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Thanks for the Ride by Alice Munro Short Story Analysis
“Thanks For The Ride” is a short story by Canadian author Alice Munro. Find it in Dance of the Happy Shades (1968). “Ride” has two meanings in this one. Yes, those two meanings.
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The Peace of Utrecht by Alice Munro Short Story Analysis
**UPDATE LATE 2024** After Alice Munro died, we learned about the real ‘open secrets’ (not so open to those of us not in the loop) which dominated the author’s life. We must now find a way to live with the reality that Munro’s work reads very differently after knowing certain decisions she made when faced…
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The Brain In The Jar by Hammerstrom and Searight Short Story Analysis
“The Brain In The Jar” is a short story by Norman Elwood Hammerstrom (c. 1900-1970) and R.F. Searight (c. 1902-1975).
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Images by Alice Munro Short Story Analysis
**UPDATE LATE 2024** After Alice Munro died, we learned about the real ‘open secrets’ (not so open to those of us not in the loop) which dominated the author’s life. We must now find a way to live with the reality that Munro’s work reads very differently after knowing certain decisions she made when faced…
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The Empathy Gap and Authorial Intent
As much as possible, I try to avoid talking about what the author intends by doing such-and-such in a work of literature. Today I’d like to clarify why I personally think this is not a helpful way to approach a text. I’m hardly the first to criticise this approach, though I suspect some of my…
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The Red Shoes by Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tale Analysis
“The Red Shoes” (1845) is a — let’s face it — horrific literary fairytale by Hans Christian Andersen (1805 – 1875), built on a tradition of stories in which a female character is punished (by her ostentatious, sexually charged shoes) for her social deviation.
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A Trip to the Coast by Alice Munro Short Story Analysis
**UPDATE LATE 2024** After Alice Munro died, we learned about the real ‘open secrets’ (not so open to those of us not in the loop) which dominated the author’s life. We must now find a way to live with the reality that Munro’s work reads very differently after knowing certain decisions she made when faced…
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The Difference Between Art Nouveau and Art Deco
Although ‘nouveau’ means ‘new’, Art Deco came afterwards. Art Deco and Art Nouveau are two major art movements of the 20th century.
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The Time of Death by Alice Munro Short Story Analysis
“The Time of Death” is a short story by Canadian author Alice Munro, included in the 1968 collection Dance of the Happy Shades.
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Highly Stylised Trees With Stable Diffusion
In art and illustration, artists can often be identified by their trees. Trees can be as individual as people. You know a Dr Seuss tree when you see it, right?
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Urban Legend Study: Vicks Vaporub For Everything
Certain products attract urban legends: Vicks Vaporub, WD-40, “miracle polish”… We love products which ostensibly achieve multiple tasks.
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Sunday Afternoon by Alice Munro Short Story Analysis
“Sunday Afternoon” is a short story by Alice Munro, included in the 1968 Dance of the Happy Shades collection.
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Make a Parody 1980s Babysitters Club Book Cover With Stable Diffusion
What to do with all those images you’ve been creating with Stable Diffusion? Are you a child of the 80s and 90s? Let’s make some spoof paperback book covers! In this post I recreate paperback templates from my own childhood favourites and upload them here for you to use at your own leisure. I’m using…
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Words from the Hit TV Show Succession
The writers of HBO’s TV series Succession do a great job of depicting a privileged, smart and well-travelled family, each despicable in their own way. Since the Roy family wealth comes from a media empire, main characters all have an excellent command of English (and sometimes other languages). Not only that, but each the dialogue…
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Walker Brothers Cowboy by Alice Munro Short Story Analysis
“Walker Brothers Cowboy” is the first short story in Alice Munro’s first short story collection, Dance of the Happy Shades, published in 1968.