The book of Jane Eyre contains many things of sinister nature. There is mention of little green people, murderous ghosts and other various beasts taken from folklore at that time. One of which was the terrible Gytrash. This being appears right before Jane’s first encounter with Mr. Rochester. Initially I figured the mention of this […]
I followed a blog website called Refinery29. It is known for having many posts shared to Facebook. It is similar to Buzz feed in a way many people can create accounts and post as an amatuer. When reading through some articles and titles I noticed it was not very feminist. It was more of the […]
The first blog that I had looked into was Refinery 29. They cover a little bit of everything ranging from fashion, beauty, and health, to videos, tech, and news. Within those categories, topics that are more specific can be viewed. There are multiple authors who write a little bit of everything as well, and some […]
The first blog I began to follow was Connie Bennett’s The Cravings Ninja (http://connieb.com/). Connie Bennett began writing her blog as a way to educate others about unhealthy fats and sugars. She herself suffered from a number of health issues, although she was not overweight, and was diagnosed with sever reactive hypoglycemia. Connie changed her […]
I don’t think that many people realize if they are reading a blog or not. From my experience I click on a link from social media and it redirects me to a blog, I usually don’t read a blog on purpose. Blogs sometimes have important information but from my own experience it is mostly just […]
The two blogging websites I looked into were Feministing and Bitch Media. I actually really really liked Feministing simply because it does not just address the point of view of a smaller group of people from a specific part of the world. Feministing includes posts from women of every color and creed from all over […]
The blogs that I followed over the last two weeks were Vegan Feminist Network and The Bloggess. The first of which is a blog that is written by a multitude of authors about veganism and feminism (as the title suggests). As a vegetarian who has been dabbling in transitioning to veganism, this blog really sparked […]
When you think of a blog written by an African-American woman, or any women for that matter, what comes to mind? I feel the stereotype for female bloggers is that they are upset at the world and love to discuss “female issues.” Of course some bloggers are like this, but just as we are all […]
Thanks to the rise of the internet, blogging platforms have created a way for marginalized and unheard voices to have their say. Anybody can write and maintain a blog, and if their content is well written and speaks to a receptive audience, they can become a big voice. Previously, public discourse was controlled by gatekeepers […]
Both reading and publishing blog post are a great way of furthering one’s passions, so for my blog research I decided to follow 2 blogs that pertained to the role of women in chess. This is a frequently discussed topic at many chess tournaments because female players often have the opportunity to earn a […]
The blog sites that I read were Hercampus.com and adiosbarbie.com. The information on these sites were centered on pop culture and college life. They were directed towards college students, high school seniors, and the female public. The authors used their real names and some are even readers that write article for the site in the […]
Over the last two weeks, I’ve been following xojane. I haven’t been following any one particular blog by any one particular author, but rather I was checking in on the site once every two days or so and just perusing a lot of the blogs that appeared on the homepage. I found so many different […]
The YouTube blogger Tabby discusses a variety of topics. She often goes into her life of being a model/singer and discusses the difficulties of being a young wife. She is very informal with her videos but, the viewer can tell she plans out her discussions. YouTube pays her to post videos on a weekly basis […]
We are in an age where people are more likely to look at social media than actually speak to someone. So it only makes sense that blogs and vlogs alike are growing in popularity. These past two weeks I have been checking out two feminist vlogs one by Megan MacKay, the other a Buzzfeed vlog […]
The first blog that I followed is called Project Unbreakable. There is a page on Tumblr but people can do #projectunbreakable on any social media platform. It is a group for victims of sexual assault. They put pictures on the page where they write something that their molester, the police, or a friend or family […]
The website that I researched was called xoJane. A few topics that xoJane addresses are categorized by sex/love, beauty, fashion, entertainment, food, and current issues. There are many authors that contribute to the website but they tend to specialize in certain categories. For example, the beauty section has different writers than the food section. The […]
Blogs are an incredible tool for self expression. This is seen in many forms. Some blogs, like Ifemelu’s, focus on political and social issues. Personally, I have had a blog on tumblr since 2011 and I use it primarily for reblogging funny memes and pictures of dogs, as well as venting about my problems. Ifemelu […]
In the novel Americanah, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, hair is a very important theme throughout the novel. Hair is heavily interlinked with ethnicity, because each ethnicity has a certain hair type. Hair is something that is very important to each and every one of us, it reflects us as a person and how we identify […]
Ifemelu is a Nigerian woman who came to the United States. She is an educated woman trying to make her thoughts and feelings known, through blogging. She is troubled on why people say there is no race in their culture, when there clearly is. It may not be completely obvious like it was long ago, […]
For my final blog post, I chose to look at the blogs “Shit People Say to Women Directors” on Tumbler and FanFiction.net. I was surprised that FanFiction was on the list due to its open content and little focuses on women’s issues. FanFiction allows anyone to write story’s about characters that already exist in media […]
I enjoyed comparing blogs in the real world to the blogs that Ifemelu wrote in Americanah because we could draw parallels between the real world. I enjoyed seeing how these difficult topics dealing with racism, sexism, and women’s rights. For example, the point at which Ifemelu decides that she shouldn’t have to change her accent in […]
In the book Americanah by Chimamanda Adichie, the character Ifemelu often blogs about experiences she encounters while in American after leaving her native Nigeria. These blogs are often geared towards a populace not accustomed to main stream culture of America. Because of this counterculture styled rhetoric, I chose to follow two blogs that would be […]
Derek Arndt Americanah In Americanah, Ifemelu writes blogs on Raceteenth about a lot of social issues she faces. Her blog fits into the feminist blogosphere because it confronts issues that women and minorities face on a daily basis.
