(Major spoilers ahead. You’ve been warned!) “People see stories everywhere,” Regine says. “That’s what my father used to say. We take random events and we put them together in a pattern so we can comfort ourselves with a story, no matter how much it obviously isn’t true.” She glances back at Seth. “We have toContinue reading “We Are the Stories We Tell: Patrick Ness’ [More Than This]”
Tag Archives: summary
Escaping the Labyrinth: Suffering in YA Fiction and the Case of John Green’s [Looking for Alaska]
How will we ever get out of this labyrinth of suffering? –A.Y. – John Green, Looking for Alaska (p. 158) What is the role of suffering in young adult literature? I’ve been obsessed with answering this question since one of my dissertation committee members asked me it a couple of weeks ago. My desire to answer thisContinue reading “Escaping the Labyrinth: Suffering in YA Fiction and the Case of John Green’s [Looking for Alaska]”
On Closets and Straight Gazes – Bill Konigsberg’s [Openly Straight]
I was thinking about how snakes shed their skin every year, and how awesome it would be if people did that too. In a lot of ways, that’s what I was trying to do. As of tomorrow, I was going to have new skin, and that skin could look like anything, would feel different thanContinue reading “On Closets and Straight Gazes – Bill Konigsberg’s [Openly Straight]”
Queer Time in Edmund White’s [A Boy’s Own Story]
Edmund White’s A Boy’s Own Story is a coming-of-age novel centered on the sexual awakening of a queer teenage boy in the Midwest during the 1950s. The novel discusses topics such as the corruption of innocence, the pressures of masculinity in the lives of young boys, the emergence of childhood sexuality, and the exploration of humanity throughContinue reading “Queer Time in Edmund White’s [A Boy’s Own Story]”
Fact Versus Fiction: Alan Hollinghurst’s [The Line of Beauty]
I find it so easy to get lost in the elegance and artistry of Alan Hollinghurst’s The Line of Beauty. I originally planned to read this book in a day or two, but it took me a while longer simply because I was so enthralled and moved by the novel’s baroque descriptions and its aesthetic focusContinue reading “Fact Versus Fiction: Alan Hollinghurst’s [The Line of Beauty]”
The Role of Gender and Literature in Alison Bechdel’s [Fun Home]
Originally published in 2006, Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic is a graphic memoir that led Alison Bechdel to commercial and critical success. Reminiscent of Art Spiegelman’s Maus, Fun Home explores the relationship between Alison and her closeted father, Bruce Bechdel, to shed light on themes such as gender, the coming-out process, and the complicated dynamics of family life. The explorationContinue reading “The Role of Gender and Literature in Alison Bechdel’s [Fun Home]”
Connection Failed: An Analysis of Christopher Isherwood’s [A Single Man]
Failure is found at the heart of many great works of fiction. It is a common motif used to spark an emotional connection, sympathy, and at times, anger. Failure is not only the heart of Christopher Isherwood’s A Single Man–is also the blood, the flesh, and the soul of this novel. Centered on a single dayContinue reading “Connection Failed: An Analysis of Christopher Isherwood’s [A Single Man]”
On the Decentralization of Truth and Memory in Achy Obejas’ [Memory Mambo]
Achy Obejas’ Lambda Award-winning novel, Memory Mambo, is a text that simmers and lingers within the mind long after it is read. I initially decided to read this novel because it centers on the life of a Cuban-American lesbian who administrates a laundry service in the Midwest, however, it is a much more complex and rich readContinue reading “On the Decentralization of Truth and Memory in Achy Obejas’ [Memory Mambo]”
Gender and Non-Normativity in Jeanette Winterson’s [Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit]
Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit (henceforth OANOF) is a 1985 Bildungsroman (novel of development) centered on the life of Jeanette, a girl who is adopted and raised by a woman who happens to be a fundamentalist Christian. Jeanette’s mother believes in literal translations of the Bible, and she freely uses religious rhetoric to accommodate her black andContinue reading “Gender and Non-Normativity in Jeanette Winterson’s [Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit]”
Masculinity in Robert Cormier’s [The Chocolate War]
It’s 1:53 a.m. and I currently can’t sleep because of this book. I was going to wait and write about it in the morning, but I really need to engage in the cathartic process of writing in order to make sense of all of the thoughts that are fireworking in my head. I was expectingContinue reading “Masculinity in Robert Cormier’s [The Chocolate War]”
Dr. Angel Daniel Matos 