Lovelace and the Dark Triad
Many critics consider Clarissa the first “psychological novel,” as it explores the main characters’ emotions, thoughts, and values. Richardson does this by overlaying their first-person
Tag: writers on writing
Henry Fielding Falls in Love… with Richardson’s Clarissa
Fielding’s contempt did more than just infuriate Richardson. It inspired him. While he never forgave the insult, Richardson learned from the criticism to transform his
The Post-Pamela/Shamela Feud
After its release in November 1740, Pamela’s huge success naturally created envy and resentment in London’s intense literary community. According to Bernard Kreissman, there followed
Pamela vs. Shamela: The Origin of the First Novelist Feud, and Still the Greatest
Pamela vs. Shamela: The Origin of the First Novelist Feud, and Still the Greatest Part 1 about Pamela here. Richardson’s epistolary novel Pamela was an
The Pre-modern Post-Modern Novelist: Samuel Richardson, I mean, “The Editor”
Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded. In a Series of Familiar Letters from a Beautiful Young Damsel to her Parents. Now first published in order to cultivate
“Dear Reader”: A new blog series on the epistolary novel
I’ve been immersed in 19th century Britain for much of the American 21st Century—researching my Regency-era novels, binge-watching BBC historical dramas, and analyzing the stories
If I knew then what I know now…. lessons learned by experienced authors.
Melinda Jane Harrison Never write for money, LOL. Kallypso Masters Being a writer is a solitary, sedentary endeavor. Don’t let your health suffer as a
An Unlikely Event – Meteor Meets Cricket Match
For some reason I decided I had to have a story where my sleuthing couple are at a cricket match and the batter gets “beaned”
Filers and Pilers: The Disparate Ways to Plot a Story
Let me explain my “filer and piler” theory as it applies to fiction-writers. The world is divided into two types, those who file and those
In Defense of Adverbs (in respectful opposition to Stephen King)
Adverbing Your Verbs, or In Defense of Adverbs in Dialogue Tags I believe the road to hell is paved with adverbs, and I will shout
Shakespeare and Caesar and Contradiction: “Elements so mix’d.”
Last week, I discussed how Shakespeare used the Ides of March assassination of Julius Caesar to explore human complexity—moving through skepticism and beyond cynicism to
So Is Hamnet Manipulative, or Meaningful… or Both?
So Is Hamnet Manipulative, or Meaningful… or Both? I’m afraid I’ll be ending up with more questions than answers here! But let’s use that film
“Hamnet”: Cynical Manipulation… or Just Healthy Catharsis? Could It Be Both?
Last week in the post about the film “Hamnet,” I mentioned the “debate” between Plato and Aristotle about the ability of drama and story to