The purpose of writing a “blog post” is to voice one’s opinion or inform a reader about a specific topic or theme. I personally grew up writing blog posts, however, the topics I chose to share with my readers did not convey a specific theme and did not relate to any specific topic. Rather, I […]
The blogs WeAreHer.com and the fword.org are two blog based websites based on promoting a positive lifestyle for women from all walks of life. We Are Her primarily focuses on life for lesbian women, as the web tab displays, “HER The Lesbian App”. But essentially the content can be applicable to most any women because […]
In this blog post I will explain to my readers what I believe a good blog is, what kind of blogs I have been reading, and how Ifemelu’s blogs fit into this blogosphere. I believe a good blog catches their readers attention with writing about a problem or issue in the writer’s current life. Issues […]
The websites I followed were “Bitch Media” and “Adios, Barbie”. Bitch Media is a magazine, but their website posts articles about and for women. Adios, Barbie is strictly a blog, and it is primarily about getting women to look at their bodies positively. Some topics that Bitch Media discusses are books, culture, art & design, […]
The internet is a place where several voices are heard and yet some hardly get listened to. Those who do get noticed, come into view with strong voices that bring attention to problems that the world faces. When I reviewed two blogs on Tumblr, both focusing on feminism and sexism that goes on around the […]
Karley Kilsdonk Dr. Kristin Denslow Women in Literature 4 May, 2016 Americanah For the past two weeks, I followed Adios Barbie and Hollaback which are blogs about how women are viewed in society. I enjoyed reading the stories and articles and connecting them back to my own experiences. The topics were on everyday issues […]
In the novel, Americanah, the main character, Ifemelu, writes and runs a successful blog about race in America. Today’s generation has the ability to get their voices and literature out there with the use of the internet. The first blog I examined was bitchmedia.org. The mission of bitchmedia is “to provide and encourage an engaged, […]
Alexis Pautz Dr. Denslow Women in Literature 3 May 2016 Real Blogs vs. Raceteenth There are a lot of blogs out there that are dedicated to women of all shapes and sizes. As an avid Tumblr user, I chose to follow the blog “Chubby Bunnies” and also the site Bitch Media. Both of these feminist […]
Over these last two weeks I have been watching the Adios Barbie and xoJane Blogs. Both of which are blogs geared towards women and are written by a number of different authors about a wide range of topics like feminism, self-esteem, and beauty hacks. This use of their own names is possibly because these authors […]
Dana Gulseth In this world that we live in today, it is so important that people come together. We need support, understanding and a sense of belonging in order to live a happy and fulfilled life. This is exactly what blogs provide in a world that technology is so prevalent. That was truly Ifemelu’s whole […]
The first blog I looked for this project at was called Bustle. Bustle seems to post articles that discuss topics that are appealing and relative to women and feminists. They also discuss ways that women relate to each other, and different issues going on in the media. They also give advice and articles written by […]
Fun Home is a graphic novel by Alison Bechdel that sheds light on her life from a young age leading into adulthood. Besides having a very unorthodox home life, Alison struggled for quite some time with the relationship with her father as well as also coming into her own sexuality. On page 104 the last […]
Personally I wanted to speak on the panel that covers pages 100 & 101. It was assumed that Bechdel’s father killed himself after she came out, which makes you think that was the reason he did this to himself. This page caught my attention right away because it was a two-page layout and it was […]
On page 227 of the novel Fun Home, we see in both the text and the images how Allison is, or is not dealing with her father’s death. You see in the facial expressions within the image, that Allison is not necessarily destroyed over her father’s death, and this goes hand in hand with the […]
When reading and looking through the story there were plenty of images to choose. The issue was that not all of the images would match the words of the page. Yes, plenty of which could be used to describe how they work together to create Bechdel’s life, but could not connect. . Each panel would […]
In Bechdel’s Fun Home, she uses several allusions to her world and the time around her. One of them is to the movie It’s a Wonderful Life. In the book, she references it when talking about her father and his love of fixing up their old house. The movie, starring Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed, […]
Allison Bechdel mentioned The Odyssey multiple times in her novel. It is the easiest way for to express what she is thinking and feeling. She has always related to books and the many stories that she has read. They are her best resource for learning who she is and also for her to express who […]
The novel Fun Home is unlike any other memoir, it contains pictures and shows the journey of Alison’s life. Alison uses the phrase “a picture is worth a thousand words” literally. Each panel closely relates to the story and the words that are above or on the panel. There are several pictures that have a […]
I have never liked the saying that a picture is worth a thousand words. Often times when I see a picture I view it as a piece of artwork and nothing more. I try to look deeper but end up falling short in expressing with words how an image makes me feel. It seems like I […]
Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home portrays the evolution of the author’s relationship with her late father, Bruce Bechdel, from her early childhood up until his death. A significant portion of the graphic memoir is given to illustrating Bruce’s obsession with the care and keeping of their family home. Throughout the memoir, he is seen constantly renovating, […]
Allison Bechdel uses a reference to “The Addams Family” in Fun Home in order to provide some clarity to how dysfunctional her family actually was. When being a member of a family that isn’t quite normal, finding things in her surroundings that she could relate to was a source of comfort for Bechdel. She compares […]
On page 13, Alison Bechdel has an image of her father taking down the glass from a chandelier light to clean and he tells his children how to wash the glass pieces. Above the picture, Bechdel states, “And of course, my brothers and I were free labor. Dad considered us extensions of his own body, […]
In chapter 2 of Alison Bechdel’s memoir she compares her family to the Addams family. Charles Addams was the cartoonist who created the Addams family. His dark comedic stories about death and macabre lasted until 1989. His cartoons fame led to the development of The Addams Family television series in 1964 till 1966, and the […]
Alexis Pautz Dr. Denslow Women in Literature 6 April 2016 Alison’s Similarities to her Father While it may be open to interpretation, Alison Bechdel’s story in Fun Home was shaped quite a bit by her father. While they had some differences, she and her father were a lot more alike than she might have […]
