What Role Does Personal History And Reminiscence Play In The Prime Of

What Role Does Personal History And Reminiscence Play In The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie? What role does personal history and reminiscence play in ?The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie An interesting narrative device of ?The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie? is the manipulation of the time line. The first 5 pages are set in 1936, after which, we are brought back 6 years into the past into 1930. The time periods shift frequently, so much so, that we are told of certain important events very early on in the novel. For example, we are told of Mary's death in a hotel fire on page 14, the betrayal of Miss Brodie on page 27, the identity of the betrayer (i.e. Sandy) on page 60 and Miss Brodie's death on page 26. The fact that these rather tragic events are made known to us right in the beginning, creates a rather foreboding sense of doom as the reader is invited to interpret all the events as a prelude to the final failure and betrayal of Miss Brodie. Personal history and reminiscence therefore, play a major role in the movement of the plot of the novel as events are narrated simultaneously along with the characters' reflections and future thoughts. Miss Brodie, the central character in the novel, often narrates her personal history to her class. One of the first stories that she tells the young impressionable girls is that of her lover, ?Hugh the warrior? who died during The First World War, ?just before Armistice?. This story is often referred to in the course of the novel and is integral in the early formation of the girls' ideas on love and sex, especially in the cases of Sandy Stranger and her best friend Jenny Grey. The girls often contemplate their relationship, fantasizing and creating their own picture of the love affair that took place between their teacher and the greatly idealized Hugh. This can be seen in the two girls' short story, ?The Mountain Eyerie? on page 18. Miss Brodie's narration about Hugh on page 12 is full of romanticized images, likening Hugh's death to the fall of ?an autumn leaf?. Hugh was ?a scholar? despite being poor and wanted to lead a simple life where they would ?drink water and walk slow?. These romantic images were very much impressed upon Sandy and Jenny. Likewise, ?The Mountain Eyerie? follows through with this line of romantic imagery. The language is very passionate. The characters ?beseech? and ?swear? their lines instead of just saying or stating them. There is also liberal use of the exclamation mark. ?Stand back from the door I say!? and ?Back girl! he cried? are some of the statements used in the girls' narration to show strong emotion and raw passion. Later on in the novel, when Sandy and Jenny are composing the secret correspondence between Miss Brodie and Gordon Lowther, (page 73), they set the scene of their lovemaking to be ?the lofty Lion's back of Arthur's seat with only the sky for roof and bracken for bed?. Miss Brodie tries to impress upon the girls the need for ?instinct?, which is why passion is greatly emphasized upon. Hugh is a central figure in Miss Brodie's life. She sets her relationship with him as the standard for all other relationships. We see Hugh being redefined after her holiday with Lowther. She incorporates the latter's singing abilities and Lloyd's artistic talent into her image of him. Miss Brodie uses the word ?instinct? loosely to define her romantic notions, demanding it from her life, as she does from her girls. However, the girls do not follow Miss Brodie's footsteps in the cultivation of greatly passionate and tragic relationships. Jenny has a happy marriage but it does not seem to incite in her the passion the Miss Brodie would have hoped for, finding it instead in her sudden falling in love with the man in Rome in which case ?there was nothing to be done about it?. Miss Brodie had had high hopes for Jenny and probably would have wanted her to go with her instinct but Jenny adhered to a stricter moral code than Miss Brodie, ?sinner that she was? who had no qualms about plotting