This is my graduation research on 'Modernist Novelists' dated 11^th April 2010. It was supervised by Prof. Dr. Ghada Ragaa' Hussein. Ain Shams University, Faculty of Al-Alsun. You can download the full research through the link below.

Introduction

The aim of this research is to focus on modernist novelists with particular reference to Joseph Conrad’s The Secret Agent, published in 1907. The first part of this approach will be an inclusive analysis to the term “modernism”, what marks this literary epoch and the external influences that push internal conflicts out of the modernists, move them forward, thereby, incite them to flow and express strongly, in addition to a pivotal twist that will set out a handful of accounts of modernist novelists. Joseph Conrad will be picked out as a central theme in the subsequent part, illustrating why he is considered to be a perfect, influential model as a modernist novelist, besides argumentation which sheds the light on features of modernism that do exist in Conrad’s texts. Upon that, there will be a summary of the main ideas. Nevertheless, the view to be formed is that based on realistic, even up-to-date political tinge, The Secret Agent actually is in line with the aspirations of the modernist era, inadvertently addresses the modern world by featuring the fragmented nature of language, knowledge, chronology and alienation.

Download the full research directly through this link.

Research on D.H Lawrence's Sons and Lovers as a Psychological Novel

This paper deals with D.H Lawrence's Sons and Lovers (1913) which is a psychological novel. By definition, a psychological novel is “a work of fiction in which the thoughts, feelings, and motivations of the characters are of equal or greater interest than is the external action of the narrative” (psychological novel, Encyclopedia Britannica). In a psychological novel, there is an influence of emotional reactions regarding the personality of the individual. The novel was written in Modernism which is considered as one of the most important periods in English literature because it is different from the preceding periods. It cannot be said that there is an exact predominant philosophy in this age due to the diverse of views and ideas. Modernism as a literary movement reached its height in Europe between 1900 and the middle 1920s.

The horrors of World War I (1914-19), became the catalyst for the Modernist movement in literature and art. Modernist writers felt betrayed by the war, believing the institutions where which they were taught to believe had led the civilized world into a bloody conflict. Thus, the history of the movement began by the effect of the World War I and also by the World War II. On one hand, World War I has inspired great novels, drama and poetry. During the war itself, it has been estimated that thousands of poems were written every day by combatants and their relatives. During the war many of the combatants published trench magazines, most of them for an audience in a particular division or unit. On the other hand, World War II had enormous impact on American writing, as did many of the other events of mid and late twentieth-century America (explosion of the Atomic bomb in 1945, the emergence of television as a cultural force, the invention and growing dominance of computers, the Civil Rights movement of the 50s and 60s, Korean and Vietnam wars, the feminist movement of the 60s and 70s).

Freud and Nietzsche have great influence on the Modernism movement. Freud's theories influenced the writers of the modern age. For instance, Freud's theory of the Oedipus complex assumed that infants love the opposite-sex parent and hate the same-sex parent. The feelings of love and hate change as the child grows, but the original feelings of hate for the same-sex parent and love for the opposite-sex parent still remain in the unconscious mind of adults. The novelists were shocked by his interpretations, in addition to the scientific and industrial revolution that made man think again about the secret of his existence. As for Nietzsche, his philosophies were representative of the concerns and uncertainly of the modernist artists. According to him, to truly realize oneself, you must break free, denounce this imposed morality and search deep inside to develop into your own person.  Thus, his philosophy pervades modern culture that many who have never read him are influenced by his thought indirectly.

The characteristics of Modernism in literature reflect the essence of this psychological age. For instance, one of the most important techniques that have an impact on the reader is the stream of consciousness. Also, there are some manifestations of new approaches in modernist fiction, such as the lack of plot cohesion with sudden climactic turning points, the chronological leaps in time and the open, unresolved endings. As for the stream of consciousness, which moves by the logic of the unconsciousness, spread over the twentieth century and particularly the modernist epoch in which the psychological novel flourished. It is a natural product of the 20th century, as it appeared before World War I. Both Dorothy Richardson in England, James Joyce in Ireland and Proust in France are considered the pioneers of the psychological novel. Virginia Woolf has developed this new technique and added a new shape and system to it. D. H. Lawrence focused on the inner thoughts and relationships among characters and this focus is considered “a deeper and more powerful current than the stream of consciousness itself” (Black, Michael D.H. Lawrence, the early fiction: a commentary 247).

