.....people the opportunity to see life from a new perspective, to be entertained, enlightened, and to experience some level of catharsis through engagement with a dramatic experience in reading. It can also provide a comedic experience or poke satirical fun at society.The importance of reading has changed from in earlier eras in the sense that books are now old media (new media consists of digital technology) and we have a hundred other ways to entertain ourselves today aside from books. For this reason, I believe genres like flash fiction have emerged -- because the world is so fast-paced today as a result of technology that few have the time or inclination to sit down with a book and read it. Twitter-speak is now the preferred method of communication, and flash fiction fits that impulse better than the long narrative epic.

Thus, I think Clugston's quote is valid because perceptions regarding the value of literature have changed. It is a different world from that of the 19th century. We are connected to the Internet, to the latest news (which is old ten minutes after it hits the wire).

Week 1 - Discussion 2

A writer might feel compelled to write about literature because it is his medium, and he wants both to explain it to himself as well as to his audience who may appreciate the insight he has about the medium. It benefits readers and writers alike in the same way that any fresh perspective does -- it allows us a new pair of eyes to see an old problem and can provide deeper insights into some of the mysteries of the craft.

In this course I hope to develop critical thinking skills as well as descriptive writing skills and, in general,... The theme of the story is the recurrent message or idea that keeps returning to the narrative over the course of events. Three literary elements in the story are figurative language, which helps the writer convey ideas through language that is metaphorical or imaginative rather than literal; exposition, which allows the story teller to provide literal, background information to set the scene; and climax, which is the turning point of the tension in the story -- the moment when the tension breaks and the resolution is introduced. These elements help to illustrate the theme and conflict of a story by expanding upon both and moving the reader through just as waves currents move a drifter down a stream.

Week 2 - Discussion 2

The character of Frankenstein in Shelley's novel interests me because he wants to be an artist-scientist -- a maker of life -- a re-animator. He bites off more than he can chew, however; his ambition is too great for what he himself can logically be responsible for. His own humanity is insufficient to really care for the thing he creates and thus he brings about his own downfall. His actions are really the impetus for the novel's conflict and the monster is a kind of literal projection of Frankenstein's inhumanity coming back to destroy him. The monster is a real problem and embarks on revenge and eventually the creator and…