The Literary Benefits of Having an Orphan for A Protagonist in Tom Sawyer and Jane Eyre

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

Orphans are a go-to favorite for some authors. Think Harry Potter or Cinderella. Or perhaps Charles Dicken's Oliver Twist, the boy who never could get enough of that slop his caretakers called porridge. Then, there is Dicken's Great Expectations in which an orphan named Pip who falls in love with the young girl of whom he is enlisted to be the playmate. Of course, there is also Dicken's David Copperfield. Man, did that Dickens have a thing for orphaned characters or what?

Orphan protagonists, especially in 19th century literature, were extremely popular with authors because such characters provide certain literary functions and possibilities. For authors, parentless kids, while at times tragically tear-jerking, have room to pursue certain things because they have little to no familial obligations. In a sense, they are free to run amok, providing ample opportunity to authors for adventures. It's every kid's dream really: playing with no parent supervision. Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn are good examples of this breed of orphan. The mischievous Tom Sawyer plays pirates and Indians, crashes his own funeral and clears an innocent man's name of murder. He's a savvy trickster of sorts, duping some neighborhood kids into paying him to finish his fence-painting chore. He also stumbles across a treasure chest of gold, a young boy's childhood fantasy come alive. He's the less obnoxious Bart Simpson of his day. But his buddy Huck is no Millhouse. Huck also lives like a freewheelin,' happy-go-lucky orphan, though technically his drunk of a dad is still around but too incapacitated to be particularly fatherly. Even though Tom lives with his Aunt Polly, he moves with ease between the realm of family and the adventures of independence unlike a child with actual parents. Making both of these characters relative orphans gives Twain not only make their adventurs and their mischievous self-sufficiency possible, but it also gives them probability. Their exploits are much more believable without parents supervising or delegating chores. Though, if Tom did have a parent who gave him mundane tasks, we are pretty sure he'd find a way to get out of it.

But the orphan life is not all treasure and trickery. Authors can use their orphaned protagonists as metaphors for the human search for self-awareness and self-knowledge, as orphans are cut from their roots and have to redefine themselves in a world without the protective influence of parents. Enter Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre the classic story of a young orphaned girl who, despite the abuse of her family, pulls herself up through education to become a governess and teacher through hard work and perseverance. Of course, she finds out her reformed rake of a fianc? is already married to a madwoman in an attic who has a tendency for arson, but Jane Eyre nonetheless has the elements of the conventional rags-to-riches bildungsroman, a novel in which the character undergoes personal growth and development from childhood to adulthood. She suffers more hardship and responsibility than Tom or Huck do- perhaps because she is a woman-but her orphan status gives her a strong sense of independence and personal agency unlikely for most women during the mid-1800s, when the book was written. The orphan status of protagonists plays a large part in developing the character, opening them up to actions and adventures that are not only more plausible, but are also more ripe for the authors' thematic picking.

Paul Thomson is an avid reader of English Literature. His areas of expertise include Tom Sawyer, Jane Eyre, and Great Expectaions. In his spare time, he loves to participate in online literature forums and promote reading for youth.

Losing Their Heads: Inner Beasts in Lord of the Flies and Macbeth Summary

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

William Golding's classic Lord of the Flies is probably not the best book to read if you want to feel good about humanity or feel comfortable about babysitting a family of little boys all by yourself on a Friday night. It is also not a good beach read for pig lovers. Instead, it is a blunt allegorical look at what can happen when civilization's law and order vanishes, and humanity is left to its own beastly instincts.

Lord of the Flies tells the story of a group of British boys marooned on a remote island-without adult supervision, mind you- in the Pacific Ocean after their plane crashes. The boys, ranging from age six to twelve, have to fend for themselves. They try to establish order and strategies to increase their chances at survival and perhaps rescue, but as boys will be boys, they become pig-headed (pun definitely intended) over what's more important: maintaining a constant signal fire to alert passing ships or violently hunting down poor little mama pigs. Naturally, two headstrong boys who head each respective cause-Ralph and Jack-disagree, and the battle for island power begins.

The most memorable takeaway from the book is the lasting image of the rotting pig head aptly named "Lord of the Flies" (you can probably guess why). Being that the novel really sets itself up as an allegory, the pig head is typically read as a potent symbol of the evil savagery that lies within all human beings. After all, a pack of wild twelve-year-olds did violently kill, decapitate and skewer the pig's head like a shish kabob to make a offering to the imaginary beast they are all frightened of. Childish innocence? Nope. No such thing, unless you count Simon, and Piggy but no one ever counts Piggy. In fact, poor little Simon-who is arguably a symbol of human goodness as he suggests that the beast is "only us"-hallucinates that the rotting pig head is talking to him, saying: "Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill...You knew, didn't you? I'm part of you?" This instinctual savagery, so says the pig head, is an unavoidable part of the human psyche and experience-much like death. One could easily recall Hamlet quotes and that iconic scene when Hamlet is pondering and turning over a human skull in his hands, pontificating on how death can easily reduce life and reason to a discarded bunch of bones, much like the Beast can reduce a group of proper British boys to complete savages.

In fact, Shakespeare was a big fan of investigating the internal struggles and evils that exist in us mere humans-as well as how our heads screw with our perception of reality. Enter Macbeth. This Scottish king-killer is not unlike those island boys, losing his head-literally and figuratively-due to his thirst for power that prompted him to commit ruthless murders. In the Macbeth summary the Scottish nobleman comes across a trio of witches who prophesize after kicking major battlefield butt while fighting for King Duncan, even disemboweling a dude. It is likely no coincidence that we hear about Macbeth gutting some guy before we actually meet me-gives us a taste of what we're in for. Anyways, the witch encounter gets Macbeth's ambition bubbling. He ends up killing King Duncan while he sleeps (prompted by his famously emasculating wife Lady Macbeth), becomes king and then starts to slew anyone and everyone he considers a threat, including another Scottish nobleman Macduff's entire family. What a jerk.

The play ends with Macbeth's severed head served to King Duncan's surviving sons by Macduff, having properly avenged his family and order restored. Again with the heads. While a decapitated pig head symbolizes our inner beast, Macbeth's bloody noggin suggests the consequences of giving in too easily to that inner beast, which causes us humans to lose our heads. If both a bunch of pre-teen boys and a noble Scottish man could wreak such havoc because of their inner, evil ambitions, surely the whole of humanity can. Gulp.

Paul Thomson is an avid reader of English Literature. His areas of expertise include Lord of the Flies, Macbeth summary, and Hamlet quotes. In his spare time, he loves to participate in online literature forums and promote reading for youth.

Manly Men, Or Not: Comparing Masculine Strength and Weakness in Beowulf and Of Mice and Men

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

Societal gender norms tell us men that are supposed to be strong, virile and masculine. They are not supposed to be weak, indecisive or-god forbid-sensitive.

At least that's what stereotypes and gender binaries tell us. But such norms are human conventions, and humans are of course imperfect beings. One should always consider the source where they get their gender roles from.

Yet, this mythologized concept of masculinity is commonplace in nearly all of the world's civilizations for millennia. Even today, in our post-feminist world, the uber-masculine with its unfettered sexual prowess and penchant for violent action films (again, stereotype) still saturates our daily lives. Take a look at an alcohol ad sometime and you'll see what we mean: barely clothed women, sport themes and manly men. Yep. It's pretty brash.

If one were to search the literary epitome of Dos Equis "Most Interesting Man in the World," one would easily come to Beowulf. Beowulf, the old English epic poem about a heroic warrior who slays dragons, menacing monsters and even their overbearing mothers, is laden with ancient testosterone. It's certainly no surprise Hollywood producers thought to make Beowulf into a feature film and cast a sexy Angelina Jolie-even though she's supposed to be an ugly monster. Beowulf's masculine vibe is, of course, sourced from his strength, skill and success. In fact, strength is a major theme of the poem. It would have to be, if the warrior of the story needed to live at the end. Beowulf the man goes to extreme lengths to prove his ability and strength-he swims to the bottom of lakes, saves entire towns and even violently slaughters Grendel in hand-to-hand combat when he could have just used his sword. He's a bit a of a showoff, but you gotta flaunt what your mama gave you.