Download the whole research. Link.

No Witchcraft for Sale by Doris Lessing - Summary

The story is about an incident in the life of a black servant cook and his employers, a white South African missionary couple and their boy Teddy who becomes a great friend of the cook, Gideon. The relationship between the boy and the cook is warm and based on respect until one day the boy shows racial prejudice, and then Gideon still respects the boy but keeps a distance. One day Teddy is spat in the eye by a venomous snake and there are fears that he will go blind. Gideon finds a root and uses it to treat and rescue Teddy’s eye sight with. The parents are forever grateful to Gideon for saving Teddy and give him a raise and presents for his family.

Not long after this, a scientist appears at the home, forcing the Farquars into persuading Gideon to reveal which plant he used for the treatment. Gideon got angry quietly and then shows the scientist some useless plant and the relationship between the Farquars and Gideon is now tense. The Farquars fail to understand that Gideon is a kind of a sacred man in his community, the knowledge he has about plants was passes to him from a chosen man and he will pass it to another carefully chosen person in the black African community. Gideon also fails to see the Farquars point of view. They cannot understand why he refuses to share the magical drug with others. They think he is being stubborn and selfish. After some time the family starts to carefully joke about Gideon’s behaviour in a beloved manner and Gideon is brave as he laughs politely with them. However, Lessing tries to show the reader that racial prejudice establishes barriers among people. People can easily avoid that gap if only they understand the point of view of one another.

Doris Lessing is a multi-cultural writer who appreciates the other. She shows that the Africans have culture and they are not inhuman. The narrator reflects Lessing’s point of view to indicate that some white people are racist. She wants to say that the idea of the white man’s burden is false.

The story wants to show that the kind relationship between the boy and the servant cannot last forever. Although the servant raised him up, plays with him, tells him stories and the boy is attached to him, the circumstances will differ, because when the boy understands and begins to know the facts of life, there will be barriers between them.

The situation which affected the relationship between them goes back when the boy was about six years old and used to make circles with his scooter around the black child until he was frightened and went away. When the servant blamed him and asked about the reason, the boy said, “He’s only a black boy,” and laughed. Gideon turned away from him without speaking and soon the boy brought an orange to Gideon saying, “This is for you.” He could not say sorry as the social barriers taught him that he is a master and he cannot apologize for a black person, but instead he brings oranges as an apology. It is clear that he could not lose Gideon’s affection. The idea of discrimination is obvious. However, this incident is a turning point between them.

It is very sarcastic how a scientist cares only for money. This is shown through the character of the scientist who wants to find out the secret of the plants. According to him, it is not about science, but about material benefits, whereas the black man with all his simplicity he understands the value of saving people. In fact, the idea of the black man is mocked, since it is the white man who comes to benefit from the culture of the black. The black recognizes that the white man does not care about civilization. So, he refuses to give away his culture only to bring him money.

Applying the features of the short story, it is an individual experience that has a universal significance. It is about the idea of the black and the white. The story deals with the conflict between traditional medicines (the witchcraft) which was free and the pharmaceutical industry’s profit interests. It also deals with cultural differences and social classes. There is unity of action and unity of place but there is not a unity of time as the story does not mention chronological order for the development of the boy.

A Sunrise on the Veld by Doris Lessing - Summary and elements

Summary:

The story is about a boy who is filled with excitement and thinks he controls, possesses and humbles everything around him, even his family. At the end, he faces the truth that living things must die. The story explores the feeling of invincibility that young people always have. It also shows the feeling of fear and grief that most humans feel when they must face the reality of suffering and death. When the boy witnesses the death of a small helpless buck, he realizes that he cannot control everything in life.

The boy is fifteen years old. His age is significant as Lessing wants to show that the boy is about to be an adult and so he feels powerful, but throughout his journey in the African bush, he will see a buck being eaten by the ants and he will learn how to be responsible for his actions.