I really enjoyed reading Fun Home. I think that if the book were written without any drawings it would tell a totally different story. The drawings help the reader make connections to the words Bechdel is writing and it’s almost like you’re living in those moments with her all over again. She put a lot […]
I chose to discuss and analyze four panels from Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home. In my opinion, these four panels are equally as important and exemplify a turning point for Bechdel as a young girl, when she is beginning to come into her own and finds herself hitting a brick wall of not only her family’s, […]
In the graphic memoir Fun Home, Alison Bechdel simultaneously uses images and words to create literary meaning. Everyone has heard the phrase “a picture is worth a thousand words.” In Bechdel’s memoir, she uses this phrase literally such that both elements of images and words are utilized to either complement one another and portray one specific meaning, […]
The first panel on page 194 shows a picture of a crowd gathered at a pier, most of which are looking out at the boats on the water. The text on the page remarks, “We had a disappointing view of the spectacle, but an excellent one of the crowd at the piers.” Within the crowd […]
The panel in Fun Home on page 86 where Alison and her father are both sitting in his library/study working on their own tasks. You see this scene from outside the house. You see each person through their own individual window. Above this scene are the words, “And I’m reluctant to let go of that […]
The graphic memoir, Fun Home by Alison Bechdel, has a message that is much like life itself; complicated with many twists and turns. Even when things in life are difficult, it can also be your saving grace, something to learn from. In every family, there are always more sides to a family member then we […]
There is so much to be talked about in regards to Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home, from its literary merit to its artistic beauty to its obvious commentary on not just Alison’s own family but on families in general. I could talk about any of these things endlessly, but the Theatre major inside of me is […]
The panel I chose came from page 7 of the novel, Fun Home, in which Alison’s father, Bruce is shown carrying what appears to be some kind of a support beam for the house over his shoulder in the foreground, with a dark background. I think that Bruce is being portrayed as kind of like a […]
The panel I have chosen is the bottom picture on page 134 of Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home. The image is of Bechdel’s childhood home, but there are circles superimposed on the picture that show various family members in their different pursuits. Alison’s father is working on frames for his refurbishing, while her mother is playing […]
Graphic novels are sometimes seen as a cop out. The pictures could be seen as a distraction from some real content. I do not agree. The pictures in graphic novels make the experience more immersive. They add another layer of complexity; one where if you don’t pay attention, you could miss an important point illustrated […]
On page 134 of Fun Home, Alison Bechdel writes, “… It was a vicious circle, though. The more gratification we found in our own geniuses, the more isolated we grew. Our own was like an artists’ colony. We ate together, but otherwise were absorbed in our separate pursuits. And in this isolation, our creativity took […]
On page 77, the top left panel, Alison receives the response from her father after informing her parents that she is a lesbian depicted in the previous panels. Her father replied by informing her over the phone,” everyone should experiment it is healthy”. Later her mother responds by letter after refusing to come to the […]
The graphic memoir Fun Home illustrates the author’s journey to self-realization. As the reader turns the pages, the contrasts between mythology and the key figures in Alison Bechdel’s life become familiar. One key figure, her dad, is often portrayed as the beast incarnate of the Minotaur. Her father was instrumental in her journey and the […]
I chose to do the first option. The panel I chose to analyze and interpret is on page 79 and the panel in the middle of the page. This panel depicts Alison laying on the floor of her college dorm room after finding out about her father’s escapades with young boys (especially Roy) after sending […]
Derek Arndt On page 134, the last picture talks about how the family was “absorbed in [their] separate pursuits” (Bechdel 134). The image then goes to show all the family members in separate bubbles within the house, all doing something completely different. Almost everyone is also on a different floor of the house, which really […]
Karley Kilsdonk Dr. Kristin Denslow Women in Literature 9 April, 2016 Fun Home On page 96 of “Fun Home” we see Bruce putting a barrette in Alison’s hair as he says, “It keeps the hair out of your eyes,” Bruce explained (Bechdel, 2006, p. 96). “So would a crewcut,” Alison reasoned (Bechdel, 2006, p. […]
Fun Home is described as a graphic novel/memoir and while there can be many different ideas about what the true meaning of the memoir is I have narrowed it down to two different ideas: a coming of age story and an acceptance story. Alison had a very interesting childhood and in a sense has […]
The panel on the top of page 86 in the novel Fun Home by Alison Bechdel makes a statement about the whole novel. The words on the page and the drawing on the panel do not go hand in hand with each other. The words in the panel include, “But that would only confirm that […]
Alison showcases many examples of architecture in her book and pairs them with words that either represent the picture or goes against it. It however depends upon what is appropriate when drawing out the story. Pairing a story with a drawing is sometimes difficult to interpret on what the author is trying to explain. In […]
McKenna Bertrand Professor Denslow Women in Lit 6 April 2016 Fun Home and the Odyssey Alison Bechdel makes quite a few comparisons to her life and different works of literature in her novel, Fun Home. One piece of literature that is mentioned is the Odyssey. I am most familiar with this because I just recently […]
Option 1. I chose page 86, both the top and bottom panel, because I think they go together well. In the top panel, Alison and her father are sitting in the same room together, Alison is working on writing out a check and her father is sitting in a chair reading a book. The words […]
Dana Gulseth The panel that I chose to discuss is on page 186, the panel on the top of the page. It is a scene of Allison and her mother discussing her getting her period. This panel stuck out to me because if you are a girl you know how big of a deal getting […]
In Alison Bechdel’s memoir Fun Home, she refers to her father, Bruce, as a mythological character Daedalus. Daedalus was an inventor, he created the Labyrinth for King Minos of Crete which was made for King Minos’s wife Pasiphae, who was in love with a bull, and for her son, the Minotaur (half bull half human). After […]
