Reviews Archives - Flammable Skirt https://www.flammableskirt.com Literary blog Wed, 26 Apr 2023 09:30:27 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.flammableskirt.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/cropped-LogoMakr-67g4Ss-32x32.png Reviews Archives - Flammable Skirt https://www.flammableskirt.com 32 32 Exploring the Literary World One Blog Post at a Time: An Introduction to Literary Blogging https://www.flammableskirt.com/exploring-the-literary-world-one-blog-post-at-a-time-an-introduction-to-literary-blogging/ https://www.flammableskirt.com/exploring-the-literary-world-one-blog-post-at-a-time-an-introduction-to-literary-blogging/#respond Wed, 26 Apr 2023 09:30:25 +0000 https://www.flammableskirt.com/?p=237 Welcome to the world of literary blogging! As an avid reader, you are no doubt aware of the immense joy and pleasure that can be derived from reading a good book. Whether it is a classic novel, a piece of poetry, or a modern-day bestseller, the written word has always

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Welcome to the world of literary blogging! As an avid reader, you are no doubt aware of the immense joy and pleasure that can be derived from reading a good book. Whether it is a classic novel, a piece of poetry, or a modern-day bestseller, the written word has always had the power to move and inspire us.

And yet, there are times when we want to delve even deeper into the world of literature. We want to explore the nuances of a text and to gain a better understanding of the writer’s intent. We want to discuss the various themes and motifs that are at play, or to gush over the beauty of a certain passage. This is where literary blogging comes in.

A literary blog is an amazing platform for discussing and discovering the myriad facets of literature. Through blog posts, readers can look at a book from a variety of angles and perspectives, and comment on the important points and debates that arise. For the writer, literary blogs are a great way to showcase their skills, to receive feedback from the community and to share their work with like-minded individuals.

The Literary Blog: A Beacon of Creative Expression

The literary blog is an oft-overlooked literary haven for inventive expression and thoughtful exchange. It is the perfect platform for aspiring and established authors alike to share their creative works and connect with their peers. Whether it’s a poem, essay, short story, or snippet of fiction, the literary blog is an invaluable resource for anyone looking to gain insight into the world of literature. With a variety of topics, genres, and opinions, this online destination is sure to bring an engaging and enlightening experience to any reader. So, if writing is your passion, the literary blog is the perfect place to share your voice, discuss ideas, and explore the world of the written word.

A literary blog is an online platform dedicated to sharing and discussing literature-related topics, such as book reviews, book-related news and current trends in the literary world. It can also be used as an online community for readers to connect with each other and converse about their favorite books. A literary blog may also feature interviews with authors, reviews of current and classic books, and commentary on the state of the literary industry. By reading a variety of literary blog posts, writers can stay informed about the latest developments in the literary world, which can be incredibly helpful for aspiring authors. In addition, readers can learn about the wide range of literature available and find exciting new reads that they may not have known about before.

Everything You Need to Know About Literary Blogging

Questions and Answers: 

Q: What is a literary blog?

A: A literary blog is a blog devoted to writing, authors, books, and other aspects of literature and the literary world.

Q: What is the purpose of a literary blog?

A: The purpose of a literary blog is to provide readers with book and author reviews, writing tips, and news about what’s going on in the literary world.

Q: Who can write for a literary blog?

A: Anyone can write for a literary blog. Writers can range from authors to other literary professionals, such as literary agents and publishers.

Q: Who reads a literary blog?

A: Literary blogs can be read by anyone, including readers, authors, and industry professionals.

Q: What are the benefits of writing for a literary blog?

A: Writing for a literary blog can help you to gain more visibility in the literary world, as well as build a platform for potential readers. Writing for a literary blog can also be a great opportunity to connect with other writers and learn from their experiences.

