The representation and function of Christmas in English literature of the 19th and 20th centuries

Autori

• Michaela Thurner-Uhle

Parametri

• Libri di testo
• Libri di testo universitari

Maggiori informazioni sul libro

Christmas is the most popular holiday in the Western world, reflected in the continuous publication of poems, stories, and carols, alongside scholarly works on its cultural and psychological aspects. Despite this "Christmas boom," literary studies have largely neglected the holiday. While Charles Dickens and a few well-known Christmas poems have received scholarly attention, many other poems and Christmas scenes in novels and plays remain underexplored. Notably, esteemed authors like Jane Austen, George Eliot, Thomas Hardy, W. H. Auden, T. S. Eliot, Virginia Woolf, Malcolm Bradbury, and Caryl Churchill have incorporated Christmas motifs into their works. This study aims to provide a comprehensive exploration of how Christmas is represented and functions across various literary genres by English authors from the 19th and 20th centuries. It begins by examining Christmas's religious context and cultural history, along with contemporary cultural criticism. The analysis reveals that many works present a traditional view of Christmas, while others from the 19th century onward adopt innovative interpretations, imbuing the holiday with new meanings. Christmas often serves as a lens for exploring diverse attitudes, including religious skepticism and social criticism, and as a touchstone for insight and truth. This book not only analyzes individual literary works but also concludes with insights into broader trends in the representation

Lingua: Inglese

Pubblicato: 2009

(In brossura)