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Shannon's picture

Connections Between...

I am writing my third paper about Howards End because I like this book better and have more to say about it. I'm thinking about relating The House of Seven Gables to Howards End. What's the correlation, you ask? --- GENUS LOCI!

Genus Loci, or "sense of place", defines the profound attributes which give the perception of different sites their character and identity. One of life's simplest pleasures or burdens you can experience is to have your senses immediately stimulated upon entering a surrounding influence or environment. An emanation of good or evil forces dictate how the nerve endings in your mind and body will react. Whether to smell the scent of freshly baked cookies or to have the hair on the back of your neck rise, you are left with a special impression. An aura is established in your mind relative to this locale.

Howards End is a novel of class struggle & the significance of connecting; in addition, it conveys Genus loci with the house of Howards End. The house is special to the people who associate with it, and it represents a happy location for connection to be made for those who choose to do so. In the book, there was great concern as to who would eventually receive the house -- its genus loci emerged here. Howards End (the house) is the glue that holds the characters together.

In comparison, The House of Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne exhibits reminisce of genus loci as well. The House of Seven Gables itself is cursed by the dirty deeds done by family ancestors -- nothing good can come from the house. The descendants of the family are innocently cursed by the house --- in turn, the house produces an aura of fear, burden and anxiety to its inhabitants.

The genus loci(s) in The House of Seven Gables and Howards End are opposite in effect. They produce contrasting emotional significance.

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