While Beowulf stands as the man's man of English literature, gender and strength become more complicated as time goes on in literary canons. For example, take John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men. In the novel, the men are constantly undermined or made to appear weak, creating a tension-ridden story and plot in the equally disempowering Great Depression. Lenny, though extremely strong of body, is also extremely weak of mind. His buddy, George, is financially powerless in achieving his dream of owning his own ranch and Curley? Well, Curley's got an Napoleon complex that causes him to overcompensate for his short stature with endless bullying and pugnacious behavior all in effort to assert his manhood, even though the former boxer's hand is later symbolically crushed like a soda can.

These weaknesses, of course, feed into the novel's overall psychological and social commentary of the time when the country's economic woes left a once powerful and daresay masculine nation weak and unstable. What's more, the male weaknesses also reveal the security and pride men are believed to derive from the masculine abilities. They pay for sex or obstain from female relations at all, like George, suggesting a lack of virility that comes with manliness. They are essential powerless, the antithetical situation to masculinity. They are all striving to be Beowulfs, but end up being Lennys and Georges. Whether it's a gang like in The Outsiders or a pack of impoverished men in the great depression, they all want to feel like Beowulf. At least that's what social gender norms tell us.

Paul Thomson is an avid reader of English Literature. His areas of expertise include Of Mice and Men, Beowulf and The Outsiders. In his spare time, he loves to participate in online literature forums and promote reading for youth.

Who Really Wrote Wuthering Heights?

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

Emily Bronte, right? More than likely, but how much of the book did she write? Assuming she wrote in a linear structure then, once she'd killed off Cathy Linton (nee Earnshaw), she was left with a male protagonist; Heathcliff. And writing from a man's point of view, even when the man in question is your own creation, is difficult to convey with any degree of integrity. Particularly when you, as the writer, are posing as Mr. Ellis Bell. Content needs that ring of truth, that sense of genuineness. Writing from experience, from the heart, opens the potential for that unique connection from writer to reader that we long to achieve.

I believe that Patrick Branwell Bronte, the much maligned brother of the wickedly talented Emily, Charlotte and Anne, wrote most of the second half of the novel, taking over the storyline from Emily after Cathy Linton died (page 203, Wordsworth Classics, 1992 edition). If we accept that much of the input after this point was Branwell's, is it not fair then to claim co-authorship on his behalf? That is the basis of my argument.

Branwell may not have been published, as his sisters were, but he was a writer; he contributed to the stories of Gondol and Angria along with his sisters and, as with Emily, he wrote poetry. How much input did he have with Wuthering Heights? They were both at Haworth at the time the novel was written (between 1845 and 1846) so his contributing was always a likelihood. The question is, how much did he contribute?

Emily knew a man who was just like Heathcliff and she'd certainly, physically at least. based him on her brother. Patrick Branwell Bronte, from his rare portraits, could be described as Emily described Heathcliff; wild, dark hair, a low brow, penetrating eyes. He too had an affair with a married woman, he was dissolute and wild, he drank too much, gambled and even had tried to go abroad after his affair came to nothing. Emily's brother, Patrick Branwell Bronte, was Heathcliff.

It is interesting to ponder how much influence he exerted over his sister as she sat in her kitchen at Haworth, creating Wuthering Heights. Certainly the coincidental evidence mounts up; Heathcliff had an affair (or at least a relationship so uncomfortably close that Cathy's husband Edgar banned Heathcliff from Thrushcross Grange); Branwell had an affair with his employer's wife, Mrs. Robinson of Throp Green and was expelled from the property. Heathcliff went abroad for three years; Branwell placed an advert in the Halifax Guardian for a position which would take him abroad. Heathcliff drank heavily and gambled, winning the deeds to Wuthering Heights as a result; Branwell drank and gambled; although was to become heavily in debt. Heathcliff could roam the moors all day long; no doubt Branwell enjoyed the freedom of the moors on his doorstep his sisters could only taste within the limits of the chaperoned curtailment common for women of the day.

If Emily were to choose a collaborator for Wuthering Heights, who better than the primary character himself? She would need someone who could take the Heathcliff character and run with him, particularly after Cathy had died. This was Emily's first novel, she was not an experienced writer as Charlotte was. However her sister's style was completely different - tamer, more spiritual. Charlotte might have preferred a romantic ending and that wasn't what the book was about. Cathy, wild, tempestuous and utterly selfish was no meek Jane Eyre. And as for Heathcliff, the remaining, now central, character; he was certainly no fluctuating Professor and was a far darker personality than Rochester, who's motives could at least be traced back to logic and reason, albeit skewed logic and vague reasoning. Heathcliff was not based on the character of a gentleman, but was as untamed as the moor, as feral as a wolf and as dangerous as a panther. Emily had created a character unique in literature, a man ungovernable except by Cathy,

Also, consider this; Emily has created a group of characters, foremost are Cathy and Heathcliff, with the majority of the tale being provided through the narrative of the housekeeper, Nelly. This devise provides the writer with the female perspective necessary to convey real, truthful women, under the drama, with whom other women, the readers, can relate. However, when it comes to getting under the skin of Heathcliff, his degenerative state of health, both physical and mental, his heavy drinking, the affair with a married woman (although Emily wasn't specific on this aspect of Cathy and Heathcliff's relationship) who could be more adept than her own brother, Branwell? Bearing in mind also the assumed masculine persona of the writer, Ellis Bell, this would be a necessary consideration for reasons of more than just the integrity of the book. If it was supposed to have been written by a man, as it was when it was published in 1847, then the male perspective becomes necessary or the voice of the writer becomes confusing, muddled.

To bring another argument in, although this is just as an aside, we do know that the Brontes, as a family, knew the value of a shilling. Charlotte's friend Mrs. Elizabeth Gaskell reported how, following Charlotte's death in 1854, Charlotte's father cut up his daughters letters into strips to sell to interested members of the public. The idea of retaining the concept of three brilliant sisters who wrote novels is perhaps more of a money-spinner than two brilliant authors and Emily, who co-wrote with her brother. It just doesn't have the same 'kerching'. Perhaps this is too cynical; but it's worth considering. Art for art's sake, money.... Charlotte and Ann had revealed the true identities of Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell to their publisher, going down to London for the purpose, in 1848.

Branwell Bronte was only 31 when he died of chronic bronchitis / consumption on 28th September 1848 at his home in Haworth. Just a few short months later, on 19th December of the same year when she was just 30 years old, Emily too died at Haworth. Heathcliff, and Wuthering Heights, live on.

Great Expectations and the Bildungsroman Genre

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

Charles Dickens's Great Expectations (1861) charts the growth of its protagonist Pip from childhood to adulthood. The narrative mode Dickens has adopted aligns his novel with the Bildungsroman genre of literature. The term Bildungsroman is a German word meaning 'novel of formation' or 'education novel'. The following analysis explores some of the episodes within Great Expectations which illustrate the conventions of the Bildungsroman form. The excerpts are from the Oxford World's Classics 1998 edition of the text.

A Bildungsroman novel frequently puts an emphasis on the moral and psychological development of its protagonist. Morality is an important theme in Great Expectations, particularly in relation to Pip's attitude towards other characters. The story's opening immediately establishes the protagonist's orphaned status with the young Pip contemplating the graves of his dead parents. The figure of the 'orphan' illustrates Dickens's innovative engagement with the Bildungsroman genre, as Pip could be viewed as a blank slate, or 'tabula rasa', in that his mind isn't informed by any external psychological influence from his parents. Instead he is being raised by his shrewish older sister and her husband, the kindly and unassuming blacksmith Joe Gargery.

Initially Pip is content with his humble surroundings, although his class consciousness receives a rude awakening on his first visit to Satis House. Here he encounters Miss Havisham and her ward Estella, the latter of whom takes delight in continually reminding the protagonist of his lowly status. When Estella remarks on Pip's 'coarse hands' and 'thick boots', and his habit of calling knaves 'Jacks' when they are playing cards together, she is expressing her contempt of his background. Even though Pip is hurt by her taunts, he still becomes infatuated with Estella, and it is this attraction which triggers his own animosity towards his origins.

