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Academic

Understanding Magical Realism

Let’s dive into magical realism, one of the most enchanting and genre-blurring movements in literature. You know that feeling when something surreal happens in a story, but everyone acts like it’s totally normal? That’s magical realism in a nutshell. It’s the blend of the mundane and the mystical, where the magical becomes part of everyday life without anyone batting an eye. What Is Magical Realism, Exactly? Magical realism emerged in the 20th century, largely from Latin American writers who sought to express the complex realities of their cultures, histories, and politics. It combines realistic settings and events with fantastical elements,…

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Books

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab

The Invisible Legacy: Memory, Magic Realism, and Erasure In this blog, I’m trying something a little different. Instead of a standard review, I diving deeper into the heart of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue to explore the big ideas beneath the surface. V.E. Schwab’s writing isn’t just beautifully crafted, it’s full of rich themes that deserve to be unpacked with the same seriousness we’d give to classic literature. From questions about memory and legacy to deeper issues of power and erasure, this novel has a lot in common with concepts found in critical theory. So, I’m taking a closer…

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Academic

Understanding Modernism: Books That Shaped a Literary Revolution

Alright, let’s talk about modernism—one of the boldest, most experimental, and mind-bending literary movements in history. If you’ve ever picked up a book and thought, “Wait, what did I just read?” chances are, you were deep in modernist territory. It’s the era that shattered traditional storytelling, embraced chaos, and gave us some of the most challenging (but rewarding) books out there. Modernism in literature, which roughly spanned from the late 19th century to the mid-20th century, was all about breaking the mould. Writers rejected the neat, linear storytelling of the past in favour of fragmented narratives, unreliable narrators, and experimental…

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Academic

Understanding Creative Non-Fiction

A note to aspiring writers. “It is a way of looking again and again at itself from all angles in order to see itself most fully.” – Bret Lott on creative nonfiction. An area of publishing that is getting increasingly popular is the field of creative non-fiction (also known as literary non-fiction). From the onset, however, the term itself sounds like an oxymoron. How can non-fiction be literature? Welcome, to the topic of today’s post.  Creative non-fiction (CNF) refers to a piece of writing that uses typical literary styles or techniques (such as figurative language, playing with tenses and/or narrative…

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Academic

Being A Student During Covid-19

5 actionable things you can do to be more productive. It’s said so often, but every now and then it really hits me just how incredibly unprecedented this whole year has really been for our generation. On top of a global pandemic, we are seeing every day the consequences of living in a world that does not and will not change to protect all its citizens. It’s enough to drive anyone into a hole. So how are you meant to keep going when your commitments and responsibilities require you to. My experience of working and being a student during Covid-19…

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Academic

How To: Essay Types

The intent of the essay is an important factor of every essay. If one is unsure of what kind of essay they are attempting to write, it is likely that the reader will be just as uncertain, which is exactly what you do not want. There are various types of essays and knowing what they are and what the generally aim of each are is the first to building a good foundation for a successful essay. It provides direction and gives an initial idea on how the ideas in your essay should be organised. At times, the type of essay…

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