I have been busy getting my curriculum ready for the class that I’ll be teaching this fall at my local college. Along the way, I decided to share some of that class online via social media, and I launched Looking at Lit, a free club for anyone who wants to learn more about literature. I…
The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury
In my opinion, EVERY writer should read Ray Bradbury and Mark Twain. Those two guys seem to have born few resemblances. They lived in different periods of time and they wrote differently, but these two guys were alike in that they are masters of words, and if a writer is not a master of words,…
The Veldt by Ray Bradbury
Back History Before You Read the Story The Veldt by Ray Bradbury. Bradbury will mention Rima in the story The Veldt. I had to do some research to understand who she was, Rima was an idealized girl of the jungle in GREEN MANSIONS: A Romance of the Tropical Forest by W. H. Hudson, published in…
Darkness Slipped In – Picture Book by Ella Burfoot
Image Credit Macmillan “Daisy was thinking of a game to play When Darkness slipped in at the end of the day. “He came in through the window and spread out on the floor. While Daisy danced and laughed and played then danced around some more. “Pretending that he wasn’t there, he slid along the wall….
Jacki Kellum Looks at the Book Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
Many of us write, but few of us create literature. Natalie Babbitt’s Tuck Everlasting is literature. She had created literature before Chapter 1 of the book, Within a few words, Babbitt writes volumes–in the Prologue. Within a few words, Tuck Everlasting had become more than a mere spattering of words. Natalie Babbitt said the following…
What’s Ahead – Upcoming Titles for Looking at Lit Online Book Club
In the above chart, you only see a smattering of the titles that we’ll enjoy together in the Looking at Lit Online Book Club. I hate to start any project with a disclaimer, but this book club is not just about books. It is about literature, music, art and philosophy, too. Books, stories, poems, and…
Dark versus Light – Night versus Day – Themes in Literature
“It was the possibility of darkness that made the day seem so bright.” ― Stephen King, Wolves of the Calla Night as a symbol is a huge driving force in literature, music, philosophy, and art: “Nighttime sharpens, heightens each sensation Darkness stirs and wakes imagination Silently the senses abandon the defenses Slowly, gently, night unfurls…
Nature as a Theme in Literature
Map of the 100 Acre Wood in Winnie the Pooh Nature is often called The Wood in British literature “Beyond the Wild Wood comes the Wild World,” said the Rat. “And that’s something that doesn’t matter, either to you or to me. I’ve never been there, and I’m never going, nor you either, if you’ve…
Seasons of the Year as Symbols and Themes in Literature
Many authors allude to the seasons in their writing: Spring is when the world is awakening from the darkness of winter. “It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.” ― Charles Dickens, Great Expectations…
Part of the Movie Tuck Everlasting Was Filmed in the Ozark Mountains
Hawk’s Bill Crag in the Ozark Mountains – A spot in the Ozark Mountains that is 38 miles from my house. Hawk’s Bill Crag is at Whitaker Point, and Whitaker Point is one of the most beautiful spots along the Buffalo River—America’s first national river. In fact, it has been called One of the Most…