Your host returns, perhaps sooner than expected, and I come with apologized for my erratic posting schedule. Hopefully, as I grow more used to maintaining this account, I'll be able to come up with a regular schedule. At any rate, though, I would like to pick up where I left off in my last post: narratology and Kyell Gold's Red Devil (2014). In this post, I want to show an arguably weak use of narratological perspective shift in fiction writing.
Released two years after Green Fairy, and taking place only around a month or two after the events of the prior novel, Red Devil follows a new protagonist named Alexei, a good friend of Sol, who is also present in this novel. Alexei's story follows him as he struggles to acclimate to America, having immigrated during high school in an attempt to escape his homophobic parents; despite this freedom, he struggles with his own introverted personality and obstructive lack of confidence. In an effort to receive help from the outside, Alexei attempts to invoke the same ghost who invaded Sol's dreams in the previous novel, though who he gets is someone else entirely.
Like Green Fairy, Gold again uses dreams and point of view shifts to tell the story. However, the strategy Gold employs in this novel is different, and weakens the storytelling. This is because, from the beginning of the novel, the new ghost's story is presented to the reader in the form of personal storytelling and diary entries; the prime difference between novels here is that the story of this novel's ghost is presented exclusively to the reader.
To remind you readers, Green Fairy's plot came into being from its protagonist reading a memoir that told a man's perspective of events leading up to him committing murder--the ghost that invades the protagonist's dreams, and later his waking life, in order to show his own perspective is the man who was murdered. In Red Devil, though, Alexei does not know who his ghost is, and is not aware of the ghost's perspective in any way. There is no level of attachment for Alexei to gain until further into the novel when the ghost intentionally reveals himself and selectively tells Alexei bits of his backstory and what he wants. While all of this goes on, though, the reader is consistently learning more about both Alexei's ghost and Sol's. I can offer some level of acknowledgement to the use of situational irony--the reader is aware that Alexei's ghost is the father of Sol's while the characters themselves do not know until towards the end of the novel. However, unlike common uses of situational irony, it isn't utilized in a way that evokes shock value, it simply brings forth the ghost's true wants and weaknesses to the other characters.
Ultimately, despite this criticism, though, Red Devil remains my favorite of Gold's Dangerous Spirits trilogy. We will not, however, discuss the third book on this blog, at least not yet!
Saturday, March 30, 2019
Second Review: Kyell Gold's Green Fairy
Your host returns, and this week's novel for discussion is Green Fairy by Kyell Gold. As mentioned in last week's post, Narratology, there are many ways in which a writer's style can affect how their writing is interpreted by a reader. In Gold's 2012 queer coming-of-age novel, the protagonist Sol finds a memoir that tells the story of a man charged with murder a hundred years prior. As Sol reads this memoir, he begins to have dreams in the perspective of the male prostitute who was murdered, showing how he felt in the events that led up to his untimely death.
Writing in this fashion allows for Gold to impress upon Sol, as well as the reader, how sexuality affects the actions of an individual. Sol is permitted to see both sides of the story: the murderer's standpoint as the rich but closeted son of a politician in early 1900s France as well as the victim's viewpoint, as a Russian immigrant, exiled and also closeted, who dances under the guise of a woman in a brothel. Sol is permitted the outside viewpoint to judge where either man makes mistakes, and also where the murderer lies. At the same time, the reader is allowed to see where Sol himself struggles and lies and resolves to live better in the name of the murder victim. This example of narratology is extremely simple, but also very effective because of how it impacts both the reader and the protagonist!
That's all for now, but my next post will also be on narratology, examining Gold's follow-up novel Red Devil!
Writing in this fashion allows for Gold to impress upon Sol, as well as the reader, how sexuality affects the actions of an individual. Sol is permitted to see both sides of the story: the murderer's standpoint as the rich but closeted son of a politician in early 1900s France as well as the victim's viewpoint, as a Russian immigrant, exiled and also closeted, who dances under the guise of a woman in a brothel. Sol is permitted the outside viewpoint to judge where either man makes mistakes, and also where the murderer lies. At the same time, the reader is allowed to see where Sol himself struggles and lies and resolves to live better in the name of the murder victim. This example of narratology is extremely simple, but also very effective because of how it impacts both the reader and the protagonist!
