Tuesday, November 13 (9:25)
by Kayana Ladson
We discussed Milton’s Paradise Lost-Book 9, returning to Book 4 for comparison
Between Books 4 and 9, we looked at the ways that Adam and Eve interacted, vocally and industriously and sexually as well as any rhetoric before and after the fall in how they changed
Lines 421-435: Adam in the beginning is very honored and blessed for all of the things that God has given them in order to follow only one rule- he is God’s representative saying that whatever death is, he does not know but puts his trust in God either way
Eve’s speech: 440-448: Eve knows that she was created to be Adam’s companion and that even though Adam wanted an equal, she is in inferior to him, he is responsible for her- representing the hierarchy of God, Adam, and then her
449-461: She shows the first sign of vanity even though she did not know that she was looking at her own reflection; she would have stayed looking at herself her inclination is to be enamored by what she sees, which is beauty-she had to learn to value his wisdom that he tries to teach her, she finally internalizes it but before she only valued superficiality and beauty
Eve is in a vulnerable position because she has no wisdom and has to be trained away from her vision of the world, because of her naïveté and vanity; she is already showing signs of the fallen
375-392: Satan’s reaction to seeing Adam and Eve= he is talking to himself, trying to persuade himself to believe that God is the one to blame for getting revenge, he wants to take them to Hell because there is more than enough room for them; he says reason, honor, justice, and empire are the important things but has a darker agenda underneath-he just wants to conquer this new world
492-511: Love and sex before the fall- they are obedient and submissive to one another, their love is pure and innocent as God has made it
Milton is a Puritan and as a result argues against the Catholic beliefs in virginity as ideal and sexual activity as something to avoid; saying that contrary to God’s wishes, the Catholic Church states that sexuality is defamed. Milton says that in Eden, the spouse s the only thing that is owned because God created it (propriety)
They pray before they make love, following God’s lead
Pure love and devotion is enough for God, not a Church or tradition and rites, no formal way to show devotion of God (and thus again anti-Catholic)
Animals just roam around while humans need rest because man has to work daily to demonstrate their dignity that is bound up in productivity-Puritan work ethic is shown her in Milton’s words
-Book 9- how Eve was described, disconnect between internal feelings and external description
Lines: 200-214: She wants them to labor separately to get the day’s work done quicker and because they have not done too much because of being affectionate, Adaam responds by saying that it would be easier to resist temptation even though he knows something is coming their way
She seems to already be focusing on the fallen side of mankind
239: reflection of their understanding is in their smiles, sets them apart from the other animals there, it is a source that God gave them to flow from; Eve is granted what she asks for (279)
310- He says that he is better when she is near and asks if she feels the same to make it mutual
But Eve thinks less is being attributed to her faith, kind of selfish and childish
322-333: how can they be happy if they have a foe at all times?
332-“Who rather double honour gain…”-she is saying that if they succeeded even if tempted they will be even better than before, will be able to lift themselves from the depths of Hell (she is challenging)
Adam does not want her to question but do God’s will but after she says she does not think Satan will come after her b/c she is weaker Adam takes her hand and she withdraws from him
She falls because Satan portrays that she will be equal if she eats from the tree of knowledge, having become a beast that can speak after taking a bite, changes his nature- she wants to change her nature so that she can be better for Adam
486- When he was at his prime, he could take on Adam, now he has been reduced after his fall, so he goes after Eve because he sees she is vulnerable
He tries to use flattery against her at first, that she should be worshipped by all not just Adam
615- She challenges what Satan is saying;
735- She eats the apple, intellectual then physical experience of gluttony where she is greedily eating the fruit
She is being selfish- not wanting to be replaced even though there is no one else to take her place beside Adam,
906- Adam joins her because he does not want to live without her, order of nature that she came from him but it is really about his love for her- which is significant as his sin because he puts his love for her over his love for God b/c he knew that eating from the tree was disobedient
The earth changes at the fallen of man, (782 as well);
1124- all of the negative feelings are brought out into the word- sins- Pandora’s box; the game has changed finally
Next, we went on to discuss Amelia Lanyer’s Salve Deus Rex Judeorum- in which she presents a defense or apology for Eve, she is retelling the story of her fall to say that she is not the blame for wanting knowledge even though she was betrayed by the serpent which is the cause of her fall
Adam was better prepared for the fall as well as for the wits of Satan; she should not be seen as the source of the fall- according to Lanyer, men are worse because in Christian history, they do not use what is all at their disposal- Christ’s crucifixion- men were the ones who killed him, even Pilate’s wife pushed back at the plan to kill Christ ; women have played a different role in this event; Christ was born to Mary, he revealed himself to women at his resurrection- she is pointing at the significance of her gender
“Let us have our liberty again”- man’s fall was greater than that of women
She is making overt the political representations of women and Eve to show that we are not the source of evil in the world
A political argument, not religious
Men use eve to condemn all women when they should be redeemed for the positive roles they have played
At the end of class, Dr. Seaman stated that when Milton writes, it is not as if there are alternative reps of Adam and Eve at the fall like in Genesis which he does not talk about every detail there but talks and juggles different illusions of the things he presents
Tuesday, November 13 (9:25)
by Hunter Haag
Dr. Seaman began the class by saying we only have a few more days of class, and today we will finish up Paradise Lost. After we finish Paradise lost, we will be shifting to what might feel like more modern texts. We will be reading Oroonoko and discuss the first half Thursday, and the second half Tuesday. The next Tuesday is Gulliver’s Travels, Book 4. On Thursday, we will read about what Dr. Johnson said about the dictionary, focused on language in general, not just literature. The Paper 3 assignment will be available tomorrow (November 14) and is a literary analysis with a historicist approach- not just reading something during that time but comparing to a different text during that time. There will not be office hours today.
