Category: Critical Essay

The Influence of Scientific Theory on Victorian Era Society/Miranda Holloway

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The Victorian Era of the late 19th century marked a time of social change, in which advancements throughout multiple sectors of society allowed for reformation of historically stagnant concepts. With this attentiveness to forward progress, non-fiction and scientific literature characterized a challenge to some aspect of contemporary knowledge. Despite the goal of publishing solely objective Read More …

Bird Over Boy: A Queer Reading of “A White Heron”/Anton Maslowski

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Why does Sylvia save the bird from the hunter? This central question must be at the heart of any thorough examination of Sarah Orne Jewett’s 1886 short story, “A White Heron.” Much can be gleaned from the story when it is viewed through the life of the author — particularly through the devoted relationship Jewett Read More …

Queering the Other/Anton Maslowski

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Queering the Other: Assessing Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” as a Coming Out Narrative          Since its first publication in 1915, Franz Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” (“Die Verwandlung” in the original German) has been examined many times over by those on the margins of their society. Over the last 106 years, any person or group who, for whatever Read More …

Father, Lover, or Manipulator?: Examining David Copperfield’s Desires and the Role of James Steerforth /Anna VanSeveren

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1st Place, Critical Essay, 2021 Literary Awards In the search to understand identity and desire, same-sex relationships have become an important pillar of modern literature. Authors such as James Baldwin, Virginia Woolf, E.M. Forster, and Oscar Wilde have explored such relationships, whether subtly or openly. For example, Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room, first published in 1956, is Read More …

Constraints of Motherhood in Chopin’s The Awakening/Ieden Sheehan

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2nd Place, Critical Essay, 2021 Literary Awards Kate Chopin’s novel The Awakening highlights the confinement women face when they enter motherhood.  The main character, Edna Pontellier, recognizes she has responsibilities as a mother and wife but struggles with those expectations due to her own desire for independence and passion.  Edna sees two women live out Read More …