Heat Exchange and Theodolite

     A heat exchanger is a piece of equipment used to transfer heat from one source to another. A famous example would be the internal combustion engine, used to power our cars. Heat exchangers can take on many forms and types, though. Interestingly, human nasal passages also serve as a type of heat exchanger, warming air as it enters the nose, and cooling the air as it exits the nose. Certain types of animals also use heat exchange in their bodies, such as whales and fish. There are some pretty complex mathematical equations which model a 'simple' heat exchange using Newton's law of cooling, among other things.

     The exchange of heat is of interest to our readings of Arcadia, because of the nature of Thomasina and Valentine's collaborative work. They are concerned with "the action of bodies in heat," (84) and this could have a double meaning as those bodies may be human bodies embracing a side of beef, or as Thomasina puts it, "Chater would overthrow the Newtonian system in a weekend." Valentine calls this "the attraction that Newton left out," on p. 74. Also at stake is the loss of heat, and how although Newton's laws should work both ways, backwards and forwards, heat exchange works in only one direction only, much like the cream in coffee or jam in pudding. This is related to our problem of being able to move through time in only one direction, and the play is obviously playing with that assumption.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_exchanger

Regency dress & the waltz (73, 81)

Regency dress describes the fashion of the early 19th Century in which style translated from somewhat plain and reserved to more extravagant attire.  The style of this fashion is best and most easily described by the photograph below.  The frock that Bernard is described as putting on is visible on the male, while the presence of several adornments on the females reflects the increased extravagance of the period.  Although not included in this specific drawing, it was also fashionable for men to wear high boots in addition to their imposing hats.  The waltz was also an important cultural aspect of the era.  According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the waltz is an intimate dance in which partners "swing round and round in the same direction with smooth and even steps, moving on as they gyrate."  Also, as noted by the characters in the text, the waltz is German.  Its German root word "walzen" means to revolve.


Although I think that both of my assigned terms have special significance in Arcadia, I think that the waltz is the more crucial term in my understanding of the play.  Thomasina and Septimus are engaged in a dance that is, by definition, revolutionary.  This adheres to the cyclical nature of time that is often pointed out by the characters and even by the action of the play, but it also makes a connection to the fact that Thomasina and Septimus are revolutionary figures in history--forgotten, but ultimately remembered and reenacted through Hannah and Gus.  Their dancing is symbolic of their existence in time and history as purveyors of change.  The connection between these characters is focused by the modern characters wearing Regency dress; even though they are separated by centuries, the similarity between the emotions and concerns of the characters in different eras supersedes the restrictions of time and space, connecting these characters on a human level.

Sources:
http://locutus.ucr.edu/~cathy/men2.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1795–1820_in_Western_fashion#Regency_.281815.E2.80.931820.29_gallery

"waltz, n.". OED Online. March 2013. Oxford University Press. 21 April 2013 <http://libweb.uwlax.edu:2141/view/Entry/225389?rskey=Lw4It8&result=1&isAdvanced=false>.

Determinism

 (73, 80, 83)

de·ter·min·ism

noun

1.

the doctrine that all facts and events exemplify natural laws.

2.

the doctrine that all events, including human choices and decisions, have sufficient causes.

Determinism is a metaphysical philosophical idea stating that for every event or state of affairs, including human action and decision, there are conditions such that nothing else could happen. These states of affairs are inevitable and necessary consequences. “Past events and the laws of nature fix or set future events.” (New World Encyclopedia) Determinism is contrasted with the theory of free will.  Free will is the ability to make choices unrestrained by certain factors. In physics, determinism is synonymous with cause-and-effect.

