Review: Les Misérables (Part I)
I have a theory that the first really meaty book a teenager voluntarily sinks zir teeth into will dominate zir philosophy for a long time, often for the rest of […]
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Sans Day Carol
Now the holly bears a berry as white as the milk, And Mary bore Jesus, who was wrapped up in silk: And Mary bore Jesus Christ our Saviour for to […]
Problems with Mary Sue (The Concept)
Previously I presented my Mary Sue test, a (hopefully) more nuanced version of the many internet quizzes that help beginning authors determine if their characters are too unrealistic. Today, however, […]
Katz’s Mary Sue Test
The Mary Sue, as a concept, is a useful but oft-misapplied tool. Its utility, I think, is primarily that it is a way to teach inexperienced writers about context, framing, […]
Alternate Interpretations of Hobbits, Part II
Previously, I took issue with the changes made to the characters in the film versions of The Lord of the Rings. However, I acknowledge that film is a different medium […]
Alternate Interpretations of Hobbits, Part I
The Hobbit part one of eleventy billion approaches, and Peter Jackson has valiantly attempted to recast dwarves as action heroes after spending three movies establishing them as goofy comic relief. […]
Journey to the West: Initial Reactions
Think back for a minute to the last time you read a piece of Chinese literature for a class. Asian studies majors may skip this exercise; the question is, for […]
Neil Gaiman’s Disposable Fiancées
Lest anyone be alarmed by the title of this post, I hasten to assure you that it’s purely literary in nature: To the best of my knowledge, Neil Gaiman is […]
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Kvothe and Ged
My panning of The Name of the Wind‘s Kvothe over on Chimaera has raised a valid question: If Kvothe is a bad character, how do you write a heroic character? […]