Category: Book Reviews
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Is Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar a Feminist Novel?
The Bell Jar is commonly viewed as a withering critique of expectations of women in the 1950s. The novel is perhaps this, but it is also more. Themes of the stifling roles of women in the ‘50s are present, yes. Yet the alternative to these traditional roles, as represented by independent, career minded women, are…
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When I was Puerto Rican: a Portrait of the Soul of a Writer
The ironic title begs the question: How could it be that someone was Puerto Rican, if it’s an ethnic identity? Ah, but to live there can be a temporary thing, despite that it might live inside you. And moving is after all a motif of Esmeralda Santiago’s memoir. The amount of times Santiago moves is…
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An Analysis of Joyce Carol Oates’ Short Story “Big Burnt”
“Big Burnt” is one of several rich narratives from Joyce Carol Oates’ short story collection Beautiful Days. Protagonist Lisbeth Mueller is diffident, full of rich inner life, and emotionally vulnerable. The male protagonist, Mikael Brun, is cold and taciturn. Lisbeth, often referred to simply as “the woman,” goes on a trip with an accomplished, middle-aged…
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Girl, Interrupted: a Comparison of the Book vs. the Movie
The protagonist, Susanna, is portrayed in a soulful performance by Winona Ryder.
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Michael Cohen’s Disloyal: a Repentant Lawyer Throws Stones
Cohen frequently expresses his moral revulsion at his own actions and antics as Trump’s executive vice president and personal attorney.