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In the introduction to her novel Dissecting Stephen King: From the Gothic to Literary Naturalism, author Heidi Strengell discusses the various influences on Stephen King's writing style and how these influences manifest themselves in his novels. According to Strengell, Puritanism, Gothicism, naturalism, and personal experiences are the primary recurring influences present in King's writing. Each manifests itself in a different manner, yet they are often inextricably linked to one another in one form or another. Strengell's first focus is on the religious undertones of King's writing, which she attributes to both King's personal religious views as well as the Puritanical religious frenzy that resonates in early American history, particularly during the era of the Salem witch trials. Characters such as Sylvia Pittson from The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger serve as physical manifestations of King's views on religion in his writing, for it is a recurring trend in King's novels to include a character overcome with some form of religious frenzy. King's past experiences growing up as a member of a lower middle class family also play a key role in his writing; indeed, another character stereotypical of a King novel is the "common man," a seemingly ordinary character plunged into a situation beyond the bounds of his daily existence. This stereotype ties in with one of King's prominent world views, the notion of free will versus fate. Along with the notion that there are inherently good and evil forces in the world, this is perhaps the most recurring element in King's writing, appearing in both his individual novels, such as The Dark Half, as well as his book series, such as The Dark Tower. Over the course of her introduction, Strengell references various historical and philosophical ideas in order to provide background to the influences which she attributes to King. This background information is provided at the beginning of each section, thus placi

Arugement: Fitzgerald embodys beauty, sex, and aristocracy throughout the novel and portrays how they are linked aswell as how they are contradicting towards one another--order, responsibility, and purposefulness. Claim: Fitzgerald's dominating purpose for this book, as for all his books, illustrates "unity and force," and this book is considered as a traditional bildungsroman:a novel about the moral and psychological growth of the main character. Amory being the target character for this. Evidence: "But the bar is strong enough to hold them and emerges intact because Fitzgerald does use those things with a "mentality back of them." Amory metamorphosis into the spiritually unmarried man should come as no surprise: from his first instictive attempts to get something definite to his explicit commitment to the struggle to guide and control his life, that is where he is heading."

Literary analyst Sumangali Morhall argues that author Eiji Yoshikawa humanizes the man Miyamoto Musashi rather than the ledgend, Musashi. In her analysis, she states, "This is ostensibly a book of swordsmanship, and includes its share of martial combat, but that element is neither gratuitous nor glamourised - it serves to support rather than blemish the story's purpose" (Morhall). Overall, Morhall delivers her argument in a descriptive manner, elaborating on the logos of the novel along with her personal opinion and perception of the novel. Her evidence is fluid and does not contradict itself whatsoever. Morhall originally states that Yoshikawa turns the legend of Musashi into the man, Musashi, and continues to support her statement while describing the accomplishments of Yoshikawa, both poetically and historically. The information provided is nothing out of the ordinary from what the majority of critical analysts agree over Yoshikawa's writings. Yoshikawa is praised for his historical accuracy on martial arts and culture included in Musashi. Morhall concludes her article praising Yoshikawa, but also explaining that the reader will get more "gracefulness" than "grisly." This statement would be hard to argue with seeing that Yoshikawa does somewhat glamorize the life of a swordsman, not necessarily in unrealistic terms, but in how Yoshikawa chooses to craft his syntax in his story as seen in this passage from the chapter entitled Art of War: "While he felt pity for this obstinate tenacity characteristic of orphans, he was aware of a void deep within their stubborn hearts. They seemed to him doomed to yearn desperately for that which they could not have, for the parental love with which they were never blessed" (Yoshikawa, 63). The only implicit bias that may be discovered within this analysis would be that Morhall does not indicate any faults present within Yoshikawa's Musashi. Morhall even goes as far to say that Yoshikawa is a "master," whi

