#literary analysis skills

[joncronshawauthor]

Navigating the Depths: Fantasy Writing Lessons from 'Moby-Dick'

In the vast ocean of fantasy literature, where authors chart courses through realms of the extraordinary, classic literature can offer a guiding star. Herman Melville’s “Moby-Dick,” a seminal work renowned for its thematic complexity, rich symbolism, and profound character study, provides a treasure trove of insights for fantasy authors. Let’s embark on a voyage with Captain Ahab and the crew…

[goldensunset]

noooo don’t advocate to get rid of one of the main character’s two best friends who narratively and symbolically has always represented home safety and stability in contrast to the one associated with change and risk that ultimately form a nice narrative balance between the things that change and the things that don’t because both are important in life when growing up she’s so cute ahahaha

[ierotits]

"but I can't find any adult books I like :( it's too hard" go to a library. please. go to a library and walk up to a librarian and say "please help me find a book" librarians WANT to help you. give them a list of YA and kids books you like and there will be someone there who WANTS to go wandering the adult fiction section giving you suggestions. take the books home. try them. hate some of them. try another one. until you find something you like. make a librarians day and give them a book recommending task and you will find something you like. there are so many books out there stop reading the same kids series over and over again.

[princesskuragina]

What does "media literacy" actually mean to you people. From here on out you have to define exactly what you're talking about before you accuse anyone of poor media literacy

[clit-a-cola]

Over the Garden Wall is one of those shows where it's like "yeah the main demographic is kids but no you the adult with a job who pays taxes reading this should still check it out"

It's short, wonderful music, simple but good story, gorgeous art.

[firestorm09890]

Hell Screen

narrator: Yoshihide was an artist that everyone hated and who was an awful person, but his daughter was kind and sweet and everyone loved her so we all kinda tolerated her dad

Yoshihide: I would do anything for my daughter, Yuzuki. I can't paint something unless I've seen it with my eyes.

Yuzuki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filial_piety

Lord Horikawa: You've painted some nice art for me. I'll do literally any favor for you now.

Yoshihide: Can you release my daughter from your service

Lord Horikawa: no. fuck you

narrator: he wasn't in love with her or anything, he just felt bad that Yoshihide was her only family.

Lord Horikawa: Also I'm commissioning a massive scene of the Buddhist Hell, artist who can't paint something without having seen it

Yoshihide: ok

[various agonies of Yoshihide's apprentices]

[psychological agonies of Yoshihide also]

Yuzuki: [is seen growing unhappier and more stressed as the days go by]

narrator: people are saying Lord Horikawa's forcing himself upon her. this is false because he is too cool. this is Yoshihide's fault

[incident in which the narrator encounters Yuzuki fleeing from what was clearly assault]

narrator: yeah

Yoshihide: I'm almost done with the painting. I just need to see a maiden burn in a carriage so I can paint it

Lord Horikawa: okay [puts Yuzuki in a carriage and burns it]

narrator: stop saying it's because she didn't reciprocate his love it was clearly to punish Yoshihide for being so fucked up. I know this is true because Lord Horikawa said so

-- End --

[he13na]

When I was in college, there were actually critical thinking literary courses that were mandatory for an English degree. I guess they don't offer those anymore, because society seems to have abandoned any capability of critical thinking. Courses like that used to be a cornerstone of education, helping people learn to engage with literature and media on a deeper level, ask hard questions, and unpack complex themes. Critical thinking in literature isn’t just about analyzing a text; it’s about learning to see nuance, to interpret context, and to understand that stories are often full of layers, contradictions, and uncomfortable truths. Those courses taught people how to read, not just for plot but for meaning, intention, and emotional depth.

Sadly, it feels like there’s less emphasis on that kind of analysis these days. With so much information coming at us so quickly on social media, people seem more inclined to skim and react than to actually dig in and reflect. Instead of learning to interpret and engage thoughtfully, it’s as if we’re in a culture of snap judgments where something is either “good” or “bad,” “safe” or “dangerous.”

