Adi Elmaleh English 12H Mr. Dunton March 7, 2011 Postmodern Fiction Unit Essay Arthur Goldwag states, “Irony is the antidote to angst, life's randomness and meaningless is to be taken for granted, self-contradiction is the method of telling, fiction is artifact, and the author is explicitly or implicitly present in the text as the man behind the curtain.” Goldwag’s theory explains that in order for a short story to be considered post-modern fiction, it must meet this criterion. “If you must make an emergency phone call, ask your supervisor first. If you cant find your supervisor, ask Philip Spiers…if you make an emergency phone call without asking, you may be let go” (484). The world is coming to a state of bitter irony. Where money is more important than a person’s health.
It is usually the author who evokes characters, so it is pointed out that Joe is creating his own story and its truths. Joe is an unreliable, as we sometimes question whether he is going insane rather than it just being Jed, for example when he keeps seeing things in the library. Clarissa asks him “which way this fixation runs” which forces us as readers to revaluate Joe’s reliability as a narrator. Jean Logan is part of the subplot that reflects the main plot. Like Joe, she is in a stressful situation that causes her to doubt the loyalty of her husband, like Joe does with Clarissa.
Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen me.” (Page 20, line 18). This supports the idea about him being mad and therefore an unreliable narrator - we don’t know whether the story is true or not. Edgar Allan Poe has chosen this retrospective point of view, because he wants the reader to experience the working of the human mind - the working of a madman. This wouldn’t be possible if the story was told in present tense.
Through the minds of Palahniuk and Stevenson a common ground is reached in the two books Fight Club and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde; both the narrator and Dr. Jekyll create their own misfortune in trying to fix the problems of the world, or better yet what they perceive the problems to be. In a sense the doppelganger of Dr. Jekyll and The Narrator create a misery that is eerie. These characters could be considered Byronic heroes; they start off admirable individuals but by the end of their journey we pity them. Another observation than can be made is through the birth of their alter egos Dr. Jekyll is in essence attempting to play God, and Tyler Durden (The Narrator’s doppelganger) believes he is God. The consequences of their decisions lead them to, ceaseless misery,
While there are undoubtedly subversive, or corrupt elements in the novel, arguments for censoring it generally misrepresent its more nobler intentions and greatly exaggerate its subversive designs. Putting aside the overinflated claims of the novel's most extreme critics and supporters, the diversity and intensity of readers' reactions to The Catcher in the Rye suggest that the issues it raises are significant ones. Consequently, it seems likely that readers will continue to have heated discussions about this "minor" classic for a long time to come. One of the issues that has been debated ever since the novel's initial publication is whether or not it qualifies as a significant work of literature. Does it offer significant insights into the complexities of human existence and the development of American culture, or does it simply appeal to vulgar adolescent minds with its obscene language, complaining about everything without developing any positive insights of its own?
Personal critical article of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Since The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was first published, this novel has been get into controversy over various issues ranging from Huck’s morality to racist messages. Controversy is mainly focusing on the ending of the novel. The last eleven chapters of the novel is focusing on Jim’s imprisonment on the Phelps farm and Tom and Huck’s adventures to free him, which contrasting with the previous of the book which takes a serious look at the important moral themes. The ending makes me complicated and feel like did Twain think when he wrote the last chapters of the book? Do the ending chapters fit with the previous chapters of the novel?
Through the manipulation of pronouns—transitioning often from we and our to they, not always with the same referents—and chronology, the narrator tells not Emily’s story, but rather describes a personal confession and rationalization. Through this narrative, Faulkner demonstrates the capacity of human beings to rationalize that they made the right choice even when committing the most heinous acts, a particularly poignant critique considering the story was published between the World Wars. In the paragraphs to follow, I will attempt to prove that the narrator was if not exactly complicit in Emily’s crime, at least able to suspect it would occur, revealing perhaps a greater tragedy than an insane woman committing murder. First, we must establish the significance of the pronouns. Upon first reading, the narrator seems to be either an individual townsperson speaking on behalf of the entire town, or multiple townspeople switching off, telling their relevant parts.
The effect of this story has placed its focus on discovering how reality can become altered, distorted or split in times of extreme emotional or mental trauma. By presenting two versions of reality and by incorporating labyrinthine images, "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," suffices as a realm of reality inside another realm. This story spells out this idea through flashbacks and an obvious dream sequence, culminating in an emotional bombshell during the last few paragraphs of the story. Many scholars have weighed in on Peyton's journey through reality and have concluded that by giving the story a definitive ending, he destroys the illusion he has created, but the idea of
At first the narrator speaks in an omniscient voice that seems to be able to tell us the truth about the events presented in the novel and to control the story and the characters in an effective way. As the narrative progressed, the narrator begins to be more and more uncertain of his or her own design. The voice becomes suddenly faltering and unreliable, misjudging the characters and making false prophecies about the story: "I always believed that girl was a pack of lies. "(Morrison, 35) The narrator becomes too intrusive and looses his or her
Lucy Chen Ms. Swailes IGCSE English Literature Feb 23 2013 To what extent do you hold Kingshaw responsible for what happens to him? In her novel I’m the King of the Castle, Susan Hill portrays childhood in a somehow distorted way by telling us about the story of Hooper and Kingshaw–a tale that may be chilling and disturbing, challenging the general impression of ‘childhood’, but meanwhile reveals evilness and desire of power in human nature, which allows us to perceive the seamy side of humanity. While being shocked by Hooper’s maturity and scheming, as well as feeling sympathetic toward Kingshaw’s helplessness, I couldn’t help wondering what had led to Kingshaw’s wretched life. I consider himself to be partly responsible regarding his lack of confidence, and he barely spoke up. However, Helena should take more blame for causing these infirmities and being a selfish mother to bring her son such a life.