That's all for now, but my next post will also be on narratology, examining Gold's follow-up novel Red Devil!
Sunday, March 24, 2019
Narratology
This week's literary theory topic will be Narratology. Narratology is the study of narrative framework that affects how readers understand a piece of literature. This study analyzes the tone, characterization, perspective and point of view, tense in which the piece is written, et cetera, and can be used in terms of literature and cinema!
Analyzing characters, their attitudes, and how they are written and portrayed is one of the most popular forms of narratology, especially in cinematic context. Rodrigo Yurrita presents this best in his video here. Next week's novel critique will focus on narrative perspective and character analysis!
Analyzing characters, their attitudes, and how they are written and portrayed is one of the most popular forms of narratology, especially in cinematic context. Rodrigo Yurrita presents this best in his video here. Next week's novel critique will focus on narrative perspective and character analysis!
First Review: Sherman Alexie's Indian Killer!
Hello readers!
Your host Kenneth returns, and running off of last week's post, I want to discuss Sherman Alexie's Indian Killer!As mentioned in last week's topic, Death of the Author, there is much debate around Alexie's novel Indian Killer because of some of the author's actions that in some ways contradict the opinion he seems to show in his novel. In addition to this, though, the novel is surrounded by controversy simply by virtue of what it says (or implies) and the trouble Alexie goes to hide this message.
At first glance, the novel is about a Native American man, ironically named John Smith, raised by white people who lacks cultural attachment and identity while still being judged by those around him to understand something he is not a part of. This lays the foundation for an identity crisis that turns him towards murderous intent, sure that if he kills a white man, he will find solace in his life. Despite this distinct resolution to kill, the rotating perspective of the novel deliberately obfuscates the nature of the murders that begin to take place, and paired with the intentional fearmongering of a local radio host, the justification of the murders is called into question.
Alexie's novel calls into question the notion of identity and emphasizes the idea of Native American plurality, while using multiple perspectives to show how differently people think. Indian Killer asks the question of who should be allowed to tell a group's stories, and by taking advantage of a novel within the novel, does so through many layers! Using sharp language and biting humor, this novel is an important work of Native fiction, and I believe strongly shows the importance of Death of the Author.
Your host Kenneth returns, and running off of last week's post, I want to discuss Sherman Alexie's Indian Killer!As mentioned in last week's topic, Death of the Author, there is much debate around Alexie's novel Indian Killer because of some of the author's actions that in some ways contradict the opinion he seems to show in his novel. In addition to this, though, the novel is surrounded by controversy simply by virtue of what it says (or implies) and the trouble Alexie goes to hide this message.
At first glance, the novel is about a Native American man, ironically named John Smith, raised by white people who lacks cultural attachment and identity while still being judged by those around him to understand something he is not a part of. This lays the foundation for an identity crisis that turns him towards murderous intent, sure that if he kills a white man, he will find solace in his life. Despite this distinct resolution to kill, the rotating perspective of the novel deliberately obfuscates the nature of the murders that begin to take place, and paired with the intentional fearmongering of a local radio host, the justification of the murders is called into question.
Alexie's novel calls into question the notion of identity and emphasizes the idea of Native American plurality, while using multiple perspectives to show how differently people think. Indian Killer asks the question of who should be allowed to tell a group's stories, and by taking advantage of a novel within the novel, does so through many layers! Using sharp language and biting humor, this novel is an important work of Native fiction, and I believe strongly shows the importance of Death of the Author.
Thursday, March 14, 2019
Death of the Author
Hey there, Writers!
It's me, Kenneth! I've been wondering how I should begin this blog, and after a bit of thought, I decided that a healthy starting point would be with a bit of literary theory; specifically, I want to talk about Death of the Author.
When I say "death of the author" I don't mean the actual passing from life of a writer such as you, me, or Edgar Allen Poe. Rather, the death of the author refers to how readers interpret a piece of writing out of the context of the writer's intent. Death of the Author poses the question of how exactly does one separate a piece of work from the person who made it. This is an important question to ask, because criticism is a necessary part of human development, and because of how differently people can view one specific thing, there is no way to regulate how this thing should be interpreted or received. People attach meaning based on their own experiences to literature, and it's important to be aware that just because you write something doesn't mean that's what it will mean to every reader, and this is especially important in the field of creative writing.
