Heart of Darkness...On Xmas

Sometimes there's just too much to think about in a book. While perusing over the Scmoop entries on Joseph Conrad's The Heart of Darkness, a dozen different blog topics came to mind. Should I focus on Conrad's diction? Or how about his style for this book, which isn't so much "poetic" as it is ruminative? Or maybe about the way Marlow's narration sets the mood? Or about themes of imperialism, humanity, madness, honesty/dishonesty and evil?

Rather, I've decided to talk about context, the circumstances surrounding both the author's life and the author's society that ever even allowed such a book to be contemplated, nonetheless written.

The Broken Earth Trilogy - Jemisin

Disregard the superb narrative techniques. Disregard the excellent plotting and characterization—particularly between a mother and a daughter—that throttles the both of them to a climactic showdown where, literally, the fallout of their relationship determines the fate of the world. Disregard the fact this is the first time an author has won three Hugos in a row and disregard all of the other milestones of this series.

What most came through Jemisin's masterwork, for me, is this...

Me on r/literature...why do I do this?

So...yeah...long day at work, and what do I do? Post stupid things on the internet...

Here's what I put on Reddit, in response to a post about: Is Literary Glory Worth Chasing? Which is in response to an New York Review of Books article.

Taking (and Giving) Criticism

Joy...Criticism Time...


Love it, hate it, don't-leave-home-without-it, it's Criticism Time for the writer—I mean, **cough, cough**—the writer's work.