As for the story, the boy wakes up early in the morning without an alarm clock. He feels he can control himself and his environment. He feels invincible and full of life. Afterwards, he got dressed in the cold, then he crept through the house not wake his parents. He took his gun and his dogs and went outdoors. He began to run madly with joy as he feels he is in the heyday of his youth. He thinks he can “contain the world and make of it what I want.”

While in his state of liveliness, he heard painful cries of a creature. The boy went to investigate the source of the cries. He saw a buck in the grass dying and covered with ants. He was filled with terror and pity. The buck fell and the boy realized he could not do anything for the animal. He found out that he could not control this. He says, “I can’t stop it. I can’t stop it. There is nothing I can do.” In fact, the boy suffered and became sick. However, he shouted at the ants saying, “Go away! I am not for you—not just yet at any rate. Go away.” He thought the ants were afraid of him and went away. The boy still believes that he has control over things in his life.

The boy went to examine the skeleton of the buck. His mind started to compare between its current state and when the buck was a live and running like him in the veld and sniffing cold morning air. The boy thought that some rival might have broken the light, lively leg of the buck. His feelings were a mixture of sadness, wondering and discovering new things in life. He became face to face with death and knew it happens to all living creatures. He also realized that there are things in this world that no one can control. He became aware of the knowledge of fatality for the first time. At the end, he says, “yes, yes, this is what living is.” In truth, the story is about the insignificance of life and the inevitability of death.

Elements:

The story is about main incident. The keyword of the story is the word “control”. The story is in the third person narration. It takes place during the sunrise. Time and place (setting) are significant. The time indicates the moment from darkness to light. It is light of knowledge and truth. The boy is overconfident and that is clear at the beginning of the story, “But he played with it for the fun of knowing that it was a weakness he could defeat.” He feels he can control and challenge everything including the nature and his parents. He also can control his body, as the story reads, “I can control every part of myself.” He thinks he can defeat his lack of sleep and the sense of being tired. The boy has a sarcastic tone about his parents which means that he can defeat authority. This is considered an irony by the narrator since he is not even 16 yet. There is another irony when the boy thinks the echo of his voice is that the mountains are answering him back. He is not afraid of the weather, the darkness and the circumstances. The point of identification between the boy and the buck is life; the hollowness of life. To conclude, the elements of the short story are applied here as there is one character, one event, no long description of character, the stability of the narrative voice and the ironic tone. Although the story is about the experience of an individual, it has universal significance. The moral here is that control is a false idea and that everybody should admit the fatality of the world. Therefore, the boy saw the world through new eyes. He faced new facts to him and accepted the change towards knowledge. Although he suffered and felt anger, he was satisfied with what he realized about the cruelty of life.

No Longer At Ease - Language and Dialogism

Achebe makes a unique mixing in language. He represents the African oral tradition with all its power to the European culture. He uses a new kind of English in which he shows the Ibo culture to the reader by using proverbs, folktales and religious beliefs.

Achebe uses English because it is accessible to everybody and because there is no language in Africa. He wants to show the importance of renewing the African English to suit the new African circumstances and stick to the native principles. So he is able to make the Africans speak a new kind of English. He even gives the explanation of the native words in the text as two synonyms from different languages. Therefore, the African English expresses the African values and not the European values.

Obi’s father Isaac is Christian who uses an Africanized Christianity along with Christian African people. It is different from the Christianity of Europe because the African people create new language and styles of their own. The African text contains dialogism between two cultures. Though Christianity has its own vocabulary, it is mixed with something from Africa, so this is the idea of hybridity of religion. They take the western religion and show it with their flavour.

When Obi returned to Nigeria, the union made a conference to welcome him. The president of the union gives a long speech in which he uses the formal English language. The novel reads, “Everybody was properly dressed in aghada or European suit.” Here Achebe uses the native word “aghada” which means a European suit. He puts its meaning in English besides it, and this dialogism.

When Obi wants to marry Clara, Achebe presents a native word which is “Osu”. It means that hey cannot get married. Achebe explains it in English that her grandfather had been dedicated to serve a god.

There is a meeting of the Umuofian Progressive Union, where Obi uses an in-between language. He uses the Ibo proverbs and imagery and this is a clear example of dialogism. Another example is when Obi faces his first temptation with a girl. Clara enters and says to her “you had better try elsewhere.” She uses Pidgin to establish her superiority over the Nigerian girl and to show that she is able to use two languages.