            The idea of determinism makes three obvious appearances in Arcadia. This happens once on page 73 when Chloe and Valentine are talking about the theory of how the future could possibly be programmed like a computer (a huge computer), but Chloe goes on to disprove her own theory by saying “the only thing going wrong is people fancying people who aren’t supposed to be in that part of the plan.” (73) This suggests an element of free will in a deterministic universe. The play itself is very deterministic. The simple fact that it has been written out takes away any free will that the characters in the story may have had. Also, we know the future of the characters in the earlier period of the play as the characters in the later period are discovering what happened to them, so their future had already been written out.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/determinism?s=t

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Determinism

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_will

http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Determinism

http://www.informationphilosopher.com/freedom/determinism.html

~Teresa Turner 

Kew Gardens

Contemporary Kew

 



Located in southwest London, Kew Gardens has a history that dates back to the 1700's making it over 250 years old. It was originally formed by Lord Capel John of Tewkesbury. After it was originally created, it was expanded several times for several different reasons. The garden has been expanded from 75 acres at one time, to 270 acres, to its current size- 300 acres. Kew is responsible for the world's largest collection of living plants and employs 650 scientists and other staff. But the Kew Gardens are not much like they originally were.

Relation to Arcadia

Kew Palace

We do get some idea of the pastoral in some early scenes in Arcadia. We don't get an intricate description or vision of the gardens. Mostly we get people coming in from and going out to the gardens. Seemingly some type of oasis for characters, the garden seems to be the retreat away from conflict. However, just as we see with Kew's history, the contemporary is a much altered form of the original. We try to draw binaries between the two eras of the play, and to do so we must find what is similar to the past (i.e. Septimus and Bernard as critics). You could imagine doing something similar if you were walking through Kew Gardens. What's similar, and what has changed?

Marianne North Gallery of Botanic Art


Works Cited
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Botanic_Gardens,_Kew


Fractal Geometry:

Fractals have played a large part in the modernist literary tradition, especially on the stage.  A play within a play is the most common literary denominator of the fractal method.  With an understanding that integers are numbers that have no decimal expansion (i.e. whole and real numbers), fractals in geometry employ non-integer numbers, creating expansive sets of algorithms as they have few limitations.  Essentially, this means that fractal images are between one and two dimensional.  As fractals are geometrically manifest, they form discernable patterns.  In order to create the pleasant fractal images that modern art has championed, color is added where changes of pattern occur, creating symmetrical distinctions pleasant to the human eye.  Any minimized or maximized view of a fractal should be undistinguishable in their raw form.  Literary tradition uses the fractal method to create mirroring in plot and characters, especially where the dimension of time is the background the patterns are spread across. Additionally, fractals can be found in nature and create some of the most pleasing art.

http://library.thinkquest.org/3493/frames/fractal.html

http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fractal

http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fractal_geometry

http://fractals.chat.ru/gallery.htm

http://thereisnocavalry.wordpress.com/2012/08/09/fractals-in-nature/

Fractals in Arcadia:

When faced with the limitations of traditional geometry, Thomasina looks to the fractals of nature in veins of a leaf in order to stumble on to her iterated algorithms.  Her abject frustration is most famously shown as she speaks to her tutor:

"Each week I plot your equations dot for dot, x's against y's in all manner of algebraical relation, and every week they draw themselves as commonplace geometry, as if the world of forms were nothing but arcs and angles. God's truth, Septimus, if there is an equation for a bell, then there must be an equation for a bluebell, and if a bluebell, why not a rose?"

Thomasina’s break from traditional methods is a meta-manifestation of the post-modernist movement and its breaking with traditional knowledge.  The impact of this science has a profound effect on the intellectual characters and fractals become a very integral part of the plot— but is the dichotomy of stories within the play a fractal itself?  There are certainly similarities between the questioning characters Thomasina and Chloe, or Gus and Augustus and their hobbies.  However, with the obvious differences in time and characteristics between these pairs, can we really say that the stories follow the same fractal pattern?

For more on the mathematics in arcadia:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iM0cR7qvmgY&noredirect=1

-Christian Sorensen

Lord George Gordon Byron (21-22; 28; 29-32)

"Crede Bryron" or Trust Byron is the motto of the 

Lord Byron crest.

