Southern Literary Messenger

case a translation of the Psalms of David translated by Anne Locke. The piece was distributed anonymously, so the credibility of the author’s work cannot lie with reputation, but with literary talent. An author can prove their intellect and the importance of their work to the audience through alluding to classical literary traditions, demonstrating their authority over the subject matter. A Meditation of a Penitent Sinner is unique in being the first English sonnet sequence. This means that…

With the knowledge we learn. Literature can teach how to read critically. Reading literature we learn about plot, and symbolism, and conflict. In short readings you miss out on many literary elements found in extensive reading (DeCoursey). Studies have been conducted to see how the brain reacts to literature. Literary devices, such as metaphors and similes, are commonly used in works of literature, and you will be surprised by how our brains interpret these devices. Brain scans show when you…

just an escape from reality. These works of literature transport their readers into perfect worlds for a short period of time before they must come back into the real world. Sadly, a great realization is that the world in these different works of literary merit do not have a perfect world, especially perfect endings. In Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, the world is shattered, including the ending. An ending of a novel will never be perfect because it is merely a reflection of real-life;…

Pieces of literature, in this case a short story, are composed of different literary motifs. They can help reveal a theme of a story, set a certain tone, or evoke a mood. In the story “Three Dirges” in Requiem Guatemala by Marshall Bennett Connelly is one short story that has many literary motifs. There’s the development of theme, use of time, point of view, foreshadowing, and more. This essay will focus on one of the many literary elements that can be found in the short story: image and symbol…

"Character Studies for Les Miserables." Stuartfernie. Stuart Fernie, n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2015. Stuart Fernie is one of the most famous writers, that's why I choose his article from his own website. In this article Fernie talks about the main characters, he focuses on the way of how they act, think and gives background about each one of them. He mentions many examples, and I'm interested in Valjean character because he is the most famous character in this novel. Fernie focuses on…

In this essay, I will demonstrate that there is a strong, undeniable connection between music, magic and imagination in William Shakespeare’s play The Tempest. Also, I will indicate their role in the mentioned literary text and in what way do they affect the main characters, the relationship between them. Imagination, understood as the ability to create new sensations and images in one’s mind, was considered by Pierre Charron to be the most active and stirring faculty of the soul — [imagination…

O.Henry’s unique style was often reflected in his work. One element of his unique style was situational irony. This means that his stories had surprise endings or sudden, surprising plot twists. In the short story, “After Twenty Years” by O.Henry, Bob, a criminal, believes that he is reuniting with and old friend, but he finds that the man he was walking with is not who he thought he was. “You’re not Jimmy Wells,” (228). This shows situational irony because Bob suddenly finds out that he has…

The Catcher in the Rye This is an analysis of the novel The Catcher in the Rye written by J.D Salinger. The analysis will contain Holden’s development throughout the course of the novel, as well as what kind of a character I personally perceive him to be. I will also bring up some minor characters. Let’s start with Holden’s development. At the beginning of the novel, he is an unhappy boy with a lot of problems. He is depressed and confused. It seems that every since his little brother Allie…

‘The Art of Fiction’ attempt to define the artistic side of fiction. Each author entering this discussion had differing views on the subject, and the crux of this debate was to define the laws of what constitutes the definition of ‘Realism’. This literary realist movement represented life as it is, without idealisation, or romantic subjectivity (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2015). Realists believed that literature should be available to all and not just the upper classes and aristocracy. This…

This setting was well thought out by Zora Hurston, and has a purpose of being put in this short story. The story takes place in a small town in the Southern region of the United States called Eatonville. Eatonville was a small town founded by African Americans in 1887. Even though this was a small town, it was still a decent place to live. “It was a Negro yard around a Negro house in a Negro settlement…