Reading Project

• The following are study notes on literature and related topics

Little Women – Louisa May Alcott (1868)

• Plot points for the book Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

• "Playing Pilgrim" introduces the four March sisters—Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy and their modest, loving home as they cope with poverty and dream of a brighter future.

• "A Merry Christmas" shows the family's Christmas is marked by selflessness and gratitude, setting the tone for their values of charity and sacrifice, despite financial hardship.

• "The Laurence Boy" introduces the Marches' wealthy, charismatic neighbor, Laurie Laurence, whose friendship—especially with Jo—opens new social possibilities.

• "Burial of a Secret" shows personal secrets and hidden feelings begin to emerge as the sisters struggle with their individual ambitions and frustrations about their constrained lives.

• "Being Neighborly" illustrates the importance of empathy and community in the March household via acts of kindness toward neighbors (and vice versa).

• "Beth Finds the Palace Beautiful" shows gentle Beth discovering beauty in simplicity and music, reinforcing her quiet strength and deep compassion.

• "Amy's Play" has Amy staging a small play that both entertains and reveals her budding artistic aspirations and a desire for refinement.

• "Jo's Temper and Talent" displays Jo's fiery nature as she battles frustration while simultaneously nurturing her passion for writing and storytelling.

• "Meg's Social Aspirations" shows Meg beginning to experience the temptations and challenges of high society, learning about the differences between appearances and true happiness.

• "A Social Gathering at the Laurence Home" shows a formal event at the Laurence residence deepening acquaintances and highlighting contrasts between the March family's modesty and the opulence of wealth.

• "Lessons in Self-Sacrifice" shows the sisters confronting personal shortcomings and learning through small sacrifices the value of humility and empathy.

• "Trials and Triumphs" Conflicts-both internal and with others force the sisters to reconsider their values, with each learning from setbacks and small victories.

• "Heartbreak and Hard Lessons" reflects the impact of societal expectations and personal failures is felt deeply; tensions rise as each sister begins to face the cost of their dreams.

• "Beth’s Fragile Health" presents Beth's quiet struggle with illness becoming more serious, casting a long, somber shadow over the family and uniting them in concern.

• "Grief and Growing Pains" illustrates the sisters experiencing profound grief in the wake of Beth's deteriorating health while also finding strength in their shared bond.

• "Jo's Literary Ambitions" shows Jo, determined to forge her own path, committing more deeply to writing, even as she battles self-doubt and the limitations imposed by her era.

• "Meg’s Matrimonial Step" presents Meg's journey taking a turn toward adulthood when she marries Mr. Brooke, illustrating the balance between domestic responsibilities and personal dreams.

• Key themes are family and sisterhood, and coming of age

• Gender roles and societal expectations, love, sacrifice, and duty are key themes

• The time period is the American Civil War (1861-1865)

• It explores experiences of a middle-class family in New England during a time of national upheaval

• Women largely were expected to fulfill roles within the home as wives, mothers, and caregivers.

Prevailing Gender Norms

• The ideal of “the angel in the house," reflected modesty, self-sacrifice, and domesticity

Limited Public Roles

• Women's participation in public and professional life was restricted
• Careers were limited to teaching, writing, or other extensions of domestic nurturing
• Financial Dependence: Women often depended on male relatives for financial security, reflecting limited opportunities to earn independent incomes where property and legal rights were controlled by male family members
• Educational Opportunities were oriented toward developing the skills deemed appropriate for women—music, literature, the arts
• The emergence of new ideas saw early challenges to traditional gender roles during that period, leading to growing discussions about women's rights and individuality

Character Representations

• Jo March = tension between societal expectations and personal ambition; a desire for independence vs. career as a writer
• Other characters, like Meg and Amy reflected varied responses to societal pressures war
• Role Expansion required women to take on additional responsibilities, which began to shift perceptions about women's capabilities
• The civil war's Impact was social change and opened discussions on reform/restructuring of social norms which influenced ideas about women's roles.

Anne of Green Gables – L. M. Montgomery (1908)