Last class discussed how Adam and Eve were described, (the way the big forehead represents wisdom) body parts and aspects of them represent things. We will move through select passages and talk about them with a small group of people, but some we will work through as a group.
From page 955 lines 300-308, we get a description of Adam and Eve’s anatomy.
Through the description of his body, we know that he should be the absolute ruler. In lines 421-35: we discussed the most significant key figures during this passage with our partners and found the description of death (emphasized in line 425). Adam is God’s spokesperson and says it’s really easy, but if that were true there would be no story here. The words “one” and “easy” are repeated in this passage.
In lines 440-491, Eve is talking to Adam in response to what he just said about death. Eve describes how she was born, and seems to be a little stupid. She also seems vain because she would look at herself for hours looking at how beautiful she was. However, she doesn’t know she is looking at herself, and is actually appreciating God’s creation. She hears a voice to go to Adam, and follows his voice. When she sees Adam, he is less attractive than she is so Eve turns away. We see that Eve has to learn a different value system, and not to only value good looks. She originally valued beauty and superficiality, and then learns that she needs to value wisdom from Adam. Adam is born with more/better values, and God gives him more information. Adam needs to help Eve because she needs reconstruction.
We see Satan’s response to seeing Adam and Eve in lines 635-638. Satan loves them, and wants to be friends with them because he thinks that they are delightful. He tells Adam and Eve that they should not blame him; they need to blame God. Satan tries to convince them that God wronged them, not him. Satan feels badly for going against Adam and Eve because they are so innocent.
Adam and Eve’s life consists of working, praying, and having sex. They pray before they have sex. They feel they need to work so that they separate themselves from the beasts. We see Puritan views on page 961 when they are praying to God. In line 736, we see that there was no structure to religion and prayers are not prewritten prayers. Milton’s theology is shown through this passage.
In line 496, we see Satan envy Adam and Eve when he sees the first sign of physical attraction. In Line 740, we see the first act of married love (sex). On the bottom of 961- He explains what happens with love afterwards- the beginning of harlots, and sex becomes a negative thing God did not want. At the end of the section, Satan talks into Eve’s ear when she is sleeping to give her a dream, and gets caught.
Book 9 shifts into tragic mode. Adam and Eve are debating what to do on page 969 line 214. Eve wants to divide the labor because they distract each other, and Adam responds tells her not to worry because she is a great housewife, tells her she is doing her job well, and that smiles come from reason. He goes on by saying that love is good, reason is good, and they are not distractions towards each other. Adam says that Eve is emphasizing the wrong things, and directs her to the core values of the system. Eve asks Adam why doubts her faith, because he is making her feel dumb. Adam keeps creating them to be equal and say it’s about them, not each one singly. Eve says if they are tempted to be distracted, and they make it through, then they will get double the honor, which is kind of satanic sounding- this seems to be the beginning of the fall of Eve.
The Serpent speaks to Eve, and she is confused to how he is talking. The Serpent flatters Eve, but she is more concerned with how he is talking than what he was saying, which is different from the Eve we originally see. She tells him that he praises her too much and he doesn’t sound wise because of it. The Serpent uses the fact that Eve feels inferior to Adam in order for her to eat the fruit. The Earth feels the wound from the bite into the fruit, which changes everything- God’s perfect nature is ruined (eating death). Eve is afraid of being replaced, but Adam is flawed as well for being nobler to Eve than God. Ultimately, we see that Eve betrays Adam, and Adam betrays God. Sex turns into lust and desire, and because of this, Adam and Eve have bad sleep, and blame each other for everything. Anything that changed is because of Adam and Eve, not God. On page 719, Eve asks why Adam didn’t stop her, since he is supposed to be wise and strong and should have been able to prevent this.
