I'm currently reading The House of Suns, by Alastair Reynolds. It is written from the point of view of three characters, two of which are women. The chapters alternate the point of view. Some other:
Night Train (Martin Amis) Charlotte Markham And The House Of Darkling (Michael Boccacino) All those Sherlock Holmes pastiches by female authors which have Doctor Watson as narrator Lindsey Davis’ Marcus Didius Falco novels End Of Story (Peter Abrahams) The Woman In Black (Susan Hill) Endless Night (Agatha Christie) The Trade Mission (Andrew Pyper) Alan Bradley’s Flavia De Luce novels Several works by Daphne Du Maurier like The House On The Strand
What would be the focus point of this article? Any particular reason why an author would write from the viewpoint of the opposite gender? – Ryan Errington10 years ago
I thought this was an excellent idea.
- 'Any particular reason why an author would write from the viewpoint of the opposite gender?' that would be the premise for writing an article on it. Case in point G.R.R.Martin is obviously a man, yet he does 'write women very well'. Peter Carey has also done this in The Chemistry of Tears. – Yama14410 years ago
John Green (TFIOS) and James Patterson (Maximum Ride) are also good examples of this. Very interesting topic. – Mary Awad10 years ago
Agatha Christie's detective novels, like Murder in Mesopotamia, were narrated by a male detective. She had multiple such characters that had separate qualities that fit separate situations and thus filled separate books. – Abhimanyu Shekhar10 years ago
This is a great idea, I feel like it does need a slightly more focused analysis though - there are so many quotes from authors (particularly from male writers writing women) that simple back up the idea that they just write interesting people. It would maybe be interesting to see if there are any trends or tropes authors narrating in the opposite sex follow. Does this cross-narration fit into certain genres more than others? (a lot of the above seem to be crime or horror), Do we have many women writers narrating as men for love stories? Or male writers narrating as women for war stories? – Francesca Turauskis10 years ago
An article covering Michael Cunnigham's novel The Hours , and its subsequent adaptation into a film.
In a sense it could be a review article, but I feel there is a lot of groundwork for this i.e how realistic is the potrayal of Virginia Woolf. (does this matter?) 3. The role of the novel Mrs. Dalloway in fiction – metafiction (fictional analysis of fiction) (The phrase presentation, rather than comparison is used)
I wanted to write about this for my Film and Literature course but I got a little bit confused as to how to approach it, as I can imagine you are. Namely because its focus on three women is exciting but also complex. Perhaps it may be useful to create or highlight the connections between the three characters and address how these are translated on the film? – Aliya Gulamani10 years ago
yes exactly, there is a lot to cover.
I put metafiction in the title because I was thinking of maybe focusing on the role of the book 'Mrs. Dalloway' in The Hours, and then any other analysis that emerges. Perhaps splitting it into a two , or even three piece article. – Yama14410 years ago
That's definitely possible. I really like the sound of this. I think the metafiction angle would be a lovely way to approach the book and take apart its complex structure. – Aliya Gulamani10 years ago
Briefly and broadly examine the role of sleep and dreaming in Shakespearean literature, and sleeping as a social construct within 16th century Europe (the Elizabethan period)
Potentially using some material from Historian Roger Ekrichs book ' At Days Close: A History of the Night-time' as it relates to the aforementioned.
Interesting premise. Hamlet's soliloquy easily comes to mind ("To sleep, perchance to dream..."). What other Shakespearean dramas deal with sleep and dreaming? – S.A. Takacs10 years ago
A Midsummer's Night Dream definitely. Also Romeo and Juliet, in the final scenes when Juliet is sleeping but Romeo think he's dead. Macbeth and The Tempest may also have some subtle but relevant examples. – Aliya Gulamani10 years ago
' Hamlet's soliloquy easily comes to mind ("To sleep, perchance to dream..."). ' That is actually one of the quotes I was considering using as a starting point!
