SAMPLING LITERARY BLOG POSTS
This collection of blog posts showcases critical analysis and cultural critique, highlighting employability skills in ethical decision-making, media analysis, and narrative interpretation. From exploring the ethical dilemmas of engaging with Where the Crawdads Sing, to examining Hollywood's adaptation challenges in The War of the Worlds, and analyzing themes of betrayal in The God of Small Things, these posts demonstrate transferable skills in audience engagement, content creation, and societal critique—key for roles in creative and analytical industries.
Where the Crawdads Sing:
The Ethics of Reading Scandal
In the world of best-seller dominated media, major controversies often outshine the pages of a consumer’s favourite book. Such is the case with Delia Owens' Where the Crawdads Sing (2018), as it sits entangled in the serious accusation of murder. This allegation has created a tremendous uproar among readers begging the question: Is it ethical to engage with a book when its author may have a connection to a heinous crime?
Reader's trust in an author’s brand, or “Relationship marketing” , has encouraged literary consumption since the rise of bestsellers (King, p. 420). Readers turn to literature not just to put their faith in the story, but also in the concept of the author. Nowadays, there is an increasingly blurring line between ‘the author’ as a literary figure and a human being. Authors have become more accessible than ever before, creating para-social relationships with their readers but, with consumers' sudden access to every part of a person’s life online, consequently, there is a rise in the separation of art from the artist.
At the end of the book Kya is found not guilty which (although she committed the murder) leaves the audience desperate for the reunion of her with her star-crossed lover, Tate. Owens herself was never accused of playing a direct part in the real-life murder, but the scandalous possibility allows the reader to think that she wrote herself into Kya, almost as if she’s waiting for an inevitable reunion of her and Mark. The murder allegations became a spotlight in her career, overshadowing her reputation as an esteemed conservationist and author. Though her accusations of being complicit in murder have seemingly helped her sales as an author, it is important to recognize the true-crime frenzy that draws us in. So where is the line where readers should reject a book because of dangerous allegations?
Megan Boorsma, highlights the media’s profit portrayal of crime. She writes, "A major issue with the media is that 'coverage of crime and punishment is notoriously inaccurate and . . . biased toward sensationalized accounts'" (Boorsma, p. 214). Sensationalized narratives shape public when massively overly consumed, which can blur the lines between fact and fiction.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/19251723/delia-owens-ex-husband-mark-wanted-questioning/
Boorsma points out how, through such dramatization, evidence is manipulated to appear more pathetic than logical in the reader’s mind: "True crime dramatizations seem to do the opposite—they exclude relevant evidence or highlight inflammatory evidence in order to appeal to the emotions" (Boorsma, p. 223). Not only does this allows room for distortion of truth, but also subverts the principles of the justice system. Recognizing how selective storytelling can shape public perception in ways that may not align with truth or justice is crucial when consuming the true-crime genre (or any nonfiction). In fact, “[i]t may even go so far as to explicitly contradict certain legal principles" (Boorsma, p. 223).
While Where the Crawdads Sing is declared fiction and not “true crime,” the overlay of the novel with its author’s life allows readers to enjoy a frisson from the mixture of both.
But still, trusting an author’s brand remains a principal factor for readers when picking their books. Some can impartially engage in the text by separating the art from the artist, others may have difficulty divorcing the actions of an author from their literary work.
Ultimately, the decision to consume Where the Crawdads Sing, or other works relating to controversy, is personal. However, due to the hand-selected nature of a bestseller list, driven by profit motives and marketing strategy, the ethicality of it all can be obscured. Audiences are presented with a curated selection of books that often prioritize commercial success over critical inquiry. As readers, we must recognize the influence of these mechanisms and question whether promoted media aligns with our values, thus ensuring our engagement with literature mirrors our desire for ethical integrity.
Bibliography
-
Boorsma, M. (n.d.). NOTES THE WHOLE TRUTH: THE IMPLICATIONS OF AMERICA’S TRUE CRIME OBSESSION. [online] Available at: https://eloncdn.blob.core.windows.net/eu3/sites/996/2019/07/209-224_crop.pdf.
-
King, Andrew. “Publishing and Marketing”, Cambridge Handbook of Literary Authorship online, Cambridge University Press 2019, http://www.cambridge.org/core/books/cambridge-handbook-of-literary-authorship/publishing-and-marketing/7D26ABAE65656FC4E6D68F524776A312.
