Wife-Wooing, by John Updike
Book review - 1 pages - Literature
In his short story, 'Wife-Wooing', John Updike portrays the life of what seems to be an ordinary family through which he discusses matters related to matrimony. This story centers around two people who seem to have forgotten the meaning of their marriage. Through this essay, I will...
Marvel's "To His Coy Mistress": a Baroque reworking of conventions
Book review - 4 pages - Literature
Andrew Marvell (1621-1678) was an English Metaphysical poet. Marvell wrote several satirical poems against the corruption of the court, but they were published after his death (for being too subversive). ?To His Coy Mistress', though not about politics, is also a subversive poem. It is an...
Analysis of the sonnet 'to sleep' by J. Keats
Book review - 3 pages - Literature
One may get the impression that this poem is about pain and agony and troubles encountered throughout life, yet at the same time one expects a sonnet to possess the qualities of romance, adoration, and themes of love. Although this poem may appear to only deal with dark images about the...
Commentary Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck
Book review - 2 pages - Literature
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is known as one of the author's most powerful novels. Even though the story is completely imaginary, the plot takes place in a very precise historical and geographical context: 1930s California. Moreover, one of the main themes of the novel is humanity and...
De Lacey Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
Book review - 6 pages - Literature
In a disconcertingly candid manner, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein offers its readers a sensible critique on the callous superficiality of human social interaction. Shelley imaginatively introduces a repugnant, yet kindhearted monster into the world of man, who is only to be received, and...
The theme of the declining Big House in Bowen's The Last September
Book review - 5 pages - Literature
'The Last September', Elizabeth Bowen's second novel, describes the Anglo-Irish life of the provincial aristocracy during the turbulent times of 1920, and deals directly with the crisis of being Anglo-Irish. In this particular context, Bowen makes a combination between social comedy and...
"Answers to a questionnaire" by James Graham Ballard
Book review - 2 pages - Literature
Answers to a Questionnaire' is a short story which was written by James Graham Ballard, and published for the first time in the English literary magazine 'Ambit', in 1985. Ballard's style of writing is highly important to understand his works, he is a member of the 'New...
The grapes of wrath: analysis of chapter 6
Book review - 3 pages - Literature
This excerpt, taken from Chapter 6 of ?The Grapes of Wrath', deals with Muley Graves's account of the depletion of man, when he is separated from his land. It is the third of many narrative chapters, which move away from the social, economic and historical situations that shape the...
Literary devices and style in pride and prejudice
Book review - 15 pages - Literature
Sound effects connect the 2 words in the title ?Pride and Prejudice? right from the start of the novelv(also used in Sense and Sensibility). This connection between Pride and Prejudice helps define the 2 main characters of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy, and participates in the development of the...
A Scanner Darkly, by Philippe K. Dick
Book review - 1 pages - Literature
The novel, deals with drugs and its consequences, its process of marginalization of distorted social relationships, the subjective deterioration of reality, hallucinations and the paranoia that they generate, Richard Linklater will bring out an adaptation of the letter and the spirit. Adapted...
The fantastic atmosphere in The Moon Bog by HP Lovecraft
Book review - 1 pages - Literature
In his short story entitled ?The Moon Bog', Lovecraft adheres to his methods to create a genuine fantastic atmosphere. Both his style and his narration contribute to the setting of a cosmic ambiance in a very effective way. From the point of view of the narrative, the themes in this short...
Orwell said in an essay titled Why I write : "It is my purpose to fuse political purpose and artistic purpose into one whole." How far does Orwell achieve this in 1984 ? - published: 29/09/2010
Book review - 4 pages - Literature
It is to be remembered that George Orwell fought for the Republicans (against Franco) in Spain towards the end of 1936. It was during this battle that Orwell was wounded. We know that George Orwell's ?Nineteen Eighty-Four' (published in 1949) publication was given this title because the...
Book review - The Stranger
Book review - 1 pages - Literature
I feel that in this novel there are two major elements that stand out from all of the rest. First and foremost, there is Meursault, a shipping clerk and main character, with so many oddities and fascinations that it is hard to not try to figure him out. He has no substance in his life and does...
Indigenous resurgence in the contemporary Caribbean (Chapters 2, 3, 4, 5, 12 & 13)
Book review - 3 pages - Literature
In a contemporary sense, perspectives of the Caribbean have been created in a way that does not speak of the indigenous and aboriginal peoples of the areas as much as they should. This is likely to change though as these indigenous and aboriginal peoples of the Caribbean are once again gaining...
Roman, provincial and Islamic law by Patricia Crone
Book review - 3 pages - Literature
The basic thesis of Patricia Crone's Roman, Provincial and Islamic Law is that the sharia is, at least in part, derived from what the author calls “Roman provincial law”, and not from pre-Islamic Arabian cultures, other Near-East cultures (Egyptians, Akkadians and Jews among others) or...
