Since we are only allowed to answer one question at a
time, I edited your questions to one.
In the poem "Pathedy
of Manners," by Ellen Kay, the comic elements are mainly in the witty way that the
central character's life is portrayed. We have a brilliant young woman who uses her
mind to learn the "cultured jargon" of jewelers, to praise the popular artists, and to
learn the art of small talk. Her education was abandoned for the enlightening
experience in Europe where she met an "impovered marquis" and "learned to tell real
Wedgwood from a fraud." Instead of advancing herself and truly making contributions to
society, the woman engages in trivialities and
materialism.
The humor of this narrative comes from the
tale itself. Her deeds are reported without judgment as accomplishments and with
seeming admiration. She has an "ideal marriage" and an "ideal
house."
Yet we also see beneath the irony a very lonely and
empty existence. The woman chose to do what she was expected to do. She followed all
the rules. She married the right man, had the requisite children, and furnished a
beautiful house. But after her husband dies and her children leave, the woman herself
finds she has no true identity. She has no real friends and no mind of her own. She
will continue to walk in empty circles "to the end." Her life is pathetic, and readers
are acutely aware that her choices have led to a great waste of talent and
intellect.
No comments:
Post a Comment