ENG 1120 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Chivalric Romance, Postpartum Depression

• School: University of Ottawa
• Department: English
• Course: ENG 1120
• Professor: Natalie Taylor

Document Summary

Initiation story: (coming of age) a character first learns a significant truth about reality (society, the self, etc. ) The protagonist begins in a state of innocence, and in a moment of illumination, often seemingly negative (joyce"s epiphany) Quest story (often an initiation story as well) Focuses on a journey featuring a variety of obstacles, and has a special destination or goal. Often symbolic of internal processes of growth for main character. She is projecting the uncanny on something insignificant, the wallpaper. Uncanny: impact on your perception of the ordinary. Figuratively projecting her condition onto her description of the wallpaper. The woman who is trying to be let out is a representation of herself, she is trying to free herself. She doesn"t want these things happening to her, so she is taking it out on the wallpaper. Not being able to care for the baby (because she is upset when she is around it) perhaps gives her post-partum depression.