push him into farther underground. In the last moments when he has to reconcile with the fact that he can neither give nor receive love seals his fate in the underground where he is writing from years later. It is least likely that he will encounter another chance to escape. In the underground we will find him languishing untll his death.

==External Links and Resources==

http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/underground/themes.html

==Works Cited==
*Hagberg, Garry L. "Wittgenstein Underground." ''Philosophy and literature'' 28.2 (2004): 379-392.

*Madden, Caolan. SparkNote on Notes from Underground. 12 Mar. 2006 <http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/underground/>.

*Nabokov, Vladimir. "Lectures on Russian Literature". New York, 1981. 115-125.

*Scanlan, James P. "The Case against Rational Egoism in Dostoevsky's ''Notes from Underground''." ''Journal of the History of Ideas'' 60.3 (1999): 549-567.

*''Novelguide.com''. "Notes from the Underground". March 2006 [<http://www.novelgude.com/notesfromtheunderground/metaphoranaylysis.html>.][[Category:World Literature]]

*Williams, Linda. "The underground man: A qusetion of meaning." ''Studies in the novel.'' Summer 1995, Vol. 27, Issue 2. 129,12

Faust: An Overcast Day, a Field

2006-03-03T18:26:11Z

Bmaloy: /* Summary */

==Summary==
Faust discovers that Gretchen has been imprisoned, and Mephistopheles has known and not said a word. He is very distraught over the news: "A condemned criminal, shut up in a dungeon and suffering horrible torments, the poor unfortunate child!" (619). With indifference, Mephisto states that Gretchen would not be the first person to suffer, sending Faust into an even angrier state. Mephisto basically tells him that everything that happened to Gretchen and thus far in his life is his fault--he signed the contract, he impregnated Gretchen. Faust demands that Mephisto do something to save Gretchen from her fate, and Mephisto tells Faust that he will only be able to assist in the rescue. Faust must physically liberate her from the prison.

==Notes==

This section was the only section that Goethe left in the original prose format. When Faust finds out that Gretchen is being tortured in prision while he and Mephisto are having entertainment, he is outraged. His anger is almost beyond expression (Gray 152). He demands that Mephisto save Gretchen from prison. Mephisto tells Faust that if he wants her out of the prison, he will have to do it own his own, and all Mephisto can do is accomany him. Mephisto tells Faust that in order to save Gretchen, they must return to the town in where Valentine was killed. Mephisto warns Faust that there are spirits waiting in the town for the murderer to return. Faust doesn't care. He demands that Mephisto take him there. Mephisto then says that the only thing that he can do is to "cause the jailer's senses to be befunddled, then you seize the keys and lead her out. Only a human can do it. I'll keep watch" (620).

==Commentary==
===Overcast Day===
Goethe leaves the part of an overcast day in this story, perhaps for the effect of a depressing mood for a depressing subject. Nature has "ability to affect us" (Grandy 26). This also goes back to the idea of the romantics (nature). Faust discovers that Gretchen is imprisoned. Faust then calls out to the Lord "O you infinite Spirit, change the worm back into a dog" (621). Faust blames Mephisto for Gretchen being in prison and wants help. The field and the overcast day is a constant idea of nature talked or acted about throughout the entire story.

===Shakespeare's Influence===
Upon Faust's first meeting Gretchen, he is infatuated with her. Over time, she comes to love him as well. From previous sections, we know that Gretchen's family does not approve of this, causing many problems and painful emotions for Gretchen. In "An Overcast Day, a Field," Faust discovers that Gretchen has been imprisoned, though for what, he does not know. Since he has such strong feelings for her, Faust plans to rush to the prison, save Gretchen, and live happily ever after. In other words, welcome to the basic outline of ''Romeo and Juliet'', modernized a few centuries (Cooksey). The similarities are obvious: the offended family, young lovers, the plight. Valentine's death by Faust's hand even bears a resemblence to Romeo killing Juliet's cousin, Tybalt. However, instead of Romeo rushing to the cemetery to die beside Juliet, Faust rushes to the prison to save Gretchen from her coming execution.

==Study Questions==
(1) What does Faust discover at the beginning of this section?

(2) Why does this discovery cause him to turn to Mephisto in anger?

(3) Why did Mephisto not share this information with Faust?

(4) What is Mephisto's callous remark in regards to Gretchen and her plight?

(5) Who is the Spirit that Faust keeps beseeching?

(6) What does he want this spirit to do?

(7) How does Mephisto place the blame for this occurance on Faust?

(8) What does Faust demand that Mephisto do in regards to the information he has discovered?

(9) What reason does Mephisto give that he and Faust should not return to save Gretchen?

(10) Mephisto says he only has the power to assist in rescuing Gretchen. How must she be liberated?

(11) What does Mephisto say that he can do to help Faust once they get to the prison?

(12) What will take Faust and Mephisto to the prison?

==External Resources==
[http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~brians/hum_303/faust.html Faust Study Guide]

==Works Cited==
Cooksey, Thomas L. "'Talk Not of a Wife': ''The Devil and Daniel Webster'', ''Cabin in the Sky'', and ''Damn Yankees''--American Contributions to the Faust Legend." Journal of Popular Film & Television 27 (1999): 18-27. Literature Resource Center. Macon State College, Forsyth. 03 Mar. 2006. Keyword: Faust.

Gray, Ronald D. ''Goethe: A Critical Introduction''. Cambridge University Press. New York: 1967.

Grandy, David. "Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies." Santa Monica. 17.1/2 (2005).

Faust: An Overcast Day, a Field

2006-03-03T18:25:37Z

Bmaloy: /* Notes */

==Summary==
Faust discovers that Gretchen has been imprisoned, and Mephistopheles has known and not said a word. He is very distraught over the news: "A condemned criminal, shut up in a dungeon and suffering horrible torments, the poor unfortunate child!" (l. 4247-4248). With indifference, Mephisto states that Gretchen would not be the first person to suffer, sending Faust into an even angrier state. Mephisto basically tells him that everything that happened to Gretchen and thus far in his life is his fault--he signed the contract, he impregnated Gretchen. Faust demands that Mephisto do something to save Gretchen from her fate, and Mephisto tells Faust that he will only be able to assist in the rescue. Faust must physically liberate her from the prison.

==Notes==

This section was the only section that Goethe left in the original prose format. When Faust finds out that Gretchen is being tortured in prision while he and Mephisto are having entertainment, he is outraged. His anger is almost beyond expression (Gray 152). He demands that Mephisto save Gretchen from prison. Mephisto tells Faust that if he wants her out of the prison, he will have to do it own his own, and all Mephisto can do is accomany him. Mephisto tells Faust that in order to save Gretchen, they must return to the town in where Valentine was killed. Mephisto warns Faust that there are spirits waiting in the town for the murderer to return. Faust doesn't care. He demands that Mephisto take him there. Mephisto then says that the only thing that he can do is to "cause the jailer's senses to be befunddled, then you seize the keys and lead her out. Only a human can do it. I'll keep watch" (620).

==Commentary==
===Overcast Day===
Goethe leaves the part of an overcast day in this story, perhaps for the effect of a depressing mood for a depressing subject. Nature has "ability to affect us" (Grandy 26). This also goes back to the idea of the romantics (nature). Faust discovers that Gretchen is imprisoned. Faust then calls out to the Lord "O you infinite Spirit, change the worm back into a dog" (621). Faust blames Mephisto for Gretchen being in prison and wants help. The field and the overcast day is a constant idea of nature talked or acted about throughout the entire story.

===Shakespeare's Influence===
Upon Faust's first meeting Gretchen, he is infatuated with her. Over time, she comes to love him as well. From previous sections, we know that Gretchen's family does not approve of this, causing many problems and painful emotions for Gretchen. In "An Overcast Day, a Field," Faust discovers that Gretchen has been imprisoned, though for what, he does not know. Since he has such strong feelings for her, Faust plans to rush to the prison, save Gretchen, and live happily ever after. In other words, welcome to the basic outline of ''Romeo and Juliet'', modernized a few centuries (Cooksey). The similarities are obvious: the offended family, young lovers, the plight. Valentine's death by Faust's hand even bears a resemblence to Romeo killing Juliet's cousin, Tybalt. However, instead of Romeo rushing to the cemetery to die beside Juliet, Faust rushes to the prison to save Gretchen from her coming execution.

==Study Questions==
(1) What does Faust discover at the beginning of this section?

(2) Why does this discovery cause him to turn to Mephisto in anger?

(3) Why did Mephisto not share this information with Faust?

