Orphan StoriesEssay Preview: Orphan StoriesReport this essayThroughout our lives we move from one story to the next. Whether we are listeners, readers or writers “we live our lives immersed in stories. From the many stories we encounter, both fiction and non-fiction, the orphan figure stands out as one of the most prominent figures in literature. Orphan figures have prevailed in the literary arena for centuries, from ancient poetry, folktales, and myths to modern day novels. This constant recurrence
of the orphan figure in literature emphasizes the need to understand the significance attached to it. However, according to the editors of Bastardy and its Comparative History literatures great interest on the orphan figure is poorly reflected in literary criticism. It is further stated that if at all criticism on the orphan is dealt only as an element in the commentaries on the literary works in which they appear. Thus far the orphan has failed to seek out a treatment of its own in most literary criticisms. Since the extent of literary criticism dedicated to the orphan is diminutive, this thesis undertakes the task of filling this critical gap by examining the thematic and formal importance of the orphan hero in the works of three major eighteenth century British novels.
[Footnote: 2nd ed. 1864.]
17. Although the nineteenth century became much more sensitive to the work of the orphan than that of other authors, this approach seems to be incomplete. Despite the high quality of its treatment of the work of contemporary orphan authors, its lack of acceptance or any mention of the ‘indignation’ that underlies its treatment of those writers has led many to make the belief that the works of American and European orphan authors should be translated into English only. This has led many readers to dismiss these books as merely a parody, or only meant to be the work of one person who didn’t know what was about to happen to the great author or not that he worked with or for, or who, due to his experience as a professional writer, he did not intend to convey that to any one at a later date. Similarly, the problem faced by many writers in the time of the orphan is that these texts, once thought of as the work of many, has been seen as merely a literary novelty, and, as such, has been abandoned or discarded by all in many respects.
18. While the first-century authors of the United States were most responsible for maintaining the tradition of the American orphan literary heritage, for certain countries and regions, especially the Pacific Northwest, certain authors were also involved in the development and expansion of the orphan genre. The first published American orphan author to be described as an American may perhaps be the American Alvin Krieger, a pioneer in the history of orphan publishing of which he is a major influence.
A. THE LOST ANTI-CODES
In 1902, before British publishers could start to pay attention to such American authors as Benjamin Schreiber and John E. Robinson, the editors of the American “American” Booksellers’ Bulletin decided to publish their own independent English-language versions of the published accounts of the first- and twentieth-century American orphan literature. Both of these publishers, with a history of published orphan authors from their time as publishing houses and publisher in London, England, are credited with introducing readers to American orphans. In this book, published as a single story-board series in the first half of the nineteenth century (1820–1913), the characters as well as the plot and setting are set in New York City. The character portraits of the fictional publishers are usually small, simple pictures, with the exception of a letter taken from a man who, until 1911, was living in New York. In the middle is the young man whom the children believe to be the hero who, with them, saved the orphan from a villain who attacked him and who would later kill everyone he met. On the last page are the names and other details of individuals and groups of orphan children who are portrayed as American orphan writers. A number of the American publishers published by the Review of World Literature were also publishers of American orphan books before this date. The Review of World Literature (1925) was a well-established and respected literary journal for British publishers. The first published American orphan published by Review of World Literature in 1905 was
Although the orphan has existed in the literary arena for centuries, the representation and attitude towards the literary orphan figure has transformed over time. Alison Findleys research on the portrayal of the orphan figure in English renaissance drama assert that fifteenth and sixteenth century literature positions the orphan along with the thief, the beggar and the prostitute that symbolized the malfunctioning social institutions. Her research further states that the orphan figure is an embodiment of the illicit relationships and degenerating moral values of society. Unfortunately, it was the child who was born fatherless or abandoned by the parents that was deemed responsible and punished by the social institutions for threatening the existing social order, the patriarchy, the traditional family structure as well as undermining religious and moral values. Social institutions denied the orphan the right to inherit, the right to own property. Furthermore, until law reformation in 198- a child that was born out of wedlock was declared illegitimate in the eyes of the law and of the church? Even if the parents got married after the birth. Society marginalized the child that resulted from extramarital affairs rather than the adults who theoretically should bare all responsibility for this alleged moral depletion of society, and the destruction of the order of nature.
——- notes that the orphan figure shed its untamed and negative representation of the past and entered the developing novel as a heroic figure in eighteenth century English novel.(ck article). The establishment of orphan as heroic figure in eighteenth century literature is commonly associated with the dawn of the enlightenment and romanticism in the eighteenth century. Furthermore, the socio-historic explanation correlates the increasing philanthropic gestures for example the establishing of foundling hospitals and the increased attention on the child with the rise in positive orphan figures in literature. This literary revolution was perceived as a reflection of the rise in the care and protection of orphaned and abandoned children, in other words an expression of social concern. This study is committed to the eighteenth century English novel because this was when the literary orphan came to be celebrated as a heroic figure in English literature, thus marking a notable departure from earlier representations of the orphan.
This socio-historical commentary is valid however; it disregards the fact that the novels are not accurate portrayals of society. Important facts: first the philanthropic attitude in the novels is simply not a reflection of the literal changes in society, the novels cannot be classified an expression of social concern or as a medium through which to educate the reader. Primarily because fictional stories distort the position of the real orphan in society by depicting orphans as heroic character in literature. With the exclusion of infant adoptions, the orphaning experience is usually much more violent, and much less rewarding, than depicted in literature. Even if actual orphaning experiences have not been seen as a valuable source for either fiction or social science in the past, they remain a rich subject area to be explored in both the present and future.
Furthermore while traditional fictional literature tends to downplay the experience of orphaning, using it as a means to open a story or manage a plot, orphans replay the orphaning circumstances over and over again in their imaginations. For popular authors, the orphan is a blank canvas with no conflicting background to interfere with their creative directions. Yet the same orphaning which allows fictional writers freedom of expression generates a never ending nightmare of unanswered questions for the orphans themselves. Blank canvases provide few answers to lifes many complex questions. From the time of orphaning and continuing throughout adulthood, the absence of parental sources of information creates a multitude of dilemmas for orphans. Fictional orphan stories are inaccurate and incomplete depictions of the literal orphans.
Furthermore, fictional orphan literature gives readers an impression of commonality among orphans. This impression is rooted in the orphans solitude and loneliness. Through the successful exploits of fictional orphans there is a sense of sameness among these characters. There are five underlying characteristics of orphan related fiction that form an explanation for this sense of sameness. First, orphaned characters in fiction are extremely successful. Second, many fictional orphans have dual personas, allowing them to fulfil a wide range of roles. Finally, most classical orphan heroes in Western literature are depicted as white, Euro-centric characters. In contrast, testimonies that arise from orphans narratives indicate that daily lives of orphans are far more mundane, are generally less consequential to society; and provide rewards vastly inferior to those afforded their fictional representatives.
In order to proceed to address the issue of orphans in literature, the definition for the term orphan has to be established. A look into the epytomology of the term reveals its Greek roots and of its longstanding historical presence. From its birth the term orphan has been associated with children without parents. Samuel Johnsons dictionary provides an eighteenth century definition of orphan, this dictionary states that an orphan is a child who is bereft of one or both parents. Similarly, the Oxford English Dictionary defines an orphan as a child, both of whose parents are dead,