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A Father To Be by Saul Bellow Short Story Analysis
Are you thinking of writing a story about a kid who leaves the house and rides the bus to school, all the while observing other passengers and gazing out the window? Or a story about a woman who buys frozen pizza at the supermarket, complains about the roast beef then observes characters in the car…
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Girls And Women Having Fun In Art and Illustration
Although Bertha Young was thirty she still had moments like this when she wanted to run instead of walk, to take dancing steps on and off the pavement, to bowl a hoop, to throw something up in the air and catch it again, or to stand still and laugh at – nothing – at nothing,…
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The Vertical Ladder by William Sansom Short Story Analysis
“The Vertical Ladder” is a short story by British writer William Samson (1912 – 1976) best known for his travel writing and highly descriptive language. A childhood game of dare goes wrong.
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Nomadland Film Study
Nomadland is a 2020 film directed by Chloé Zhao, starring Frances McDormand, David Strathairn and real people engaged as temporary actors, playing a version of themselves.
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The Shopping Mall As Fictional Setting
Shopping malls play a big part in many people’s lives. Naturally, malls make it into fiction, sometimes prominently. How are storytellers making use of malls as setting?
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Bunny Stew by Mikki Mares Short Story Analysis
Disney typically takes a nightmarish, harrowing fairy tale and bowdlerises it according to the more conservative end of its perceived audience. But lest we forget: In 1993 the Disney corporation also published a short story as disturbing as your typical pre-Grimm fairytales, replete with cannibalism. Disney had run a “Scary Tales” competition, and “Bunny Stew”…
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The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe Short Story Analysis
The Tell-Tale Heart (1843) is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe. This horror classic is a famous example of Gothic literature, and is also well-known for its unreliable first person narration.
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The Frog Prince by Robert Coover Short Story Analysis
“The Frog Prince” is a short story by American writer Robert Coover. It appeared in the January 19, 2014 edition of The New Yorker and was discussed at The New Yorker short story podcast by Deborah Treisman and Gabe Hudson, a former student of Coover’s. Informed by the podcast discussion, I am on the lookout…
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A Family Man by V.S. Pritchett Short Story Analysis
“A Family Man” is a short story by British writer V.S. Pritchett (1900-1997), published in a 1977 edition of The New Yorker. Pritchett was a critic as well as a writer, and as a writer, was best known for the short form.
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Veronica by Roger Duvoisin
Veronica is a 1961 picture book by Swiss-American author and illustrator Roger Duvoisin. Some of the illustrations are full colour, others in black marker pen.
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Slinky Malinki, Open The Door by Lynley Dodd
Slinky Malinki (1993) is a rhyming carnivalesque picture book written and illustrated New Zealander Lynley Dodd. This book is an excellent case study in how writers and illustrators might encourage young readers to turn the page. LETTERBOXING AS PAGE TURNER Slinky Malinkiand Stickybeak Sydwere a troublesome pair;do you know what they did?Alone in the houseone…
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Story Opening Case Study: The Time Traveller’s Wife
The opening to sci-fi romance epic, The Time Traveller’s Wife, was a massive bestseller upon publication. How do the opening paragraphs draw readers in?
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Loneliness by Bruno Schulz Short Story Analysis
“Loneliness” is a (very) short story by Polish Jewish writer Bruno Schulz, translated into English by Celina Wieniewska and published in The New Yorker in 1977. Although the story appeared to English audiences in 1977, long after WW2, Bruno Schulz lived from 1892-1942. This story appeared in one of Bruno Schulz’s two short story collections,…
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Take Care, Good Knight by Shelley Moore Thomas and Paul Meisel Analysis
The structure of Take Care, Good Knight is interesting because it is a perfect blend of carnivalesque and classic fairytale plot points (as outlined by Vladimir Propp). Where one carnivalesque plot point comes out, a fairytale plot point goes in.
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Story Opening Case Study: Never Let Me Go
The openings to stories by Kazuo Ishiguro are on the challenging side. Ishiguro writes for readers who persevere with a slow-burn mystery, who appreciate stories with gaps. It can be fun to fill in the gaps.