Comparative Essay essays

Comparative Essay essays Comparative Essay on The Moonstone and The Great Gatsby A novel is a classic when considered to be historically memorable, and has lasting interest or significance. It can also be called classic if it is the first of its kind, or includes special literary or historical associations. When The Moonstone was first published, T.S. Elliot touted it as the first, the longest, and the best of all English detective novels. The Moonstone is a sacred Hindu diamond, stolen from India, and is bequeathed to Rachel Verinder on her 18th birthday. However, on the night of the party, it vanishes. The reader finds out in a dramatic turn of events if the jewel was in fact stolen, or merely lost. The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins is the first English whodunit novel. Published in 1864, it is the forerunner of later whodunits, such as by famous author Agatha Christie. This in its own makes The Moonstone a classic novel, the first of its kind. The novel is also very skillfully set out. Collins tells the story in narratives by many different characters with their own separate personalities and perspectives, as opposed to the simpler idea of one main narrator or a third person view. This allows the reader to have multiple viewpoints of the same events. Seeing the various views in which the reader is privy to, there seems to be no motive to steal the diamond, therefore making it harder to suspect a single character. This keeps the readers interest on the story and plot development. The classic Victorian English stereotype is best portrayed by Gabriel Betteredge. In times of need, he refers to Robinson Crusoe, a novel relating to British imperialism. He sees everything non-British as foreign and evil. For example, he views the un-British-like outbursts by Franklin Blake as foreign gibberish. He is also reluctant to do anything he doesnt understand, as with the laudanum experiment Erza Jenn...