Literature

'West-Running Brook' takes the form of a dialogue between husband and wife, observing the movement of the brook as it flows west, contrarily. Frost uses metaphor in philosophy, exploring the relationships between individual reality and nature, consciousness and love, within time, truth and process.

George Herbert practiced a style of metaphysical poetry that showcased his intellect and deep emotion, as well as his dedication to his religion, his faith, and his Creator.

White washing on a line billowing in the wind becomes a band of angels dancing. Wilbur's poem takes the reader from the mundane to the spiritual, the soul back down into the body, the free verse form allowing the metaphor to take off, the language bringing moments of dark tension and washed beauty.

This article will review the novel "The Companion" by Katie Alender.

Two opposing views—the Oxfordian and the Stratfordian—continue the controversy surrounding the authorship of the Shakespeare canon. I side with the Oxfordians, and in this article, I elucidate the reasoning for my choice.

U.A. Fanthorpe's 'Half-Past Two' focuses on a schoolboy's perception of time and routine after being detained by the teacher for doing something wrong. Using personification, poetic device and compound words, Fanthorpe stretches out the boy's experience of isolation into the realm of fairy tale.

Sarojini Naidu's 'In the Bazaars of Hyderabad' is a lyrical question and answer poem using iambic beat and full rhyme to develop an unusual, exotic atmosphere. This marketplace comes alive as the speaker meets different people, from merchants to flower-girls, all busy selling, creating and weaving.

One of the most noted names of the English Romantic Movement in literature, Keats left some impressive works, despite dying at the tender age of 25.

Toni Morrison’s Beloved lays bare the horrors of slavery by delving into the psychologies of multiple (ex-)slaves. Set in 1876, a decade after slavery was abolished, it explores the devastating effects that slavery has on motherhood, which will be explored and analyzed in this essay.

The two styles of creative criticism are often confused with one another; herewith are definitions.

Writer and broadcaster Andrew Marr explores creativity, self-expression and how "good art" is defined by artists, art lovers and the mega-wealthy business of art investing.

What is antithesis? How effective is it in literature? How can you identify it? Learn the usage, characteristics, and importance of antithesis.

Edgar Lee Masters’ American classic, "Spoon River Anthology," brought the poet into the literary world, and no other work from his extensive writings has garnered more attention, including his sequel to the original, "The New Spoon River."

“How Green Was My Valley” is an evocative tale of life in a Welsh mining village. Slag from the coal mine and problems in the community create a compelling story.

What is an oxymoron? How does oxymoron affect the reader? In this article, you will learn how oxymoron is used as a literary technique in literature.

This article offers an analysis of William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, the character Shylock, and the play's supposed anti-semitism.

Blake's political poem "London" captures the city, its people and its conditions. It is a critique of not only the political system of that time but also the religious and economic systems.

Spenser's 'Amoretti 75' is a must in any literature-based course. It has continuities and departures from the sonnet tradition, which gives it a voice and substance of its own. It is a love poem, untainted by courtly comparisons or power politics.

Joyce Kilmer's "Trees" is a short, rhyming, romantic and religious poem and has to be one of the most popular, being well known in the English-speaking world since it was published in 1913. Iambic pentameter, personification, full rhyme and a certain child-like charm bordering on the sentimental.

'Wintering' is one of five poems in the Bee Sequence Sylvia Plath wrote shortly before her death. Vivid imagery and unique descriptive language combine as winter sets in and the bees slow down. Plath further explores identity and power, the will to survive, as the spirit wanes and spring inspires.

Can ballads be classified as narrative poems? Are they romantic or sad? Do they have to rhyme? Can they be sung? Find answers to these questions in this article.

It's known for it's length and the "non-plot-related" descriptions of whale biology and sailing. But it's also a beautiful novel that has inspired many people, and it serves as a potent metaphor for seeking revenge at the expense of all else.