Sometime after Pip has come of age and has been working in the forge with Joe, the lawyer Jaggers informs him of an anonymous benefactor who wishes to make the protagonist a gentleman. Incorrectly Pip assumes this benefactor to be Miss Havisham, and starts to entertain the belief that the old spinster intends him for Estella. This episode heralds a great advance in the protagonist's own snobbery and delusion, as he sets off for London, putting his origins in the Kent marshlands behind him.

While Pip is enjoying the leisurely life of a gentleman in the capital, he receives a letter from his old acquaintance Biddy, stating that Joe has come up to London and would like to visit him. Pip's disdain for the blacksmith is revealed in his reservations concerning such a prospect: "If I could have kept him away by paying money, I certainly would have paid money" (pp.215-216). When the protagonist returns to his hometown for his sister's funeral, his snobbery is further evinced on his insistence at staying in the Blue Boar inn in town, as opposed to the forge with Joe.

A pivotal episode in the novel is when Abel Magwitch, the escaped convict of whom Pip had assisted when a boy, pays a sudden visit. The protagonist is utterly horrified and his shallow world comes crashing down around him when Magwitch reveals that he is his benefactor. Pip learns that the former convict has since successfully established himself in a profitable business after being transported to Australia and never forgot Pip's kindness to him on the Kent marshes. Pip meanwhile admits that his "blood ran cold within me" (p.316), when the convict discloses that it was he who made the protagonist a gentleman.

After this shocking revelation Pip's snobbery slowly subsides and he sets about redeeming himself, first by attempting to assist the imperiled Magwitch in escaping the country, second by making his peace with Joe. His actions are evidence of the Bildungsroman narrative's preoccupation with moral and psychological development. Pip's final exchange of wealth and status for friendship and humility indicate how he has matured as a protagonist.

Visit The Literary Index for more literary criticism of books by Charles Dickens, as well as links to academic essays I have found on the net discussing the works of hundreds of other authors.
For further analysis of Great Expectations and genre.
Ben Wright is an independent scholar and researcher. He is webmaster of The Literary Index.

Forget Romeo And Juliet: Hamlet's Teen-Like Angst a Better Way to Reach Teenager Readers

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

For high school students, the works of William Shakespeare are not the easiest literature to grasp, much less to get them to care about. The first hurdle, of course, is the language. With all the "LOLs," "ridics," and "OMGs" used in a teen's daily vernacular, Shakespearean verse such as "to be, or not to be: that is the question" can sound a lot like Charlie Brown's teachers to the ears of adolescents. Wha wha whoamp whoamp.

The next difficulty is seeing how the complex writings of a 400-year-old dead guy with a dog collar are relevant to today's teenager. So how can teenagers best get down with Shakespeare? One word: Hamlet.

Literary scholars love to expound upon Hamlet's psychological struggles with mortality and madness, his inability to act or make decisions, or a perennial favorite topic of discussion: whether Hamlet has the hots for his mom. But fancy-pants critics always seem to forget that Hamlet acts a like a typical sullen teenager who has major beef with his parents, his girlfriend, and this whole thing called life. He may or may not be an actual teenager, but the Danish prince certainly wears a teenaged "trappings and the suits of woe" like a boss.

Teens can find many ways to relate to Hamlet and his existential suffering. He could be the gateway character to the score of Shakespeare's other eternally conflicted and philosophically complex players. Hopefully, teen readers do not find common ground through the whole uncle-killing-the-dad-and-then-marrying-the-mom-thing, but perhaps they can feel comforted by the utter confusion, grief, and angst that incessantly troubles and stalls Hamlet. He's the Elizabethan Era's Holden Caufield. While it is such an anachronistic stretch of a comparison, the similarities between the The Catcher in The Rye protoganoist and Hamlet are there. Surely, J.D. Salinger might have had Hamlet's nasty "Get thee to a Nunnery" speech to his gal-pal Ophelia in mind when Holden flips out over Sally Hayes (rightfully) refusing to run away with him, calling her a "royal pain in the ass."

Moreover, both protagonists are mired in a sort of limbo in their lives, unsure of who they are and what they should be doing. Should Hamlet try to find out check up on some ghost's claim that his uncle/stepfather poisoned his dad? Is that ghost even real or is he just going mad? What's more, should Holden try to be human and reach out to the "phony bastards" or continue feeling lonely and abandoned, just like the ducks in the pond must feel every winter? Decisions, decisions, and neither are quick to take action.

Such similarities point to how valuable Shakespeare's Hamlet can be to a puberty-stricken teenager grappling with the uncertainty and confusion of growing up. Forget Romeo as the quintessential Shakespearean teen role model. Of course, Romeo and Juliet is a bit more accessible, especially with a 1996 modern film remake with a young Leonardo Dicaprio cast as the dreamy Romeo. Yet, most teens do not have passionately poetic outpourings with their star-crossed lovers and get married within days of meeting each other. Hamlet, on the other hand, tackles the real problems teens face every day: parents, girlfriends, confusion, depression, loss, loneliness, and even mortality. And some also go through the wearing-all-black stage.

Paul Thomson is an avid reader of English Literature. His areas of expertise include Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, and Catcher in the Rye. In his spare time, he loves to participate in online literature forums and promote reading for youth.

Reading Guide for War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

War and Peace is a massive book and can appear daunting to a reader who hasn't experienced Tolstoy's fiction before, but at the same time a page-turner, moving between a number of different characters at peace and war during the period of 1805 to 1813 at the height of the Napoleonic Wars. Tolstoy studied the history of the time in great detail, and also used his own experiences of the Crimean War to portray the realism of life on campaign and in battle. But yet this is also a story of love and romance, and the very nature of what it is to be human and to have a purpose in life - themes that Tolstoy explored throughout his fiction.

Reading War and Peace is well worth the time and effort. If you do get the opportunity to read it then here are some reading guide questions that you could use to make the experience more interesting. Alternatively, an ambitious book group can use these questions to spark discussion.

Reading Guide Questions for War and Peace

1. War and Peace has been called one of the greatest novels of all time. Do you agree with this assessment, and why do you think War and Peace has been awarded such plaudits?

2. How does War and Peace illustrate Tolstoy's attitudes to war?

3. Do you think the author's voice and opinions intrude too much into War and Peace?

4. Tolstoy said of War and Peace that it was "not a novel, even less is it a poem, and still less an historical chronicle." What do you think he meant by this and do you agree?

5. Did you feel that learnt more about the historical events described in War and Peace? Did the historical setting of the book make much difference to your appreciation of it?

6. War and Peace is a long book. Do you think it is the right length? Were you put off by the length, and how did you feel when you finished the book?

7. Which of the male characters did you have most sympathy with - Pierre or Andrew?

8. How does Tolstoy make the situations he describes, whether a battle or a ball, come to life for the reader?

9. There are a number of contrasting female characters in War and Peace: Helene, Natasha and Mary. What is your opinion of each of these, and what do you think Tolstoy's views were?

Mark Lord has been an enthusiastic admirer of Leo Tolstoy's writing for many years. You can read more about War and Peace at his website: http://marklord.info/great-writers-classic-literature/leo-tolstoy/war-and-peace-by-leo-tolstoy/ where you will find more information about Tolstoy's masterpiece.

For a cheap eBook version of War and Peace why not try this annotated edition: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0064TJ52A for an edition available in the US, and http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0064TJ52A for an edition available in the UK.

Reading Guide for The Cossacks by Leo Tolstoy

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

Introduction to The Cossacks by Leo Tolsoy

The Cossacks by Leo Tolstoy is a novella about the experiences of Onenin, a young Russian aristocrat, who decides to join the army and finds himself in a Cossack village during the Caucasian War (1817-1864). The Cossacks was written ten years after Tolstoy's own experiences during the Caucasian War when he followed his officer brother on campaign. The novella explores a number of themes that were to become ever more important to Tolstoy as he developed as a writer: the purpose of life and nature of happiness and the truth of primitive rural life contrasted with the sophisticated culture of Russian urbane society. Tolstoy went on to write two of the most famous novels in history: War and Peace and Anna Karenina, but it was in The Cossacks that he started to find his voice as a writer.

The Cossacks was Tolstoy's first masterpiece. Published in 1863, it is the supreme example of Tolstoy's ability to make the familiar strange: at first glance it appears to be a retelling of the Russian romantic clich? of a young man riding off to the Caucasus, but rather than following the clich? Tolstoy instead examines a number of themes that he would develop in his later works: such as the interaction of different social classes, pacifism, and the nature of happiness and man's purpose in life.

