Beyond Words

I found it interesting to note that the lack of dialogue did not hurt The Romance of the Forest. Radcliffe's description of the character interactions are more than enough. It is especially impressive because it is not a first person narrative, which would have made it easier to get away with. Here's a prompt for you: what other books or films have gotten away with no dialogue in dramatic moments. Here is an example from On The Waterfront: http://youtu.be/geh_Mu622SY (start at 1.25 if you want).

Pierre vs Byronic Heroes

Something I noticed while reading "Romance of The Forest" was that there were several heroes in the story. One in particular jumped out to me, and his name is Pierre. Pierre is a very dark hero, but he is still a hero. In some ways, he reminds me of Heathcliff from "Wuthering Heights". As much as he hates Adeline, and as many problems as she creates for him, he still seems to care for her in some aspect, whether it's romantic or not. He has opportunity to kill her when he takes her in, and yet...he doesn't. It was interesting to think about a Byronic hero within this story.

Aesthetic movements; sublime & picturesque in painting; ruins

Here is the main info from the presentation Mitch and I did:

Picturesque:
The picturesque is an aesthetic ideal that emphasizes a harmonious relationship with nature.  The picturesque is generally pleasant to observe and has little sense of danger or tension.

Examples of the picturesque in paintings:

"Entrance to Copenhagen" by J.C. Dahl




"Crossing the Brook" by J.M.W. Turner
In this painting there is a more distinct interaction between people and nature (woman at river bank).  There is also a solid structure in the background, emphasizing human beings harmonious relationship nature.





"The Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog" by Caspar David Friedrich
This painting is where picturesque and sublime meet.  Nature is portrayed in a slightly more chaotic light, but the spectator is still on safe ground.  Nature also borders on the sublime due to its awe inspiring characteristic.




Now for the sublime.
Sublime:  Described by Victor Hugo as a combination of the "grotesque and beautiful", the sublime is an aesthetic ideal that emphasizes natures awe inspiring power and generally diminishes man to the role of a passive observer.  Notice how small man is in relation to nature in both paintings.

Some examples of the sublime:

"The Great Day of His Wrath" by John Martin



"Hannibal and His Army Crossing the Alps" by J.M.W. Turner



Finally, ruins are important because they give an impression of a time of greatness that has passed.  They are simultaneously a symbol of a time when the structure was great, and an aesthetic structure within themselves, presenting its own decay to the observer as an aesthetic experience.

"The Chancel and Crossing of Tintern Abbey" by J.M.W. Turner

Heroes and Heroins

One thing I noticed about the characters in Romance of the Forest was the use of several heroes. Pierre, Peter, and Theodore all do heroic things to save Adeline’s life. Pierre takes her in and refuses to kill her even though it will fix all his problems. Peter warns her several times of imminent danger and Theodore is her true hero and true love. While Theodore is the main hero of this novel, both Pierre and Peter played a role in saving Adeline’s life too. This novel uses several heroes in addition to Theodore to further the plot and show that Adeline’s life is worth saving. I think it is also worth mentioning that the heroin uses her influence at the end to save the hero’s life. It switches up the concept of the heroin being completely helpless and allows her to save someone’s life instead of being saved herself.

LaMott's continuous faliures

LaMotts charecter continues to make mistakes, even though he has lost everything, his house, fortune and ability to love( his wife) he still dosent change his ways. He insists in keeping his luxuiries life style " He is a man whose passions often overcame his reason, and time after time, silenced his conscience "pg 2. Even when he reaches the house in the woods, he dosent think before he enters, especially since its in the middle of nowhere, he dosent even go out in search for help armed especially since he is a wanted man. He then proceeds to take the young and beautiful Adeline with him dispite of his situation. His strong impolses might end up leading him to even further consiquences that might include his capture or even death.

Usage of the setting to the character

I believe what the author does so well in the story is that he doesn't reveal the character’s true identity till later on in the story. The characters actions reflect on what they do, but in this particular instance the environment they are in is what defines the identity of the characters. In most traditional story telling the environment only plays the role of what the characters walking through, but the setting plays a role in the decision making of what the characters do as the result of what the environment does to them. A scene that I believe is an example is the scene where Pierre is forced to take Adeline because there is really no other route to escape.

