Author: George Orwell Publisher: Renard Press Ltd ISBN: 1913724263 Category : Literary Collections Languages : en Pages : 15
Book Description
George Orwell set out ‘to make political writing into an art’, and to a wide extent this aim shaped the future of English literature – his descriptions of authoritarian regimes helped to form a new vocabulary that is fundamental to understanding totalitarianism. While 1984 and Animal Farm are amongst the most popular classic novels in the English language, this new series of Orwell’s essays seeks to bring a wider selection of his writing on politics and literature to a new readership. In Why I Write, the first in the Orwell’s Essays series, Orwell describes his journey to becoming a writer, and his movement from writing poems to short stories to the essays, fiction and non-fiction we remember him for. He also discusses what he sees as the ‘four great motives for writing’ – ‘sheer egoism’, ‘aesthetic enthusiasm’, ‘historical impulse’ and ‘political purpose’ – and considers the importance of keeping these in balance. Why I Write is a unique opportunity to look into Orwell’s mind, and it grants the reader an entirely different vantage point from which to consider the rest of the great writer’s oeuvre. 'A writer who can – and must – be rediscovered with every age.' — Irish Times
Author: Alan J. Clayton Publisher: Königshausen & Neumann ISBN: 3826043081 Category : German poetry Languages : en Pages : 273
Book Description
Hans Magnus Enzensberger is one of the most widely read and respected writers in post-war Germany. In the present study a considerable number of his most important poems are closely analyzed, including the texts that make up his major poetic cycles, Mausoleum (1975) and Der Untergang der Titanic (1978). Central to any discussion of this highly diverse corpus is the way in which Enzensberger creates strikingly original poems on the basis of borrowed material. Der Untergang der Titanic, for example, is closely based on the famous bestseller A Night to Remember (1955) by the American writer Walter Lord and on the film of the same name by Roy Baker (1958). Enzensberger’s ?Versepos? is simply unimaginable without Lord’s book, and certain episodes represented in the poem can be fully understood only by readers who have seen the film. The appropriation of documentary material also plays an important role in the series of poems devoted to nature or science, many of which present themselves as riddles. An entire chapter is devoted to the analysis of these fascinating riddle poems. The various personages portrayed in Mausoleum comprise not only scientists, inventors, explorers, and thinkers who were responsible for truly world-changing discoveries (Gutenberg, Humboldt, and Darwin for example), but also a whole series of historical figures whose admission to this oddball pantheon is best explained by the bizarreness of their often utopian projects or by their compulsive or megalomaniacal personalities. The playful and provocative Enzensberger clearly chose several of these latter for their shock value (Raimondo di Sangro, V. M. Molotov, Ernesto Guevara de la Serna). Our reading of this collection demonstrates Enzensberger’s willingness to undermine seriousness with irony and humor, hence the presence of Dante and Marilyn Monroe on board the sinking Titanic. The final chapter examines the relation between poetry and politics and examines the notorious essay ?Gemeinplätze, die Neueste Literatur betreffend? (1968) as well as the disturbing interview with the Weimarer Beiträge (1971), in which the poet expresses his thankfully short-lived rejection of literature as art and his desire to break out of the ?Ghetto des Kulturlebens.? This chapter also discusses the influence of Bertolt Brecht. Other chapters focus on the poet’s taste for anachronism, his ?asynchronous? sensibility, and the recurrent theme of disappearance. --
Author: Kerry Cohen Publisher: Hachette UK ISBN: 1401396399 Category : Biography & Autobiography Languages : en Pages : 224
Book Description
This captivating and deeply emotional memoir pulls back the curtain on the complex relationship women have between their bodies, love, and the way the two work together. Kerry Cohen is eleven years old when she recognizes the power of her body in the leer of a grown man. Her parents are recently divorced and it doesn't take long before their lassitude and Kerry's desire to stand out—to be memorable in some way—combine to lead her down a path she knows she shouldn't take. Kerry wanted attention. She wanted love. But not really understanding what love was, not really knowing how to get it, she reached for sex instead. Loose Girl is Kerry Cohen's captivating memoir about her descent into promiscuity and how she gradually found her way toward real intimacy. The story of addiction—not just to sex, but to male attention—Loose Girl is also the story of a young girl who came to believe that boys and men could give her life meaning. It didn't matter who he was. It was their movement that mattered, their being together. And for a while, that was enough. From the early rush of exploration to the day she learned to quiet the desperation and allow herself to love and be loved, Kerry's story is never less than riveting. In rich and immediate detail, Loose Girl re-creates what it feels like to be in that desperate moment, when a girl tries to control a boy by handing over her body, when the touch of that boy seems to offer proof of something, but ultimately delivers little more than emptiness. Kerry Cohen's journey from that hopeless place to her current confident and fulfilled existence is a cautionary tale and a revelation for girls young and old. The unforgettable memoir of one young woman who desperately wanted to matter, Loose Girl will speak to countless others with its compassion, understanding, and love.
