01

The Bridges of Madison County

by Robert James Waller

On a flight one time I was sitting next to a man who used to work for Kenyon University. He was or had been a therapist. After a long and involved conversation he asked what books I'd recommend. When I told him The Bridges of Madison County  he replied, "Isn't that chick lit?" Internally I sighed and rolled my eyes. I'm a guy and I can tell you the terminology of 'chick lit' is pure insecurity. The above novella is not fodder for the beach; nor is it steamy romantic idealism. The language is poetic and remarkably compact. Read my analysis of it. Don't listen to society. I even had two advisors in grad school who frowned upon my adding the book to my list of required annotations. He/she claimed it was flash fiction. And get this: neither of them had read the book! They were making blind judgments. Always, always, always inform yourself and make an educated opinion that can be properly supported. Please read my review of the book here:

 

 

02

Of Mice and Men

by John Steinbeck

 

A story about migrant workers in Depression Era America, Steinbeck’s novel addresses the themes of loneliness, compassion, and the desire for a dream. A burning desire that keeps a man going. A dream shattered and the pain of sacrifice lend themselves to my thesis’ themes. I am also drawn to the circular-ness of Steinbeck’s novella and how every minute detail brings the scene and characters to life. The story opens and ends by the river, and life is never again the same.

 

 

03

The Reader

by Bernhard Schlink

 

Schlink’s novel about innocence, injustice, loss, and the tragedy of silence both personally and on a global level in terms of WWII, creates a historically relevant novel with a personalized intimacy that is haunting in its feeling of nostalgia. A strong, consistent voice. The use of 1st person to tell a story in the form of memoir or personal history even if it is fiction. Also, the emotional effects and devastation of the love affair between an older woman and a young man—point of view—the narrator telling the story looking back and the effect the situation had and still has by the story’s conclusion. Characterization: the details of setting, time. This book was very relevant to my thesis because my own character endures the hardship of his first sexual experience and the loneliness of not belonging to his own age. Please read my analysis of the book here:

 

 

 

04

Ingenious Pain

by Andrew Miller

 

As with Angela’s Ashes, I examined the effect of writing in present tense; how the tone becomes alive and more immediate as though it were occurring at the moment the reader opens the book. I also looked at the themes of redemption and healing. Miller’s character, James Dyer, is born in the 1700s, the product of a mysterious rape. He becomes a loner, a “freak” because of his inability to experience physical pain. As such, he feels no emotional pain either until a woman, Mary, opens him up to pain. My story deals with a character who is a loner and different. He walks apart from society, is often perceived as cold. He is conscious, however, of his pain.

 

 

 

05

My Ántonia

by Willa Cather

 

Cather’s poignant novel is about a time and place, and lifelong yearning. She imbues the plains of North America with personality. The Land in My Ántonia becomes an actual character, around which the human stories unfold. I wanted to make the setting of my narrative, Jamestown Settlement, a character as well. The setting has meaning; it is not just a backdrop. Looking at the language and symbolism of Cather’s narrative was useful. Additionally, the leitmotif of unrequited love parallels my own narrative. I examined the voice of the narrator looking back, reviewing his life, yearning for those years of youth and possibility.

 

 

 

 

06

At Swim, Two Boys: A Novel

by Jamie O'Neill

 

Let it be known that you do not have to be homosexual to read and enjoy this wonderfully historical novel. I am not gay, but I can still relate and empathize with the protagonists and their antagonists. O’Neill penetrates his character’s minds, going deep into the interior, creating complex characters bringing to life the hardships of homosexuality against the backdrop of Easter Sunday during the Irish War with England. The mechanics and successful execution of a non-traditional language and/or tone helped. The Irish brogue was amazing, especially with its innuendos. I looked at language as a character. Included here is my annotation and a critical paper.

 

 

07

The Well of Loneliness

by Radclyffe Hall

 

I read Radclyffe Hall’s “fictionalized” autobiography several years ago. Many of the descriptions referencing standing alone are poignant to my own text whose primary, relentless theme is loneliness. I make reference to Westcott’s “Peter the Swan”—an allusion to a description in Hall’s text when she writes about Stephen standing by the edge of the water and the only witness to her discontent being the swan, Peter. There is no one else. The void and emptiness in my thesis realizes in a more contemporary time, the pain and social apartheid recounted bv Hall’s autobiography, which she thinly disguised as fiction.

 

 

08

Of Human Bondage

by Somerset Maugham

 

Maugham looks at the life of Carey—a young man trying to find his way who falls madly in love with a woman who, for all apparent reasons, has nothing in common with him. Carey’s pursuit is relentless and eventually leads to his own destruction. Also, Carey is different in that he suffers from a club-foot about which he is rather sensitive. Through the first half of the novel he is somewhat insufferable in his wandering vocation and almost pathetic love for Mildred who debases him. Eventually, his misfortune turns and the pain though not forgotten has led him to good things. I looked at transforming the protagonist—showing the changes—taking an insufferable, anguished character and showing his redemption and decency.

 

09

A Private Life

by Ran Chen

 

Chen combines poetry and narrative to tell a story about loss and complete emotional devastation of one girl growing up in China. She reveals her character to be very observant. She possesses a strong bond with her neighbor, Ho, who is a lesbian, but the protagonist, Ni Niuniu, is too young—only a child when they become friends—to realize her own sexual inclinations. The text addresses first sexual experiences: Ni Niuniu loses the boy she loves and at the same time Ho dies. In relation to my thesis I looked at latent emotions and telling a story that combines poetic elements with a traditional narrative. I also examined the unusual layout of chapter headings on the side of pages and the excerpts of prose.

 

10

David Copperfield

by Charles Dickens

 

Dickens systematically chronicles one person’s life. The story is extensive which was helpful in reflecting how to take a lot of information and synthesize it into an orderly, readable text. He tells an entire life’s story in a very straight-forward manner—literally from birth to a certain age with exuberance and detail. Combining events without them being arbitrary, focusing on the central character’s development as a whole and how he evolved. Similarly, my thesis is very long and examines a young man’s early life and relationships.