W.B. Yeats was an immensely popular poet in his time, and for good reason. His poems resonate with readers for their beauty and themes. In fact, his poem, “When You Are Old,” very simply identifies aging in a creative way. These themes include universal ideas of nature, solitude, and peace. In this post, we examine his poem “The Lake Isle of Innisfree,” which discusses these ideas. While one of his most popular, the poem is eternal in its meaning.
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The Rough and Rustic Writings of Jack London
Tales of exploration, violence, and humanity’s struggle against nature permeate the writings of Jack London. In a past post, we discussed a fantastic story by the author, but, today, we are going to look at London’s life and times to glean some of the significance of his upbringing, which, hopefully, will help us better understand how his experiences impacted his work as a vivid storyteller and weaver of adventures.
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A look at “They’re Made Out of Meat” by Terry Bisson
“They’re Made Out of Meat” by Terry Bisson is an excellent work of fiction for many reasons. It also often appears in school curriculum due to its subject matter and creativeness. In this post, we are going to analyze the story’s background, structure, and unique POV.
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An Author in Many Forms: Richard Matheson
Richard Matheson is a great, unsung hero of literature. While he is well-known in writerly circles, he often seems vacant from mainstream discussion. Nevertheless, he may be one of the most talented horror authors and genre writers of all time. This is because he writes in a modern, straightforward way that speaks to a universal audience. His style is utilitarian, and has no frills or accoutrement. Putting it plainly, he is just a brilliant writer with an equitable style. In this post, we will analyze his history and his style.
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Should you pay to enter a writing contest?
A few months ago, I submitted a short story to a writing contest that required a $20 entrance fee. I have never paid to submit my writing before. Mostly, this is because I have verifiable evidence that writers don’t make enough money to consider contest deals. However, it was a writing contest, so I thought, what the heck!? Long story short, I did not win (I didn’t even get a pity publication even though they stipulated that there was a chance, but I honestly don’t think I understood the market that well). I was also out $20, which is kind of a bummer because that could have been money for late-night writing fuel (coffee, probably).
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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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Exploring Sestina Poem Examples and Their Unique Features
Poems are a fun, complex thing. They can take many forms, from acrostic to haikus. Likewise, some poems take the sestina verse form, which have their own complex way about them. In this post, we will define these types of poems and look at a few examples.
Continue reading Exploring Sestina Poem Examples and Their Unique FeaturesHow to understand the sestina verse form
Poems are a fun, complex thing. They can take many forms, from acrostic to haikus. Likewise, some poems take the sestina verse form, which have their own complex way about them. In this post, we will define these types of poems and look at a few examples.
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James Joyce: Author of “Finnegans Wake” and “Ulysses”
James Joyce falls right in line with modernist literature, although his work can be difficult to digest, unlike other modernist writers. However, as we know, just because literature can be difficult doesn’t mean we should discard it. For today’s post, let’s take a look at Joyce’s life and a few major works.
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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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