Lock and Key or My Very Own Literary Hypothesis

Every time I pick a book up I: examine the cover, read the title, flip through the pages paying attention to page numbers and font, turn it over in my hands, examine the back, read the short synopsis and then I… put it back on the dusty shelf or I wipe the dust off and open it. What instigates me to place the book back on the shelf? What prompts me to open it and dive in? I obviously have expectations that the book has either met or has not, but what are they? Honestly, I never thought about it before, probably because a lot of my book-picking happened under the hood, in the subconscious and never required much deliberate thought. There are, inside me, profile contours and bitting cuts that the book had to match for me to leave it in my hand. But what are they and where did they come from?

In Italy, in the last century BC lived a man, Horace. He wrote many things, but among the most famous was the Epistolas Ad Pisones De Ars Poetica or Epistles to the Pisos, The Art of Poetry. He was not the first man, nor the last to dwell on the abysmal world of poetry. Yet it was his words and his beliefs, that I realized, gave birth to my own. Horace said, “It is not enough for poems to be beautiful; they must be affecting, and must lead the heart of the hearer as they will.” This means that literature is not to only have aesthetical value, but it must be deeper and touch the most secret parts of a reader’s heart. However he also pointed out the importance of a lesson in literature, reaching back to Plato and setting trends for both Plotinus and Boccaccio. “The aim of the poet is to inform or delight, or to combine together, in what he says, both pleasure and applicability to life. In instructing, be brief in what you say in order that your readers may grasp it quickly and retain it faithfully. Superfluous words simply spill out when the mind is already full. Fiction invented in order to please should remain close to reality.” To summarize, Horace expands on his first assertion and claims that a poet’s goal is to teach or entertain, or better yet, do both.

When reflecting back on my choices of books and my responses and reactions to them, I noticed a pattern and how could I not. I hate dystopian novels, despise works with inconclusive conclusions and loathe those that leave me stunned, empty and dubious. So what do I want? What do I believe about literature and what drives my choices? Here it is plain and simple. There are different types of literature, those that teach, entertain or involve. There are and should be those that do all three and there must be those that do one at a time. To break it down even more, a book must bring to its reader a lesson, satisfaction or hope. The books that teach will present a lesson. And… this is where I hear the protests rise from within my readers, so I will elaborate. The lesson that is presented does not have to be prescriptive, or in other words include a bunch of do’s and don’ts. The author could as easily have hidden a descriptive lesson within his work and this would mean we are placed before the fact of how things are. In Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy I believe the lesson is not “Thou shalt not cheat on your husband, for thou will end up under a train”, because that is not the sort of author Tolstoy is. Rather he teaches us of what it is like to have lived in a society back then, especially for women, having to live by double standards and being judged by every single member of society. Tolstoy writes it in such a way that we, readers, begin to judge Anna. This is crafted deliberately to strike us closer to home and present to us the reality of society, injustice and human nature.

The books whose purpose it is to entertain will bring satisfaction, whether by the means of allowing us to delve into a character’s life and letting us to live it out alongside them for a while or whether it is by the means of building mystery and conflict that is resolved in the end by a clever detective or a couple counselling sessions.

The books that involve the reader will leave the reader with hope. Period. Whether it is Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment or Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina or Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet there is always an aspect of hope hidden within. Sometimes it is as simple as the readers hoping the protagonist or antagonist will get the resolutions they deserve. Sometimes the text works more like a mirror and fills us with hope for ourselves, our families, our worlds and our futures. And then there is Romeo and Juliet which seem to bring down the validness of at least a third of my literary theory, because many will argue that tragedy does not give them hope. Yet, try to remember what you felt while reading the play and what emotions filled when you read the last act. It certainly was not all clear, light and sunlit, yet the Capulets and Montagues made up, century feuds were resolved and new opportunities were before those that learned from the mistakes of others. I believe that despite the sad ending for the two main protagonists, if I may rephrase the words of one wise man, “Hope can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn to the light” (any guesses who said this?).