Overture of Emotional Range

"'When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, 'it means just what I choose it to mean - neither more nor less.'"

   - Lewis Carroll*

The passage by Walpole at the beginning of Chapter 2 serves as a beautiful example of establishing a mood or tone before even including the plot. This passage serves a similar purpose to an overture in a musical. In a musical, the overture introduces the audience to the general range of melodies that will be heard throughout the work. This passage serves to direct the emotional responses of the audience. The first line, which talks about “antique towers and vacant courts,” parallels and in fact seems to describe the “Gothic remains of an abbey” in the first sentence of the chapter. From this small initial similarity, a larger chain is established. The chapter then becomes the aesthetic stimulus to spark the emotions explained in that opening passage. The two pieces ultimately share a symbiotic relationship. The poem offers the statement or argument which the chapter then serves to enforce. Equally, the chapter presents the sensory details, with the poem providing the perspective.

*Quote courtesy of brainyquote.com

Radcliffe's Style to Produce Emotions

Our class discussion over Radcliffe's style and her ability to produce emotional tensions through the narrative made me look for more instances like this. It wasn't a particular scene that struck me, but as Volume II progressed I noticed the writing style changed slightly. After Adeline is rescued by Theodore and as they leave the ruins, though the tensions are high, the emotions produced aren't as strong and powerful as they had when the abbey was present. Even though they encounter difficulties, Radcliffe's writing style seems to alter. There are less descriptions of scenery and even though Adeline and Theodore are still in great danger it doesn't have the same affect as before. It isn't until Adeline is captured and nearing the ruins that the Gothic writing style appears again, which I think is used purposefully by Radcliffe as a way to generate high, powerful emotions once Adeline returns.

Passionate Emotions of Radcliffe's Male Characters

Radcliffe represents her characters’ emotions as determinate of their coinciding actions, especially when male characters are involved. At the beginning of the novel La Motte is described as an emotionally driven person (as opposed to someone of rationale), insofar as “his conduct was suggested by feeling, rather than principle … a man whose passions often overcome his reason” (Radcliffe 2). The quotation suggests that La Motte (and possibly the other men in the novel) are mostly driven by their passions and feelings rather than reason and principle. When Adeline rejects her father’s request to become a nun, her father is driven by anger and violence rather than reason to send his daughter to her (probable) death. 

In contrast, La Motte is seen by Adeline as her salvation, but still as a character driven by emotion. At the beginning of the novel La Motte is affected by Adeline’s grief and beauty as “She sunk at his feet, and with supplicating eyes, that streamed with tears, implored him to have pity on her.… he found it impossible to contemplate the beauty and distress of the object before him” (Radcliffe 5). His feeling and sentiments toward ‘beauty in distress’ overcome his reason; he takes in Adeline without thinking of the consequences. However, later in the novel La Motte’s feelings overcome his sense of principle rather than his reason, and he deceives Adeline with the Marquis to serve his own advantage and sense of security. La Motte (fearing imprisonment) is overcome by his ‘passions’ of self-preservation and in turn Adeline is betrayed a second time by the character who is supposed to be her protector and security. Both father figures in the novel are portrayed as suppressors; dangerous, irrational figures rather than a protector and a source of security. Adeline’s innocent trust in two male figures that both fail her places her in a role of the naive damsel, and although the two men succumb to their passions in different ways, they both end up betraying their duties and principles in favor or ‘fits of passion’. 

Moreover, the Marquis is thought (at first glance) to be a very noble and mature noble man of status; typically someone seen as proper, rational, and moral. At a second look we see that he is also driven by his passions... for Adeline. Reason does not seem to be a consideration when the Marquis declares his feelings for Adeline, namely when “the Marquis threw himself at her feet, and seizing her hand, impressed it with kisses” (Radcliffe 122). This scene is totally unexpected based on the description of the Marquis, and in many ways reflects the expected actions of an ‘unreasonable’ female affectation.

The idea that men, and not just women, can be driven by their emotions and passions must have been a relatively shocking idea up until the Romantic period. Radcliffe succeeded in portraying men and women in an equally unflattering light, while lifting the female heroine to a position of higher influence within the novel. This flip of stereotypical gender roles helps add a layer of the unexpected to the novel.