On pages 100 and 101 of “Fun Home” Alison Bechdel has a large image of one of her father’s lovers (assumedly). The page almost seems like a fold out image in a dirty magazine due to its size compared to the rest of the book. This is the only borderless panel (if you can call […]
Throughout the memoir Fun Home by Alison Bechdel, our author makes many references to books in order for the reader to better understand her father, Bruce. This was probably done with intent because literature was something that her father and her shared. One of the literary references that was made throughout this book was the […]
Summary of the Article I read Templin’s Atwood’s the Handmaid’s Tale. It describes the discussion of when the Handmaid’s Tale takes place. Templin explains that a variety of different writers have stated different years from a couple of centuries from now to a hundred years (para. 1). Templin decides to use the Handmaid’s Tale itself […]
The dictionary definition of speculative fiction is that it is a broad literary genre encompassing any fiction with supernatural, fantastical, or futuristic elements. In the novel The Handmaid’s Tale, we know that there isn’t any supernatural or fantastical aspects, but there is a lot of futuristic elements. Atwood ties many global issues that we are […]
There does not appear to be a uniform consensus on what exactly constitutes “speculative fiction.” The Collins English dictionary broadly defines it as a “genre encompassing any fiction with supernatural, fantastical, or futuristic elements.” However, the word “speculative” would seem to indicate that it is a genre characterized by speculation. Speculating on worlds, characters, and […]
Speculative fiction is a writing genre in which the author writes about a world that is unlike the world we live in. These worlds can be futuristic societies that the author uses to demonstrate what they see as potential outcomes for their society’s future. This is the technique employed it Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale. […]
The plot and backstory of this novel is trying to say how life is better for both men and women. How? How is putting these groups into place and having rankings better for human life? Even in modern life that is not considered better or equal by any means. I feel like it is better […]
Speculative Fiction is a complicated genre to define and sometimes understand. Since it is such a broad literary genre there are many ways in which authors and readers have learned to understand what speculative fiction really is. The definition of speculative fiction is that it is a broad literary genre encompassing any fiction with supernatural, […]
Speculative fiction is any work of writing that involves supernatural, fantasy, or futuristic elements; all of which The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood has. The Handmaid’s tale is a perfect example of the speculative fiction genre because it has aspects of all the style and speculates about what a life would be like if it […]
To escape is something that most people strive to do (whether or not it is a conscious decision it is up to the individual). Many try to escape from work, responsibility, accountability, and interaction in all that they do. In my opinion one of the key factors that play into whether or not a person […]
Rosemary Sullivan’s “What If? Writing ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’” explains the hypothesis that Margret Atwood explored in The Handmaid’s Tale of the question “what if?” Sullivan begins by outlining the historical context of the novel. In the 1980s there was a large interest in infertility and the causes. So naturally, Atwood took the idea and ran […]
I believe that authors like Margaret Atwood write speculative fiction because they want to comment on how society is, or where they think society is heading. In Handmaiden’s Tale, Atwood is trying to make a comment on how society treats women and how she thinks society could progress and what life could be like for […]
Alex Bricco The Backlash and Atwood “The Handmaids Tale” shows a world that has made some dark choices in order to “survive”. These choices limit the freedom given to the general populace and more so to women. Women become identities of the jobs that they are preforming and have been stripped of their freedom to […]
In recent years, the idea on questioning the world/government and the idea of rebelling against new norms has also became a huge hit in the literary world. The genre that authors have been using to emphasize the thought of conflicts in social change is called “speculative fiction”; which is a genre that not many readers really […]
Speculative fiction is a genre where literary works of fiction that include supernatural, fantastical, or futuristic characteristics or elements. Although some of the elements seem unrealistic, but the concepts are very real. Many readers find this style of writing very interesting and something they enjoy reading. Some concepts in these types of writing seem extremely […]
While speculative fiction may be seen as a relatively broad category, it is a form of literature that is exceptionally relevant in today’s world. Speculative fiction encompasses fictional writing along with futuristic ideals or the paranormal. In The Handmaid’s Tale, the author shows the life of a woman in a dystopian society set in the […]
The Handmaids Tail is a story that follows a handmaiden who lives in Gilead. Gilead is the new United States in the future. For reasons that are not mentioned in the book the population in the United States was going down and a group found that to be the most opportune time to take over the […]
Speculative fiction produces some of the most enjoyed and well known works in the literary world. This type of literature is very broad and encompasses many different genres including: science fiction, fantasy, and horror fiction. The popularity of these works can be attributed to the lack of excitement in the reader’s everyday life. Though there […]
Speculative fiction is a term used as a collective title for works of fiction literature that can be described as works of science fiction, fantasy and horror. It can be used for works of these genres and for works that don’t quite fit into other genres. Fiction stories that have been described as ‘weird’ or […]
The Handmaid’s Tale was a very interesting novel for me to read. As a psychology major, I realized that, in novel like this, a narrator is not the most reliable of people to listen to. This is because of the fact that as a person, no matter who they are or what they have been […]
Speculative fiction is a literary genre that does not have a definition that is “set in stone.” Speculative fiction encompasses a multitude of genres of which are currently accepted throughout the different areas of literature. Those being the dominant genres of fantasy, science fiction, and horror. Although speculative fictions encompasses the latter three genres, it […]
In the Handmaid’s Tale, a dystopian/”big brother-esque” novel, women are subjugated to various roles within the “new” society. The most prevalent role in the novel, is that of the Handmaid. These women serve to help defeat the threat of population decline that has fallen on the remains of the United States of America. These […]
