Essays on Literary Genres

4086

From Facts to Fiction: Walter Scott's Ivanhoe

6 pages / 2925 words

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...

Fiction Novel

4087

Knut Hamsun and His Way of Describing Unconsciousness

2 pages / 1095 words

Knut Hamsun’s fin de siècle novel Hunger sets the reader up for a journey with its opening sentence when Hamsun writes, “Christiania, singular city, from which no man departs without carrying away traces of his sojourn there.” (Hunger 1). Here, Hamsun puts into place the...

Narrator Novel Protagonist

4088

The Secret Sharer as The British Literary Canon

3 pages / 1394 words

Joseph Conrad’s work is an apparent staple of the 20th century British canon. Few literature students manage to weave their way toward a degree without being exposed to his iconic novella Heart of Darkness. While it is undeniably a powerful piece of writing, the analysis...

Joseph Conrad Short Story

4089

"Going to Meet The Man": African-american Sexualization

4 pages / 1748 words

The Sexualization of the African-American in “Going to Meet the Man” James Baldwin’s short story “Going to Meet the Man” explores the interweaving of racism with the sexual violence against the African-American in 1965 southern America. Baldwin portrays this by investigating the violent sexual compulsions...

African American Short Story

4090

Rays of Personal Glory, Selfishness and The Persecution for Immortality

4 pages / 1898 words

The desire to make history ­ to discover what remains undiscovered, or to know what remains unknown ­ is a timeless human goal. Although many have failed to realize this dream, a very few have been wildly successful in its pursuit. The immortality afforded these...

Frankenstein Literature Review Novel

4091

An Example of a Personality Transformation in Alexie's Novel Flight

2 pages / 957 words

Throughout the book Flight by Sherman Alexie, the main character Zits is in search of where he belongs and why people have mistreated him throughout his life. In the midst of the action in the novel, Zits begins to experience character jumps, where he is...

Novel Sherman Alexie

4092

Dracula: Representation of Gothic Tropes in The Novel and The Film

3 pages / 1411 words

This chapter from the novel ‘Dracula’ by Bram Stoker includes an abundance of conventions typical of the Gothic genre, primarily employed here through Stoker’s characterisation of Johnathan Harker, Count Dracula and the three seductive women. Published in the late 19th Century, at a time when...

Dracula Film Analysis Gothic Literature

4093

Redefinition of a Tragic Character in The Death of a Salesman

2 pages / 1120 words

The definition of a tragic character is something that has been considered set in since the times of ancient Greece. Aristotle’s Poetics defined what makes up a comedy and tragedy, and that definition has been widely accepted since then. However, Arthur Miller believes that Aristotle’s...

Arthur Miller Death of a Salesman Tragedy

4094

Dead Poets Society: The Power of Individual Thoughts

1 page / 724 words

There is a balance to ideals in individuality and truth, both at positive and negative extremes. The movie Dead Poets Society by Peter Weir captures the incredible role romanticism and embracement of truth on an individual’s life, separating the ability to enjoy life from the...

Dead Poets Society Poetry

4095

Reinterpretation of Tragedy in Modern Society in The Death of a Salesman

4 pages / 2069 words

Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman can be measured against Aristotle’s notions of tragedy expressed in his Poetics, involving a fall caused by hamartia and hubris, and an eventual recognition and reversal of fortune, culminating in the audience experience of catharsis. Despite this enduring model for tragedy, Willy Loman, the central character...

Arthur Miller Death of a Salesman Tragedy

4096

Exploring Transitions: Upbringing Rita and Dead Poets Society

2 pages / 880 words

Transitions allow individuals to embrace new perspectives of the world we occupy. Willy Russell’s comedic stage play “Educating Rita”, written in 1979 at a time when education was being made more accessible to the working class, seeks to illustrate how education enables individuals to transition...

Dead Poets Society Poetry

4097

A Look at The Structural Poverty as Depicted in Silko's Ceremony

3 pages / 1304 words

As Silko’s Ceremony moves along, the problem of poverty among the Native Indian becomes evident. The white people subject the Native Indians by stealing their land and cattle. Tayo focuses on economic-self-reliance as part of his healing when he focus of seeking and returning his...

Novel

4098

Theme of Alienation and Isolation in Raymond Carver's "Cathedral"

2 pages / 1018 words

Raymond Carver’s preferred method of delivering information to readers in his short story “Cathedral” is one that is entirely coherent with the underlying theme of the impact of alienation and isolation upon those who fail to master the art of communicating with others. Carver employs...

Short Story

4099

A Small Good Thing- Baker's Biggest Predicament

2 pages / 922 words

In Raymond Carver’s short story “A Small, Good Thing,” the Baker’s helplessness is caused by his apparent class status and by an unknown financial stability, which results in a sense of isolation and loneliness. The baker resolves his sense of helplessness when he realizes that...

Short Story

4100

The Brave New World Dystopia and Assimilation

2 pages / 953 words

In the year 632AF (the year 2540AD, 632 years after Ford) the world has finally eliminated many inconveniences including war, famine, dissent, disease, depression and jealousy. This conquest, however, came at a cost: cultural assimilation, consumerism, and mediocrity. In his novel Brave New World, Aldous...

Brave New World Dystopia

4101

A Comprehensive Review of ‘a Letter to Her Husband, Absent Upon Public Employment’

2 pages / 1183 words

Anne Bradstreet is one of the most prominent literary figures of the colonial era of American history, and she is often cited as one of the primary sources of Puritan literature. Some of her work carried undertones of pre-First-Wave feminism because she subtly alluded to...

Anne Bradstreet Poetry

4102

A Poetic Message of Hope by Anne Bradstreet

3 pages / 897 words

Anne Bradstreet’s poetry serves as a profound exploration of hope amidst the inevitability of death. Living in a Puritan community characterized by hardship and high mortality rates, Bradstreet’s work reflects the struggles of her contemporaries while simultaneously offering them solace and a perspective that transcends...

Anne Bradstreet Poetry

4103

How The Past is Illustrated in The 20th Century Drama

2 pages / 852 words

George Santayana’s well-known saying, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it,” has become a staple in both political rhetoric and academic discourse. Despite its cliché status, the truth behind this statement remains significant, especially in the context of American drama from...

Angels in America Drama

4104

Swamplandia as The Modern Southern Novel

3 pages / 1431 words

Karen Russell’s modern Southern novel, Swamplandia! is informed by various works of Southern Literature through different time periods. It is through the use of themes and motifs specific to literature of the American South that Swamplandia! gets its confirmation as a modern interpretation of the...

Book Review Novel