the Mirror in victorian literature

Hi everybody.

first of all, sorry for my not extreme good english...

Im going to wrote,a big essay about: "Mirror in the victorian literature, On posture of chosen reading ". I found this forum so I thought that maybe you will be so kind, and give me some suggestions. The books I choose: "Strange cases of dr Jekyll and mr Hyde",
Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There, and the Picture of Dorian Grey. I try to proof that, subject of mirror is something unaccidental in victorian literature.
Im waiting for your comments:)

I think you have a very good idea there, Fazie
I shall brush up my texts and get back to you
ellen c

That does sound very interesting, if its not accidental, what significance are you thinking the mirror has to Victorian literature?

I was thinking about, literature as a mirror of epoc, and mirrors in that literature. Why mirror and antagonism is in victorian literature so visible? Is that beacuse hipocrisy? We can put mirror beetwen Dorian and his image, beetwen Jekyll and mr Hyde... I have problem to proof that literature is a mirror of epoc. For me this is obvious:) A myths about dualism, evil- good, sacrum-profanum is something deep in our nature. i write some more when i have some time:) im waiting for yours comments and ideas

I think of the mirror in the Wilde and Stevenson books as good v evil in one human being. Have not read the Alice book yet.
ellen c

I think it is an interesting subject as well.
I Think you could be right in asuming that the mirror is there to show the dualism between good and evil.
It couldd be, that it has to do with pre-freudian psycology. Maybe it can be understood in the same way that Stephen Greenblat sees the play within the play as Shakespeare used it in for example Hamlet. It could thus be a way for playwrights and authors to describe the psycology of the characters.
(Stephen Greenblatt: "Shakespearean Negotiations")

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Originally Posted by fazie

Hi everybody.

first of all, sorry for my not extreme good english...

Im going to wrote,a big essay about: "Mirror in the victorian literature, On posture of chosen reading ". I found this forum so I thought that maybe you will be so kind, and give me some suggestions. The books I choose: "Strange cases of dr Jekyll and mr Hyde",
Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There, and the Picture of Dorian Grey. I try to proof that, subject of mirror is something unaccidental in victorian literature.
Im waiting for your comments:)

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I have read the Strange Cases of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, but haven't read the others you mentioned above. In my opinion, subject of mirror is something inevitable in victorian literature. The literature are the mirror of the writers' times. Thus, marking epoch in the literature world. Sorry if I weren't being specific enough.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by fazie

I was thinking about, literature as a mirror of epoc, and mirrors in that literature. Why mirror and antagonism is in victorian literature so visible? Is that beacuse hipocrisy? We can put mirror beetwen Dorian and his image, beetwen Jekyll and mr Hyde... I have problem to proof that literature is a mirror of epoc. For me this is obvious:) A myths about dualism, evil- good, sacrum-profanum is something deep in our nature. i write some more when i have some time:) im waiting for yours comments and ideas

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The dualities of men is often portrayed in victorian literature - it symbolises how the mind works; the subconscious and the conscious mind. Subliminal side in a person. V interesting topic you have here. :thumbs_up

Yes its very interesting, but small amount of people writing here:(

Are you allowed to reference poems in your paper? You could also use the mirror that Tennyson mentions in his poem "The Lady of Shalott." To sum the poem up very briefly and sloppily, The Lady of Shalott is about this women who has this weird curse upon her --- she is pretty much all alone on this island, up in a tower, weaving on her loom, and watching what she weaves in a mirror -- in fact she can only view the world through that mirror. Then one day Lancelot comes into view, she sees him in the mirror and she is compelled to look directly at him, and at that point the mirror shatters and she feels the curse upon her. And at the end of the poem she dies...

You could definately mention the significance of the mirror in your paper --- let me know how it turns out. This sounds so interesting.

http://www.pathguy.com/shalott.htm

Lewis Carroll - Through the Looking Glass

Alice Enters Wonderland through a mirror.

The Victorian period was an age of transition and change was something to be feared (maybe feared is too stong of a word, but in general change makes most of us a little apprehensive. We are naturally a little scared when we delve into the unknown). In The Lady of Shalott and in Through The Looking Glass, the mirror is a represents a pivotal point in the lives of these two female characters.

The Lady of Shalott is somewhat content with her life on the island alone, going about her day, weaving her tapestries. Then she sees Lancelot in the mirror and turns to look at him directly -- not through the mirror where the reflections are backwards (left is right, right is left) and the consequences for the lady of Shalott are dire. At the end of the poem she dies.

And in through the Looking Glass, Alice enters wonderland through a mirror and all is changed --- maybe the mirror represents a change in perception.

Sorry -- just ramblings (perhaps incoherent on a very interesting topic).

