Here is a link to one of the short stories I wrote earlier this year:
http://teenink.com/fiction/sci_fi_fantasy/article/377000/Consequence/
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Monday, May 14, 2012
Beowulf (Blog Reading Log 2)
I finished Beowulf early this past week, and enjoyed it overall. Though the plot was a bit melodramatic, the book was easier to read than Shakespeare and the Odyssey. It was rather refreshing to return to literature written in a style more similar to modern English!
One of the main themes in Beowulf was that of heroism. Both physical strength and wisdom are attributes that are highly valued, and of course the protagonist Beowulf has both. The author's voice was interesting in the sense that he seemed to not only detail Beowulf's adventures but also portrayed Beowulf in a nearly mythological sense.
The plot was unique as well. The book seemed like a stereotypical fairy tale at the beginning as Beowulf traveled to slay monsters, but **spoiler alert** when Beowulf dies at the end, the work transforms into a tragedy. This reveals Beowulf's humanity as, despite his inhuman strength, his age is finally his downfall. Furthermore, it intrigued me how the writer focused in great detail on three main events, then only briefly indicated the passage of time. At one point, over fifty years passed, yet this is relayed to the reader in a matter of a few sentences.
I can understand why Beowulf's popularity has waxed and waned over the years. This was not my favorite piece of classical literature; however, it was well worth the read.
One of the main themes in Beowulf was that of heroism. Both physical strength and wisdom are attributes that are highly valued, and of course the protagonist Beowulf has both. The author's voice was interesting in the sense that he seemed to not only detail Beowulf's adventures but also portrayed Beowulf in a nearly mythological sense.
The plot was unique as well. The book seemed like a stereotypical fairy tale at the beginning as Beowulf traveled to slay monsters, but **spoiler alert** when Beowulf dies at the end, the work transforms into a tragedy. This reveals Beowulf's humanity as, despite his inhuman strength, his age is finally his downfall. Furthermore, it intrigued me how the writer focused in great detail on three main events, then only briefly indicated the passage of time. At one point, over fifty years passed, yet this is relayed to the reader in a matter of a few sentences.
I can understand why Beowulf's popularity has waxed and waned over the years. This was not my favorite piece of classical literature; however, it was well worth the read.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Beowulf (Blog Reading Log 1)
This week I have been reading Beowulf, an epic poem written over a thousand years ago. I chose this book first of all, because it is in my school's curriculum, so I thought I should read it for test-out purposes; also, I thought that as we have been reading some classic literature in class, I could sample a variety of ancient texts!
I noticed that the conflict in Beowulf initially began early in the plot with the introduction of a bloodthirsty, murderous, demonic monster. However, the overall pace of the book so far seems fairly constant, and the tension is slowly rising. Though it is an epic like the Odyssey, and the author reminds me of an English, Christian, and slightly more refined Homer, the pace is more comparable to that of Frankenstein. Additionally, I am enjoying the flow of the poem's structure more than I did that of the Iliad and the Odyssey. Furthermore, from the details the author gave, I inferred that one's genealogy was still very important in that time and culture.
I noticed that the conflict in Beowulf initially began early in the plot with the introduction of a bloodthirsty, murderous, demonic monster. However, the overall pace of the book so far seems fairly constant, and the tension is slowly rising. Though it is an epic like the Odyssey, and the author reminds me of an English, Christian, and slightly more refined Homer, the pace is more comparable to that of Frankenstein. Additionally, I am enjoying the flow of the poem's structure more than I did that of the Iliad and the Odyssey. Furthermore, from the details the author gave, I inferred that one's genealogy was still very important in that time and culture.
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