I thought that this motto was very fitting for what we have come to find within the play Arcadia. We have come to a conclusion through Bernard and Hannah that our earlier character Septimus Hodge may have hidden a relationship with the famous poet Byron. So, can we trust Bryon; it was through his holding of "The Couch of Eros" that was previously Hodge's that we come to these small conclusions. But I'm jumping ahead.

Lord George Gordon Byron:

Born 1788 to Catherine Gordon and Captain John Byron, he was raised by his mother in Aberdeen, Scotland. Although he had a club foot and a "coarse, often violent mother," he was able to excel in his studies and even played sports with the other young men. He attended Trinity College, Cambridge off and on from October 1805- July 1808. Byron is greatly known for his poetry and model Romantic hero who embodied defiance and melancholy and was always haunted by secret guilt. He is also known for being "the most flamboyant" of the Romantics. It is rumored that he had bi-sexual tendencies though he favored women. Later on in his career, however, Byron turned away from his usual eroticisms to more weightier works such as autobiographical personae experiments and satire and popular verse tales. He is believed to have had an incestuous relationship with his half-sister Augusta. Byron was unique from his contemporaries and he says himself, "I was born for opposition." Byron died from illness after riding in a heavy rain storm; he just so happened to die during a "violent electrical storm."

Although I jumped ahead in the beginning, now that we know a little more about Lord Byron, do you find this possible relationship a little more intriguing? How close of a relationship do you think that Lord Byron and Hodge had? So far it seems as though they shared at one book and that book contained some secrets about sexual interests and troubles. Did Hodge ever write a review for "The Couch of Eros"? or was is possible Lord Byron who took over this request? I'm very interested to see how this relationship plays out!

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/lord-byron

Horace Walpole & Landscape Gardening (pg 13)

Horace Walpole (1717-1797), also known as Horatio Walpole, was the 4th Earl of Orford and a reasonably successful English politician and writer. He is well known for helping to revive an interest in the Gothic style in the Victorian Age. His contributions to the Gothic revival were literary and architectural.  He wrote a successful Gothic novel, The Castle of Otranto, which he published under a
pseudonym, and built a prominent Gothic estate named Strawberry Hill at Twickenham outside of London. Strawberry Hill is considered one of the earliest examples of Gothic revival estates. It features towers, battlements, vaulted arches, and vaulted windows in an effort to simulate the elaborate styles and gloomy essence of medieval Gothic construction. This Gothic style was also emulated in Victorian landscape gardening, with fake Roman and medieval ruins (often called "follies"), hermitages, and other exotic buildings becoming fixtures of Victorian gardens and status symbols for wealthy families.

The mention of Horace Walpole in Arcadia is important because it explains the inspiration behind Lady Croom's elaborate garden renovations, which seem to be important for the setting and plot motivation, while giving us some insight into the characters. The fact that Lady Croom is unaware of the connection between The Castle of Otranto and Horace Walpole suggests that she is only shallowly concerned with participating in the Gothic-revival trend and not aware of its foundations. This ignorance could possibly foreshadow other misunderstandings/miscommunications and have an effect on the Sidley Park research of Hannah Jarvis and Bernard Nightingale later in the play.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strawberry_Hill_House
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horace_Walpole
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_landscape_garden

Romanticism and Enlightenment (27)

The terms Romanticism and Enlightenment seemed to be juxtaposed; Romanticism is working against the strict confines of "reason" based science, while Enlightenment seems to be moving in directly the opposite direction.  According to Wikipedia, Romanticism peaked between 1800-1850 (although these dates are general and slippery).  The age of Enlightenment began around roughly 1650, until it gave way to Romanticism.  One important enlightenment thinker is Isaac Newton, whose laws are referenced by Thomasina.  In short, these two terms represent two different ways of thinking: Enlightenment focuses on science and reason, while Romanticism is aimed more towards beauty and aestheticism.  (Think Locke vs. Wordsworth). 

