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Strawberry Spring by Stephen King Short Story Analysis
“Strawberry Spring” is a short “Jack the Ripper” story by American writer Stephen King. But rather than Jack the Ripper, King utilises Victorian folklore around a figure known as Springheel Jack.
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Steven Spielberg’s Duel Film Analysis
Duel is a 1971 TV movie, which became a feature film and launched the career of American director Steven Spielberg.
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Click Clack the Rattle Bag by Neil Gaiman Analysis
“Click Clack the Rattle Bag” is a short Halloween story by British author Neil Gaiman. The author first published it on in 2012 as part of All Hallow’s Read.
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Hunters in the Snow by Tobias Wolff Analysis
“Hunters in the Snow” (1976) is a short story by American author Tobias Wolff. Find it in Wolff’s collection titled In the Garden of the North American Martyrs.
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Encounter by Noel Hilliard Short Story Analysis
“Encounter” is a 1971 short story by New Zealand author Noel Hilliard (1929-1996). Find it in New Zealand’s famous 20th century literary magazine Landfall, which is now available online. LANDFALL, VOLUME TWENTY-FIVE, NO. 3, 1971 p. 270 NOEL HILLIARD’S WRITING STYLE As you read “Encounter”, consider if you agree with the following assessment of Hilliard’s…
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What Is A Chronotope?
According to Russian literary theorist Mikhail Bakhtin (1895–1975), a chronotope is a type of image which fuses space in a time in a concrete and meaningful way. He introduced this term in 1937. The word chronotope comes by way of Russian from the Greek words for time and place. Think chronology + topography smooshed together. But when…
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How I Met My Husband by Alice Munro Short Story Analysis
The narrator of “How I Met My Husband” has a different voice from most other characters by Canadian author Alice Munro.
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Gravity by David Leavitt Short Story Analysis
“Gravity” is a short story by David Leavitt, born 1961. I’m reading it in The Oxford Book of American Short Stories edited by Joyce Carol Oates (1992), though it was first published in 1990 in Leavitt’s A Place I’ve Never Been collection. This gay writer had his first collection published at the age of twenty-three…
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Raven and Crow Symbolism
What does the raven symbolise in art and literature? Also, how do different cultures view ravens, and how are ravens different from crows?
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Cookie Jar by Stephen King Short Story Analysis
What do you imagine of when you think “cookie jar”? Grandmothers? Buttery, sweet snacks? Cosy kitchens? Sesame Street?
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An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge Analysis
“An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge” is an 1890 short story by Ambrose Bierce, one of Bierce’s most famous works and an American classic.
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Tell Me Yes Or No by Alice Munro Short Story Analysis
“Tell Me Yes Or No” is a short story by Canadian author Alice Munro. Find it in Something I’ve Been Meaning To Tell You (1974).
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Heat by Joyce Carol Oates Short Story Analysis
“Heat” is a short story by American author Joyce Carol Oates, and an interesting example of omniscient first person narration.
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The Way Up To Heaven by Roald Dahl Short Story Analysis
“The Way Up To Heaven” is a short story by Roald Dahl. Find it in Dahl’s Kiss, Kiss collection (1959). If you don’t much like elevators, this story won’t do you any favours. WHERE TO LISTEN You may be able to unearth the BBC dramatization of this short story somewhere e.g. on YouTube. “The Way…
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Pigeons In Art and Storytelling
I couldn’t tell you the name of most birds in the world. In fact, I know just a tiny proportion of them. But everyone knows the pigeon. Pigeons proliferate in our cities. Why? Long story short because humans brought them there, just like they brought rabbits to Australia and so on. Pigeons in cities thrive.…