Then we read a passage that looks like it was a response to this story (but was written before) that explains that the crucifixion is a lot worse than eating the fruit, and makes a political argument that people should look at Pilate instead of blaming Eve if we are blaming genders.
Thursday, Nov 15 (9:25)
by Autumn Martin
Overview:
**Today we started class by going over paper 3. Paper 3 will be 4+ pages. 1 page topic description due November 27th. There are 5 options.
1. Read one of Milton’s tracts (Areopagitica on p. 910 or Eikonoklastes). Then write a paper in which you consider an aspect of Paradise Lost in terms of Milton’s ideas expressed in this additional, non-fiction setting.
2. Read the items included in “Perspectives: Tracts on Women and Gender” and consider one or more of these texts in terms of Milton’s representation of gender in Paradise Lost or Behn’s in Oronooko.
3. Shakespeare’s Tempest, Behn’s Oroonoko, and Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels (in Book 4, especially) all reflect on England’s position as a colonial power and, directly or implicitly, its role in the slave trade. Read the texts in “Perspectives: England, Britain, and the World.” Then, write a paper where you consider one or more of the literary texts
4. Thomas Southerne, after Behn’s death, produced a dramatic version of her prose narrative Oroonoko. Read this excerpt from Southerne’s play and write an essay in which you consider the effects of the differences in Southerne’s version
5. Read Swift’s “The Lady’s Dressing Room” (p. 1260) and Lady Mary Wortley Montagu’s “The Reasons that Induced Dr. S. to write a Poem called The Lady’s Dressing Room” (p. 1426). Write an essay in which you consider the nature of the response Montagu’s poem makes to Swift’s, investigating the features of the first poem that Montagu plays with in her response.
**Our Final will be December 6th at 8am. It will be in similar format to the midterm with the addition of an extra essay that will be to put the 2nd half of the class in context to contrast the 1st half of the material covered. Dr. Seaman also informed us to pay particular attention to trends or patterns in historical and cultural devices.
Aphra Behn- Oroonoko- Was written after the monarch had been killed and there was a failed attempt at democracy. She was a catholic royalist, a spy, as well as writing plays portraying women as positive figures. Oroonoko was published in 1688 and the description of Surinam is interpretation not realistic. The “New” colonies were being settled and discovered 50 years prior to this story. Politics were not widely publicly discussed prior to this time. James the II was about to be overthrown . Behn perceived this as being parallel to the overthrowing of Charles I 50 years prior. Milton was alive during Behn’s time and he was against being a royalist. Milton and Behn directly contrasted each other regarding the view of royalists. In this story she tries to explain 1 culture to another culture in order to attempt to fix misconceptions about the other.
The description of Surinam is a collection of people, a general description. There is not war in Surinam. This is because Surinam ties to the idea of the Noble Savage. Coramatien in Africa has descriptions of individuals and it is an area rooted in war, honor, and power. War is a natural inclination for them. This is an idea that can be tied to the Anglo-Saxon Germanic culture.
Pgs1108-1109 talk about Surinam, Everything after these lines describe Oroonoko’s home land in Africa, Coramantien.
The presence of the term Noble Savage is present in this play. This can be tied to Dryden’s term for the noble savage as well as parallel to Montagne’s century old idea of the noble savage. The slave trade is explained in the narrative. It says that we use slaves because we do not enslave the noble savages. This is basically because they are too useful and we need them.
Pg 1111- Oroonoko is described as courageous, knowledgeable (he speaks English and Spanish, he has a French tutor), has humanity, he is primarily black in color, tall, his face wasn’t rusty like most other it was ebony, bright white eyes and teeth, Roman nose, he is the ideal male human by form, and he has attributes that show his natural royalty and European standards of beauty. Basically he is described as lacking nothing.
Pg 1112 is the introduction of the Captain. He is well known, familiar, treated well. Oroonoko is betrayed by the ship captain’s invitation to dinner and is taken. This ship Captain is supposed to represent the European standard of Civility. This passage could be a critique of European civility
Pg 1126- When Oroonoko is taken to Suriname people immediately recognize him. He sold them into slavery because they were captives of way but, because of his natural greatness he is paid homage by these people. This is a representation of Behn’s royalist ideas.
The King
*Royalist – strong supporter of a monarchial society and, the notion that royalty is inherent not natural. Royalty are born different.
*Noble Savage – pure, natural intellegecne, harmony with nature, nature serves needs, no crime, generosity, inability to lie, physically robust (don’t get sick), and not sexually inhibited.
