Literature

While the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings have gained their well-earned places in western literature, Tolkien's published works were only a small scrap of the material he created and wrote about Middle-Earth over a span of 60 years. Tolkien's ideas of Middle-Earth's languages, history, and cultures changed time and time again, even in the span of writing a single short story. Tolkien's 'Legendarium' evolved so frequently that it took a life of its own.

What does Tolkien's Legendarium teach us about the creative process? Most of the work he created violently contradicted itself, does that impact what we view as 'canon'? Can having this outside body of work flavor how we read the Lord of the Rings? Do the works published after his death, such as the Simarillion and the Children of Hurin count as Middle-Earth 'canon'? Was it acceptable for Christopher Tolkien to compile these new books from his father's works? Since new Tolkien work is being published to this very day, can we say that Tolkien's stories are still evolving even in the post-Peter Jackson age?

It can be argued that Romanticism has continued to persist past the 1800s and continued on one form or another. With this in mind, it would be interesting to see a comparison between Romanticism and Hippie culture. Is Hippie culture a continuation of Romanticism? What are the similarities and differences between these ideals? How does it show up in literature?

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison has been called a "master text," a revolutionary work which changed the nature of African American literature in the 1950s. How did Invisible Man reach more than just African American literature? Where can you see its influence in later works – not only in literature, but painting, poetry, photography, etc?

F. Scott Fitzgerald lived a relatively hard life plagued by alcoholism and depression, yet was a powerful writer. Characters in his novels, such as Jay Gatsby from "The Great Gatsby" and Dick Diver from "Tender is the Night" seem to experience similar troubles. We know what Fitzgerald struggled with throughout his life; to what extent did he give his characters the same struggles? Was it a conscious decision, or a way of coping? In many cases the characters don't find peace, just as Fitzgerald didn't. How did Fitzgerald use his personal life, whether willingly or not, to influence his writing?

Reflect on how standardized tests are not preparing high school students for liberal arts courses in college. Liberal arts courses requires reading stamina, comprehension, and critical writing skills that are not taught in the classroom.

Creative Nonfiction (CNF) has been one of the hottest and most expansive literary genres since the mid-90s, but many still fail to understand the concept of the genre. As a genre that tells truthful stories in an artful and engaging way, there can be roadblocks to the genre's validity when it comes to the use of creative liberty.

How has the mainstream introduction of CNF altered the way we read and trust our authors? How can CNF be directed within the periphery of the public mainstream in a way that credits the genre with more than just memoir? Additionally, how do we deal with the ethical dilemmas that creative liberties create within the genre?

What if you stumbled across the most beautiful poem you'd ever read while browsing the Internet, only to learn that it was created by a computer program. Would it lose it's value? Would "A Raisin in the Sun" lose it's value if it was written by, say, a white man, or would it retain its message?

St. Nick/Santa Claus is often presented as a jolly, warm, and overall positive spirit of the holiday season. However, a closer look at other culture's "St. Nick" figures (creepier ones like Krampus) and the like could present a darker side. Aside from that, the article would also discuss or look at the deeper motivations behind the St. Nick figure. Why make toys? Why distribute them? What is his motivation? In some ways Santa can be considered "chaotic good"–a figure operating generally for good under their own moral structure. No one has told St. Nick to do these things, he does so of his own volition and for his own reasons. Whose system of morals does the Santa judge children by? What would happen if children were judged on a different system of morals–perhaps "good" children were no longer the traditional moral good, but rather the most ambitious or the most cunning children? Additionally, the santa *punishes* bad children. This goes against the traditional "reform" system where those who are bad are brought gently to good. Krampus type figures even bodily kidnap or harm children to punish them. (A fun and possibly seasonal article.)