The writing style and plot seemed to parallel the coming and going symptoms of the plague. Not just the physical (body) signs of the illness, but the psychological and geographical signs as well.
The jumping back and forth in time, in setting and internally for H.F. was fascinating and tiresome throughout this reading. However, I can manage to accept that Defoe's intent was well established with his number lists and ever-changing character decision of whether to venture out on the streets of London or stay indoors.
Emotionally speaking, I found this novel to be depressing not because of the death aspect as much as because of the illness aspect: illness of the mind, spirit and population in the face of a bio-threat such as the Plague.
Sunday, February 4, 2007
The Writing Parallels the Illness
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2 comments:
Very interesting idea, Ramona--I'd like to hear more about this! How does Defoe's treatment of narrative mirror, mimic, or otherwise represent his treatment of the plague? And why might the narrator suggest such parallels?
Just for those of you who might be a bit confused by Ramona's post, she's referring to the reading introduced by Cynthia Wall in the introduction to your Penguin edition (xxx).
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