Sexual Surveillance and Medical Authority in Two Versions of The Handmaid’s Tale by Pamela Cooper Cooper begins her paper by observing the use of surveillance in Gilead as assistance with extreme social control, almost enslaving its citizens. She writes about the Guardians, who act as an ordinary police force would in today’s world, and then […]
Derek Arndt Professor Denslow Women in Literature 20 March 2016 Gorman Beauchamp wrote a scholarly article about The Handmaid’s Tale called The Politics of The Handmaid’s Tale where she looks at the world in the book, mainly Gilead, and talks about the power sectors. He starts off with real world people’s reaction to the book […]
Karley Kilsdonk Dr. Kristin Denslow Women in Literature 20 March, 2016 Speculative Fiction “The Handmaid’s Tale” is in the speculative fiction genre. I did not know what speculative fiction was, so I found that this genre “is a term, attributed to Robert Heinlein in 1941, that has come to be used to collectively describe works […]
Margaret Atwood writes a very well dystopian and speculative fiction novel. Speculative fiction is sometimes attributed to Robert Heinlein who wrote an editorial essay and referenced speculative literature. Speculative fiction is referring to any fiction that includes elements that are completely imaginary and are not based on reality. It often includes technologies that do not […]
Alexis Pautz Dr. Denslow Women in Literature 20 March 2016 Speculative Fiction Speculative fiction is a very broad term under narrative fiction whose aspects are imagined based on very real issues. Author Margaret Atwood uses this type of genre, or style, in her novel, The Handmaid’s Tale. This book is considered speculative fiction because […]
Margaret Atwood’s A Handmaid’s Tale, is a known speculative fiction novel. Speculative fiction, as defined by goodreads.com, is a fiction genre speculating about worlds that are unlike the real world in various important ways. A Handmaid’s Tale is a speculative fiction when comparing governmental structure and a woman’s role in said government in Gilead and […]
Atwood had taken many elements from her past in order to create this book. In the mid-‘80s scientists were claiming to know the end. They were saying that chemical pollution in the environment will lead to damage to the human reproductive system and would soon experience “catastrophic declines in the birth rate” (Sullivan). Rosemary Sullivan […]
Speculative fiction is everywhere is our society. From filming to the clothing industry people can find speculative fiction. In this blog post I will be discussing the definition of speculative fiction, touching on why The Handmaid’s Tale is an example of speculative fiction, and why authors like Margaret Atwood would write speculative fiction novels. Green Tentacles defines […]
Speculative fiction is where you get a biased view on the world, and what is being described, by the person telling the story. You only get their opinions and perceptions, there is no hard truth and there is no established right and wrong. I feel that writers that choose to portray their novels in this […]
When I first started reading The Handmaid’s Tale, I didn’t know what it was supposed to be a commentary on. To be completely honest, I still don’t. Am I supposed to find fault in the theocracy? Am I supposed to despise women’s right’s activists and third-wave feminism? Am I supposed to simply feel empathy for […]
The adventure the reader embarks upon while reading The Handmaid’s Tale takes interesting turns throughout the novel and instills emotions that parallel the character. Early on, the main character, Offred, is confused about the world she has found herself within. She knows little about the world outside of the home, and is often left to […]
Dana Gulseth The journal that I chose to read and summarize about Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, discusses a lot about how they tried to glorify the roles of the handmaids. In this journal article, Erica discusses how Aunt Lydia compared the handmaid’s to pearls. Pearls are supposed to be beautiful right and a symbol of […]
In the article Atwood’s THE HANDMAID’s TALE, Erica Joan Dymond argues that Atwood used a theme of oysters and pearls throughout the novel to emphasize certain themes. I was completely oblivious to it, but after reading her article, I’m convinced that Atwood intentionally peppered the examples throughout. The examples vary, but the theme is undeniable. First, we […]
According to Dictionary.com, speculative fiction is “a broad literary genre encompassing a fiction with supernatural, fantastical, or futuristic elements.” These same elements can be seen throughout the book The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood where she suggest an alternative society in the future where women are essentially safe but are declined to have any rights. […]
Yuewn-Chuen Lily Yang Professor Denslow Women in Lit. 2016 March 21 Secondary Research about “The Handmaid’s Tale” Paul Kingston uses political science to reflect his point of view in “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood. The story takes place in the former United States, now called the Republic of Gilead. Kingston compares Gilead (21st century) […]
In most books I read there is usually a character that I believe is the good guy. The person who though the make mistakes is inherently good and means well in all their actions. I didn’t find that in Nella Larsens “Passing”. Most of the characters seemed to look out for their own interests and […]
Nella Larsen’s novel, Passing, ends with the death of Clare (Kendry) Bellew. Clare falls from a balcony window, though whether she accidentally slipped, intentionally jumped, or was pushed by the novel’s main character, Irene, is never made clear. Throughout the novel, Irene demonstrates an obsessiveness over Clare that vacillates between affection and repulsion, at times […]
As I am sure many others are talking about, the ending of the novel leaves us with many questions. Nella Larson sets us up to believe that Irene had motive to hurt Clare, and then ends the novel without closure of what really happened to her. There are many reasons to think that Irene may […]
The Harlem renaissance was a cultural boom in the 1920’s in Harlem New York. In its time period, it was also referred to as the “Negro Movement” due to the large population African-American. This Cultural explosion included many different types of music, fashion, and even religion. Jazz is what this time is most well-known for, […]
Throughout Nella Larsen’s Passing there is reference to Brazil; Irene’s husband wants to move there. As I was looking for significance to Brazil and the 1930s, I found some interesting things. Brazil at that time was known as a place that was “color blind” to race. The fact that there were hardly any racial barriers […]
I liked the end of the novel Passing, I liked that there was a big burst of excitement right at the end and then it never really was calmed down or resolved, the reader was just kind of left in the rising action of the story with no certain conclusion and no closure. I think that Irene pushes Clare […]
The ending to Passing was expected for my preference on whether if Clare committed suicide, was murdered, simply died because of natural causes, or even by accident. Either one of those scenarios I was not going to be surprised at the end of the novel for Clare’s fate. Looking back at the last few chapters, […]
