Category Archives: LITERATURE

LITERATURE: Aristotle’s Poetics

One thing I do like about what little I may have read of Aristotle, is that it does seem fairly clearly laid out.  The opening: I propose to treat of Poetry in itself and of its various kinds, noting the … Continue reading Continue reading

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LITERATURE: Ploughshares – Nameless

Why in the name of all that is sacred and hallowed do I feel this great need to finish every story I start to read?  Is it the artist granting his fellows due respect?  Is it to learn how not … Continue reading Continue reading

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LITERATURE: Ploughshares – The Lunatics’ Eclipse

Another good one in this same Fall 200 issue, by Randa Jarrar.  Qamar, a young girl who decides at nine she wants the moon for a neighbor boy who marries another before Qamar is fully grown.  She becomes a ballerina, … Continue reading Continue reading

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LITERATURE: Kafka and the Detective Novel

Good reading at The Reading Experience (always, but) in this post called Blind Alleys expanding on Steve Mitchelmore’s quote regarding Kafka’s sense of tying in narrative through motif, imagery and concepts, versus the clues cluttering the crime novel that point … Continue reading Continue reading

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LITERATURE: Aristotle’s Poetics

Took a peek at the reading list provided by the kind professor (who should have well been rid of me by now) and found the first item, Aristotle’s Poetics available online and checked it out. Scanning it briefly, I found … Continue reading Continue reading

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LITERATURE: Next Up

While I’m antsy to pick up another novel after finishing Atwood, I am a bit reluctant as I’ve noticed that I tend to focus on that exclusively and do not keep up with the plan to concurrently read five books … Continue reading Continue reading

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LITERATURE: Alias Grace – Finale

Finished Margaret Atwood’s Alias Grace the other day, and have been attempting to plan this wrap-up post in some semblance of organization and importance. A brief synopsis of the ending:  While the hypnosis session by Dr. Dupont (Jeremiah the pedlar) … Continue reading Continue reading

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LITERATURE: Alias Grace – Tension

Naturally, with the deed done and the suspects either hanged or imprisoned at the start of the book, the burden of maintaining tension within the retelling of the story lies in the building up to the moment based on the … Continue reading Continue reading

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LITERATURE: Alias Grace – New Depths

I do, I do, I do have lots to say about more predawn reading, but must frame quickly ten small Chinese papercuts into little golden frames before this client walks through my shop door.  However, as a teaser: Suddenly he … Continue reading Continue reading

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LITERATURE: Alias Grace – Credibility

While the use of Grace’s first person narrative voice in the retelling of her story to the point at which the story begins is exciting in its intimacy (as posted previously), something about it is starting to bother me. Grace … Continue reading Continue reading

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LITERATURE: Alias Grace – Leit-Motif

How remiss to have neglected to mention the quilt as the leit-motif in Alias Grace, but it seemed so obvious that I find it hard to believe that a writer such as Atwood would use it to imply any hidden … Continue reading Continue reading

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LITERATURE: Alias Grace – Narrator

A thought on Atwood’s choice of telling story via the first person of the protagonist, Grace Marks and the question of reliable narrator (God help me, I hope I have this term correct, being on the brink of senility as … Continue reading Continue reading

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LITERATURE: Alias Grace – Backstory

Atwood employs the use of tale-telling in braiding the past with the present in the story of Grace Marks.  She has in the first few pages of the book used exposition to present the reader with the situation:  A young … Continue reading Continue reading

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LITERATURE: Ploughshares Update

Just discovered that some of these stories may be read online, and in finding the link to Ploughshares for the previous post, I’ve found the story by Miles Harvey that I discussed (or, I suppose I should say "held forth" … Continue reading Continue reading

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LITERATURE: And Blogging Links

Well you find some interesting sites by occasionally checking your stats, and to my surprise and delight I not only found myself quoted on MetaxuCafe (look in the center column under Litblog Highlights–though I don’t know how long it will … Continue reading Continue reading

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