Subtle contrast or irony in fiction is creative writing at its peak. For example, the values of the grandmother in Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find” or the wallpaper in Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper.” Often, these ironic contrasts cause the reader to reflect on the wider world around them. These are the things that make horror in literature palpable. Accordingly, I thought it appropriate to provide an analysis of “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson. It is a uniquely horrific tale by the author of The Haunting of Hill House.
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Strange Tales of Mystery and Imagination, A Formative Read
I have a lot of books that played a role in my literacy voyage. These include Roald Dahl’s Young Adult/Adult novels to R.L. Stine’s Goosebump series and others. But there are a few that really got me rolling on loving horror and the occult. One of which was Strange Tales of Mystery and Imagination by Alex Hamer.
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Living or Acting? The Search for Meaning in ‘My Dinner with Andre’
How do we approach life in the modern era with our eyes wide open? In My Dinner with Andre, two men sit and have a conversation about this very thing over dinner. It is a long conversation, and they cover many topics, but the theme stays the same: we are all living in a dream. I suppose the film can be construed as dull, but I believe it has important artistic value, and it’s a movie that has the power to change one’s life.
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What is ‘Analysis’ and What is ‘Literary Analysis’?
The academic world throes the word analysis around often. If you are unfamiliar with the term then that’s a little confusing, as it appears to imply numerous ways to understand one particular thing and in no particular discipline. This is okay because academia is all about how you define a term as long as you define it. This includes analysis and literary analysis.
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Social Class in “The Garden Party” by Katherine Mansfield
Regularly, you will see collections of short stories marked The Greatest Short Stories of All Time, or Short Stories to Read Before You Die. Typically, these books have a number of great stories inside. Edgar Allan Poe will undoubtedly make an appearance. So will “Beyond the Door” by Philip K. Dick, and certainly “The Other Side of the Hedge” by E. M. Forster. In addition, you might find Kate Chopin’s extraordinary “The Yellow Wallpaper,” and the following short story: “The Garden Party” by Katherine Mansfield.
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“The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W. Jacobs: Death and Dire Choices
To think about what we want in our lives, and what we could change is dangerous. In fact, it’s not only dangerous, it’s terrifying. Think: Would you wish for a better life even if you did not know the ramifications of your desires? In “The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W. Jacobs, a mother and father face this very question about their wants, desires, and futures. However, against our best wishes, the outcome is tragic.
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Close Reading Techniques for Symbolism
Have you ever been watching a movie or reading a book and thought, what is the author trying to tell me? For instance, No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy ends on a downer (book and film), but there is actually a rich story and extended metaphor to watch out for in both forms of the story. This is actually a form of symbolism, in which one thing stands for another. Thus, it’s important to focus on close reading techniques for symbolism.
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Authority Figures in Literature: Portrayal and Examples
The Sheriff of Nottingham is typically a rather looming menace in Robin Hood lore. In Howard Pyle’s The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood, he is otherwise a background antagonist who is often foiled. However, he is still an authority figure and sets out to stop Robin Hood and capture the outlaw once and for all. This is just one example of authority figures in literature.
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“An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce: Analysis
When I was in middle school, I had the privilege of seeing a collection of popular short stories performed as plays for my entire middle school class. The plays were cleverly sequenced: horror/comedy/horror/comedy. These stories included “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell, “The Mouse” by Saki, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce and “The Ransom of Red Chief” by O’Henry. My adolescent brain loved these stories and I remember that event fondly.
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The continuing horror of ‘More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark’
Nightmare fuel is kind of my buzzword for Halloween, used in the best possible way of course. Previously, we analyzed Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. In that post, we discussed Alvin Schwartz’s nightmarish tales and Stephen Gammell’s tremendously monstrous artwork. The sequel is without a doubt similar as the first book. Yet, sometimes the stories and images are even darker than the previous offering. In this post, we are going to look at More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Schwartz.
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