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    Thoughts on Slaughterhouse Five
    • Oct 23, 2018
    • 3 min

    Thoughts on Slaughterhouse Five

    Kurt Vonnegjut, Jr.'s Slaughterhouse Five displays a monotonous indifference to death, human cruelty, and suffering. An extreme...
    The Quaker Influence in Anne Tyler’s The Accidental Tourist
    • Oct 18, 2018
    • 9 min

    The Quaker Influence in Anne Tyler’s The Accidental Tourist

    Note: This paper provides literature students with an example of the biographical and mimetic approaches to literature. Elizabeth Evans,...
    Thomas Otway's Venice Preserv'd: 
An Ideal Source for a Tory Message
    • Oct 16, 2018
    • 12 min

    Thomas Otway's Venice Preserv'd: An Ideal Source for a Tory Message

    Note: The following analysis is an example of the historical biographical approach to literature. In his article "Political...
    Sound in Shakespeare's "Tempest": A Formalist Approach
    • Oct 13, 2018
    • 5 min

    Sound in Shakespeare's "Tempest": A Formalist Approach

    This academic exercise takes a formalist approach to William Shakespeare’s play The Tempest. It is not intended to be a well-developed...
    A Historical/Biographical Approach to Sandra Cisneros's "Never Marry a Mexican"
    • Oct 4, 2018
    • 8 min

    A Historical/Biographical Approach to Sandra Cisneros's "Never Marry a Mexican"

    Note: This is an academic exercise that takes a historical / biographical critical approach to Sandra Cisneros’s short story, "Never...
    A Freudian Analysis of Erin McGraw's "A Thief"
    • Oct 3, 2018
    • 6 min

    A Freudian Analysis of Erin McGraw's "A Thief"

    Note: This is an academic exercise that takes a psychological critical approach to Erin McGraw’s short story, "A Thief." This is not...
    A Feminist Approach to “Woman Hollering Creek”
    • Oct 2, 2018
    • 3 min

    A Feminist Approach to “Woman Hollering Creek”

    Note: This is an academic exercise that takes a feminist critical approach to Sandra Cisneros’s short story “Woman Hollering Creek.” ...
    A Formalist Reading of "Woman Hollering Creek"
    • Oct 1, 2018
    • 6 min

    A Formalist Reading of "Woman Hollering Creek"

    Note: This is an academic exercise that uses formalism (new criticism) to examine Sandra Cisneros’s short story “Woman Hollering Creek.” ...
    A Symbolic Approach to Kate Chopin's The Awakening
    • Sep 29, 2018
    • 8 min

    A Symbolic Approach to Kate Chopin's The Awakening

    Note: This is an academic exercise that takes a symbolic approach to Kate Chopin’s novelette. This is not intended to be a...
    A Toolbox for Understanding Literature: Seven Critical Approaches
    • Sep 26, 2018
    • 11 min

    A Toolbox for Understanding Literature: Seven Critical Approaches

    The toolbox of literary criticism offers us a variety of ways to tinker with the text until we have a better understanding. We can use...
    As Days Go By: A Reflection on a Hopeful Poet
    • Feb 12, 2018
    • 3 min

    As Days Go By: A Reflection on a Hopeful Poet

    During my twenty years as editor and publisher of Ancient Paths literary magazine, several thousand poems have come across my desk for...