LIT AND FICTION

The Hobbit This story holds a special place in my heart, It was one of the first “Big” books I read, and I know the movies aren’t critically acclaimed or anything but I have fond memories of going to watch them from 2012-2014, The bridge between 8th Grade and High School. In many ways The Hobbit is the blueprint for the hero's journey, each part of the journey coincides very well with Bilbo’s Journey. From the call to action to killing spiders. We truly see the character development and how he goes from a simple hobbit to a seasoned adventurer. Once he returns home, he becomes a notorious figure in The Hobbit community, further driving the point home that after the journey, no one is the same.

Akata Witch The protagonist in this story deals with a great amount of sexism from men. She has trouble fitting in and doesn’t really know where she belongs. Through meeting a friend, she discovers her talents and has to learn to accept them. It seems that she is seeking acceptance all throughout the story. She’s constantly chasing validation from the boys around her, and she finally gets it when dealing with the antagonist that’s been murdering a large amount of Nigerian kids. This whole story is deeply rooted in African Culture which gives a fresh take on Witches. The Harry Potter comparison is very evident throughout the duration of the story.

A Wild Sheep Chase “It’s not always black and white, sometimes there is just grey” What intrigued me about this story was the lack of duality, which is very prevalent in Western works. Most Western mystery and horror works have a very clearly defined “white” side (the protagonist, supporting characters, etc.) and “black” side (the antagonist, evil, etc.). There’s no true “good” or “evil” in the story. Whereas the story doesn’t have much “evil”, it’s compensated by the vile descriptive story telling. So, the story itself isn’t too scary, moreso the story telling. However, this doesn’t  take away from the creepy vibe of the story. In Western culture, the concept of spirits are less accepted. We find ourselves often asking whether they exist or not, there is a lot of uncertainty. In the East, there is no doubt about it, spirits are something they accept. It was interesting delving into J-Horror, although this wasn’t my favorite text, overall. I really like Uzumaki, and I r

Interview With The Vampire “The only thing promised in life is change, so appreciate the moment” This story revolves around that of immortality, and from just reading it, it got me thinking about how painful life would be if I were immortal. Constantly losing people, living on endlessly, etc. All of the major characters have an interesting relationship with change throughout the duration of the story. Death is one of the biggest factors of change. Louis, who is the one narrating the novel, struggles with this existential reality of never dying the most out of all the vampires. He was manipulated into becoming a vampire during a rough patch in his life, which seems to be a majority of his character arc throughout the course of the story. If I were immortal I’d constantly be mourning loved ones just like Louis. He’s constantly seeking stability and peace of mind  which he never seems to attain. It probably is really hard to accept that all the people around you that you love wi

Frankenstein & Gothic Genre Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is very commonly referenced when talking about Gothic novels and the Gothic genre. The genre is generally characterized by elements of fear, gloom, horror, death, as well as romance and high emotion. Frankenstein nods to all of these elements, in it’s elegant yet spooky tale of Victor Frankenstein creating the iconic Frankenstein monster, who eventually turns into the reason for Victoria's unravel. The element of horror comes from the building of the monster, pieced together by different body parts, and stiched up to create a whole new human. While the reader experiences fear, the protagonist, Victor, also deals with fear throughout the novel. The first example of this is when the monster disappears and Victor realizes what he has done. Another is when the monster swears to take revenge on Victor’s wedding night. And finally, the element of romance comes into play in Victor’s short marriage and the death of his new

Gothic Tropes reanimating the dead flickering lights insects / rats black and white shadows broken glass mad scientists the damsel in distress high contrast shouting about discoveries suspicious people/creepy butlers old mansions storms seclusion/isolation monologuing extremes of nature testing nature creatures/monsters