(4) What is Mephisto's callous remark in regards to Gretchen and her plight?

(5) Who is the Spirit that Faust keeps beseeching?

(6) What does he want this spirit to do?

(7) How does Mephisto place the blame for this occurance on Faust?

(8) What does Faust demand that Mephisto do in regards to the information he has discovered?

(9) What reason does Mephisto give that he and Faust should not return to save Gretchen?

(10) Mephisto says he only has the power to assist in rescuing Gretchen. How must she be liberated?

(11) What does Mephisto say that he can do to help Faust once they get to the prison?

(12) What will take Faust and Mephisto to the prison?

==External Resources==
[http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~brians/hum_303/faust.html Faust Study Guide]

==Works Cited==
Cooksey, Thomas L. "'Talk Not of a Wife': ''The Devil and Daniel Webster'', ''Cabin in the Sky'', and ''Damn Yankees''--American Contributions to the Faust Legend." Journal of Popular Film & Television 27 (1999): 18-27. Literature Resource Center. Macon State College, Forsyth. 03 Mar. 2006. Keyword: Faust.

Gray, Ronald D. ''Goethe: A Critical Introduction''. Cambridge University Press. New York: 1967.

Grandy, David. "Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies." Santa Monica. 17.1/2 (2005).

Faust: An Overcast Day, a Field

2006-03-03T18:23:42Z

Bmaloy: /* Commentary */

==Summary==
Faust discovers that Gretchen has been imprisoned, and Mephistopheles has known and not said a word. He is very distraught over the news: "A condemned criminal, shut up in a dungeon and suffering horrible torments, the poor unfortunate child!" (l. 4247-4248). With indifference, Mephisto states that Gretchen would not be the first person to suffer, sending Faust into an even angrier state. Mephisto basically tells him that everything that happened to Gretchen and thus far in his life is his fault--he signed the contract, he impregnated Gretchen. Faust demands that Mephisto do something to save Gretchen from her fate, and Mephisto tells Faust that he will only be able to assist in the rescue. Faust must physically liberate her from the prison.

==Notes==

This section was the only section that Goethe left in the original prose format. When Faust finds out that Gretchen is being torchered in prision while him and Mephisto are having entertainment, he is outraged. His anger is almost beyond expression (Gray 152). He demands that Mephisto save Gretchen from prison. Mephisto tells Faust that if he wants her out of the prison, he will have to do it own his own, and all Mephisto can do is accomany him. Mephisto tells Faust that in order to save Gretchen, they must return to the town in where Valentine was killed. Mephisto warns Faust that there are spirts waiting in the town for the murderer to return. Faust doesn't care. He demands that Mephisto take him there. Mephisto then says that the only thing that he can do is to "cause the jailer's senses to be befunddled, then you seize the keys and lead her out. Only a human can do it. I'll keep watch" (620).

==Commentary==
===Overcast Day===
Goethe leaves the part of an overcast day in this story, perhaps for the effect of a depressing mood for a depressing subject. Nature has "ability to affect us" (Grandy 26). This also goes back to the idea of the romantics (nature). Faust discovers that Gretchen is imprisoned. Faust then calls out to the Lord "O you infinite Spirit, change the worm back into a dog" (621). Faust blames Mephisto for Gretchen being in prison and wants help. The field and the overcast day is a constant idea of nature talked or acted about throughout the entire story.

===Shakespeare's Influence===
Upon Faust's first meeting Gretchen, he is infatuated with her. Over time, she comes to love him as well. From previous sections, we know that Gretchen's family does not approve of this, causing many problems and painful emotions for Gretchen. In "An Overcast Day, a Field," Faust discovers that Gretchen has been imprisoned, though for what, he does not know. Since he has such strong feelings for her, Faust plans to rush to the prison, save Gretchen, and live happily ever after. In other words, welcome to the basic outline of ''Romeo and Juliet'', modernized a few centuries (Cooksey). The similarities are obvious: the offended family, young lovers, the plight. Valentine's death by Faust's hand even bears a resemblence to Romeo killing Juliet's cousin, Tybalt. However, instead of Romeo rushing to the cemetery to die beside Juliet, Faust rushes to the prison to save Gretchen from her coming execution.

==Study Questions==
(1) What does Faust discover at the beginning of this section?

(2) Why does this discovery cause him to turn to Mephisto in anger?

(3) Why did Mephisto not share this information with Faust?

(4) What is Mephisto's callous remark in regards to Gretchen and her plight?

(5) Who is the Spirit that Faust keeps beseeching?

(6) What does he want this spirit to do?

(7) How does Mephisto place the blame for this occurance on Faust?

(8) What does Faust demand that Mephisto do in regards to the information he has discovered?

(9) What reason does Mephisto give that he and Faust should not return to save Gretchen?

(10) Mephisto says he only has the power to assist in rescuing Gretchen. How must she be liberated?

(11) What does Mephisto say that he can do to help Faust once they get to the prison?

(12) What will take Faust and Mephisto to the prison?

==External Resources==
[http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~brians/hum_303/faust.html Faust Study Guide]

==Works Cited==
Cooksey, Thomas L. "'Talk Not of a Wife': ''The Devil and Daniel Webster'', ''Cabin in the Sky'', and ''Damn Yankees''--American Contributions to the Faust Legend." Journal of Popular Film & Television 27 (1999): 18-27. Literature Resource Center. Macon State College, Forsyth. 03 Mar. 2006. Keyword: Faust.

Gray, Ronald D. ''Goethe: A Critical Introduction''. Cambridge University Press. New York: 1967.

Grandy, David. "Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies." Santa Monica. 17.1/2 (2005).

Faust: Night, Open Country

2006-03-03T18:12:52Z

Bmaloy: /* Commentary */

==Summary==
Faust and Mephistopheles ride towards the prison where Gretchen is being held on black horses. They pass a gallows on which a group of witches is congregating. The witches are also brewing something but Mephisto tells Faust that he doesn't know what they are brewing. Faust wonders what is going on, but Mephisto urges him to keep going.

==Notes==
==Commentary==
This short section of the allegorical poem, when Faust and Mephisto gallop through the open country at night, is significant because Faust prefers to take the beaten path on this journey as well, in his ordinary life, instead of a well traveled road. He is also using the idea of nature which many romantics used. The night is symbolic of darkness that is generated from the devil and from the surroundings. Both of these are in reference to the idea of romanticism. "Artists as self-expressive individuals, the ideas of "nature," death's connection to love, night (i.e., subconscious) fears..." (Dopp).

==Study Questions==
(1) What is special about the horses that Mephisto and Faust ride?

(2) Where are they going?

(3) What do they pass on their way?

(4) What does Mephisto urge Faust to do as they come up upon the hill?

==External Resources==
[http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~brians/hum_303/faust.html Faust Study Guide]

==Works Cited==
Dopp, Bonnie Jo. "Romanticism: Imagining Freedom." Library Journal 131.3 (2006).

Faust: Faust's Study (1)

2006-03-03T18:08:06Z

Bmaloy: /* Commentary */

==Summary==
Faust is in his study translating the Gospel of John into German. The black poodle that Faust brought home begins to act wild and Faust tries to stop its madness. Spirits outside of Faust's door begin to speak about how something is inside that needs help. Faust then uses a spell to defend himself. After this the black poodle transforms into a monster. Faust tries to use magic spells and a crusifix to drive the evil spirit away. Then the poodle turns into Mephisto, the devil. Mephisto and Faust chat for a moment before Mephisto must take his leave. Faust asks Mephisto who he really is, but Mephisto cleverly avoids the answer to the question. Mephisto is trapped by a pentagram and Faust will not remove it to let him go. Mephisto then tricks Faust into falling asleep by summoning spirts that sing him to sleep and Mephisto escapes.

==Notes==
===The Gospel of John===
As Faust enters his study, he gives the poodle a pillow to rest on, as he translates the Book of John into German. He starts out in John chapter 1, verse 1. "In the begining was the Word-so goes the text. And right off I'm given pause" (l. 1004-1005). It seems in this passage that Faust may be doubting the supreme being of God and his word. This next passage is another example of Faust's doubt. I'm unable to see the ''word'' as having supreme value (1. 1006-1007). The Greek term for "word" is logos. Faust argues that a mere word cannot have such great significance (Gray 143). Faust didn't want to use the term "word" in the passage. He tried thinking of several other terms to put in place of "word". He tries the term "power". He finaly decided on the phrase 'Im Anfang war die Tat!' Translated means 'In the begining was the deed' (Gray 143).