In relation to Arcadia, these different types of thinking lead to the contrast of Bernard and Hannah.  Bernard is a Byron scholar who looks for aesthetics, while Hannah adamantly opposes all forms of sentimentalism.  Also, the 1809 scene is stuck amidst the transitional period between Enlightenment and Romanticism.  While these two thinking models do not change overnight, perhaps, (if not already), we will be able to see people from each "school" of thinking in 1809 and their personal reasoning for that mode of thought.  The text seems to be setting up a conflict between reason/beauty.

 

Examples: Romantic vs. Enlightened

"Byron" and "Wanderer" are Romantic examples.

"Muses" is Enlightenment art.







Caspar David Friedrich, Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog, 1818


Richard Westall, Lord Byron

Weimar's Courtyard of the Muses, Theobald von Oer Christian Wolff

Works Cited
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_Enlightenment
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanticism



Picturesque (p. 4, 11, 14)

Picturesque is a term that emerged in England during the Romantic era. This word signifies an "aesthetic ideal" and describes a combination of the "beautiful and sublime". The literal meaning of the word means that the image being viewed could be made into a picture. As an argument against rational thinking and reason, picturesque attempted to describe experiences that were natural. It was more like an instinct and less like a thought. Describing something as picturesque would therefore involve subjectivity rather than objectivity. During this time, there grew interest in viewing nature solely for pleasure and those of the English leisure class began to see country sides for its character, ruin, and authenticity. Paintings of landscape attempted to capture the raw and powerful characteristics of nature and this served to show the population's fascination with the picturesque.
Sources: http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/r/romanticism-romance-sublime-picturesque/, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picturesque

The way that Arcadia references the knowledge of the picturesque on pages 4 and 11/12 definitely suggests that this is a new term for their era. On page 4, Mr. Noakes is described as putting on an image that he is "a philosopher of the picturesque". Using the term "philosopher" could indicate that it takes a knowledgeable and reflective individual to have an understanding of such a term. Thomasina's "knowledge of the picturesque" (p. 11) is also patronized when Lady Croom is wondering what Septimus is teaching her. I also get the feeling that it is a term used to describe something noble because in the passage on page 4, it is used as an opposite for the serpent in the garden. It made me think about how something picturesque may be seen as heavenly as opposed to the sinful serpent.

"Salvator Rosa, your ladyship, the painter. He is indeed the very exemplar of the picturesque style." (Stoppard, p. 11)

Caroline Lamb (21)

Lady Caroline Lamb was born on November 13, 1785. She was a British aristocrat and novelist. Although she was married to William Lamb, the 2^nd Viscount Melbourne, she had a well-known affair with Lord Byron in 1812.

From March 1812 to August 1812, Lady Caroline embarked on a well-publicized affair with Lord Byron. He was 24 years old and she was 26. Upon their first meeting she actually rejected him, which only caused him to pursue her further. Lady Caroline and Lord Byron publicly criticized each other as they privately pledged their love over the following months. Through their affair, Byron referred to Lamb by the name "Caro" (a shortened version of Caroline), which she adopted as her public nickname. After Byron broke things off, her husband took the disgraced and desolate Lady Caroline to Ireland. When she returned to London in 1813, Byron made it clear he had no intention of re-starting their relationship. This spurred what could be characterized as the first recorded case of celebrity stalking as she made increasingly public attempts to reunite with her former lover.

Learning about Lady Caroline Lamb’s love affair with Lord Byron gives the readers a little insight to the few lines about her on pages 20-21 of Arcadia. The first glimpse we get of Caroline Lamb is while Bernard raves about the Hannah’s book Caro, which is about the life of Caroline Lamb. Bernard then asks bringing out any of Caroline Lamb’s works and making the connection with Lord Byron. Much of Caroline Lamb’s work was influences by Lord Byron. When Hannah interrupts Bernard, it is her not so subtle way to change the subject, which is probably how people would have acted when speaking about either of them, while the affair was taking place back in 1812.