Once you have read one of the many English translations of The Cossacks why not consider the following questions. These can also be used as the basis of a Book Group discussion on the book.

Reading Guide Questions

Tolstoy does not focus the narrative of The Cossacks on one single character. Who do you think is the main character of the book, and why?Natural description forms a big part of the book. What do you think Tolstoy's opinion of nature is? Is Tolstoy a Romantic in the way he describes nature?Like Onenin, Tolstoy came from a rich noble family. How does the character and experiences of a jeune homme like Onenin contrast with that of the Cossacks?What is Tolstoy's attitude to war in The Cossacks, and from what you know of his other writing, how does it fit in with his later beliefs?Would Onenin ever have been happily married to Maryanka?Is Uncle Eroshka a likeable character?What is Tolstoy's purpose in fictionalizing his experiences in the Caucasus?By the end of the story where do you Onenin would rather live: the city or the mountains? Where would you rather live?What is the nature of true happiness in the view of Onenin, Lukashka and Maryanka? What do you think the author believes?

Mark Lord has been an enthusiastic admirer of Leo Tolstoy's writing for many years. You can read more about The Cossacks at his website: http://marklord.info/great-writers-classic-literature/leo-tolstoy/the-cossacks-by-leo-tolstoy/, where you will find a plot summary and more information about Tolstoy's own experiences among the Cossacks.

For a cheap eBook version of The Cossacks why not try this annotated edition: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005U76LOW for an edition available in the US, and http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B005U76LOW for an edition available in the UK.

Gothic Fiction: What Is It?

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

Gothic fiction and Gothic horror are interchangeable terms. They refer to a style of writing that is heavy on atmosphere and that incorporates romantic elements. Gothic fiction has a unique way of evoking terror that has made it one of the most popular forms of horror in the world. It began in the 18th Century and remains a living genre today.

The Concept

Dark manors, ruined castles, oppressive gray skies and stormy nights are all classic elements in Gothic horror. These stories oftentimes feature deranged scientists or mystics, a curse that follows a family for generations, things that go bump in the night and, quite often, lycanthropes, vampires, ghosts, devils and other monstrous villains. Mary Shelley, Ann Radcliffe and Edgar Allen Poe are among the most prominent names in Gothic fiction, but there are many more. Other authors who produced notable works in the Gothic tradition include Oscar Wilde, Joseph Thomas Sheridan Le Fanu, Ambrose Bierce and a host of others. The very first Gothic novel is generally held to be The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole, published in 1764.

Gothic fiction tends toward a sense of overwhelming doom and oftentimes has some very dark humor interwoven into the story. The actual villains are sometimes very sympathetic characters and are oftentimes characters who embody an element of irony: the corrupted and wicked clergy; the beautiful nobleman with the ugly soul; the brilliant scientist or occultist who cannot see the obvious error of their ways, these are all characters in various Gothic stories. Weird fiction and Gothic fiction have some elements in common, as well, and Weird Fiction authors, including HP Lovecraft, were not afraid to dip their pens into the blackest of inks on occasion.

Many works of fiction include Gothic elements within their stories but are not specifically Gothic stories in and of themselves. There is also a modern subculture that is referred to as Gothic. Victorian fashion, lots of black clothing and a somewhat sinister elegance are among the hallmarks of this subculture and the aesthetics of the subculture on the whole trace straight back to the aesthetics of the Gothic novel.
Modern Gothic

Gothic horror remains very popular today. Gothic imagery is seen in everything from superhero movies to children's cartoons. Gothic fiction has also had an influence on cultures around the world. Some of the most popular Japanese horror movies, for instance, have decidedly Gothic features to them. Further variations on this literary style have developed over the years, such as Southern Gothic, which comes out of the American South and which includes some of the most highly-regarded stories in this genre.

Read more about classic works of Gothic horror and Weird Fiction at Antique Horrors!

Kurtz and His Heart of Darkness

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

In Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad presents us with two men who are, more or less, polar opposites. Charlie Marlow is a compassionate, humane man with a stockpile of integrity, and he is a lover and pursuer of truth and justice. Mr. Kurtz, on the other hand, is a bit of a &$%!@#.

Both men are compared to gods within the text, and each is viewed as one - Marlow by the men on his boat and - Conrad hopes - by his readers as well, and Kurtz by the native Africans, who look at him as almost some sort of Zeus-like figure. Throughout the book, we are exposed to both the 'angry and vengeful god' type as well as the 'peace-loving god of enlightenment' type. There are many religions in the world that propose the existence of one or the other; here we can see the two sides of the coin and perhaps gain a little insight into why different cultures worship such drastically different divine spirits.

Christianity, with which you are likely most familiar, is structured around a god - or a son of one - who is all of the things that Marlow is. Kind, considerate of his fellow man, compassionate toward the destitute, and disapproving of the abuse of power. Most religions around the world are similar in that they feature a god or gods who embody what we ourselves aspire to become - good, caring people who are not bound by such vices as greed or irrational anger.

On the other hand, there are certain cultures that worship a much more volatile set of gods. The type of gods who will be unforgiving of your sins. They type of gods who will require that you make extreme sacrifices or suffer intense physical pain on their behalf. The type of gods who will smite you down for not putting in enough time on your ACT Prep.

As you may be aware, governments have had very much to do with their nation's religion over the millennia. Often a government will create or rewrite religious doctrine so that it aligns more closely with its own agenda. The horror! The horror!

But it's true. Many gods were originally created or designed to scare a culture's population into submission or fear, so that its rulers might bend their subjects' wills. What you end up with in that case is a god very much like the character of Kurtz - someone whose greed or thirst for power overcomes his basic sense of decency; someone who has developed violent tendencies and, as Conrad mentions repeatedly, has trouble showing restraint.

These two types clash in Heart of Darkness, and 'good' ultimately triumphs over 'evil.' An entertaining read, certainly, but if you ask us, it could have used a love triangle subplot.

Paul Thomson is an avid reader of English Literature. His areas of expertise include Heart of Darkness, ACT Prep, and PSAT. In his spare time, he loves to participate in online literature forums and promote reading for youth.

'Fear Itself' In The Diary of Anne Frank

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

Hundreds of fantastic novels, essays and other writings have been penned about Nazi Germany. Gruesome, shocking portrayals of what went on in the concentration camps, how many lives were lost, the aftermath and prospect of dealing with indescribable grief that followed.

But The Diary of Anne Frank is not about any of those things. Instead, it takes us inside the mind of a young girl before the real horrors take place. We do not read about any of the truly inhuman acts committed within the walls of the camps, and yet this is the most enduring portrait, the most famous work to come out of that place and time.

Why is that? Time to think back to everything you learned in your AP Psychology class. The likely reason that we are so attached to this particular story is because we are, on the whole, driven by fear. Most of us are more likely to get off our butts and get a job if we ever have cause to find ourselves suddenly fearful of starvation or poverty than we are motivated by the rewards that can be reaped by gainful employment. Many of us sabotage relationships or begin pulling away out of fear that we are going to be rejected ourselves, or that things are going to run off course for one reason or another.

In short - we are all well aware of the horrifying nature of the camps, but we relate and connect more with that dread that came before it. Hardly any of us have experienced anything remotely like what the victims of the Holocaust went through, so we have a tough time fathoming how they felt (we're going to go out on a limb and say 'not good'). However, we can absolutely understand the sense of imminent danger, the claustrophobic, consuming onset of unmitigated fear.

Anne was a girl like many of us (yes, we know some of you are boys - you get the idea). She had her studies, a major crush, drama with her parents, etc. Because we are easily able to see so much of ourselves in her, it is all the more jolting and petrifying to imagine ourselves being snatched from our cushy little lives and thrown into the hell that Anne had to endure. Never mind being bogged down by your ACT Prep - Anne was much more preoccupied with dodging Nazis and trying to stay sane while bombs exploded outside her window.

Our culture also has a pretty sick attraction to fear, and you have to wonder how much of our interest in Anne's story is out of some sort of morbid fascination. We go on roller coasters, see scary movies, jump out of airplanes. Disturbing though it may be to consider, is a part of us drawn into Anne's story because we experience some kind of rush by observing such a terrifying world through her eyes?

