Just Saying...

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The Glass Barrier in Henry James's In the Cage

For my final paper, I plan to focus on the glass barrier in Henry James’s In the Cage. In the first chapter or two of In the Cage a lot of emphasis is placed on this barrier. Though it is rarely mentioned later in the text, the affect that it has on the telegraph girl is still present in her behavior as well as her perception of others in the novel. In my paper a plan to examine the way that this barrier acts in several different ways to influence the characters in the story and how the glass barrier mimics the interactions between the characters.

There are several issues that I plan to discus in this paper. First I plan to examine, how the glass works to form a “cage”. Why does the telegraph girl feel caged in by this glass? Furthermore, although she always refers to her workspace as a cage, it is also evident that she uses this barrier to define her personal space. I am particularly interested in the way that the glass provides security and symbolizes oppression. I am also interested in the way that the glass separated the girl from others while also helping her to feel connected to them.

I plan to research telegraph rooms the actual purpose of glass barriers. Was the purpose of the barrier to keep others out or was it to prevent the sound of the telegraph machines from protruding through the rest of the store. Either reason leads to a different interpretation of the role of the glass barrier in the story.

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How Not to Read a Novel: Sense and Sensibility

I have read several Jane Austen novels, both academically and in leisure, however, I have never read Sense and Sensibility. I have thought about reading it from time to time, however, I did think that I would actually do so. Now, after this assignment, I pretty sure that I will not read it unless instructed to do so for whatever reason. Plugging the novel into the word cloud tool on Voyant has given me a limited, though useful look into the novel.

Certain word frequencies found in the novel indicate that Austen sticks with the same issues and tendencies of her other novels such as Mansfield Park and Pride and Prejudice. For instance, various domestic words appear among the most used in the novel such as sister(219), mother (204), family (83), and brother (71). This could indicate that the novel is rooted in a familial environment. Additionally, there is the high usage of words such as love, engagement, and affection indicating the trademark “love story” that Austen has become known for.

A word that stood out to me in particular was the word spirit. With further investigation, I learned that the way that the word “spirit” is used in this novel means a feeling or mood. Characters are often described as being of high or low spirits. Similar words such as feelings, happy/happiness, and hope also appear often throughout the text. This could mean that the novel focuses heavily upon the emotional state of the characters within the novel. Another thing that shocked me was the fact that the word “man” appeared a lot more that “woman”.  One would assume that a novel written by a woman and about a woman would mention women a lot more; however, this is not the case in Sense and Sensibility. This focus on masculinity could aid in an feminist critique of the novel.

There are also al few words that I do not quite know what to do with. For instance, there seems to be some focus on time in the novel. The words first and last appear often in the novel. Also words such as immediately and now appear often. These words could indicate some emphasis on time or urgency. I am not exactly sure what that could mean for the overall message of the text.

After analyzing the word cloud of Sense and Sensibility, I have arrived at the conclusion that this novel is very much like other Jane Austin novels that I have already read. So much so that I do not believe that I would enjoy reading the novel let alone finish the novel once I start it. Though there were not many, the word cloud helped me to identify differences between this text and others by this author. Ultimately, however, there were not enough unique details that would attract me to the novel. I believe that this exercise could save time and money when deciding whether or not I should read a particular novel. I also see how word cloud tools can be very useful in researching novels. SsH

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His words were mere numbers, they told her nothing whatever; and after he had gone she was in possession of no name, of no address, of no meaning, of nothing but a vague sweet sound and an immense impression.

In The Cage Ch. 4

In the first four chapters of In the Cage, Henry James seems to places a barrier between the reader and the unnamed “she” whom the novella seems to be centered around. The character has no name, there are no physical descriptions of her, and she has yet to even speak. The fact that the telegrapher’s character is not clearly defined in the narrative almost portrays her as not even human. At this point, she merely serves as the medium between Everard and Lady Bradeen (if those are their real names because I’m actually a bit confused at this point). I found this quote particularly interesting because it reminds me of a discussion that we in class about computers and how they merely process a series of 1’s and 0’s and translate them into what appears on the screen. In that since, the lady behind this glass barrier can be seen as a computer and it’s like these two individuals are carrying on a conversation in a chat room. 

