Seeking Cultural Truths
One of the most adapted literary characters of all time is Count Dracula. Played as a romantic anti-hero, a demented monster, and an empathetic but misguided devil, audiences cannot get enough of Bram Stoker’s creation. It is not difficult to fathom the reason why, for beneath the interesting tale of heroism pitted against an ancient …
Continue reading "Blood is Life: The Immortal Lessons in Dracula"
It was a dark and stormy night and a group of authors sat around a table discussing ghost stories. Among them was the notorious poet Lord Byron and Mary Shelley, whose novel Frankenstein would become a literary classic. It began that night, inspired by a moral discussion and a nightmare. This novel is often misrepresented, …
Continue reading "The Doctor’s Dark Secret: The Story of Frankenstein"
I have much to say about the new Beauty & the Beast, but the thing that most struck me was a conversation between Belle and Mrs. Potts, where Belle implies the curse “isn’t fair,” because the servants in the castle “didn’t do anything” to deserve punishment. Mrs. Potts implies they do deserve punishment, for “we …
Continue reading "The Christian Mythology of Beauty & the Beast"
One of the most poignant moments in Anne of Green Gables is when crusty Marilla Cuthbert tells her brother they haven’t any use for a boy and he replies, “But maybe we’ll be of some use to her.” Since Matthew has spent the last hour driving her back from the train station, listening to a …
Continue reading "Lessons from Anne Shirley: Jesus and the Undesirables"
I’ve never bothered to look up the inspiration behind Pride & Prejudice & Zombies, since I prefer to believe the author walked out of the Keira Knightley flick with his significant other and said, “You know what would make that story better? ZOMBIES!” I admit, the first time I saw a “monster mash-up” book, I …
My first introduction to Jane Austen was through Emma (1996). As a teenage Anglophile, I was always on the hunt for clean new costume dramas (still am) and managed to convince my mother to let us rent it on pay-per-view. I fell in love with the costumes, actors, storyline, witticisms, and lessons, and for five …
My friend and fellow author/writer/blogger Rachel is hosting an Austen Week (Feb. 11-18th) on her blog. I encourage all my readers to follow along! I'll be participating with an article on Emma (1996), my favorite Austen film / adaptation. I can't wait to read what everyone comes up with! =)
Mom kept pestering me to write a Sherlock Holmes short story about the Baker Street Irregulars. I gifted this to her for Christmas this year. Snow pummels the high street, dampening the back of my tattered trousers, the hole in my left boot sticking to wet cobblestones. I slip on uneven ground, catch myself, and …
Last Halloween, I cracked open a book of Victorian vampire stories. I found it interesting how similar the lore was for each story, even though the setting and cultural backdrop was individualistic to the nation that created it. The German vampires, for example, were more predatory-with-a-purpose than the English vampires, inclined to surround a single …
Watching Anna Karenina (the 2000 miniseries) is always a mistake. I get caught up in over-thinking Anna’s husband and ponder nothing else for days. I could run in all directions with it, but I'll cut you a break and choose one. Nothing kills godliness more than religion. One is a transforming heart experience that brings …
