...Gothicism in Detective Fiction The Hound of the Baskervilles By Yue Zhao Submitted to the School of Foreign Studies in Partial Fulfillment to the Requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts in English (International Trade) Under the Supervision of Ms. Tang Jun June, 2012 Acknowledgement I would like to pay tribute to all those people who have given me a hand in the process of writing this thesis. Without their gracious help, the accomplishment of this thesis would not be so smooth. First and foremost, I deeply appreciate my supervisor, Ms. Tang Jun, who has provided me with so many valuable comments and constructive advice all the way through. But for her constant and invariable patience and kindness in guiding me, it would be more difficult for me to go through all the confusions and find a right direction. My thanks also go to the teachers who has given me suggestions, which benefit me a lot when I make the original plan, in the opening defence. With their help, I get to know where I should go next. Last but not the least, I extend my thanks to my classmates and my dearest parents for their encouragement and support. Wheneve I feel frustrated with my work, they are always there. Gothicism in Detective Fiction The Hound of the Baskervilles Abstract: As one of the most influential people who are never alive, Sherlock Holmes, written by Arthur Conan Doyle, attracts researches. The Hound of the Baskervilles...
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...Genre The genre of the story Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher is realistic fiction. The definition of realistic fiction means that the story is fictional or did not actually happen but relates and compares to similar situations in everyday life. The novel fits the situation because many people in high school deal with bullying and athletes struggle with competitiveness with other players. For example, one of the main conflicts for T.J. and his teammates is trying to earn the lettermen jacket and that is a typical conflict for many high school athletes aswell. Setting and Mood The story takes place in Cutter High School, Spokane, Washington and All Night Fitness Gym where T.J. and his swim team practice daily. The novel is indirectly stated as a present time setting. The setting of the story gives the reader the feeling of sympathy, trust, joy, sadness, and pride. For example, the reader feels sympathy when he sees Chris Coughlin being shoved into a locker by Mike Barbour for wearing his deceased brother’s lettermen jacket. The reader also feels joy and pride when the zero-to-hero swim team finally earns their lettermen jackets. The story would change dramatically if the setting was different such as, if the story took place in the past, the main conflict wouldn’t be earning a jacket for swimming, it would be for surviving the longest during the Black Plague. Tone The tone of the main character is very confident and wise. In certain situations, such as when T.J....
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...Fantasy Versus Reality Fiction Analysis Oates Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?: Truth Blinded by Fantasy It's not uncommon to catch ourselves snapping out of a daydream only to realize how extent our Imagination was. Not only do we fantasize what isn't possible, but also what we want to believe disregarding how close it is to reality. Joyce Carol Oates, the author of a short story, "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" uses Connie's character to successfully portray the conflict between fantasy versus reality. Connie, who views the idea of maturity as being experienced with men and exceedingly independent, tries bit too hard to follow those approaches to appear sexually attractive. However, Connie's flirting comes to an end as Arnold's unexpected visit to her house escalates into a horrific incident of kidnapping. This experience forces Connie to confront the reality, ultimately having her fantasy world crumbled. As mentioned previously, the biggest fantasy of Connie's is her perception of maturity. Oates describes Connie as an attractive fifteen year old girl who had a "habit of craning her neck to glance into mirrors, or checking other people's faces to make sure her own was all right" (323). Clearly, Connie's major concern consists of finding her sex appeal and having her looks approved by older boys. Without having any proper preparation, Connie throws herself into the merciless world of adulthood. "Someone leaned out a...
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...will, choice, and personal responsibility. Hamlet is an existentialist character who believes that he is forced to avenge his father’s death and the hatred builds in his heart because of the many betrayals which direct him towards a senseless life and constant thoughts about suicide; this ultimately leads to his demise and he is left with naught.... [tags: Existentialism] 872 words (2.5 pages) $14.95 [preview] Life Value vs. Existentialism in Grendel - A main theme in John Gardner’s Grendel, is the constant competition of the ideas of meaning in life versus existentialism. Throughout the novel, Grendel makes a steady spiritual decay to the point of denying any value or significance in life itself. He believes the world is nothing more than “a mechanical chaos of casual, brute enmity on which we stupidly impose our hopes and fears”(16). This progression starts at a young age, and...