The Best Literary Blogs: Discovering the World of Literature

Do you love reading and exploring new literary works? Are you looking for a way to expand your knowledge and stay up-to-date with the latest literary trends? A literary blog can be your perfect companion! A literary blog is an online platform for readers to discover the world of literature. Through a literary blog, you can read reviews, find out about authors, explore publishing houses, and connect with the larger literary community. With a wide range of topics and perspectives, a literary blog can provide an invaluable resource for readers to explore. Whether you are a casual reader or an aspiring author, a literary blog can be the perfect place to find new stories, gain insight, and make meaningful connections.

Conclusion: With the ever-evolving landscape of literature, it is essential to stay up-to-date with the current trends. Through creating and maintaining a literary blog, readers can stay informed of the latest content and discover new authors and genres in the world of literature. A literary blog is an invaluable tool to help readers gain insight into the vast world of literature, and can provide hours of entertainment, education, and inspiration.

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Benefits of Music on Body, Mind, Relationships & More https://www.flammableskirt.com/benefits-of-music-on-body-mind-relationships-more/ https://www.flammableskirt.com/benefits-of-music-on-body-mind-relationships-more/#respond Mon, 31 Jan 2022 11:12:54 +0000 https://www.flammableskirt.com/?p=188 One of the most acute of all human senses is hearing. Hearing is how a person learns to talk and communicates throughout life. Life without hearing cannot be called full-fledged, so people simply have to value their hearing organs as much as possible. Hearing loss can be a real tragedy

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One of the most acute of all human senses is hearing. Hearing is how a person learns to talk and communicates throughout life. Life without hearing cannot be called full-fledged, so people simply have to value their hearing organs as much as possible. Hearing loss can be a real tragedy for a person. People who love music can be especially saddened by hearing loss. And today in this article you will learn how music affects our bodies, relationships, and more! Let’s get started!

What Is Music?

Music is an art form that is all about affecting the human auditory organs by creating sound and combining it with silence. Music is one of the most beautiful phenomena on our planet. With good hearing, one can simply enjoy listening to music.

Music comes in many different forms. In older times, it could only be created by those who could play the most difficult musical instruments well. Today, thanks to the development of computers and information technology, electronic music has emerged, which does not require musical instruments but for example best surround sound speakers.

A Bit of History

There are different forms of listening to music. Some people prefer the privacy of home and listen to music alone, while others want to listen to music in the company, so they regularly attend concerts. Each of these forms has its advantages and disadvantages, different people are free to choose what they prefer.

At the same time, it is worth noting that music is of higher quality and more natural when it is played at a concert of performers. The longer mankind exists, the more musical genres appear. The development of the world and the emergence of new forms of entertainment has not at all led to the fact that man has fallen out of love with music. In addition to classical music, modern people also listen to rock music, rap music, electronic music, and many other genres. Such serious development of this art form just confirms the fact that it is human nature to enjoy music, to have the fun of it, and to try to create music that other people can appreciate.

The Influence of Music on the Human Brain

It has long been noted that among people of equal mental ability, the one who has been taught to play an instrument from an early age is the one who thinks and develops the most successfully. The human brain is capable of perceiving music from birth, and it is a kind of prelanguage.

Early music education is an effective means of mental and intellectual development, it helps to activate higher brain functions and abstract thinking in particular, it can help to correct delays in psychomotor development, treat autism, epilepsy, and Parkinson’s disease. Early music education provides access to the innate neural mechanisms responsible for the perception, understanding, and reproduction of music, and extends their use to the education of other higher brain functions.

Studies have shown a special role in brain maturation for the involvement of the fingers of the hand. This is due to the greatest representation in the cortex of the large hemispheres of the hand. For the reception of simple immediate emotions, the hand as the organ of touch has advantages even in comparison to vision and hearing.

Music, The Soul, And Attitudes Toward Music

Music affects the human soul. Early immersion in music contributes to the discovery of his creative personality, gives him the opportunity to express himself. Music, like literature and painting, expands familiarity with the world, helps you better understand history, imbued with the spirit of an era. Music even today professes the oldest of its precepts – to be a revelation of the senses, a revelation of the knowledge of the deep world of man.

The Effect of Music on Mood

There is a special department of music therapy in psychiatry. It can even be used to influence a person’s health. Music partially, and sometimes completely, transmits to the listener the mood of the performer. It must be chosen, because there is positive music, and sometimes it contains a lot of aggression.

