Tag: Literaray criticism
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Talk From the Animals: Anthropomorphic (Auto)Biographies in Fiction
Blessings on thee, dog of mine,Pretty collars make thee fine,Sugared milk make fat thee !Pleasures wag on in thy tail —Hands of gentle motion failNevermore, to pat thee ! – from “To Flush, My Dog” (Elizabeth Barrett Browning) This week, I wanted to take a look at an interesting literary subgenre: books about animals told…
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Women Down: Fact, Fiction, and the Feminist Novellas of the Marys Wollstonecraft
“In an artless tale, without episodes, the mind of a woman, who has thinking powers is displayed. The female organs have been thought too weak for this arduous employment; and experience seems to justify the assertion. Without arguing physically about possibilities—in a fiction, such a being may be allowed to exist; whose grandeur is derived…
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Mister Sandman: Artemidorus’ Oneirokritikon and the Surprising Science of Ancient Dream Interpretation
Caroline: I had this dream…Lloyd: Do we have to do dreams?Caroline: I’m in this restaurant, and the waiter brings me my entree. It was a salad. It was Lloyd’s head on a plate of spinach with his penis sticking out of his ear. And I said, “I didn’t order this.” And the waiter said, “Oh…
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Empire and Imagination: The Victorian Middle Ages and Arthur Conan Doyle’s The White Company
“So they lived, these men, in their own lusty, cheery fashion rude and rough, but honest, kindly and true. Let us thank God if we have outgrown their vices. Let us pray to God that we may ever hold their virtues. The sky may darken, and the clouds may gather, and again the day may…
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Into the Open Air: Barbara Newhall Follett, The House Without Windows, and Life Imitating Art
“She would be invisible forever to all mortals, save those few who have minds to believe, eyes to see. To these she is ever present, the spirit of Nature—a sprite of the meadow, a naiad of lakes, a nymph of the woods.” — The House Without Windows (p. 205) In 2002-ish, when I was graduating…
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Archetype and Innovation: The Little Clay Cart and Classical Indian Theatre
“The rapacious greed of prostitutes robbed you of everything. No age has heard of a prostitute wanting to have compassion on another or to spare the passions which in a certain way they are able to consume.” – Fulco of Deuil to Peter Abelard (12th century CE) “Such a woman, the jewel of our city,…
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Sita Speaks: Chandrabati’s Ramayan and the Many Voices of Indian Storytelling
If I start telling the story of my misfortunes/ A blazing fire is ignited somewhere – Sita in Chandrabati’s Ramayan Sing his love, sing his praise/ Rama set his wife ablaze./ Got her home, kicked her out/ To allay his people’s doubt. — Sita Sings the Blues Since I’ve finally tired myself of dragging you all around…
Sarah Holz 