Literature
Posted on April 12, 2012 by skeptik@l
Remember how excited all of us were whenever the latest Harry Potter book was about to be released? So much attention was given to the fans and how they couldn’t wait to get their hands on the new book to find out what set to happen next in the Harry Potter book. JK Rowling created a sensation with the wizard boy who was destined to defeat the most evil wizard of all time. Consequently, creative writers peak at a certain point then get pressurised by the expectation of having to produce something even better or as good as their previous work. Can she do it this time?
For those of you who are fans of JK Rowling, you would surely know she has a new book in store for you. In fact, the title and release date of the new book has already been reported. According to the BBC,Continue reading →
Posted in Art, Literature |
Tagged JK Rowling
|
Posted on February 12, 2012 by skeptik@l
William Shakespeare is remembered as one of the greatest literary writers of all time. Often called the ‘Bard of Avon’, Shakespeare’s surviving pieces include 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two narrative poems as well as several other poems. Having written such great pieces on romance and love, one would expect Shakespeare to be a hopeless romantic in real life. However so, sources show that instead of being the strong silent and romantic person one would normally assume him to be.
Interestingly, William Shakespeare was somehow regarded as a gangster during his time. Smithsonian Magazine maintained that “There is plenty of evidence elsewhere that Shakespeare was somewhat less than a sensitive poet and entirely honest citizen. Legal records show that him dodging from rented room to rented room while defaulting on a few shillings’ worth of tax payments in 1596, 1598 and 1599—though why he went to so much trouble remains obscure,… Continue reading →
Posted in History, Literature |
Tagged William Shakespeare
|
Posted on December 2, 2011 by skeptik@l
In 1965, author Frank Herbert published what is deemed to be one of the most iconic science fiction novels in history: Dune. Often regarded as the world’s best-selling science fiction novel, Dune was also the beginning of the Dune Saga.
The novel is set 20, 000 years into the future and tells of young Paul Atreides, heir to the House of Atreides and heir to Duke Leto Atreides. Paul and his family travel to the desert planet Arrakis (also known as Dune) to assert control over the most prized substance in the Universe; spice. The novel also explores a number of complex issues such as religion, politics the environment, technology and the human condition. Herbert went on to write five sequels to the first novel: Dune Messiah, Children of Dune, God Emperor of Dune and Chapterhouse: Dune.
Dune is thought to be one of the best science fiction novels ever… Continue reading →
Posted in Literature, Science Fiction |
Tagged Dune, Frank Herbert, Science fiction
|
Posted on October 10, 2011 by skeptik@l
Double double toil and trouble. Fire burn and cauldron bubble.
The depiction of Weird Sisters in Shakespeare’s Macbeth influenced the dramatic and aesthetic qualities a typical witch would possess. The characters of the three witches in the play helped literary writers such as JK Rowling and Rebecca Reisert to enhance their own characters. For most parts of history, the portrayals of witches have always been similar. Witches have always been associated with the Devil, cauldrons, toads and warts. The idea of witchcraft however, has evolved over time. Traditional notions have been subverted and today, witchcraft has seemed to have taken over a new role.
In the past, we can see the prevalence of witchcraft in many different cultures. The term “witch” is used to describe someone who possesses supernatural powers by practicing the art of magic. Historical events such as the large scale witch hunts in Early Modern Europe during… Continue reading →
Posted in History, Literature, Media, Modern Living, Philosophy, Pop Culture, Religion |
Tagged New Age Religions, Witchcraft
|
Posted on October 6, 2011 by skeptik@l
Every once in a while I find myself rediscovering cultural icons who I feel have been unintentionally forgotten over time. Perhaps that is why I feel compelled to bring up these icons in this space. Woody Allen is this amazing writer, actor, comedian, screenwriter, playwright, author and musician who has been gifted with an astounding ability to express the human condition through dark satires. Not only is this man capable of generating outstanding literary pieces, he does all of this within a very intimidating production rate.
At 75 years of age, Allen still hasn’t lost his creative bone. His recent movie, Midnight in Paris, validates this assertion. Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer awards Allen’s latest masterpiece a score of 92%, with an average score of 7.9/10. Midnight in Paris also proved to be Allen’s highest grossing film, generating $53,115 883 in revenue after the 10th of September this year. Midnight in Paris… Continue reading →
Posted in Art, Fascinating Characters, Literature, Media, Philosophy, Pop Culture |
Tagged Midnight in Paris, Woody Allen
|
Posted on October 4, 2011 by skeptik@l
Is the United Stat
es entering a new phase in political history? Recent events in New York seem to point towards this idea. If you don’t already know, thousands of protestors are occupying Wall Street in protest of the “social and economic inequality, corporate greed, and the influence of corporate money and lobbyists on government”. Inspired by events which took place during the Egyptian Revolution; it looks as if the United States is on the path of a revolution in just a matter of time.