===Mephisto===
As Faust is working on translating the Gospel of John to German, the poodle transforms into a bigger dog, growing larger before Faust's eyes. Spirits outside start banging on the door to try to get in. Faust then tries to defend himself by using The Spell of the Four Elements (l. 1054). Then, the poodle transforms into Mephisto. Mephisto is dressed as a traveling scholar. When Mephisto tries to leave Faust's study, he relizes that he can't because there is a pentagram at the door. Faust offers a suggestion that Mepisto can get out by going out the window. Mephisto states that the devils have to leave the way they came in (l. 1196).

===The Spell of the Four Elements===
Faust's Spell of the Four Elements refers to the traditional magical practices of invoking the energy of the elements of nature--earth, air, fire, and water--for assistance during a casting. This process is called "elemental balancing" (Adams 58). The purpose of Faust's spell in lines 1055 through 1071 is to force Mephisto to leave his study. Each of the creatures mentioned in the first verse of the spell represent one of the elements. Each of the elements has a specific tool that represents it. For example, fire is represented by the wand. The elements also represent a balance between for things: "intellect (air), will (fire), emotions (water), and body (earth)" (Adams 58). It is believed that without a balance of the elements and what they represent, practicing magic can be dangerous whoever attempts it.

===Pentagram===
In lines 1179-1187, Faust and Mephisto make references to a pentagram that Faust had drawn on his entryway. The pentagram, also referred to as a pentacle, has been used for centries throughout the practice of witchcraft. Beginning with line 1055, Faust chants The Spell of the Four Elements, so it should be mentioned that the pentagram is the pagan symbol for earth, one of the four elements. The pentagram is a five-pointed star, much like the kind we draw as children. Practitioners of white magic (Wicca) consider the uppermost point to represent life, and the other four points represent each of the four elements of nature used in white magic: earth, air, fire, and water (Adams 61). The pentagram is considered to be a symbol of protection. In the text, the pentagram is used by Faust to keep evil spirits from entering his domain, however, because of the break in the pentagram, it is not whole; thus, spirits may enter but cannot leave (l. 1185-1188). As a side point of interest, had the pentagram been upside down, it would be the symbol for Satanism.

==Commentary==
===The Poodle===
"Everything that creates the yearning to escape from the monotony of daily life is romantic" (Walzel 3).

Faust's Study 1 is important to the rest of the story because this is where he invokes Mephisto into his home. Mephisto is disguised as a poodle, a black poodle. The meeting of the dog forshadows the rest of the story when Faust says "I think I see him winding a magic snare, quietly, around our feet, a noose which he'll pull tight in the future, when the time is right" (543 l.935-938).

===The Lord of the Flies===
Faust refers to Mephisto as "Lord of the Flies, Destroyer, Liar" after the demon changes from a black poodle into its human form (l.1116). All of these names are references to the Devil. However, it is Lord of the Flies that stands out the most. This refers to the Biblical name for the Devil, Beelzebub. Perhaps, the name is more easily recognized in conjunction with William Golding's novel, ''The Lord of the Flies'', which took its name from this passage (Rosenfield). When Simon discovers the fly-ridden pig's head that the children have erected in Golding's novel to pay homage to the outside forces at work around them, he becomes ill and goes through a spell. This represents an internal journey for the sole purpose of understanding oneself (Rosenfield). When Faust pressures Mephisto into staying with him, and ultimately signs a contract for his soul in the next section, he is embarking on the same journey that Simon undertakes. Faust must come to terms with the life that provides no stimulation for him in the course of his journey. Though the reader at this point does not know if Faust will become involved with Mephisto for certain, Faust's eagerness to have dealings with the demon forshadows this journey. He says: "So even in Hell there's law and order! I'm glad, for then a man might sign a contract with you gentlemen" (l.1197-1199). We are left with the question: Can Faust find a meaning to life that will satisfy both his life and himself through his dealings with Mephisto?

===Dual Personalities of One Character===
Faust's Study is the first section in which the personalities of Mephisto and Faust may be compared side to side. It begins to become obvious that each character's personality works off that of the other, much in the same way that a person might witness different sides to the same person. One might even say that Faust represents the "good" side of a person, while Mephisto represents the "bad" side. Faust is a representative of mankind "whose history on earth is one of lust and hate and greed" but in death, still goes to Heaven (Willcocks 37). Mephisto is not reedeemable, nor does he care to be. With that being said, we move into Mephisto and Faust being the two side of a character. By Faust taking the abandoned poodle into his home in the beginning of the section, readers are introduced to his kind side. Throughout the work so far, Faust has been somewhat of a model human, although he does dip into the occult, which by nature, is a sin against God. However, with his still favored in the eyes of the Lord, but Mephisto's appearance causes him to fall slightly. Faust shows signs of greed, at trying to retain the demon's services. He continues his fall from grace by hinting that he would consider making a pact with Mephisto in lines 1197-1199. Mephisto, on the other hand, represents the other side to a character. His is that side that "...we dread and hate above all other creatures..." due to his sarcasm, cynacism, and purely annoying personality (Willcocks 44). He comes before Faust, completely sarcastic, yet at the same time is very clear-headed. Where Faust panicked upon the poodle's metamorphosis into Mephisto and began to recite The Spell of the Four Elements frantically, Mephisto retains a level head. This allows him to dodge Faust's questions to his identity beginning with line 1114. Later, Mephisto also uses this trait to trick Faust into giving him an outlet to escape. Mephisto tells Faust to "let me entertain you in my own way." (1217-1218). He then brings in a group of spirits to entertain Faust, knowing that the spirits will sing Faust to sleep, allowing Mephisto to escape. Faust could never have come up with such a plan, nor is he capable of keeping such a clear and level head, as we witness in later sections. So, with their different personalities, readers witness man's struggle to embrace the dark side or the light side.

==Study Questions==
(1) Why was Mephisto avoiding answering Faust's questions of his real identity?

(2) Why did Faust not like the term "word" in the passage from the Gospel of John?

(3) What did the poodle turn into first?

(4) What did the poodle turn into second?

(5) What are the four elements in Faust's Spell of the Four Elements, and why are they important to the text? What is their occult significance?

(6) What is the significance behind Faust calling to Mephisto as "Lord of the Flies"?

(7) What is the purpose of the pentagram on Faust's doorway?

(8) Why is Mephisto able to enter Faust's study, even though he is a demon?

(9) How did Mephisto get Faust asleep?

(10) What does Mephisto use to aid him in his escape from the study after Faust had fallen asleep, and what does it do?

(11) Why does Mephisto need help in leaving if Faust were already asleep?

==External Resources==
[http://www.ucalgary.ca/~esleben/faust/goethe/mainpage.html Facets of Goethe's Faust]

[http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~brians/hum_303/faust.html Faust Study Guide]

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Four_Elements The Four Elements at Wikipedia]

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentacle Pentacle at Wikipedia]

==Works Cited==
Adams, Anton, and Mina Adams. ''The Learned Arts of Witches and Wizards''. New York: Metro Books, 1998. 58 & 61.

Gray, Ronald D. ''Goethe: A Critical Introduction''. Cambridge University Press. New York: 1967.

Rosenfield, Claire. "Men of a Smaller Growth: A Psychological Analysis of William Golding's 'Lord of the Flies'" Literature and Psychology XI (1961): 93-101. Contemporatry Literary Criticism. Literature Resource Center. 03 Mar. 2006. Keyword: Faust + Lord of the Flies.

Walzel, Oskar F. "German Romanticism". New York: Frederick Ungar Co., 1965.

Willcocks, Mary Patricia. "Between the Old World and the New." Goethe and the World-Will. Freeport, NY: Books for Libraries Publishers, 1967. 33-49.

----
< [[Faust: Outside the City Gate|Outside the City Gate]] | [[Faust Summary, Commentary, Notes]] | [[Faust: Faust's Study (2)|Faust's Study (2)]] >

[[Category:World Literature]]

Faust: Faust's Study (1)

2006-03-03T18:06:46Z

Bmaloy: /* Commentary */

==Summary==
Faust is in his study translating the Gospel of John into German. The black poodle that Faust brought home begins to act wild and Faust tries to stop its madness. Spirits outside of Faust's door begin to speak about how something is inside that needs help. Faust then uses a spell to defend himself. After this the black poodle transforms into a monster. Faust tries to use magic spells and a crusifix to drive the evil spirit away. Then the poodle turns into Mephisto, the devil. Mephisto and Faust chat for a moment before Mephisto must take his leave. Faust asks Mephisto who he really is, but Mephisto cleverly avoids the answer to the question. Mephisto is trapped by a pentagram and Faust will not remove it to let him go. Mephisto then tricks Faust into falling asleep by summoning spirts that sing him to sleep and Mephisto escapes.

