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The Harlot’s Progress Archetypal Story
‘The Wise Virgins’ published 1864 by Sir John Everett Millais
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Symbolism of the Veil
A veil symbolises a separation. The separation might be: Veils are typically made from diaphanous material. At first glance the nature of the separation appears flimsy. Importantly, the separation is two-directional. ‘To believe in [a ghost] is to believe not only have the dead the power to make themselves visible after there is nothing left…
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Taking The Veil by Katherine Mansfield Short Story Analysis
“Taking The Veil” is a short story by Katherine Mansfield, published in her collection The Dove’s Nest (1930). Our main character Edna should be feeling great right now. She’s eighteen, she’s beautiful and she’s in love. One slight problem. She is about to become a Bride of Christ, also known as taking the veil. (Or…
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Symbolism of Shoes, Feet and Footprints
Shoes and footwear contain plenty of symbolic meaning. Horse shoes are different again, but I’ll include horse shoes here for comparison. Early Nancy Drew stories were high concept hooks which generally paired two disparate things which are nonetheless related in some obscure way. In The Clue of the Tapping Heels, those two things are tap…
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Symbolism of Black, Darkness and Night
Across the globe, black has negative connotations. This is probably because night-time is black, and historically night-time is the scariest, most dangerous time for humans. Our eyes have evolved for daylight. That’s why I’m combining ‘night’ and ‘black’ when delving into symbolism. Black is not technically a colour, rather an absence of colour. Artists are…
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Symbolism of Arrows
The arrow is both a weapon and also a sacred symbol. Divination with arrows over the years affects how we think of them and use them today. The weapon of Apollo and Diana, signifying the light of supreme power. In both Greece and pre-Columbian America, it was used to designate the sun’s rays. But, because…
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Unappealing Cats In Illustration
Considering how similar cats look in reality, breeding and colour differences aside, it’s surprising how illustrators come up with so many ways of depicting cats in art. Like any other fashion, cat faces have also changed according to era, even though the faces of actual cats have remained… the exact same. How Humans Created Cats:…
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Bluey Australian TV Show Storytelling
Remember that time an episode of British cartoon Peppa Pig was taken off air in Australia? It was the episode which taught kids that spiders aren’t scary. Not a lesson Aussie kids need to learn. Well, fast forward a few years and Australian kids now have their own cartoon series reminiscent of Peppa Pig. Bluey…
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The Lap Pool by Robert Drewe Short Story Analysis
“The Lap Pool” is a short story by Australian author Robert Drewe, and the opening story in the 2008 collection The Rip.
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White Outlines in Illustration
When illustrators use white outlines instead of the standard black, or near black, this conveys the look and feel of a traditional woodcut (or linocut) artwork. Since folk artists commonly used woodcuts to create their art, white outlines are therefore associated with folk art.
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Snow White and Rose Red Fairytale Analysis
There are many slightly-altered versions of “Snow White and Rose Red” but I’ll refer to a version set down by the Grimm Brothers. This is the story of a lesser known Snow White.
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Rosamund and the Purple Jar Analysis
Rosamund and the Purple Jar is a didactic story for children, written by Maria Edgeworth, first published 1796. To remi
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Feuille d’Album by Katherine Mansfield Analysis
“Feuille d’Album” (1917) is a short story by Katherine Mansfield, included in the Bliss collection. The word ‘album’ comes from Latin, neuter of albus ‘white’, and used as a noun means ‘a blank tablet’. This is the story of a man who appears to have no personality. Because of this, a group of women become fascinated by him,…
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Symbolism of the Beach in Australian Literature
There are a great number of natural landscapes in Australia apart from beaches yet the beach has somehow become iconic.
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Psychology by Katherine Mansfield Short Story Analysis
“Psychology” (1919) is a short story by Katherine Mansfield, redolent with sexual tension which unexpectedly morphs into something else at the end. As expected from the title, the bulk of the story comprises a character’s interiority. After first setting the mood, Mansfield gets right into a woman’s feelings. Yet do we feel we know her?…