Page 18 - Aldi Lukman Nurhakim_How to Write Critical Esays: A Guide for Students of Literature

Facing the question 17
‘entangled’:
Word is itself metaphorical. Various connotations: interwoven/
confused/constricted?
What is entangled in what? Characters in their metaphor-
defined ideas of each other, or of society, or of own past? Many
spider’s web metaphors in Middlemarch. Are these different
from river images in Mill on the Floss or is being ‘entangled’
much the same as being ‘carried along by current’?
‘act’:
Plot? Are main narrative events described by frequent or
powerful use of metaphor?
Where does G.E. offer more specific demonstrations that
characters do think in metaphors and act accordingly? Could
‘act’ be a pun? We act upon metaphors in our heads as
helplessly as actors conform to lines of scripts? (incidentally, are
some G.E. scenes theatrical & is the staginess of some dialogues
caused by characters having to pronounce suspiciously well-
turned metaphors?)
‘fatally’:
Usefully equivocal?
(a) Some G.E. metaphors do suggest a character’s behaviour is
predetermined: we’re all fated to act within limits imposed by
our upbringing, our earlier actions & pressures of society.
(b) Other G.E. metaphors expand to tragic resolutions of whole
plots which prove literally fatal for major characters.
Metaphorical river flowing through Mill on Floss grows to
drowning flood (literal & symbolic) of last pages in which hero
& heroine die. (Incidentally, is Tom the only hero? What of
Stephen? Do metaphors help to signal who matters most?)
These notes may look dauntingly numerous and full,
considering that they are meant to represent first thoughts on
reviewing the title. Of course, I have not been able to use as
economically abbreviated notes as you could safely write when
only you need to understand them. Nevertheless, you could
obviously not write as much as this unless you already knew
some of the texts. Even if you are in that fortunate position
when first given a title, you may not want, or feel able, to write
so much at this very first stage of the essay-preparation process.
Nevertheless, you should always be able to find some issues