Question.3161 - Brief description (the phrases in bold are amplified below): Choose three of the first six U.S. writers we have read. Describe and differentiate their strategies of appropriation vis-à-vis Cervantes’ text in a 3-5 page essay. Begin with some general consideration of questions of influence, appropriation, intertextuality, or whatever other term you wish to use for talking about how a novelist draws on an earlier work which has been widely read and discussed. Proceed to describe the strategies of appropriation of the three writers you have chosen, making sure to find at least one clear differentiating feature among them. Try in some way in closing to account for the differences in approach you have encountered among the different writers. There is no obligation to use additional sources, but if you do, you must acknowledge them in a list of works cited, even if this only means a website you checked for additional information about the writer. The first six U.S. writers: Tabitha Gilman Tenney, Female Quixotism Washington Irving, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” Mark Twain, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Hermann Melville, White Jacket and Moby Dick F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby William Faulkner, “The Old Man” You do not have to read any more of any of these writers than I assigned for class to be able to attempt at least a speculative reconstruction of their strategies of appropriation of Don Quixote. If you do have familiarity with other relevant texts by any of them, you may certainly use them. You may refer to the two critical essays I have given you so far, on Melville and on Fitzgerald. I will also give you at least one other essay, by Montserrat Ginés, on Faulkner. Maybe also her chapter on Twain. You can read additional critical work or other secondary sources if you wish, but if you do you should cite them in your text, and include the reference in your list of works cited. Strategies of appropriation: I have chosen this as a general term to refer to the way a later writer situates his/her work in relation to that of an earlier one. Of course, it implies self-conscious, deliberate choice(s), by means the writer on the receiving end shapes the elements s/he adopts, by a complex process of selecting, changing, and recombining. There are many aspects of this process that can be the focus of the analysis of such a strategy. One can emphasize what was kept, what was not, how what was borrowed has been transformed, how it has not, how it has been recombined with the newer writer’s own creation. One can give importance to the role of the reader, especially with reference to the degree to which appears the reader is expected to notice the relation to the earlier text. Any of the “elements” we brought out in the first assignment in this course can be seen as part of this strategy: style, tone, narrative technique, character, setting, theme, motif, etc. For me, the term “strategy of appropriation” implies, above all, that the analysis strives to give a coherent pattern to the whole relationship between the two texts (and/or the two authors). Of course, this pattern implies that the appropriation is part of a larger strategy of communication with the reader’s active participation, of certain meanings. So in this way, hopefully, we begin to move beyond the mere cataloguing of borrowings as evidence of “influence,” towards an understanding of intertextuality as central to the way literary texts mean, and therefore, integral to any effort at interpretation. Differentiating features: While the strategies of appropriation you find in these texts may have certain features in common (such as the relative youth of the quixotic figures, as compared with Cervantes’ original), there will also be definite differences between and among them. Try to find one or more differences that make it possible to place the three strategies in a clearly contrastive relation with one another. In other words, try to give a high profile to an aspect that makes it possible to clearly differentiate these as three distinct strategies, such that where one author makes a certain strategic choice, another author makes, in some sense, the opposite choice. Ideally, two differentiating features could serve to work out a systematic set of contrasts between the three: if you had, say, feature X vs. not-X and feature Y vs. not-Y, you would end up with four possibilities, X-Y, X-not Y, not X-Y, and not X-not Y. Three of the four would be manifested in the writers under consideration. (Obviously, the features might not simply come down to presence vs. absence, there could be variations. But I have expressed it this way in order to offer a simple model.) 3-5 page essay: Just to remind you that it should be well-written in standard English, with a well-organized, coherent argument, and supported by convincing, well-chosen examples from the texts. Do not forget Cervantes! This is about how these writers appropriated Don Quixote, but that means we are still engaging Cervantes’ text, too, in order to understand the original material that is being incorporated.
