Ap English Literature Analysis

In the vast landscape of literature, characters often serve as mirrors reflecting various sides of life, including the scholarly. This essay embarks on a comparative journey between two such characters: Berowne from William Shakespeare’s “Love’s Labor’s Lost” and Julian Morrow from Donna Tartt’s “The Secret History”. Each character, despite hailing from distinct literary works, times, and places, exemplifies a unique approach to scholarly life. Berowne, a noble person in the court of the King of Navarre in Shakespeare’s “Love’s Labor’s Lost,” is a character of depth and intellectual complexity. From the start, Berowne exhibits a healthy skepticism towards the oath of celibacy and intense study that the King and his companions swear to uphold. …show more content…
And yet they were frequently swept away en masse by the wildest enthusiasms—dancing, frenzies, slaughter, visions—which for us, I suppose, would seem clinical madness, irreversible. Yet the Greeks—some of them, anyway—could go in and out of it as they pleased. We cannot dismiss these accounts entirely as myths. They are quite well documented, though ancient commentators were as mystified by them as we are. Some say they were the result of prayer and fasting, others that they were brought about by drink. Certainly the group nature of the hysteria had something to do with it as well. Even so, it is hard to account for the extremism of the phenomenon. The revelers were apparently hurled back into a non-rational, pre-intellectual state, where the personality was replaced by something completely different—and by ‘different’ I mean something to all appearances, not mortal. Inhuman.” To say Julian’s scholarship was devoted to the Greeks would only undermine his love for them. His character is marked by high selectivity and manipulative tendencies, which shape his scholarly life in unique ways. Julian’s unconventional teaching methods are one of his defining …show more content…
His character challenges the notion that love and scholarship are separate realms, showing instead that they can enrich each other in profound ways. This is clear in the masquerade scene, where Berowne and his companions use their knowledge and understanding of the dramatic arts to charm the ladies, transforming courtship into an intellectual exercise as much as a romantic one. In contrast, Julian Morrow’s approach to scholarship is more traditional and perhaps even obsessive. He is known for his unconventional teaching methods and his passion for Greek history and culture. However, his scholarly life is marked by high selectivity and manipulative tendencies. Julian’s small class size and his favoritism towards certain students can both enhance and hinder the learning experience for his students. On one hand, those favored by Julian may feel more motivated and engaged in the class. On the other hand, those not favored may feel excluded and undervalued, which can negatively impact their learning experience. Despite their differences, both Berowne and Julian show a deep appreciation for knowledge and

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