It all started when anti-consumerist, anti- Capitalist and pro-Anarchist magazine Adbusters suggested a peaceful demonstration to be done in Wall Street to protest against the political corruption apparent in the current US political leadership. Adbusters states that, “Beginning from one simple demand – a presidential commission to separate money from politics – we start setting the agenda for a new America.” With the intention of revolting… Continue reading →
Posted in Activism, Economics, Literature, Politics |
Tagged Occupy Wall Street
|
Posted on September 28, 2011 by skeptik@l
Due to the commercialization of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, most people would assume Nicolas Flamel to be a fictional character. Flamel was in fact an actual historical entity who lived from 1330 to1418. History tells us that Flamel was a French scrivener and manuscript seller before becoming an acclaimed alchemist. The French National library, the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris is said to contain original works written and hand copied by Flamel himself. Also, official documents pertaining to the life to the life of Flamel (marriage contract, will etc) are also kept in the French National library.
It is pretty evident that Flamel’s work has been a looked at with fascination. Creative writers such as JK Rowling, Michael Roberts, Dan Brown, Max McCoy and Michael Scott have all used Flamel as subjects in their creative writing. The interest in Flamel’s work in alchemy has resulted in the extra attention… Continue reading →
Posted in Fascinating Characters, History, Literature, Pop Culture, Religion, Science, Unresolved Mysteries |
Tagged Elixir of Life, Nicolas Flamel, The Philosopher's Stone
|
Posted on September 25, 2011 by skeptik@l
Prominence was gained to the Priory of Sion after The Da Vinci Code was published in 2003. After the release of the novel, questions about the actual existence of the secret society have been raised. Was the Priory of Sion a mere fictitious fraternity fabricated by creative minds to capture the attention of readers or was its existence historically accurate?
According to Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh and Henry Lincoln, authors of The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail, The Priory of Sion was a tale engineered by Pierre Plantard. Plantard’s inspiration for concocting the brew stemmed from illusions of nobility, grandiosity and “a romantic reactionary ideology”. Plantard’s vision for The Priory of Sion was supposedly to establish an esoteric Christian chivalric order. Plantard vision was adorned with hopes that it would emulate a prestigious standing in the Christian order. To validate Plantard’s tale, “independent evidence” was actually created to make… Continue reading →
Posted in Conspiracy Theory, History, Literature, Mythology, Philosophy, Propaganda, Religion, Society |
Tagged Dan Brown, Pierre Plantard, Priory of Sion
|
Posted on September 17, 2011 by skeptik@l
We are acquainted with him through his legendary contributions to art. Pablo Picasso is a name which needs no formal introduction. He was an instigator to the surge of artistic revolution in the 20th century. Today, art pieces which were created by Picasso range as high as 104 million per piece. This places him as one of the highest ranking artists to date. His contributions include co founding the Cubist movement. This is the 20th century “avant-garde art movement” engineered during the 20th Century. But today, let us forget about the things we know about Picasso because Picasso was also known for things other than his overpriced paintings.
From 1935 to 1959, Picasso experimented in writing as an alternative form of expression. He wrote more than three hundred poems. He also wrote The Four Little Girls and Desire Caught by the Tail which were full length plays. These literary works… Continue reading →
Posted in Activism, Art, Government, History, Literature |
Tagged Art, Picasso
|
Posted on September 16, 2011 by skeptik@l
I have been doing a lot of thinking about censorship and its significance. Censorship, it seems has evolved over the course of history. Apparently, this only occurred due to the American influence of free speech and the freedom of expression. But surely there was as time when the Americans in the past were posed with certain moral dilemmas about what should or should not be readily available to the American people. Incidentally, this new found freedom was provoked after the Second World War during the rise of the Beat Generation.
The Beat Generation was a term created by Jack Kerouac in 1948. He described the Beat Generation to be a non-mainstream youth following with unconventional ideals which more or less go against the perceived dictations of propriety. Kerouac, together with Allen Ginsberg and William S. Burroughs were the first main proponents of this sub culture. It was the publication… Continue reading →
Posted in History, Literature, Media, Modern Living, Pop Culture, Society |
Tagged Beat Generation. Censorship
|