Citation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Caroline_Lamb

Salvator Rosa (p. 11, 25)

Saint John the Baptist Revealing Christ to the Disciples

Salvator Rosa (1615-73) was an Italian Baroque painter, etcher, poet, and actor. He was born just outside of Naples. He spent most of his career living in Rome, though did live in Florence for a time during the 1640's. Rosa studied under another painter, Aniello Falcone. Falcone was famous for his paintings of battle scenes, though his student eventually surpassed his ability. Along with these spirited battle pieces, Rosa painted various other subjects, including hermits, witches, bandits, and most importantly, landscapes. Rosa's landscapes portray apocalyptic wildernesses-- jagged cliffs, crooked trees covered in moss, and an overall brutal environment. His paintings became the antithesis to the pastoral. This is thought to be do in part to the volcanic activity of the time. Mount Vesuvius had its greatest eruption in hundreds of years in 1631. The cone of the volcano collapsed and lava poured out, with ash reaching as far as Constantinople. Thousands were killed because of this event. Because of this, Rosa's paintings are said to contain a sort of "seismic shiftiness." 

I thought that the references to Salvator Rosa were very interesting. I found two, one on page 11, and the other on page 25. On page 11, Richard Noakes is defending his choice to design the landscape in the form of Rosa. He says "he is indeed the very exemplar of the picturesque style." Noakes believes that a ruined castle and a hermitage would be quite picturesque, following in the style of Rosa. No one shares his opinion, instead preferring the traditional English countryside with its rolling hills and hyacinth dells. On page 25, Hannah mentions Noakes' landscaping work in the future, saying that it is "the Gothic novel expressed in landscape. Everything but vampires." She appreciates his work. Though Rosa's work is quite dark, it can be interpreted as a truer representation of real nature, something Hannah understands. Noakes, like Rosa, might have been ahead of his time. While Rosa lived, he was regarded as unorthodox and rebellious. Rosa gained a lot more fame during the Romantic Period, becoming an inspiration for the Spanish romantic painter Francisco Goya. (If you look at both of their works, they are remarkably similar.) No one was receptive to the ideas Noakes had for his landscaping plans, thus making him unorthodox like Rosa. Eventually though, his works were were appreciated. 

(Side Note: On page 14, Thomasina is drawing and tells Septimus that she has "made him like the Baptist in the wilderness." Septimus responds, "How picturesque." The painting above by Rosa is of John the Baptist in the wilderness. He has another painting of the baptism of Christ. Both of which have very different settings than the traditional. I just thought that was interesting.) 

References: 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/yourpaintings/artists/salvator-rosahttp://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2010/sep/11/salvator-rosa-paintings-james-hall

Tortoise & Hare/Rabbit & Grouse: life-span, symbolism, etc. (p. 23)

      As creatures of the natural world, the presence of the tortoise and grouse in Tom Stoppard's profound play Arcadia is complex, for comparisons between the tortoise and hare and the rabbit and grouse allow us to examine the symbolic and thematic messages hidden within the play.
     With a lifespan of over 100 years, the tortoise is frequently depicted in popular culture as an emblem of longevity and stability, for its aged, slow-moving exterior appearance and character exude a sense of sturdiness, patience, and wisdom. With this, the tortoise holds a prominent position in mythologies as a symbol of fertility and immortality; in creation myths, this sense of strength is believed to carry the world upon its back and support the heavens. Conversely, the hare is a short-lived creature, regarded as a symbol of speed; in mythologies, it was sacred to Aphrodite and Eros because of its high libido, symbolic of love and sexuality. The Aesop fable The Tortoise and the Hare further represents the two animals, for it is indeed a story of morality; specifically, the slow and steady tortoise wins the race over his foolish opponent, yet in broader terms one could interpret it as a lesson of perseverance over haste.

