When a writer explores the dark and disturbing — think rape, pedophilia, abuse, addictions, and so on — the subject matter makes the writer penetrate the side of life we so often like to leave alone and, in turn, the writer must come to terms with his/her personal views of the subject matter. However, when readers then take the work up and read it, they are given only so much of what a writer knows to be true about the world created within the story or novel. Do the readers really have the chance to work through their own views on the subject matter in a way that enables them to experience catharsis? How does this work?
By definition, catharsis means to experience release from a repressed emotion. To experience a release from horrific actions like this works from both ends. Your feeling is like the center clearing of the forest with two roads leading to it from completely opposite ends. What makes this difficult is writing it in a way where it is experienced by both parties. You need to find that point of commonality between both. In the end, even readers are touched ad hit. Perhaps it works best if the story is told from a first person viewpoint. In that way, both the reader and the writer get similar tastes of what it means to be in that situation. It is challenging but effective. – SpectreWriter9 years ago
Look at depictions of robots in classic sci-fi literature – e.g. R.U.R. (1921); Automata (1929); I, Robot (1940); Farewell to the Master (1940); I Sing the Body Electric (1969); The Bicentennial Man (1976) – and determine whether our preconceived notions of robots, as shaped by these texts, have hindered our development of robotics in general and artificial intelligence in particular.
Not novelizations of the movie but books set in the same universe as the movie. Like the Star Wars or Star Trek books.
I have some X-Files books, Monk, Psych, and Sleepy Hollow. And some guide books that are made to look like the characters wrote them, like "Gravity Falls: Dipper's and Mabel's Guide to Mystery and Nonstop fun."
This topic hasn't received much attention in media.
There are also comic books set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (i.e. The Avengers, Iron Man 1-3, Captain America 1-2, Thor 1-2, etc). They are often released after a movie comes out in theatres, titled after that movie. For example, after The Avengers was released, a comic book called The Avengers Prelude: Fury's Big Week hit bookshelves. These comic books tie into the movies and explain little extra bits and pieces within the universe and are always "preludes". They also include copies of older comics, but those are unrelated to the movies (directly). – VelvetRose9 years ago
Talk about the rise creative nonfiction as a genre and works from it that are growing in popularity. (Such as the novel Wild and its movie adaptation.)
It's a vast topic historically and one of the best selling and marketed genres today, so a narrowing of scope; or, perhaps a new historical comparison of varied genres covering the same topic, emphasizing what creative non-fiction brings to the table. – thistle9 years ago
What is the importance of Orwell's work in which he critiqued Totalitarianism (1984) and Imperialism (Burmese Days)?
The Topic is the title of the late Christopher Hitchens' book on Orwell's import. – thistle9 years ago
It certainly is thistle, I have enjoyed many of Christopher Hitchens' writings. But it can still be used as a topic by anyone on The Artifice who is an admirer of Orwell's work. – Ryan Errington9 years ago
One of the more interesting aspects of Tolkien and his work are the subtle and not so subtle commentaries of various topics. Some parallels could between with his work and Christian lore and doctrine.
Tolkien and C.S. Lewis were good friends, and Lewis certainly wrote with a ton of religious themes. I know there is some documentation of their discussions about religion somewhere, which would certainly be worth looking up. – G Anderson Lake9 years ago
Tolkien himself always claimed his stories were not allegorical. – Kristian Wilson9 years ago
Sauron would be parallel to the devil, Saruman to Judas... but where do characters like Grima and Gandalf fit? – SpectreWriter9 years ago
I read Fatherland (Robert Harris) last year and was swept away by it. It is located in an alternative world in which Nazi Germany won WW2 and now controls under the "Greater German Reich" most of Central/Eastern Europe and well into Russia/the old Soviet Union.
It's also a page-turner of a thriller with murder investigation, and creates this whole alternative world (for example, Switzerland as the eternal independent bank next door) in a very believable way even though it's now absurd.
I can think of other ones too:
Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels are both well thought out – in an entirely mad yet brilliant way- and very, very funny.
Margaret Atwood does a great post-apocalyptic future world in The Year of the Flood and Oryx and Crake, which are both set in the same universe and are chronologically interlinked (though both can be read and enjoyed on their own).
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell is an alternate history/fantasy novel which manages to do both the historical world building and the fantasy bit really well.
Personally, I find Kurt Vonnegut's "Slaughter House Five" to have an interesting setting(s), which by the way is set before, during, and after the bombing of Dresden, Germany. In some scenes, Billy, the main character, is sent to a faraway galaxy on the planet, Tralfamadore(excuse if misspelled), where he is put on display in a human zoo. Of course, we don't know if the main character is reliable, but regardless, it's pretty cool to have a historical fiction novel set in outer space. Also, Conrad McCarthy's "The Road" is set in a post-apocalyptic world that somehow seems almost realistic as the reader follows the father and his son down south while they keep an eye out for cannibals. Of course, what may be interesting to you may be interesting to someone else. I'm only in college, so I probably haven't read as many books as you have. – Kathagirl10 years ago
I love erotica as a genre both in literature and films. I have a massive list of all erotica ever written somewhere. For some reason female erotic writers write better-or it appeals to me more.
For me what appeals in this genre have little to do with actual sex (or overtly graphic sex). It is the sensual details-the weather, the house, the organic vibe.
There isn't much quality writeups on this topic.
Yes, I agree women write erotica very well. Perhaps it could be an exploration of Anne Rice writing her Vampire novels vs. her writing as A.N. Roquelaure in the Sleeping Beauty Trilogy vs. her writing as Anne Rampling for her book Exit to Eden. Or an exploration of Anais Nin and her work in erotica. – Venus Echos10 years ago
What makes "bad" erotic literature would also need to be discussed. In my personal opinion, its when the author doesn't create a compelling romance or when things move to fast. The best and most compelling romance, at least in my opinion, are the ones that take their time. Each partner in the romance is explored well enough on their own, that it makes sense why these characters fall in love in the first place. There are so many cliches in the erotica/romance genre as well. – Cagney10 years ago
This is a very interesting topic and I am definitely interested in reading an article about this. When people think about erotica literature, they tend to only think of
50 Shades of Grey" and similar novels. No one ever discusses the main idea behind it, like you said, "the sensual details."
It might be interesting to compare to "Blue Is the Warmest Color," or watch the documentary, "This Film Is Not Yet Rated." It discusses the censorship of female pleasure, which might be helpful for your article. – Nicole Wethington10 years ago
It might be good to look at Kate Chopin (The Awakening) and relating it to similar works. Perhaps you can compare traditional views of sex and it's "purposes" to newer, sexual awakening-type views? For example: to many people, in media it is okay for a male to enjoy sex, but if a female enjoys it she is a slut. Or the double standard of acceptance of male pleasure over female pleasure? Or pleasure in general?
I hope that this was helpful! – Nicole Wethington10 years ago