Paul Thomson is an avid reader of English Literature. His areas of expertise include Diary of Anne Frank, AP Psychology, and ACT Prep. In his spare time, he loves to participate in online literature forums and promote reading for youth.

The Frailty of Dreams in Of Mice and Men

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

You're still young, so we're sure you still have plenty of dreams. That's not to say that we, your elders (hey - some of us are barely thirty!) have lost the ability to dream or no longer have any good ones. It's just that, after you've lived a number of years out there in the real world, you're certain to experience a good deal of disappointment. Even if some of our dreams have come true, others have idled or fallen by the wayside.

In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck shares the story of a couple of dreamers. George and Lennie start out with the highest hopes - they are on their way to find work and easy money in the land of opportunity (California, not Vegas - you're thinking of the land of opportunists). Although poor and just starting out, they haven't a care in the world and have not yet let the possibility of failure enter their minds. To be fair, Lennie doesn't let much of anything enter his mind.

Lennie is the epitome of hopefulness. For starters, he's a little, er, well... he's not at the top of his AP English Language class, we'll put it that way. Okay, so he's a little slow. But his dreams don't suffer for it. He has grand designs for a boatload full of puppies and rabbits, and for owning a ranch on which he can live and take care of all of them. George's dreams, on the other hand, revolve mostly around Lennie. Although he can sometimes act harshly toward him, all George really wants is to see his best bud happy. He is envious of his friend's childlike, boundless optimism, and it inspires him. George, too, longs for that ranch, but he almost wants it more for Lennie than he does for himself.

However, one thing after another goes wrong (like in that recurring dream you have in which you're taking the PSAT and you suddenly develop a case of bubble-filler's elbow, then pass out from heat exhaustion) and that ranch starts to seem further and further away.

Although they (well, George at least) start to realize that their dreams are steering dangerously off path, they stubbornly hold onto whatever thin sliver of hope they can muster. Even to the bitter end, Lennie is still looking off into the distance, envisioning all of his dreams coming true, even as an angry mob closes in on them.

So as you read this, O blissful dreamer, dream well and dream hard, but don't be afraid to let your dreams morph gradually into something different than what you initially expected as you go through your life. Because you don't want to be blindsided when your best friend fires a Luger into the back of your head.

Paul Thomson is an avid reader of English Literature. His areas of expertise include Of Mice and Men, AP English Language, and PSAT. In his spare time, he loves to participate in online literature forums and promote reading for youth.

BOOK REVIEW: THE PEARL by John Steinbeck

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

John Steinbeck (1902-1968) is one of America's greatest writers and is a Nobel Prize winner for Literature in 1962. I must confess, though, that this is the first time I read a book by him, all thanks to a fellow book lover and book blogger who kept on raving about how wonderful a writer John Steinbeck is. I bought my copy of this book for only Php17.00 from Booksale, but certainly this book is worth a thousand more than its price.

I did a little bit of research about John Steinbeck and learned that this author is known for the social criticisms inherent in most of his works, and was even branded to be subversive. These social criticisms are likewise central in The Pearl, where Steinbeck tells the story of a pearl diver named Kino and how his life is affected after finding the greatest pearl of all time. Reading The Pearl gives out a feeling of reading a parable or a fable, though I must say that the story is more than just a fable. It is a social commentary on the great chasm that divides the rich from the poor and the evils of greed. It portrays a touching story of how riches can change a man and how it can give and destroy peace. It tells about the true value of riches and where they can be found.

Kino, a pearl diver, is in constant search for that great pearl that can bring him, his wife and his little child the wealth that can save them from abject poverty. This great search was even more fired when Kino's baby who was bit by a scorpion was refused medical aid by known healers because they cannot pay the medical fees. When Kino finally found the Pearl, his life changed drastically and it seems that wealth and comfort are now within his reach. However, his life was also caught in line because more and more people have become interested in acquiring for themselves the Pearl. Add to that the very low valuation given by money changers on the pearl, because they wanted to short change and trick the seemingly naive young pearl diver. Kino and his family are then forced by circumstances to escape their place and go to the hinterlands in order to look for the best price for the Pearl.

What I love most about The Pearl are the various symbolisms and interpretations it connotes. It is a story worth discussing. The ending may not have surprised me that much, but I love how such conclusion affected the whole direction of the story. I love how The Pearl has made me think. After all, this is what good literature is all about - to make you think.

4 stars.

Da Vinci Code Revisited, Part 2: The Espouse of Jesus

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

For Dan Brown, who caused the millions of those who read his novel Da Vinci Code, to raise eyebrows or chuckle, or pull the book closer for a better view, Jesus' espouse was Mary Magdalene.

For me, Jesus having a espouse was a potential possibility - He couldn't marry and He didn't marry. However, had He been given a chance to live longer beyond his age of 33, He could have married and had children.

For most traditional Christians, the mere thought of a espouse for Jesus is a heresy. How great it is that we don't live in Joan of Arc's bygone era of inquisitions anymore, where they used to burn heretics at stake.

That was in a certain past.

Could Jesus have married?

Well, you can raise some more eyebrows, chuckle, or better still, lean forward and perk up reading.

Today's generation is more open to possibilities.

Let's examine Jesus' Marriage, or, more correctly, the potential for it.

Jesus spoke of it in the Parable of the Marriage Feast: Everyone from the Master's choice of guests was invited, but refused to come; They were too busy. Somebody just bought a cow and somebody's getting married, too. Then, out of the master's frustration, he invited even the poor, the blind and the lame...they came, but those who came improperly dressed for the occasion were thrown out to the darkness outside - where there were gnashing of teeth.

Of course, you are very much familiar with this parable.

You're right about whom Jesus referred to as the Master who was getting married - Himself.

That's the Master getting married - Jesus getting married in his own story.

Yes, of course, a parable...

Here's another marriage instance in the scriptures where we can find the Lamb getting married, and who it is obviously referred to: "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. (Rev 19:7)

Well meaning Christians know what or who the Lamb refers to. Behold the lamb who takes away the sins of the world - Jesus.

Sounds familiar?

It was spoken from the mouth of John the Baptist, referring to Jesus. For Catholics, it is part of a hymn, "Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on your people..."

We don't know to whom the "wife of the Lamb who has made herself ready" refers to - could be anyone's guess, hypothetically.

If one is after the moral lesson, which is what the parables are supposed to teach us so as to be practically meaningful, you're right again - we'd better be prepared for the coming of the Lord for He comes when it's least expected... a good point to understand. But if we just focus on this point, we neglect another important one - the Lamb of God is getting married upon His Return.

Are there other instances in the Gospel that Jesus referred to Himself as the Bridegroom?

Check these out.... Jesus answered, "How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast. (Matt. 9:15, Mark 2:19, Luke 5:34)

In The Parable of the Ten Virgins, (Matt 51-10) Jesus is the most awaited Bridegroom.

There are more than enough scriptural references for us to relax our raised eyebrows, and understand that the term "Bridegroom" as used in the Bible - is in reference to Jesus.

I don't agree with the idea in the novel that Jesus had an offspring - more so of one that survives today; but that there was that potential had the Lamb had the chance to marry.

Er Nuylan
http://www.thefirstchristmas.info/

Er Nuylan is a teacher with varied interests - from simply walking a dog to History and Literature, Sciences, Philosophy, Religion and Spirituality, but claims expertise to none - the average Joe in the average neighborhood.

The Brothers Karamazov

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

Fyodor Dostoevsky was a Russian novelist often acknowledged by critics as one of the greatest and most prominent psychologists in World Literature. Dostoyevsky's literary works explored human psychology in the troubled political, social and spiritual context of 19th-century Russian society. Considered by many as a founder or precursor of 20th-century existentialism Dostoyevsky wrote, with the embittered voice of the anonymous "underground man", Notes from Underground (1864), which was called the "best overture for existentialism ever written" by Walter Kaufmann. He is known for his other novels like Crime and Punishment, The idiot and the novellas The Gambler and Poor Folk. This review however shall focus on his last and and in my view the most ambitious of all works - The Brothers Karamazov; a work to which he devoted his life and soul but was nevertheless destined to die before its completion.