Thursday, Nov 15 (10:50)
by Celia Wilson
At the beginning of class, Dr. Seaman went over the topic description and paper assignment for paper three. The topic description for paper three is due on November 27th. Paper three is due on Monday, December 3rd. Dr. Seaman explained the importance of being specific about material presented and discussed in paper three. See the paper three rubric for evaluation criteria. The style of paper three should not be related in any way to paper two. At the bottom of assignment, clarifications for expectations that must be met in paper three are explained. Also, the final exam is on Saturday, December 8th, 2012 from 8:00-11:00. Dr. Seaman said there will be a posted study guide for the final exam. On the final exam, only the material from the second half of the class will be covered, with an additional essay that covers thematic connections that go on across the texts throughout the semester.
The majority of the class discussion was based upon the reading Oroonoko. The author of “Oroonoko is Aphra Behn. Oroonoko was published in 1688. The genre is historical. The first half of Oroonoko’s plot is to provide an alternative moral framework. In the story, the text is written in first-person narrator. The old King is important in the story. The pages focused on in class were pages 1103-1104 and pages 1106-1127.
The first half of Oroonoko was explained and described as a romance, courtly love, and love story. Dr. Seaman said, “The first-half of Oroonoko exemplifies a doomed romance couple.” In Oroonoko, Behn took white, European nobility to different cultures and roles. After looking at page 1108, one can draw the conclusion Behn does not have to use imagination, put in terms of invention, and using familiar genre frameworks help with a story that might not necessarily be familiar.
Also, class discussion was based upon background information of the author Aphra Behn. After learning the background information of Aphra Behn, one had a better understanding of the setting and there was much better understanding of Oroonoko. Behn was a spy for Charles II. Behn is a playwright. Prior to the Civil War, Puritans closed the theatre. After reopening the theatre, things changed dramatically. Behn was a Catholic and royalist. Behn believed in monarchy. Behn lived in a religiously troubled time period. Protestant believers were brought in to rule (William and Mary) after James II was ousted, and this was the “Glorious Revolution,” right as Behn was writing Oroonoko.
Oroonoko was a story of an African hero and king. In Dr. Seaman’s view, Behn emphasizes the nature of royalty and what a king was. Behn demonstrates experiences Oroonoko had. Public issues were slavery, slave trade, position of women, and right to vote. After the Civil War, a king’s authority was moderated, no longer divine right.
In Oroonoko’s first description of the Surinam natives, a key concept was “noble savage,” an idea that in that time had been around for a century. Dr. Seaman reminded the class of the Tempest, Montaigne, and other readings from this semester that can be compared to Oroonoko.
Behn presented one version of non-European people shown on page 1109. Emphasis was given on all standard features such as, where Oroonoko arrived and that Oroonoko grew up in Ghana. Society knew Prince and future King should be educated, nurtured, and cultured. Specific ways explained the way one related to one another based on kingship. Oroonoko showed his significance because he was a warrior. Dr. Seaman said, “Behn explained African culture in the context of slavery being associated with war.” Basically, when one was enslaved meant that he or she had lost the battle.
In the first-half of Oroonoko, two models of piracy were discussed. Oroonoko ends up a slave because he is tricked into slavery by an English captain. On page 1122, conclusions were drawn on the English captain was a slave trader and Oroonoko was a slave trader in a different way. European slave trade was treacherous. On page 1126, Mr. Tefry renamed Oroonoko, Caesar. Oroonoko’s nobility shined through because he was a natural, born leader, and he was charismatic. Oroonoko knew going into battle there was a risk, but his response was rooted in acknowledgement of recognition.
Dr. Seaman said, “Imoinda’s beauty shone through, and she was elegant, graceful, and had an effect based on her beauty toward white men.” Imoinda was a match for Oroonoko because of her beauty. Imoinda is insistent to Oronooko that she saved herself for him.
Oroonoko had an effect on people as a warrior, where as, Imoinda had an effect on people because of her beauty.
On page 1117, the first sign of Oroonoko’s love for Imoinda publically was when she fell and Oroonoko jumped to save her. Dr. Seaman said, “Oroonoko and Imoinda made their own private contract that they were meant for one another.” On page 1111, Oroonoko was tutored by a Dutch-man, learned about others cultures and people through trade, and was cosmopolitan.
Throughout Oroonoko, Behn’s constant standard is European. Behn showed emphasis on grace, Oroonoko being of ideal manhood, Oroonoko’s face polished, jet, shiny, Oroonoko’s eyes and teeth white, and Oroonoko’s nose rising and Roman. Behn uses European models of beauty. In the text, racism was presented. Behn always tried to elevate Oroonoko to the best of European society. Behn can be described as a critique of European culture. On page 1126, Imoinda felt threatened by other men, and Imoinda was pure and preserving herself for Oroonoko.