Music also has the ability to sharpen our spiritual perception of the world around us. It has the ability to clear our minds, and it can also fill us with rage, anxiety, and stupidity. Music has the ability, when played live, to evoke joy, tranquility, ease, irritation, boredom, and depression.

Music Pharmacology

Today the use of music for healing is becoming more and more popular. Many people have heard of what Reiki music is, and some even use these healing melodies in practice to treat various diseases. In addition, there is a whole branch of medicine called musical pharmacology. Its essence is that you can cure various diseases just by listening to certain melodies. Classical music is widespread in this field.

Scientists have proven that music has a beneficial effect on the human body. There have been cases where the melody of a favorite track cured a person of illness. If you constantly listen to positive melodies, you will be in a good and positive mood. It is useful to listen to calm music before going to sleep, it helps to quickly fall asleep. Also, doctors say that it is useful for children to include classical music. And it should be done when the baby is still in the womb. These children grow up smart and talented. Favorite songs lift our spirits and morale. But if you still doubt whether you are fully aware of music’s influence on our body and more, then we surely advise you the go to the special forum on this topic. Here you can find all data about this essential subject and discuss some ambiguous questions with other users!

Bottom Line

Each art form is good in its own way, but in my opinion, music deserves a really special place among them all. Amazing joy can be brought to a person by listening to music. In order not to lose the opportunity to listen to music, to enjoy it, it is important to take care of your hearing, to take care of your ears, and not to abuse listening to music at high volume.

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Audiobooks: enjoy the convenience https://www.flammableskirt.com/audiobooks-enjoy-the-convenience/ https://www.flammableskirt.com/audiobooks-enjoy-the-convenience/#respond Thu, 28 Oct 2021 06:29:58 +0000 https://www.flammableskirt.com/?p=169 Nowadays, audiobooks are extremely popular due to numerous advantages. The undoubted advantage of an audiobook over its paper counterpart is its availability when your hands are busy. You can listen on the way to work, while driving, during household chores. But for this, it is necessary that a person can

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Nowadays, audiobooks are extremely popular due to numerous advantages. The undoubted advantage of an audiobook over its paper counterpart is its availability when your hands are busy. You can listen on the way to work, while driving, during household chores. But for this, it is necessary that a person can hold attention for a long time on the perception of sound, which is not easy for everyone.

Also, fans of listening to books note that audiobooks allow them to immerse themselves in history more and create a beautiful three-dimensional picture of what is happening in their head. Our imagination often works even better than Hollywood film studios. 

The advantages include the fact that the audiobook allows you to rest your tired eyes from the constant radiation of the screen. This is especially true in the evening and in poor lighting conditions. But here, you need to be careful and very carefully select headphones and adjust the sound volume.

If you have found a great audiobook on YouTube, but it is inconvenient for you to listen to it this way (your Internet connection is unstable, etc.), video converters can help you a lot. 

With their help, video files can be converted into another video format and thus optimally used on any device. If you are looking for the simplest solution, youtube to mp3 online converters are the best helpers. They are perfect for those who need to convert videos from time to time and are unwilling to go for downloadable software. Nevertheless, some still choose downloadable tools, as their functionality is more extensive.

The functions of a video converter

The market offers a wide range of different programs with different functions when it comes to video converter software. However, not every user needs all the functions, which is why the user should think carefully in advance about what is important to him.

It makes sense if such software has a clear and intuitive user interface, especially if the program has many functions. High-quality programs should also be preconfigured so that the essential functions are available immediately after starting the program. It would also be an advantage to be able to create and save different profiles so that later processes can be carried out more quickly.

However, the most important thing is that the program supports all common video formats, ideally also formats that go beyond the common standard. The software should, for example, approve the formats for both Apple and Android devices. Every video converter program usually has an overview that shows which devices and file formats are supported. In this way, users can find out in advance which formats and devices the respective program supports and whether it meets their own needs.