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...of metafiction, literary works address the devices of fiction to uncover the fictional illusion. Sometimes these works have a voice interacting within the world or review a contemplation of thought. Some works utilize different scenarios to emphasize metafiction such as; a reader reading a literary work, an author writing a literary work, or a narrator intentionally exposing him or herself as the author of the story. These works could also address the specific conventions of story, such as title, character conventions, paragraphing or plots. The various ways of creating a metafictional work is meant to capture the reader by making them aware that the story being told is made up, preventing a connection to their reality. One must question how do readers respond to the metafictional work? Can this response change when a different media is being used? These questions must be evaluated first in order for the metafictional to be comprehended in the second reaction. After the reader has had time to pose certain questions it will help them understand the work of leiterature. Using reader’s reactions to Beckett’s “A Text for Nothing, Number 4,” “The Magic Poker” by Robert Coover and Virginia Woolf’s Orlando , we can evaluate the responses to these works and acceptance of the evident fictional world. In the first round of reading Samuel Beckett’s “A Text for Nothing, Number 4,” the reader might start off with more questions than answers. In the beginning the narrator asks himself personal...
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...The Open Window - Analysis "The Open Window" is Saki's most popular short story. It was first collected in Beasts and SuperBeasts in 1914. Saki's wit is at the height of its power in this story of a spontaneous practical joke played upon a visiting stranger. The [pic]practical joke recurs In many of Saki's stories, but "The Open Window" is perhaps his most successful and best known example of the type. Saki dramatizes here the conflict between reality and imagination, demonstrating how difficult it can be to distinguish between them. Not only does the unfortunate Mr. Nuttel fall victim to the story's joke, but so does the reader. The reader is at first inclined to laugh at Nuttel for being so gullible. However, the reader, too, has been taken in by Saki's story and must come to the realization that he or she is also inclined to believe a well-told and interesting tale. Style “The Open Window” is the story of a deception, perpetrated on an unsuspecting, and constitutionally nervous man, by a young lady whose motivations for lying remain unclear. Structure The most remarkable of Saki’s devices in “The Open Window” is his construction of the story’s narrative. The structure of the story is actually that of a story-within-a-story. The larger “frame” narrative is that of Mr. Nuttel’s arrival at Mrs. Sappleton’s house for the purpose of introducing himself to her. Within this narrative frame is the second story, that told by Mrs. Sappleton’s niece. Symbolism The most important...
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...variety of forms and trends which appeared during the century. The object of the project is British literature. The aim of the project is to consider the peculiarities and distinct features of the British literature of the 20th century. In order to gain the project’s aim, during its implementation the following practical issues were studied: - the most distinguished writers of the period; - their contribution to development of the British literature; - key topics. The project’s aim and issues considered predetermined the choice of methods of research. During the project’s implementation the following methods were used: critical survey of the sources on the issue considered, as well as comparison and analysis. Theoretical value of the project is constituted by the analysis of the peculiarities and distinct features of the British literature of the 20th century. Practical value of the project is predetermined by the possibility to use it in practice in courses of world and British history and literature. The project’s aim and issues considered determined the structure of the project, which consists of an introduction, several paragraphs, conclusion and references. The introduction contains urgency, aim and issues of the project. The paragraphs unveil key periods in development...
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...matter whether they are famous or not, have the urge to build images in order to create emotional connections despite the inaccuracy the images have, and while Gabler holds a positive attitude toward such phenomenon, Rosen finds it dangerous to expose oneself. First, both authors claim that in the post-9/11 world, people are in need to find emotional connections through real life stories, but they think people achieve such a goal in different ways. Gabler thinks people can get emotional connections by recognizing the similarities they have with celebrities. Gabler believes the horrible event of 9/11 “created a new authentic divide” between true stories and fake ones (Gabler 209). People value authenticity more than artifice. Therefore, unlike the excitement in fiction, the dramatic life stories of celebrities are Lei 2 of particular interest to people because they are real and original. From their real life stories people get to know that celebrities have difficulties in life as well. For instance, in...