The loss of those critical thinking skills has led to a world where complex stories are simplified, controversial themes are sanitized, and characters’ motives are flattened out because there’s this fear of misinterpretation or offense. Without critical thinking, people often miss the richness of a story like Summer of My German Soldier, overlooking the layers of trauma, love, resilience, and humanity because they’re too focused on surface-level judgments.

And let’s be real—these courses weren’t just about reading books. They were about life skills, teaching people to think beyond binary perspectives, to ask why and how instead of just what. When we lose that, we lose the ability to appreciate the complicated, messy nature of being human. We start avoiding stories that challenge us, and that’s exactly what leads to a society uncomfortable with any portrayal of emotions or relationships that don’t fit into a neat, comfortable box.

So, yeah, it’s a shame. Critical thinking courses in literature were a gift. They encouraged people to sit with discomfort, to explore moral ambiguity, and to understand that art reflects the full spectrum of human experience—including the parts that aren’t easy to define. It’s exactly those skills that help us see stories for what they are: messy, meaningful, and, ultimately, true to life.

[silly-zai]

Does anyone else think atsushi like was smart enough to figure out that maybe Dazai hadn't treated Akutagawa the best because Atsushi isn't stupid (I need to reread bsd but yk gacha react vids always make atsushi look so surprised when maybe he's be a bit but like I'm sure he figured a bit of it out)

[fellowfights]

This is me suggesting small streamers to play Disco Elysium btw.

[adragonsfriend]

I think one of the reasons lit crit gets such a bad wrap is that in school kids are usually introduced to it long before they’re introduced to craft-based writing (especially craft-based creative writing). My first real creative writing classes wildly changed the way I thought about analysing other people’s writing.

“The curtains are blue probably cuz the author liked blue”

Cool maybe but have you ever thought about how the author chose to mention the curtains were a color in the first place when they could’ve said a texture or a fabric type instead? Or that there were curtains at all? Or that mentioning curtains implies the room has big windows? And what big windows implies about the general architecture of the larger building? And what the architecture of the building and the curtains vs blinds choice implies about the class and culture of the people in the room? Or the way access to dyes has affected people’s perceptions of colors in different periods of history and how readers in the authors time might’ve had perceptions you don’t?

Understanding authorial agency is the lynch pin in understanding why lit crit is the way it is, and it’s really hard to get that when you’re a kid who’s writing boring essays because adults tell you to, or even an adult whose main writing activity is work emails.

[agreyrose]

Good morning I love blocking annoying hetlors who pounce on my posts for absolutely no fucking reason. Bye!!! 😃😙✌🏼🌈

[harrycollins]

anyway what was your wildest da fandom interactions mine was a 'meta' writer linking their essay under my post and vaguing me because I said Cullen would be a bad choice of commander

[thepowerisyouth]

The news is grossly misinforming the public about an inherently flawed financial system.

We need to step back from any very very specific type of analysis and think of this as a centuries old problem

Wealth disparity

The "rentiers" (landlords, anyone who makes money lending out their assets and taking a fee for that lending) is inherently a supplier to the economy

Any person who is being forced to rent out assets from a rich rentier is, by nature, their demander

Demand sets the price first, so long as suppliers are slow to wake up to the reality of lack of demand in their world

Its the most basic economics in the world: wealth disparity must end unless they just kill us all and shoot off to space

When the PRICE to rent someones assets (no, not just the interest rates, but also renting a house or renting an underpaying job with the future promise of a better paying life) is too high that demand is faltering, and people are maxing out credit cards to afford bills-- we know it will all end soon.

[bpdloop]

(writing on a chalkboard)

i will not get mad at people calling odile the mom friend

i will not get mad at people calling odile the mom friend

i wi

[whatsupspaceman]

breaking bad quiz unintentionally the funniest collection of words and images i’ve ever seen

[dykeofmisfortune]

my friends all say i have therapist vibes when i sit down and give them advice chat should i change my major and become an evil psychiatrist