Anyway here are the summaries
DISCLAIMER:
*The summaries are from I understood from each blog post. I will not vouch for their complete accuracy.
*I may have left out "A LOT" of details, suffices to say each summary is extremely short(I hope)
*your interpretation of a particular blog may be vastly different from mine(that's fine just don't write hate mail to me please ;_;)
TO OTHERS WHO HAVE TO WRITE BLOG SUMMARIES
*Start Early it takes A LOOONG Time
Legend for keywords(well the common ones at least)
Guardian spirit - mysterious spirit who protects Clara, Theodore, Pleyel etc
Evolution of Clara's Character - How Clara changes from chapter I to Chapter XIV
Girl in love? - which guy does Clara like
Paradise Lost - the loss or destruction of the the blissful private community that Clara, Theodore, Catharine, Pleyel had built up over the years.
Fall from grace - Adam&Eve's fall from god's grace
Original Sin - Adam&Eve's sin
Pitiable Human - Clara's safe haven of 6 years is ripped to shreds by the arrival of Carwin, she is faced with a possible murderer/rapist. Pity her
Quotation marks without page numbers are directly from blogs. Otherwise quotations with page numbers are from the book
Tate – Who are you? (Keywords: Guardian spirit, Carwin/Clara Confrontation)
(97) Tate’s blog post deals with the scene where Clara opens the closet to find Carwin within. A mysterious scream warns her against opening the door to the closet much the same as previously when a mysterious voice gave warning to Clara at the summer house. Tate questions whether this “guardian” spirit is in fact the very spirit of her own father.
Madolyn – Clara: From Conviction to Confusion (Keywords: Guardian spirit, Evolution of Clara’s character)
Madolyn talks about the role of supernatural forces in the development of Clara. Madolyn suggests that there are three key incidents that shook the foundation of Clara’s character: her first confrontation with the illusive Catharine’s voice. Her disbelief of apparitions was destroyed by Pleyel’s description of the ghost as a “sensible and intelligent existence.”(36) The second event is the assassination event where the two murderers hid in her closet and plotted her demise. This event tested her personal belief that she was free from interpersonal harm because she had always acted virtuously towards everyone. (45) The third event is Clara’s dream of her brother bringing her to ruin and that there was a voice telling her to flee to safety.(50) the situation where Carwin comes out of Clara’s closet is not included because it is not considered supernatural by the characters.
Kristel – Falling and falling hard (Keywords: Girl in love?, Evolution of Clara’s Character, paradise lost)
Kristel begins with her interpretation of Clara as a “strong, independent, young woman” who goes through an “emotional metamorphosis.” Clara begin a journey of “self-realization” things such as confusion and fear that never before entered the sanctuary created by Catharine, Theodore, and Clara herself. Kristel then goes on to talk about Clara’s preconceived notion that if she pretends not to show Pleyel her feelings, Pleyel will confess undying love for her. Clara’s wonderfully constructed vision of Pleyel’s confession fell apart when Pleyel did not meet up with Clara and friends at the appointed time.(93)
Holly Beilin – Garden of Wieland (Keywords: pardise lost, Fall from grace, Original Sin, Guardian Spirit)
Holly first talks about the time period when Wieland was written when religious turmoil ruled, the church was spurned, and people had doubts about religion. Holly then relates Wieland to Adam and Eve’s fall from the grace of god. The early six years of bliss in their private company is related to Adam and Eve’s happier times in Eden. Carwin is then compared to the snake that gave knowledge to Eve about the forbidden fruit. Carwin facilitates the destruction the blissful private community Clara, Theodore, and Catharine created. Holly then relates the mysterious voice that helps each of the characters to God’s promise to watch over Adam and Eve after they were cast out of paradise.
Ashely B – “Fall from Grace?” (Keywords: Pitiable Human, Fall from grace, Original sin, paradise lost)
Ashely begins by stating that Clara deserves sympathy. Ashely talks about how Clara had been previously shocked by Carwin’s secretive and maybe dangerous nature and now Theodore and Pleyel doubt her honor. Ashely then goes on to point out “Clara’s biggest flaw, at this point, is being naïve.” Clara had spent most her life sheltered in the warm company of her friends and knew naught of the vice outside that Carwin will bring in. “She is exposed to murderers and rapists, but she was not fully aware of that fact. She is experiencing a break-up of sorts from Pleyel”
Craw? – Pity, Pity (Keywords: Pitiable Human)
Craw’s reaction to the latest section from Wieland is pity. Clara is thrown into a hopeless situation - Pleyel questions her honor. However, craw admires Clara’s prompt response to Pleyel’s accusations. Craw then talks about how pitiable Clara was to have lost her parents at such a young age(beginning of the novel).
