Posts

1984 should not be reduced to simply 'horror'

undoubtedly 1984 by george orwell is a frightening book. it details all the terrifying things which could be going on behind the scenes, under our noses, amongst the highest in our society. but, i would say, the novel cannot be categorised as 'horror' as one of its genre. the book is dystopia, that is the overarching genre and theme throughout, but horror and dystopia are not synonymous; yes, dystopia works best with aspects of horror and vice versa but 1984 as a warning (which is what it is) is not horror.  the final chapter of the book, detailing the torture of winston smith at the hands of the man he trusted most (his god and simultaneously his perfect partner) o'brien could certainly be categorised as horror out of its context, but no part of the book should be taken out of context; it was meticulously designed to remain as a cohesive body of work, and separating the moments from it is exactly why there is such a debate surrounding the modern-day equivalent of what orwe...

'The Prophet' (1923) and the importance of a Prologue and Epilogue.

  Kahlil Gibran's 'The Prophet' is by all means a poetry anthology and was Gibran's way of sharing the wisdom he believed to possess in a creative way, but without the prologue and epilogue of the book, that is all it is. The prologue contextualises the poems which follow; it is a description of the events which occur before Al Mustafa, the Prophet of Orphalese,  presents the people with his last teachings before he bids them farewell. in many ways, this prologue creates a real story out of the anthology, creating a grey area between standalone poetry and a novella with a clear plot.  The poetry itself is beautiful and ranges from the acceptance of death to how to do your taxes, none of the poems have a common denominator in content and they all have their very own, poignant, themes and if they were to be read eliminating the prologue and epilogue they are exactly as they seem - indications of how to live your life as god intended and maintaining an emotionally ...

Netflix's 'Wednesday' and the 21st Century Parody Archetype

Much like most 21st century classic ‘remakes,’ ‘Wednesday’ is full of weird occurrences, unexplainable happenings and corny magic. Though, to give credit where credit is due, the cinematography and the storyline of the show are gorgeously otherworldly. From the mind of Tim Burton, this Addams’ Family reboot does not do his other works any remote justice, to say Burton is in his “flop era” is undoubtedly fact. The show is not entirely distasteful, however. Jenna Ortega’s portrayal of Wednesday is one of the best cinemas has ever seen, she does a teenage Wednesday exactly as she would be in 2022, maintaining her classic apathetic charm and cold, blackened heart; however, the portrayal of family in this version of the Addams is slightly different comparatively to the timeline. Wednesday’s character obviously has a very similar relationship to her brother as previously depicted in the original 1938 comic, and her father is still as in love with his wife as ever and continues his role as a ...

The Philosophy of Serial Experiments Lain (1998)

The philosophy of Serial Experiments Lain Serial Experiments Lain, or “Lain” for short, is a series which focuses on Lain Iwakura, an adolescent middle school girl living in suburban Japan, and her introduction to the Wired, a global communications network which is similar to the Internet. In short, Lain’s first real introduction to the wired reality is when her and a plethora of her other classmates receive cryptic emails from a former student - who has seemingly “found God” by abandoning her physical body to reside spiritually in the wired. After this, Lain finds herself caught up in surreal events that see her delving deeper into the mystery of the network, in a narrative that explores themes of consciousness, perception, and the nature of reality. Written in 1998 by Chiaki Konaka and directed by RyĆ«taro Nakamura, who created a plot before its time, they project their own personal beliefs of idealism, existentialism, mental illness and religion onto both Lain as a character and the ...

first post!

hello everyone! welcome to my new blog.  i've started this blog as an outlet for my views, criticisms, and love, for some of my favourite media and experiences. i am currently working towards my a-levels and want to develop my critical voice outside of the normal curriculum, so if i go M.I.A you'll know where i am! first post will be soon so keep an eye out! thanks for visiting! ✍(◔◡◔)