The Role of the Fiction Writer

Kafka and Munch stick out in my mind for writers who excellently have written works of fiction.  I enjoy when writers use their imaginations and use the text and format of how they write to reach the reader. I believe that every angle should be explored when trying to bring your ideas across to the audience. The more unique and creative the better! 

 

The Role of the Artist

Two of Munch's works which seem to make an impression on me the most are, "The Dead Mother" and "Puberty".  These two situations are not commonly pictured in paintings and that is why I find them so interesting.  The child's facial expression and body language in "The Dead Mother" is so helpless and so naive. The innocence of the piece is impacting on my heart and my sympathy for that poor child that has to grow up without their mother. At the same time even though it is somewhat depressing Much seems to capture something very beautiful about the sadness in the painting. 

"Puberty" is the same kind of combination between sadness and beauty.  The little girl is losing her innocence and starting to become a woman. That can be a very difficult time for adolescents. They are trying to figure out who they are and come into their own person. They have so much to learn and in a lot of ways wish to just remain a child. It somewhat makes me sad when looking at it because the girl seems alone and scared to grow up. She is no longer care free and innocent. She now has to accept the responsibilities of becoming a woman and that can be very scary and intimidating for a child to accept.   

"The Yellow Wallpaper" Criticism Journal

The Writing's on the Wall: Symbolic Orders in 'The Yellow Wallpaper'

This article was very helpful in making me understand more about the story that I had missed in reading it. Not until now did I find out the Jane had just given birth to her son and the initial sickness was provoked through post partum depression.  This information helps me to see what lead up to the story and also her being sick and feeling depressed.  I did find this article a bit dry and boring but it had a lot of good insight on Jane and John. Jane whose name was not revealed until the very end is named a very non-descriptive name. I agree with this and feel as though we were not supposed to put an basis or demographic on who this Jane really was.  John being her doctor and husband might have been too close to the situation to realize her condition and I found it interesting that in the article the writer states that after a while John starts diagnosing and controlling the very things that women are, imaginative and describes it as not being in self control. That is a point I had not really grasped until reading this article. 

The article also goes on to talk about Jane's psychotic tendencies and it also compared her character to the Lancan studies of psycho-analysis, which I found somewhat interesting but also a bit difficult to comprehend. Overall, I agree with the criticism article and I am glad I was able to get further insight on Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper". 

Rape Fantasies Kept Hidden...

Atwood's "Rape Fantasies" is a light discussion on the topic of rape and the reaction of women in an office environment setting. They discus their fantasies and their reactions are varied. Estelle is the main character which whom speaks to the reader directly as if in a personal conversation.

I believe that "Rape Fantasies" was removed from the American Edition of "Dancing Girls and other Short Stories" because at that time in the 60s and 70s people in America were not comfortable yet in openly talking about sex and other obscene topics, especially hearing these types of topics coming from a woman author. Sex and violence appeared improper for women to talk about and women were supposed to remain private about serious happenings like this in society because overall women didn't have the same rights and opportunities as men did. The battle for women's rights and being treated equally has come a long way and today women are more outspoken then ever before, which is a great liberation that many of us younger generations seem to not appreciate as much as we should.  

I do agree that it helped when Norton published Atwood's "Rape Fantasies" and allowed such literature to get in the door and women were finally beginning to be taken seriously. It was all Atwood of course that created her own success. She is a brilliant writer and her views on such topics makes her way before her time!

Definition of a Short Story

"The Cask of the Amontillado" is a short story by Poe, which he further categorizes as a literary genre.  Poe defines short stories as literary genres because they are tales told about an event or occurrence between one or two people. There is not a lot of details regarding their backgrounds or much in depth on the setting or cause for the tale. A short story is more about bringing in the reader emotionally. To be as descriptive on the single happening going on as though the reader were actually with the characters in the act. 

I believe Poe was correct in his definition of a short story from the reading, "The Brief Prose Tale".  From further reading "The Cask of Amontillado", I sense the relationship between Fortunato and the narrator.  The emotions overall are felt when the narrator is building the wall and hears the moans coming from the catacomb...the shock and anxiety for escaping alive from this dark damp tomb where many mans remains were left to waste prior before this tale. 

A short story is to evoke the overall emotions and underlying theme that the author expresses in this event.  Regardless if you are aware of the events previous to this or later, you will learn about this moment and understand through the event the characters partaking in the situation. 

the Truth of Fiction...Awakening

Any fictional story needs to be inspired in one way or another. Therefore, I see that there is truth in all fiction, some more true to life than others although.  A specific instance in which a story appealed to be true to my life is when I read the book, The Awakening. 

Now for obvious reasons I do not connect with the main character Edna. I am not married therefore do not have children and I do not plan on ever committing suicide. Other than the obvious characteristics of Edna, I did and still do understand and relate to her character.  Women in this day and age have a lot more freedom and independence then women in the 1800s. Aside from that Edna was really a women ahead of her time. I think through her awakening she truly became a strong woman. I feel that through art, relationships and solitude as well we find ourselves and we evolve. 

Being able to travel or experience different events from which we are accustomed to, we in return learn more about ourselves and discover our dreams and wants. I feel that an "awakening" is a continuing experience and that is what makes me saddened that she committed suicide at the end of the novel. She did escape from societies limitations but at what cost to her own awakening evolution?  I think women feel a lot stronger now to push forward and lead their own lives even if it is against what others around then deem right or "correct". 

I found The Awakening is true to my life because through independence in college I have discovered many things about myself I would have never realized by staying at home with my family. I learned how to take care of myself and really develop my artistic abilities.  Now since I have been on my own and am back for the summer at home, I do feel limited sometimes. I have grown and become more independent but my parents have not yet gotten used to the fact that I'm becoming a woman. Throughout the next few years I will continue to evolve and become more independent and fully be able to be on my own, something that Edna was only able to fully accomplish at the end by committing suicide. Thankfully times have changed over the years and women are not driven to such circumstances.  

To Kill A Mockingbird

To Kill A Mickingbird is one of the most significant pieces of literature that everyone should read at one point and time in their lives. I first read this book my sophomore year in high school. I have always believed in accepting and even celebrating the cultures around me. Growing up many of my friends were of different backgrounds and races then me, and this continues on today.

To Kill A Mockingbird focuses on the troubles of prejudices in the south before civil rights fully took affect. It's a wonderful book in the sense it involves innocence as well as rough and tumble truths to what racism people experience. It really is a good read for adolescents to open their eyes to the struggle that African Americans dealt with in society. It shows hope that even though many Caucasians at that time were racist and had preconceptions, there were still people who believed in justice and made a change. It affected me positively. It reaffirms that as long as you really stick up for what you believe in and never give up you can make a difference. Change doesn't happen overnight, but in time we can overcome many of societies hurdles no matter what they may be; race, sex, wealth and poverty.

I believe that the manner in which this book was written led me to see multiple points of view, thus making it a great tool in teaching people to over come prejudices in society.