literature

Geek literature from the New York Times or the recesses of online. Our favorite stories showcase geeks.

Book Review: "History of a Pleasure Seeker" by Richard Mason
Flowery language, over-the-top descriptions and hedonism in intense amounts has been something in literature that makes a great mix to fascinate me. But sometimes, it can turn into a bit of a mess. For example: the greatness of The Picture of Dorian Gray shows us each of these things in equal amounts with extended metaphors, hints and foreshadowings lurking around every corner. The symbolism is intense, fiery and yet added for impact only when necessary. Even in Marquis de Sade's 120 Days of Sodom, there is something incredible about the symbolism and hidden meaning presented in the text. Unfortunately, History of a Pleasure Seeker tried too hard to add all of these things into a story that was pretty half-baked from the beginning.
By Annie Kapur5 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Scenes from a Village Life" by Amos Oz
Amos Oz was a fantastic writer and I have yet only read a couple of works by him, including but not limited to: Judas, My Michael and obviously our current topic of discussion: Scenes of Village Life. One thing I have always loved about his writing style is its flow. The style is always very fluent that even when the most intense emotion is taking place, it never feels out of place. It feels like this is just the way it is supposed to happen. This is also true of this book Scenes of Village Life in which the stories have no beginning and no end. Yet, every story has its own personality. Personally, I think that this is probably the best Amos Oz book I have read to date.
By Annie Kapur5 years ago in Geeks
Intro to Fiction: Themes and Setting
Themes and Settings What happens when the world that was once known is turned on its head and everything changes? During the first week of this Introduction to fiction course, the class has read two short stories that encompass the theme of change and loss. The first story is “We All Go Through This” by Jamey Bradbury. The story is about a group of students who go to school every day expecting things to stay the same, but then one day one of their classmates doesn’t return home from school. Most of the story revolves around how the change from losing their friend affects the students and the setting of the story. The second piece of literature up for analysis is “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. This short story changes in two ways; the narrator has trouble around her newborn, and there is a change in location. Both stories analyzed in this essay contain themes of change and loss that affect or cause a setting to change.
By Victoria Ward5 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "A Wolf in Hindelheim" by Jenny Mayhew
At times, you come across a book where you are wholly confused about what it is trying to be and how. You may be confused about the genre, the setting, the context, the characters - but whatever you are confused about seems to colour your reading experience of the rest of the book. Now, I'll never tell you not to read a book on here, even if I give it a bad review. I'll always say this: read the book for yourself. It's very important to make up your own mind, and maybe if there is something I don't fully get about the book or can't get into - you may be able to work it out and it won't colour your experience of the narrative. Unfortunately though, there were a few things that made me think about the legitimacy of this book by the context in which it placed itself.
By Annie Kapur5 years ago in Geeks
Macbeth
Macbeth takes the politics of the Henriad and adds Supernatural themes to create a one-of-a-kind play that is entertaining the whole way through. While Shakespeare did not initially put in the witches at the beginning of the play, they created an iconic scene that has been referenced throughout centuries of pop culture. Witches, of course, have a negative connotation as well as ghosts previously seen in Hamlet.
By Miss Ghoul5 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "The Watchers" by A.M Shine
This is A.M Shine's debut novel that I actually found by sheer accident whilst I was browsing for a new horror novel to read on my Kindle. I kept coming across it after that accident and a few days later, I decided to get it. It then sat on my virtual shelf for a while and then, when I first opened it up, I saw the word prologue. A prologue in a book to some publishers is a very outdated concept but the one thing I thought was 'damn, this is going to be good...' And, I was right, the prologue was bloody amazing. So, let's get into the review of the book entitled The Watchers by A.M Shine.
By Annie Kapur5 years ago in Geeks
Shakespeare's Power of Clothes
Clothes have the power to symbolize a person’s identity, class, and public impressions. Clothes can alter stance, mannerisms, ambition, and even the frame of one’s mind. The proper wardrobe can enable one to gain confidence, be more productive, and coordinate effectively. Whereas, poor attire can affect one’s public appearance by categorizing one among the inferiors which can further build negative labels that affect the character. Clothes have always had an influence on how individuals regard people and their level in society. Individuals make rapid judgments regarding one another primarily on one’s appearance due to one's garment selections. However, one’s own garment selection has a personal impact on how one views one’s own self, regardless of how others may perceive them. In Shakespeare’s time, disguises and clothes were used in stage production as a symbolization of character development that builds their public representations. In Twelfth Night, Viola changes her feminine identity with masculine disguise which changes her appearance in others’ perception permitting her to voyage around Illyria with courage, youth, and capturing attention. Malvolio also changes his professional working attire due to the influence of a fraud letter which immediately alters his appearance with yellow stocking labeling him a lovesick fool, not only in the perception of other characters but the readers as well. Whereas, Feste disguises himself as a priest permitting him to gain elevated honour and significance to provide command and authority over Malvolio. In Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, the alteration of clothing performed by Viola, Malvolio, and Feste reveals the power and significance of clothing in society permitting characters to explore social hierarchies; Viola explores masculinity, Feste explores priesthood, while Malvolio uses his yellow stockings to lure his master. Thus, in this case, the Renaissance era can be best used to display the differences in clothing that categorizes people in social hierarchies, offering men and priests more power and advantage than women and stewards.
By Samiha5 years ago in Geeks
Review of 'A Thousand Steps into Night'
Traci Chee’s A Thousand Steps into Night is an incredible Japanese-inspired fantasy that sends one young girl on a quest to remove a curse, allowing her to explore her freedom in the process.
By Cyn's Workshop5 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "The Devil's Beat" by Robert Edric
Robert Edric is an author I am still getting interested in after reading his book The London Satyr. I am not going to lie to you, it took me a bit longer to actually get into this one since it was a slow start and I felt like the atmosphere wasn't all there to begin with. I was wrong though, the slow start was actually part and parcel to the story and possibly would not have worked as well if we were simply thrown into it. Between the two of them, The London Satyr was slightly better in terms of writing and slightly more interesting in terms of story, but this book here was also great in its own way.
By Annie Kapur5 years ago in Geeks
The Awakening Forest
I could hear the pitter-patter of rain on the rooftop as I awake in my less than humble abode. The air is so chilly that I honestly don't want to get out of the bed so I lie there just a bit longer. My blankets felt like velvet hugs wrapping me in their warmth. How could I want to rise? Where I was just at seemed far better than here, I know that place isn't that far away. In fact, all I need to do is just get... out... of bed. If only I didn't feel like I was sinking into the sea of my blankets. Before I could sink any deeper I sprang from my bed as to shake the tiredness which was trying to subdue me into yet another state of temporary death.
By Jeannelys Daayae5 years ago in Geeks
Re-reading: "Fingersmith" by Sarah Waters
So a few days ago, I had an itch to re-read a great book I'd read a couple of years ago called Fingersmith by Sarah Waters. It is a great book and the problem I'm having this time is because I know the story, I'm seeing other things that I didn't see before and pretty much losing my mind over it. The main question I have is: what is the point of the body?
By Annie Kapur5 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "I'm Not Scared" by Niccolo Ammaniti
I've never heard of this author before and so it would count as a part of my one random book per week. If you don't know what that is, it is where I grab one book by an author I've never heard of before who has written a book that I have not even remotely heard of before. I cannot have heard of it through conversation or on Instagram or anywhere else. It has to be a book that has never even been mentioned to me before. This week, I chose this book entitled: I'm Not Scared by Niccolo Ammaniti. Let me tell you, at times, I was pretty scared.
By Annie Kapur5 years ago in Geeks