Lelaolivia’s Weblog

pros:

1.the examination with the reading novel is very intensive  

- one altercate with the content while working at your texts

- its really helpful to read about the thoughts course members made

2.when one work continuously on the reading log one is always in practice

3.one gets always feedback of the teacher and even if they are rather short in comparison to the written texts they are absolutely helpful to improve ones English stile

cons:

1.it is certainly very time consuming to work at the topics and write the texts in correct language and stilistical  way

2.one have to do your homework because they are always open for the audience(teacher)

3. it is not really relevant for the marks-so the efforts from very active pupils won’t get dignify

4. there are no clear tasks to deal with…I like definite selected tasks to work on ( please not to much space, can’t bear it because I’m a pupil)

Already the beginning of the movie “heat and dust” is really bewildering. The movie starts with one of the last scenes of the book and so it’s very confusing for people who hadn’t read the novel because they aren’t able to range the scene until the ending of the story. Furthermore I believe that the changing times and scenes were not easy to comprehend for recipients who didn’t read the novel.

Beside from the “understanding point” I think that the message of the film is really different from that in the novel. At first there is Anne who plays the role of the narrator and whose importance changed completely in the movie. In contrast to the novel the narrator has a name and is also much more intelligent than in the book. In the movie I got an impression of a smart and sympathise woman of her whereas in the novel she is personated rather simple-minded and a little bit stupid. In the novel I got the impression that the narrator only went to India because she didn’t know what she should make of her life and she got no name because Ruth P. Jhabvala perhaps wants to generalize her life or character from the European people coming to India and also don’t know how to handle their life.

Furthermore I reflect that the message from the movie is different from that one in the novel because big parts of the Indian life and the difficult aspects between the British and the Indians are missing. For example with the missing of Maji the spiritual aspect, which is very important in the Indian life and culture, is left out. Also the embarrassments between the lordly Nawab and the British colonial powers and the mortification which they brought with them weren’t pointed out very well in the movie.

Finally one could say judicial that the movie “heat and dust” was like another but rather drowsy love story at an exotic spot but the critical aspects which are anyway not really predominant in the novel are almost left out in the movie. But, I ponder that because of I’m always disappointed of movies based on novels and I believe that it would be better stop producing them I have to mention something positive concerning the film. I really liked the actress playing Olivia. She did a satisfactory job and permutes the role of the naïve and easy influenceable British lady very well.

The end of “Heat and Dust” bored me somehow. When Olivia’s letters end we do not get to know more details about her elopement with the Nawab. The narrator can not give us further information about the circumstances of the Nawab’s reaction.  As reader I was kind of disappointed of the narrator and Olivia because my lack of information they caused. From the moment when we got to know about Olivia’s elopement with the Nawab (and this was in the beginning of the Novel) I was looking forward to deeper facts about the reason and the reactions of the involved persons. Indeed, in the end of the story the reason of Olivia’s elope is mentioned but neither Douglas nor the Nawab’s reaction to her decision are told by the narrator.

I think the end of he story is too simple, compared with the previous, wide illustrated, scenes and for me it was not satisfying.

…”it is always very well to love and admire India-(….) -but always with a virile, measured, European feeling.”

That means :

-always with coolness distance

-One should always have an imaginary border in front of his inner eye that separates the Indian from the British culture

(pages: 154-155)

Beth Crawford is one of the third type of women, living in India, described in the additional text “British women in India”.

Of course she lives in India because of her husband’s employment.

Perhaps she even likes the country of India  (during the colder times) but especially she likes India under control of the British colonial masters. She, as a wife of a British collector with a  role in the “British (Indian) society” likes the feeling to have someone among her and to play the role of  the “by god chosen and preferred” human, towards the Indians.

She absolutely wants to continue and practise the British way of life and does not pay any attention or respect to the Indian culture and traditions. For Beth Crawford all Indians are primitive servants, whose attitudes and “strange comportment” neither need to be understand nor being encountered by the British.

odour – Geruch

reproachfully - vorwurfsvoll

to endear os to so - sich bei jdm einschmeicheln/beliebt machen

deprivation – Mangel; Raub; Verlust

voluptuous – üppig; sinnlich

-dedicate yourself to sth.- sich einer Sache widmen

-flatter sb.- jmd.schmeicheln

-retinue- Gefolge

-token gesture- symolissche Geste

-parched- dried out

-sacred-holy

-savage- uncivilized, brutal, primitiv

-confide in sb.- tell sb. about your private matters

-separate sb.- stop living together with sb.