I hope some of these thoughts can help you with your paper (or at least get the word count to the desired minimum :D

Hi Fazie,

I'm joe mcquade. I'm new. This is the first time I've posted. I read your idea of a thesis for an essay on the mirror etc. and am fascinated by it. Right now I just want to mention the concept of the shadow in Jung which seems to be related to the mirror image. And also to the concept of the alter-ego which seems to be related to the mirror image and to the shadow. image. And to alterity or otherness. And possibly Narcissism because the mirror is especially important to narcissists. And the mirror is also an important metaphor in the imagery of Plato, and later in St Paul's epistle to the Corinthians. I don't know to what length and depth you are going, but I hope these brief ideas may be helpful in your investigations.

Don't get lost in the labyrinth.

No time hath she to sport and play:
38A charmed web she weaves alway.
39A curse is on her, if she stay
40Her weaving, either night or day,
41 To look down to Camelot.
42She knows not what the curse may be;
43Therefore she weaveth steadily,
44Therefore no other care hath she,
45 The Lady of Shalott.

46She lives with little joy or fear.
47Over the water, running near,
48The sheepbell tinkles in her ear.
49Before her hangs a mirror clear,
50 Reflecting tower'd Camelot.
51And as the mazy web she whirls,
52She sees the surly village churls,
53And the red cloaks of market girls
54 Pass onward from Shalott.

55Sometimes a troop of damsels glad,
56An abbot on an ambling pad,
57Sometimes a curly shepherd lad,
58Or long-hair'd page in crimson clad,
59 Goes by to tower'd Camelot:
60And sometimes thro' the mirror blue
61The knights come riding two and two:
62She hath no loyal knight and true,
63 The Lady of Shalott.

64But in her web she still delights
65To weave the mirror's magic sights,
66For often thro' the silent nights
67A funeral, with plumes and lights
68 And music, came from Camelot:
69Or when the moon was overhead
70Came two young lovers lately wed;
71`I am half sick of shadows,' said
72 The Lady of Shalott.

Part III
73A bow-shot from her bower-eaves,
74He rode between the barley-sheaves,
75The sun came dazzling thro' the leaves,
76And flam'd upon the brazen greaves
77 Of bold Sir Lancelot.
78A red-cross knight for ever kneel'd
79To a lady in his shield,
80That sparkled on the yellow field,
81 Beside remote Shalott.

82The gemmy bridle glitter'd free,
83Like to some branch of stars we see
84Hung in the golden Galaxy.
85The bridle bells rang merrily
86 As he rode down from Camelot:
87And from his blazon'd baldric slung
88A mighty silver bugle hung,
89And as he rode his arm our rung,
90 Beside remote Shalott.

91All in the blue unclouded weather
92Thick-jewell'd shone the saddle-leather,
93The helmet and the helmet-feather
94Burn'd like one burning flame together,
95 As he rode down from Camelot.
96As often thro' the purple night,
97Below the starry clusters bright,
98Some bearded meteor, trailing light,
99 Moves over green Shalott.

100His broad clear brow in sunlight glow'd;
101On burnish'd hooves his war-horse trode;
102From underneath his helmet flow'd
103His coal-black curls as on he rode,
104 As he rode down from Camelot.
105From the bank and from the river
106He flash'd into the crystal mirror,
107'Tirra lirra, tirra lirra:'
108 Sang Sir Lancelot.

109She left the web, she left the loom
110She made three paces thro' the room
111She saw the water-flower bloom,
112She saw the helmet and the plume,
113 She look'd down to Camelot.
114Out flew the web and floated wide;
115The mirror crack'd from side to side;
116'The curse is come upon me,' cried
117 The Lady of Shalott.

I think 'The Lady of Shalot' has some very interesting implications about 'mirrors'. If I remember correctly, she can only look at things through the mirror and when she looks directly and sees Lancelot she is doomed to die tragically.

Haha, wow JBI and I agree on something. You beat me to it, however.

It sounds like your essay will work very well with your chosen texts, but I was wondering if four could be too many unless it is a dissertation or something nearly as large. Funny you should mention the mirror theme in relation to Dorian Gray, the subject was on my shortlist for my dissertation, but I have gone for something else in the end.

Mirrors are always significant in literature, but especially so in Victorian literature with the influence of the gothic. I would recommend reading around the gothic motif of the double which is obviously carried over strongly in both Hyde and Dorian Gray. Narcissism as someone pointed out, is definitely worth looking into as well, you will certainly find joy there in terms of Wilde’s work.

As I said reflection via the mirror is something which you can argue pretty solidly for a great deal of literature. The mirror reflects the world depicted – literally as it were – in the text. You know holding a mirror up to the world and reflecting its ills, whether you argue as a conscious deployment on behalf of the author or as a subconscious Freudian element, it could work either way.

There really is a lot to go on when you consider the portrait as a mirror image, Hyde as Jekyll’s inverted reflection, and Alice in Through the Looking Glass, and maybe the poem, so it could be too many texts if the word count is not that high, you don’t want to stretch your argument too thin.

It could have something to do with one's role in society (how others view one as one sees oneself in the mirror) and one's awareness of that (does one recognise oneself or not).

It at least seemed like that in Jane Eyre. The only problem with tht is that Nietzsche's (?) theory was developed after that book. But I suppose tht what is there is there and is identifed later...