Talk about the rise creative nonfiction as a genre and works from it that are growing in popularity. (Such as the novel Wild and its movie adaptation.)
It's a vast topic historically and one of the best selling and marketed genres today, so a narrowing of scope; or, perhaps a new historical comparison of varied genres covering the same topic, emphasizing what creative non-fiction brings to the table. – thistle9 years ago
What is the importance of Orwell's work in which he critiqued Totalitarianism (1984) and Imperialism (Burmese Days)?
The Topic is the title of the late Christopher Hitchens' book on Orwell's import. – thistle9 years ago
It certainly is thistle, I have enjoyed many of Christopher Hitchens' writings. But it can still be used as a topic by anyone on The Artifice who is an admirer of Orwell's work. – Ryan Errington9 years ago
One of the more interesting aspects of Tolkien and his work are the subtle and not so subtle commentaries of various topics. Some parallels could between with his work and Christian lore and doctrine.
Tolkien and C.S. Lewis were good friends, and Lewis certainly wrote with a ton of religious themes. I know there is some documentation of their discussions about religion somewhere, which would certainly be worth looking up. – G Anderson Lake9 years ago
Tolkien himself always claimed his stories were not allegorical. – Kristian Wilson9 years ago
Sauron would be parallel to the devil, Saruman to Judas... but where do characters like Grima and Gandalf fit? – SpectreWriter9 years ago
I read Fatherland (Robert Harris) last year and was swept away by it. It is located in an alternative world in which Nazi Germany won WW2 and now controls under the "Greater German Reich" most of Central/Eastern Europe and well into Russia/the old Soviet Union.
It's also a page-turner of a thriller with murder investigation, and creates this whole alternative world (for example, Switzerland as the eternal independent bank next door) in a very believable way even though it's now absurd.
I can think of other ones too:
Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels are both well thought out – in an entirely mad yet brilliant way- and very, very funny.
Margaret Atwood does a great post-apocalyptic future world in The Year of the Flood and Oryx and Crake, which are both set in the same universe and are chronologically interlinked (though both can be read and enjoyed on their own).
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell is an alternate history/fantasy novel which manages to do both the historical world building and the fantasy bit really well.
Personally, I find Kurt Vonnegut's "Slaughter House Five" to have an interesting setting(s), which by the way is set before, during, and after the bombing of Dresden, Germany. In some scenes, Billy, the main character, is sent to a faraway galaxy on the planet, Tralfamadore(excuse if misspelled), where he is put on display in a human zoo. Of course, we don't know if the main character is reliable, but regardless, it's pretty cool to have a historical fiction novel set in outer space. Also, Conrad McCarthy's "The Road" is set in a post-apocalyptic world that somehow seems almost realistic as the reader follows the father and his son down south while they keep an eye out for cannibals. Of course, what may be interesting to you may be interesting to someone else. I'm only in college, so I probably haven't read as many books as you have. – Kathagirl9 years ago
I love erotica as a genre both in literature and films. I have a massive list of all erotica ever written somewhere. For some reason female erotic writers write better-or it appeals to me more.
For me what appeals in this genre have little to do with actual sex (or overtly graphic sex). It is the sensual details-the weather, the house, the organic vibe.
There isn't much quality writeups on this topic.
Yes, I agree women write erotica very well. Perhaps it could be an exploration of Anne Rice writing her Vampire novels vs. her writing as A.N. Roquelaure in the Sleeping Beauty Trilogy vs. her writing as Anne Rampling for her book Exit to Eden. Or an exploration of Anais Nin and her work in erotica. – Venus Echos9 years ago
What makes "bad" erotic literature would also need to be discussed. In my personal opinion, its when the author doesn't create a compelling romance or when things move to fast. The best and most compelling romance, at least in my opinion, are the ones that take their time. Each partner in the romance is explored well enough on their own, that it makes sense why these characters fall in love in the first place. There are so many cliches in the erotica/romance genre as well. – Cagney9 years ago
This is a very interesting topic and I am definitely interested in reading an article about this. When people think about erotica literature, they tend to only think of
50 Shades of Grey" and similar novels. No one ever discusses the main idea behind it, like you said, "the sensual details."
It might be interesting to compare to "Blue Is the Warmest Color," or watch the documentary, "This Film Is Not Yet Rated." It discusses the censorship of female pleasure, which might be helpful for your article. – Nicole Wethington9 years ago
It might be good to look at Kate Chopin (The Awakening) and relating it to similar works. Perhaps you can compare traditional views of sex and it's "purposes" to newer, sexual awakening-type views? For example: to many people, in media it is okay for a male to enjoy sex, but if a female enjoys it she is a slut. Or the double standard of acceptance of male pleasure over female pleasure? Or pleasure in general?
I hope that this was helpful! – Nicole Wethington9 years ago
J. K. Rowling has given fans of the Harry Potter franchise plenty of extra details well after the series of books were finished. Most recently she's revealed Moaning Myrtle's full name, but has also stated that Dumbledore is gay and said she regrets killing Florean Fortescue. What is the purpose of these additional details, and is she right to give them?
It is good to keep in mind that some writers make their world so big, that they have to leave out a lot of small, but interesting details. This why fans love Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, because there is so much fun and interesting facts hidden in these series. – Aaron Hatch9 years ago
Is it ever possible to create a world so fully developed that no details go unquestioned? Rowling feeds the Harry Potter-starved masses by giving little snippets of the untold story in short bursts and I think she does it because she genuinely loves that world and the audience who embraced that world. There is however, 5% of me that says she is leveraging her audience to maintain relevant in literature - and I applaud her for it. If your hard work created this huge fanbase, use it! – CDASUN9 years ago
As to the purpose/existence of these tidbits: Rowling created a whole universe, and thus she would have known these kinds of facts for years as she was writing. Releasing this info after the fact ought not to change one's attitude or perspective of the character--the trait existed all along despite our lack of awareness. This universe was so expansive that she would have HAD to know information like this to keep her characters from blending into one another. For example, I've heard that George RR Martin has massive, copious notes about all of his characters (yes, ALL of them) in order to keep the most integrity with each character's portrayal. Is she right to announce this? Well, who else would be! As one who grew up with Harry, Ron, & Hermione, I love hearing these little snippets as she releases them. It's like getting an update about lifelong friends who have only just kept in touch. It also is probably cathartic for her to revive the magic on occasion for herself and her fans. – Nicole9 years ago
A lot of Stephen King's early work is heavily from the perspective of children – IT, The Shining, Salem's Lot, Pet Sematary and even Cujo all have children as prominent characters. What does this mean in terms of how he creates fear? The antagonists are usually based on childhood fears and made-up monsters, so how does he use children to exaggerate this? Could also mention Children of the Corn too, with the children as the antagonists.
Would Carrie also count? I mean she is teenager which is that weird in between place of adulthood and childhood. – Cagney9 years ago
The Girl on the Train became an instant bestseller, centering on a woman named Rachel who takes the train daily, observing a young couple from her window. When the young wife disappears, Rachel is convinced she witnessed an event relevant to the case. The Girl on the Train was soon compared to Gillian Flynn's novel Gone Girl. In this article, analyze the characters and what does the author say about marriage. Lastly, explore misogyny depicted in the book.
I have read the book and seen the film and have found some irony in the concept of marriage. Marriage plays a huge part in the unraveling of the entire story! Keeping this in mind can help explore deeper – Brittanie8 years ago