• Plot Points for the book Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery
• Anne Arrives when siblings Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert plan to adopt a boy to help on their farm, but instead, Anne Shirley, an imaginative and talkative orphan, arrives and Marilla debates whether to send Anne back
• Settling In has Anne captivated by Green Gables and Avonlea as but her first meeting Mrs. Rachel Lynde is rocky, resulting in Anne learning to apologize and Marilla decides to keep Anne and insists she must learn discipline
• School and Friendships sees Anne becoming best friends with Diana Barry and starting school, but also getting into trouble for talking too much and ultimately clashing with the stern teacher, Mr. Phillips
• Mishaps and Adventures occur when Anne accidentally gets Diana drunk via serving currant wine instead of raspberry cordial and Marilla initially forbids their friendship, later relenting when Anne proves her character
• During Academic Rivalry and Dreams Anne meets Gilbert Blythe, who teases her about her red hair prompting her to hold a grudge despite his attempts to apologize
• More Troubles and Triumphs occur when Anne falls off a roof during a dare, dyes her hair green by accident, begins writing stories and dreams of becoming a teacher
• As Anne moves into Growth and Achievements she wins a scholarship, earns high marks at school while also matures, becoming more graceful and self-assured
• During Tragedy and Change Matthew dies of a heart attack and Anne and Marilla are devastated, followed by Marilla's eyesight worsening which leads to Anne giving up her college plans to stay at Green Gables, then Anne and Gilbert reconcile and he gives up a teaching post for her leading to the start of their friendship
• Key themes are imagination and identity
• Anne's imagination helps her cope with hardships/define herself in a world that values conformity in the early 20th century
• In the early 20th century, societal expectations for women emphasized practicality/restraint, exemplified by Marilla
• Anne's imaginative spirit is both refreshing and rebellious
• Anne's is ambitious, intelligent, determined to pursue education and career challenging traditional expectations
• Anne's education and independence reflects growing shift toward female empowerment
• The rise of the women's suffrage movement in Canada happened with Anne being ambitious, intelligent, determined to pursue education and career → challenging traditional expectations (achieved federally in 1918)
• Education and Personal Growth follows Anne's journey from an impulsive, dreamy girl → responsible, educated young woman, showcasing the transformative power of learning
• Education for women became more accessible though higher education and professional careers were still rare
• This reflected changing societal views on women's education
• Family and belonging: Anne, as an orphan, finds love and acceptance at Green Gables where orphanages/foster care systems during the late 19th and early 20th centuries were common
• Adoption was not always based on emotional bonds, family is built on love rather than blood ties in the book
• Avonlea's Rural Life and Community fostered being a close-knit, moral, traditional society where individuals support one another
• Rural communities in Canada were a backbone of society
• The novel idealizes the simplicity and values of country life contrasting industrialization

The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald (1925)

• Plot points for the book The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

• Nick Carraway, a young bond salesman, moves to West Egg, Long Island, in the summer of 1922.

• Nick's neighbor, Jay Gatsby, is a wealthy and mysterious man who throws lavish parties hoping to attract his lost love, Daisy Buchanan.

• Daisy, Nick's cousin, is married to Tom Buchanan, a wealthy and unfaithful man who is having an affair with Myrtle Wilson, the wife of a garage owner, George Wilson.

• Gatsby and Daisy had a romantic past; Gatsby hopes to rekindle their love and asks Nick to arrange a meeting between them.

• Daisy and Gatsby reconnect and begin an affair, where Gatsby believes Daisy will leave Tom for him.

• During a tense confrontation in a New York City hotel, Tom exposes Gatsby's shady business dealings and insists Daisy loves him, not Gatsby.

• On way back, Daisy (driving Gatsby's car) she accidentally kills Myrtle, but Gatsby takes the blame.

• George Wilson, believing Gatsby killed Myrtle, shoots Gatsby and then himself.

• Gatsby's funeral is sparsely attended. Disillusioned by the East, Nick moves back to the Midwest and reflects on the corruption of the American Dream.

• Key themes are the American Dream: critiques the idea of the American Dream

• prosperity, success, and upward mobility through hard work

• Gatsby's rise from poverty to wealth

• Gatsby's ultimate downfall suggests corruption and unattainability

• Pursuit of wealth and status reflect moral decay and emptiness

• The book reflects wealth and class via the divide between old money (Tom and Daisy Buchanan) and new money and elitism and superficiality of the upper class, and social barriers that prevent Gatsby from integrating into their world

• The book expresses love and desire through Gatsby's idealized love for Daisy with a romanticized vision of her that desire and obsession distort reality, leading to disillusionment and tragedy

• The book expresses moral decay; characters exhibit selfishness, dishonesty, and a lack of empathy and the reckless behavior of the wealthy that reflects moral emptiness of the Jazz Age

• The illusion vs. reality is that Gatsby has a fabricated identity as he dreams of reuniting with Daisy and believes in recreating the past

• Characters are hiding behind facades

• The book reflects the past and nostalgia with Gatsby's obsession with recapturing the past and recreating his idyllic romance with Daisy and clinging to the past leading to disappointment

• Isolation and Loneliness: Despite parties and wealth, Gatsby is ultimately isolated/misunderstood and longing for connection and acceptance

• Jazz Age and Excess: Set in the Roaring Twenties, the book reflects extravagance, hedonism, emptiness and moral decay which accompany excess and critiques of 1920s America and the human condition.

