#literature

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I just made a playlist with songs that remind me of my dark forest bookstagram aesthetic. If you want to recommend a song to add it, go for it!. 


  • Never Let Me Go — Florence + The Machine
  • all the good girls go to hell  — Billie Eilish
  • i love you  — Billie Eilish
  • Lithium  — Evanescence
  • The Other Side  — Evanescence
  • I Don’t Love You  — My Chemical Romance
  • The Ghost Of You  — My Chemical Romance
  • Edge Of Seventeen  — Stevie Nicks
  • Dreams  — Fleetwood Mac
  • Crystal  — Stevie Nicks
  • Sorcerer  — Stevie Nicks
  • Like a Stone  — Audioslave
  • I Am a Highway  — Audioslave
  • Heather  — Conan Gray
  • The Story  — Conan Gray
  • Comfort Crowd  — Conan Gray 
  • Checkmate  — Conan Gray
  • Die For You — Justin bieber ft. Dominic Fike 
  • willow  — Taylor Swift
  • cardigan  — Taylor Swift
  • no body, no crime  — Taylor Swift ft. HAIM
  • evermore  — Taylor Swift ft. Bon Iver
  • Met Him Last Night  — Demi Lovato ft. Ariana Grande
  • Mad World  — Ariana Grande
  • deja vu  — Olivia Rodrigo
  • favorite crime  — Olivia Rodrigo
  • traitor  — Olivia Rodrigo
  • jealousy, jealousy  — Olivia Rodrigo
  • I’m so tired…  — Lauv ft. Troye Sivan
  • Mean it  — Lauv ft. LANY
  • Fake  — Lauv ft. Conan Gray
  • There’s No Way  — Lauv ft. Julia Michaels 
  • Modern Loveliness  — Lauv
  • crash  — EDEN
  • drugs  — EDEN
  • Dynasty  — MIIA

Happy Netherfield Ball Day, everyone!

Have any of you read Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones? I was going through a bit of a readi

Have any of you read Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones? I was going through a bit of a reading slump for a few weeks, but this book helped to pull me out. It’s a hilarious story that manages to be a fairy tale while breaking all the traditions of fairy tales. I love the protagonist, Sophie, who is the eldest of three sisters and is resigned to working at a hat shop because, as the first page says, “it is quite a misfortune to be born the eldest of three. Everyone knows you are the one who will fail first, and worst, if the three of you set out to seek your fortunes.” As the book goes on, she is challenged to go find her own adventure and becomes confident in herself as those fairy tale ‘rules’ are proven to be breakable. There are two other books in this series (though they can be read alone), Castle in the Air and House of Many Ways, that y’all should check out if you have read this book.

(I’m now realizing that my book analyses and recommendations all sound like English papers…..I wish I could make them sound more exciting, but it’s a hard habit to break )


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by Jeffery Skinner

You would expect an uncountable number,
Acres and acres of books in rows
Like wheat or gold bullion. Or that the words just
Appear in the mind, like banner headlines.
In fact there is one shelf
Holding a modest number, ten or twelve volumes.
No dust jackets, because — no dust.
Covers made of gold or skin
Or golden skin, or creosote or rain-
Soaked macadam, or some
Mix of salt & glass. You turn a page
& mountains rise, clouds drawn by children
Bubble in the sky, you are twenty
Again, trying to read a map
Dissolving in your hands. I say You & mean
Me, say God & mean Librarian — who after long research
Offers you a glass of water and an apple — 
You, grateful to discover your name,
A footnote in that book.


I almost recited this poem at a school event last year, but unfortunately I never got the opportunity, so I decided to share it here! I’d never heard of it before, but the language is beautiful.

jefflion:

gothiccharmschool:

smallest-feeblest-boggart:

dragonheartftherpays:

biggest-gaudiest-patronuses:

thathopeyetlives:

1. “Raven” was an occasionally-encountered name for a girl in the contemporary period, and “Ebony” would be at least recognizable as a name. The other elements of this name are flatly atypical.