Illustration of The Tortoise and the Hare

The appearance of the rabbit and the grouse hold somewhat similar meanings. In accordance with the hare, the rabbit has a short lifespan, yet across cultures it symbolizes a strong sense of reproduction and fertility, for the celebration of the bunny during Easter is testament to a sort of restoration and rebirth. In some cultures, however—such as most Native American tribes—rabbits are seen as tricksters. In comparison, the grouse remains somewhat of a mysterious creature, for it is a bird species whose population fluctuates unknowingly through the year; perhaps due to weather and food resources the grouse lives less than a year, but there is still mystery surrounding its unstable life cycle. With this, the grouse symbolizes a sense of personal power and the perpetual cycle of life and death; in Native American tribes as well, the grouse represents vision and enlightenment, with "grouse medicine" the medicine of power and universal wisdom.

Grouse

     With this abundance of symbolic meaning, it is imperative to note how such representations help one to understand why such animals make appearances in Arcadia, particularly on page 23 in the play. To first speculate in modern terms (since scene two takes place in the present), there is an algorithm in computer science called Floyd's cycle-finding algorithm, also known as "the tortoise and the hare" algorithm, which uses two pointers that moves through the sequence at different speeds; though I focused mainly on the mythological nature of the animals, this finding could suggest a "cycle" that occurs in the play between the two intertwining stories: the past (Coverly family circa 1809) and the present. The stories are separate settings and worlds, yet there is still the persisting question of identity for all the characters—in this particular scene, the modern tale of Hannah and Bernard reveals a broken aristocratic family that must look to the past for prestige, whereas the old tale of Thomasina and Septimus is the past aristocracy; so, with the specific tortoise and hare algorithm alone, this could represent something much larger, for it could display this cycle of people, this parallel between them.
      Further, the intertwining of objects and characters are seen in Septimus's character, who works with science and theorems, and has a pet tortoise named Plautus, where in the contemporary scene two it is Valentine who keeps a tortoise named, ironically, Lightning; further, he is a mathematician doing "computer grouse," perhaps suggesting this mystery of technology or its ability to persist through decades and centuries, just as the grouse does. These observations, though small, could suggest this sense of interconnection (seen through the tortoise/hare, rabbit/grouse) between people and their identities, between the past and the present; all, perhaps, on a quest for knowledge or truth.

Research: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_depictions_of_turtles
                http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grouse
                http://alltotems.com/rabbit-bunny-and-hare-symbolism-totem-and-meaning/
                http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycle_detection#Tortoise_and_hare
             
Images: http://joyfulpublicspeaking.blogspot.com/2013/01/hopping-through-sixty-speeches-shauna.html
            http://guardianangelreadings.net/2013/01/grouse/grouse/

Hermitages & Hermits (Pages 12,13,16,25)

Hermits are those who choose to live their lives in seclusion.  Most commonly they devote their lives to a christian religion.  The word hermit comes from a latin translation meaning “of the desert”.  “Because the life of the Christian hermit, both in ancient and in modern times, is rooted in the Desert Theology of the Old Testament, it is a life entirely given to the praise of God and the love and, through the hermit's penance and prayers, also the service of all humanity. The latter is crucial to the correct understanding of the eremitic vocation, since the Judeo-Christian tradition holds that God created man (i.e., the individual human being) relational, which means that solitude can never be the purpose of any Christian vocation but only a conducive environment for striving after a particular spiritual purpose that forms part of our common human vocation.” (Wikipedia)

A hermitage is a settlement where a person or a group of people live religiously, in seclusion. “Traditionally, hermitages have been located in caves and huts, often in the desert or woods.  In medieval times, they may have been endowed by the lord or lady of a manor in return for prayers for their family” (Wikipedia)