Howl – Alan Ginsberg (1956)

• Overview: most iconic poems of the Beat Generation; known for raw emotion, free verse, critique of modern society.
• Part I: Lament for the suffering of Ginsberg's peers, those marginalized by mainstream society
• Part II: Condemnation of "Moloch," symbol of capitalism, industrialization, social oppression
• Part III: A personal address to Carl Solomon, whom Ginsberg met in a psychiatric hospital with expressions of solidarity and hope
• Key Themes
  • Madness and Marginalization: portrays mental/emotional struggles of those who don't fit into conventional society of artists, drug users, and outcasts
  • Ginsberg's close friend Carl Solomon was institutionalized for mental illness and became a symbol of this suffering
• Critique of Capitalism and Conformity: "Moloch" represents destructive system that crushes individuality, creativity, and spiritual freedom that criticizes how materialism and rigid social structures alienate people.
• It shows sexuality and liberation by breaking literary/social taboos, and helping pave the way for greater LGBTQ+ representation in literature
• Spirituality and Transcendence: seeks spiritual meaning and draws on influences from Buddhism, Judaism, visionary experiences, with Ginsberg believing poetry/personal expression could lead to enlightenment and resistance against oppressive forces
• Style and Literary Techniques
• Free Verse and Long Lines are inspired by Walt Whitman; long, flowing lines to create rhythm that mimics speech/thought with the lack of a traditional structure reinforcing the poem's rebellious energy
• Repetition and Anaphora; "I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness" sets the tone with the repetition of phrases creating intensity and urgency. Biblical and Mythological Allusions "Moloch" is a reference to Old Testament deity associated with child sacrifice symbolizing modern oppression, deriving from religious imagery which contrasted divine vision with societal decay
• Impact and Censorship: was considered obscene leading to a 1957 for violating obscenity laws, but the court ruled in Ginsberg's favor and created a turning point for freedom of speech in literature, and was a defining work of the Beat Generation influencing countercultural movements of the 1960s
• The poem Howl represents both a personal and political outcry and remains a powerful critique of modern civilization and an anthem for nonconformity, creative expression, and social change

A Room of One's Own – Virginia Woolf (1929)

• Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) was a British writer, modernist, and feminist thinker
• Virginia Woolf was known for her experimental literary style/ exploration of gender, identity, and consciousness and was a key figure in the Modernist movement
• Woolf was a member of Bloomsbury Group (influential intellectual circle in early 20th-century England)
• Notable Works: Mrs. Dalloway (1925), To the Lighthouse (1927), Orlando (1928), The Waves (1931)
• Woolf made key Literary Contributions with Stream-of-consciousness narrative style capturing characters' inner thoughts/emotions and feminist literary criticism; modernist experimentation challenging traditional storytelling techniques
• Life and Influence: was born into a literary family and educated herself privately
• Woolf was part of a progressive intellectual circle and rejected Victorian traditions focusing on redefining narrative structure where internal consciousness rather than linear plots
• Mrs. Dalloway and to the Lighthouse are examples of stream-of-consciousness technique
• A Room of One's Own (1929) became foundational feminist text arguing women need financial and personal independence to create literature
• Orlando (1928) explores gender fluidity, decades ahead of its time
• Woolf suffered from bipolar disorder and died by suicide
• She influenced writers like Sylvia Plath, Toni Morrison, and Margaret Atwood and was a central figure in feminist literary criticism; her ideas/discussions on gender, identity, and creativity are widely discussed today
• Key Themes and Historical Context reflect women's financial and educational barriers as women had limited access to education and were financially dependent on male relatives before the 20th century and Cambridge and Oxford, and careers like writing were dominated by men.
• Woolf insisted women need financial independence/private space to develop their creativity reflecting growing movement toward women's higher education/professional opportunities
• Patriarchy and Women's Exclusion from Literary History saw women were historically denied same literary and artistic opportunities as men.
• Women writers before Woolf faced social resistance/published under male pseudonyms
• The 1920s saw the rise of modern feminism, but traditional gender roles remained and there were critiques of how male writers dominated literary history Shakespeare's sister would have been just as talented but that she was denied opportunities to write/be remembered
• The Androgynous Mind and Breaking Free from Gender Bias during the in 1920s, with feminism dividing between demanding equality with men vs. celebrating women's unique differences
• There was a rise of women writers during the period with women experimenting
• Woolf argued for a movement in which writers should transcend gender biases, and challenged male-dominated literary tradition and early feminists who focused on women's distinctiveness
• The Future of Women Writers in which women in Britain only just gained the right to vote, but still faced facing discrimination in publishing/academia
• Woolf felt that future generations of women would contribute to literature more freely