I am sure that everyone has his or her own theories about what had happened at the end of the book. We are led to believe that it was murder with all of the questions that they are asking, but could Clare have decided to end her own life quite some time ago? On page […]
I believe that Irene pushed Clare out of the window. She was desperate, thinking “She couldn’t have Clare Kendry cast aside by Bellew. She couldn’t have her free.” It was a shocking ending, but not altogether unsurprising (mirroring the contradictions Irene herself feels throughout the novel). If I had been told the ending when I […]
I think that the novel, Passing, ends very open ended. We learn that Clare and Irene’s husband, Brian, are having an affair and this news turns Irene’s life completely upside down. In the end we are left in confusion as Clare is now dead as she was either pushed by Irene, fell out the window […]
The end of this book surprised me…a LOT!!! I was not expecting everything to come and go so sudden. I mean, the reader obviously knew something was going to happen because of how angry Irene was and how it kept building. But I doubt anyone would’ve guessed this was the way it was going to […]
I thought the end of the novel Passing by Nella Larsen was reflective of the theme of the entire novel; there was always something hidden. There were a lot of things uncertain to the reader in this novel. Why did Irene let Clare stick around even if she didn’t really like her? Did Clare and […]
This story went from 100 to zero quite fast. At one point we are reading about how Clare’s secret is no longer a secret, and in the blink of an eye we are thrown into the end of the novel. With the most simple yet mysterious words, we the readers learn that Clare is dead, Irene does […]
One of the most blatant elements of history in The Passing is race. In fact, basically the entire novel is either dealing with racial issues directly or is in some way related to it. Because the book is set in the 20’s, it is evident that there is racial inequality, and the book actually focuses […]
The end of the novel was very confusing and not specific. From what I got at the end of the novel, Clare falls from the window and dies. Some people say that Irene pushed her, ultimately murdering her. I believe that Nella Larsen would end her novel this way with intentions to allow the […]
At the end of the novel Jane Eyre there is a letter that is written to Jane from St. John while he is in India as a missionary. In this letter St. John mentions a being called Apollyon who I had never heard of until I read this book this time round. When I looked […]
Towards the end of the novel, I was actually listening to the audiobook while I was at work. When Irene started talking about her husband and Clare, I found myself going back in the recording a bit to see if I missed something. I was confused and sure that I zoned out during an important […]
I just want to start off by saying that I was very surprised by how Passing ended. When John Bellew entered the room, I knew that Clare was going to have some explaining to do but I didn’t expect her to fall out the window! And after further analysis of the text, it could be […]
After finishing Nella Larsen’s novel Passing, I had a lot of mixed feelings. The main feeling I had while reading this book was the fact that there was a lot that wasn’t said. In the beginning of the novel, Irene has an almost romantic affiliation for Clare. Irene often admired Clare for her beauty and […]
After finishing the book “Passing” by Nella Larsen I felt that I missed something important in the story. It felt fragmented but intentionally done so as to hide or highlight different issues that the book was addressing. These issues are ones that the character Irine would love to avoid at all costs, I don’t think […]
The concept of passing as another race is something that many people who are White do not quite understand. This is due in part to the fact that White people simply cannot pass as another race because of their skin color. But I’m not going to focus on what passing is in general, I’d much […]
When I first finished the novel, I sat there for a while on my bed staring at the last page in disbelief. I first of all could not come to terms with how quickly the novel ended. Everything just started happening so fast. Irene thought her husband was maybe cheating with Clare. So Irene tries […]
Before reading Nella Larsen’s Passing, I was unfamiliar with the concept of “racial passing” and its overall contribution to the novel. I have decided to conduct my research on the history of racial passing, as I was not familiar with it before this course. Between the 18th and mid twentieth centuries, many African Americans passed […]
Passing is most certainly one of the most hard-hitting and confusing novels I’ve read in a long while. I was listening to the audiobook on my way back to Green Bay from home on Sunday, and from the moment John Bellew burst through the door to the moment the novel ended, my mouth hung open. My […]
I would first like to say that I didn’t really understand this entire novel. It was just kind of, “Oh, I happened to run into Clare, but I hate/love her because of that time in Chicago,” and then, “Damn, now Clare is here. I’m in love with her beauty and her charm and her grace, […]
I found the end of the novel shocking! I honestly cannot say whether I believe that Clare jumped out of the window, committing suicide, or that Irene pushed her. There are numerous passages in the end of the novel that support both assumptions. For example, Clare’s husband, John Bellow, storms into the party she is […]
In Passing by Nella Larsen the main character Irene passes as white throughout the story and has trouble dealing with her friend/acquaintance Clare. Although there are some possible hidden references to feelings of infatuation with one another the two seem to be nothing more than friends who have their ups and downs, save for “That […]
The end of Nella Larson’s Passing was abrupt and confusing for most. All the reader knows for sure is that John Bellew has confronted Clare, and in the ensuing pandemonium Clare exits the room via the window. My belief is that it was Irene who pushed her. Larson made it very clear that Irene wanted […]
The ending of Passing was shocking to say the least. Clare jumping or being pushed to her death jolted the reader and left many questions to be pondered. I believe she jumped as an act of independence from her husband. I predict that he would’ve beat if not ended Clare’s life when the party was […]
In my opinion, I believe that Irene subconsciously pushed Clare out of the window and killed her. Irene was losing her mind slowing throughout the whole book and the suspected affair between Brian Clare has what pushed her over the edge. When we read the ending there is a point where Irene has her […]
Karley Kilsdonk Professor Denslow Women in Literature 23 February, 2016 Rhinelander Case “What if Bellew should divorce Clare? Could he? There was the Rhinelander case,” (Larsen, 1929, p. 101). One element of the historical context of the novel is the Rhinelander Case. “In 1924, Leonard Rhinelander, a member of one of New York’s wealthiest […]
Yuewn-Chuen Lily Yang Professor Denslow Women in Lit. 24 Feb. 2016 The End of “Passing” Nella Larsen does a good job at keeping her readers hungry for more in her novel, “Passing”. The novel begins when Irene Redfield receives a letter from her childhood friend Clare Kendry. Both Irene and Clare have African American […]