Yes, A Midsummers Night Dream definitely! Thanks for the other references. I was also thinking of Othello. – Yama14410 years ago
Othello is a great play. Could you refresh my memory: where is sleeping/dreaming mentioned or in what context is it presented? Just curious! – S.A. Takacs10 years ago
Well I would have to re-read it, but I was thinking of referring to this article as well (if I can get my hands on it) “Shakespeare and Sleep Disorders”, Neurology 49 (1997): 1171–72. There are several references throughout Othello.... when I have time I'll post a few here.. – Yama14410 years ago
Like Nicholas Sparks, or others under pseudonym like 'Emma Blair' (link)
Would you be looking at gender expectations of the period? It would be beneficial for the article. – Ryan Errington10 years ago
Richard Paul Evans is another writer I've read recently. – Amena Banu10 years ago
What kind of audience reads romance literature, as far as gender goes? That could be important to keep in mind while exploring the writers of romance literature. – aileenmaeryan10 years ago
I think it will be important the not just explore current readers but those of the past few decades. I think the ratio of male to female readers/writers of romance novels could say a lot about the outlook of the times, including what this means for us as readers now. – arcade1310 years ago
Analyse the complications and challenges authors face when writing a new book after publishing a bestseller, that has earned them public acclaim. Most writers dream of writing a successful book but can this achievement turn out to be destructive? Also, our expectations as readers – do we, despite ourselves, have expectations that are inevitably unfulfilled? Do we play a hand in promoting commercial literature and hindering creativity by responding to texts and authors in a certain way?
This piece could include examples of books that successfully followed their bestselling prequels, as well as those that disappointed, and try to analyze the differences. – Amena Banu10 years ago
The last question, 'Do we play a hand in promoting commercial literature and hindering creativity by responding to texts and authors in a certain way?' has potential to be explored as a standalone article. – Yama14410 years ago
I agree with Yama, the topic is too large for numerous in depth questions. The first question relating to our expectations can be the basis of a solid, interesting and revealing article. – arcade1310 years ago
I can definitely see this applied to book series like Harry Potter and the way Rowling was influenced by fans and the films. – Christina Cady10 years ago
I am willing to take up this topic, but I cannot think of content. No one likes a personal opinions post or a short post. I think we either needs lots of ideas or a case study. – Abhimanyu Shekhar10 years ago
I think Harry Potter's books would be a really good comparison as Christina mentioned above. Also J K Rowling's decision to adopt a pen name afterwards. Another more recent example would be Kazuo Ishiguro - whose new release the Buried Giant - as a fantasy novel has created interesting responses. You could examine the responses to his book and compare or contrast the popular responses to his previous works. – Aliya Gulamani10 years ago
Explore the portrayal of narcissism in the characters of The Grimm Fairytales , and how this has manifested in the representation in today's popular culture and mainstream television. Are Grimm Tales really suitable for children? What makes them universally appealing? Could explore Philip Pullman's adaptation of them.
This is a good idea but why specifically female narcissism, and not narcissism in general?
Also, the Grimm fairy tales were not really intended for children originally. Although they were called 'Children's tales', many elements were thought inappropriate for children at the time and were changed throughout the tales' various editions. – Rachel Elfassy Bitoun10 years ago
Female narcissism because it hasn't been covered before simply. Actually they were not originally aimed at children, but have been culturally adapted for them. – Yama14410 years ago
..also just add to that, that female narcissism is also prevalent within the Grimm Tales. – Yama14410 years ago
Last year, the world lost legendary author Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Known for his use of magic realism, this author could discusses his critically acclaimed novels, such as A Hundred Years of Solitude, which one the Nobel Prize in Literature. Garcia Marquez also incorporated themes about politics and family etc., so it would be interesting to read how these influenced his work.
This would be a great idea. I love his writing style! I am reading .... Years of Solitude at the moment. – Yama14410 years ago
I'd love to read this, being a big fan of Marquez's work. I recommend reading his interview on the Paris Review as it gives an intriguing insight into his methodology. – Aliya Gulamani10 years ago
As far as politics and family Marquez was heavily influenced by the novel Pedro Paramo which deals with these topics it's a sort of predecessor to One Hundred Years... you could incorporate something along those lines. – Christina Cady10 years ago
Last semester, I gave "Love In the Time of Cholera" a read for school and I absolutely fell in love with it due to Marquez's intricacies in his exploration in the pros/cons/fantasy/delusions/purity of love. It's something to read. There also was "Very Old Man With Enormous Wings." Thought-provoking in the idea of faith http://www.jonescollegeprep.org/ourpages/auto/2014/1/29/42934518/A_Very_Old_Man_with_Enormous_Wings_pdf.pdf There's also one wonderful magic realism short story that I forgot the title of, but I recalled it involved children experimenting with innovation. You can Google up more free short stories of his. Sure we mostly remember him for the big novels, so its proper to give his short stories the justice it deserves. – AvaKane10 years ago