Many practical functions combined in one program

The main job of a video converter is to convert video files to another format. Depending on the length of the video clip and the quality you want, this process can take a long time. But with well-equipped programs, complete and time-consuming working on the video is no longer necessary. 

For example, some applications bring features to improve the quality of a video. This allows users to subsequently regulate image properties such as brightness, contrast, or color. In addition to optical improvements, the volume of the video is often not optimal. With a suitable video converter, the soundtrack can be extracted so that users can edit the volume in it. In most cases, it is also possible to remove noise from the audio track. After editing, one can then reconnect the sound to the video track without re-render the entire video.

The standard functions of a video converter also include rescaling the video for optimal playback on the end device and trimming a clip. A video is given individual properties, for example, by adding a watermark or headings. This is also possible with such software. Sometimes a part of the audio track, for example, the soundtrack or striking dialogues, or a still image should be extracted from the video. This process is not a problem for the right tool. 

Which functionalities should the video converter bring?

Indeed, not every user needs all of these functions. It is not for nothing that the software market offers a wide range of different video converters in which everyone can find exactly the software that meets their requirements. So every user should ask himself which functions he actually needs.

In the best case, the software should already be pre configured in such a way that the most sensible settings are available immediately after starting the program. It is also helpful if different profiles can be created and saved to accelerate later work processes significantly.

Another criterion should be the interface and program guidance – converters, which combine many functions, should also be equipped with intuitive and straightforward operations. Support for the most popular video formats is also of crucial importance when choosing the software.

Although standards have prevailed here that are widely used, nothing is more annoying than when your own player does not support any of the formats that the video converter makes available as output formats. For example, mobile Apple devices require a different file format than tablets that run on an Android operating system. Usually, there is an overview of the supported formats and devices for every video converter. It is definitely worth taking a closer look at those.

Overview of widely used video formats

Almost all video converter programs support the usual video formats:

  • AVI;
  • DVD video;
  • MP4;
  • MOV;
  • XviD;
  • WMV;
  • ASF;
  • MKV;
  • MPEG-2;
  • FLV;
  • SWF;
  • 3GP.

3D formats such as 3D AVI, 3D MP4, or 3D MK are also supported with the right programs. All HD formats, such as HD AVI, HD MP4, HD MPG, or HD WMV, are not infrequently compatible formats.

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How to Purchase College Essay for Sale and NOT Get Fleeced https://www.flammableskirt.com/how-to-purchase-college-essay-for-sale-and-not-get-fleeced/ https://www.flammableskirt.com/how-to-purchase-college-essay-for-sale-and-not-get-fleeced/#respond Wed, 26 May 2021 12:42:42 +0000 https://www.flammableskirt.com/?p=141 Perhaps you are wondering about how to purchase a great quality college essay for your next assignment because you do not have the time to write the paper yourself. You hope that a professional writer will do a good job on your college essay and that your essay will earn

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Perhaps you are wondering about how to purchase a great quality college essay for your next assignment because you do not have the time to write the paper yourself. You hope that a professional writer will do a good job on your college essay and that your essay will earn a top grade. But at the same time, you surely do not want to get fleeced. In order to help to prevent that situation from happening to you when you purchase a college essay, we share some valuable tips. If you are careful to implement these tips, you will have the peace of mind that you will most likely receive an amazing quality college essay for sale while avoiding being fleeced.

1 Avoid prices that are too cheap.

The company should not offer college essays for prices that are really cheap. If the prices are ultra-low, then you cannot expect to get a good quality essay. This does not mean that you have to pay the most expensive price for your essay, but the reality is that writers must be paid for their work. Thus, no writer will produce a good quality essay for an extremely cheap price. That is why you should avoid a company that promises excellent quality college essays at extremely cheap prices. If you do decide to get your essay done for an extremely cheap price, you will probably be disappointed with the quality of the essay and will likely get a poor grade on the essay. But when you decide to pay a more normal price range for your college essay, you likely will receive an essay that is great and that will receive a good grade.