Alexis Pautz Dr. Denslow Women in Literature 23 February 2016 Sexuality in the 1920s The Roaring 20s was a point in history where dramatic social and economical changes occurred. During this time, the idea of sexuality was becoming less of a taboo topic and more accepted in society, especially in women, who beforehand, were […]
The ending to the novel Passing by Nella Larsen is very confusing and action packed. It ends with Irene not allowing herself to remember the events that took place in the Freeland’s house. Prior to the events that took place Irene believes that Brian and Clare are having an affair. They act in a very […]
In this blog post I will be discussing what the Harlem Renaissance was, how the novel, Passing by Nella Larsen, provides a lens for understanding the Harlem Renaissance, and how the Harlem Renaissance helps readers understand the novel. The Harlem Renaissance was between the 1920s to the mid 1930s. The Harlem Renaissance was a literary, […]
I am sure I am not alone when I say that Passing had a very strange and abrupt ending. The last three pages of the book, Clare’s husband finds out she is biracial, and soon after Clare “falls” out of a window to her death. That’s it. There is no more to the story. Also, […]
From what I read, I believe that Irene didn’t push her out the window. I reached this conclusion based on her previous actions towards Clara. Up until this point, Irene has always been almost protective over Clara. For example, when Irene chose not to exploit her in front of her husband, John. And then again […]
The end of the novel passing was quite unexpected and shocking. In the end, the “main character”, Irene, believed Clare and her husband, Brian, were having an affair. Irene suspects this because Brian invited Clare to a dinner party that they were heading to. At the dinner party Clare’s husband, John Bellew, finds out that […]
I would like to first start by saying that I really did not enjoy the ending of this book. It was kind of just like “what really, did that really just happen?” The entire time reading it I just could never be so sure of what really happened or if I was just imagining things. […]
Before I read Jane Eyre, I did not really know what a governess was. My only exposure to the occupation was in The Sound of Music, and the portrayal of Julie Andrews as a glorified babysitter was not entirely accurate. In reality, a governess faced a difficult life and was an educational, religious, moral, and […]
Several social issues are brought up in Charlotte Bronte’s novel, Jane Eyre. One of them is the idea of cousin marriage. In the novel, Jane is proposed to by her first cousin, St. John, and it is not portrayed as being strange or gross as we would see it today, in fact, it was common […]
While reading through Jane Eyre, the reader can identify the different elements coming into play that give the book it’s sound. Whether it be the influence of the time period, popular culture, or the utilization of varying writing styles, Jane Eyre comes off as a unique read. One of the most prominent elements in the […]
Ashley Brechlin Professor Denslow Women in Literature 15 February 2016 Charlotte Bronte references many books within her novel Jane Eyre. For example, one book that she referenced was called Rasselas. The History of Rasselas: Prince of Abyssinia, written by Samuel Johnson, was published in 1759. It is a tale about a wealthy prince who is […]
In the novel, Jane Eyre, the character Jane works as a governess within the home. Although I had read other books that had referenced governesses, I never really went into detail looking about what a governess truly did. While the novel was discussed in this class, I came to realize how some people tended to […]
After a fire leaves Rochester blind, he somehow was able to regain sight in one eye after time. This seems quite odd for someone to just regain sight without any medical help, that the readers know of. The human body is such a strong, yet fragile object. It can withstand extreme conditions, but at the […]
Following its publication in 1847, Jane Eyre was a hugely popular, bestselling novel. It went through three printings in its first year alone. As such, it was a frequent topic of discussion for the literary critics and editorial writers of the time. Jane Eyre was met with a mixture of reactions. Some hailed it as […]
After the reveal of Bertha Mason as Mr. Rochester’s secret wife, Rochester attempts to explain to Jane why and how he came to be married and why he hid it. Finally we get to hear the “tragic backstory” of Edward Rochester. In chapter 27, when he is telling Jane what he did after he left […]
The book Jane Eyre references a fruit called “gooseberries”, and I was somewhat confused. I have heard of gooseberries before; specifically, gooseberry pies, as the book mentions. Never had I thought about the fact that I have never seen, or tasted a gooseberry in my life until this assignment required me to reflect on something […]
The novel Jane Eyre refers to a disease outbreak at the boarding school of Lowood called Typhus. According to the Medical Encyclopedia, Typhus is a bacterial disease caused by lice or fleas. There are two types of this disease. One is Endemic Typhus, also known as “jail fever,” and is mainly caused by rats spreading […]
In this blog post I will be touching on the points of how peri is used to describe Miss Oliver in the novel, Jane Eyre, the definition of peri, and how Charlotte Bronte used peri to further the readers knowledge of how St John interprets Miss Oliver. Readers are first introduced to peri in Jane Eyre on page […]
According to Collin’s dictionary, a Gytrash (pronunciation is Gy-trash) is a spirit appearing as a horse or dog that haunts lonely roads. Bronte describes Jane’s sighting of Pilot, Mr. Rochester’s large dog running towards Thornfield. Pilot reminds her of the stories her caretaker Bessie had told her years before at Gateshead. Jane recollected “lion-like creature […]
When telling Rochester about the “creature” that tore her expensive wedding veil in the middle of the night, Jane referred to it as “the foul German spectre – the Vampyre (Brontë C., Jane Eyre, pg. 266).” She mentioned that it was purple, with dark, swollen lips and terribly bloodshot eyes, and that it was terrifying. There […]
One reference to a literary work in Jane Eyre, is the novel Gulliver’s Travels, written by Jonathan Swift in 1726. Gulliver’s Travels are pretty well known, but few students have ever actually read the book, despite knowing the name. The story focuses on an English man by the name of Lemuel Gulliver and his voyage […]
Throughout the novel Jane Eyre, the common way she classified herself was by the term “governess.” Being a governess was a very common career for women in the 19th century. The title of governess described Jane: unsettled, poor, quiet, and strong in her religious beliefs. According to the British Library, men could go out into […]
In the Novel Jane Eyre, St John was Jane’s cousin, and was very much in love with her. He asked her to be with him many times, and expressed his feelings for her throughout the novel after he was introduced. Many people when reading this novel question why or even how he was so in […]
