Genre Essays

Unreeling by Kent Thompson is a very short story, confusing at that. The story starts with the narrator saying that Helen, presumably his wife or partner, has left him and moved back to 1930. Either this is meant literally or figuratively, but looking at it realistically, the author probably meant that Helen’s mind has moved […]

Something upstairs is a story based on a ghost written by Avi. The exceptional visualization and peculiar imaginative fashion of Avi is something for which he has always been known for. Numerous children’s books have been written by Avi which the young readers admire with enthusiasm. His work includes mysteries, adventure stories, fantasies, historical novels, […]

“Sonny’s Blues,” a short story by James Baldwin, does not conform to the traditional stages of narrative. The narrative does not commence with an exposition, for example. From the outset, the story immediately addresses the conflict surrounding Sonny. The narrator initially expresses concern over Sonny’s drug-related arrest and addiction. However, the primary source of conflict […]

It is a sorrowful sight to see a beloved wife mourning the loss of her husband, especially considering Mrs. Mallard’s fragile state of health. Delivering the tragic news to Mrs. and her family was a difficult task. Mrs. Mallard, who suffers from a heart disease, cannot go to her husband Brently Mallard’s funeral. The news […]

The main character in Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour”, Louise, experiences a moment of unexpected liberation due to a strange mix-up. Despite being falsely informed that her husband had died in an accident, Louise secretly rejoices at the news. The story is significant in its symbolic portrayal of the oppression of women during […]

The play “Sepang Loca” by Amelia Lapena-Bonifacio depicts the cruelty and damnation of a village’s fool by its self-righteous religious residents, which rises from the depths of a village well in Sepang Loca (Clarin, Samantha, 2009). As an English education major with exposure to various literary genres like poems, short stories, essays and drama, my […]

“A Room of One’s Own,” is an essay before its time Virginia Wolfe takes a unique approach when choosing to write her essay in the form of a fictitious novel. Wolfe wishes to bring attention and attempt to explain the injustice and prejudices women have faced in fiction. Through her essay the reader receives a […]

Junot Diaz was born in the Dominican Republic and immigrated with his family to New Jersey, where a collection of his short stories are based from. Out of that collection is a short story “Fiesta, 1980”, which was featured in The Best American Short Stories, 1997. This story is told from the perspective of an […]

My favorite character from the Dungeons & Dragons series is Drizzt Do’Urden, who features in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting. He is fearless and renowned in the series. Despite being the son of the spider queen and forced to serve her evil plans for two decades (in drow years he would be around 16), he […]

The short story, Miss Brill by Katherine Mansfield is written in third person. The story is being narrated in a manner of speaking. The reader is able to get an unbiased understanding of the main character. The point of view of the story can change the way a reader understands it. Had the story been […]

How much would you sacrifice to have the ability to make your own decisions? What would you do to be truly free; from debt, poverty, sadness, addiction, or from anything that causes you misery, pain or unhappiness? Would you risk insanity or even your life? Both “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and “The […]

Josephine’s attitudes towards her family change. At the beginning of the book Josie clung to her mother and didn’t know or understand her grandmother and father. By the end, she develops a much more mature relationship with mum and comes to understand and accept her grandmother and father. The relationship between Josie and her mother […]

In the short story “A Rose for Emily”, by William Faulkner, the entire town’s fascination with Miss Emily Grierson is motivated by her of unwavering old-fashioned values. While the town of Jefferson is slowly becoming modernized following the Civil War, Emily and her decadent house remain the last monuments of tradition. Faulkner decided to narrate […]

As I was reading the writer’s background I found out that he was a comedian and I automatically assumed that this story was going to be funny and I was wrong. Throughout the story, he tried to appeal to the reader that he was poor. He liked Helene so much so he thought he had […]

The Secret Life of Bees is an engrossing novel that resonates with readers on a personal level. Sue Monk Kidd creates an array of extraordinary characters that keep readers engaged and offer valuable insights into life. Lily Owens, the protagonist, possesses many characteristics that endear her to readers and make the book all the more […]

The Great Gatsby portrays the American dream, where individuals have the belief in achieving their desires in life, such as love, wealth, and genuine friendships. However, the book exposes this dream to be an illusion, contradicting its initial appearance. The book begins with the narrator, Nick, discussing his experiences in New York with a man […]

Have you ever felt the pressure or need to be perfect? We live in a society where perfection is a paramount and the slightest flaw separates you from the norm. Cecelia Ahern depicts this remarkably in the novel ‘Flawed’. Flawed is set in a powerful society where perfection is valued above humanity, and the protagonist […]

The two versions of The Hound of the Baskervilles show a discrepancy in different ways. Firstly, the audience get an overall view that in the 1983 version, it is more of an investigation rather than anything else. This appears to make the audience have their own theory what is to come at the end. David […]

In Tennyson’s poem ‘Mariana’ he uses the imagery of decay to help suggest the extreme isolation in which the female character exists in. The description of her surroundings ‘… rusted nails. .. broken sheds looked sad and strange … Weeded and worn the ancient thatch… the lonely moated grange.. . ‘ let us see that […]

‘Spies’ is a ‘Bildungsroman’ that traces Stephen Wheatly’s growth from childhood to adolescence. However, the novel also serves as an ‘Anti-Bildungsroman’ for Mrs. Hayward, whose maturity seems to diminish as the story unfolds. While Stephen becomes more mature, Mrs. Hayward appears increasingly childlike, particularly evident by the novel’s end. At the start of ‘Spies,’ there […]

Miss Julie was really well written by August Strindberg, there were so many forms and structure in this play for example Monologue, Duologue, Use of Chorus etc. and the play well made as the development, denouement and the exposition. The effect on the play is that it’s an naturalistic tragegy play and to put these […]

‘The Catcher In the Rye’, written by J. D. Salinger is a bildungsroman in which Holden Caulfield, a misanthropic sixteen-year-old, narrates a story concerning three, eventful days of his life. Among the several themes successfully portrayed throughout the novel, the theme of isolation is most prominent, as Holden constantly feels detached from the society in […]