==Notes==
===The Gospel of John===
As Faust enters his study, he gives the poodle a pillow to rest on, as he translates the Book of John into German. He starts out in John chapter 1, verse 1. "In the begining was the Word-so goes the text. And right off I'm given pause" (l. 1004-1005). It seems in this passage that Faust may be doubting the supreme being of God and his word. This next passage is another example of Faust's doubt. I'm unable to see the ''word'' as having supreme value (1. 1006-1007). The Greek term for "word" is logos. Faust argues that a mere word cannot have such great significance (Gray 143). Faust didn't want to use the term "word" in the passage. He tried thinking of several other terms to put in place of "word". He tries the term "power". He finaly decided on the phrase 'Im Anfang war die Tat!' Translated means 'In the begining was the deed' (Gray 143).

===Mephisto===
As Faust is working on translating the Gospel of John to German, the poodle transforms into a bigger dog, growing larger before Faust's eyes. Spirits outside start banging on the door to try to get in. Faust then tries to defend himself by using The Spell of the Four Elements (l. 1054). Then, the poodle transforms into Mephisto. Mephisto is dressed as a traveling scholar. When Mephisto tries to leave Faust's study, he relizes that he can't because there is a pentagram at the door. Faust offers a suggestion that Mepisto can get out by going out the window. Mephisto states that the devils have to leave the way they came in (l. 1196).

===The Spell of the Four Elements===
Faust's Spell of the Four Elements refers to the traditional magical practices of invoking the energy of the elements of nature--earth, air, fire, and water--for assistance during a casting. This process is called "elemental balancing" (Adams 58). The purpose of Faust's spell in lines 1055 through 1071 is to force Mephisto to leave his study. Each of the creatures mentioned in the first verse of the spell represent one of the elements. Each of the elements has a specific tool that represents it. For example, fire is represented by the wand. The elements also represent a balance between for things: "intellect (air), will (fire), emotions (water), and body (earth)" (Adams 58). It is believed that without a balance of the elements and what they represent, practicing magic can be dangerous whoever attempts it.

===Pentagram===
In lines 1179-1187, Faust and Mephisto make references to a pentagram that Faust had drawn on his entryway. The pentagram, also referred to as a pentacle, has been used for centries throughout the practice of witchcraft. Beginning with line 1055, Faust chants The Spell of the Four Elements, so it should be mentioned that the pentagram is the pagan symbol for earth, one of the four elements. The pentagram is a five-pointed star, much like the kind we draw as children. Practitioners of white magic (Wicca) consider the uppermost point to represent life, and the other four points represent each of the four elements of nature used in white magic: earth, air, fire, and water (Adams 61). The pentagram is considered to be a symbol of protection. In the text, the pentagram is used by Faust to keep evil spirits from entering his domain, however, because of the break in the pentagram, it is not whole; thus, spirits may enter but cannot leave (l. 1185-1188). As a side point of interest, had the pentagram been upside down, it would be the symbol for Satanism.

==Commentary==

"Everything that creates the yearning to escape from the monotony of daily life is romantic" (Walzel 3).

Faust's Study 1 is important to the rest of the story because this is where he invokes Mephisto into his home. Mephisto is disguised as a poodle, a black poodle. The meeting of the dog forshadows the rest of the story when Faust says "I think I see him winding a magic snare, quietly, around our feet, a noose which he'll pull tight in the future, when the time is right" (543 l.935-938).

Faust refers to Mephisto as "Lord of the Flies, Destroyer, Liar" after the demon changes from a black poodle into its human form (l.1116). All of these names are references to the Devil. However, it is Lord of the Flies that stands out the most. This refers to the Biblical name for the Devil, Beelzebub. Perhaps, the name is more easily recognized in conjunction with William Golding's novel, ''The Lord of the Flies'', which took its name from this passage (Rosenfield). When Simon discovers the fly-ridden pig's head that the children have erected in Golding's novel to pay homage to the outside forces at work around them, he becomes ill and goes through a spell. This represents an internal journey for the sole purpose of understanding oneself (Rosenfield). When Faust pressures Mephisto into staying with him, and ultimately signs a contract for his soul in the next section, he is embarking on the same journey that Simon undertakes. Faust must come to terms with the life that provides no stimulation for him in the course of his journey. Though the reader at this point does not know if Faust will become involved with Mephisto for certain, Faust's eagerness to have dealings with the demon forshadows this journey. He says: "So even in Hell there's law and order! I'm glad, for then a man might sign a contract with you gentlemen" (l.1197-1199). We are left with the question: Can Faust find a meaning to life that will satisfy both his life and himself through his dealings with Mephisto?

Faust's Study is the first section in which the personalities of Mephisto and Faust may be compared side to side. It begins to become obvious that each character's personality works off that of the other, much in the same way that a person might witness different sides to the same person. One might even say that Faust represents the "good" side of a person, while Mephisto represents the "bad" side. Faust is a representative of mankind "whose history on earth is one of lust and hate and greed" but in death, still goes to Heaven (Willcocks 37). Mephisto is not reedeemable, nor does he care to be. With that being said, we move into Mephisto and Faust being the two side of a character. By Faust taking the abandoned poodle into his home in the beginning of the section, readers are introduced to his kind side. Throughout the work so far, Faust has been somewhat of a model human, although he does dip into the occult, which by nature, is a sin against God. However, with his still favored in the eyes of the Lord, but Mephisto's appearance causes him to fall slightly. Faust shows signs of greed, at trying to retain the demon's services. He continues his fall from grace by hinting that he would consider making a pact with Mephisto in lines 1197-1199. Mephisto, on the other hand, represents the other side to a character. His is that side that "...we dread and hate above all other creatures..." due to his sarcasm, cynacism, and purely annoying personality (Willcocks 44). He comes before Faust, completely sarcastic, yet at the same time is very clear-headed. Where Faust panicked upon the poodle's metamorphosis into Mephisto and began to recite The Spell of the Four Elements frantically, Mephisto retains a level head. This allows him to dodge Faust's questions to his identity beginning with line 1114. Later, Mephisto also uses this trait to trick Faust into giving him an outlet to escape. Mephisto tells Faust to "let me entertain you in my own way." (1217-1218). He then brings in a group of spirits to entertain Faust, knowing that the spirits will sing Faust to sleep, allowing Mephisto to escape. Faust could never have come up with such a plan, nor is he capable of keeping such a clear and level head, as we witness in later sections. So, with their different personalities, readers witness man's struggle to embrace the dark side or the light side.

==Study Questions==
(1) Why was Mephisto avoiding answering Faust's questions of his real identity?

(2) Why did Faust not like the term "word" in the passage from the Gospel of John?

(3) What did the poodle turn into first?

(4) What did the poodle turn into second?

(5) What are the four elements in Faust's Spell of the Four Elements, and why are they important to the text? What is their occult significance?

(6) What is the significance behind Faust calling to Mephisto as "Lord of the Flies"?

(7) What is the purpose of the pentagram on Faust's doorway?

(8) Why is Mephisto able to enter Faust's study, even though he is a demon?

(9) How did Mephisto get Faust asleep?

(10) What does Mephisto use to aid him in his escape from the study after Faust had fallen asleep, and what does it do?

(11) Why does Mephisto need help in leaving if Faust were already asleep?

==External Resources==
[http://www.ucalgary.ca/~esleben/faust/goethe/mainpage.html Facets of Goethe's Faust]

[http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~brians/hum_303/faust.html Faust Study Guide]

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Four_Elements The Four Elements at Wikipedia]

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentacle Pentacle at Wikipedia]

==Works Cited==
Adams, Anton, and Mina Adams. ''The Learned Arts of Witches and Wizards''. New York: Metro Books, 1998. 58 & 61.

Gray, Ronald D. ''Goethe: A Critical Introduction''. Cambridge University Press. New York: 1967.

Rosenfield, Claire. "Men of a Smaller Growth: A Psychological Analysis of William Golding's 'Lord of the Flies'" Literature and Psychology XI (1961): 93-101. Contemporatry Literary Criticism. Literature Resource Center. 03 Mar. 2006. Keyword: Faust + Lord of the Flies.

Walzel, Oskar F. "German Romanticism". New York: Frederick Ungar Co., 1965.

Willcocks, Mary Patricia. "Between the Old World and the New." Goethe and the World-Will. Freeport, NY: Books for Libraries Publishers, 1967. 33-49.