-tender- soft, gentle

-fair complexion- helle Hautfarbe

-worn- looking very tired

-care worn- worried

-frail- physically weak

-incantation- words used as a magic spell

-jaunt- short trip for pleasure

-vim- Schwung Elan

-lustily- kraftvoll

-eerie- causing fear because sth. is strange

-sacrifice- Opfer

-preoccupation-  Beschäftigung, Sorge                              

-mischief- bad behavior

by Lela

The movie „Passage to India“(1884) by David Lean, based on a novel by Edward Morgan Forster  (published 1924) shows some parallels to the novel “Heat and Dust” by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala.

In both stories, there are some female characters with whom the viewer (or reader) directly sympathises. Mrs Moore and Adela Quested, two British ladies, like Olivia in Heat and Dust, move to India because Adela’s fiancé (and Mrs Moore’s son) works in India as a British colonial ruler.

In contrast to the majority of the British people the two characters search the contact to the Indians and treat them like equivalent humans. Like Olivia, they are interested in the Indian culture, “their” country and the population living in that country and  instead of being contemptuous of their culture and rites they try to understand them.

There are also parallels between Olivia and Adela concerning their “unfulfilled” love to their husband/ fincé. Both of them are open minded, curious women who are interested in two fascinating Indian men.

They both do not want to stay with their stiff and reserved partner who both are a part of the British oppressor regime which makes them dislikable to the viewer/reader.

Besides, in both stories,  the problem of the British people concerning the accustom in India is  mentioned more often than the bad treatment of the Indians by the British is picked out as a special theme. In both stories, the colonial time is shown from the side of the good living Europeans without a real consideration of those suffering from it.

I think Olivia has this eager wish to have a baby because with a third person in their house she wouldn´t be that lonely anymore. Because Douglas works all day long and it is immoral for a British woman to work,  with a baby her daily routine would be more wise. Because Olivia isn’t that long in India she is not really integrated in the “women society” and even if she had the chance to be a part of it Olivia would not be that interested to join the “old ladies club”. Besinde, Olivia is a very sensitive person who belives in the importance of love and who has this strong feelings for Douglas that she would do everything for him (like the hindu women Olivia said she would also suicide herself if her husband dies). She wants to have a family with him for having more humans like the one she loves.would have

But I think that are just some secondary reasons why Olivia absolutely wants to have a child.

In my opinion Olivia connects also some naive thoughts concerning the baby because if she had a second instance in her life it would be easier for her to handle the difficult and loneley Indian life and perhaps Douglas would spend more time with her and their child.

It would bring Douglas closer to her.

The films I thought of where a woman is torn between two man or where a married woman starts getting interested in another man are for example: “Oceans 11″ , every “James Bond” movie, ( ”Pearl Harbour” and “Titanic”).

Oceans 11:

 -Julia Roberts has a relationship with her casino owner but actually is still in love with her ex-boyfriend George  Clooney who is a professional thief and wants to rub out the casion of Julia Robert’s fiancé. In the end of the movie Julia leaves her fiancé (through a intrigue of George) and Julia and George are a couple again.

• differences to “Heat and Dust”: Julia is not that fascinated by her finacé as Olivia is by Douglas. Olivia’s feelings towards Douglas are much stronger! That makes it a little bit easier for George.

Every James Bond Movie:

James (no matter by which actor he’s played) fells in love with a married woman whose husband is a gangstar and into the bargain his enemy. Normally the girls addict to James and get in danger because their ex-lover are forious jealously,  want them back or want the girl to die.

• parallels to “Heat and Dust”: The Nawab also has this special charme with which he is able to make a woman love him. ( like James)
• differences: In Bond movies the husbands are always gangstars of whom their womens have to be rescued. But in contrast to that, Douglas is a very friendly, courageous and lovely “gentleman” who pays very much respect to his woman and would never hurt her.