Argument: Khaled Hosseini gives a face to the Afghan people in The Kite Runner. It humanizes the culture and gives outsiders to the culture a little insight to the fact that we may not be that different from each other after all. The novel offers the theme of personal redemption that many have dealt. Literary critics have seen this book as being an allegory but Jefferess takes this a step farther by pointing out how this novel is really a political allegory that uses a humans shot at redemption in comparison to that of the country Afghanistan's chance to fix itself. Evidence: "Hence the novel "humanizes" Afghan culture, providing depth and meaning to the sign "Afghanistan" for the non-Afghan reader, otherwise a mere signifier of post-9/11 conflict" (Jefferess). "While Amir's quest for personal redemption may be read as an allegory of Afghanistan's national project of healing, I read the novel as a political allegory that reflects the way in which the "third world", marked by its difference from the "West", becomes a site to be transformed through the project of nation-building" (Jefferess). "This project is presented in the West as an ethical demand that is paradoxically conceived of as both a humanitarian project and a disciplinary one; to be recognized as human, Afghanistan must conform to particular western expectations of democracy, liberalism, and multiculturalism. While the novel's reception reflects an openness to, and a desire for, understanding the Other, it also reflects the limits of acceptable difference"(Jefferess) Thoughts: The view that Jefferess took on The Kite Runner is extremely interesting. Not many have seen the novel as merely an ethical allegory, but he argues this point well. The fact that since the US has entered the war in Afghanistan, many people view that the end of the war will be when Afghanistan becomes a democracy and adopts western ideals, but what isn't always understood is that with change, comes

C. L. Chua analyzes A Thousand Splendid Suns in an attempt to find out if it was as much of a success as The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini's first novel. The different literary devices that Hosseini used are mentioned to perhaps give validity to the various arguments Chua makes. A shortfall of the critique is that perhaps not enough emphasis was actually placed on an argument; a majority of the essay was a very well written summary of the novel with only a light touch at the very beginning and end of the essay on the actual argument. "He [Hosseini] felt impelled to tell an Afghan story different from The Kite Runner's. That book had been about men-fathers and sons, male friendship, male treachery. Hosseini now felt drawn to tell a contemporaneous story about Afghanistan's women." Chua uses a clear and logical argument to assert his opinion that Hosseini really delved into the life of an Afghanistan woman in the current times. The critique remains coherent but I wish it was more focused and consistent in the argument. It would have been overall better if Chua has also given more of their insight of this novel. I'm not sure if the author of this article is male or female but depending on their gender, it could create a bias. Another bias that may exist is that the author of this critique really enjoy Hosseini's first novel The Kite Runner so they may be more inclined to say that his second novel was just as good since they are already a fan. "Hosseini's two women are strategic contrasts physically, socially, and psychologically. Socially, Mariam is from the rural lower class; Laila, the urban middle class. Psychologically, Mariam is accustomed to humiliation; Laila, to consideration. Physically, Mariam's features are "unshapely," "flat," "unmemorable," "coarse," while Laila is a green-eyed blond beauty." The stark differences that Chua notes about Hosseini's protagonists help to understand a main theme of the novel which could

Argument: Bernard Cornwell uses a common character transformation in all of his historical novels that is easily recognizable throughout. This common change in the emotional, physical and mental aspects of the characters shapes Cornwell's plots and story. Evidence: * "The plot summary I gave above will be instantly recognizable to anyone familiar with Cornwell's previous work. A young male outsider of straightforward character, a series of significant battles, a love interest, a nemesis within his own camp, a gradual rise based on merit rather than influence" * "Whilst rescuing Hook from his own era in this way, Cornwell is forced to make rather simplistic moral distinctions in the novel" * "The assured construction of the scenes can become a little routine at times: when a paragraph describing a fight ends with a sword scything towards the head of a favored character, and the narrative cuts away to deal with other events, it eventually stops being a surprise that, when the narrative returns, the blow is avoided by some unusual means and the fight continues. It does keep the action going, but a device like this is subject to the law of diminishing returns." Analysis: Cornwell's continuous use of the same dynamic attributes in his characters is a defining aspect of his novels. The reader can easily notice this method in any of his books. This is partially due to Cornwell's actual life and also to the life of many people in our era.

