classics
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More Thoughts on Eternal Human Themes: Classic Poet Dickinson and Instagram Writer Kate Baer
While different thematic movements in poetry utilize different strategies to create meaning, the art that results has often challenged social conventions in the same way. Romanticism and the poets of the movement enforced strict boundaries around creating poetry from how many syllables there could be per line, rhyme structures, and stanza structures. Modernist poets have Continue reading
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Humanity, Alterity, and the Responsibility of Creation: Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s Frankenstein and Milton’s Paradise Lost
I’ve written before about the theme of responsibility in creation as seen in Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s Frankenstein, and today I want to go a step further by pointing out the parallels between the aforementioned novel and another culturally significant literary work- John Milton’s Paradise Lost. The original paper I wrote on this was ten pages Continue reading
adam, alterity, analysis, atheism, book, books, creation, divinity, doctor, feliz culpa, frankenstein, frankensteins' monster, God, hierarchy, horror, humanity, John, Lost, lucifer, Mary, mary-shelley, Milton, monster, Paradise, religion, responsibility, sci-fi, science-fiction, Shelley, theism, Wollstonecraft -
Is Lydia Bennet a ‘Feminist’ Character?
Lydia Bennet does not conform to the traditional expectations for a woman of her age and marital status within the setting of Pride and Prejudice, but that is not because she is a feminist ‘ahead of her time,’ instead, the patriarchy’s expectations and structure are what dictate her actions in the novel. In her book, Continue reading
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Notes on Disability in Johanna Spyri’s Childhood Classic Heidi
Before I begin I’d like to make a note that I am aware this article is nit-picky. Heidi is a children’s book, and it is quite an older one at that. I do not expect some sort of politically correct representation from it, nor do I dislike the novel in any way. In fact, I Continue reading
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Pride and Prejudice- Charlotte’s Marriage was just as Logical as Elizebeth’s (if not more so)
Jane Austen’s classic 1813 novel Pride and Prejudice stars a girl with ideas and goals that are seen by her father, and evidently by the narrator, as more mature than her peers, including her mother, sisters, and best friend Charlotte. The portrayal of Charlotte’s marriage in the book ultimately illustrates how the novel fails to Continue reading
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Notes on Maladaptive Daydreaming and Other Coping Mechanisms in A Little Princess
Sara Crewe is an adorable and good-natured character written by Francis Hodgson Burnett. As a kid, I loved the Shirley Temple movie version as well as the “og” book. Sara really does reflect a princess out of a Disney movie with her hope and positivity transcending her circumstances even to the point of horrific abuse Continue reading
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Frankenstein and the Responsibility of Creation
Is the creator of a living being directly responsible for the care of the creature after birth and are they indirectly responsible for the creature’s mistakes? I was thinking of what the central theme of Frankenstein could be, and I settled on this. In Mary Shelley’s novel the central character, Victor, after years of studying Continue reading
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Lady Macbeth Was Never a Feminist Icon
Lady Macbeth is hailed as a character who defies gender roles and the patriarchy, but is actually nothing of the sort, as her ideas of masculinity and the role she chooses to play prove her the opposite. In fact, Lady Macbeth upholds the patriarchy and encourages stereotypical gender roles. Her reaction to the letter when Continue reading
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I think Brave New World is the Best Written Dystopia
Aldous Huxley wrote Brave New World in the 1930s as a warning against controlling governments. As one of the first dystopian novels written, Brave New World’s themes have been repeated in other dystopian novels throughout literary history. However, these novels fail to capture the true complexities that plague society in reality. Despite its extreme social Continue reading
About Me
My name is Madeline, and I’m a reader and a writer. On this platform I will be sharing my analyses and observations on what I read in addition to some reviews.
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