These three components: lesson, satisfaction and hope, will, admittedly, exist in different proportions in different texts and these proportions will deviate from those in other works based on the purpose the author places in his work. When a novel, or a poem, possesses one of these characteristics disproportionally or solely, I believe it still has a right to existence in the literary universe. I believe that detective novels, science fiction and Harry Potter have the right to be christened literature. Some will argue that these types of texts do not really involve the reader, while others will argue that these text are not education or just plain shallow. My response is this. Some texts are like medicine. If we are to explore this analogy we must agree that the components of a certain prescription are much more concentrated in the bottle you hold, than in other of its manifestations. It is because this prescription, much like Harry Potter has a definite purpose and the disproportional components are to contribute to that purpose. This purpose is as noble, as the next because one way or the other it does cure the reader (or patient) of something. However, we must remember that medicine is prescribed to people with certain conditions and while it is necessary at certain times, overdosing on it often causes as much, or even more harm, than not taking it at all.  Therefore, I must conclude that the most powerful work of literature will involve a lesson, entertainment and hope, yet those works that focus on only one aspect at a time are still necessary components of the literary spectrum.

Earlier this year I disclosed my delight with Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. I believe that I got so much contentment and joy while reading this book because it fit perfectly into my literary theory.

Firstly, as readers we witness Elizabeth’s journey from a proud and prejudiced girl to a humble and gracious woman. The lessons she learns are there to teach us and Elizabeth to act as our guide. 

Secondly, the country setting, the family dynamics and the time period plunge us into the story, while the ending concludes Elizabeth’s journey and our adventure. As readers we cannot stay impartial or aloof. We become Elizabeth’s companions on her trips and we are her entourage at every ball.

And lastly, observing the evolution of the main character and her relationships, witnessing the timeless values lived out and seeing everyone get the ending they deserve fills us, readers, with hope for ourselves, our lives and the society we live in. 

Having reached back to Plato, Horace, Plotinus and Boccaccio in class and in my free readings allowed me to recognize the building blocks of my worldview and comprehend the reasons for my partiality to fairytales. I now understand what prompts me to flip through pages and look for pictures, or read the last sentence of the novel before reading the first or thirst for mystery in the works of literature I expose myself to. It is because I need to be taught. I want to be entertained and my curiosity needs to be satisfied. I want to find a ray of sunshine in the literature I read that could illuminate to me my life and the lives of those around me. I yearn for hope. I strive to see the best in people, while seeing the world around me the way it is. I want to be involved in a conversation and put “my oar in”. I want to be a reader. I want to be a writer. I want to be a hoper and make others hope for the best too.  

“There is no good and evil, there is only power and those too weak to seek it.”

- Lord Voldemort, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Something like this could only be said by a person or character who was, is or is certain of being in power in the near future. For a belief such as this can only be based on thoughts and ponderings about oneself. If we were to reword Voldemort’s statement we would be presented with something like this, “There is no good and evil, there is only me and what I can do and you and what you can not do”. To continue the thought, something like this could be added by Voldemort, “You weren’t lucky, I was. I received the power. If you were in my place you would be doing the same thing, making the same decision. Because you aren’t, you are jealous of me and what I own and so call it evil”.

People can hold on to such a repulsive belief only if they maintain faith in the fact that they can walk away unpunished after committing heinous crimes. For you can do whatever you like if you don’t think you have to pay for it.

Someone who could be and often is compared to Voldemort is Hitler, although Hitler might be thought of as a banal example, he is a more realistic and personally relatable figure. Hitler had points in his life when he was in power, made decisions, but did not have to personally face the consequences. This is the core reason he could keep on going, not because he had faith in the fact that his deeds were bringing virtue and integrity into the world. He recognized that what he was doing was evil. His suicide denotes this statement. When he realized that he would not get away with the atrocities he had committed if he was not the victor, he decided to take his life, rather than face the consequences of his actions. His precise words were, “If you win, you need not have to explain...If you lose, you should not be there to explain!” People cannot believe evil things to be good, they can, however, believe that they can avoid punishment for the evil they do. When in this belief, they will no longer call evil by name, but no matter how hard they try, they will still see it for what it really is.

1. Something- pronoun

2. By- preposition

3. Or- conjunction

4. Being- verb

5. Future- noun

6. Good- noun

7. And- conjunction

8. Evil- noun

9. Not- adverb

10. The- adjective

11. Jealous- adjective

12. I- pronoun

13. People- noun

14. Hold- verb

15. Repulsive- adjective

16. Away- adverb

17. After- adverb

18. Heinous- adjectives

19. Although- conjunction

20. Banal- adjective

21. Personally- adverb

22. Consequences- noun

23. Because- conjunction

24. Suicide- noun

25. Denotes- verb

26. He- pronoun

27. Atrocities- noun

28. Precise- adjective

29. If- conjunction

30. Beleive- verb

31. Avoid- verb

32. In- preposition

33. They- pronoun

34. Hard- adverb

35. Is- verb

Semester Exam

I love reading and writing! So when I am in the process of designing a creative piece or constructing an essay, I am hoping that people will love reading my writing and I myself will deem it lovable.

