awestcot

Twain does humanize Jim, but sadly the racism that we see in his novel still has not disappeared. We see it reflected in the need to change the term of reference in order to make it fit with current levels of political correctness. Witness the changes in acceptable language from Negro, to Black, to African-American.

Yes, cesporz, and in addition to being “fiscally stable” before she marries, Jane is also in the position of power. While she says that “no woman was ever nearer to her mate than I am; ever more absolutely bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh,” nevertheless, it is she, and not Rochester ( blind and maimed like the lightning-struck tree) who is now in control.

“So I learned to hold my tongue and to turn my features into an indifferent mask so that no one could ever read my thoughts” (Collins 6). While I agree with this observation, such characterization is not limited to recent dystopian writing. It has a much longer history. The description here of Katniss is very reminiscent of what Jane Eyre learns at a young age, after her experience in the Red Room.

I like Clark’s definition of Terror as essentially being “about uncertainty and obscurity.” I’d add that another early distinction between Terror and Horror divides along gender lines, meaning that Ann Radcliffe was writing Terror, while Monk Lewis was creating Horror fiction. Of course, this makes de Sade, all the more intriguing, as by crossing gender lines, he finds another way to go against the prevailing mainstream views of his time.