----
< [[Faust: Outside the City Gate|Outside the City Gate]] | [[Faust Summary, Commentary, Notes]] | [[Faust: Faust's Study (2)|Faust's Study (2)]] >

[[Category:World Literature]]

Faust: Faust's Study (1)

2006-03-03T17:42:01Z

Bmaloy: /* Works Cited */

==Summary==
Faust is in his study translating the Gospel of John into German. The black poodle that Faust brought home begins to act wild and Faust tries to stop its madness. Spirits outside of Faust's door begin to speak about how something is inside that needs help. Faust then uses a spell to defend himself. After this the black poodle transforms into a monster. Faust tries to use magic spells and a crusifix to drive the evil spirit away. Then the poodle turns into Mephisto, the devil. Mephisto and Faust chat for a moment before Mephisto must take his leave. Faust asks Mephisto who he really is, but Mephisto cleverly avoids the answer to the question. Mephisto is trapped by a pentagram and Faust will not remove it to let him go. Mephisto then tricks Faust into falling asleep by summoning spirts that sing him to sleep and Mephisto escapes.

==Notes==
===The Gospel of John===
As Faust enters his study, he gives the poodle a pillow to rest on, as he translates the Book of John into German. He starts out in John chapter 1, verse 1. "In the begining was the Word-so goes the text. And right off I'm given pause" (l. 1004-1005). It seems in this passage that Faust may be doubting the supreme being of God and his word. This next passage is another example of Faust's doubt. I'm unable to see the ''word'' as having supreme value (1. 1006-1007). The Greek term for "word" is logos. Faust argues that a mere word cannot have such great significance (Gray 143). Faust didn't want to use the term "word" in the passage. He tried thinking of several other terms to put in place of "word". He tries the term "power". He finaly decided on the phrase 'Im Anfang war die Tat!' Translated means 'In the begining was the deed' (Gray 143).

===Mephisto===
As Faust is working on translating the Gospel of John to German, the poodle transforms into a bigger dog, growing larger before Faust's eyes. Spirits outside start banging on the door to try to get in. Faust then tries to defend himself by using The Spell of the Four Elements (l. 1054). Then, the poodle transforms into Mephisto. Mephisto is dressed as a traveling scholar. When Mephisto tries to leave Faust's study, he relizes that he can't because there is a pentagram at the door. Faust offers a suggestion that Mepisto can get out by going out the window. Mephisto states that the devils have to leave the way they came in (l. 1196).

===The Spell of the Four Elements===
Faust's Spell of the Four Elements refers to the traditional magical practices of invoking the energy of the elements of nature--earth, air, fire, and water--for assistance during a casting. This process is called "elemental balancing" (Adams 58). The purpose of Faust's spell in lines 1055 through 1071 is to force Mephisto to leave his study. Each of the creatures mentioned in the first verse of the spell represent one of the elements. Each of the elements has a specific tool that represents it. For example, fire is represented by the wand. The elements also represent a balance between for things: "intellect (air), will (fire), emotions (water), and body (earth)" (Adams 58). It is believed that without a balance of the elements and what they represent, practicing magic can be dangerous whoever attempts it.

===Pentagram===
In lines 1179-1187, Faust and Mephisto make references to a pentagram that Faust had drawn on his entryway. The pentagram, also referred to as a pentacle, has been used for centries throughout the practice of witchcraft. Beginning with line 1055, Faust chants The Spell of the Four Elements, so it should be mentioned that the pentagram is the pagan symbol for earth, one of the four elements. The pentagram is a five-pointed star, much like the kind we draw as children. Practitioners of white magic (Wicca) consider the uppermost point to represent life, and the other four points represent each of the four elements of nature used in white magic: earth, air, fire, and water (Adams 61). The pentagram is considered to be a symbol of protection. In the text, the pentagram is used by Faust to keep evil spirits from entering his domain, however, because of the break in the pentagram, it is not whole; thus, spirits may enter but cannot leave (l. 1185-1188). As a side point of interest, had the pentagram been upside down, it would be the symbol for Satanism.

==Commentary==

"Everything that creates the yearning to escape from the monotony of daily life is romantic" (Walzel 3).

Faust's Study 1 is important to the rest of the story because this is where he invokes Mephisto into his home. Mephisto is disguised as a poodle, a black poodle. The meeting of the dog forshadows the rest of the story when Faust says "I think I see him winding a magic snare, quietly, around our feet, a noose which he'll pull tight in the future, when the time is right" (543 l.935-938).

Faust refers to Mephisto as "Lord of the Flies, Destroyer, Liar" after the demon changes from a black poodle into its human form (l.1116). All of these names are references to the Devil. However, it is Lord of the Flies that stands out the most. This refers to the Biblical name for the Devil, Beelzebub. Perhaps, the name is more easily recognized in conjunction with William Golding's novel, ''The Lord of the Flies'', which took its name from this passage (Rosenfield). When Simon discovers the fly-ridden pig's head that the children have erected in Golding's novel to pay homage to the outside forces at work around them, he becomes ill and goes through a spell. This represents an internal journey for the sole purpose of understanding oneself (Rosenfield). When Faust pressures Mephisto into staying with him, and ultimately signs a contract for his soul in the next section, he is embarking on the same journey that Simon undertakes. Faust must come to terms with the life that provides no stimulation for him in the course of his journey. Though the reader at this point does not know if Faust will become involved with Mephisto for certain, Faust's eagerness to have dealings with the demon forshadows this journey. He says: "So even in Hell there's law and order! I'm glad, for then a man might sign a contract with you gentlemen" (l.1197-1199). We are left with the question: Can Faust find a meaning to life that will satisfy both his life and himself through his dealings with Mephisto?

==Study Questions==
(1) Why was Mephisto avoiding answering Faust's questions of his real identity?

(2) Why did Faust not like the term "word" in the passage from the Gospel of John?

(3) What did the poodle turn into first?

(4) What did the poodle turn into second?

(5) What are the four elements in Faust's Spell of the Four Elements, and why are they important to the text? What is their occult significance?

(6) What is the significance behind Faust calling to Mephisto as "Lord of the Flies"?

(7) What is the purpose of the pentagram on Faust's doorway?

(8) Why is Mephisto able to enter Faust's study, even though he is a demon?

(9) How did Mephisto get Faust asleep?

(10) What does Mephisto use to aid him in his escape from the study after Faust had fallen asleep, and what does it do?

(11) Why does Mephisto need help in leaving if Faust were already asleep?

==External Resources==
[http://www.ucalgary.ca/~esleben/faust/goethe/mainpage.html Facets of Goethe's Faust]

[http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~brians/hum_303/faust.html Faust Study Guide]

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Four_Elements The Four Elements at Wikipedia]

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentacle Pentacle at Wikipedia]

==Works Cited==
Adams, Anton, and Mina Adams. ''The Learned Arts of Witches and Wizards''. New York: Metro Books, 1998. 58 & 61.

Gray, Ronald D. ''Goethe: A Critical Introduction''. Cambridge University Press. New York: 1967.

Rosenfield, Claire. "Men of a Smaller Growth: A Psychological Analysis of William Golding's 'Lord of the Flies'" Literature and Psychology XI (1961): 93-101. Contemporatry Literary Criticism. Literature Resource Center. 03 Mar. 2006. Keyword: Faust + Lord of the Flies.

Walzel, Oskar F. "German Romanticism". New York: Frederick Ungar Co., 1965.

Willcocks, Mary Patricia. "Between the Old World and the New." Goethe and the World-Will. Freeport, NY: Books for Libraries Publishers, 1967. 33-49.

----
< [[Faust: Outside the City Gate|Outside the City Gate]] | [[Faust Summary, Commentary, Notes]] | [[Faust: Faust's Study (2)|Faust's Study (2)]] >

[[Category:World Literature]]

Faust: An Overcast Day, a Field

2006-03-03T17:32:55Z

Bmaloy: /* Works Cited */

==Summary==
Faust discovers that Gretchen has been imprisoned, and Mephistopheles has known and not said a word. He is very distraught over the news: "A condemned criminal, shut up in a dungeon and suffering horrible torments, the poor unfortunate child!" (l. 4247-4248). With indifference, Mephisto states that Gretchen would not be the first person to suffer, sending Faust into an even angrier state. Mephisto basically tells him that everything that happened to Gretchen and thus far in his life is his fault--he signed the contract, he impregnated Gretchen. Faust demands that Mephisto do something to save Gretchen from her fate, and Mephisto tells Faust that he will only be able to assist in the rescue. Faust must physically liberate her from the prison.

