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Strawberry Spring by Stephen King Short Story Analysis
“Strawberry Spring” is a short “Jack the Ripper” story by American writer Stephen King. But rather than Jack the Ripper, King utilises Victorian folklore around a figure known as Springheel Jack.
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The Landlady by Roald Dahl Analysis
Have you ever arrived alone in a new town at dusk, faced with the task of finding a safe and affordable place to spend the night? If so, did you manage this without the use of a smartphone, the Internet and Google reviews? One of my favourite narratives about this experience is by Bill Bryson, […]
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The Hitch-hiker by Roald Dahl Short Story Analysis
“The Hitch-hiker” is the second short story in Roald Dahl’s 1977 collection The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More. This story was originally published in the July 1977 issue of the Atlantic Monthly. Find it also in Dahl’s Eight Further Tales of the Unexpected, a section of The Collected Short Stories of Roald […]
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The Floating Camera Technique In Writing
Here’s an example of the floating camera technique opening a novel by Marian Keyes: June the first, a bright summer’s evening, a Monday. I’ve been flying over the streets and houses of Dublin and now, finally, I’m here. I enter through the roof. Via a skylight I slide into a living room and right away […]
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The Parsley Garden by William Saroyan Short Story Analysis
“The Parsley Garden” is a short story by Armenian-American novelist, playwright, and short story writer William Saroyan (1908 – 1981).
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Benoit Blanc: Resurgence of the gentleman sleuth?
When we first meet Benoit Blanc in Knives Out (2019), he is introduced by another character as ‘the last of the gentleman sleuths’. Some viewers compare him to Sherlock Holmes. Others compare him to Hercule Poirot. Interestingly, both of these tentpole detectives are entering the public domain around the same time we’re actually seeing a resurgence in the gentleman sleuth.…
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The White Lotus: Meaning, Themes & Characterisation
The White Lotus (2021-) is an HBO anthology TV series created and directed by Mike White. Seasons one and two are each set in different places (Hawaii and Sicily respectively), but in the same chain of luxury hotels.
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Kiss Me Again, Stranger by Daphne du Maurier Short Story Analysis
“Kiss Me Again, Stranger” by Daphne du Maurier (1952) is as supernatural as a story gets without actually being supernatural.
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The Little Photographer by Daphne du Maurier Short Story Analysis
“The Little Photographer” (1952) is a short crime story by British author Daphne du Maurier. Find it in The Birds and Other Stories, previously published as The Apple Tree collection. Like Rebecca, people of rank are shown to be capable of terrible things.
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Write A Cosy Home Intruder Story
We collectively love stories of home intrusion. How else to describe the fascination behind The Bling Ring crimes also known as The Hollywood Hills Burglar Bunch? THE BLING RING A group of teenagers from The Valley broke into the homes of celebrities such as Paris Hilton and Audrina Patridge, stealing thousands of dollars worth of […]
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The October Game by Ray Bradbury Short Story Study
“The October Game” (1948) is a short Hallowe’en horror story by American author Ray Bradbury. It has the plot of an urban legend with the characterisation of a written narrative.
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The Ways Of Ghosts (An Arrest) by Ambrose Bierce Short Story Analysis
“The Ways Of Ghosts”, also called “An Arrest”, is a very short ghost story by American writer Ambrose Bierce, first published in October 1905. Perfect for a 1905 Hallowe’en?
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What happens in Hunted Down by Charles Dickens?
“Hunted Down” was published in instalments across 1859-60, almost 20 years after Poe’s well-known detective story which kicked the genre off.
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How are the characters on Mare of Easttown related?
If you’re struggling a bit to decipher the web of characters on crime drama Mare of Easttown, rest assured you’re not the only one. In line with more mimetic stories such as The Wire, the writers are making us work for basic info, including how characters interweave. This post avoids major reveals. However, some relationships […]
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Stone Mattress Short Story by Margaret Atwood Analysis
“Stone Mattress” is a masterful short story written by Margaret Atwood, published in The New Yorker in 2011. You’ll also find this story in the Nine Wicked Tales collection.