Literature

Dragons are known to be creatures of immense power and destruction and can be found in folklore across the globe. However, there is a difference in the way dragons are depicted as symbols of power between eastern and western culture. Eastern culture depicts power through embodying a dragon i.e. an aspiration to become like a dragon whereas western culture depicts power through slaying a dragon i.e. overcoming a foe who is as powerful as a dragon.

There has been many fairytales that have been written throughout the decades. One particular fairytale (little red riding hood) has taught us certain lessons and meanings about society. Explore how these meanings and teachings have changed within the 20th century.

In 1977, Professor Roland Barthes released his book 'A Lover's Discourse: Fragments'.
Over 200 pages long, this text is dense, lengthy, and at times incoherent.
Therefore, an article deconstructing and analysing this text would be an insightful read.
What is Barthes trying to say? How does he say it? Are his ideas accepted and approved of, or disagreed with?

One point he seems to be making is that our own experiences of love are dictated to us by the discourse of love within our culture. It is through this language that our expectations of what love should feel like are formed.

Therefore, after breaking down Barthes' text and some key fragments/ideas, this article could look into examples of popular culture and how they have influenced modern ideas of love. The romance genre in film, tv, literature, and even music are prevalent. Everything from Shakespeare's plays to Romantic Comedies to Disney movies.

If, indeed, you deduce other claims worth discussing in the text, find popular or contemporary examples to suit that also!

In 1796, Matthew Lewis published the novel 'The Monk'. An early example of 'masculine', or horror gothic, it covers many shocking and depraved themes.
In 1797, Ann Radcliffe published her 'feminine', or terror gothic novel, 'The Italian'. It is viewed as a reaction or response to Lewis' novel. It discusses some similar themes, but in a milder way.
An article could compare and contrast these texts. Worth noting is the things they do the same, such as offering commentary on Catholicism or exploring issues of love and sexuality.
They also differ in several ways, from opposing treatments of women and the use of supernatural occurrences.
Overall, the article should conclude the ways in which Radcliffe has used the original to build her own story, and also where she has deliberately chosen to deviate from Lewis' text. Potentially offer insight into how the two authors' differing approaches reflect the society at the time. An in depth understanding of horror vs. terror gothic would be worthwhile in building a substantial argument.

The Secret History, by Donna Tartt, became an instant classic when it was first published in 1992. Though it is primarily set in the 1980s, the story has a dreamy, timeless quality. To read it at a still impressionable young-adult age feels like a rite of passage. On the surface, it is a captivating murder mystery about a clique of Classics students at an idyllic New England college. But to stop there would be to sell the book short. Examine the potent combination of factors that have elevated The Secret History to its iconic status. In my estimation these include the introspective, romantic narration reminiscent of that of Victorian novels; the bittersweet, melancholic tone; and Tartt's subtle sense of humor. These elements work in concert to ensure that this well-constructed, well-paced mystery leaves a lasting emotional impression.

The genre of "Chick Lit" is often seen as nothing other than feel good and fluffy. However, can the argument be made where this genre can be seen as anything more? Should it be seen as more? Should those who read this genre feel shame?

Choose a few books that support your position on the topic, and explain why you think it is one way or the other.

Writers of history usually receive the bad reputation of being boring and uninspired storytellers, for the events of history aren't designed to be page-turners. On the other hand, there are histories that embellish for the sake of storytelling but compromise accuracy. This is also criticised.

Thus, an article exploring histories that are both accurate and educational whilst still captivating audiences would be a great read.

Offer examples of good histories, and give reasons as to why they are effective as both works of popular literature AND educational history resources. Jung Chang's Wild Swans or Ten Days That Shook The World by John Reed are two good examples.
Some factors that make history writing 'good' include: the inclusion of personal stories (not mere objective facts), prose that is accessible to all, not just academics, and the formation of a chronological narrative that, while remaining accurate, sparks interest and excitement.

There are some wonderful examples of written history that tend to get lost amongst the 'boring' stuff. So an article highlighting examples of good history, and analysing why that is, would be interesting and perhaps even helpful for those looking to write public history.

Buddhism teaches that we can let go of illusion by letting go of “our story,” i.e. letting go of our insistence on seeing reality our way. Many literary classics teach us the same lesson, sometimes through characters metamorphosing by undergoing evolutionary cycles including tragic moments. We see this struggle and more or less successful letting go performed by protagonists such as the Buddha, Oedipus, Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Henry James’ Maisie, Edith Wharton’s “Ethan Frome,” Ishiguro’s characters in The Remains of the Day, Toni Morrison’s Sethe in Beloved, and Murakami’s un-hero in The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle who learns to let go of all his stories by sitting in a dark well for a long time.

The common theme in these fictions as well as in many others is letting go of illusion by letting go of one’s story, all unfolded in fiction. What sort of fiction must one invent to not add to the world of illusions? Does something distinguish these fictions in addition to the theme, something that makes them resist becoming part of our illusions? Or is it impossible not to add to the illusory? Where do commonalities between letting go of one’s story end and differences in consequences thereof open up, according to whatever works of fiction we decide to look at? What do these fictions have to say about what stories we rarely let go of? How does this theme of letting go of story in story speak to the story-telling during the global pandemic in 2020, specifically about the stories we tell of the “before-the-pandemic” world? Are we, like Murakami’s character, in the well, or are we emerging? How can we tell? Tell us.