==Notes==

When Faust finds out that Gretchen is being torchered in prision while him and Mephisto are having entertainment, he is outraged. His anger is almost beyond expression (Gray 152). He demands that Mephisto save Gretchen from prison. Mephisto tells Faust that if he wants her out of the prison, he will have to do it own his own, and all Mephisto can do is accomany him. Mephisto tells Faust that in order to save Gretchen, they must return to the town in where Valentine was killed. Mephisto warns Faust that there are spirts waiting in the town for the murderer to return. Faust doesn't care. He demands that Mephisto take him there. Mephisto then says that the only thing that he can do is to "cause the jailer's senses to be befunddled, then you seize the keys and lead her out. Only a human can do it. I'll keep watch" (620).

==Commentary==

Goethe leaves the part of an overcast day in this story, perhaps for the effect of a depressing mood for a depressing subject. Nature has "ability to affect us" (Grandy 26). This also goes back to the idea of the romantics (nature). Faust discovers that Gretchen is imprisoned. Faust then calls out to the Lord "O you infinite Spirit, change the worm back into a dog" (621). Faust blames Mephisto for Gretchen being in prison and wants help. The field and the overcast day is a constant idea of nature talked or acted about throughout the entire story.

==Study Questions==
(1)What does Faust discover at the beginning of this section?

(2)Why does this discovery cause him to turn to Mephisto in anger?

(3)Why did Mephisto not share this information with Faust?

(4)What is Mephisto's callous remark in regards to Gretchen and her plight?

(5)Who is the Spirit that Faust keeps beseeching?

(6) What does he want this spirit to do?

(7)How does Mephisto place the blame for this occurance on Faust?

(8)What does Faust demand that Mephisto do in regards to the information he has discovered?

(9) What reason does Mephisto give that he and Faust should not return to save Gretchen?

(10) Mephisto says he only has the power to assist in rescuing Gretchen. How must she be liberated?

(11) What does Mephisto say that he can do to help Faust once they get to the prison?

(12)What will take Faust and Mephisto to the prison?

==External Resources==
[http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~brians/hum_303/faust.html Faust Study Guide]

==Works Cited==
Cooksey, Thomas L. "'Talk Not of a Wife': ''The Devil and Daniel Webster'', ''Cabin in the Sky'', and ''Damn Yankees''--American Contributions to the Faust Legend." Journal of Popular Film & Television 27 (1999): 18-27. Literature Resource Center. Macon State College, Forsyth. 03 Mar. 2006. Keyword: Faust.

Gray, Ronald D. ''Goethe: A Critical Introduction''. Cambridge University Press. New York: 1967.

Grandy, David. "Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies." Santa Monica. 17.1/2 (2005).

Faust: Faust's Study (1)

2006-03-03T17:31:14Z

Bmaloy: /* Works Cited */

==Summary==
Faust is in his study translating the Gospel of John into German. The black poodle that Faust brought home begins to act wild and Faust tries to stop its madness. Spirits outside of Faust's door begin to speak about how something is inside that needs help. Faust then uses a spell to defend himself. After this the black poodle transforms into a monster. Faust tries to use magic spells and a crusifix to drive the evil spirit away. Then the poodle turns into Mephisto, the devil. Mephisto and Faust chat for a moment before Mephisto must take his leave. Faust asks Mephisto who he really is, but Mephisto cleverly avoids the answer to the question. Mephisto is trapped by a pentagram and Faust will not remove it to let him go. Mephisto then tricks Faust into falling asleep by summoning spirts that sing him to sleep and Mephisto escapes.

==Notes==
===The Gospel of John===
As Faust enters his study, he gives the poodle a pillow to rest on, as he translates the Book of John into German. He starts out in John chapter 1, verse 1. "In the begining was the Word-so goes the text. And right off I'm given pause" (l. 1004-1005). It seems in this passage that Faust may be doubting the supreme being of God and his word. This next passage is another example of Faust's doubt. I'm unable to see the ''word'' as having supreme value (1. 1006-1007). The Greek term for "word" is logos. Faust argues that a mere word cannot have such great significance (Gray 143). Faust didn't want to use the term "word" in the passage. He tried thinking of several other terms to put in place of "word". He tries the term "power". He finaly decided on the phrase 'Im Anfang war die Tat!' Translated means 'In the begining was the deed' (Gray 143).

===Mephisto===
As Faust is working on translating the Gospel of John to German, the poodle transforms into a bigger dog, growing larger before Faust's eyes. Spirits outside start banging on the door to try to get in. Faust then tries to defend himself by using The Spell of the Four Elements (l. 1054). Then, the poodle transforms into Mephisto. Mephisto is dressed as a traveling scholar. When Mephisto tries to leave Faust's study, he relizes that he can't because there is a pentagram at the door. Faust offers a suggestion that Mepisto can get out by going out the window. Mephisto states that the devils have to leave the way they came in (l. 1196).

===The Spell of the Four Elements===
Faust's Spell of the Four Elements refers to the traditional magical practices of invoking the energy of the elements of nature--earth, air, fire, and water--for assistance during a casting. This process is called "elemental balancing" (Adams 58). The purpose of Faust's spell in lines 1055 through 1071 is to force Mephisto to leave his study. Each of the creatures mentioned in the first verse of the spell represent one of the elements. Each of the elements has a specific tool that represents it. For example, fire is represented by the wand. The elements also represent a balance between for things: "intellect (air), will (fire), emotions (water), and body (earth)" (Adams 58). It is believed that without a balance of the elements and what they represent, practicing magic can be dangerous whoever attempts it.

===Pentagram===
In lines 1179-1187, Faust and Mephisto make references to a pentagram that Faust had drawn on his entryway. The pentagram, also referred to as a pentacle, has been used for centries throughout the practice of witchcraft. Beginning with line 1055, Faust chants The Spell of the Four Elements, so it should be mentioned that the pentagram is the pagan symbol for earth, one of the four elements. The pentagram is a five-pointed star, much like the kind we draw as children. Practitioners of white magic (Wicca) consider the uppermost point to represent life, and the other four points represent each of the four elements of nature used in white magic: earth, air, fire, and water (Adams 61). The pentagram is considered to be a symbol of protection. In the text, the pentagram is used by Faust to keep evil spirits from entering his domain, however, because of the break in the pentagram, it is not whole; thus, spirits may enter but cannot leave (l. 1185-1188). As a side point of interest, had the pentagram been upside down, it would be the symbol for Satanism.

==Commentary==

"Everything that creates the yearning to escape from the monotony of daily life is romantic" (Walzel 3).

Faust's Study 1 is important to the rest of the story because this is where he invokes Mephisto into his home. Mephisto is disguised as a poodle, a black poodle. The meeting of the dog forshadows the rest of the story when Faust says "I think I see him winding a magic snare, quietly, around our feet, a noose which he'll pull tight in the future, when the time is right" (543 l.935-938).

Faust refers to Mephisto as "Lord of the Flies, Destroyer, Liar" after the demon changes from a black poodle into its human form (l.1116). All of these names are references to the Devil. However, it is Lord of the Flies that stands out the most. This refers to the Biblical name for the Devil, Beelzebub. Perhaps, the name is more easily recognized in conjunction with William Golding's novel, ''The Lord of the Flies'', which took its name from this passage (Rosenfield). When Simon discovers the fly-ridden pig's head that the children have erected in Golding's novel to pay homage to the outside forces at work around them, he becomes ill and goes through a spell. This represents an internal journey for the sole purpose of understanding oneself (Rosenfield). When Faust pressures Mephisto into staying with him, and ultimately signs a contract for his soul in the next section, he is embarking on the same journey that Simon undertakes. Faust must come to terms with the life that provides no stimulation for him in the course of his journey. Though the reader at this point does not know if Faust will become involved with Mephisto for certain, Faust's eagerness to have dealings with the demon forshadows this journey. He says: "So even in Hell there's law and order! I'm glad, for then a man might sign a contract with you gentlemen" (l.1197-1199). We are left with the question: Can Faust find a meaning to life that will satisfy both his life and himself through his dealings with Mephisto?

==Study Questions==
(1) Why was Mephisto avoiding answering Faust's questions of his real identity?

(2) Why did Faust not like the term "word" in the passage from the Gospel of John?

(3) What did the poodle turn into first?

(4) What did the poodle turn into second?

(5) What are the four elements in Faust's Spell of the Four Elements, and why are they important to the text? What is their occult significance?

(6) What is the significance behind Faust calling to Mephisto as "Lord of the Flies"?

(7) What is the purpose of the pentagram on Faust's doorway?

