Examines the role of the "look" or the "gaze in medieval romance. Discusses concepts within these texts including love at first sight, madness of love, love as divine providence, and love as an elite concept.
Metafiction is a narrative technique in which the author self-consciously calls attention to the work as a fiction through various devices. Article includes explanation of metafiction techniques, well-known works, and annotated bibliography for further reading.
Discusses the element of estates satire in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. Provides information and examples for each of the three estates.
Explores the symbolism of the pentangle in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, including discussion of the chivalric code and religious aspects of the Arthurian legend.
Analysis of the Old English poem "The Dream of the Rood," which examines the pre-Christian German Heroic elements present in the poem, as well as providing a speculative hypothesis as to the intended purpose or message of the poem.
Complete list of the Wall Street Journal's Top 50 Feeder Colleges, including ranking criteria and analysis.
Explores the relationship between the contrasting theme of alienation and human connection in contemporary fiction through a discussion of Ann Patchett's novel Bel Canto.
Discusses how Toni Morrison uses point of view to address the complexities of alienation and madness in the novel Beloved.
Explores the role of women in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, a classic Arthurian epic poem from the Middle Ages. Compares the depiction of women to earlier Old English epic poetry, using the classic text Beowulf as an example.
Alfred the Great translated Pastoral Care three centuries after it was written by Pope Gregory I. He added a preface to the translation, which ha come to be regarded as more important to scholarship than the actual treatise. The Preface addresses issues such as the legitimacy and effectiveness of...
Overview and explanation of some specific features of Old English literature that are not generally found in later works.
Analysis of Ingeborg Bachman's post-war poem "Early Noon." Bachmann was an Austrian poet who used her work to criticize the events of the war and the Nazi regime. Themes in this work include the possibility of healing and reconciliation, the legacy of war, and the poet's social responsibility.
Article about the Generation of '27, a group of poets who gathered in Spain in the era before the Spanish Civil War. The poets were interested in avante garde poetry and contributed heavily to a growing cultural revolution.
Explanation and analysis of Anna Akhmatova's poem cycle "Requiem," including overviews of the major groupings, trends, and overall themes.
Article applies Erich Fromm's theory of immature love to the characters and events in Milan Kundera's short story The Hitchhiking Game, in which a young couple play a psychologically dangerous game in which each become strangers.
Explains Plato's Theory of Knowledge, where knowledge equals justified true belief. Uses a unique and examples to illustrate the concept in an easy to understand manner.
One writer's reflections on how gender roles have changed in the 21st century-- or have they, really?
Musings on the age old question, what's more important for a good relationship, love or compatibility.
Explores variations on the popular fairy tale Beauty and the Beast. Explores the origins of the classic story most people are familiar with, as well as version found in Greek mythology, cultures such as Scandinavia, and the use of the tale as a literary theme.
Analysis of the short story Great Falls by Richard Ford. Discusses major metaphors of light and dark, as well as Ford's exploration themes such as rites of passage, the loss of innocence, and the discovery of self.
Comparison of the ways the concept of knowledge is presented in Marlowe's Dr. Faustus compared with the morality play Everyman. Explores the treatment of good and evil, greed, sin, and the possibility for redemption in these late medieval British plays.
List of great quotes on exile, by exiles, and about why exile is an inherent part of the human condition.
Top ten sexiest women of CBS reality show Survivor, includes photos, show history, and brief bios.
Overview and discussion of themes in Aime Cesaire's best-known poem Notebook of a Return to the Native Land. Also includes background information on the author himself, as well as the concept of "negritude" which he developed and that later became a cornerstone of the Black Power movement in the...
Many viewers will be surprised to know that Peter Jackman and Neill Blomkamp's sci-fi hit District 9 is actually based on real events. The movie is a mock documentary following the relocation process of a group of aliens, or prawns, who have been stranded in Johannasburg, South Africa, and are...
Easy ways to treat or relieve UTI symptoms at home. Article includes signs and symptoms of a bladder infection, as well as advice on when to see the doctor.
An overview of Erich Fromm's philosophies on love and relationships. Fromm distinguishes between mature love, and immature, or symbiotic relationships, in which the individual person becomes lost to the needs of the relationship.
Examines and explains the ubi sunt form of poetic verse in Old English poetry using the Lament of the Last Survivor from Beowulf and The Wanderer. Analyzes the form and function of this verse form, as well as its historic implications.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein examines the pursuit of knowledge within the industrial age, shining a spotlight on the ethical, moral, and religious implications of science. Did the scientist go too far in his creation of the monster, or was he only indulging natural human curiosity?
Frankenstein is often considered a horror story due to its representation in film, yet the novel written by Mary Shelley is more tragic than horrific, and filled with philosophic, cultural, and religious...