Author: Carl H. Klaus Publisher: University of Iowa Press ISBN: 1609382145 Category : Reference Languages : en Pages : 99
Book Description
Confident or fretful, solemn or sassy, tough or tender, casual or formal: the self you project in writing—your persona—is the byproduct of numerous decisions you make about what to say and how to say it. Though any single word or phrase or sentence might make little difference within the scope of an entire essay or book, collectively they create an impression of who you are or seem to be—an impression that’s sure to influence how readers respond to your work. Thus it’s essential to take charge of how you come across on the page, to craft an appropriate persona for whatever you’re writing, whether it’s a personal essay, a blog, a technical report, a letter to the editor, or a memoir. In this wise and ingenious little guide, noted essayist Carl Klaus shows you how to adapt your self to the needs of such varied nonfiction, by varying his own persona to illustrate the distinctive effect produced by each aspect and element of writing. Klaus divides his book into two parts: first, an introduction to the nature and function of a persona, then a survey of the most important elements of writing that contribute to the character of a persona, from point of view and organization to diction and sentence structure. Both parts contain exercises that will give you practice in developing a persona of your choice. Challenging and stimulating, each of his exercises focuses on a distinctly different aspect of composition and style, so as to help you develop the skills of a versatile and personable writer. By focusing on the most important ways of projecting your self in nonfiction prose, you can learn to craft a distinctive self in your writing.
Author: Ted Kooser Publisher: U of Nebraska Press ISBN: 0803278322 Category : Language Arts & Disciplines Languages : en Pages : 189
Book Description
Sometimes setting pen to paper requires bravery, and writing well means breaking free of the rules learned in school. Liberating and emboldening the beginning writer are the goals of Ted Kooser and Steve Cox in this spirited book of practical wisdom that brings to bear decades of invaluable experience in writing, teaching, editing, and publishing. Unlike ?how to write? books that dwell on the angst and the agony of the trade, Writing Brave and Free is upbeat and accessible. The focus here is the work itself: how to get started and how to keep going, and never is heard a discouraging word such as ?no,? ?not,? or ?never.? Because of the wealth of their experience, the authors can offer the sort of practical publishing advice that novices need and yet rarely find. Organized in brief, user-friendly chapters?on everything from sensory details to a work environment, from creating suspense to revising and taking criticism?the book allows aspiring (and practicing) writers to dip in anywhere and find something of value.
Author: Kate Hopper Publisher: Cleis Press ISBN: 1936740125 Category : Reference Languages : en Pages : 243
Book Description
USE YOUR WORDS introduces the art of creative nonfiction to women who want to give written expression to their lives as mothers. Written by award-winning teacher and writer, Kate Hopper, this book will help women find the heart of their writing, learn to use motherhood as a lens through which to write the world, and turn their motherhood stories into art. Each chapter of USE YOUR WORDS focuses on an element of craft and contains a lecture, a published essay, and writing exercises that will serve as jumping-off points for the readers’ own writing. Chapter topics include: the importance of using concrete details, an overview of creative nonfiction as a genre, character development, voice, humor, tense and writing the “hard stuff,” reflection and back-story, structure, revision, and publishing. The content of each lecture is aligned with the essay/poem in that chapter to help readers more easily grasp the elements of craft being discussed. Together the chapters provide a unique opportunity for mother writers to learn and grow as writers. USE YOUR WORDS takes the approach that creative writing can be taught, and this underscores each chapter. When students learn to read like writers, to notice how a piece is put together, and to question the choices a writer makes, they begin to think like writers. When they learn to ground their writing in concrete, sensory details and begin to understand how to create believable characters and realistic dialogue, their own writing improves. USE YOUR WORDS reflects Kate’s style as a teacher, guiding the reader in a straightforward, nurturing, and passionate voice. As one student noted in a class evaluation: “Kate is a born writer and teacher, and her enthusiasm for essays about motherhood and for teaching the nuts and bolts of writing so that ordinary mothers have the tools to write their stories is a gift to the world. She is raising the value of motherhood in our society as she helps mothers build their confidence and strengthen their game as writers.”
Author: Roy Peter Clark Publisher: Little, Brown Spark ISBN: 031620434X Category : Language Arts & Disciplines Languages : en Pages : 153
Book Description
America's most influential writing teacher offers an engaging and practical guide to effective short-form writing. In How to Write Short, Roy Peter Clark turns his attention to the art of painting a thousand pictures with just a few words. Short forms of writing have always existed-from ship logs and telegrams to prayers and haikus. But in this ever-changing Internet age, short-form writing has become an essential skill. Clark covers how to write effective and powerful titles, headlines, essays, sales pitches, Tweets, letters, and even self-descriptions for online dating services. With examples from the long tradition of short-form writing in Western culture, How to Write Short guides writers to crafting brilliant prose, even in 140 characters.
Author: William Zinsser Publisher: Harper Collins ISBN: 0062244825 Category : Language Arts & Disciplines Languages : en Pages : 128
Book Description
In this helpful and entertaining book the author of the classic On Writing Well explains that he has always had a love of paper and a fear of mechanical objects. He describes how he confronted his hang-ups, got a word processor, taught himself to use it and gradually overcame his sense of inferiority to the machine. He explains how the word processor—by enabling him to revise his work instantly on a screen—has changed his lifelong methods of writing, rewriting and editing. But William Zinsser's book isn't only for writers. It's for all the people who have to do any kind of writing—memos, letters, reports, directives—as part of their working day. It explains how the word processor will save time and money in an office or a corporation and predicts that it will soon be our primary writing tool. On one level Writing with a Word Processor is a manual for beginners that describes clearly and simply how to use the new technology. But it is also one writer's story. William Zinsser takes the reader along on a highly personal journey, writing with warmth and humor about his anxieties and fears, his setbacks and triumphs. His book is both an informal guide and an encouraging companion.
Author: Barbara Kroll
Author: George Orwell
Author: Joyce Carol Oates
Author: Alan J. Clayton
Author: Kerry Cohen
Author: Carl H. Klaus
Author: Ted Kooser
Author: Kate Hopper
Author: Roy Peter Clark
Author: William Zinsser