At the end of chapter nine in Jane Eyre, Helen sadly dies and is buried. Helen Burns’ life was sadly cut short due to illness and this saddened me because Helen was a sweet child and was very kind to Jane. Written on her tombstone is the Latin word “Resurgam”. According to Dictionary.com, it means […]
While reading Jane Eyre, the character of Bertha Mason (Rochester?) stuck out to me as one who, despite being such a crucial part of the story, has a rather incomplete backstory. Some of this lack of full character development comes in the form of Bertha’s mental illness. I think it’s fairly clear that she has […]
The life of a governess, as explained in the novel Jane Eyre, is someone that has went off to school, they were well educated and can mentor a child whenever need be. The governess would live within the house of the master and child but they do not engage in all activities unless they […]
In the 1800’s men were viewed by most, including many women, as superior. Views since then have obviously changed for the better, but for the times in which the book “Jane Eyre” was written, most men treated women as inferior. It was common to view women as possessions. When married a […]
The Gytrash is a creature found in an old Yorkshire folk tale that takes place in the town of Goathland. Legend says that there was once a very evil man named Julian de Mauley. He built himself a great castle, but believed that in order to make it strong the stones needed to be given […]
Eyrie, a noun, it is a nest of an eagle or bird of prey that is in a highly isolated position or place (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language). This is what the dictionary claims it means however in Jane Eyre it is how Jane is describing a scuffle she hears over her own […]
In the book Jane Eyre, Jane meets a girl named Helen at Lowood and when Jane meets Helen, she is reading a book called The History of Rasselas. I have never heard of this book before, so I decided to do some research. It turns out the original name of the book had once been […]
History of British Birds is one of the books that Jane Eyre took an interest in reading. This book may seem quite boring to us nowadays, but back in the time when Jane was reading it, it was considered a very informational and interesting book. Thomas Bewick “wrote” the book with precision. The book was […]
In Chapter 34, St. John takes Jane on a walk outside and here he proposes to her because she would be a good missionary wife. During his proposal he mentions Jane would be a “fellow-soldier” and that he would “enlist under the same [Christian] banner”. St. John consistently uses war terms to define his mission […]
In Charlotte Bronte’s novel, Jane Eyre, she references a creature that ‘haunts solitary ways’ and take the ‘form of a horse, mule, or giant dog’ (Jane Eyre p. 106-107). Although the suspected gytrash turns out to be Mr. Rochester riding his horse behind his dog, this scene adds to the gothic themes within the novel. […]
Derek Arndt Professor Denslow Women in Literature 15 February 2016 Jane Eyre In Charlotte Brontë’s ‘Jane Eyre’, Brontë brings up Bewick’s ‘History of British Birds’ a couple times throughout the novel. This book was written in the 18th century and contains highly detailed pictures of British bird species as well as written details. This book […]
By definition in the Merriam-Webster dictionary a governess is “a woman who is paid to care for and teach a child in the child’s house” (Merriam-Webster). Charlotte Brontë incorporated this sort of character in her stories to showcase a different side of the ‘victorian society’. Governesses were seen as polite and youthful females, however their […]
Within the novel Jane Eyre, Thornfield Hall is an ominous symbol of the gothic classics and is the main setting for a portion of the novel. Within the second volume, on page 80 of the book, Mr. Rochester refers to the mansion as, “…this accursed place –this tent of Achan…” Clearly, he implies that a […]
Jane’s return to Thornfield was more than just wanting to marry Mr. Rochester. She returned for a sense of closure after leaving so abruptly. Obviously, she had no idea what had taken place and what kind of circumstances Mr. Rochester was in. She saw Thornfield burned to the ground, and found out that Mr. Rochester […]
Charlotte Bronte’s Reference to Apollo Belvidere: Apollo Belvidere is referenced in Jane Eyre upon the commencement of chapter 15. In chapter 15, the reader is informed that Adele is the daughter of opera singer Celine Varens whom Mr. Rochester “thought himself her idol ugly as he was: he believed, as he said, that she preferred […]
On page 2016 Jane says that ladies have a way of telling you that they think you a ‘quiz’ without actually saying the words. I did not know what quiz meant so I thought that I would look it up. On Merriam Webster’s website, I found out that quiz means that you are on eccentric […]
Jane Eyre, having been written over one hundred years ago, has references to things or people that we, as a society, may have forgotten over the years. While perusing Jane Eyre I found one in a quote from Mr. Rochester. Mr. Rochester references William Cowper’s poem “The Progress of Error” while confessing that he has […]
Karley Kilsdonk Kristin Denslow Women in Literature 11 February, 2016 Concord in Jane Eyre As I was reading Jane Eyre, I came across this passage: I have now been married ten years. I know what it is to live entirely for and with what I love best on earth. I hold myself supremely blest—blest beyond […]
McKenna Bertrand Professor Denslow Women in Literature Jane Eyre 2/11/16 “Paradise Lost” in Jane Eyre While reading most novels, I really enjoy finding references to other novels, poems, short stories, or other works of writing whose titles are new to me. In the novel Jane Eyre, Jane is a young woman who loves to read. […]
Alexis Pautz Dr. Denslow Women in Literature 8 February 2016 Ambrosia in Jane Eyre While the idea of ambrosia might be familiar to some, this was something that was unknown to me. I knew to an extent that it was a food, but I was unaware of anything else about it. So, what is ambrosia? […]
Yuewn-Chuen Lily Yang Professor Denslow Women in Lit. 15 Feb. 2016 What is Marmion? Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte is about a young woman who goes through many hardships in order to find herself. In chapter thirty-three, we find Jane who has just left Thornfield and is taken in by St. John and his sisters. […]
I had asked myself many questions about Mr. Rochester and the way he acted. One thing that really stuck with me and made me question myself multiple times, as though I had missed a paragraph, was that Rochester started calling Jane, Janet. The first reference is, in my book, on page 220 right before he […]
The topic that I chose to write this blog on is the book that St. John gives to Jane titled Marmion by Walter Scott. It has been made known throughout the entire book of Jane Eyre written by Charlotte Bronte that the main character, Jane, has always had a love of reading, almost as an […]
Dana Gulseth Women In Lit. Jane Eyre Blog 2/5/2016 In the book Jane Eyre, there was many mentions of clergymen and it started to occur to me that if people didn’t seem to be high up on the social ladder of life, then they happened to be clergymen. However, I never truly understood what that […]