Monday, November 19, 2007

Q 6

6. What is the relation of the novel’s characters to the past? (See, for example, p. 94).

7 comments:

Elena said...

The past is used to build up the characters without wasting much space in the novel. It seems like a great deal of the story occured in the past, and what takes place in the novel seems like the denouement of a story that was begun at least eight years earlier. The events of the past provide the main plot of the story, and the loose ends remain only to be tied up in the present.

Erin Trapp said...

yes, interesting points about the "narrative" time of the novel. any thoughts (this might require some limb-walking shoes) on what this means for the status of the "past" in the novel? the nature of changing times?

Golnaz said...

I have a few examples of the past and its differences from the present. One example of change from the past is the Musgrove household. It use to be cold and depressing; but now that their daughter, Louisa, is coming home it is alive and welcoming. There is also a difference in the Kellynch estate. It used to have a vain direspectful owner (Sir Walter Elliot) but now it is a simple, warm home because of the new owner (Admiral Croft).

The Emmer said...

I agree with elena, the main plot centers around what happens in the past. The novel wouldn't be as strong if it didn't have this connection to the past, the past holds the key to what happened in the present of the novel.

cindy said...

As Elena said, the past is used to introduce and describe characters in the present, without having to have these descriptions be intertwined into regular conversation. Also, the past strongly dictates how each character reacts to one another, especially Anne.

Anonymous said...

Without the past, the way the characters interact with one another would be incomplete. With an understanding of the character's pasts, we can make connections between them in the present.

Anonymous said...

If not for the past engagement of Anne and Wentworth, there would be not drama at Uppercross or Lyme or Bath. If not for the past, the novel would have been completely different. If not the past, we would not have anything relate the present/future.