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...depicted in ‘Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?’ has failed to make available to children like Connie maps of the unconscious such as fairy tales provide, because it has failed to recognize that in the unconscious, past and future coalesce, and that, psychologically, where the child is going is where he or she has already been” (1453). The point Schulz and Rockwood are making is that Connie’s generation and many following it, are neglecting to read fairy tales as bedtime stories and are consequently inhibiting the child’s ability to experience and work through problems he will encounter in adolescence. Whether we are aware of it or not, these stories have lessons that engrain themselves deeper than that on the superficial layer of a hero will save the day. For my short story analysis I will exemplify Oates’ fairy tale references and assert my compliance with the theory that fairy tales provide us, upon hearing them as children, with a subconscious ability to handle...
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...movies and programs on the television as we relax takes us away into this different realm—that is, there are parts in our being that feels we are the ones in the movie and sometimes we even feel what they are feeling as we get caught in the emotional excitement. The effect of media does not stop when the movie or program ends. And this lingering effect might just be the cause of behavioral changes in people. Thus our knowledge of the world becomes a complex blend of personal, interpersonal and mediated experience. Watching popular TV programs, movies or sitcoms we tend unconsciously to copy some life style images and bring it to our way of life. Imagistic advertising is qualitatively different from nonimagistic ad, because rather than lead us to rationally evaluate the price and quality of a particular product it focuses on our emotions and conscious and underconscious desire. Imagistic advertising compels us to organize our world and place value via commercial culture products. Silently we observe and order our lives using fashion. We come to understand who we are in the same way we come to understand the commercial products at hand. Commercial products help us identify and create interpersonal bonds and groups of solidarity, and define who we are and to which group we belong. After reviewing a number of different films about happy life, or about the military exploits of heroes, a man begins to build his life as he had seen in the movies: people wear similar clothes...
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...The Book Publishing Industry Assessment 1: Industry Opportunity Analysis Name: Joyce Yi Student no: n9102434 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The publishing industry is incredibly resilient and is undergoing some incredible changes. This report will analyse the industry with respect to the 4C’s of Entertainment Marketing and identify the key opportunities that are currently evident within the publishing industry and thus devise two potential ideas for future development and implementations. Research has found that indie publishers and authors are taking up a huge portion of the market and therefore more beneficial for these professionals to create digital content and distribute it independently. As publishers are not educated in IT and data Analytics, these skill sets will need to be outsourced or taught in order for self-publishers to maximise their revenue and consumer retention. Mobile applications are also proving to be the new way to read digital content by enhancing the consumer’s experience, thus adding value to the product. The growth of virtual spaces that allow people to network and collaborate on creative projects are also increasing and globalisation has shaken the industry and provide huge opportunities to bring distribution closer to the consumer and pursue a much larger audience. Therefore, this analysis indicates there could be future development for a platform at which authors, publishers, and developers can come together to collaborate and create book...
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...Otherness: Essays and Studies 1.1 October 2010 Haunting Poetry: Trauma, Otherness and Textuality in Michael Cunningham’s Specimen Days Olu Jenzen Early conceptions of trauma are intimately linked not only with modernity but specifically with the height of industrialisation (Micale and Lerner 2001). This is converged in the opening of Specimen Days particularly in the image of an industrial accident at the ironworks where a young man is killed by the stamping machine. His young brother, replacing him at the machine after the funeral, then experiences an apparition of the dead brother still trapped inside the machine, which leads him to believe that all machines house entrapped ghosts of the dead. Writing on the Victorians’ anxieties about internal disruption caused by the advent of the railway, Jill Matus (2001, 415) has pointed out that, Freud himself remarked in Beyond the Pleasure Principle (1920), [that] there is ‘a condition [which] has long been known and described [and] which occurs after severe mechanical concussions, railway disasters and other accidents involving a risk to life; it has been given the name of traumatic neurosis’ (12). Freud’s remark brings to the fore the traumas of the industrial age as both individually and publicly experienced and negotiated. This condition of trauma as private and public, individual yet also societal is held in tension throughout Cunningham’s novel. Reflecting on the otherness of trauma and its vexed relationship to representation...