Bernard Cornwell is commonly revered for his outstanding ability to capture the true essence of the time periods in which his novels take place. Boston Globe Correspondent Michael Kenney proves this to the letter. "It is Cornwell's singular accomplishment in "The Last Kingdom" to have brought forward with a solid context and constant vitality those times and conflicts." Throughout all of Cornwell's novels, Cornwell has accomplished fantastic historical accuracy while still capturing the reader's attention. Kenney continuously praises Cornwell for this amazing trait. In "The Last Kingdom", Cornwell takes on a very complex time period with very little historical documentation. The 9th century was a time full of war and savagery. What better author to tackle this era? Kenney believes Cornwell has achieved success in this monumental feat. "But the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of late ninth-century England and their fight against Danish invasions are unfamiliar, specialist territory." Bernard Cornwell is the perfect "Specialist" to conquer this unfamiliar territory and conquer it he did.

Argument: The critic argues that The Hundred Secret Senses was a book that left her thinking about if what we as humans always see can be perceived as real, or just our imagination. She also asked which part of the world would be best to actually live your life. Evidence: "In this novel, two sisters, (the father's sisters), are responsible for calling into question both the world of reality, like fantasy" (unknown). "And after reading the book. I wonder: Which of the two sets is most appropriate for us to settle not only survive but try to live?" (unknown). Thoughts: This critic seems to have thoroughly enjoyed this book just because it caused her to actually think. This critic gave such high praise of this book, and after reading The Hundred Secret Senses i have to agree.

TIME Magazine's "Books: The Strength of One" draws similarities between Kesey's McMurphy from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Hank Stamper from Sometimes a Great Notion. Both characters possess strength not often seen in one person and characteristics that could categorize them as antiheros. They are rough and tough and seek to stand up against what the feel is wrong and will use force to do so. This article presents the theme of Sometimes a Great Notion to be "the weakness of the strong and the persistent tensility of the weak". The townspeople within the novel can't stand to see Stamper win in the final "battle", but they are confused when he begins to lose. Kesey understands that intolerable as a good man may be to men, his defeat is even more so. This is the major paradox presented within the novel and explains the prominence of strength captured in both books. This article presents strong ideas that are tied in with the plot very well, however the author did not include quotes, which would have provided more support for the conclusions. The connections to the author included in the article suggest that the author has thorough knowledge into Kesey's background and his motives for writing each novel. It was almost as if the author was in Kesey's mind while writing this piece. The author drew parallels between Kesey's works and Greek mythology that posed interesting thoughts for the reader. Overall, Ken Kesey's ideas are transferred well in this article and are analyzed with a fresh outlook.

Argument: Animal Farm is a modern satire. Claim: -The novel satires Russia's perversion of socialism -The animal's revolt is a symbol for any modern revolution -Any revolution is ultimately self-defeating Evidence: -"The use of multiple historical references gives a universal quality to this work." -"The rise of a ruling class of intellectual workers, the development of a leader figure, the use of scapegoats, and, above all, the rewriting of history and the misuse of language for party purposes, all figure in this satire" http://search.ebscohost.com.lib.chandleraz.gov/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lfh&AN=MOL0089900020&site=lrc-live

Argument: Thomas Hardy often wrote novels set in locations familiar to himself, allowing him to know their true culture and thus write more true, compelling, profound plots. Claim: Thomas Hardy based the locations in his novels off real locations. He channeled the reputations of the real cities in order to write his novels. The locations not only correspond with real places, but with distinct portions of the plot. Evidence: "Hardy freely constructs a partly real and partly fictional locale to accommodate a series of 'local' novels." "This village [Marygreen] is based on Great Fawley, Berkshire, where some of Hardy's ancestors are buried and where his grandmother lived." "This town [Christminster] is modeled on Oxford with its many colleges and exclusive intellectual atmosphere." "Christminster represents a typical university institution." "Village [Shaston] modeled after Shaftesbury in Dorset that Hardy uses as the backdrop for Jude and Sue's troubled reunion." http://search.ebscohost.com.lib.chandleraz.gov/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lfh&AN=MOL0300100593&site=lrc-live