2 Choose a company that has writers who have extensive writing experience.

You should not choose a company that has only a few writers and that has writers who do not possess much writing experience. If you choose a company that has writers with extensive writing experience, then you will have the peace of mind that the writer will be able to write your essay according to all the specifications that you provide in regard to your essay. As a result, you will have the assurance that the essay will truly meet the requirements of your course and you will likely receive a top-quality paper that earns a high grade.

3 Avoid using the service of a company that does not provide samples of writing on the site.

When you are considering purchasing a college essay for your assignment, because you do not have the time to write the essay yourself, you cannot just hand over the task to simply any company without seeing a sample of the kind of writing that the company can provide to you through its writers. When a company is truly reputable, the reality is that you will be able to access samples of the kind of writing that the company can offer to you through a wide selection of qualified writers who really have the expertise to write the kind of essay that you need. Thus, samples of the writing on the site serve as proof that you are dealing with a company that can really deliver a decent essay.

4 Make sure that the company provides reviews.

When a company does a good job for its clients, it is normal practice for the company to encourage its various clients to leave reviews on the site. Customers that are highly pleased with their essays usually are happy to leave good reviews on the site. But when a company does not have any reviews on its site in regard to the work that it has done for its clients, you should certainly be leery of such a company. Never order an essay from a company with no reviews on its site, as the company likely is not reputable and will not provide the kind of top-quality paper that you are seeking. But when you are careful to select a company that has a good supply of positive reviews, then you likely will receive a great essay that will be impressive in terms of the content and the quality of the writing.

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John Steinbeck, “East of Eden” https://www.flammableskirt.com/john-steinbeck-east-of-eden/ Fri, 20 Nov 2020 13:14:00 +0000 https://www.flammableskirt.com/?p=16 I am sometimes very saddened by the fact that the true masters of the pen often do not catch in their lifetime the recognition they undoubtedly deserved. Pulitzer and Nobel Prizes posthumously, worldwide circulation and translations into dozens of foreign languages, enrollment in the ranks of classics and the like

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I am sometimes very saddened by the fact that the true masters of the pen often do not catch in their lifetime the recognition they undoubtedly deserved. Pulitzer and Nobel Prizes posthumously, worldwide circulation and translations into dozens of foreign languages, enrollment in the ranks of classics and the like – all this is encouraging, but where were you before, when the man was still breathing and walking on the same earth as us?! Alas, we do not know how to appreciate what we have at the moment, and the realization of its importance comes too late. To a certain extent these words apply to John Steinbeck. His book East of Eden was received rather coldly, or even hostilely. But how dramatically events have changed just a few decades after its first publication!

Believe me, it is quite difficult to piece together all the scattered thoughts and write a coherent impression of a book like East of Eden. The fact is that this is not just a book, but a whole epic saga, in which space is given to several generations and a huge variety of problems, and life to them gave the beautiful language of John Steinbeck, his unique ability to subtly use metaphors, create perfect images, as well as fill his text with multifaceted ideas. As in his other landmark work, The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck draws on a powerful biblical stratum, the basis of which became the prototype for the book’s main characters as well as some events. But we’ll talk about that a little later!

What is the book about?

The main events in the work unfold around the different generations of the Trask family: grandfather Cyrus Trask, then his sons Adam and Carl, and Adam’s sons Caleb and Aron. The action stretches over a long half century, spanning the second half of the 19th century, all the way to the end of World War I. In the book, the author introduces us to other families (the Hamiltons, for example), as well as people of all sorts of professions and occupations: farmers, businessmen, courtesans. Steinbeck spent several years in the archives, studying the real history of the Salinas Valley, and therefore his work turned out so believable that the first impressions of the Salinas themselves were extremely indignant: how dare the writer show the whole truth about their corruption, debauchery and drunkenness!

So what is the book actually about? If someone says that it is dedicated to the eternal confrontation between good and evil, I probably would not agree with this statement. There is no exceptional good in this book, in fact, nor is there any real evil incarnate! I will not accept your argument that Kathy Trask was that evil for one simple reason: Steinbeck is an exemplary author (in Umberto Eco’s theory, like a voice that sounds in the reader’s mind, leads and guides him in the direction he needs), like God creating images of people and explaining their fundamental nature and significance. So in his explanation, Cathy cannot be called an evil creature; her essence is somewhat above what is considered deliberate deceit.

