We have read about half the verse novel now. How would you characterize Aurora? What kind of person is she? Is she sympathetic? admirable? arrogant? self absorbed? naive? Do you like her? Did you feel the same about her in the beginning as you do now?
Then, with that considered, think about the narrative. This is in first person--so how reliable is she as a narrator? Can we trust her in her descriptions of Lady Waldemar, for example?
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After reading half the verse novel i would characterize Aurora as a protagonist. She is a young beautiful female who does not employ the services of a man but would rather pursue her own dreams and desires. She is somewhat sympathetic but envokes more empathy with a touch of arrogance. When I speak of arrogance I am specifically focusing on how her attitude was displayed when she attended the wedding of her cousin Romney to Marian Erle and saw the type of guest that arrive who where beneath her. She came across with an attitude of disgust and disbelief that her cousin Romney would associate with such people.
ReplyDeleteAt the beginning of the verse novel I saw Aurora as sort of navie but as the novel progresses I see her as a maturing young woman refusing to live by the Victorian laws that profess what the typical behavior of a Victorian woman should be.
Seeing that this novel is spoken in first person I would say that Aurora is a very reliabe narrator and that her descriptions of Lady Waldemar are very absolute.
I think Aurora is admirable in the sense that she pursues her dreams of writing and poetry even when others ridicule her (Romney and Lady Waldemar). Her situation seems very familiar to other stories I've read where the family is disappointed that their son ran off to be a poet rather than going to university or becoming a preacher. Aurora of course doesn't have the same options as far as careers go, but she seems to be pursuing a hobby that is generally seen as a man's hobby, or "someone else's" hobby. She wanted to spend her time doing something that people thought was silly and was reserved for "someone else" to do. Women were supposed to do mindless tasks that kept them somewhat productive, like sewing and playing piano.
ReplyDeleteI would also call Aurora proud because like Elizabeth Bennett in "Pride and Prejudice," Aurora turns down a marriage proposal because her suitor makes fun of her. In a way, I think Aurora is right to turn Romney away, but she lets his comments offend her too much and keep her from admitting how she really feels about him. Aurora's pride also shows in how she tries to conceal her feelings about Romney because she is so set on not liking him because he offended her.
I don't find her very sympathetic because she appears disgusted by those in a lower station than her. This is also where she appears proud. She can't help but think badly of the underprivileged members of society, even though she makes an exception for Marian. Perhaps she just pardons Marian's low stature because she directly associates herself with Romney and Aurora gets to speak with her personally, but as for the group of people that sit on the bride's side at the couple's wedding, Aurora has no tolerance for them.
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ReplyDeleteWindy,
ReplyDeleteI forgot to mention in my post how reliable Aurora is as a narrator. I find it interesting that you put a lot of faith in Aurora's telling of the story, but being used to reading novels from only one narrator's standpoint, I would say that we don't get enough of the story to really know what other characters are like. Lady Waldemar comes out like a witch in the novel, but that is because Aurora's bias influences the telling of the story. Perhaps Aurora is no better and if we were reading from someone else's point of view, how would Aurora appear to us? I think it would be interesting to see Aurora from Lady Waldemar's, or perhaps Romney's, point of view. Maybe even a minor character that we don't pay attention to would give an interesting insight...
After reading half of Aurora Leigh I would characterize Aurora as a complex character. I am eager to read more and find out what she is exactly all about. However, at this moment she seems to be an individual that jumps from one subject to another, who is constantly going and thinking. She is definitely an independent individual, driven by her dreams and ambitions, and longs to succeed as a poet. She seems however lost with her heritage and constantly seeking for the truth. I neither have a dislike or like for her. The reading is very hard for me and it is hard to pull meaning from something I am constantly trying to translate. Yet since the beginning of the novel I have grown to enjoy her insight and witty interpretations of her surroundings.
ReplyDeleteGiven that the novel is written in first person I believe the narrative is very reliable. Yet it is reported from a mind of a young adult, maturing in the world, and written in poetic verse. Aurora is considered to be a radical youth and with that consideration in mind her reliability seems to fall because she is a poet, she writes with emotion and flowery language, and that tends to skew the information reported. Therefore I take what she says for face value, I trust her words, but not with full confidence when explaining Lady Waldemar.
Windy,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. I agree with you. At first Aurora does seem to be naïve in many aspects. Yet as the novel progresses so does her sophistication and intelligence. It is interesting that you noted her attitude at her cousin Romney’s wedding. I did not pay close attention to that scene and her telling of it, but you are correct, she did seem to have a pompous attitude. She seemed to have thought she was better than majority of the people. She seems to want to set herself apart from society and as an intellect and a poet. Aurora does not want to be like other women who have submitted to male society. Just as you said, “she refuse[es] to live by the Victorian laws that profess what the typical behavior of a Victorian woman should be.” She wants to be something else and because of this her voice and attitude come off in a different light. She is reliable but only to the extent that she is allowed to be. She inserts her opinions, emotions, and attitudes in her narrative that may skew her voice. But overall I think she is very informative and a reliable.
Aroura is lucky that her aunt leaves her money to live on and pursue her dreams of becoming a poet. I respect the fact that she turns Romney down, even before she knows she has a choice. any woman who doesn't compromise herself for a man I have immense respect for. She is certain of herself, and this is exectly why i trust her as the narrator
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