In order for me to love my own writing, and any writing for that matter, it must include the following three points: It must be intriguing and captivating. It must be pertinent and applicable. And it must be lasting in the minds of the readers.  If these three points have been achieved by the writer I will probably fall in love with the piece I am reading and then there is a very good chance others will too.

When I wrote Black Dahlia these three goals were already in place.

To intrigue and captivate with my story I added realistic details and described them in vivid, rich and dramatic words. I wanted to paint with words and that is what I did, although the most memorable painting was done in the introduction. For this reason the intro is all about intrigue and tension. The first sentence “The night was too serene” grabs the attention of the reader and places certain expectations into his mind, because “too serene” hints at anything but a happy resolution. The description of the silk breeze as it shattered against two dark figures was purposely built on a contrast to heighten the tension, raise the stakes and entice the reader to explore the story deeper. At the end of the introduction so much suspense is built up and the reader is sucked in so deep that withdrawal from the world he has entered will be painful and unsatisfying.

To make my writing pertinent to my readers and to myself, I lined my story with an important truth that applies to everyone. The idea of leaving important decisions off for tomorrow, when your tomorrow is not guaranteed to you is the backbone of Black Dahlia. The idea and my presentation of it, in a real life situation, confront the readers, help them to see themselves from the side and provide them with an opportunity, before it is too late, to change. To make my point clear I used the pastor, as the voice of wisdom, to plainly and simply state vital truths. For example, “You are given today to prepare for tomorrow” and “your tomorrow is not promised to you by anyone”, as well as “the greatest tragedy in life is that we realize things very late in our life and by the time we realize them, it’s too late.”

To make Black Dahlia enduring in people’s minds a combination of things was necessary, captivating language, pertinent ideas, but also a twist, an unexpected climax and leaving the reader with no definite answer. My short, one word sentences aided me in concluding the story without providing a recipe for a long and happy life, challenging the reader to fill in the blanks and write their own recipe.

In Black Dahlia I present an issue of hoping for tomorrow and question the people that turn away opportunities of change, but my trust in the readers, that they will find their own answers for life’s question without me spoon-feeding them, is what welcomes readers into exploring the proposition at hand. I hope that now you also feel trusted and lured into reading more of my writing.  

Poker Face

In Russia we have a saying, “The greeting you receive depends on your clothes, the farewell you get depends on your intellect.” Although the main point is that your intellect is more important than your looks, I think another point lurks deeper. First and surface impressions are often inaccurate, as it takes time and effort to really fathom another person; this is the idea presented here.

Psychological research and experiments don by Princeton psychologists Janine Willis and Alexander Todorov showed that people form a first impression by looking at a stranger’s face in a tenth of a second. This means that in the time it takes us to blink, our brain manages to interpret the face in front of us and come to a conclusion that stays engraved in our mind. Poker face or not, we judge, conclude and act accordingly. Does this prove to be a human super power and lift us up or, on the contrary, the human downfall that drives us over the edge? Whatever you might have been told, a person’s outward appearance is where we get our first, fleeting, but lasting impression. In Crime and Punishment the build, face, clothes and the way characters carry themselves are described in vivid detail. This helps us, as readers, almost visualize a persona we have never seen. Fyodor Dostoevsky uses the outfits, jewelry and hairstyles of his characters to make readers subconsciously form assumptions and conclusions before we actually “meet” the character. He then, as the book progresses, either proves us and your conculsions wrong or right. On the part of Dostoevsky, it is a demonstration of the menace that lies within quick and shallow judgment.

