Factotum Characters: Henry Chinaski, Jan, Laura & Key Figures
Characters
Henry Chinaski
Role: The narrator and chief character in Factotum. Henry Chinaski is a classic antihero.
He is green-eyed and the son of a workaholic World War I veteran who is critical of his son’s 4-F draft status during World War II for psychological reasons. Henry is addicted to alcohol and sex, and he has drunk his way through two years at Los Angeles City College while studying journalism.
He works when he must, flops in the cheapest places he can find, eats when he can, and drinks
Renaissance Poetic Forms and Dramatic Masterpieces
Unit 2 – Rediscovering the Lyric: The Sonnet
A sonnet is a short, intricate poem of 14 lines that expresses complex emotions in a limited space. Reading a sonnet feels like opening a tiny jewel box — each time, you discover something new. Though small, it requires great craftsmanship and precision.
The sonnet was first developed in Sicily in the 13th century by Giacomo da Lentini and later perfected by Petrarch in Italy. It spread across Europe and became a mark of sophistication in Tudor England.
Read MoreRenaissance Poetic Analysis: Shakespeare’s Sonnets, Marvell’s Carpe Diem, and Wyatt’s Hunt
Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare
This poem is a sonnet by William Shakespeare, written during the Renaissance period. Shakespearean sonnets do not have titles; we refer to them by number. The order is very important, as the sonnets can be separated into groups based on their subject matter. Sonnet 130 belongs to a group that scholars believe is addressed to the “Dark Lady,” characterized by black hair and dark features.
Structure and Voice
- Form: English Sonnet (three quatrains and one final couplet)
Death of a Salesman: Themes, Characters, and Analysis
Key Facts About Death of a Salesman
- Full Title: Death of a Salesman: Certain Private Conversations in Two Acts and a Requiem
- Author: Arthur Miller
- Type of Work: Play
- Genre: Tragedy, social commentary, family drama
- Language: English (with emphasis on middle-class American lingo)
- Time and Place Written: Six weeks in 1948, in a shed in Connecticut
- Date of First Publication: 1949
- Original Publisher: The Viking Press
- Climax: The scene in Frank’s Chop House and Biff’s final confrontation with Willy at home
- Protagonists:
Norman Conquest’s Impact on Middle English Literature
The Norman Conquest and Literary Transformation
In the Battle of Hastings, Britain was invaded once more by a powerful nation, the Normans. Consequently, French and Latin became the literary standard, and English fell into disuse as an artistic language.
The land was divided between France and England, a division that profoundly affected literature. The West Saxon dialect disappeared as a literary standard, as French became a mark of distinction. Three languages coexisted in England: Latin, English,
Read MoreDuality, Repression, and Social Critique in Romantic and Victorian Literature
William Wordsworth (1770–1850)
William Wordsworth’s poetry bears some resemblance to Blake’s. He lived during the Industrial Revolution, too. He lost his mother when he was 8 and his father at 13.
Wordsworth’s Poetic Philosophy
- Value of Childhood: Wrote about everyday life.
- Nature and the Human Mind: Celebration of nature and its impact on the human mind, concentrating on the inner effects of external sensations and the development of the inner self.
- Harmony with Nature: Living in harmony with