(8) Why is Mephisto able to enter Faust's study, even though he is a demon?

(9) How did Mephisto get Faust asleep?

(10) What does Mephisto use to aid him in his escape from the study after Faust had fallen asleep, and what does it do?

(11) Why does Mephisto need help in leaving if Faust were already asleep?

==External Resources==
[http://www.ucalgary.ca/~esleben/faust/goethe/mainpage.html Facets of Goethe's Faust]

[http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~brians/hum_303/faust.html Faust Study Guide]

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Four_Elements The Four Elements at Wikipedia]

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentacle Pentacle at Wikipedia]

==Works Cited==
Adams, Anton, and Mina Adams. ''The Learned Arts of Witches and Wizards''. New York: Metro Books, 1998. 58 & 61.

Gray, Ronald D. ''Goethe: A Critical Introduction''. Cambridge University Press. New York: 1967.

Rosenfield, Claire. "Men of a Smaller Growth: A Psychological Analysis of William Golding's 'Lord of the Flies'" Literature and Psychology XI (1961): 93-101. Contemporatry Literary Criticism. Literature Resource Center. Macon State College, Forsyth. 03 Mar. 2006. Keyword: Faust + Lord of the Flies.

Walzel, Oskar F. "German Romanticism". New York: Frederick Ungar Co., 1965.

Willcocks, Mary Patricia. "Between the Old World and the New." Goethe and the World-Will. Freeport, NY: Books for Libraries P, 1967. 33-49.

----
< [[Faust: Outside the City Gate|Outside the City Gate]] | [[Faust Summary, Commentary, Notes]] | [[Faust: Faust's Study (2)|Faust's Study (2)]] >

[[Category:World Literature]]

Faust: Faust's Study (1)

2006-03-03T17:20:50Z

Bmaloy: /* Works Cited */

==Summary==
Faust is in his study translating the Gospel of John into German. The black poodle that Faust brought home begins to act wild and Faust tries to stop its madness. Spirits outside of Faust's door begin to speak about how something is inside that needs help. Faust then uses a spell to defend himself. After this the black poodle transforms into a monster. Faust tries to use magic spells and a crusifix to drive the evil spirit away. Then the poodle turns into Mephisto, the devil. Mephisto and Faust chat for a moment before Mephisto must take his leave. Faust asks Mephisto who he really is, but Mephisto cleverly avoids the answer to the question. Mephisto is trapped by a pentagram and Faust will not remove it to let him go. Mephisto then tricks Faust into falling asleep by summoning spirts that sing him to sleep and Mephisto escapes.

==Notes==
===The Gospel of John===
As Faust enters his study, he gives the poodle a pillow to rest on, as he translates the Book of John into German. He starts out in John chapter 1, verse 1. "In the begining was the Word-so goes the text. And right off I'm given pause" (l. 1004-1005). It seems in this passage that Faust may be doubting the supreme being of God and his word. This next passage is another example of Faust's doubt. I'm unable to see the ''word'' as having supreme value (1. 1006-1007). The Greek term for "word" is logos. Faust argues that a mere word cannot have such great significance (Gray 143). Faust didn't want to use the term "word" in the passage. He tried thinking of several other terms to put in place of "word". He tries the term "power". He finaly decided on the phrase 'Im Anfang war die Tat!' Translated means 'In the begining was the deed' (Gray 143).

===Mephisto===
As Faust is working on translating the Gospel of John to German, the poodle transforms into a bigger dog, growing larger before Faust's eyes. Spirits outside start banging on the door to try to get in. Faust then tries to defend himself by using The Spell of the Four Elements (l. 1054). Then, the poodle transforms into Mephisto. Mephisto is dressed as a traveling scholar. When Mephisto tries to leave Faust's study, he relizes that he can't because there is a pentagram at the door. Faust offers a suggestion that Mepisto can get out by going out the window. Mephisto states that the devils have to leave the way they came in (l. 1196).

===The Spell of the Four Elements===
Faust's Spell of the Four Elements refers to the traditional magical practices of invoking the energy of the elements of nature--earth, air, fire, and water--for assistance during a casting. This process is called "elemental balancing" (Adams 58). The purpose of Faust's spell in lines 1055 through 1071 is to force Mephisto to leave his study. Each of the creatures mentioned in the first verse of the spell represent one of the elements. Each of the elements has a specific tool that represents it. For example, fire is represented by the wand. The elements also represent a balance between for things: "intellect (air), will (fire), emotions (water), and body (earth)" (Adams 58). It is believed that without a balance of the elements and what they represent, practicing magic can be dangerous whoever attempts it.

===Pentagram===
In lines 1179-1187, Faust and Mephisto make references to a pentagram that Faust had drawn on his entryway. The pentagram, also referred to as a pentacle, has been used for centries throughout the practice of witchcraft. Beginning with line 1055, Faust chants The Spell of the Four Elements, so it should be mentioned that the pentagram is the pagan symbol for earth, one of the four elements. The pentagram is a five-pointed star, much like the kind we draw as children. Practitioners of white magic (Wicca) consider the uppermost point to represent life, and the other four points represent each of the four elements of nature used in white magic: earth, air, fire, and water (Adams 61). The pentagram is considered to be a symbol of protection. In the text, the pentagram is used by Faust to keep evil spirits from entering his domain, however, because of the break in the pentagram, it is not whole; thus, spirits may enter but cannot leave (l. 1185-1188). As a side point of interest, had the pentagram been upside down, it would be the symbol for Satanism.

==Commentary==

"Everything that creates the yearning to escape from the monotony of daily life is romantic" (Walzel 3).

Faust's Study 1 is important to the rest of the story because this is where he invokes Mephisto into his home. Mephisto is disguised as a poodle, a black poodle. The meeting of the dog forshadows the rest of the story when Faust says "I think I see him winding a magic snare, quietly, around our feet, a noose which he'll pull tight in the future, when the time is right" (543 l.935-938).

Faust refers to Mephisto as "Lord of the Flies, Destroyer, Liar" after the demon changes from a black poodle into its human form (l.1116). All of these names are references to the Devil. However, it is Lord of the Flies that stands out the most. This refers to the Biblical name for the Devil, Beelzebub. Perhaps, the name is more easily recognized in conjunction with William Golding's novel, ''The Lord of the Flies'', which took its name from this passage (Rosenfield). When Simon discovers the fly-ridden pig's head that the children have erected in Golding's novel to pay homage to the outside forces at work around them, he becomes ill and goes through a spell. This represents an internal journey for the sole purpose of understanding oneself (Rosenfield). When Faust pressures Mephisto into staying with him, and ultimately signs a contract for his soul in the next section, he is embarking on the same journey that Simon undertakes. Faust must come to terms with the life that provides no stimulation for him in the course of his journey. Though the reader at this point does not know if Faust will become involved with Mephisto for certain, Faust's eagerness to have dealings with the demon forshadows this journey. He says: "So even in Hell there's law and order! I'm glad, for then a man might sign a contract with you gentlemen" (l.1197-1199). We are left with the question: Can Faust find a meaning to life that will satisfy both his life and himself through his dealings with Mephisto?

==Study Questions==
(1) Why was Mephisto avoiding answering Faust's questions of his real identity?

(2) Why did Faust not like the term "word" in the passage from the Gospel of John?

(3) What did the poodle turn into first?

(4) What did the poodle turn into second?

(5) What are the four elements in Faust's Spell of the Four Elements, and why are they important to the text? What is their occult significance?

(6) What is the significance behind Faust calling to Mephisto as "Lord of the Flies"?

(7) What is the purpose of the pentagram on Faust's doorway?

(8) Why is Mephisto able to enter Faust's study, even though he is a demon?

(9) How did Mephisto get Faust asleep?

(10) What does Mephisto use to aid him in his escape from the study after Faust had fallen asleep, and what does it do?

(11) Why does Mephisto need help in leaving if Faust were already asleep?

==External Resources==
[http://www.ucalgary.ca/~esleben/faust/goethe/mainpage.html Facets of Goethe's Faust]

[http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~brians/hum_303/faust.html Faust Study Guide]

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Four_Elements The Four Elements at Wikipedia]

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentacle Pentacle at Wikipedia]

==Works Cited==
Adams, Anton, and Mina Adams. ''The Learned Arts of Witches and Wizards''. New York: Metro Books, 1998. 58 & 61.

Gray, Ronald D. ''Goethe: A Critical Introduction''. Cambridge University Press. New York: 1967.