The dangers of hasty judgment in Crime and Punishment are exposed using two polar-opposite characters, Luzhin and Sonya. First off, Luzhin. Respectable, educated and creditable, although somewhat cocky, that is how we see him in the letter Raskolnikov receives from his mother. He is presented pretty much in the same light, when we get to meet him “face to face” in Raskolnikov’s apartment. However, as the story line progresses and circumstances change, his true colors seep out. When we finally see Luzhin for who he is, without all the adornment and garnish that disguised him originally, then we have the right to form and express an opinion concerning him and in turn expect it to hold up under examination. Some would say, “Over the course of the novel Luzhin becomes despicable”. Consider this. He does not become despicable when we realize he is so, but he has been despicable all this time. We were just a bit enchanted or deceived by our first impression of Luzhin.

On the other side of the spectrum we have Sonya. She is living contradiction of Saadi’s words, “Whatever makes an impression on the heart seems lovely in the eye”. Our first encounter with her happens even before we meet her, in the tavern, when Marmeladov describes her to Raskolnikov. She is portrayed by him (in his drunken monologue) as “unfortunate”, a victim of “ill-meaning persons”, and the savior of her family. But we cannot easily take his word on the matter. We have to see her for ourselves, give her a once-over to from our opinion of the girl. When we do meet her “face to face” she is obscene and “adorned in street fashion with a clearly and shamefully explicit purpose” (page 183). The “thin, pale, and frightened little face, mouth open and eyes fixed in terror” (page 183) raises a wave of compassion in us, although this in no way excuses her suggestive appearance. As time goes by, we get our second and third “face to face” encounters with Sonya. During yet another encounter she reads the story of Lazarus to Raskolnikov, and we see an unexpected and unconventional hallo form over her head. Although she is the same person she was before, we finally get to see the real Sonya. We no longer have to go on her looks alone, but get to see her heart and the love that inhabits it. As a result, our opinion on Sonya’s total disgrace and corruption, which formed solely on looks, is transformed and refined. It becomes more accurate, for it is now based not on her shell alone, but on the pearl that lies within.

In conclusion, perhaps you have heard, “Dress to impress”, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression”, or even “The first impression is the truth, and all that follows is merely the excuse of memory”. However, relying on first impressions and sticking to them no matter what, is like judging a book by its cover alone and then never giving it a second glance, thought, or chance to change your life. 

Dress to impress?

A person’s attire and physique is where we get our first, fleeting, but lasting impression. The outward appearances of Crime and Punishment characters in the descriptions are detailed and rather exhaustive. This helps us almost visualize a persona we have never seen. I think Dostoevsky uses the wardrobe, jewelry and hairstyle of his characters to make readers maybe involuntarily, but all the same, make assumptions and conclusions before they actually “meet” the character. He then, as the book progresses, either proves those wrong or right. I think this is done in order to demonstrate the menace of quick and shallow judgment. Characters like Luzhin seem respectable at first glance, but through the novel become despicable. And although the first presentation of Sonya is obscene and “adorned in street fashion with a clearly and shamefully explicit purpose” (page 183), with time we see an unexpected and unconventional hallo form over her.

Yellow- Sun or Sickness?

The color yellow can symbolize many different phenomena. It can symbolize sunshine and happiness, or disease and decay. The way we interpret the color’s meaning depends on the context in which it is being presented. Pages in books acquire a yellow tint with time. Over the years teeth turn yellow. In the cases above and in the context of Crime and Punishment yellow is a color of sickness, decay and degeneration, symptom of entropy. Yellow wall paper is part of the setting in Sonya’s and Raskolnikov’s rooms. Both these are where vile and sickening sins are committed, where prostitution and contemplation of murder take place. The yellow wall paper is noticed by them, and even studied in Raskolnikov’s apartment, but although it needs repair, nobody ever takes the time to fix it. Dostoyevski uses yellow wallpaper to symbolize an unhealthy and corrupt environment that contaminates the minds of its inhabitants. 

St.Pete

The city of Saint Petersburg is an important main character throughout Crime and Punishment. It not only provides the setting and sets the mood for the novel, but it also is a comprehensibly everyday symbol of Raskolnikov’s state of mind. Saint Petersburg, as we read, is rarely portrayed as a pleasant and healthy city to live in, rather as hot, musty, sickening, dirty, crowded, full of different scum and egoistic people. In a way it symbolizes Raskolnikov’s mental stability, we can see this when he gets lost in the city or forgets which streets he takes to make to one of his destinations. I think it is meant to show that he doesn’t understand or remember how he arrived at his conclusions about life and to show that his head, his mind is not a pleasant thing to live with, but rather life with it is pain and a punishment.