Written a few months before her tragic death, 'The Bee Meeting' is the first of five 'Bee Poems' Sylvia Plath wrote focusing on mind, body and spirit. It explores the idea of vulnerability, fertility, identity and power.

How many poems have you read which lack assonance? Assonance is a common characteristic of poems. Some poets use it intentionally but sometimes it just happens. What is assonance?

Alliteration is a strong literary technique that appears in a lot of poems and everyday life. Sometimes alliteration occurs accidentally or is used deliberately by a poet.

Some hand-picked book recommendations by Indian women authors that every reader would be able to appreciate.

The title of this piece is deceptive because its subject is the speaker’s mother; the farm simply serves as a setting. A pleasant read, the poem does suffer some technical difficulties.

This article presents an overview and discussion of the poetry of Lucille Clifton. Clifton served as the Poet Laureate of Maryland from 1979 to 1985 and was a two-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for poetry.

This page lists some of Ernest Hemingway's short stories with a brief description.

Although Lawrence Ferlinghetti never considered himself a Beat poet, he is almost always labeled such by those who write about him. He possessed some of the Beat sensibilities but remained much more traditional in many ways.

'Easter 1916' focuses on the Easter Rising of that year in Dublin, Ireland, when the Proclamation of the Republic was read out by Patrick Pearse. Rebel leaders, some known personally to Yeats, were executed by the British. His rhyming four-stanza poem is contradictory, yet ends up as a memorial.

“The Time Traveler’s Wife” is a captivating tale about a man who involuntarily travels through time on multiple occasions and the woman who waits for him.

The kite runner is a devastatingly beautiful novel that revolves around tragedies of Afghanistan and the excruciating loyalty of a adolscent.

Discover the life account of acclaimed Romanian poet Mihai Eminescu, whose unquestionable talents and legacy remain forever beloved and celebrated by those who consider him a literary genius of his day.

This article lists many of Poe's stories with a brief description, including his most famous ones. It also looks at Poe's theory for writing a story.

Sleep tight because Seth Tomko reviews Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk.

This article lists some of Stephen King's short stories with a quick description.

In 1900, James Weldon Johnson composed the hymn, "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing," for a school celebration of the birthday of Abraham Lincoln. His brother later added a melody to the lyric, and in 1919, the NAACP designated it the "Negro National Hymn (Anthem)."

Robert Hayden’s unique service to the world of poetry extends beyond that narrow world to his useful assistance in introducing to the culture information about the Baha’i faith, which influenced his own vision in seeing race through the lens of universality rather than tribalism.

This is a book review on one of the most riveting books I read this year. It is based on a true story between the two authors who come from completely different walks of life and manage to forge a life-changing friendship.

A brief analysis of one of the American classics. Here my thoughts on "Gone With the Wind" by Margaret Mitchell.

The City We Became, by NK Jesimin, is a five-borough Big Apple bust. Whether digested for 60 seconds or 1800 seconds per day, the worm in that apple produces literary indigestion. Lunchtime Lit ponders uninspiring Avatars here, and other issues.

This article looks at the meaning in the short story "Reunion" by John Cheever. It starts with a summary, then looks at themes and some relevant questions.

Because Henry David Thoreau wrote fewer poems than essays, he likely considered himself a much less a poet than a philosopher, even labeling himself a poetaster.

Win the peace and the war because Seth Tomko reviews The Trouble with Peace by Joe Abercrombie.

Genevieve Taggard's 'With Child' focuses on pregnancy and the feelings of the mother towards her baby growing inside. Based on her own experiences, the contrast between the physical challenge and the emotional reaction is neatly handled.

Terrifying Chinese ghosts and demons are the staple of Liaozhai Zhiyi, the classic Chinese compilation of supernatural stories.

This article looks at the meaning in the short story "Miss Awful" by Arthur Cavanaugh. It starts with a summary then looks at themes and some questions.

Emily Dickinson’s mystical affinity informs many of her poems. She invested much of her poetic capital in acquiring knowledge of existence beyond earth-life, and many of her poems include messages from that great beyond.