English 021 Creative Reading

Weblog - Entries for began
Powerful Young Heroes
E3 Haroun Alice
by began

Through the Looking Glass and Haroun and the Sea of Stories both feature young, pre-adolescent protagonists who still are capable of incredible actions. Although Lewis Carroll and Salman Rushdie were both, in comparison to children, old, they wrote these novels through the eyes of kids. Salman Rushdie wrote his book...
[Entire post]

May 12, 2005, 01:56 PM
What It is Called vs. What it Is
8 Carroll
by began

Taking into account the title Through the Looking Glass itself, the White Knight’s poem fits best with the title “Ways and Means.” Although the poem focuses on the Knight and the old man he encounters, it still should be called “Ways and Means.” Carroll writes, “The song is called...
[Entire post]

May 05, 2005, 01:34 PM
Literally a Hill, Hyperbolically a Valley
7 Carroll
by began

During Alice’s early encounter with the Red Queen, Alice takes a phrase of the queen to be literal when it is not the intention at all, and it provides an early rift in their relationship. Alice says, “I thought I’d try and find my way to the top of that...
[Entire post]

April 28, 2005, 01:59 PM
Haroun's Happy Ending
6 Rushdie
by began

The end of Haroun’s adventure is happy, as the biggest problem that Haroun has throughout the novel is resolved. Rushdie writes, “After his mother left home, Haroun found that he couldn’t keep his mind on anything for very long” (23). The fleeing of his mother, Soraya, captures Haroun, and his...
[Entire post]

April 21, 2005, 01:26 PM
Poetry's Possession of Power
E2 Possession
by began

Possession is the consummate work of literature for investigative readers who wish to connect written poetry to real life. A.S. Byatt supplies connections between the written word and reality that stress the value of the substance of literature. Randolph Henry Ash’s and Christabel LaMotte’s poems contain references to their secret,...
[Entire post]

April 14, 2005, 01:30 PM
Blanche's verification through poetry
5 Byatt
by began

For Blanche Glover, poetry provides the truth about Ash and Christabel that she otherwise cannot ascertain. Ash’s poem “Swammerdam,” as well as the letters between Ash and Christabel, gives Blanche enough evidence to confirm the affair. In a letter to Ellen Ash, Blanche writes, “You did wrong to keep my...
[Entire post]

April 05, 2005, 01:46 PM
Blanche's Possession
4 Byatt
by began

Blanche Glover demonstrates the 3a definition of possession (“domination by something”). In this case, her realization of Christabel and Ash’s relationship dominates her writing and actions. From the early moments of this affair, Blanche shows hints that this acquaintanceship is scandalous, as her “brain is filled full of vague images,...
[Entire post]

March 29, 2005, 02:27 PM
Coincidence of Loneliness in Pale Fire
E1 Pale Fire
by began

There are connections in life that often seem like they are completely unrelated and are often explained as mere coincidences. Conversely, when connections in texts are located, readers assume the author made a deliberate attempt to emphasize a certain theme or symbol. Vladimir Nabokov?s Pale Fire is filled with coincidences...
[Entire post]

March 08, 2005, 01:27 PM
Apocalyptic Motif Throughout Pale Fire
3 Nabokov
by began

Although there seems to be an intentional gap between John Shade’s poem and Charles Kinbote’s commentary, Vladimir Nabokov repeatedly hints at an apocalyptic motif in relation to death, found in both “Canto 1” as well as Kinbote’s foreword and footnotes. Shade explains to his reader at the outset of the...
[Entire post]

February 17, 2005, 02:11 PM
Empathy for the Reader who Works for it
2 Wallace
by began

David Foster Wallace’s unique and often headache-inducing style of writing promotes empathy to the reader who is willing to struggle through the text and critically think about its true meaning. In fact, the only chance the reader has at fully understanding Wallace is by forcing himself to somehow relate...
[Entire post]

February 10, 2005, 02:05 PM
Fatal/ Fated/ Death?
1 Wilde
by began

Upon first glance, it appears preposterous to think that believing in Willie Hughes is fatal. However, Oscar Wilde, known for double (or triple) meanings and tricky dialect in nearly every sentence he writes, uses the word “fatal” to provoke his reader to delve deeper. The first thoughts that the...
[Entire post]

February 03, 2005, 02:06 PM
Brendan's Test
Test
by began

This thing wouldn't let me add a new entry until today. I apologize to everyone who was eagerly awaiting what I had to say....
[Entire post]

February 01, 2005, 12:39 PM