Tag: literature
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Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein: or the Modern Prometheus” (1818) – Book Review
(Aug 26, 2024) This is a prime example of expectations vs. reality. The great focal point of the now heavily plundered Frankenstein storyline is, of course, the monster. He is what makes Shelley’s novel so compelling, and since he is the weight-bearing truss for the whole of her story, the fact that he is an… Read more
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William T. Vollmann’s “The Atlas” (1996) – Book Review
(Aug 23rd, 2024) Mr. Vollmann has lived more life than probably any of us ever will. Based on both journalistic and personal travels, and rendered through an arcane, colorful lens, The Atlas charts life across six continents, and across many different kinds of poverty and desolation. This was my introduction to Vollmann’s work, and it… Read more
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Charlie Kaufman’s “Antkind” (2020) – Book Review
(Aug 23rd, 2024) Charlie Kaufman, screenwriter, director, and magician of post-modern life, has written a novel. One is tempted, at almost every step they take within the shifting world of Antkind, to compare it to Kaufman’s many filmic works, among them 2004’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and 1999’s Being John Malkovich, both of… Read more