There are a lot of proverbs used in the text in order to show dialogism, such as “wherever something stands, another thing stands beside it.” Those proverbs which are symbolic and have rhythm, represent the oral culture of the blacks. The African people also pronounce names on their own way such as “Jesu Kristi”.

To conclude, Achebe wants to show the native flavour and power of language and style. He gives a convincing picture of the African society which helps his characters sound natural while speaking an alien tongue.

No Longer At Ease - Colonialism 'White man’s point of view'

Mr. Green represents the European culture that brought destruction to Nigeria’s own traditions because it is imposed on the people of Nigeria. He is an arrogant man who thinks that he superior than the Africans. He always accuses the African people of being corrupt as he says, “corrupt through and through.” However, he is committed to Nigeria and his secretary supports his views.

Mr. Green embodies the European attitude which claims that the Africans are inhuman. He describes why the Africans are corrupt as he says that the climate and the disease affected their mind and their physical appearance. So, according to the white man, whether the African is educated or not, he will always be corrupt. Nevertheless, his commitment towards Nigeria as he pays for the education of his steward’s sons indicates the ironic contrast in his character. Thus, whatever he does for the African people, he has a superiority complex and a colonialist attitude. He hates the educated Africans and loves to see them like slaves serving him. Obi analyses him as the white prejudice against the Africans.

Mr. Green is a true image of the white man in Nigeria who hates the idea of the independence of Nigeria, and so he threatened to resign. He also criticizes his government of giving university education to the African people as he wants them stay ignorant. One of the contradictions in his personality is that when he was arguing with Obi, he indicates that Africans takes weeks off for vacations at a time. In fact, this habit is originally European.

To conclude, the stereotyping that was invented by the white man against the black people is clear. Achebe wants to give a message to the reader, which is that refuting the white man point of view and fighting his ideas, this requires that every Nigerian gets out of the crossroads and not be like Obi who gave a bad impression and disappointed his country.

No Longer At Ease - Hybridity and polarization

Hybridity: 

Chinua Achebe is a sincere native African who dedicated himself to show the humanity of his country to the world, unlike the old racist narratives that side with the white man only. In this respect, Achebe tackles the idea of the crossroads, mainly how to respect the black culture and how to take the good side of the western culture in order to achieve a great mixture that may benefit one’s own homeland.

In the novel, Obi Okonkwo wants to change his country to the best, but he fails because his values are shallow; He does not believe in the culture and traditions of Nigeria. In fact, Obi wears the mask of the western civilization and acts as superior to his native land. When he says, “The civil service is corrupt because of these so called experienced men at the top.” This asserts the idea of his vanity as he wants to replace the old Nigerians with educated young people in the civil service. Therefore, the character of Obi represents the negative side of the crossroads of culture.

It is worth mentioning that Obi actually is ashamed of his Nigerian identity. His father, Isaac was not able to educate his son how to respect and appreciate the values of his country and accept them as they are. His father even kept his son away from Umuofia which is pagan, because he is Christian. He also did not allow him to listen to native songs because they are heathen and he is a missionary. Even stories were banned from being told by the mother to him. Consequently, Obi cannot read the bible in his native language and pretends to read it only in English. He lost esteem in language and faith in Christianity. Thus, Obi is no longer at ease between the two cultures. He became hybrid as he is a lost man who is unable to survive at the crossroads.

Going deeply into the features of Obi’s father, he totally rejects the values and heritage of his country, Nigeria; he only believes in the western culture, that is why it is not considered as hybridism. The father moves towards one thing which is the west and leaves his origin. The novel addresses such feature when it reads, “Okonkwo never destroyed a piece of paper.” This is a satire because Okonkwo appreciates the written word only which comes from the west and he refuses to stick to the oral tradition, so his room is filled with printed papers.

As for the features of Obi’s mother, she totally reflects the idea of hybridism as she was able to adapt to the change of time. Her room shows how she could preserve the symbols of native culture such as the “yams”, “Kola nuts” and the cylindrical vessel” that is used to store water and biscuits. She wants to root her children in her culture in spite of the father’s firmness. She loves the native singing which is anti-Christian and conveys pure human feelings. The father cannot see what is beautiful and valuable in his culture, whereas the mother is flexible and accepts everything in her country without vanity. She has benefited the most from her culture. Therefore, she represents the positive aspect of hybridity.