On page 12 it is ironic that the gazebo where the carnal embrace took place will be replaced with a hermitage where hermits would have renounced worldly concerns and pleasures.  The idea that the hermitage is in a garden is contradictory to the traditional definition of a hermitage and the translation of the word hermit itself. The hermitage in Arcadia could be built in return for prayers for the family, but it does not seem likely because page 12 is the first Lady Croom has heard of it.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermit>

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermitage_(religious_retreat)>

Andrew Wolcott

Fermat's last theorem

According to Wikipedia Fermat's last theorem was created by Pierre de Fermat in 1637. The theorem is A to the nth power +B to the nth power = C to the nth power. It was long considered to be one of the most difficult proofs. It also “states that no three positive integers a, b, and c, can satisfy [for the equation] for any integer for n that is greater than two.” It's proof was solved in 1995.Since Arcadia this theorm has had a long history of references in fiction and narrative. A few of the appearances are; Star Trek, Ghostbusters, Bedazzled, and The Girl Who Played With Fire. In most of these appearances it is used to describe something almost impossible or to keep an intellectual busy with thoughts on proving the theorem.

Euclidean Geometry

The fundamental form of geometry created by Euclid. It is founded on a series of common sense axioms that build on one another to explain more and more complex shapes. According to Wikipedia here are a couple of examples, "That all right angles are equal to one another,” and "to produce [extend] an infinite straight line continuously in a straight line,” and “if equals are added to equals, then the wholes are equal.”

The reference to Fermat's last theorem can be seen as having a two fold purpose. First of all it is, at least at that time, an impossible feat that the greatest minds had spent many years struggling with solving. It is that which would also consume a keen mathematical mind. That this is offered up to Thomasina tells us that perhaps she does have a keen mathematical mind. The second interpretation of it is in its relation to the carnal embrace which is discussed both before and after the reference to the theorem. The end of the theorem, that n can be no greater than two has an implication of the joining of a and b can be no greater than two or man plus woman equals child or love but the nth power can be no greater than two. If a third is added into the addition the equation will not work.

Capability Brown and Landscape Gardening (p. 27)

Lancelot Brown, referred to as “Capability Brown” for his aptness in landscape improvement, was an English landscape architect born in the early 1700s—called “England’s greatest gardener,” he designed over 170 parks (of which many are still visible today). Gardening in the most esteemed estates and country houses in Britain, his style was recognizable—including swelling grasses, unique dispersions of trees, and twisting rivers that branched off into smaller damming rivers, all of which overtook the previous formal patterning of English gardening. Considered highly fashionable, Capability Brown’s landscape gardening was in defiance of the older gardening forms that had been critiqued by many in high stature during the early 1700s; by the time Brown forged his way to the scene, he had taken the existing styles and revolutionized them.

In Tom Stoppard’s play, Arcadia, we see Capability Brown’s work at the Coverly estate’s Sidley Park. The grounds of Sidley Park are subject to the ever-evolving fashions of gardening throughout history. Until 1740, Hannah Jarvis states the house had a formal Italian garden, a utopia in a chaotic age—when Brown came onto the scene, the symmetry and heavy formality disappeared under his more naturalistic eye, seeing more beauty in informality. Though the audience of Arcadia never see Sidley Park, the symbolism of it is felt throughout the entirety of the play: Hannah Jarvis is averse to the landscape because she feels it only imitates the natural, and is in itself imaginarily based of paintings and Gothic literature—largely, the “pastoral.” Since we as readers are privy to the landscape’s change throughout its history, it brings into light the question of naturalness—what seems natural at first may be a crafted attempt to “seem” natural, and not “be.” Humankind is now involved, and this relationship between man and nature deepens the dichotomies of past and present, fashionable and unfashionable, natural and unnatural that Stoppard seems to be analyzing in the opening scenes of his play.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lancelot_%22Capability%22_Brown>

Newton's Laws (p. 5)

Newton’s Law of Motion is broken down into three parts:

   

      The Law of Inertia: An object at rest stays at rest, and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force

                e.g. If you hit a curb when riding a skateboard you will fly off because of the abrupt force that  

                      stopped you from moving forward.

