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Anthropomorphism vs. Personification
Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human-like characteristics, feelings, and behaviours to non-human characters such as animals, Gods, and supernatural creatures. Anthropomorphism is a similar literary device to personification.
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Big Foot Courage The Cowardly Dog
In the “Big Foot” episode of Courage The Cowardly Dog we have a story which makes use of the legend of Big Foot. The great thing about the horror comedy genre is that writers not only have access to a treasure trove of metaphors and symbols — they also have access to urban legends and…
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Courage The Cowardly Dog: Doctor Le Quack
All of the Courage The Cowardly Dog episodes including Doctor Le Quack are set in a place called Nowhere. “Be quiet, Eustace,” says Muriel one morning, “you’ll wake the neighbours!” This setting is perfect for western spoofs. Many of the Courage stories are horror spoofs but in Dr Le Quack we have the cartoon, child-friendly version…
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The Shadow Of Courage, Courage The Cowardly Dog
At first I wondered if the title “The Shadow Of Courage” were a riff on The Red Badge Of Courage but no — apart from the grammatical structure and perhaps some of the themes (of bravery vs cowardice) this plot line borrows little from the classic American novel. Shadows who disentangle themselves from their bodies…
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Cajun Granny Stew Courage The Cowardly Dog
“Cajun Granny Stew” has influences from: STORY STRUCTURE OF CAJUN GRANNY STEW SHORTCOMING Courage is scared of birds. So how is going to possibly deal with a formidable opponent like a shady fox? Quite often in a comic story there is a main opponent and then there are lesser evils. The birds are actually harmless,…
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At The Katz Motel (Pilot) Courage The Cowardly Dog: A Night
“The Katz Motel” is the wonderful pilot episode of horror comedy for kids, Courage The Cowardly Dog. If you’re anything like me you can’t stand anything on the Cartoon Network for too long. A lot of those shows seem like ill-conceived, overly chatty, highly-polished but vapid productions designed to sell toys. Courage The Cowardly Dog…
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What Is Magical Realism? Is It Fabulism?
Magical realism is when the world is about 95% normal, but 5% magical/mystical and that magic is a totally natural part of the world.
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The Rule Of Three In Storytelling
The rule of three in storytelling has several uses. The first works like this:
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Genius Characters in Fiction
In stories it isn’t always the smartest or the strongest who become heroes — it is often the character who perseveres or works hardest. The villain is often smarter and stronger than the hero. What about really smart characters? Ironically in storytelling, the genius character is often the underdog. Their genius is also their shortcoming, or…
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In Medias Res (In The Middle Of Things)
Have you ever been told by a teacher, or by someone in your writing group, that your story must open with action, not description? If they’re being fancy about it, they might advise you to begin in medias res. But certain genres demand the establishment of a norm, e.g. The fish out of water story.…
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The Big Honey Hunt by Stanley and Janice Berenstain
The Big Honey Hunt by the Berenstains is an Odyssean mythic journey. Our hero (heroes, actually) leave the house to achieve a mission and encounter various opponents along the way. They come up against nature and end up back home, ending with an outcome that is neither wonderful nor terrible. Unlike the ‘straight’ myths, this…
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Boring Mrs Bun by Juliet Martin and David Johnstone (1986) Analysis
Boring Mrs Bun is a 1986 character sketch picture book by Juliet Martin and David Johnstone. What sort of story is Boring Mrs Bun? Almost every story in the world is structured like this. But #NotAllStories Rather, not all books we’d call stories. Not all picture books are stories. Some are abecederies. Others function simply…
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A Fish Out Of Water by Helen Palmer Analysis
The story of Helen Palmer is — from the outside, certainly — a sad one. Helen is ‘the woman behind the man’ in the Dr Seuss duo. It was Helen who encouraged her husband Theo to start writing picture books. When the marriage ended and Theo embarked upon a second relationship, Helen suicided. It would…
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The English Country Garden In Picture Books
The Secret Garden This is perhaps the most famous, and certainly the most analysed, of the English country gardens in children’s literature. Below is an illustration by the wonderful Inga Moore, also well-known for her illustrations of The Wind In The Willows. Though Inga Moore is a modern illustrator, her style has a classical style…
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Strat and Chatto by Jan Mark and David Hughes Analysis
Strat and Chatto is a picture book created by Jan Mark and David Hughes. Jan Mark was a British children’s book author who died about 10 years ago in 2006. She wrote for the picture book and chapter book age range. Her subject matter was mostly ordinary kids in ordinary settings. She also wrote plays…