Songs of Innocence and Experience is a collection of poems that are written by an English, painter and poet named William Blake. The poems had first been published in 1789 with poems, such as: The Lamb, Holy Thursday (Songs of Innocence), The Little Black Boy, The Tyger, Holy Thursday (Songs of Experience), The Sick Rose, … Continue reading Songs of Innocence and Experience- The Lamb & Tyger
Northanger Abbey: Satire That Almost Doesn’t Feel Like Satire
I find it extremely interesting that Northanger Abbey is considered a satire of gothic novels. If no one had told me this, I would have thought it was Gothic Novels: Easy Mode™. It didn’t quite feel like a gothic novel, though I suppose that would make sense considering what it was trying to accomplish. That … Continue reading Northanger Abbey: Satire That Almost Doesn’t Feel Like Satire
Poppycock
I can understand one’s confusion upon reading the title of this. “Poppycock? What’s that?” one may ask and is not a bad question. Poppycock is, from what I can find, British slang for nonsense and once everything is explained the reasoning for using that word will become clear. Something that is not explicitly mentioned is … Continue reading Poppycock
Context, Gothic Novels, and the Tolerance of Ambiguity
(This is So Long, I APOLOGIZE, friends) (but I especially apologize to Kristin). I was fairly entertained by the infographic that Kristin posted about How to Tell You're in a Gothic Novel, mostly because I sometimes feel legitimately confused about what classifies any text into any category, since I so often notice such different features … Continue reading Context, Gothic Novels, and the Tolerance of Ambiguity
Rabbie Burns, Dolly Parton, & Feminist Murder Ballads
I've been listening to this wonderful podcast (Dolly Parton's America) on my commute, and the other day I learned that many of Dolly Parton's songs have their roots in Scottish-Appalachian murder ballads. Many of the people who have lived in Parton's Smokey Mountains have ancestors that trace directly back to northern England and Scotland. When … Continue reading Rabbie Burns, Dolly Parton, & Feminist Murder Ballads
William Blake Post
It is interesting to me how William Blake wrote his poem, “The Tyger.” The first time I ever heard about the poem was when it was mentioned in episode 30 of the T.V. show Batman: The Animated Series. The opening lines of the poem, “Tyger! Tyger! burning bright in the forests of the night, what immortal hand … Continue reading William Blake Post
Is The Royal Slave an Attack on Slavery?
It is interesting to me that Oroonoko or, The Royal Slave was held up by abolitionists on why the slave trade should be outlawed. While at first glance, I believed that it was an attack on slavery, showing through the classic, and often racist, trope of the noble savage that black slaves could be just as human … Continue reading Is The Royal Slave an Attack on Slavery?
Equiano
Equiano’s narrative started out as an extremely devastating account of his life, however by the end he was able to turn it into an encouraging and inspirational story representing himself and his culture. Equiano’s life narrative combines several different genres, which was something that I found very interesting. Those genres were; a captivity narrative, a … Continue reading Equiano
The Importance of Equiano’s ‘The Interesting Narrative’
Upon reading Equiano's The Interesting Narrative, one will, in a modern light, cringe and grow sickened by the concept of slavery. While indulged in text, one can hear the descriptions of life in slavery from the writings of a slave. He asks of the masters, slave-traders, and bystanders "must every tender feeling be likewise sacrificed to your … Continue reading The Importance of Equiano’s ‘The Interesting Narrative’
The Royal Slave Blog Post
The Royal Slave is a short novel written by Aphra Behn that was published in 1688. The story is about the life of an African prince named Oroonoko, and his love called Imoinda. Both characters give their love to each other, planning to get married. Although the king overhears their conversation and tries to force … Continue reading The Royal Slave Blog Post
Rethinking Modern British Literature 