Do androids dream of electric sheep: A review
Book review - 2 pages - Literature
Edward James states in his piece, Science Fiction in the Twentieth Century, that, “Because science fiction deals with imaginative alternatives to the real world, [it] also offers criticism of that world.” In Philip K. Dick's novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, that criticism is...
The innocent man by John Grisham: A review
Book review - 2 pages - Literature
John Grisham has been a favorite author of mine since fourth grade when I picked up A Time to Kill for the first of many times. That fictional novel was the start of my love for his exciting, fast paced storytelling and The Firm, The Client, The Pelican Brief, The Chamber and The Testament...
Book review of Undress me in the temple of heaven
Book review - 1 pages - Literature
The author Susan and her Ivy League friend Claire declare to each other that they want to travel and experience the world as it is after graduation. Their idealism, youth, and naiveté meet head on with a Chinese culture not used to tourists or any Westerners at all. Claire and Susan are...
Book review: "The Death of Adam" by Marilynne Robinson
Book review - 1 pages - Literature
Marilynne Robinson's The Death of Adam is an essay collection by the author of the acclaimed novel Giliad. The essays in the book fall into two main categories, as Robinson describes in the preface. Some of them are dedicated to pointing out foolishness and ugliness where modern thought...
Dealin' some justice: Wargrave style
Book review - 2 pages - Literature
Every good mystery has suspense, deception, and plot twists. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie is no different. Published in 1939, the book has sold well even today. The book features high suspense with cold-blooded murders and a mystery killer. All the characters and even the reader...
Homeless Mothers: Book review and topic discussion
Book review - 3 pages - Literature
Homeless Mothers: Face to Face with Women and Poverty by Deborah R. Connolly (University of Minnesota Press: Minneapolis, 2000) is an ethnography based on participant observation and extensive interviews and written for the general public. Its main subjects are homeless mothers and their...
The things they carried: Time O'Brien
Book review - 1 pages - Literature
This book is, debatably, a memoir of the Vietnam War. By debatably, I mean to say that it is written in the form of a memoir, although the author denies that many of these events actually took place. This book includes the stories of Tim O'Brien and the soldiers that he knew in Vietnam during the...
The House on Mango Street
Book review - 2 pages - Literature
I chose this book because my aunt recommended me reading it. Although I don't usually read books like this, because it was a book about coming of age, I thought it would be interesting to read. This book was somewhat like The Catcher in the Rye, but instead of taking place in New York, it...
Daisy Miller: Henry James
Book review - 2 pages - Literature
This book takes place in 1878 and centers around the idea of an extended trip throughout Europe, which was very popular among wealthy Americans at this time. This novel addresses the behavior of the young American girls who visit Europe and due to their new distance from home, become very...
The Picture of Dorian Gray: Oscar Wilde
Book review - 2 pages - Literature
I chose to read the Picture of Dorian Gray because I was already semi familiar with the story and numerous friends recommended it to me. This famous novel takes place in nineteenth century England and revolves around the high society of that time and place. There is a supernatural aspect to this...
Siddhartha by Herman Hesse
Book review - 2 pages - Literature
This book was originally recommended to me by freshman humanities teacher. When I read the book previously, it helped me to make sense of my own beliefs and I recently came to a point in my life where I felt that it was time to read it again. This is really a story of philosophy and religion. It...
Psychological analysis in the Heart of Darkness
Book review - 1 pages - Literature
Orphaned at the age of twelve, Conrad's writing reflects solidarity. In his most popular novel Heart of Darkness he states, “We live, as we dream- alone.” Common themes in his works are alienation, confusion, and doubt. He wrote not only about physical threats but also about inner...
David J. Francis, Uniting Africa: Building regional peace and security systems
Book review - 3 pages - Literature
“Africa today is faced with a stark choice, either unite or perish. ” So opens David J. Francis' intriguing study on the state of African nations in relation to one another. Frances spends a great deal of attention outlining the serious social and economic problems facing the African...
A special education, learning to teach a disabled student
Book review - 2 pages - Literature
A Special Education: One Family's Journey Through the Maze of Learning Disabilities is the author, Dana Buchman's explanation about how her family coped with having a child who suffered from severe learning and developmental disorders. It is a tremendously interesting look at the topic because...
Familial construction in Christopher Carrington's 'There's no place like home'
Book review - 2 pages - Literature
In Christopher Carrington's No Place Like Home, the author tackles the very difficult question of what comprises a family. The question posed, liking a thread throughout the book as it attempts to be answered, is what are the issues facing gay and lesbian parents as they choose to construct a...
