In the first chapter of "The French Lieutenant's Woman," John Fowles calls Lyme "a town that had its heyday in the Middle Ages and has been declining ever since." Yet in Jane Austen's "Persuasion" the narrator claims: "the young people were all wild to see Lyme."
What could account for the disparity between these two descriptions? Is it related to authorial bias, or is it something related to the history of the town?
Let's begin by researching the town of Lyme.
Activity
section. Do some additional research regarding important features of Lyme, both novels mention two specific features of the area.
2. Locate Lyme using Google Earth. Note the distance of the town from other locations featured in the novels (Bath, London, and Exeter, for example).
3. After viewing these resources, how much do you think the history and location of Lyme influnece the novels? "The French Lieutenant's Woman" includes many references to the town's history, such as mentioning Mary Anning's discovery of the ichthyosaurus fossil, as well as Lyme's status as an important port for trade. In your opinion, do these inclusions of information, which often deviate from the main narrative, detract from the power of the story? Or do they provide a richer background for the characters to exist within? Does Fowles' inclusion of the history of Lyme contribute to his description of Lyme as a town in decline?
2. Locate Lyme using Google Earth. Note the distance of the town from other locations featured in the novels (Bath, London, and Exeter, for example).
3. After viewing these resources, how much do you think the history and location of Lyme influnece the novels? "The French Lieutenant's Woman" includes many references to the town's history, such as mentioning Mary Anning's discovery of the ichthyosaurus fossil, as well as Lyme's status as an important port for trade. In your opinion, do these inclusions of information, which often deviate from the main narrative, detract from the power of the story? Or do they provide a richer background for the characters to exist within? Does Fowles' inclusion of the history of Lyme contribute to his description of Lyme as a town in decline?
0 Comments:
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)