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...American fiction writers who emerged in the 1990s. His debut novel, Fight Club (hereafter: FC) reached cult status after the film adaptation by David Fincher was released in 1999, and widespread and divided critical reception was soon to follow. Much of the current debate about Fight Club focuses on the political implications of the text, but most often recourse to it by way of referencing the film. These arguments usually question or celebrate the transgressive potentials of the book (Giroux; Mendieta), or address issues of masculinity brought into the fore by their literary and cinematic representations emergent in the same decade (Tuss; Friday). However, few, if any, have addressed the literary aspirations of the text and its author. Although none of the approaches to the thematic concerns of Fight Club are unjustified, in the argument that follows I will suggest that conclusions drawn and critical judgments passed have been hasty, and not only failed to take into account the formal aspects of story-telling, but that the narrative features of Palahniuk’s text have largely went unexplored, and constitute a blind spot of the reception. Critics condemning or acclaiming the novel, and, indeed, many a cultic reader of Palahniuk ignored Fight Club as a literary narrative, and have inadvertently been repeating the catchphrases of the text, either reinforcing or trying to undermine what they have understood as their meaning. I see the significance of Palahniuk’s fiction and the literary...
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...Sleight of Hand, Sleight of Mind Orson Welles' F for Fake and the Art of the Cinematic Con Orson Welles' 1974 "film essay" F for Fake opens with a scene of Welles, in the role of a magician, performing a sleight of hand trick with a young child, "transforming" the key the young boy has presented him into a coin and then showing how the young boy had the key all the time in his pocket. The magic was the perfect illustration of Welles' purpose in the film. F for Fake was a film about fraud and deceit, about how the makers of art (and, in particular, film) use "trickery" to fool their intended audience into believing something that is not true. The film focuses on three known "charlatans" (Elmyr de Hory, Clifford Irving, and Welles himself) who used their talents to produce such magnificent forgeries that they were able to fool everyone (even so-called "experts") into believing in the truth of their claims. Despite the status of this film as one of Welles' "minor" films from late in his life (it was one of the last films he completed prior to his death in 1985), it has had a tremendous impact on filmmaking, both in a technical sense (the film's complex editing of various film stocks and styles) and in a textual sense. Welles' identification of the ways in which an audience can be manipulated into believing anything as long as it has the "air" of authenticity has had a tremendous impact on current filmmaking, especially in the realm of horror filmmaking with the current crop...
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...According to Milton C. Albrecht, sociologists have not given due attention to the role of art and literature in societies; rather, they have relied on the more traditional measures in examining society. Nevertheless, many people would agree that literature has had considerable influence on society and vice versa. In academia, there are three widespread theories regarding the relationship of literature and society: the "reflection," "shaping," and "social control" theories. The reflection theory suggests literature provides a fair representation of society. The shaping theory, which essentially complements the reflection theory, suggests ideas present in literature shape the behaviors of individuals. And finally, the social control theory suggests literature is used to maintain and stabilize society. Though all base their arguments on different evidence, Baldwin, Morrison, and West share the premise that literature provides an accurate reflection of society. Many experts studying the relationship have suggested that the reflection theory is the most plausible theory present. Estorick, a prominent scholar in this discipline, contends that the type of literature present in a society is ultimately reflects the type of ideology that society embraces in Literature and Democracy. Estorick discusses the evolution of muckraking literature into reform literature. Upon analyzing the social conditions of the day, Estorick draws a connection between reform literature, through which...
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