 Equilibrium: The acceleration of an object is dependent upon two variables and pertains to objects that exist where not all forces are balanced.  The two important variables are a) the net force and b) the mass of the object being acted upon.

               

         “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction”:  Essentially this means that a force is a push or pull upon an object that results from its interaction with another object.

                e.g. a bird pushes through (back) the air with its wings while the air pushes the bird’s body mass 

                      forward.

Newton's Law of Motion is being brought up on page 5 of Arcadia while Thomasina is working with Septimus. Thomasina is beginning to question whether God is a Newtonian, which is curious because she raises the age-old question of free will in association with both religion and science. Specifically in this scene she and Septimus are going back and forth about the idea of forces acting upon the human holding back free will, but does that make a difference in how we conduct ourselves?  Let's look at what we've read so far though, specifically in Act 1, Scene 1 where it seems that Septimus has certainly acted upon his own free will with Mrs Chater. I feel that base knowledge of a concept is not enough for Thomasina. To just know the definition of Newton's Law will not be enough for her. Paying attention to the theme of free will and outside forces will be important to the play--they will make a difference as we continue to read.

 "For every action, there is an equal
and opposite reaction."

The Law of Motion (above)

Source: (http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/newtlaws/)

"Et in Arcadia ego” on page 12

Poussin's painting

According to two Wikipedia pages, the phrase was related to two pastoral paintings done by Guercino and Nicolas Poussin in the 17^th century. The sentence is in Latin and translates to mean “Even in utopia, I am there.” Arcadia is the utopia, and even those within its beautiful and jovial landscape cannot elude the inevitable grips of human mortality; this idea was a constant theme in Renaissance thought, which was referred to in Latin as “memento mori” (Poussin). The paintings include shepherds gathered around starkly grim images.  Guercino’s painting has two shepherds staring at a dead shepherd’s skull and Poussin’s painting has four shepherds standing near a tomb. The shadows around and beneath the shepherds represent the darkness of death which the adjacent shepherds suddenly notice; this is the moment when their facile life suddenly becomes more complex than previously thought. Near the end of the article on Poussin, in the section titled “Other appearances,” it says that the above phrase was originally going to be the title for the play “Arcadia.”

 

Guercino's painting

   If one begins to interpret Arcadia under the pastoral lens, a likely reading because the setting is a room surrounded by gardens, one will ultimately find an anti-pastoral message. The Latin phrase Stoppard uses can remind readers of the Biblical story from Genesis where the snake (Satan) enters into the Garden of Eden (a utopia) and, “even there,” is able to subvert God’s perfect plans. Perhaps Stoppard is including this phrase early on in his text to foreshadow an approaching revelation of grave information in the scenes to come; even in the present day filled with Mazda sportscars, exists something darker. Most likely, this will relate to Bernard’s intellectually curious mission in coming to the Coverly residence.

 

Works Cited

"Et in Arcadia ego." Wikipedia. 2013.< http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Et_in_Arcadia_ego>.

"Et in Arcadia ego (Guercino)." Wikipedia. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Et_in_Arcadia_ego_(Guercino)>.

Arcadia (or a frame of reference for enframing references)

From the very title of the play, Arcadia, Stoppard's is clearly a work rich in references that span time in order to question notions of place based simply on geography. As material in Wikipedia on ancient Arcadia points out, "regions of ancient Greece were areas identified by the ancient Greeks as geographical sub-divisions of the Hellenic world. These regions are described in the works of ancient historians and geographers, and in the legends and myths of the ancient Greeks... Due to its remote, mountainous character, Arcadia seems to have been a cultural refuge" ("Ancient Arcadia", Wikipedia). Ancient Arcadia and modern Arcadia occupy similar geographic positions to this day - though, with their longstanding integration into the cultural life of greater Greece, they're less apt to call their neighbors barbarians for not being great with a lyre.

 AncientModern