The Brothers Karamazov is a murder mystery, a courtroom drama, and an exploitation of erotic rivalry in a series of triangular love affairs involving Karamazov and his three sons- the impulsive and sensual Dmitri; the coldly rational Ivan; and the healthy young novice Aloysha. Through the gripping events of their story, Dostoevsky portrays the social and spiritual strivings in what was both a golden age and a tragic turning point in Russian culture.

The Brothers Karamazov is a joyful book. Readers who know what is "about" may find this an intolerably whimsical statement. It does have moments of joy, but they are only moments; the rest is greed, lust, squalor, unredeemed suffering, and a sometimes terrifying darkness. But the book is joyful in another sense: in its energy and curiosity, in its formal inventiveness, in the mystery of its writing. And therefore finally, in its vision.This paradox is not peculiar to The Brothers Karamazov. The manner of the Brothers Karamazov is essentially comic, as opposed to its matter and its humor erupts at the most unexpected moments. It is a comedy of style which, again paradoxically, in no way detracts from the realism "in the highest sense" that Dostoevsky claimed as the principle of his art. The seriousness of the art is not the same as the seriousness of philosophy, or the seriousness of injustice.

This acclaimed last and magnificent level does justice to all its levels of artistry and invention: as murder mystery, black comedy, pioneering work of psychological realism, and enduring statement about freedom, sin and suffering.

It is perhaps apt to end this brief exploration with the words of Dostoevsky himself

"The underground, the underground, the poet of the underground- the feuilletonists keep repeating it as though there were something demeaning in it for me. The little fools. The is my glory, because truth is here." -- Fyodor Dostoevsky in Notes from Underground

About Me

A final year graduate student at Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi India. Broad interests include- Thinking on international policy issues, physics and random philosophizing. Voracious reader and blogger. Check out my website- http://www.arbiit.wordpress.com/.

Author RK Narayan Best-Known for Swami and Friends

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

RK Narayan best-known for Swami and Friends was born on October 10, 1906. He was born in former Madras and modern-day Chennai. His father was a school headmaster and moved about a lot; therefore he was raised by his grandmother Parvathi. She nicknamed him Kunjappa and he was popularly addressed by this nickname by the members of his family. He went to study in several schools and spent most of his time reading Arthur Conan Doyle, Charles Dickens, PG Wodehouse, and Thomas Hardy. He got into trouble when he participated in a pro-independence march; his family was neutral about politics and India's independence.

RK Narayan moved to Mysore to join his parents where he began to write. He studied at the Maharaja College of Mysore and took a job as a school teacher. He left it to realize that he would turn to writing for the rest of his life. His first piece of published writing was titled 'Development of Maritime Laws of 17th-Century England'. He wrote for English newspapers and magazines. Although he lived on a paltry income, his friends and family respected him and he published his first novel: Swami and Friends. Thus the fictitious town of Malgudi came into being. This book was rejected by several publishers until Narayan sent it to his friend and popular author Graham Greene. Other books such as The Bachelor of Arts, The English Teacher, The Financial Expert, Waiting for the Mahatma, and The Guide were published. The Financial Expert was acknowledged as one of the most original works in 1951 while he won the Sahitya Akademi Award for The Guide. The Guide was also made into a movie and presented on Broadway. He was compared to William Faulkner for his depiction of real-life characters in everyday life while also being compared to Guy de Maupassant with regard to his narrative style in presenting short stories. He was conferred the AC Benson Medal from the Royal Society of Literature and the Padma Vibhushan. He was also nominated as Member to the Rajya Sabha.

Narayan fell in love with Rajam and went ahead to marry her despite financial and zodiac hurdles. Shortly after the marriage, he worked for a newspaper titled The Justice. He wrote about the shame involved in being caned in the class, the emotional drain in brides and grooms with horoscope matching, and the subjugation of women in marriages. The death of his wife immensely aggrieved him and his daughter became the center of his attention. The grief served the inspiration for his book, The English Teacher. He also worked on a journal, Indian Thought. Then he started his own publishing venture, Indian Thought Publications which earned him a voracious readership from New York to Moscow. His writings were published for the first time in the States by the Michigan State University Press.

In 1961, The Man Eater of Malgudi was published. It earned him a lot of accolade and he traveled across Adelaide, Sydney, and Melbourne. After the publication of The Vendor of Sweets, he earned his first honorary doctorate from the University of Leeds. He lived the last of his days being involved in agriculture and interacting with people. He wrote The World of Nagraj and Grandmother's Tale, the last of his books. He breathed his last on May 13, 2001 at Chennai.

Anju Batra is a writer based in India. She like to write on Social and cultural subject. She has writer lots of Articles on the subject of R K Narayan, R K Narayan Books.

Slaughterhouse-Five or The Children's Crusade

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

All this happened more or less.

Billy Pilgrim became unstuck in time. Billy Pilgrim is,was and always will be a friend of Kilgore Trout, kidnapped by Aliens and a prisoner of war who witnessed the fire bombing of Dresden. Billy Pilgrim survived to tell the tale. This is a novel somewhat in the telegraphic schizophrenic manner of the tales of the Planet Tralfamadore, where the flying saucers come from. Peace.

A review must address the question: What is Slaughterhouse-Five? Slaughterhouse-Five is not an anti-war book. Vonnegut expounds his position in chapter one, "that writing an anti-war book is like writing an anti-glacier book," both being futile endeavors, since both phenomena are unstoppable. Slaughterhouse-five is not just science fiction, the author keeps the protagonist rooted in existential reality. It is certainly not funny, how can a massacre be funny? It is a funny book at which you are not permitted to laugh, a sad book without tears. The best way out would be to go and read the book ofcourse. Then why the review?

Why?

"That is a very earthling question to ask Mr. Pilgrim. Why you? Why us for that matter? Why anything? Because this moment simply is. Have you ever seen bugs trapped in amber?"

"Yes". Billy, in fact had a paperweight in his office which was a blob of polished amber with three lady bugs embedded in it.

"Well here, we are, Mr. Pilgrim, trapped in the amber of the moment. There is no why. "

Vonnegut explores the themes of fatalism and irrationality in his somewhat meta-fictional and post-modern (whatever that means) account. The encounter with the aliens leave Billy Pilgrim more accustomed to "non free will".

On an average 191,000 new babies are born each day in the world. The population Reference Bureau predicts the worlds' population will double to 7,000,000,000 before the year 2000.

"I suppose they will all want dignity," I said.

"I suppose," said O'Hare.

Most of humanity is insignificant. They do what they do, because they must. That is the way the moment is structured. To the tralfamaldorians everything exists simultaneously. They suffer from wars and tragedies and mishaps just like the earthlings, but choose to concentrate on the happy moments. Human action is irrational. Wars have been and always will be there. There's one thing thing the earthlings might learn to do, if they tried hard enough. Ignore the awful times and concentrate on the good ones.

My favorite character in the book, by far is the author Kilgore Trout. The alter ego of Vonnegut, Trout writes about the craziness of humanity in his own highly fictionalized style. I have this notion that all great works of Science fiction are the ones most deeply rooted in reality (Asimov etc). Pure fiction would be too boring. According to Trout, the Gospels Teach us - Before You kill somebody make absolutely sure he isn't well connected.

The flaw in Christ's stories said the visitor from outer space, was that Christ, who didn't look like much, was actually the sun of the most powerful being in the Universe. Readers understood that, so when they came to the crucifixion, they naturally thought, and Rosewater read out again:

Oh boy- they sure picked the wrong to lynch that time!

And that thought had a brother: "There are right people to lynch." Who? People not well connected. So it goes.

[From the Gospel From Outer Space by Kilgore Trout]

The destruction and oppressiveness of the war dominates the book. The inhuman sufferings and the widespread destruction, the ubiquitous poverty and deprivation torment the soul of Billy Pilgrim. Amongst all this brutality and suffering, the death of Edgar Derby underlines the bizzareness in our actions. Time is taken to punish one man. Yet, the time is taken, and Vonnegut takes the outside opinion of the bird asking, "Poo-tee-weet?" The same birdsong ends the novel God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater, as the protagonist gives away his fortune to the plaintiffs of hundreds of false paternity suits brought against him.

