Literary genres

In the first position paper entitled “Odysseus’ Scar and the Question of Literary Form,” I concluded that wartime autobiographical writings—including letters, diaries, testimonies, oral histories, etc.—is a literary genre that successfully mediates the personal and the documentary, the contemporary immediacy and the broader history. This second position paper is an extension of the first one, looking into the tricky nature of autobiographical texts as a fragmentary literary genre. It argues that while fragmentary writings are famously celebrated in postmodernist thoughts for its potential to break through authority, it can also be as easily exploited by a unified discourse exactly because it is fragmentary, which made it more fragile to rewriting and reinterpretation. This paper—again—contrasts Said’s celebration of essay as a genre suitable for criticism, and Deleuze and Guattari’s ahistorical appropriation of Kafka’s letter to construct their own theory of “minor literature.” The paper ended with an example of the the Shanghai Jewish Museum, which by appropriating and reinterpreting testimonies of former Jewish refugees to create the myth of “Shanghai Ark,” unfolding and concealing history at the same time. Kafka or Minor Literature has been…

In autobiographical literary journalistic texts, the author functions as an on-page character as well as a real-life human being. According to Lejeune, the author “is not just a person, he is a person who writes and publishes. With one foot in the text, and one outside, he is the point of contact between the two,” (200). In order to maintain authenticity, the two must bear cohesive identity markers, drawing attention to cohesion between the self in the story and the author's own self. So, the…

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley are two novels in which the themes of equality and inequality are explored extensively. The texts are both written by women in 1847 and 1818 respectively and both deal with gender inequality. Jane Eyre is also a social commentary on the injustices and inequalities of the classist Victorian hierarchy whereas Shelley’s novel focuses on the human rejection of unconventionality and the inequalities faced by societies ‘outcasts. The…

How Poetic Techniques Enhance Macbeth Art is the product of creative human activities that is meant to be appreciated for its emotional power or beauty. It can pertain to drama, literature, dance, and many other forms of personal expression that it holds under its “vast umbrella”. Literary art, in particular, is the product of creative writing that gives a timeless and universal experience. This type of art uses literary techniques and devices to enhance the themes that add to the plot of a…

In Rebecca, by Daphne du Maurier, the author uses detail, diction, and imagery as literary techniques to create and shift throughout the passage between moods of mystery, a nightmare, and nostalgia. These moods evolve throughout the excerpt chronologically in three different segments. The atmosphere evolves chronologically as the narrator physically advances on her path to Manderley in her dream. In the excerpt from Rebecca, du Maurier uses literary devices, mainly diction, detail, and imagery…

nightmarish and very eerie. Subsequently, as the reader nears the end of the passage they will start to get a feeling of nostalgia created by the passage. With the intention of creating various moods, du Maurier uses literary devices such as detail, diction, and imagery to create a shift in the moods which are a mystery, nightmare, and a nostalgia. In the beginning of the passage,…

In the story “The Gilded Six-Bits”, there are several important elements of literature. Elements of literature are included in every piece of literature that has ever been written. These elements are not just in stories, but in every written work that exists. These elements that are included in each written piece of work help progress what is written, and make it more interesting for the readers. Each element helps the reader make the piece of literature come to life using their imagination.…

When employed properly, the different literary devices help readers to appreciate, interpret and analyze a literary work. Both literary devices Imagery and tone were both used in clutches multiple times throughout the entire poem. Imagery was shown when the poem stated, “There’s a little boy standing by the fence with a flag in his hand” (1, Fowler). This shows that the boy understands that what his father may be doing is dangerous, and hard to bare with. However, he knows that the only thing he…

Literary devices have been use in many writings to produce a special effect for the readers. From allusions to metaphors, each and every one of these devices serve a very important purpose. In the novel, Icefields, Thomas Wharton uses many literary devices to make Icefields more captivating for his audience. The use of these devices are mostly subtle but very impactful when discovered. Through the use of these literary devices readers can have a better understanding of the story. Wharton’s use…

World War I gave birth to many stories, and with those stories came many pieces of literature. Some of the main ones include All Quiet on the Western Front, a book by Erich Maria Remarque, “The Poet as Hero”, a poem by Siegfried Sassoon and “Who’s for the Game”, a poem by Jessie Pope. These literary pieces had some key differences. Although Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front, Sassoon’s “The Poet as Hero”, and Pope’s “Who’s for the Game” all shared their opinions on how soldiers should…