Death of the Author – Roland Barthes (1967)

• His work was deeply influenced by the intellectual and shifts of mid- 20th century with arguments emerging in response to developments in literary theory, philosophy, and political thought that challenged traditional notions of meaning and authority

The Rise of Post-Structuralism

• The 1960s: scholars began questioning structuralism indicating that meaning is stable, and rooted in deep structures of language and culture
• Post-structuralists challenged idea that texts have fixed meanings, emphasizing instead ambiguity/the role of interpretation Barthes rejected the idea that text's meaning is determined by a single, authoritative source and stated that language itself creates meaning, and each reader brings their own perspective, making interpretation fluid/subjective
• The decline Authorial Authority & Influence of Existentialism came as 20th century shift away from individual genius with increasing focus on how social, historical, linguistic factors shape meaning
• Existentialists emphasized the freedom of the individual to create meaning rather than traditional authority where Barthes extends this to literature with the argument that a text is not controlled by author's intent but is instead shaped by reader's interpretation
• He critiqued traditional Literary Criticism by saying that literary criticism was often biographical and historical analysis, or understanding a text by examining author's life/intentions

Traditional Literary Criticism

• The letters, diaries, and historical context were considered important for determining what author "meant," but Barthes rejects what he calls a method with the reasoning that meaning should come from text itself, not author's life, leading to a major shift in literary studies and the reader-response theory/modern approaches to interpretation
• Media and mass communication lead to the explosion of media advertisement and popular culture blurring lines between high vs. low art indicating that the idea of a "single, authoritative creator" was questioned where firms, TV and literature became more collaborative and open to interpretation with Barthes' essay reflecting growing skepticism toward centralized authority
• Barthes' ideas resonated with postmodernism embracing multiple perspectives and rejecting rigid meanings
• Political And Social Upheaval during the 1960s of civil rights movements, student protests, and anti-authoritarian sentiments across the world where Barthes' essay aligned with this anti-authoritarian challenging traditional power structures in literature and culture shifting power from author to the reader which fits within broader countercultural rejection of rigid authority and absolute truths

Critique

• Author's Intent Still Matters since ignoring the author's intentionality
• Certain texts cannot be understood without considering author's purpose and context
• Example: George Orwell's 1984; the author's political views influenced the novel's meaning where ignoring intentions might lead to misinterpretation
• Texts Have Fixed or Limited Meanings since not all interpretations are equally valid and some works or legal documents religious texts often have authoritative interpretations which cannot be freely reinterpreted.
• The reader is not completely free because the reader is influenced by cultural norms biases.
• Meaning is shaped by education ideology, social conditioning and may interpret a text differently from its original audience
• Contradiction and Barthes as an Author Himself argues for "death" of the author, yet he himself is author presenting an argument

Encoding/Decoding – Stuart Hall (1973)

• Communication as a Process is a complex process of encoding and decoding not simply transmission of information
• Encoding focuses on producing meaning in which media produces encode messages influenced by ideologies, and cultural norms
• Decoding focuses on the interpretation of meaning in which audience negotiation of message is influenced by class race

The Three Readings (Decoding Positions)

• Dominant-Hegemonic Reading: Audience interprets the message of the way in which the encoder expects of them (believing the message)

• Negotiated Reading: The audience interprets messages of the way in which they partly agree while also modifying the meaning which is based on their personal context (e.g., accepting parts but questioning others)

• Oppositional Reading: Audience interprets messages and reject them based on the fact in which they are bias

Compulsory Heterosexuality and the Lesbian Existence – Adrienne Rich

• 1 Compulsory Heterosexuality: Heterosexuality is a social construction reinforced by institutionalized power that assumes heterosexuality is the norm
• Compulsory Heterosexuality benefits patriarchal social norms
• 2 The Lesbian Continuum: Lesbianism extends beyond sexual relationships; includes female bonding, solidarity, and resistance to male control
• 3 Erasure of Lesbian Existence: Women's lesbian histories are erased, distorted, and ignored
• 4 Patriarchy and Violence: Women are normalized through cultural norms, media, laws, and sometimes violence
• 5 Feminism Must Acknowledge Lesbian Existence: A critique of some 2nd wave feminists; calls to fully incorporate lesbian existence and challenge patriarchy

A Historical Context

• Second-Wave Feminism focused on workplace rights, reproductive justice, and gender equality, but Rich argues it ignored lesbian concerns and Rich identifies the rise of lesbian feminism and a backlash against LGBT rights, thus responding to modern debates in the LGBTQ+ equality movement