This theory exists because of how we as readers tend to understand writing. When a writer has a character punished for committing acts that we as everyday people see as wrong, we assume that the writer, too, agrees that these actions are wrong and should be punished (in certain ways). Just because a writer creates a character who commits terrible acts does not mean the writer condones these acts; however when the character faces no negative consequences for these actions, readers tend to question why that is--does the author condone these actions? Most of the time, the answer is simply unknowable. An author does not owe their readers an explanation to every mystery, and as a writer, every stroke of the pen can bring forth numerous questions and possibilities--perhaps the character simply was not published yet.Ultimately, when a writer does something that contradicts a message in their writing, or otherwise slights against the ethical or moral standards of their books, (in serious ways or otherwise) the question arises of should the books, with literary and rhetorical value, be disenfranchised because of their author's actions.
An example of Death of The Author could be found in the first book I'll be analyzing: Sherman Alexie's Indian Killer. Alexie's writing focuses on the plight of Native Americans, and he writes to make readers think about their actions and inactions, as well as what it means to be Euro-American or Native American. Much like stated above, in this novel, a character is admonished for his actions in taking advantage of Native American women for sexual purposes--despite this, in recent years, it has come forward that Alexie himself is guilty of the same thing, coercing Native American women into sexual acts with him using his own power as an established writer and publisher against them. So the question arises, should his writings be taken less seriously because of what he has done?
Lindsay Ellis' video essay Death of the Author goes into further detail on the subject, and I would highly suggest giving it a watch if you have the time.
It's me, Kenneth! I've been wondering how I should begin this blog, and after a bit of thought, I decided that a healthy starting point would be with a bit of literary theory; specifically, I want to talk about Death of the Author.
When I say "death of the author" I don't mean the actual passing from life of a writer such as you, me, or Edgar Allen Poe. Rather, the death of the author refers to how readers interpret a piece of writing out of the context of the writer's intent. Death of the Author poses the question of how exactly does one separate a piece of work from the person who made it. This is an important question to ask, because criticism is a necessary part of human development, and because of how differently people can view one specific thing, there is no way to regulate how this thing should be interpreted or received. People attach meaning based on their own experiences to literature, and it's important to be aware that just because you write something doesn't mean that's what it will mean to every reader, and this is especially important in the field of creative writing.
This theory exists because of how we as readers tend to understand writing. When a writer has a character punished for committing acts that we as everyday people see as wrong, we assume that the writer, too, agrees that these actions are wrong and should be punished (in certain ways). Just because a writer creates a character who commits terrible acts does not mean the writer condones these acts; however when the character faces no negative consequences for these actions, readers tend to question why that is--does the author condone these actions? Most of the time, the answer is simply unknowable. An author does not owe their readers an explanation to every mystery, and as a writer, every stroke of the pen can bring forth numerous questions and possibilities--perhaps the character simply was not published yet.Ultimately, when a writer does something that contradicts a message in their writing, or otherwise slights against the ethical or moral standards of their books, (in serious ways or otherwise) the question arises of should the books, with literary and rhetorical value, be disenfranchised because of their author's actions.
An example of Death of The Author could be found in the first book I'll be analyzing: Sherman Alexie's Indian Killer. Alexie's writing focuses on the plight of Native Americans, and he writes to make readers think about their actions and inactions, as well as what it means to be Euro-American or Native American. Much like stated above, in this novel, a character is admonished for his actions in taking advantage of Native American women for sexual purposes--despite this, in recent years, it has come forward that Alexie himself is guilty of the same thing, coercing Native American women into sexual acts with him using his own power as an established writer and publisher against them. So the question arises, should his writings be taken less seriously because of what he has done?
Lindsay Ellis' video essay Death of the Author goes into further detail on the subject, and I would highly suggest giving it a watch if you have the time.
Tuesday, March 12, 2019
Introductions!
Welcome readers!
My name is Kenneth, and on this blog, I'll be analyzing and offering critique on various pieces of popular literature. I'll be doing so by examining character writing, overall story and plot, and literary technique. Keeping in mind that much of this critique will be opinion-based, I find it important to note that I am an undergraduate student in English and Creative Writing, and as such have some experience in the field of literary critique.
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