Author of 20th Century Ghosts Joe Hill is something truly unique. While it has many great short stories inside, it also showcases the talents of an author capable of moving through multiple genres. Through this collection Hill has put together one of the finest assemblages of short stories in recent memory. While sounding hyperbolic, it is true. The sheer quality of the novel places it high on a literary pedestal.
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“Beyond the Wall” by Ambrose Bierce
“Beyond the Wall” is a supernatural short story by American author Ambrose Bierce. It is a horror story that utilizes some tried and true tropes in the horror genre, and comes from Bierce’s collection of ghost stories titled Can Such Things Be? published Jan. 1, 1893. The horror of this story is a slow burn, and explores gothic elements discreetly, such as slowly creeping questions of sanity and failure to understand ones own guilt, sin, and failure to take action.
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Infamous book burnings of history
“It was a pleasure to burn. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed.” — Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451
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Knowledge on fire: why do book burnings happen?
At the end of the endearing Kevin Bacon film Footloose (1984), John Lithgow, playing the antagonist Rev. Shaw Moore, realizes he has created a truly noxious environment of zealotry and closemindedness after his ban on dancing results in his flock piling books into a big pile with the intention to set it ablaze. Book burnings are a byproduct of fascist ideology in this case. Luckily, Lithgow convinces everybody to stop their staunch, entrenched antics, and therefore has an epiphany that resisting difference with extreme prejudice is not the right course of action.
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Four Books Stopped by Death
I can’t tell you how many books, short stories, essays, and gosh knows what else I’ve started and never finished. Thinking about it makes me feel a little queasy. However, it’s not uncommon in the writing world for authors of any stature, from novice to expert, to set aside works because they lack the knowledge, skill, or motivation to complete them. What follows is a collection of four books stopped by death.
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A Yankee in King Arthur’s Court by Mark Twain Overview
Today we are going to take a brief look at the Preface and A Word of Explanation sections of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court by Mark Twain. In these sections we learn a little about our protagonist and a sort of metacognitive narrator who stumbles into him. Additionally, we are going to learn about the protagonist. We will glean a great deal from his thoughts about the new, albeit old, world that he now inhabits. If you have never read this book, this post will help guide you.
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A Literacy Narrative: Inspiration, Challenges, and Achievements
The years fall off a lot faster now, as I suppose they are meant to when you get older. There is gray in my beard, and I am more forgetful than I used to be. I also get tired a lot more often. I am in my mid-30s now, and I think about what I thought I would be doing at this point of my life when I was kid. Luckily, I’m not too far off from my younger imagination. At least, my writing journey has brought me to where I am now.
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Robin Hood’s Portrayal in Ballads, Songs, and Poems
In many of Robin Hood’s early interpretations in ballads, Robin is quite different from what we know in modern society. In these songs and ballads, Robin Hood is far more blood thirsty and vengeance seeking. That is, he does not take things lightly when it comes to slights of his character and honor. Robin Hood, though more violent, still believes in justice. He stands against those who would do acts of corruption, such as the foresters, sheriffs, and the like. In this post, we are going to take a look at a few Robin Hood’s portrayal in ballads an poems.
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A Look at the Life and Times of L. Frank Baum
In order to understand a novel, we have to understand everything about the book. These factors include the author, the society, and the history to truly understand the nuances and messages we are supposed to take away as readers. In this post, we are going to look at the life and times of L. Frank Baum, the author of The Wizard of Oz.
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The Michigan Dogman: Mystery and History
Have you ever seen bigfoot in the woods? What about the mysterious Michigan Dogman? You can be sure that many people in the Midwest have thought about a hairy cryptid from time to time. Whether that be Bigfoot or another unusual monster is up to the imagination. In this post, we are going to discuss the regionally specific cryptid known as the Dogman of Wexford Country.
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