The Image of the Big House as a Central Motif in The Real...

The Image of the Big House as a Central Motif in The Real Charlotte The image of the big house has long been a central motif in Anglo-Irish literature. From Maria Edgeworths Castle Rackrent (1800), it has been a source of inspiration to many writers. One of the reason s for the surge in castle rackrents (a generic term employed by Charles Maturin) through the 19th and early 20th century, is that many writers who used the big house as a backdrop to their work were residents of such houses themselves - writers such as Sommerville and Ross, George Moore and Elizabeth Bowen, were born into the ascendancy and wrote about an era and society with which they were familiar. However modern writers, such as Molly Keane and John†¦show more content†¦Sommerville and Ross have not focused on the physical disintegration of the Big House in The Real Charlotte, but as they based the novel on their experiences as part of the Ascendancy, we can see the corrosion of the upper classes stature and power through characterization and setting. The driving force of all Big House fiction is the isolation of the Anglo-Irish Ascendancy both physically and metaphorically. The country homes of the Ascendancy/landlords, were deemed Big Houses because of their grandeur and setting; they were huge in comparison to the cottiers mud cabins and labourers cottages of the Irish natives, thus were unrivalled in the countryside. Elizabeth Bowen accurately described their physical detachment from other social classes: with its stables and farm and gardens deep in trees at the end of long avenues is an island - and, like an island, a world. [3] Their disconnection was deliberate as they generally only interacted with other gentry in the confines of their estates, and consequently their only contact with the native Irish was in their role as master and servant. Although these houses were built to inspire awe in social equals and deference in the lower classes, as Terence Dooley states, such deference in Ireland was: tinged with a sense of resentment because they were built on what most tenant farmers would deem to have been confiscated land. [4] Adding to their image as usurpers was the fact that many wereShow MoreRelatedA Dialogue of Self and Soul11424 Words   |  46 Pagesrebellion and repression in the narrative and highlight in particular the reading of Bertha Mason, the mad wife, as the symbol of Jane’s repressed passion. This was later to become an accepted interpretation of Bertha. In relating the novel to Charlotte Brontà « the writer, they see the text as ultimately half-optimistic for women’s future in the prospect of a marriage of equals. Others were to read the ending as a compromise with contemporary patriarchal ideals of marriage. Reprinted from TheRead MoreMacbeth9435 Words   |  38 Pagesof  King Macbeth of Scotland, Macduff, and  Duncan  in  Holinshed s Chronicles  (1587), a history of England, Scotland and Ireland familiar to Shakespeare and his contemporaries, although the events in the play differ extensively from the history of the real Macbeth. In the backstage world of theatre, some believe that the play is cursed, and will not mention its title aloud, referring to it instead as the Scottish play. Over the course of many centuries, the play has attracted some of the most renownedRead MoreCoco Cola18335 Words   |  74 Pagesthe  United States Army,[42]  thus allowing the company to be exempt from sugar rationing.[43] The United States Army permitted Coca-Cola employees to enter the front lines as Technical Officers when in reality they rarely if ever came close to a real battle. Instead, they operated Coke s system of providing refreshments for soldiers, who welcomed the beverage as a reminder of home. As the  Allies of World War II  advanced, so did Coke, which took advantage of the situation by establishing new franchisesRead MoreCase Studies67624 Words   |  271 Pagessimple fictional accounts of situations and collections of actual organisational data and articles from public sources are not as effective for learning as fully developed cases. A comprehensive case presents you with a partial clinical study of a real-life situation that faced managers as well as other stakeholders, including employees. A case presented in narrative form provides motivation for involvement with and analysis of a specific situation. By framing alternative strategic actions and by