Answer Below:
Tabitha Gilman Tenney, Female Quixotism The work of Tabitha Gilman Tenney, Female Quixotism, has been modeled on the work of Miguel de Cervantes’ magnum opus, Don Quixote. The protagonist of Female Quixotism, Dorcasina, is working through a series of events to win true love which meets unsuccessful and often violent ends. As a daughter who has a caring heart, she deeply desires to have love in her life. (Lang, 2009) Strategies of appropriation of Tabitha Gilman Tenney, Female Quixotism Female Quixotism, a defining work of Tabitha Gilman Tenney derives its works on the basis of Cervantes’ Don Quixote. A common thread between these two works is the element of satirizing of the traditions prevalent in the society. There is an element of going against the established standards of the society which is found in the work Tenney’s Female Quixotism derived from Don Quixote. (Humanities Online, 2013) Another aspect which the novel of Tenney appropriates from the work of Cervantes is the behavioral pattern of the protagonists of the play. Tenney’s character, Dorcasina, is modeled in similarity to Don Quixote’s character in terms of being avid book readers. Both draw a lot of their experiences from the literary works they read in the novels. (Ardila, 2009). They derive a major resemblance in their actions on the basis of the adventures they come across in the texts they had read. “The dependence of the plot on Dorcasina’s “novel-mania” is the most striking parallel with Don Quixote” (Nienkamp & Collins, 1992) Carrying on the similarity between the work of Tabitha’s Female Quixotism and Don Quixote is the pairing of Dorcasina and her companion Betty who are modeled to match the characters of Don Quixote and his servant Sancho Plaza. The characters of Tenney’s Betty and Cervantes’ Sancho have similarity in terms of being superstitious, practical and having common sense. “Like Sancho Panza, Betty is initially the voice of reason and common sense against Dorcasina’s quixotic delusions” (Nienkamp & Collins, 1992). The similarity between the characters of the Tenney’s work with Cervantes’ novel is very striking. Washington Irving, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” is a magical novel by Washington Irving that highlights a dreamy tale that presents resistance to enlightenment thinking. It is created as a sort of environment where “imagination rules and reason falls” (Carns, 2011). This unreal world provides a suitable backdrop for similarities between the strategies of appropriation with the work of Cervantes. Strategies of appropriation of Washington Irving, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” The main element of appropriation of Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” is the resemblance of its character Ichabod Crane with Don Quixote’s character. He has been given character attributes of a book-lover who fails in the implementation of knowledge in the practical world. Irving provides him a touch Don Quixote’s character when he rides “a broken-down plough horse” (Carns, 2011) Crane’s character has been merged with certain levels of absurdity which is similar to Don Quixote’s character. The love of Crane for folklore is another striking similarity to Cervantes’ Quixote. Irving mentions that “his appetite for the marvelous, and his powers of digesting it, was equally extraordinary.... No tale was too gross or monstrous for his capacious swallow.” (Carns, 2011) There is a strong presence of Quixote’s character of Irving’s Crane in the mannerisms and preferences. Both are book-loving and idealistic characters who move towards the levels of absurdity. F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby provides picture of the decline of the American dream which were prevalent in the social systems of the 1920’s. The difference and struggle between various social classes in also focused while highlighting the role of past in the dreams of the future. Strategies of appropriation of F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby The character of Gatsby is focused on living for a dream which nears the impossible. In this context Fitzgerald has drawn handsome reference from Don Quixote. Both the characters have a charm to live a larger than reality lifestyle which should be sprinkled with elements of adventure and honorable purpose. “Just as Don Quixote wishes to be a knight, Gatsby longs desperately to be a gentleman.” (Spargo, 2013) Extending the influence of Don Quixote, Fitzgerald dedicates Gatsby to Daisy in order to regain whatever was lost, which is similar to manner in which Don Quixote took up the mission to change the life of a humble peasant Dulcinea. For the preposterous and often ridiculous way of doing things, “Fitzgerald's Gatsby is American literature's very own Don Quixote” (Spargo, 2013). Having a striking resemblance to the character of The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald has drawn a lot of inspiration from Don Quixote’s character. Differentiating features The three novels have a striking distinguishing feature with the work of Miguel de Cervantes’ Don Quixote. The treatment of idealism by Don Quixote is different from the characters of Tenney’s Dorcasina, Washington Irving’s Crane and Fitzgerald’s Gatsby. Quixote adventures have an added element surrealism attached to them in comparison to other characters. The altruistic purpose of Quixote is different from the rest and so the cause of actions differs between these characters. While all these various characters have had a significant unifying cord yet, they differ starkly in their treatment of the narrative. Cervantes’ Don Quixote has inspired the works of these novelists, yet, they have been able to maintain their uniqueness and individuality inspite of obvious similarities and points of appropriation between them. References Ardila, J.G. (2009). The Cervantean heritage: reception and influence of Cervantes in Britain. , MHRA Publications. Carns, L. (2011). Washington Irving’s “Sleepy Hollow”: Where Reason Fears to Tread. Retrieved from http://ayjw.org/articles.php?id=606127 Humanities Online. (2013). Cervantes in the English-Speaking World: New Essays. Retrieved from http://www.h-net.org/~cervant/csa/articf07/stormf07.pdf Lang, J. (2009). Scratching the Surface: Reading Character in Female Quixotism. Retrieved from http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/tsl/summary/v051/51.2.lang.html Nienkamp, J., & Collins, A. (1992) Female Quixotism: Exhibited in the Romantic Opinions and Extravagant Adventures of Dorcasina Sheldon. Oxford University Press. Spargo, R.C. (2013, April 09) Why Every American Should Read The Great Gatsby, Again. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/r-clifton-spargo/great-gatsby- rereading_b_3046378.html)More Articles From English
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