Here it is necessary to make a small digression and explain the biblical basis of the work, perhaps the meaning of the previous paragraph will be clearer. So, when reading the book, it is impossible not to notice a clear parallel between the Trask family and the history of the first men created by God. The aforementioned Adam (accented with a capital “A”) Trask, as silly as it may sound, is the real prototype of that very Adam (accented with a second “a”), the first man on earth. Like his biblical prototype, Adam Trask had two sons, Caleb and Aron. By the way, their names were also taken from the Bible, and with the proper imagination you can find a certain consonance between Cain and Caleb, Abel and Aron. The fate of the sons is also similar in many ways: two boys completely different in their spiritual world, different interests and goals and hobbies. As in the Bible, the brother kills the brother, but in Steinbeck it happens differently, as if indirectly, however, the message remains the same.

What about Eve? In the Bible, Eve is the first woman created from Adam’s rib, the first mother who gave birth to two sons. She is also the embodiment of purity and a kind of feminine holiness; in fact, it was she who was tempted by the serpent, she who caused their expulsion from the Garden of Eden, it was she who gave life to the first murderer of man. If we take all these characteristics into account, we get a very contradictory image. It is precisely this kind of contradictory image that Steinbeck creates in the person of Cathy Trask.

It is difficult to say what meaning or prototype John Steinbeck put into the image of Cathy. Was it Eve and her multi-facetedness, or was it simply the inflamed imagination of the author of these lines? I guess everyone will answer for themselves.

A Realistic Documentary

However, the biblical background is not the only thing that makes this novel significant! I have already mentioned above that the writer’s constant visits to the city archives of Salinas played a major role in depicting details and everyday life. That is why we see such a naturalistic portrayal of life a century ago.

We watch Sam Hamilton, an extremely pleasant and good-natured farmer, with undisguised awe. Lee, the Chinese servant, is, contrary to his silly image, very intelligent and just about the only character who can think straight and deeply. I assure you that the uniformity of images in Steinbeck you and certainly not find. In addition to these generations, the writer introduces in his story a whole layer of the population, each cell of which is endowed with unique characteristics. There is a place in the narrative and the family of some Steinbeck – surely the writer decided to leave a piece of himself in the story of this book. And therefore the elements of autobography can be seen with the naked eye, not for nothing the author himself was born and spent his childhood in the Salinas Valley of California.

The writer himself considered the book East of Eden “his seminal work, in which he wanted to draw a final line under the entire work, to explain everything to which he had devoted his life. Steinbeck was very much afraid of being rejected, and as I wrote above, that is exactly what happened. Even during his lifetime his work was poorly received by the critical community, and frankly, I can agree with them on some things. “East of Eden” is a very visceral read, not without stages of misunderstanding and rejection, but in my mind, it is more a reader’s failure than an author’s failure. It is therefore necessary to accept the scope of the writer’s thought and the level of the problems, and to strive for the epicness, on the altar of which Steinbeck has placed all his strength, skill, and knowledge.

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Truman Capote’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s https://www.flammableskirt.com/truman-capotes-breakfast-at-tiffanys/ Tue, 20 Oct 2020 13:15:00 +0000 https://www.flammableskirt.com/?p=19 I’m pretty sure that most people when they think of Breakfast at Tiffany’s automatically think of Audrey Hepburn, who played Holly Golightly in the movie of the same name, and who also graces the various covers of this work. A short hairstyle gathered up, tinted glasses, and a slight smile

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I’m pretty sure that most people when they think of Breakfast at Tiffany’s automatically think of Audrey Hepburn, who played Holly Golightly in the movie of the same name, and who also graces the various covers of this work. A short hairstyle gathered up, tinted glasses, and a slight smile at the corner of her mouth is exactly how Holly looks at us from the covers and posters for the film. Like it or not, this is the image that haunts you as you read, and even if you wanted to create your own image of Holly Golightly, I’m sure most of the time it wouldn’t be much different from what you’ve already seen.