Rosenfield, Claire. "Men of a Smaller Growth: A Psychological Analysis of William Golding's 'Lord of the Flies'" Literature and Psychology XI (1961): 93-101. Contemporatry Literary Criticism. Literature Resource Center. Macon State College, Forsyth. 03 Mar. 2006. Keyword: Faust + Lord of the Flies.

Walzel, Oskar F. "German Romanticism". New York: Frederick Ungar Co., 1965.

----
< [[Faust: Outside the City Gate|Outside the City Gate]] | [[Faust Summary, Commentary, Notes]] | [[Faust: Faust's Study (2)|Faust's Study (2)]] >

[[Category:World Literature]]

Faust: Faust's Study (1)

2006-03-03T17:14:36Z

Bmaloy: /* Commentary */

==Summary==
Faust is in his study translating the Gospel of John into German. The black poodle that Faust brought home begins to act wild and Faust tries to stop its madness. Spirits outside of Faust's door begin to speak about how something is inside that needs help. Faust then uses a spell to defend himself. After this the black poodle transforms into a monster. Faust tries to use magic spells and a crusifix to drive the evil spirit away. Then the poodle turns into Mephisto, the devil. Mephisto and Faust chat for a moment before Mephisto must take his leave. Faust asks Mephisto who he really is, but Mephisto cleverly avoids the answer to the question. Mephisto is trapped by a pentagram and Faust will not remove it to let him go. Mephisto then tricks Faust into falling asleep by summoning spirts that sing him to sleep and Mephisto escapes.

==Notes==
===The Gospel of John===
As Faust enters his study, he gives the poodle a pillow to rest on, as he translates the Book of John into German. He starts out in John chapter 1, verse 1. "In the begining was the Word-so goes the text. And right off I'm given pause" (l. 1004-1005). It seems in this passage that Faust may be doubting the supreme being of God and his word. This next passage is another example of Faust's doubt. I'm unable to see the ''word'' as having supreme value (1. 1006-1007). The Greek term for "word" is logos. Faust argues that a mere word cannot have such great significance (Gray 143). Faust didn't want to use the term "word" in the passage. He tried thinking of several other terms to put in place of "word". He tries the term "power". He finaly decided on the phrase 'Im Anfang war die Tat!' Translated means 'In the begining was the deed' (Gray 143).

===Mephisto===
As Faust is working on translating the Gospel of John to German, the poodle transforms into a bigger dog, growing larger before Faust's eyes. Spirits outside start banging on the door to try to get in. Faust then tries to defend himself by using The Spell of the Four Elements (l. 1054). Then, the poodle transforms into Mephisto. Mephisto is dressed as a traveling scholar. When Mephisto tries to leave Faust's study, he relizes that he can't because there is a pentagram at the door. Faust offers a suggestion that Mepisto can get out by going out the window. Mephisto states that the devils have to leave the way they came in (l. 1196).

===The Spell of the Four Elements===
Faust's Spell of the Four Elements refers to the traditional magical practices of invoking the energy of the elements of nature--earth, air, fire, and water--for assistance during a casting. This process is called "elemental balancing" (Adams 58). The purpose of Faust's spell in lines 1055 through 1071 is to force Mephisto to leave his study. Each of the creatures mentioned in the first verse of the spell represent one of the elements. Each of the elements has a specific tool that represents it. For example, fire is represented by the wand. The elements also represent a balance between for things: "intellect (air), will (fire), emotions (water), and body (earth)" (Adams 58). It is believed that without a balance of the elements and what they represent, practicing magic can be dangerous whoever attempts it.

===Pentagram===
In lines 1179-1187, Faust and Mephisto make references to a pentagram that Faust had drawn on his entryway. The pentagram, also referred to as a pentacle, has been used for centries throughout the practice of witchcraft. Beginning with line 1055, Faust chants The Spell of the Four Elements, so it should be mentioned that the pentagram is the pagan symbol for earth, one of the four elements. The pentagram is a five-pointed star, much like the kind we draw as children. Practitioners of white magic (Wicca) consider the uppermost point to represent life, and the other four points represent each of the four elements of nature used in white magic: earth, air, fire, and water (Adams 61). The pentagram is considered to be a symbol of protection. In the text, the pentagram is used by Faust to keep evil spirits from entering his domain, however, because of the break in the pentagram, it is not whole; thus, spirits may enter but cannot leave (l. 1185-1188). As a side point of interest, had the pentagram been upside down, it would be the symbol for Satanism.

==Commentary==

"Everything that creates the yearning to escape from the monotony of daily life is romantic" (Walzel 3).

Faust's Study 1 is important to the rest of the story because this is where he invokes Mephisto into his home. Mephisto is disguised as a poodle, a black poodle. The meeting of the dog forshadows the rest of the story when Faust says "I think I see him winding a magic snare, quietly, around our feet, a noose which he'll pull tight in the future, when the time is right" (543 l.935-938).

Faust refers to Mephisto as "Lord of the Flies, Destroyer, Liar" after the demon changes from a black poodle into its human form (l.1116). All of these names are references to the Devil. However, it is Lord of the Flies that stands out the most. This refers to the Biblical name for the Devil, Beelzebub. Perhaps, the name is more easily recognized in conjunction with William Golding's novel, ''The Lord of the Flies'', which took its name from this passage (Rosenfield). When Simon discovers the fly-ridden pig's head that the children have erected in Golding's novel to pay homage to the outside forces at work around them, he becomes ill and goes through a spell. This represents an internal journey for the sole purpose of understanding oneself (Rosenfield). When Faust pressures Mephisto into staying with him, and ultimately signs a contract for his soul in the next section, he is embarking on the same journey that Simon undertakes. Faust must come to terms with the life that provides no stimulation for him in the course of his journey. Though the reader at this point does not know if Faust will become involved with Mephisto for certain, Faust's eagerness to have dealings with the demon forshadows this journey. He says: "So even in Hell there's law and order! I'm glad, for then a man might sign a contract with you gentlemen" (l.1197-1199). We are left with the question: Can Faust find a meaning to life that will satisfy both his life and himself through his dealings with Mephisto?

==Study Questions==
(1) Why was Mephisto avoiding answering Faust's questions of his real identity?

(2) Why did Faust not like the term "word" in the passage from the Gospel of John?

(3) What did the poodle turn into first?

(4) What did the poodle turn into second?

(5) What are the four elements in Faust's Spell of the Four Elements, and why are they important to the text? What is their occult significance?

(6) What is the significance behind Faust calling to Mephisto as "Lord of the Flies"?

(7) What is the purpose of the pentagram on Faust's doorway?

(8) Why is Mephisto able to enter Faust's study, even though he is a demon?

(9) How did Mephisto get Faust asleep?

(10) What does Mephisto use to aid him in his escape from the study after Faust had fallen asleep, and what does it do?

(11) Why does Mephisto need help in leaving if Faust were already asleep?

==External Resources==
[http://www.ucalgary.ca/~esleben/faust/goethe/mainpage.html Facets of Goethe's Faust]

[http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~brians/hum_303/faust.html Faust Study Guide]

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Four_Elements The Four Elements at Wikipedia]

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentacle Pentacle at Wikipedia]

==Works Cited==
Adams, Anton, and Mina Adams. ''The Learned Arts of Witches and Wizards''. New York: Metro Books, 1998. 58 & 61.

Gray, Ronald D. ''Goethe: A Critical Introduction''. Cambridge University Press. New York: 1967.

Walzel, Oskar F. "German Romanticism". New York: Frederick Ungar Co., 1965.

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< [[Faust: Outside the City Gate|Outside the City Gate]] | [[Faust Summary, Commentary, Notes]] | [[Faust: Faust's Study (2)|Faust's Study (2)]] >

[[Category:World Literature]]

Faust: Faust's Study (1)

2006-02-27T08:49:36Z

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Faust: An Overcast Day, a Field

2006-02-27T08:41:44Z

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Faust: An Overcast Day, a Field

2006-02-27T08:33:15Z

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Faust: Night, Open Country

2006-02-27T08:32:29Z

Bmaloy: /* External Resources */

==Summary==
Faust and Mephistopheles ride towards the prison where Gretchen is being held on black horses. They pass a gallows on which a group of witches is congregating. Faust wonders what is going on, but Mephisto urges him to keep going.

==Notes==
==Commentary==
==Study Questions==
(1) What is special about the horses that Mephisto and Faust ride?

(2) Where are they going?

(3)What do they pass on their way?

(4) What does Mephisto urge Faust to do as they come up upon the hill?

==External Resources==
[http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~brians/hum_303/faust.html Faust Study Guide]

==Works Cited==