English 104 - Introduction to Narrative
Nicole Colucci
The Struggle Between Generations for Narrative Control
Category: 2 Essay: Carroll, Twain, Faulkner, Sebold | Nicole Colucci
Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland and Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn depict the struggles of adolescents grappling to embark on journeys of self-discovery. Both Alice and Huck Finn are eager to grow and mature, driven by a desire to escape their monotonous, rule-ridden lives. However, their endeavors to gain...
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Posted by ncolucci on December 09, 2003 at 04:03 AM
Susie's Ironic Obsession with Sex
Category: 10 Blog: The Lovely Bones | Nicole Colucci
Because Susie’s single sexual experience is so traumatic, one might expect that she would instinctively associate sex with pain, fear and sin. On the contrary, she seems to develop a peculiar obsession with the sexual attraction and experiences of her friends and family on Earth. When Samuel Heckler comes to...
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Posted by ncolucci on December 04, 2003 at 02:02 AM
The Emergence of a Reliable Narrator?
Category: 09 Blog: As I Lay Dying | Nicole Colucci
The placement of Addie’s monologue between that of Cora and Whitfield’s is significant because it contrasts two insincere, superficially religious characters (Cora and Whitfield) with Addie, who is straightforward in her neglect for the importance of prayer as a result of disillusionment. Both Cora and Whitfield hypocritically stress the need...
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Posted by ncolucci on November 25, 2003 at 02:35 AM
Can Silence Speak Louder Than Words?
Category: 08 Blog: As I Lay Dying | Nicole Colucci
Addie and Cora have contrasting wishes for their respective deaths. While Cora hopes to “be surrounded by loving faces” (23), Addie would rather die alone than be embraced by family members whose love is forced and superficial. Addie explains, “I would think how words go straight up in a thin...
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Posted by ncolucci on November 18, 2003 at 01:15 AM
Huck's Ultimate Test of Character: Pass or Fail?
Category: 07 Blog: Huckleberry Finn | Nicole Colucci
The ending of Huckleberry Finn is dissatisfying, but furthermore, disturbing. When Tom admits his past knowledge of Jim’s freedom, readers are forced to re-evaluate their perception of Tom’s seemingly naïve, innocent schemes. Readers can no longer view his elaborate plots as childish and innocuous; rather, they are evidence of...
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Posted by ncolucci on November 11, 2003 at 12:11 AM
Twain's Satire at Work
Category: 06 Blog: Huckleberry Finn | Nicole Colucci
Huck recognizes the debauchery of the Duke and the King’s behavior. For example, Huck describes the con men’s scheme to swindle the Wilks sisters out of their inheritance as “just sickening” (178). Nevertheless, he allows them to continue down the river on the raft. Huck behaves this way partly out...
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Posted by ncolucci on November 04, 2003 at 12:39 AM
Be True to Your Feelings
Category: 05 Blog: Huckleberry Finn | Nicole Colucci
There is a growing disparity between Huck’s treatment of Jim and his true feelings toward Jim as an individual. In the early chapters, there are multiple instances in which Huck disparages Jim through either demeaning comments in his narrative or through his debasing schemes. He makes remarks such as “I...
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Posted by ncolucci on October 28, 2003 at 02:24 AM
Nelly and the Governess: Passive Victims of Social Class Injustice?
Category: 11 Essay: James and Bronte | Nicole Colucci
Class conflict is evident in both Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights and Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw. Class structure is upheld in Wuthering Heights as characters generally conform to societal checks, illustrated, for example, by Catherine’s decision to marry Edgar for social eminence. Conversely, the social structure in...
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Posted by ncolucci on October 22, 2003 at 11:54 PM
Illuminating Thought Processes
Category: 04 Blog: Alice in Wonderland | Nicole Colucci
While the third person narrator of Alice in Wonderland does not make deliberate, opinionated statements, his/her judgments and societal criticisms can be inferred through the portrayal of Alice. Alice’s dialogue generally reveals the most about her character, but the narration is illuminating as well because it encompasses Alice’s behavior...
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Posted by ncolucci on October 06, 2003 at 08:48 PM
Can little Catherine escape the fateful cycle?
Category: 03 Blog: Wuthering Heights | Nicole Colucci
Little Catherine reveals many of her mother’s traits; however, their personalities diverge as the younger embarks on womanhood. While it seems that the characters in Wuthering Heights are fated to fall prey to the tragic cycles that plague each family, little Catherine displays the potential to escape. Nelly, who...
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Posted by ncolucci on September 29, 2003 at 10:34 AM
Tell-Tale Undertones
Category: 02 Blog: Wuthering Heights | Nicole Colucci
Though ostensibly Nelly is portrayed as a reliable narrator, her biased opinion frequently shines through and should not be disregarded by readers. It is important to consider, first of all, the fact that Nelly grew up waiting on Catherine’s every need. It is only natural for Nelly to be...
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Posted by ncolucci on September 23, 2003 at 02:02 AM
Framing by Windows
Category: 01 Blog: Turn of the Screw | Nicole Colucci
After entering Flora’s room late at night to find the child gazing through the window at an apparition, the Governess immediately seeks another window through which she, too, can witness the meeting. She first considers the window in Miles’s room, contemplating whether she will find him engaging in a...
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Posted by ncolucci on September 16, 2003 at 12:54 AM
Practice
Category: Nicole Colucci
Everyone loves Intro to Narrative! Everyone loves Intro to Narrative! Everyone loves Intro to Narrative! Everyone loves Intro to Narrative! Everyone loves Intro to Narrative! Everyone loves Intro to Narrative! Everyone loves Intro to Narrative! Everyone loves Intro to Narrative! Everyone loves Intro to Narrative!...
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Posted by ncolucci on September 11, 2003 at 12:40 AM