Spoiler Warning for Foul is Fair by Hannah Capin
Content Warning: This article discusses murder and sexual assault, but not explicitly. The novel does not describe the assault in detail but uses vague flashbacks, however other themes are described explicitly like murder, blood, transphobic bullying(not excused by the narrative), and a suicide attempt. “We’re magic. I can feel it right now in the dark. We’re invisible when we need to be and then so firework-bright no one can look away. We’re patience and brilliance. We never forget. We never forgive.” — Jade Khanjara, Foul is Fair
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If there’s anything anyone should know about me, it’s that I hate spoilers. Over the years this hatred has increased to the point where I rarely read the blurbs of books or the descriptions of movies because I want everything to be a surprise. I don’t want to know what happens at the end of a story before I read it because that takes the fun and anticipation out of it. After all, what’s enjoyable about watching the inevitable unfold? If I know what is going to happen, why would I even bother with the story? I’ve already been robbed of the experience of guessing and waiting to see what happens, so I have nothing to gain from reading it…or so I thought.
Tragic Character Arcs in Poetry (Part I)8/22/2021 You see the foreshadowing. You knew from the very beginning, from the moment you plucked it off the bookshelf, or from the second you clicked into the first chapter, that it’s a story with a bad ending. But you chose to read it. You keep waiting to get hurt, asking to be broken. Maybe you’re so drawn to tragedies because you are one in the making too.
Warning: Spoilers for the short film Shelter
Often I have spent hours watching movies or series only to be left feeling disappointed when they did not leave up to my expectations. And then I stumbled upon a short film called Shelter. I was never really a big fan of short films, but this short film deeply moved me in a way that I never thought was possible, in a way that many longer series have failed. I didn’t realize Victor Hugo was buried in the Panthéon when I walked by the magnificent building in Paris, which is strange for me because I’m absolutely obsessed with that city and have been trying to learn everything about it since I got back from my study abroad. His impact on literature is immeasurable and was often thought of as radical.
The Debated Tragedy of Gilgamesh8/19/2021 One story I had the opportunity to read this year was The Epic of Gilgamesh. If you weren’t aware, the Epic of Gilgamesh is labeled as the oldest written epic. Originally written in Akkadian — the language spoken in Sumer — then thousands of years later roughly translated into English. Safe to say I wasted money on a book that didn’t understand the translations either.
Anyway, I found an online version of the text, and then when I finished I was pretty impressed with myself having read the oldest recorded story, and also just satisfied since it was a good read. Now, I say all of this to warn you not to make the same mistake I did and buy a bad paper copy. But also to encourage reading older texts outside of the classroom. More important than that, a question that came to mind after I read it was, “Is Gilgamesh a tragic hero?” And it was too good to ignore so, I’m taking you with me through my thinking process because this is a debated topic. What draws people to tragedy8/18/2021 Cw: mentions of death
It’s no secret that tragedy sells. Audiences love tragic backstories and authors love putting their characters through the most horrific incidents, all in the name of character development… supposedly. The simple truth is, character development does not have to stem from broken homes and trauma, but for some reason it's seen as the best way to become a truly realized person. Not growing emotionally, not building relationships, not overcoming a personal challenge, but instead being crushed and pushed to your absolute limit until you have been hardened into a shell of a person, who broods around, trusts no one and has a mysterious aura. Fun right? Trigger warning: assault, violence
Spoiler warning: this post contains spoilers for Batman: Three Jokers Batman has always been associated with a traumatic origin story. The murder of Bruce Wayne’s parents served as the inciting incident for Bruce’s crusade against crime. Since Bill Finger and Bob Kane created the character in 1939, the murder of the Wayne family fueled the Batman canon as the driving force behind Batman’s quest for vengeance and justice, leading Bruce to battle criminals in order to prevent another incident like his own. TW: mentions of death and suicide
The theater is dark. It seems to hold its breath, impatient. Suddenly, one single reflector turns on, and the music begins. The swift violin and soft piano produce a melancholic tune. There is only one person on stage; she is wearing a white ballet tutu, and feathers adorn her hair. When she moves through the stage en pointe, she seems to be floating. Her arms are as graceful as a bird’s wings. Her face shows pain and despair. She is trembling, longing for something that has long been out of reach. It is mesmerizing to watch, but it’s also flooded with sadness. She is dying. Setting Boundaries in Writing8/16/2021 Everything we write is part of us and says something about us, whether we want it to or not. That goes doubly for memoirs, blogs, even a lot of poetry. We, as writers, give our hearts, souls, everything that lies in us to the public.
And we wait. We hope. That being said, writers are more than just writing. Most of us on here are growing folks, and many of us are still figuring out where we lie in the sphere of how much of ourselves we can share, especially in shorter or more personal works. Last year, I wrote an essay tying three family stories of resilience together. It won me money. Categories
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