The Oval Portrait CLASS-11 NOTES

Summary

The narrator was wounded for unknown reasons. He took shelter along with his servant in a deserted mansion/ Chateau in the Apennines(Mountain range of Italy). They decided to stay in one of the rooms. The narrator showed deep interest in the bizarre paintings decorating the walls of the room. At around midnight, he adjusted a candlestick in the room and saw a portrait he didn’t notice before. The picture was in an oval-shaped frame. It revealed the head and shoulders of a young woman. The narrator was charmed by the portrait, which seemed so lively. But he soon got appalled by it. He turned to the book and read the information about the portrait. He discovered that the woman depicted in it was the young bride of the artist. She was a perfect wife in every respect. But she was jealous of her husband’s art that diverted him from her. The artist painted a picture of his wife and became more obsessed with capturing her likeness. The wife remained in a humble and obedient pose for many weeks. Her health became increasingly poor as the work continued. He stopped paying attention to her and became more preoccupied with the painting. When the portrait was about to finish, the artist was delighted with the quality of his own work. He then looked at his wife but found that she was dead.

 

Understanding the text 

Answer these questions.

a.      Where did the narrator and his servant make a forcible entrance?
➜ The narrator and his servant Pedro made a forcible entrance in a desolate Chateau which was located in the Appennines of central Italy. The narrator was seriously wounded. His valet didn't want the narrator to stay in an open-air. He took the narrator inside Chateau forcibly without anyone's permission.

b.      Which special picture did the narrator notice in the room?
➜ The narrator noticed an oval-shaped picture of a young girl in the room when the rays of candelabrum fell on it. The narrator didn't notice it before. The young girl seemed just ripening into womanhood in that picture. The picture of that woman was so beautiful which attracted the narrator's attention. 

The oval picture of a young girl made him awake and too much curious. He kept on reading the history behind the portrait in his serious state. He was totally engrossed in finding its background through the book which he had found in bed.

c.      Describe the portrait that the narrator saw in the room.
➜The portrait that the narrator saw in the room was quite artistic and life-like. The narrator saw it when the rays of candelabrum fell on it. The portrait was oval-shaped with a beautiful picture of a young girl on it. Its frame was richly decorative. The young girl seemed just ripening into womanhood. The narrator seemed completely startled to find the lady's shoulder and head with radiant hair so real. The brushwork of tints in the portrait seemed so real in the portrait. 

The narrator felt a sudden impulse to notice that portrait. He closed his eyes once and opened. He couldn't believe his eyes to see such wonderful artistic creativity.

d.      What is the relationship between the portrait painter and its subject?
➜The relationship between the portrait painter and its subject is husband and wife. The husband of the subject (lady) is a passionate painter who has painted his wife's portrait. He has Painted his wife's portrait taking many weeks.

Reference to the context 

a.      What is the central theme of the story? Who is the woman depicted in the oval portrait?

➜ The story “The Oval Portrait” deals with the theme of the relationship between art and life. Art and obsession with it are shown as killers and responsible for the young bride’s death. In this context, art is equivalent to death. The association between art and life is considered a rivalry. In the story, it is suggested that art can reveal the artist's guilt or evil and may even destroy the life. The woman depicted in the oval portrait is the wife of the painter and the victim of the painter’s passion for the portrait.

b.      "The Oval Portrait" is a short horror story by Edgar Allan Poe involving the disturbing circumstances surrounding a portrait in a chateau. Elaborate. 
➜ The story "The Oval Portrait" is a short horror story with a dark setting and mood of narration. It is set in a gloomy abandoned mansion. Although the mansion is deserted, it contains objects of a dark and mysterious past - such as the oval portrait itself. The image of the remote abandoned chateau is given a hint of mystery and gloom. The interior where its walls are decorated with tapestry and manifold and multiform armorial trophies, and a great number of spirited modern paintings is tattered and antique. The dark setting and shadowy circumstances of the prior events provide the impression that the story has a bizarre twist. The reader’s anticipation of mystery is sustained by the appearance of a lifelike portrait of a woman in one of the darker nooks of the mysterious room.

c.       "The Oval Portrait" suggests that the woman's beauty condemns her to death. Discuss. 
➜ The references of the painting state that the young lady in the portrait is very beautiful. She loses her life because her husband compels her to sit for many weeks in an attempt to make the most beautiful portrait of her. Though the lady sits next to her husband, he is so immersed in his painting to create a beautiful portrait of his wife. But he doesn’t realize his wife's life withdrawing from her body slowly. It reveals the sad reality of the husband's failure to witness the beauty of his wife. As he was an artist, he wants to treasure it in the form of a portrait. In this way, her beauty condemns her to her own death.

d.      Discuss the story as a frame narrative (a story within a story). 
➜ The Oval Portrait is a frame narrative or a story that contains another story. In the first part of the story, we encounter the unnamed narrator, who is injured and stranded at night for unknown reasons. He along with his companion and servant, Pedro, take shelter in an abandoned mansion. The narrator stays awake while his servant sleeps. He is captivated by the paintings on the bedroom wall and studies a book containing their history. Noticing a lifelike painting of a young woman, he reads about it in the book.

In the second section, the narrator tells how a beautiful woman marries a painter who is completely absorbed in his work. Although she doesn’t love this, she agrees to sit for a portrait, a process that takes many weeks. As the portrait nears completion, the lady grows increasingly weak. In placing the final touches of his masterpiece on the canvas, he suddenly realizes that she is dead.

e.      The story is told in a descriptive style, with plenty of imagery and symbolism. Which images and symbols do you find in the story? 
➜ The mansion is abandoned and worn-out. The turret room is in a remote section of the mansion. The room is rich in decorations, but they are tattered and antique. The walls are full of tapestries, trophies, and spirited modern paintings. This vivid description of the mansion provides a gothic image. Likewise, the descriptions of the portrait describe how real and beautiful it is. Although she is dead, she is painted so life-like in the portrait.

The dark gloominess of the abandoned house is a classic background for a gothic story. The painter is the symbol of fanaticism. The woman in the oval portrait is the victim of the painter's passion for art. The oval portrait symbolizes the immortality of art. The frame is the symbol of the general objectification she faced as a physically attractive woman..

f.       What does the expression “She was dead!” mean? 
➜ The expression ‘She was dead!’ means the painter’s realization of the death of his beloved because of his devotion to the portrait. His wife remains in an obedient pose for many weeks. As the work continues her health becomes increasingly poor. However, the painter does not notice the worsening condition of his wife, continuing to paint desperately, without taking his eyes off the canvas. Given the last brushstroke, the painter is delighted with the liveliness of his creation, but turning to his wife, he realizes that she is dead.

Reference beyond the text 

a.      Do you think there is life in art? 
➜ I don't think there is life in art. Art is just a creation to display which has meanings related to different things. But, in a literal sense, artists create life in art. They try to find out life within the art.

b.      As a thing of art nothing could be more admirable than the painting itself. Explain. 
➜  This statement is absolutely correct about painting. Painting is indeed a very admirable art form. Painters work very hard to create quality paintings with meanings. The painting itself speaks literally. Painting provides us with facts related to life. Here in this story, the oval portrait is one of the best examples that surprised the narrator. He feels completely perplexed to see this painting. He wants to know his painter and his painter.

c.      A more intense look at the painting reveals the illusion. Have you noticed any such painting? 
➜ Yes, I noticed this type of paint. The painting becomes more meaningful when viewed by the avid viewer. But, for viewers who have no idea of ​​the paintings, they still find the illusion. In my case, I looked at a typical painting for a long time but I did not understand the meaning. I tried to understand the meaning but in vain.I later got its meaning from my friend.