Tag: literary fiction
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Diary of an Oxygen Thief: a Nihilistic Novel with Some Heart
The narrator of Diary of an Oxygen Thief is a ribald madman who thrives on loving and leaving unsuspecting women. Part of the pain is his, part is the pain that he gives.
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Normal People: Sally Rooney’s Insufferable Characters
At times it feels that Normal People could be categorized as women’s fiction more properly given that it is written specifically to appeal to female sensibilities.
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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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Girl, Interrupted: a Comparison of the Book vs. the Movie
The protagonist, Susanna, is portrayed in a soulful performance by Winona Ryder.