Essay, Research Paper
A Comparison of Contemporary and Romance Literature
Contemporary literature in the form of a short story consists of a plot, characters, point of view, setting, and theme (2). These elements can vary a great deal from one story to the
next. An author of a short story also reveals a tone and a mood shown by his or her style of writing. Although romance literature contains the elements mentioned above, they are very different
than those in short stories and are somewhat static from one tale to the next. Romance literature is about the adventures of knights and the organization of chivalry (794). A romance does not
take place in a normal setting, but in idealized worlds such as imaginary castles, gardens, or forests (794). A romance contains mysterious and supernatural events (794). Although there are many
differences between contemporary and romance literature, the one difference that distinguishes them the most is the characters. A main character in contemporary literature leads a very different
life than one in romance literature.
Neighbor Rosicky is a short story of an old farmer, Anton Rosicky, reflecting back on his life. Early in the story, when Anton Rosicky is in the doctor’s office, he learns that he has
a bad heart and doesn’t have much time left to live. He then returns home, plunges into a chair, and begins to sew. While he sews, Rosicky lets his mind run back over his life. He has had many
memorable experiences. Rosicky has lived in London, New York, and now in Nebraska. Rosicky, formerly a tailor, now makes a living farming with his children. Rudolph, Rosicky’s oldest son,
has some trouble supporting his wife, Polly. Rosicky makes many sacrifices to help Rudolph’s marriage stay together. He loans the family car and gives some money to Rudolph, even though
Rosicky is very poor himself. Spring arrives, and his children are busy working the fields. When no one else is around, Rosicky, disregarding his doctor’s orders, rakes some thistle plants out of
one of his alfalfa fields, but the work is too tough on his heart. Rosicky dies the next day (48-71).
Contents of the Dead Man’s Pockets is another short story of someone analyzing his life. Tom Benecke is a workaholic who has a month’s worth of his work scribbled on a
yellow sheet of paper. The wind blows the sheet of paper out of his eleven story apartment window onto the
2
ornate corner ornament of the ledge about five yards away. Tom climbs out of the window onto the ledge. Immediately after he reaches the sheet of paper, Tom looks down and becomes
petrified with fear. His life passes before his eyes, and he knows that he won’t make it back into his apartment alive. He begins to realize how foolishly he has lived his life and contemplates that
no one will be able to identify his body for a long time. All they will find is the yellow sheet of paper in his pockets. Tom finally gathers up enough courage to punch out his window and safely
makes it back into his apartment. He throws the yellow sheet of paper back onto his desk and goes to find his wife, who has gone to a movie. As he turns to pull the door closed, Tom sees the
yellow sheet of paper sail out of the glassless window. Tom bursts into laughter and closes the door (98-109).
The Arthurian Legends are a cycle of stories that has been shaped and passed down through over fourteen hundred years of English history. The legend of King Arthur tells of the
adventures of an early king of Britain and the knights and ladies who made up his royal court at Camelot. It tells of a world filled with warriors armed with lance, sword, and armor. It speaks of
jousts, tournaments, wizards, falconry, enchantresses, damsels in distress, wars, quests, and the code of chivalry. It is a legend that talks of a great king who came to throne from what seemed to
be nowhere and of a noble idea that ends in tragedy (794).
The characters in short stories are more interesting than those who we meet in life because we can know them better (47). A short story takes us inside a character’s mind and lets
us experience their inner thoughts and feelings (47). In both Neighbor Rosicky and Contents of the Dead Man’s Pockets we read paragraph after paragraph of the main character’s thoughts.
We also see the true nature of the character by watching how they react when being placed in a crucial situation (47). Rosicky is told that he doesn’t have much longer to live; Tom Benecke is on
the ledge of an apartment building eleven stories high. Even though characters in short stories are only imaginary people and have only imaginary existence, the author must make them believable,
which helps us understand something about real people, along with ourselves (47).
3
The main characters in romance literature are larger than life. Romance literature is concerned with the feats of kings, queens, and knights—not with common, ordinary people
(794). They follow a code of chivalry. A main character in romance literature is braver, nobler, and more honorable than an ordinary human (794). Sir Gareth shows this by fighting the
enchanted Red Knight, Sir Ironside, at his greatest strength, rather than waiting until his power wanes. Often the main character in a romance has the use of magic or other extraordinary powers
(794). We see King Arthur’s magical powers when Sir Bedivere throws Excalibur into the lake, causing lightning to strike in the splendor of the moon. Sometimes a main character in a romance
is motivated by love (794). As the Red Knight unlaces Sir Gareth’s helmet to decapitate him, Lady Lynet weeps with despair, giving Sir Gareth the motivation to overturn his opponent and defeat
him. Finally, in many romances, the main character will put on a lowly disguise to hide their true identity (794). Sir Gareth disguises himself as a lowly kitchen boy in order to prove himself by
deeds, rather than by his birth.
The main characters in contemporary and romance literature are both more interesting than those in real life. Both usually have only one main character. Aside from these few
similarities, the characters are very different. We can relate to those in contemporary literature, as they are believable. Those in romance literature are perfect, flawless, and humans can only
dream about being like them. We see human weakness in contemporary literature. We see Tom Benecke’s fear in Contents of the Dead Man’s Pockets and sickness in Neighbor Rosicky.
Main characters in romance literature are god-like characters who have no fear, retain their youthful qualities as they age, and never become a victim of sickness. We see many of the main
character’s inner thoughts and feelings in contemporary literature. The bulk of both Neighbor Rosicky and Contents of the Dead Man’s Pockets is inside the main character’s
mind. We typically do not read about the main character’s thoughts in romance literature, rather we see who they are by their actions. Before The Tale of Sir Gareth ends, the main character
serves as a kitchen worker, defeats seven knights, tames a shrew, helps a damsel in distress, and saves his dwarf.
The main characters in both contemporary and romance literature are interesting people. Those in contemporary literature are realistic and live a life filled with stress, sickness, and
depression. Those in romance literature are perfect and live a noble and honorable life.