Monday, August 12, 2019
Critical literary essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words
Critical literary - Essay Example the Magiâ⬠Oââ¬â¢ Henry primarily deals with the passion of two opposite sexes for each other, at the inner level of it, he leaves a message that is more serious than it sounds on the surface level. It is the message that appeals to the readers to review their own relationship with their female counterpart of the society. For those readers who are not acquainted with some of his other stories like ââ¬Å"Hearts and Handsâ⬠, ââ¬Å"the Romance of a Busy Brokerâ⬠and ââ¬Å"Girlâ⬠may easily mistake his handling of ââ¬Å"loveâ⬠between Jim and Della for an anecdote that is devoid of any complex theme. In this regard Rena Korb says, ââ¬Å"The majority of critics then dubbed O. Henryââ¬â¢s stories facile, anecdotal, superficial, and flippantâ⬠(1). But these stories fairly play the role of a foil to ââ¬Å"the Gift of the Magiâ⬠. While reading ââ¬Å"the Gift of the Magiâ⬠a reader may perceive the amorous bond between Jim and Della as it is. But when one reads ââ¬Å"the Romance of the Busy Brokerâ⬠, he is confronted with the question what love should be and immediately the answer lies in the reflection of ââ¬Å"the Gift of the Magiâ⬠that love is as unconditional and spontaneous as Jim-Dellaââ¬â¢s is. Therefore the themes in these stories are comple mentary to each other that integrate into a more holistic view of Henry about the amorous relationship between opposite sexes. When critics comment that ââ¬Å"the Gift of the Magiâ⬠is nothing more than a mere anecdote, it is the problem of their approach that fails to delve deep into the message of the author. As the formalist critics are exclusively engaged with the authorââ¬â¢s intention and style, they cannot interpret the message that the author leaves it in his story for his readers. Hence the reader-response approach to Henryââ¬â¢s stories is more holistic than the formalist approach. In general, critics on the story, ââ¬Å"the Gift of the Magiâ⬠are of the opinion that his approach to human passion like ââ¬Å"loveâ⬠is more of the fantasy than of
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