Billy Pilgrim is depressed and suffers, suffers for his own unchangeable fate, the obscenity pervading the fabric of society, Human desire too rot out all evil in the world by using nuclear bombs. Billy pilgrim never cried during the war. However when he saw the state of the horses transporting the American prisoners of war, he burst into tears. Later on in life, Billy cried very little, though he often saw things worth crying about, and in that respect atleast he resembled the Christ of the Carol:

The cattle are lowing,

The Baby Awakes.

But the little lord Jesus

No crying he makes

In all his moments of torments Billy Pilgrim always found solace in one thing:

God grant me

The serenity to accept

The things I cannot change

Courage

To change the things I can

And wisdom always

To tell the

Difference.

I don't believe in God. So it goes.

Sukrit Aggarwal

PS: If you happen to visit Cody, Wyoming, don't forget to ask for Wild Bob.

Rosewater said an interesting thing to Billy one time about a book that wasn't science fiction. He said that everything there was to know about life was in the The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky.

"But that isn't enough anymore", said Rosewater.

Credits: The italicized stuff is the genius of Vonnegut. The other rudimentary misunderstandings are all mine.

About Me

A final year graduate student at Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi India. Broad interests include- Thinking on international policy issues, physics and random philosophizing. Voracious reader and blogger. Check out my website- http://www.arbiit.wordpress.com/

Journey to the Centre of the Earth: A Review

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

Science Fiction is one of the most popular genres of all times; it is read by the people of all ages and all fields. Time has been witness of the popular classics that emerged in the world of literature under the category of science fiction. Science Fiction brought a great appeal to the world literature and people began to look for more and more for this highly imaginative yet completely scientific writings. According to the Bedford Glossary science fiction is "a type of fiction that is grounded in scientific or pseudoscientific concepts and that, whether set on Earth or in an alternate or parallel world, employs both realistic and fantastic elements in exploring the question "What if?" The genre of Science Fiction is based on the exploration of different aspects of life; let it be social, psychological, moral or biological. It conveys new ideas, not only about the present but also makes great futuristic speculations.

Here I will discuss the novel Journey to the Centre of the Earth in the light of the given characteristics, and prove the significance of science fiction novel in the English literature.

Jules Verne's famous novel Journey to the Centre of the Earth is one of the first novels that become a beacon of light not only for the readers of science fiction but, for the writers as well. It is written by the famous French author Jules Verne, who is well known for his fantastic adventurous stories, and is acknowledged to be one of the pioneers of science fiction. Journey to the Centre of the Earth is recognized world over, is read by people of all ages and has been translated into many other languages.

Journey to the Centre of the Earth is a unique literary endeavor that incorporates great characterization, simple plot, and grand adventurous fiction, enveloped in scientific narrations. The story revolves around the characters of Otto Lidenbrock, his nephew Axel and their guide Hans. Otto Lidenbrock is a well-reputed geologist, mineralogist, and Professor at Johannaeum. Being a man of science he was an enthusiast about all new scientific discoveries, and always anticipated scientific adventures.

The story is being narrated by Axel, who is a timid, undecided and less motivated boy. But being brought up under the care of his uncle he had developed much interest in science, minerals, geology and other scientific works. Much of his time was spent in his uncles' laboratory. The story starts to unfold when Otto Lidenbrock comes across an old parchment with runic letters inscribed on it. That parchment revealed the secret passage to the centre of the earth, its author being a famous Icelandic scientist Arne Saknusseumm. This is when Lidenbrock is taken by the enthusiasm to become the first scientist to discover and make journey to the centre of the earth!

Jules Verne wrote the novel in a way that it contained scientific information throughout the story. One major tool of providing readers with a point to sift their mental faculties for scientific knowledge was to add scientific discussions and arguments in the story. He brought about many such arguments that made the story gripping; for example, when Lidenbrock decides that they would leave for the Summit of Sneffels and make a quest to the centre of the earth, many questions arise in the readers minds. Questions like; how would the journey be made in utter darkness? When the earth is filled with magma, how will they pass through it? And won't the pressure inside earth's crust be unbearable? The author very intelligibly answered all these questions by setting the characters in an argument about these notions. Take example of an excerpt from the novel:

'Yes, it is well known that the temperature increases by approximately one degree centigrade for every seventy feet you go below the surface of the globe. Now, assuming that this ratio remains constant, and given that the radius of the Earth is about four thousand miles, the temperature at the centre will be well over 200,000??. The substances at the Earth's core exist therefore as white-hot gases, for even metals like gold or platinum, even the hardest rocks, cannot resist such a temperature. My question whether it is possible to travel in such an environment is consequently a reasonable one!'

We can see clearly how Verne has added the chunk of scientific facts (temperature increases by approximately one degree centigrade for every seventy feet) into the story. Making scientific calculations, by keeping in mind the radius of earth and other variables, shows the great extent of knowledge that Verne has employed in writing the novel. Later through the story he creates the atmosphere of curiosity and adventure for the readers, and so one starts to anticipate what lays ahead in the story.

Adding scientific knowledge and fantasy for the readers in a science fiction knowledge is inevitable. Jules Verne in his novel takes full knowledge and responsibility of it. At one point in the novel when Lidenbrock is ready to make the journey, they prepare a complete list of provisions and instruments required on such a journey. The list is given in the form of a scientific list:

"The instruments included:
1. A centigrade thermometer made by Eigel, graduated to 150??, which didn't seem quite right to me...
2. A manometer operated by compressed air, designed to show pressures greater than that at sea level..."

This list is important when one analyses the novel under the characteristics of science fiction novels. It gives us the details of scientific instruments and their information with much precision and accuracy. The valuable information given to the readers is immense and this part of the story gives thrust to the interest of the readers, and helps make it more and more 'grounded by a high degree of realism.'

Throughout the novel Verne refers to actual places, and real geographical locations and facts. For example when Lidenbrock along with Axel starts the journey to Iceland; Verne adds the following lines:

"Iceland is one of the biggest islands in Europe. Its surface stretches across fourteen hundred miles, but it has only sixty thousand inhabitants. Geographers have divided it into four parts, and it was the Region of the South-West Quarter, 'Sudvestr Fjordjngr', that we had to cross, almost diagonally."

This factual information given by Verne provides the readers with immense knowledge as well as entertainment; it becomes easier for the readers to relate to the real life places than to imagine a fantasy world. This adds to the general knowledge of the readers as well.

Once the journey beneath the earth's crust takes momentum, an adventurous aura envelops the novel, and one after another many discoveries occur. At one place in the novel Axel is lost and is left alone in the darkness to find his companions. In this situation he suddenly hears his uncle calling his name, this is the moment when Verne uses the famous scientific phenomenon known as 'acoustic effect'. Jules Verne further gives more knowledge of the special effect by saying the following words:

"This astounding acoustic effect can easily be explained by simple natural laws; it arose from the peculiar shape of the gallery and the conductibility of the rock."

Here we see that Verne explains the working of the scientific phenomenon, and further he also gives examples from different places on earth like, "the Whispering Gallery at St Paul's in London". This makes his ideas more convincible and concrete.

Jules Verne creates a fantastic world underground, and shares unique and daring adventures with the readers. His scientific imagination reaches great heights and opens new dimensions of though for the readers, as they are introduced to new ideas and possibilities. Journey to the Centre of the Earth makes its readers journey through the Lidenbrock Sea, which is "a vast sheet of water...", and around the shore there were "tall, dense forest..." which had plantation from all the ages, trees of medium height and dense vegetation. Through the imagery of this forest one can explore the different ages of evolution, the primary plats and animals, as well as the secondary vegetation growth. The readers become accustomed to the ideas of how different species had lived on Earth and evolved and became as they are at present.

One of the characteristics of the science fiction novels is that they include fantastic characters such as aliens or monsters. And Journey to the Centre of the Earth contains a whole chapter dedicated to the "Battle of monsters." In it there is the description of two ominous monsters, that are half- lizard and half whales. These monsters fight a ferocious battle and this adds to the thrill and excitement of the novel.

The discovery of the human skeleton, the fierce electronic storm, the powerful geyser and diverse subterranean life puts beauty in the novel and keeps the readers engrossed till the end. Journey to the Centre of the Earth not only provides scientific knowledge but also develops a sense among the readers to ponder on the scientific information and explore different areas and discoveries in science. This book enhances the interest of people in subjects like geology, geography and other natural sciences.