Argument: Although the subject of Steinbeck's novels change overtime, he maintains a view of certain fundamental values and attitudes such as naturalism and romanticism. Claim: Steinbeck's obsessiveness with science/biology as well as the relationship between man and his environment appear throughout his novels. However, he often strays from science and writes off an emotional bias by writing fondly of those that live natural lives and behave naturally. Evidence: In "Sea of Cortez", he states "There would seem to be only one commandment for living things: Survive!" (Sea of Cortez). A majority of this book is about a group of boys who focus on what is occurring during the present time and handle issues with their reactions instead of with 'teleological thinking' (2). In addition, he touches on the subject of the scientific viewpoint that everyone is fighting to stay alive and make it in this world. http://go.galegroup.com.lib.chandleraz.gov/ps/retrieve.do?sgHitCountType=None&sort=RELEVANCE&inPS=true&prodId=LitRC&userGroupName=chandler_main&tabID=T001&searchId=R1&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&contentSegment=&searchType=BasicSearchForm&currentPosition=1&contentSet=GALE%7CH1420074523&&docId=GALE|H1420074523&docType=GALE&role=LitRC

argument: Orwell's Burma experience heightened his suspicions of social inequities and his sympathy for oppressed peoples. On his return to England in 1927 he aggressively transferred this suspicion and sympathy to the British class structure. Claim: In 1936 Orwell wrote that his desire to "submerge myself, get right down among the oppressed" reflected the " bad conscience" he had acquired from the Burma experience. Evidence: where the narrator is employed as a dishwasher. Here Orwell reverted to a favorite strategy: illustrating through analogy so that British readers might apprehend a lesson about class structure.

In her analysis of Henrik Ibsen, Martha Fletcher Bellinger analyses Ibsen's writing style and how his personality and opinions influenced his writings. Bellinger says that Ibsen believed "honesty in facing facts is the first requisite of a decent life". I believe that this one idea influences all of Ibsen's writings because they are all attacks on problems in society, such as sexism and corruption. Bellinger says that Ibsen thought, "Society has humbugs, hypocrisies, and obscure diseases which must be revealed before they can be cured." According to her Ibsen believed that in order for the society to fix its problems they first must be brought to life, this was done through Ibsen's writing. Bellinger also argues the purposes of Ibsen's plays themselves and she states that Enemy of the People is discussing the "struggle between hypocrisy and greed on one side, and the ideal of personal honor on the other" because of this I think that the idea of corruption and hypocrisy could be a good topic to write about being that the entire play revolves around the idea that people are out for their own gains and interests. The idea that Ibsen wrote in order to bring issues in society into the light must mean that all of his books are written for the purpose of bettering society, at least in his eyes. Overall Bellinger appears to have written this analysis of Ibsen in order to explain why Ibsen writes his plays and gives examples by explaining the purposes or themes of his most important plays.

Argument: A biography on Hemingway and critical essay stating that Ernest Hemingway's works and novels portray information almost identical to his real life. Explains how both The Sun Also Rises and A Farewell to Arms are both books in which Hemingway's personal life has become involved. Argues that the events that happen in his books correspond with Hemingway's private life. Evidence: "The Sun Also Rises, a novel based on his years in Paris and Spain after the war…" (Nagel). "He became confused, suspicious, and aggressively suicidal; he agonized that he could not write….and committed suicide" (Nagel). "In each single paragraph Hemingway presented the details and events that communicated what it was like to be part of a civilian retreat in war, to shoot German soldiers coming over a wall, or to observe the execution of political prisoners by a firing squad" (Nagel). "The novel is narrated…by Jake Barnes, an American correspondent in Paris who was severely wounded in the war and has been left impotent" (Nagel). "The serious underside of this life is revealed largely through Jake's psychological turmoil, a vestige of the trauma of the war, that at times nearly incapacitates him….he is emotionally unstable…(Nagel). "…touching on all the serious themes:…expatriation…,love, and the aftermath of the war"(Nagel). "for nearly all of Jake's friends in Paris are seeking desperately for some unattainable happiness or fulfillment" (Nagel). "The novel ends where it began….none of the major problems have been resolved, none of the characters have achieved any sort of lasting fulfillment" (Nagel). Thoughts: James Nagel provides the reader with a biography and background information on Ernest Hemingway, including a summary and analysis on Hemingway's novels so that the reader can understand the correlation between Hemingway and his books. I believe that Nagel gives ample information on Hemingway so that the reader can make the

