Literature is a painting, translated beautifully into language, aesthetically strung across a blank canvas. There is good literature and sub-par literature alike, but there is also great literature. What is great literature? What makes good literature great literature? Johannes Cabal: The Necromancer by Johnathan L. Howard is a tale splendidly spun with roots in macabre and dark humour. But is it great literature? In a way, it may be. Howard’s writing is witty and eye-opening. His characterization is interesting and really makes the reader question the moralities of not just the character and realize just how close to human nature Howard has managed to reach.
Howard’s writing is both witty and entertaining to read. With varying sentence structures and a large vocabulary, Howard is able to make even a tale as dark as this seem light-hearted in its own way without diluting the dark humour this genre calls for. Howard’s description of the shooting of Dennis, a sub-par excuse for a robber, is written darkly, but with the content of Howard’s sentence and word choice, the scene isn’t as grotesque as it potentially could have been. As Dennis was shot in the back, he was described as “falling, his minimal amounts of brain activity flickering down to nothing” (Howard 22). Not to mention, Howard’s language is what the novel has been complimented most for. This book is credited for its “witty adventure” (Robinson), but this book still falls into the macabre genre as this novel’s epilogue is noted as “an excellent standalone horror short story” (Watson 1). So despite Howard’s intelligent and comedic writing, he is still able to allow his story to slide into the macabre genre, as this is “the spot-on work of a talented writer” (Vidimos 1). F...
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Howard, Jonathan L. Johannes Cabal, the Necromancer. New York: Doubleday, 2009. Print.
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Vidimos, Robin. "Hell Has a Wicked Sense of Humor." The Denver Post. MNG Corporate, 19 July
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Watson, Cary. "JettisonCocoon." : Book Review: Johannes Cabal the Necromancer (2010) by
Jonathan L. Howard. Blogger, 1 Mar. 2012. Web. 18 Dec. 2013.
Curse of Oak Island is a History channel series documenting the journey of Rick and Marty Lagina’s search for a supposed treasure tucked away on Oak Island in Nova Scotia. Many treasure seekers either died or had gone broke due to their attempts to crack the puzzle of the treasure. It is also rumored that Oak Island is cursed causing the failure of those who seek the treasure or “money pit.” This review shall summarize the efforts of Rick and Marty as well as offering a critique of the overall series concerning its reliability and accuracy.
Dick Hickock stood motionless, watching as his companion, Perry Smith fired his shotgun into the heads of each member of the Clutter family, sending blood and brains splashing against the wall. What would drive a man to do this? With a cold-blooded fire in his eyes, Perry moved from one person to the next, splattering the country house with brain matter. This terrible
Last but not least, O’Connor confirms that even a short story is a multi-layer compound that on the surface may deter even the most enthusiastic reader, but when handled with more care, it conveys universal truths by means of straightforward or violent situations. She herself wished her message to appeal to the readers who, if careful enough, “(…)will come to see it as something more than an account of a family murdered on the way to Florida.”
“Skeletons in the Closet”, written by Clara Spotted Elk, is a well-built argument, but it can be enhanced to become immensely effective. Firstly, Elk’s position is effective in obtaining her purpose and connecting her audience to it, because she includes a broad scope and background of the problem in the first few paragraphs. She describes the amount of Indian skeletons preserved and contained by American museums, through the use of data and statistics. For instance, Elk states: “we found that 18,500 Indian remains…are unceremoniously stored in the Smithsonian’s nooks and crannies” (13-15). By using this data, the background of the argument is illustrated to assist the audience in understanding her argument. Now, by knowing this statistic, readers can connect with Elk and her assertion, since we realize that there are plenty of skeletons that
Urban legends are the supernatural folklore of our modern society. From one generation to the next, they orally travel throughout the world, constantly changing from one region to the next. Although cultural variations exist, the core of all these urban legends remains the same, to unveil the universally known individual and societal fears. “The Graveyard Wager” is a timeless urban legend told again and again, and the one of which I will explore more in depth.
Tresniowski, A., Rozsa, L., Barnes, S., Wescott, G., Pierce, E., & Cosgriff, G. (2003). The Manhunt Ends. People, 59(22), 56. Retrieved February 20, 2012, from EBSCOhost
Word by word, gothic literature is bound to be an immaculate read. Examining this genre for what it is could be essential to understanding it. “Gothic” is relating to the extinct East Germanic language, people of which known as the Goths. “Literature” is defined as a written work, usually with lasting “artistic merit.” Together, gothic literature combines the use of horror, death, and sometimes romance. Edgar Allan Poe, often honored with being called the king of horror and gothic poetry, published “The Fall of House Usher” in September of 1839. This story, along with many other works produced by Poe, is a classic in gothic literature. In paragraph nine in this story, one of our main characters by the name of Roderick Usher,
Robberson, Tod. "Che Guevara's Bones Identified: 30 Year Mystery Ends as Experts Confirm Finding Rebel's Remains." The Dallas Morning News, 13 July 1997: 1-4.
It is obvious in this photograph that this soldier is taking great pride in guarding the Tomb of the Unknown. The first thing noticed when looking at this photograph from D. Myles Cullen is the white marble sarcophagus, or stone coffin. This is located in the very center of the photograph and is an important and well-respected monument. Engraved on the sarcophagus are the words
Literature has played a large role in the way we perceive the world and it can affect the way in which we think about things. Edgar Allan Poe along with Mark Twain are two of the most influential authors that our world has ever seen. Their descriptiveness and diction has had a huge impact on their readers for centuries. Poe’s gothic style of writing was very enthralling and suspenseful; it left you wanting to know what was going to happen next. Whereas, Mark Twain was a very humorous author that intended to amuse all that read. The descriptiveness that was incorporated by these world-renown authors is tremendous.
Chamberlain, Andrew, and Pearson Michael Parker. Earthly Remains: The History and Science of Preserved Human Bodies. New York: Oxford UP, 2001. Print.
From tombstones and urns, and above all from the gay wallpaintings of the underground burial places of Tarquinii we
Edgar Allan Poe has a unique writing style that uses several different elements of literary structure. He uses intrigue vocabulary, repetition, and imagery to better capture the reader’s attention and place them in the story. Edgar Allan Poe’s style is dark, and his is mysterious style of writing appeals to emotion and drama. What might be Poe’s greatest fictitious stories are gothic tend to have the same recurring theme of either death, lost love, or both. His choice of word draws the reader in to engage them to understand the author’s message more clearly. Authors who have a vague short lexicon tend to not engage the reader as much.
Owens, Craig. "Tomb Raider: Underworld Retrospective." Eurogamer.net. N.p., 3 Mar. 2013. Web. 02 Sept. 2013.
I shall gather various types of archaeological publications dealing with deviant burial. It is important to include differing types of publications to see if it affects the way in which deviancy is dealt with. I will then determine if any common patterns are apparent within the study of deviant burial. If common patterns are found, each one will be explored individually. Searching for specific statements within the texts, I will attempt to determine how the patterns relate to the interpretation of deviant burial. As I have not previously dealt with deviant burials, I will also briefly convey my interpretations – as a simulated intended audience reader – of the way in which deviancy is conveyed through the material. This will give a distinctive perspective as to how the true intended audience of the publications may view the evidence as presented by the archaeologists. A discourse analysis is never complete as there are too many aspects to ever fully dissect a subject (Dijk 2001; Phillips and Hardy 2002). However, it is my intent to try to examine deviant burial as thoroughly as this thesis permits, as well as to bring a unique point of view to the