I sometimes wonder, though, what is the appeal of books like Breakfast and Tiffany’s? Books without much plot, with no active incidents or events, built on teary conversations, sometimes clichéd, like what we’ve seen before in Fitzgerald, perhaps in Jerome Salinger. In my opinion, the answer is very simple–it is their charm. The novel Breakfast and Tiffany’s, like the books by the above-mentioned writers, has its own special and unique charm, its atmosphere absorbs the reader; such books have the amazing property of creating a 3D reality, they allow you to travel through time. Like a tourist who wanders through different parts of the world, reading this book I can say that I was in New York in the 50s and out of the corner of my eye I glimpsed Brazil of that time! Similar feelings arise when reading Hemingway’s And the Sun Rises: it seems as if you are going with his characters to Spain, watching bullfighting, fishing in a mountain river…

Frankly, Truman Capote didn’t create anything brilliant! He took a rather average plot component, spiced it up with quite typical clichéd turns and decided not to burden his work with deep moral and philosophical reflections. However, the most striking thing in his book is the image of a young girl, Holly! Such books are definitely priced not by their morals and plot, but by their images.

Who is she, Holly Golightly? An adventuress, a rogue, a showgirl, a frivolous person? Everyone probably can characterize her in a special way, without repetition, and certainly one epithet is not enough. I would call her a nostalgic woman! In our lives, we often meet people who appear at a certain stage, and then suddenly disappear without a trace, and the only thing that remains of them is the memory. Of course, this person can send a bright postcard from Brazil and write a few words, but the feeling that this person is gone from your life forever, never leaves. All that’s left is nostalgia. That’s what Fred (the narrator in the book) does – he’s nostalgic about his fleeting acquaintance with an unusual girl and that fleeting segment of his life spent next to her.

One also gets the feeling that Truman Capote has spiced up his book with details from his own life. The image he created of 19-year-old Holly was not taken out of thin air; how many such cuties has he seen in his life?! Besides, Truman’s mother was married to a man who had served 14 months in Sing Sing prison, exactly like the gangster Sally Tomato, whom Holly visited weekly. There is also no doubt that Capote, though he did not draw, was clearly inspired by the image of Marilyn Monroe, the basis of which he adopted for his novel. After all, it was her writer saw the image of Holly in a future film adaptation, and therefore was very disappointed to learn that this role approved the other actress.

The content of the book “Breakfast and Tiffany’s”

As I noted earlier, the story is narrated on behalf of Fred, a young aspiring writer who meets an attractive girl, Holly. She rents an apartment in the same house as Fred in New York City during World War II. He meets her for the first time under unusual circumstances; later, parties are often held in her apartment, whose guests are mostly middle-aged men of all sorts. Such a way of life naturally cannot help but attract oblique glances from the outside.

As Fred becomes a close friend of Holly’s, he discovers another side to this girl’s personality. She is on the one hand a mediocre person, dining with Hollywood directors, the rich and other prominent figures, and, of course, dreaming of a lucrative party for herself. In the whirlwind of such fickleness, her only solace is the establishment at Tiffany’s, which to her looks like the real fulfillment of all her aspirations. But on the other hand, she lives in a separate world in which her self-created self is so detached from dull reality that even Holly herself is hardly able to distinguish between her own posturing and casual behavior. She says this could go on forever, but there are a few moments in the book when she does bare her soul and her true self, not made up or pompous. The most striking example, perhaps, is the case of the ejection of

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Howard Lovecraft’s “The Call of Cthulhu” https://www.flammableskirt.com/howard-lovecrafts-the-call-of-cthulhu/ Sat, 08 Aug 2020 15:57:00 +0000 https://www.flammableskirt.com/?p=9 The average book lover inevitably associates mystical literature with two personalities: Edgar Allan Poe and Stephen King. But between these two personalities in the stratum of time there is no less prominent creator, who in his work borrowed something from the first, and became a source of inspiration for the

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The average book lover inevitably associates mystical literature with two personalities: Edgar Allan Poe and Stephen King. But between these two personalities in the stratum of time there is no less prominent creator, who in his work borrowed something from the first, and became a source of inspiration for the second, but his name is remembered with much less fanfare. His name is Howard Lovecraft.