Maria – Gender Norms and limitations (Keywords: Gender Sterotypes)
Maria regards Clara as a dynamic character endowed with both “intelligence and keen observational skill” She then talks about how this development of a prominent female character was held back by the gender stereotypes during Brockden Brown’s time. Clara is filled with characteristics that were given to females at the time – coating everything with a layer of optimism which hinders clara’s ability to view other people in a realistic light. Clara is stereotyped as being a strongly emotionally driven female. Maria supports this by bringing up Clara’s reaction to her first time seeing Carwin(59) where she cries involuntarily, and eventually sketches a picture of Carwin.
Robart Barton – Clara’s decline into the depths of sin and despair (Keywords: Fall from grace)
Robert talks about various instances in Wieland where Clara’s fall from grace is evident. The first event is when Clara involuntarily cries after she first catches a glimpse of Carwin.(59) Robert then tries to identify the reason why Clara cries. He says that Clara represents “purity and virtue, while carwin represented evil and sin.” The strange circumstances of Clara crying can be thought of as an “omen” for her fall from grace. Carwin is the key to Clara’s fall from grace. The second instance happens on 118 when Pleyel accuses Clara relinquishing her honor to Carwin.
Preethi Gowrishankar – Catharine Pleyel (Keywords: Catharine’s Role in Wieland)
Preethi brings up a good point when questioning Catharine’s role within Clara’s closed community. Catharine is often left out of the loop when strange things happen. She is often mentioned as a very fragile person. Clara does not confide in Catharine because she fears that upsetting Catharine will bring illness to Catharine. Preethi’s main point is that even though Catharine has been given a very minor role in Wieland. Another interesting idea is that Catharine serves as a Foil for Clara – “Catharine is mild, delicate, and reserved while Clara is bold, independent, and somewhat outspoken.”
Caronine Boese – Who is Clara in love with? (Keyword: Girl in love?)
Caroline supports Clara’s love for Pleyel by revealing that Clara was first intrigued by Carwin but after acknowledging that he comes with ill intention she finds herself in love with Pleyel who she had spent most of the novel with.
Abby – Clara: A controlled experiment (keywords: Is religion good or bad? Evolution of Clara’s Character)
I’m not sure I understood this fully but Abby is saying that the book Wieland can be thought of as an experiment where “certain behaviors are the result of responses to certain social situations”
Clara’s true character is seen through her various responses to problems that arise in their little community but when she is observed by someone that has power over her(God) she shows more of her true character than she would otherwise.
Abby then says that Clara’s character evolves as a natural instinct to protect herself against this unknown entity.
Jasmine Gaston – The apple does not fall far from the tree (keywords: heredity)
Jasmine states that Theodore has received strong principles about family, tradition, and meditation from his father while Clara received her dramatic/emotional side from her father.
Julie – Mistaken Fondness (Keywords: Girl in love?)
Julie states that Clara is “confusing and indecisive” in regards to her love life. She is a very wealth girl and she is not interested in the opposite sex (relationship-wise) early on in the novel.
However, when she meets Carwin on 57 she begins to feel an unexplainable emotion along with involuntary tears that come to her eyes. She is obsessed with him. She even draws a picture of him. Later on, it seems the whole situation with Clara’s admiration of Carwin caused her to figure out that she had feelings for Pleyel. Julie then questions whether Clara will continue to be inconsistent in who she shows she is interested in.
Ryan Berraioli – Clara Loves Pleyel. The Carwin Circle is Complete (Keywods: Girl in love?)
Clara loves Pleyel not Carwin. Clara’s plan to reveal her love to Pleyel is excessive and crazy. When Pleyel fails to show up, Clara is horribly shaken up. Brockden Brown seals the debate of who Clara loves by elucidating Carwin’s character slowly through the novel showing that he is a murderer and a thief, unworthy of Clara’s love.
P.S. I don't know why the formatting is really weird for the last two summaries . It happened when I copied directly from word...even though the whole thing was copied from word...
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