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The Symbolic Paradox In Storytelling
By ‘symbolic paradox’ I mean the symbolic equivalent of a contranym. A contranym is a word with two directly opposite meanings. For example, ‘cleave’ means to separate or cut with a tool, but also means to be in close contact with. To separate and to join, at once.
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Man Crawling Out Of Trees by Annie Proulx Short Story Analysis
“Man Crawling Out Of Trees” is a short story by Annie Proulx, included in her Bad Dirt collection (2004). Many of the stories in this collection are in the tall story, brutal, regional, humorous tradition, and readers who don’t share Proulx’s sense of humour haven’t connected to these stories as well as they connected to…
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Silence by Alice Munro Short Story Analysis
“Silence” is a short story by Alice Munro, one of three in a triptych about a woman called Juliet. The first are “Chance” and “Soon“. All three are published in the Runaway collection (2004). [“Silence”] brings to the foreground a theme that runs through many stories by Alice Munro—the role of silence within the network…
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The Symbolism of Trains In Literature
Why are trains so useful to storytellers? In stories, trains play a functional role, getting your characters from one place to another. But there’s more to it than that. Perhaps we encounter storytellers on trains more than in any other place.
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The Electric Grandmother and Resonant Imagery
The Electric Grandmother is basically a Twilight Zone episode for kids. The teleplay (and a short story adaptation of “I Sing The Body Electric”) was written by Ray Bradbury, and was later remade by the Disney Channel as a full-length Made for TV movie called “The Electric Grandmother”. TV Tropes The Twilight Zone for a contemporary…
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The Blue Hotel by Stephen Crane (1898) Short Story Analysis
“The Blue Hotel” is a short story by Stephen Crane, published serially in Collier’s Weekly (1898) and then in the collection The Monster and Other Stories (1899). The story was inspired by Crane’s travels to the American Southwest in 1895. Encyclopedia Britannica I recently took a close look at “The Woman At The Store” by Katherine Mansfield. By coincidence I came across “The…
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Je ne parle pas français by Katherine Mansfield Short Story Analysis
“Je ne parle pas français” (I don’t speak French) is a 1918 short story by Katherine Mansfield. Nothing much ‘happens’, but the character of Raoul Duquette is a comedic archetype seen in contemporary creations such as Dwight Schrute from The Office. Connection To Mansfield’s Own Life Hard to fathom today, but the obliquely gay subject…
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Why does Schitt’s Creek take a season to get ‘good’?
Schitt’s Creek is a CBC sitcom written by father and son team Eugene and Daniel Levy. You’ll either find it funny or you won’t — I think it’s the funniest thing on Netflix at the moment. That said, I agree with all the reviewers who’ve said something like this: Season 1 is decent, but Season…
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How To Write Like Katherine Mansfield
Mansfield borrowed from those who came before her and we may do the same. In fact, it’s inevitable. It pays to know our own influences… if only so we don’t mimic them too closely. Overall, Mansfield was a modernist writer. And of the modernist writers, she was at the highly aesthetic and visual end of…
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Fake Gender Equality In The Christmas Chronicles
The Christmas Chronicles is this year’s tentpole festive family movie from Netflix. Directed by Clay Kaytis, the script is written by another two men, David Guggenheim and Matt Lieberman. The nice thing about The Christmas Chronicles is that a few of the old gender tropes have been inverted. Instead of an adventurous younger brother juxtaposed…
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At The Bay by Katherine Mansfield Short Story Analysis
“At the Bay” (1921) is considered one of Mansfield’s best short stories, by a writer at the height of her powers. This is one of the three about the Burnell family, who also star in “Prelude” and “The Doll’s House“. “At The Bay” is an interesting case study for writers, for so many reasons. Notably:…
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Good Morning Mr Pancakes by Chris McKimmie Analysis
I first heard of Australian author illustrator Chris McKimmie on Children’s Books with Kate De Goldi. One of the secrets to success as an illustrator is having an instantly recognisable, one-of-a-kind style. McKimmie’s various book covers will give you a glimpse of his style. The naive style of art also works really well to encourage…
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Prelude by Katherine Mansfield Short Story Analysis
“Prelude” is the first in a trilogy of interlinked short stories. The other stories starring the Burnell family are “At the Bay” and “The Doll’s House”. Although Mansfield also populates “The Doll’s House” with the same characters.
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Outrage News Is Powerful Storytelling
Recently I played a form of mixed doubles tennis in which the final point is served from female to female, or male to male. At our small club, when it comes to tennis skills there’s no clear division along gender lines. A number of the women can outplay the men. So I mentioned maybe we…
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The Tiredness of Rosabel by Katherine Mansfield Short Story Analysis
Outside school magazines, “The Tiredness of Rosabel” was Katherine Mansfield’s first published story (1908, when Mansfield was 20 years old). Already we can see features the author became known for: WHAT HAPPENS IN “THE TIREDNESS OF ROSABEL” Rosabel takes a bus home after a tiring day working in a millinery shop. She thinks of a…