The key creation of the writer without any hesitation can be called the mystical collection The Call of Cthulhu. It consists of eighteen stories of varying volume: from a couple of pages to full-fledged novellas. By and large, this collection consists of the classic Lovecraftian short stories, which, in many ways, represent his entire literary experience. The lead story, of course, is the story of the same name, “The Call of Cthulhu,” the title of which appears on the cover of the book.

Stephen King called Lovecraft the dark prince of twentieth-century horror stories. Sounds like a very apt saying to me! But I’d like to focus on the detail – the modern master of horror called his inspiration a prince, not a king at all. And if you look at Lovecraft’s work as a whole, there is an explanation for this: some of his stories are tiresomely predictable and obvious, and the reader is often very likely to predict the subsequent events of the story, but even so, he reads to the end. In any case, Lovecraft is read, and often with gusto! Perhaps that is his special literary formula: as an atheist, he tried to compose horror stories that had nothing to do with religion, so his “monsters” and “beasts” come from ancient times, from the depths of time and space, when humanity didn’t even exist yet.

What was Lovecraft writing about?

In spite of all the abundance written, most of Lovecraft’s stories can be clearly structured according to the following pattern:

  • Someone discovers something strange;
  • A terrible thing happens to someone;
  • Someone tries to find out more about what happened;
  • This someone learns more and begins to regret it;
  • That someone goes crazy or dies. And sometimes both.

This scenario is indeed repeated in many of his stories. And for the greater effect of horror and mystery, something bad must happen to an innocent or defenseless person. In those stories where the acting character is purposely searching for something Evil and Ancient, or trying to uncover the secrets of the supernatural, it is by default hard to evoke a stronger sense of empathy for them. And if these horrors happen to people for no apparent reason, such a story is almost certain to produce a much deeper shock. This is a truth Lovecraft learned “perfectly well”!

How did Lovecraft write?

Lovecraft’s major period of creativity fell in the 1920s and 1930s. Of course, a lot of time has passed since then, and language has had time to undergo fundamental changes, and we are not talking specifically about English, Russian or any other, but about language as a universal tool of utterance! But with Lovecraft, one gets the feeling that he deliberately extracts old sayings and turns, thereby demonstrating his vocabulary, while it is quite difficult to know whether these sayings are superfluous or still appropriate. Nevertheless, this peculiar thesaurus of the writer forms his unique style, incomparable to anyone else and at the same time different from the rest.

In other words, Lovecraft’s language may be as boring as the content of his stories, but for some, this form may well prove to be a true source of aesthetic pleasure!

Unfortunately for Lovecraft himself, trouble and misfortune were observed not only in his writing but also in his life. He lived too short a life to have time to enjoy the world, though he hardly had time to enjoy it! Having lived in poverty and terrible illness, Howard Lovecraft never felt literary recognition in his lifetime, but he left a rich legacy to posterity, which served as inspiration for numerous creations of the genre.

And lastly, I would like to say the following. The way Lovecraft formulated his ideas can be understood by reading the opening paragraph of The Call of Cthulhu:

The manifestation of the greatest mercy in our world is, in my view, the inability of the human mind to connect all that this world encompasses. We live on a quiet island of ignorance in the midst of a dark sea of infinity, and we should not swim at all to distant distances. The sciences, each pulling in its own direction, have hitherto done us little harm; but the day will come when the union of hitherto disparate scraps of knowledge will reveal to us such terrifying views of reality that we will either lose our minds from what we see, or try to escape this pernicious enlightenment in the peace and safety of the new Middle Ages.

Personally, I would like to live to see the day when these disparate scraps come together to comprehend those terrifying sights of real reality.

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