To set the record straight, the mother tried from the very beginning to make Obi behave in good manners according to the culture of country. She told him – when he was young - not to take food from the neighbours not to change habits, and when he grew up, she told him not to marry Clara as she is an Osu. However, Obi defies the rooted customs of Nigeria, and at the end, he gave up his principles and accepted to take bribes. Although he is ideally good, he failed to carry out his intentions because his values are negative and hollow.

To conclude, hybridism is a racist kind of thinking based on polarization. It casts shadow on many characters in the novels who reflect the true image of Nigeria at the time. The mother and the writer took the positive side of hybridism, whereas Obi took the negative side of it. Obi’s father does not reflect hybridity as he rejects his culture completely like the white man, Mr. Green.

Polarization:

Polarization means to have two opposing things. It is the idea supported by the racists as they want the Nigerian culture to be opposed with the western culture so that the west can dominate.  The characters of the novel who adopt this principle totally refuse the other side which is the Nigerian traditions and values; they want it to disappear.

The main character whose ideas are based on polarization is Isaac Okonkwo. The father affected the character of his son, Obi in a way that made the latter such a negative hybrid. The mother is in sharp contrast to her husband. She tried hard to affect her children in a way that they respect and appreciate their native culture.

In the novel, Obi Okonkwo wants to change his country to the best, but he fails because his values are shallow; He does not believe in the culture and traditions of Nigeria. In fact, Obi wears the mask of the western civilization and acts as superior to his native land. When he says, “The civil service is corrupt because of these so called experienced men at the top.” This asserts the idea of his vanity as he wants to replace the old Nigerians with educated young people in the civil service. Therefore, the character of Obi represents the negative side of the crossroads of culture.

It is worth mentioning that Obi actually is ashamed of his Nigerian identity. His father, Isaac was not able to educate his son how to respect and appreciate the values of his country and accept them as they are. His father even kept his son away from Umuofia which is pagan, because he is Christian. He also did not allow him to listen to native songs because they are heathen and he is a missionary. Even stories were banned from being told by the mother to him. Consequently, Obi cannot read the bible in his native language and pretends to read it only in English. He lost esteem in language and faith in Christianity. Thus, Obi is no longer at ease between the two cultures. He became hybrid as he is a lost man who is unable to survive at the crossroads.

Going deeply into the features of Obi’s father, he totally rejects the values and heritage of his country, Nigeria; he only believes in the western culture, that is why it is not considered as hybridism. The father moves towards one thing which is the west and leaves his origin. The novel addresses such feature when it reads, “Okonkwo never destroyed a piece of paper.” This is a satire because Okonkwo appreciates the written word only which comes from the west and he refuses to stick to the oral tradition, so his room is filled with printed papers.

As for the features of Obi’s mother, she totally reflects the idea of hybridism as she was able to adapt to the change of time. Her room shows how she could preserve the symbols of native culture such as the “yams”, “Kola nuts” and the cylindrical vessel” that is used to store water and biscuits. She wants to root her children in her culture in spite of the father’s firmness. She loves the native singing which is anti-Christian and conveys pure human feelings. The father cannot see what is beautiful and valuable in his culture, whereas the mother is flexible and accepts everything in her country without vanity. She has benefited the most from her culture. Therefore, she represents the positive aspect of hybridity.

To set the record straight, the mother tried from the very beginning to make Obi behave in good manners according to the culture of country. She told him – when he was young - not to take food from the neighbours not to change habits, and when he grew up, she told him not to marry Clara as she is an Osu. However, Obi defies the rooted customs of Nigeria, and at the end, he gave up his principles and accepted to take bribes. Although he is ideally good, he failed to carry out his intentions because his values are negative and hollow.

To conclude, Polarization is a racist kind of thinking. It casts shadow on many characters in the novels who reflect the true image of Nigeria at the time. The mother and the writer took the positive side of hybridism, whereas Obi took the negative side of it. Obi’s father does not reflect hybridity as he rejects his culture completely like the white man, Mr. Green.