Monthly Archives: June 2022

Dueling Detectives

Posted on June 30, 2022 by knlistman

When Edgar Allen Poe published Murders in the Rue Morgue in 1841 the murder mystery was a relatively new genre. He wrote a few more of these increasingly popular detective stories. However, In 1849 he was found wandering injured and … Continue reading →

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Getting the Utopian Novel Right

Posted on June 23, 2022 by knlistman

H.G. Wells kept trying to get the utopian novel right. His novel A Modern Utopia has a fictional framework–the protagonist meets a man from a perfect society on a distant island. The book is really a philosophical essay describing the … Continue reading →

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Dystopian Entertainment

Posted on June 16, 2022 by knlistman

The plethora of dystopian novels that involve putting teens into deadly trials has begun to disturb me. Starting with Hunger Games, which was similar to a YA version of the Running Man, the stories read like athletic competitions run amok. … Continue reading →

Posted in Censorship, Creativity, Drama and movies, Literary devices, Literature, Millennials, Trends in books, Writer's resource, Zoomers | Leave a comment

Fairy Tale or Dystopia?

Posted on June 9, 2022 by knlistman

The desire to be considered superior and above the crowd exists in most people. We try to ignore the fact that the majority of us are commoners. From time immemorial stories arise with the promise of reaching status by marrying … Continue reading →

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Emotionally intelligent characters?

Posted on June 2, 2022 by knlistman

Readers may seek out stories with a hero with greater than average athletic ability and high intelligence because they are drawn to the larger than life character who is strong or ingenious. However, when a reader asks for a character … Continue reading →

Posted in Characters, Emotional intelligence, Literature, Trends in books, Writer's resource | Leave a comment