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Screencast Reflection: Railroads and the Making of Modern America

This assignment introduced me to two forms of technology that I had not been exposed to before this class. I knew that the technology was available but I never needed to learn how to use it. Now that I have learned how to create screencasts, I think that using them would greatly help presentations in the future. I think that they are much better than traditional oral presentations when it comes explaining and showcasing websites, archives, and the use of various computer programs.

As far as the archives are concerned, I thoroughly enjoyed watching my classmate’s presentation. Railroads and the Making of Modern America is a very informative and useful archive; however, I don’t see much use for it in my future. The literary archives, however, opened my eyes to many new ways of experiencing and teaching literature. I am glad to know that there are places where I can access such diverse and useful material. Had it not been for this assignment, I would not have known how useful these archives really are.

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Railroads and the Making of Modern America: Part 1

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A Different Way to Look at Mirrors

When you look on the mirror what do you see? The fact is that most people aren't merely looking at their reflection when they look in the mirror. We actually scan appearance for things which we find acceptable and those which we consider to be flaws. In a sense, mirrors allow us to process our appearance as data. We then have the option to manipulate this data in order to achieve desires results.

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Still, I’m asking you to imagine scars on the body of Dickinson’s writings, particularly the scars that litter her early (she was in her twenties) letters to her brother Austin, by using the tools of photographic and digitized reproduction offered here. All of these letters are recorded on elegant, embossed stationery, objects of civility that in quiet but powerful contrast underscore the incivility of the erasing, obliterating hand. These scars are themselves a kind of writing, an alphabet of removal designed to counter Emily Dickinson’s actual expressions.

Martha Nell Smith, Omissions Are Not Accidents: Erasures & Cancellations in Emily Dickinson’s Manuscripts 

  So removal of writing is also a form of writing, eh? 

(via t-willo)

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Meaning in Marks

The way that words appear on paper holds almost as much meaning as the words themselves. While one word may “fit” with the text better than another, the deliberate omission or removal of a word or phrase creates an entirely different understanding. Part or writing and what makes one a great writer is this deliberate word choice.  Most of the poetry that we are familiar with to today masks the thought and planning behind it simply because of the way that it appears on paper.

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Is a novel a contract?

I have often heard various individuals making statements implying that there is some sort of agreement between the author and the reader. Most recently, I read a statement by author John Green that “there is a contract between reader and writer” and that there are certain ways of violating that contract. For a while I agreed with that statement; however, after discussing Edgar Allan Poe’s The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym,I am not quite sure any more. If there were a contract between the reader and writer, what exactly would it entail? Is the author “obligated” to provide a clear and coherent piece of literature that is within the reader’s understanding? Must he or she provide a text with some underlining meaning? Is there even a certain way that a novel must be structured? Many authors have approached these ideas of literature both negatively and positively. Is it right to assume that either one is in violation of some sort of obligation to the reader? Maybe there is no obligation to the reader. Perhaps the writer’s only job is to provide the text.  

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Hear What I am Writing

Words and primarily letters have become the “electric lights” of literature. It is not the words themselves but the novels, newspapers, and magazines that we initially consider to be media. Peters reminds us of the beauty and majesty of the written word. Reading and writing have become so natural to us that we forget, as Peters points out, that they are actually unnatural. So much so that our minds begin to interpret outside of the words and letters printed on the pages. This is why we are able to read passages such as the ones in the images above. Peters offers a refreshing reminder of the power of writing and the role that it plays in human understanding.

I cannot begin to count the number of times I have scribbled my signature on various documents, checks, and applications. We often lose sight of the fact that “a signature transforms a piece of paper into a legal act”. This transformation shows the power of a small, often illegible, form of writing.It is hard to think of words as sounds but they are. Each individual letter is represents a different sound and the combination of various letters create entirely different sounds that then become words. We see the words on the paper but our mind automatically interprets the sounds. This miraculous process which was once considered a huge innovation is almost always overlooked. Still, this form of media is the basis of every society. Without it, there would be no history, literature, or religion.