2. During this part of the War Period, this character’s hairstyle would not be considered shocking, but it would be viewed as garish and nonconformist.

3. A contemporary music performer known for a melancholy style of music and a gothic and dramatic aesthetic. The title of the work probably comes from one of her songs. However, her aesthetic and attitude has little in common with that in this work, being much more conventional and less garish.

4. A member of the contemporary band “My Chemical Romance”, also notable for a “gothic”, melancholy, and macabre aesthetic

5. i.e. the speaker considers him to be handsome and attractive; despite the pornographic material later in this work, the word “f_______” is here used only as an expletive.

6. Vampires as romantic figures had been increasing in popularity over this period, with a trend away from malicious monsters towards seductive but more benevolent figures, romanticized by their capability of being terrible.

7. Strangely, despite the characterization of this character as a Satanist, “witch” should here be characterized as having meaning similar to “wizard” and not “idolater”, “sorceress”, “maleficar”, or other practitioner of what we today recognize as “witchcraft”. The background material to this work constantly faced accusations of being satanic by an uneducated reactionary public to whom the difference between technology, wizardry and witchcraft was not meaningful (”witch” was sometimes even considered a female equivalent to “wizard”!), which completely failed to diminish its popularity.

8. It is important to understand that “goth” as an aesthetic, counterculture or subculture had a completely different meaning in the contemporary period than it does today – what remains similar is the love of the melancholy, the macabre, the dramatic, the romantic, and contempt for conventionalism. In the mid-to-early-late War Period, “Gothic” people were associated with contempt for morality, certain types of sexual display (usually of a shocking and sometimes fetishistic type), various forms of concupiscence, and a fairly significant connection to the occult and even to outright Satanism, though the latter was all but universally an affectation (this is true of most Mid War Period satanism). See contrast on p 321, The Gothic Movement In the Catholic Church. Moreover, the “gothic” aesthetic as described by this character is a stunted and over-the-top form that has also been corrupted by the counterculture-commericalism that was universal in the Late War Period.

9. A clothing store mostly specializing in counterculture-commercialized and faddist apparel. Critics accused it of being a mercantile vulture that fed by turning more honest and vivacious countercultures into fads.

10. It was almost unheard-of for women in the Mid or Late War Period to wear corsets, but they appeared in the Gothic subculture (which itself heavily borrowed from sources such as Victorian-era clothing, including mourning dress). However, what Enoby is describing is probably not actually a true corset, but a “corset top”, which is essentially a laced bodice. Either would be worn with neither chemise nor overblouse.

11. Probably a nondraped skirt that barely passes her wrist.

12. Hose, stockings, or tights in the form of a wide-open mesh

13. Probably not actually military issue boots; these were tall, heavy black leather boots with lacing all the way up.

14. This character’s outfit would be considered inappropriate for school in the Late War Period, but not shocking to Late War Period mores except by its garishness.

15. Originally meant students at a university-preparatory school; with the extremely high percentage of students seeking to attend university in the Late War Period, this came to mean a subculture of young people who adopted a highly conventionalistic and professionalistic attitude and sought admission to the prestigious and traditionalistic universities in the Eastern United States, often without academics being their true passion. Such people were often viewed as social climbers and sometimes attracted contempt from both their less-professionally-oriented peers and from those who were true intellectuals. 

16. Also known as “giving the finger”; a very rude gesture in the War Period as it is in ours.

18. This phrase went through considerable popular memetic mutation (as did the entire tract): “It was _______ <weather> so I felt ________. A lot of _______ stared at me. I ________ them.” See extra material 34c.

