Southern Literary Messenger

Throughout all of the novels we have read this year, each one has taught me that literature can always have a deeper meaning. Different writings can all have different meanings around the world, or even to the person standing next to you. There is such a variety of interpretations of literature. Through reading “A Streetcar Named Desire”,“Hamlet”, and “Their Eyes Were Watching God”, the main theme that stuck out to me was that tough, emotional experiences can have an effect on characters’ minds…

and conducting literary research. This course has allowed me to have a different perspective on literature. In the beginning of this course I was uneasy about analyzing literature because I felt I would not comprehend the material. Now, my viewpoint has altered I feel more confident in analyzing literature. Since, I have learned various strategies for reading a work of literature. As I read the literature I searched for something deeper within. For instance, learning about literary devices…

Every critic has their own way of evaluating a play. Some may prioritize aspects that other critics do not. However, there are basic universal problems that all critics should address. Authors Oscar G. Brockett and Robert J. Ball state that what all critics need to basically focus on is the understanding, effectiveness, and ultimate worth of what they are critiquing (Brockett and Ball, pp. 32, par. 3). Yet according to journalist Maria Bustillos, critics could have their own opinion and follow…

In addition, pope's essay on criticism considered a summary of neoclassical critical views and at the same time a prove for his defense of the social role of criticism. Also, the importance of the poetry is shown in the way its description of criticism as a means of keeping the traditional cultural values in a time of socioeconomic change. For pope, criticism frames the artistic description of nature and nature is idealized in his Essay with "the ancients" (Fairer 31). Almost all the poem's…

The feminist theory is always adapting to new cultures and always changing. What stems from the feminist theory is feminist literary criticism “feminist criticism examines the ways in which literature (and other cultural productions) reinforces or undermines the economic, political, social, and psychological oppression of women” (Critical Theory Today, 4 Feminist Criticism, pg. 79 Tyson, Louis). This theory shows us how patriarchal our society is and that’s how Susan Glaspell’s shows her work in…

“To Build a Fire” by Jack London When reading a story, it is often difficult to truly understand the message if the author cannot properly communicate it to the reader. Through the use of literary devices, authors can ensure that readers fully comprehend the meaning of the story. A general theme in literature would be that humans are flawed creatures. However, an author can communicate this in a way that makes the reader relate and understand this message. In Jack London’s short story, “To…

In the texts ‘Perfume-the story of a murderer’ by Patrick Süskind and ‘the turning’ by Tim Winton, a diverse range of literary techniques are used to present similar ideas. Though the storylines differ both follow a single main character who is used to denote to the enormity and mysterious grandeur of life. So it is appropriate that the complex themes of human suffering, time and change and the transience of existence are used in both texts to encapsulate life. Winton presents these ideas in…

Irony in Good Country People Good Country People by Flannery O’Conner, touches upon the identities of Christians of Southern America and also focuses on the part played by intellectualism and physical challenges in the development of identity of individuals. The entire plot is spiced with tearing irony. There are four clear sections in the story emphasizing the relationships between four prime characters. The irony of the story encompasses the social and religious parameters and the rude outlook…

the ideas presented in How to Read Literature Like A Professor, Anne Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, consists of several literary devices and factors that develop the plot of the story and the main character, Victor Frankenstein. Due to How to Read Literature…

It has been said that literary criticism started before Plato, but he is known the bedrock or the womb that birth other literary criticism. It is the foundation of the building called literary theory or criticism. He prescribes what a good literature or poetry should be. Plato’s philosophy of idealism – the existence of two worlds; the ideal world which is perfect and the visible world which is an imitation of the ideal. This idea criticizes art as an imitation of an imitation. And as a result,…