Even today Science Fiction remains as the most anticipated genre of literature. It has gained much popularity among children and young people due to its challenging and thrilling appeal. Many new writers are emerging in this genre and are adding to the world of literature. The popularity of science fiction can easily be gauged by the fact that hundreds of films are made related to it, like Star Trek, Star Wars, E.T., Frankenstein, Batman, and the list is inexhaustible! Hence the future of science fiction is secure and promising as well.

What They Didn't Teach You About the Great Gatsby's Nick Carraway

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

If you have read or are reading 'The Great Gatsby', maybe for school maybe for just for fun, you'll no doubt have some opinions about Nick. He is the narrator of the book so what you think of him will shape you opinion of the whole novel. But for someone so central to the plot he doesn't talk about himself much. If you do look a bit closer things don't quite seem to add up, and it bothered me for a little while until, when discussing the book with a friend, it was suggested Nick was gay. Do you have a sneaking suspicion too? or are you looking for something unusual to add to an essay to surprise an examiner. Here is is my attempt to get Nick out of the closet

Great Gatsby quotes about Nick are littered with references to how gorgeous Gatsby is or how handsome or attractive, the list goes on. Now maybe I'm just jealous because only my mother calls my handsome, and I don't think she really means it, but isn't that a little bit much. He is infatuated with Gatsby, caught up in his spell, his better judgement succumbing to his fascination. While other characters call him a bootlegger or a gangster or just an ordinary man Nick is always waxing lyrical about his romantic readiness or the pureness of his dream. Isn't he just a beer baron hung up on his ex girlfriend. How much of all this idealised hero only exists in Nick's head.

Yes he does have relationships with women, 3 if you're counting, but he isn't a Casanova by any standards. He barely mentions any of them, and his reasons for ending them always seem a little suspect. The first because he was scared he was going to get peer pressured into marrying a girl (so scared he moved state), the second because the girl's brother was looking at him funny and the 3rd, Jordan, because he needed more time to think about Gatsby. Maybe he wanted to look up other words for gorgeous in the thesaurus.

And last but not least there is his, well, one night stand? I don't really know how to describe it. GO and read the end of chapter 2 again and you'll see what I mean. They leave the party together, they end up semi naked in his bedroom and then the next think we know it's 4 am and Nick is getting the train home. All this is described in very little detail I guess that's is one of the perks of being your own narrator.

For more information on 'The Great Gatsby' or the best collection of Great Gatsby quotes [http://www.quote-companion.co.uk]check out my site.

Deconstructing William Shakespeare's Heroines in Literature

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

The Bard was perhaps the most radical and experimenting writer of his age when he tried issues of homosexuality in the sonnets, but he was a conservative when it came to the "fairer sex". His heroines can be broadly classified under two categories - abiding and independent. I am using the term "heroine" strictly to denote the leading ladies, and not the supporting cast. As far as the leading female characters are concerned, most are the good girls with a natural abiding nature and hardly any ambition of their own. Those who have this spark fall under the category of 'independent' and are mostly termed as the "witch".

Let us start with the ladies of the negative category, so that we can slowly compare them with the heroines who followed the rules. The first name that comes to our mind is Lady Macbeth. If taken as a modern lady, she is ambitious, persuasive, and determined. Had she been the CEO of a company in these days, she would have given good competition to many male CEOs over the world. But she is a woman, known with the name of her husband. She cannot do anything actively, for she is the second sex. Even if she tried to gain the fate that she believed she and her husband deserved, the society - in the form of fate - abandons her and death becomes her ultimate fate.

The second lady whose portrayal we need to deconstruct is Katherina, from The Taming of the Shrew. She is the shrew, because she is intelligent. She has a mind of her own, and can make her own decisions, so she needs to be tamed. And the taming is such a harsh process that when we read or watch this play in these modern times, we feel that an almost inhuman cruelty was meted out to her. The pleasure in subduing a powerful woman is always there, and it was with the great Shakespeare as well.

The good girls, who got all the rewards, were no doubt the most abiding and na?ve ones. When a Juliet loves with her whole innocence, she has to sacrifice her life to be accepted as a pure lady. She could not stand strong in the face of troubles or she would have been banned by fate as well. Similarly, ladies like Ophelia, Desdemona and Hermione had to sacrifice their lives or at least pretend to do so, in order to gain the status of a virtuous lady.

There are heroines like Rosalind, Viola and Portia who try to break free from the norm, but somehow fall short of being the powerful woman that they should have been. The common thing with these is that they all take the guise of a man, as if trying to go beyond their identity as a weak woman. But in the end, they do it for the sake of the common god, just as a good girl is expected to give up everything for the sake of the men in her life. Rosalind took the guise of Ganymede to save herself and her sister, Viola did it to save survive in the strange land of Illyria and Portia did it to save her husband's friend. The most daring deed was done by Portia, for she went ahead and challenged a group of men. But the temporary insult that she received in the hands of her own husband when Bassanio gave her their wedding ring for saving his friend Antonio's life is perhaps her punishment for challenging a men's world of law.

To conclude, I would like to bring up the example of the heroine of Thomas Hardy's The Return of the Native. She also took the guise of a man, but for her own sake - for her own amusement. And we all remember her tragic fate. She was ambitious, spirited and independent. But her ignominious end came by drowning herself out of shame and frustration. So, it is not just Shakespeare, but women from all times in literature have been shown as the model of virtue so that men could triumph over her and boast of their strength.

Simantini Sinha is an avid reader on various topics, and her interests lie in books, music, food and more. her articles are published in magazines and dailies.

Hamlet and Romeo Have Tea With Holden Caulfield: Inside Fan-Fiction

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

Fan fiction has grown in popularity over the last decade. Gone are the days when the audience believed that a character's fate was strictly in the hands of its creator; now they seem to believe that they can decide the future (or at the very least, an alternate reality) of their favorite characters from film, literature and even history.

Writer/comedian/banjo player/playwright Steve Martin probably would not like to have his play Picasso at the Lapin Agile referred to as fan fiction, but it is so similar that there's almost no better definition. Martin took the "characters" of painter Pablo Picasso and physicist Albert Einstein and put them in a dream scenario: what would happen if two of the greatest minds of the twentieth century met up at a bar? How would they react to one another? What would they talk about? Would Elvis make a surprise appearance? (Spoiler alert: he does.)

That's the beauty of fan fiction; the writer can create a fantasy scenario using any of his favorite characters from fiction or real life. An Austen fan could write a story that puts the heroines of all her major novels together in a house, sort of a like a Real World for fictional British women. What would Elizabeth Bennet think of Marianne Dashwood? Could Fanny Price share a bathroom with Emma Woodhouse? It's fun to think about what would happen when Austen characters stop being polite and start being real.

The same could apply to Shakespeare characters. Many of the Bard's most notable protagonists are known for their strong personalities. Hamlet is notably moody, indecisive and prone to killing people through curtains. What would a dinner party that consists of him, Lady Macbeth and Petruchio from The Taming of the Shrew be like? Or a tea party with the nurse from Romeo and Juliet, the witches from Macbeth and Hippolyta from a Midsummer Night's Dream?

It's fun to think about one's favorite literary characters meeting up and interacting. Whether it's The Little Prince meeting Anne of Green Gables or Harry Potter casting a spell on Edward Cullen from Twilight, this type of fan fiction allows readers and writers to explore the various facets of their favorite characters' personalities. Sometimes it can even be used as wish fulfillment. For anyone who read The Catcher in the Rye> and wished that Holden Caulfield would just come across someone like Mr. Rochester from Jane Eyre, who wouldn't put up with his antics and give me the good slap across the face he deserves, writing literary fan fiction can be incredibly gratifying.

Of course, there is a stigma that comes with writing fan fiction, whether it's for a popular science fiction TV show or the complete works of William Shakespeare. It can be an excellent creative outlet, but not necessarily something that will make for great cocktail party conversation. Speaking of which, what would happen if Captain Ahab, Henry V, Catherine from Wuthering Heights and Gandalf the Grey all met at a cocktail party?

Paul Thomson is an avid reader of English Literature. His areas of expertise include Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet and Catcher in the Rye. In his spare time, he loves to participate in online literature forums and promote reading for youth.