17. I.E. “How are you today?”, “how are you feeling?” as a greeting.

do you think the writer of My Immortal lives in quiet pleasure knowing what they’ve brought into the world cannot be killed nor can they be held accountable

The slow horror of this post, of realizing:

1. First, that this is about My Immortal, fairly obvious from the start. Okay, meme time.

2. Second, that this is characterized as a future English literature class’s textbook footnotes a la our time period’s school texts of Shakespeare works, which, haha, seeing that framed as if this future literature class would be so far removed from our understanding of culture as to need these notes and yet would still be in a literature class formatted similarly to ours, especially combined with the idea that My Immortal would be considered typical “literature,” that’s funny, right?

3. Third, that by “the War Period/the Late War Period” they mean us, and the implications of that name for the time period added to the idea that so much culture from this time period has been wiped out and would be totally unfamiliar to the students of this class, and oh. Oh, that’s not… that’s not funny anymore.

tumblr what the hell

This is a MASTERPIECE.

The best post eva. 

berlioz-fanboy:berlioz-fanboy:thenarratologist:LITERATURE BINGO: Thomas Hardy.jesus christ t

berlioz-fanboy:

berlioz-fanboy:

thenarratologist:

LITERATURE BINGO:

Thomas Hardy.

jesus christ the accuracy hurts. “child(ren)” - Grim.

so I played this with my literature class and it was weird hearing people whisper “please be death of children”

That’s so great, you’ve just made my day!


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BOOK REVIEW: Some Thoughts On the Common Toad by George OrwellThis collection is part of Penguin’s G

BOOK REVIEW: Some Thoughts On the Common Toad by George Orwell

This collection is part of Penguin’s Great Ideas series, which I am steadily working my way through (previously I have read Thomas Paine’s pamphlet “Common Sense” - review here). I adore these little publications; the cover designs by David Pearson are some of the best he has ever done, and the full series is a great overview of some of the most influential essays and manifestos in (mostly) Western history.

Some Thoughts On the Common Toad is one of four George Orwell collections included in this project, and contains eight articles written between 1944 and 1947. Spoiler alert: the titular essay is not actually about toads – it’s about capitalism. …And toads.

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the-library-and-step-on-it:

Well, this is it. It’s happening.

1308 pages.

Five languages. 

Around 600 characters, including roughly 160 historical figures.

What adds up to a separate volume’s worth of material on the author’s philosophy of history.

I’ve officially started reading War and Peace.

image

BRING IT ON.

booksandbabyanimals:Played some Dickens bingo with Oliver Twist. Double bingo, woo hoo! Bingo card

booksandbabyanimals:

Played some Dickens bingo with Oliver Twist. Double bingo, woo hoo! Bingo card belongs to @thenarratologist

You win! Twice!


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READING LIST: Labyrinths in LiteratureThere is something about mazes and labyrinths that fascinates

READING LIST: Labyrinths in Literature

There is something about mazes and labyrinths that fascinates me – the sense of mystery while you’re solving a carefully constructed puzzle, the darkness enveloping you more and more as you wander its paths… And I am not alone in this. Many authors have used labyrinths as the setting for their stories, and some have taken it even one step further, creating abstract labyrinths that only exist in the mind.

Are you ready to get lost?

Follow me.

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BOOK REVIEW: Agnes Grey (1847) by Anne BrontëThis book is about a young woman who decides to become

BOOK REVIEW: Agnes Grey (1847) by Anne Brontë

This book is about a young woman who decides to become a governess and finds the job a lot tougher than she had anticipated. The children refuse to listen to her, their parents blame her for their offspring’s terrible behaviour, and she finds herself increasingly frustrated by the thanklessness of her work.

I’m the same age now as Anne Brontë was when she wrote this book and as an English teacher recovering from a burnout while reading this book, a lot of Agnes’s troubles hit home for me. Some struggles are timeless, it seems.

