Cthulhu is a monstrous entity created by H.P. Lovecraft, his creation was first introduced in his short story, “The Call of Cthulhu”, published in American pulp magazine, Weird Tales in 1928. Considered a Great Old One of great power that lies in a slumber mimicking...
Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson portrays the life of its narrator, Ruthie, alongside her sister Lucille as the two grow from mere children to young women while being surrounded by the confusion of shifting guardians, as well as the influence of transiency. Once the final guardian...
Ama Ata Aidoo’s Our Sister Killjoy: or Reflections from a Black-eyed Squint follows a young Ghanian woman known as Sissie and her experiences in Europe. As Aidoo’s story floats from reflections on Sissie’s sexually charged relationship with a Swiss woman to the emotional letter she...
Structural and style elements give each literary text its own individual “feel.” A skillful author will choose which structures to use and which to leave out of a particular text and will develop a style at is suitable for the text. As you read each...
It is very common in literature, both in the past and modern-day, for characters to have dark backgrounds. Many authors choose this approach because it creates an approachable character with whom the reader can identify, and provides the reader with an admirable protagonist. This darkness...
As Charlotte Bronte once wrote, “Remorse is the poison of life.” It is true that regret and remorse are inevitable in living a full life, but it also remains true that remorse can indeed be poisoning–so poisoning, in fact, that it can stop one from...
The book, Dear Canada: Not a Nickel to Spare: The Great Depression Diary of Sally Cohen, written by Perry Nodelman in 2007, is a historical fiction book which means that where the book was set in is a real historical place or timeline, but the...
Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (a novel) and Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner (a film) insist comparison: Ridley Scott’s film is based on the story told by Philip K. Dick’s novel. These works were created about ten years apart from one another...
Throughout Monkey Beach, author Eden Robinson effectively alternates passages transitioning between the present and flashbacks of Lisamarie’s life. It is through these flashbacks that Robinson is able to offer the reader a deep insight into Lisamarie’s childhood and upbringing. By placing these flashbacks in between...
Tayeb Salih’s Season of Migration to the North was first published in 1969, and has come to be regarded as outstanding in its genre. Originally written in Arabic, the book features notable parallels to Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, which it is considered by many...
“I thought I could make my life into a room and choose what came into it.” Made-to-order essay as fast as you need it Each essay is customized to cater to your unique preferences + experts online Get my essay While influenced by others at...
Herman Melville’s “Pierre” offers readers a world simultaneously driven by and struggling against its relationship with the past. Personal and ancestral histories dramatically affect the present interactions and psychology of the book’s main characters, particularly Pierre and Isabel. The link between present and past events...
‘The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With The Sea’ was written in 1963 by Japanese author Yukio Mishima, known as one of the most controversial yet celebrated writers of Japan. One could argue the novel has many links to Japan’s history, hinting at various aspects...
In the novel Midaq Alley, author Naguib Mahfouz depicts a poorer middle eastern alley. This measly Alley doesn’t act only as a physical barrier, but a societal one as well. Midaq Alley is shielded from the rest of the world, and has little outside influence....
Stories, like the ones experienced by the grandfather in The Tiger’s Wife and then re-told to Natalia, are part of the aspect that shapes a community, and distressful situations unite groups of people for better or for worse, depending on the community’s reaction. In Tea...
At first glance, one would not understand the depth and significance of Athol Fugard’s work. One of his works is Master Harold and the Boys which is an especially significant playwright because it was written by a white South African during the apartheid era in...
When Albert Camus wrote The Myth of Sisyphus [1], he demonstrated the absurdity of human existence in the indifferent universe with the ridiculous task of pushing a rock up a hill an infinite number of times. Every time Sisyphus pushed the rock to the top...
Muscles tensed, nostrils flared, the beautiful feline creature eyes its soon-to-be prey, a harmless antelope drinking from the watering hole. Without a moment of hesitation, the black and orange striped tiger breaks out into a full stride and pounces on its victim, tearing the defenseless...
The Real Thing was written by Henry James in 1891. According to his notebook entry on February 22, 1891, the idea for the story came in the form of an actual incident divulged by his friend George du Maurier. James juxtaposes an upper-class couple, who...
Somewhere along the normally parallel lines of reality and fiction, the two opposing entities meet in what has proven to be a breeding ground of entertainment. Its own kind of uncanny valley, there is something infinitely fascinating about that which mimics reality, but remains fiction...
Introduction Creative nonfiction is a genre that blends elements of both fiction and nonfiction writing to create narratives that convey raw human experiences through personal perspectives. The genre’s unique characteristics, such as imagery, plot development, and character building, allow for personal narratives to be conveyed...
“Silver Sparrow,” by Tayari Jones, is a story told in the first person by Dana, the narrator, telling a story about her childhood while looking back as an adult. It takes place in Atlanta, Georgia during the 21st century, although specific dates are not known....
The short story “The Chloroform” by Daniela Morales is a deeply moving exploration of the themes of power, control, and the consequences of one’s actions. The story follows the protagonist, Maria, as she grapples with the traumatic events that unfold after she is drugged and...
Italo Calvino’s Invisible Cities seems simple in its narrative construction, built on the use of short sections comprised of concise chapters that may better be understood as the tales the explorer Marco Polo tells the emperor Kublai Khan. However, an incisive textual analysis confronts the...
In the realm of young adult literature, a novel that stands out for its intricate characterization and exploration of themes such as disability, family dynamics, and the quest for identity is “Tangerine” by Edward Bloor. At the heart of this novel lies the compelling yet...
Stephen Crane’s interpretations of life are spawned from his own opinions of the world. These opinions correspond with naturalistic train of thought. He makes use of an observation technique to show the natural law of the universe: One can either accept the laws determining social...
The Landlady, a short story by Roald Dahl, is a chilling tale that explores themes of deception, manipulation, and the blurred lines between appearance and reality. As with many of Dahl’s works, The Landlady delves into the darker side of human nature, presenting a narrative...
As Charlotte Bronte once wrote, “Remorse is the poison of life.” It is true that regret and remorse are inevitable in living a full life, but it also remains true that remorse can indeed be poisoning–so poisoning, in fact, that it can stop one from...
Peeta Mellark, one of the central characters in Suzanne Collins’ dystopian novel The Hunger Games, is a character that is both complex and multi-dimensional. Throughout the series, Peeta exhibits a wide range of character traits that make him a compelling and memorable character. From his...
In the novel Pedro Paramo by Juan Rulfo, aspects of the setting, namely time and place, emphasize the novel’s magical realism and help convey Rulfo’s idea that Mexico is in dire straits in regards to Mexican politics and the Church. Made-to-order essay as fast as...
Fiction is an integral part of literature, a kind of art of the word that describes reality in artistic images. It is a collection of written and printed works of certain people, eras, and humanity. In its narrowest sense, fiction refers to written prose narratives, and often specifically to novels, as well as novellas and short stories.
