Category Archives: Literature

Reviews and commentary. Enjoy reading and learn about writing

Let students read what they want?

Posted on November 4, 2014 by

Reading literature in education may be on the way out. It is one of the many previous foundational skills that have been thrown aside to find a place for all the additional science, math and technology that a “competitive” county … Continue reading →

Posted in Educational trends, Literature, Writer's resource | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Pointed view

Posted on November 1, 2013 by

Almost everyone knows about first person and third person narratives in writing. Basically as humans we all see from the familiar, limited first person point of view that allows us only to know what goes on in our presence.  Much … Continue reading →

Posted in Literature, Teaching writing skills, Writer's resource | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Simply unreliable

Posted on October 31, 2013 by

Characters who have psychological profiles, also have their own viewpoint – opinions, judgments and prejudices – concerning the world around them. The first person narrator that is a viewpoint character – such as Nick Carraway in The Great Gatsby – … Continue reading →

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Out of character

Posted on October 30, 2013 by

“It fits the  perpetrator’s M.O.” … you’ve heard M.O. mentioned in so many police shows, detective novels, any kind of work related to law enforcement. What is it? A profile of a killer who has struck again collection constructed from … Continue reading →

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The lesson of the limes

Posted on October 17, 2013 by

“I’m so degraded, I owe at least a dozen limes.” Amy confesses. She is basically in a pickle, or perhaps more correctly out of pickles, pickled limes that is. She is deep into the fad of bringing limes to school … Continue reading →

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Allusions and airs

Posted on October 16, 2013 by

Imagine you are discussing a current government situation with a friend. You mention an insight you learned about behind-the-scenes working of government while in our capitol. Perhaps you briefly mention that when George Bush explained this the first time, you … Continue reading →

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Figures of seeing

Posted on October 15, 2013 by

Reading ancient literature is difficult not just because of archaic words, but also ambiguous figures of speech that attempted to help the reader see the image and not just hear the words. Translate an early English text, such as Beowulf … Continue reading →

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How to rant like a literature professor

Posted on October 8, 2013 by

“That was the year I came to class at the start of the new semester and found only one student to sign up for Drama from Aeschylus to O’Neill.” Do you know who Aeschylus or O’Neill were?  I assume you … Continue reading →

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Superhuman weakness

Posted on October 5, 2013 by

At one time there was a “story” circulating about a famous producer of modern supernatural fiction movies, and an unknown screen writer. The famous producer says “I have a new idea for a movie.” “What’s the plot?” asks the writer. … Continue reading →

Posted in Literature, Story structure, Writer's resource | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Avoiding flat earths

Posted on October 4, 2013 by

A few years ago, over the holidays, I stayed at a hotel on a scenic bend in the Riverwalk in San Antonio. It had been build in little over 200 days. How? Concrete cast room units, already decorated, were stacked … Continue reading →

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