If in the last American literature course the themes that ran through many works were individuality and society, choices, freedom, loneliness, the inability to connect to other people, fantasy and reality and disillusionment, it seems like some of the main themes in this British literature course may be transience, decay, mortality and loss. At least, so far, I've seen them in the 2 plays "Julius Caesar" (Shakespeare) and "Arcadia" (Tom Stoppard) and the poems "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" (Shakespeare), "When I have fears that I may cease to be" (John Keats), "When I consider how my light is spent" (John Milton), "Death be not proud" (John Donne) and "Decay" (John Clare).
"Arcadia". Physical loss, emotional loss, intellectual loss.
Lost love.
I don't know why it's so beautiful. But it is. Lost love.
"Arcadia" is a wonderful, wonderful play. It has been a while since I read something that overwhelmed me and struck me in the head.
Reading a great literary work has always been a great pleasure.
I've been writing an essay on it, which will be published when finished. "Arcadia" is the only thing that occupies my mind lately. The only thing.
Septimus Hodge and Thomasina Coverly.
I felt nothing when reading "A doll's house" (Henrik Ibsen). But "Arcadia" and "A streetcar named Desire" will always stay with me.
Will read other plays by Tom Stoppard. And those by Tennessee Williams.
Why are they so real? Why are they more real than real people?
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