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BOOK REVIEW: Frenchman’s Creek (1941) by Daphne du MaurierFrenchman’s Creek is a historical novel se

BOOK REVIEW: Frenchman’s Creek (1941) by Daphne du Maurier

Frenchman’s Creek is a historical novel set during the reign of Charles II that tells the story of a wealthy woman named Dona who moves to an isolated house in Cornwall with her children to get away from her schlubby husband and the judgmental looks of London society. Finally away from prying eyes and spousal demands, she feels like a weight has been lifted off her shoulders; she revels in the solitude and the freedom it provides her. Dona spends her days lying in the grass and blissfully exploring her surroundings – until she finds a pirate ship hidden in a remote creek near her house. She ends up falling in love with the captain of the crew – brooding, sexy stubble, will draw you like one of his French girls, you know the type – and has to make a decision: does she do what society wants her to do and stay at home with her children or does she leave everything behind for a life of sex love and adventure?

Oh yeah. It’s that kind of book. …Or is it?

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READING LIST: Female FriendshipsIn honour of Galentine’s Day (what’s Galentine’s Day? Oh, it’s only

READING LIST: Female Friendships

In honour of Galentine’s Day (what’s Galentine’s Day? Oh, it’s only the best day of the year!), I decided to focus on a topic that is overlooked far too often in fiction: friendship between women. We all know about the Bechdel test, but try putting together a list of books where female friendship is the focus of the story, I dare you. Bonus points if the women in question are not related. It is practically impossible! That said, here are some of my favourite fictional examples of female friendship – the good and the bad. Some of these duos are attached at the hip for life, whereas other relationships go sour in the worst possible way.

If you can think of more titles, please leave a comment!

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BOOK REVIEW: Alexander Hamilton (2004) by Ron ChernowI will be the first to admit that my knowledge

BOOK REVIEW: Alexander Hamilton (2004) by Ron Chernow

I will be the first to admit that my knowledge of American history is spotty at best – only the bare minimum is covered in Dutch schools – so if you had asked me one year ago who Alexander Hamilton was, I probably would have said something along the lines of: “That name does ring a bell… One of the founding fathers, I think? Maybe. I don’t know.” One little Broadway cast recording later, I found myself diving headfirst into Thomas Paine and picking up the 800-page biography that started it all. The combined popularity of Chernow’s book and the juggernaut of a musical it inspired has brought Alexander Hamilton right back into popular consciousness in a major way, and I have been watching this development with great interest. What happens when a controversial historical figure gets dusted off and put back into the general public’s spotlight two hundred years after his death?

Memes, of course.

Look around, look around at how lucky we are to be alive right now.

All right, that’s enough musical talk – back to the actual book.

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I’m not sure how I feel about Goodreads listing politics and war as two of my favourite things to re

I’m not sure how I feel about Goodreads listing politics and war as two of my favourite things to read about.


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BOOK REVIEW: The Price of Salt (1952) by Patricia HighsmithBefore the 2015 movie Carol started rakin

BOOK REVIEW: The Price of Salt (1952) by Patricia Highsmith

Before the 2015 movie Carolstarted raking in the Oscar nominations, the general public mostly knew Patricia Highsmith for her psychological thrillers Strangers On A Train (1950) and The Talented Mr Ripley (1955), two stories about mystery and murder. In fact, The Price of Salt is the only one of Highsmith’s novels that does not feature a violent crime – but it is still incredibly suspenseful. Yes, Highsmith introduces a gun in the third act, but there is more to it than that; this story about two lesbians falling in love in 1950′s New York City is set up like a detective. The protagonist, Therese, sets out to solve a very specific puzzle: does Carol love me back? Is there a chance we can be together? Do I dare to put everything on the line for her?

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I’m sorry for the terrible quality of this thing, but I really wanted to show off the final result!

I’m sorry for the terrible quality of this thing, but I really wanted to show off the final result!


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swarnpert:

[sees a dog] [gentle gasp]

aseaofquotes:Neil Gaiman, The Ocean at the End of the Lane

aseaofquotes:

Neil Gaiman, The Ocean at the End of the Lane


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