Literary Critique # 4 Answer these questions, or simplify: 1. What is the argument? 2. What is the evidence? 3. What are your thoughts on this? 4. What are some quotes you would want to use as support or to argue against in your paper? 1.This is a source written by James Nagel provides a biography of Ernest Hemingway and a critical essay of many of his novels including A Farewell to Arms. Nagel offers background information on Hemingway and later talks about A Farewell to Arms to make connections between Hemingway's life and the novel. The essay implies that Hemingway portrays much of his life through the protagonists in his novel. 2.-"Pauline Hemingway, small of stature, gave birth to a son, Patrick, by a traumatic cesarean section" (Nagel 4). -The incident of Patrick's birth Hemingway recreated, with a tragic conclusion, in A Farewell to Arms" (Nagel 4). -"[A Farewell to Arms] treated the experiences of Frederic Henry on the Italian front in the First World War and his eventual desertion to Switzerland with Catherine Barkley, only to have Catherine die in childbirth" (Nagel 4). -"A lifetime of dangerous physical adventure had taken its toll in numerous injuries…" (Nagel 4). -"He became confused, suspicious, and aggressively suicidal…" (Nagel 4). -"In each single paragraph Hemingway presented the details and events that communicated what it was like to be part of a civilian retreat in war, to shoot German soldiers coming over a wall, or to observe the execution of political prisoners by a firing squad" (Nagel 4). 3.This article verifies that Hemingway composed many novels based off his real life experiences. When he writes about the war, getting wounded, falling in love with a nurse, and experiencing a traumatic ending with his loved one in A Farewell to Arms, he is practically retelling his story with different characters. He makes few minor detail switches and main story doesn't change. The reader has th

3...opportunity to hear Ernest Hemingway's deep feelings and true thoughts coming through in his A Farwell to Arms. Hemingway unmistakably portrays himself in the novel as the protagonist, Frederic Henry, and depicts his loved one as Catherine Barkley. In real life, his loved one was Pauline Pffeifer-Hemingway. It is apparent that Pauline portrays Catherine Barkley, as both the real person and fictional character experienced similar, if not same events such as the Cesarean section that both went through in childbirth. 4.-"My legs in the dirty bandages, stuck straight out in the bed. I was careful not to move them. I was thirsty and I reached for the bell and pushed the button. I heard the door open and looked and it was a nurse. She looked young and pretty" (Hemingway, "A Farewell to Arms" 84). -"Yes, even in the ambulance business….ambulance drivers were killed sometimes" (Hemingway, "A Farewell to Arms" 37). -"I went out the door and suddenly I felt lonely and empty. I had treated seeing Catherine very lightly, I had gotten somewhat drunk and had nearly forgotten to come but when I could not see her there I was feeling lonely and hollow" (Hemingway, "A Farewell to Arms" 41). Works Cited Hemingway, Ernest. A Farewell to Arms. New York: Scribner, 2003. Print. Nagel, James. "Ernest Hemingway." American Novelists, 1910-1945. Ed. James J. Martine. Detroit: Gale Research, 1981. Dictionary of Literary Biography Vol. 9. Literature Resource Center. Web. 16 Jan. 2011. .

Coupland throws these teens into his own life growing up, it was his home town and his mood. This talks of Karen's coma starting through a misunderstanding, thinking she is just passed out from starvation and over indulging in alcohol. Coupland wrote "beyond the edge of the known world" in this novel about post apocalyptic world in Canada.

In her criticism Johnson argues that Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote the House of Seven Gables because of his own ancestry and guilt he felt for his ancestor's involvement in the Salem Witch Trials. She claims the book is Hawthorne's personal form of vengeance against his ancestor and his actions. The author's organization is clear and focused and very effective. In order to support her perspective, Johnson provides quotes from the text and facts about Nathaniel Hawthorne's background and beliefs. Her argument is strong and makes a great case. She concludes that although Hawthorne claims "vengeance against Salem is the farthest thing from his mind," this is in fact the case and romantic language is used to distract the reader from this truth. She uses his hate for his ancestor, evident by his legal name change to break the association, the similarities between his judge ancestor and a character in his novel and his detest for Salem in other works to prove evidence. She also concludes that there are parallels between Hawthorne's House of Seven Gables and his own family guilt.