An Analysis of High and Popular Elements in Rebecca and O Hara Poems - Assignment Example

English An Analysis of High and Popular Elements in Rebecca and O Hara’s Poems Introduction With the changing times the trends and traditions in Literature have also undergone a transformation. The new changes include exploration of new genres of literature such as gothic and mystery, variation on the themes as compared to the strictures that were followed in the eighteenth century as well as the target audience. Earlier Literature was a hobby or a luxury that was specifically enjoyed by the elite and literary people. However this trend is observed to have changed drastically over the time because the style of writings and the thematic concerns have become informal and about common man rather than formal and only about aristocracy and consequently common man can now relate to the subjects that literature deals with. This change in the social hierarchy of literature has led to the categorical division of literature on the basis of the thematic concerns of a literary piece i.e. poplar literature and high literature. 1.1. High Literature High or elite literature is a term used for the classic pieces of literature that followed the trends and customs of eighteenth century literary style and pattern. Johnson categorizes the works of Jane Eyre, lyric poetry and Puig’s works as high literature (9). 1.2. Popular Literature Newcomb states, ‘popular literature is by definition a product of literate practices, no matter how socially diverse, remote from elite norms or collective they may be’ (12). Hence popular literature is an anti thesis of high or elite literature. However popular literature is derived from high literature i.e. high literature formed the foundation that led to the production of popular literature. As a result it is impossible to distinguish one from the other and hence in every piece of popular literature there are strains of high or elite literature. Rebecca by du Maurier and Frank O Hara’s poetry are such example of popular literature. 2. Rebecca Du Maurier’s novel is a gothic romance. The novel depicts a story of a woman Rebecca who is not alive anymore. Although even after her death there is an intangible presence of Rebecca and is affecting the life of the narrator and her late husband who is also Rebecca’s widowed husband. 2.1. First Person Narration The novel is depicted in first person narration which provides the readers with a first hand account of all the action taking place in the novel. The narration technique used in this novel is similar to Jane Austen’s depiction of Pride and prejudice. Yet at the same time the author of Rebecca does not divulge the identity of her narrator which is an idea explored in popular literature. 2.2. Marriage Marriage is another idea that the two novels Pride and Prejudice and Rebecca explore. In the former the narrator Elizabeth as well the Jane Austen are observed to be stressing on importance of marriage and security in a woman’s life. On the other hand in Rebecca marriage is not symbolic of security and a necessity for women in fact du Maurier projects women as free and liberated as also observed from the narrator’s reaction to the marriage proposal where she says, ‘Oh but you don't understand! It's just that I, well I’m, not the person men marry’ (32). 2.3. Liberated Woman The manners in which the characters of Rebecca and the narrator are portrayed are in itself a reflection of high and popular culture. Rebecca’s character is portrayed as a woman who is not only married in money but is also sexually liberated as stated in the novel, ‘Giles went out sailing with Rebecca…she had started on him as she had done on Frank…she might get hold of one of the workmen on the estate, someone from Kerrith, anyone… she used to have this fellow Favell down to the cottage…’ (174-175). this again is an idea that was explored in popular literature i.e. women having the freedom to do anything they want to. This also illustrates and supports feminism. Yet on the other hand the narrator’s shyness and dependence on her husband is reflective of same eighteenth century women of the high literature who could never do anything for their own selves as apparent from a simple example that unlike Rebecca who had an individual identity the narrator was always referred to as ‘Mrs. de Winter’. Also the lack of identity and a name of her own can also be interpreted as the writer’s attempt to portray her as a subservient and docile woman.  2.4. To the Point Statements Literature has always been a mediator of communication between the writer and the readers. For the writers their works are a medium through which they can share their personal interpretation of life with others and consequently help other to benefit from it. In high literature the writers are observed to be using this technique but the manner in which it is depicted seems to be dragging at times or one message is conveyed in a long chapter or a whole novel. While in Rebecca the author very straight forwardly states facts about life that hold a lot of importance in meaning. For example it is stated, ‘There is no going back in life. There is no return. No second chance’ (135). At other place it is mentioned, ‘...the routine of life goes on, whatever happens, we do the same things, go through the little performance of eating, sleeping, washing. No crisis can break through the crust of habit’ (188). Hence it is observed that realities of life are stated in very simple and straight forward manner. 3. O Hara’s Poetry O Hara’s poems the ‘A Quiet Poem and Call Me’ are two examples that can be used for deciphering the amalgamation of high and popular literature in his works. 3.1. A Quiet Poem In this poem O Hara talks about rest and peace that can be found in death. He talks about the tranquility and contentment that death curtails and this peace is a welcome reprieve from the hardships and sufferings of life. 3.2. Call Me Like the former poem death is a prominent theme in this poem as well. However other major thematic concerns in this poem include friendship and regret. The poem also talks about the fact that life is an on going process it never stops and if one chance is missed it never provides an individual with a second one hence a person has to be careful otherwise he has to pay the price. 3.3. Analysis Some of the norms that poetry follows in High or Elite Literature include use of punctuation, following a particular meter, although blank verse was used but a meter were necessary etc. However in O Hara’s poetry is observed that none of the above mentioned strictures are followed. His poetry is not only devoid of punctuation marks but also has no rhyme or rhythm in fact his poems seem to be like a prose as they reiterate an incident although the difference is that small sentences are used and has no extra descriptions. So this technique is also a trademark for popular literature that does not follow any set pattern and provides the artist a poetic license through which they can create a piece of literature to their liking regardless of any bounds and specific criterion. It is observed that rather than using help of mythology or quoting great personalities and events O Hara makes use of common day life examples to illustrate his point. As observed in ‘A Quiet Poem’ he says, ‘the sound of the motor falls like a coin toward the ocean's floor.’ Now this is an incident that every individual has experienced at one time or another and consequently when reading the poem the sound of an actual coin comes to mind. In other words the purpose of popular literature is to depict life in a manner that every individual can relate to it and savor all the feelings that an artist incorporates in words in his works. Montgomery and Hampson state that ‘Terrell Scott Herring argues that there is no distinction between the language of O Hara's poems and language of every day life’ (129). This use of informal language is another aspect of O Hara’s poetry that is very intriguing for the readers because the readers are not only able to easily relate to his ideas and perspective but also it helps them to understand his interpretation of life with out the any aid or assistance. As in Call Me it is mentioned, ‘Oh fie for shame What a host, so zealous’. As a result the imagery and themes depicted in his poem are also not complex or difficult to decipher. 4. Conclusion Hence it is observed that popular literature is basically a break through from convention. Since the new literature suggests that conventionality is stagnation of mind while change is a welcome relief from bounds and limitations. However it cannot be ignored that it is because of high or elite literature that new form of literature has been introduced. Moreover distinguishing them is near to impossible as one would not have been there without the other. Reference: Austen, Jane. Complete Novels of Jane Austen. Hertfordshire: Wordsworth Edition Ltd., 2004. Print. Johnson, David. The popular & the canonical: debating twentieth-century literature 1940-2000. Oxford: Alden Group, 2005. Print. Maurier, du, Daphne. Rebecca. Cornwall: Readers Digest Association, 1994.Print. Montgomery, Will, and Hampson Robert. Frank O'Hara Now: New Essays on the New York Poet. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, 2010. Print. Newcomb, Humphrey, Lorie. Reading Popular Romance in Early Modern England. New York: Columbia University Press, 2002. Print. O Hara, Frank. Selected Poems. New York: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2009. Print.   Read More