A Literary Analysis of the Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey Essay

In The Daughter of Time, by Josephine Tey we follow Grant and a host of other characters as they attempt to uncover the mystery of King Richard III. It begins with a portrait and unravels with each book and document Grant is able to consume. One of the arguments surrounding the study of history is where to categorize it. Most university systems (ours included) call history a social science. As a science, many believe history should be studied as such. The scientific method is the most accepted form of study in science. It is used to prove and disprove theories. Many historians use the scientific method to aid their study. Many others choose to basically gather as much information as possible and use this information to formulate an idea. In The Daughter of Time, this is what Grant does. He absorbs as much information as possible in order to come to a conclusion regarding the life of King Richard III. In the beginning Grant is given a photo of King Richard III. Without knowing who the man is everyone seems to feel bad for him and view him as someone who is ill. Once it is clear who he is they immediately gseeh the evil within the man being portrayed. When Grant turns the painting over and realizes that it is King Richard III he has this to say about him, gCrouchback. The monster of nursery stories. The destroyer of innocence. A synonym for villainy.h (Tey, 20) The rest of the characters in the book feel about the same as Grant does. Why does Grant feel this way about a man he has never met? Grant can remember very little about what he learned about Richard, but what he does remember is mostly negative. He decides to investigate by reading two schoolbooks provided to him by Nurse Darroll. The first is called the Historical Reader. It almost seems to be a childrenfs book. It...

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Character Analysis of Basil Hallward in The Picture of Dorian Gray, a Novel by Oscar Wilde Essay

The main character in The Picture of Dorian Gray, Dorian, is a man too easily influenced by his surroundings. He is quoted as saying, Basil Hallward is what I think I am Lord Henry is what the world thinks me Dorian is what I would like to bein other ages, perhaps (Wilde). This comparison falls in line with the moral of the story because Dorian is stuck with eternal youth and beauty even though he has a wicked soul. This causes different views of him by people who observe his daily life. Dorian is a sponge throughout the novel that absorbs everything and allows it to shape his personality, morals, and actions. Dorian Gray takes influence from Lord Henry, Basil Hallward, and the culture of society during which the novel was written. Lord Henry is the epitome of a wealthy, hedonistic gentleman seeking only pleasure, with little regard to cost or consequence. Lord Henry Wotton outwardly propounds hedonism, but it is his extreme egotism that drives him to manipulate both Basil Hallward a
Read more

An Analysis of the Character of Chichikov in the Poem, Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol Essay

Dead Souls takes place in the Russia of the late 1800s, where, unlike in America, one must be born into a prosperous family in order to have opportunities. The main character, Chichikov, is clever enough to develop a scheme in which he can rise from being a petty clerk to a respected landowner. In order to do this, Chichikov moves into a new town, pretending to already be a landowner, and begins a quest to buy the names of dead serfs who have not yet been officially reported dead. Each person that Chichkov presents this offer to has a different reaction, starting with the shy and introverted Manilov. Though he does not understand Chichikov's need for the names of these dead serfs, Manilov is a character that is so desperate for company that it does not take any effort to trick him into selling his dead souls cheaply. However, as Chichikov continues his journey, he starts to deal with more clever landowners who become suspicious of his scheme. Chichikov finds that the townsmen know
Read more

A Literary Analysis of the Third Twin by Ken Follett Essay

The Third TwinThe Third Twin by Ken Follett is a type of mystery book. It makes you look at different aspects of the story. When you think you know whats happening it is not always what you think.Dr. Jeannie Ferrami, a scientist funded by a university who is doing a study on twins is one of the main characters in the story. Jeannie Ferrami is tall with long brown hair and is also very athletic. Steve Logan a student at another college is also a very important character in the story. Berrington Jones the head of the college funds Dr. Jeannie Ferrami until Jeannie discovers something Berrington didnt want her to know. Ricky Phillips Berringtons son is a twin just and he plays a small part but with a big impact on the story. Lisa Miller who is Jeannies best friend comes early into the story playing a very dramatic role, another small character is Dennis Pinker one of the twins in the story who is a murderer and is also being studied He is one of Steve Logans twin brothers.Lisa Miller and
Read more