-
Owens, D. (2018). Where the Crawdads Sing. Penguin USA.
Delia Owens and husband Mark (left) have quite close similarities to main characters Kya and Tate (right)
H.G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds (1898) narrates the struggles of an ordinary person placed in the chaos and brutality of unthinkable events. Despite being a classic tale with literary acclaim, there seems to be a struggle in Hollywood’s ability to adapt the inherent complexities of the protagonist and translate them fluently onto the screen. This blog post explores how and why Wells’ protagonist in War of the Worlds poses such difficulties for adaptation, and how this is reflected in the 2005 movie adaptation.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00cv87q
In their article Á. M. Valverde-Maestre and J. P. Pérez-Rufí state, that classic Hollywood narrative protagonists are often characterized by their functionality within the narrative (p. 151), meaning their personality is morphed to serve the story. The book’s unnamed protagonist already defies this traditional archetype by existing as a person outside of the plot, who is forced into the narrative and to navigate the hectic Martian invasion. This Wellian ‘everyman’ quality is vital for the novel to have the impact—forcing readers to recognize their own human fear and fragility. The Hollywood protagonist is typified through traits like intelligence and courage—all to solidify their abilities to overcome obstacles (p. 157).
The novel’s protagonist is intelligent, as shown through his complete avoidance of the Martians, but his courage is a desire to survive instead of desire to achieve something. It is not comparable to taking a grenade belt and being intentionally abducted to protect the ones you love most which is the protagonist Tom Cruise portrays in the 2005 film adaptation.
Spielberg’s 2005 film adaptation of War of the Worlds takes on the traditional hero’s journey. The named protagonist, Ray Ferrier, reflects the departure from Wells’ original unnamed protagonist. Cruise’s portrayal emphasizes a character transformation from a self-centered individual to a protective father, which aligns with Hollywood’s preference for heroes with moral imperatives, while also capitalizing on audience association of Tom Cruise and his heroic persona.
By departing from Wells’ protagonist, Hollywood's bias of character growth and heroism is evident. While Ray Ferrier, like Wells’ protagonist, is intelligent and courageous, his arc is more conventionally ‘Hollywood’ in his act of heroic selflessness, lacking in Wells’ original text. This character change underscores Hollywood’s tendency to prioritize marketability and audience appeal over fidelity to the source material.
There are many complexities of reliably when adapting text to screen today, especially with Hollywood’s drive to satisfy the consumer to generate profit. Wells’ everyday protagonist is written to be an ordinary survivalist, which contrasts with the “Tom Cruise” hero of the film. Both versions highlight different facets of the human experience when faced with adversity- which only touches upon the complexities of adaptation and the necessary refinement of storytelling between different mediums.
Bibliography
Wells, H.G. (1986). The War of the Worlds. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Valverde-Maestre, Á.-M. and Pérez-Rufí, J.-P. (2022). Loyal and stubborn heroes: the main character’s personality in Classic Hollywood cinema. Communication & Society, 35(1), pp.151–161. doi:https://doi.org/10.15581/003.35.1.151-162.
Looking at the promotional images from the 2005 movie version we can see a strong charismatic Ray Ferrier (Tom Cruise) shielding his daughter (Dakota Fanning) from the Martians. There is a look of determination in his eye, as if nothing else matter but the protection of the child.
The (Mis)Translation from Page to Screen: A Deeper Look in War of the Worlds and its Adaptability
The Complexity of Betrayal in The God of Small Things
In Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things (1997), betrayal becomes an omnipresent force that wedges itself into the personal lives of characters and their society. The narrative’s representation of betrayal, explored through its entanglement with the Ipe family, represents how tragedy is essential to cultivate discernment.
Betrayal is connected first to information manipulation and the exploitation of knowledge. Nancy Rosenblum writes in her book, “driven by the insatiable desire for information, authoritarian regimes… create vast systems of surveillance and informing. Denunciation is encouraged. Betrayal is made easy’ (Rosenblum p. 153). Roy is critical of the Communist regime where betrayal thrives, creating an atmosphere of suspicion and distrust and where fear conquers justice for the characters.
Betrayal integrates itself into the personal relationships of the family as well. In pursuit of personal gain, Baby Kochamma and Velutha both betray their families (though in different ways, and different intentions behind doing so). Roy underlines how betrayal is personal (seen through Baby) and societal (seen through Velutha). Baby falsely accuses Velutha due to her spite against his existence and his interaction with Ammu and the twins. She is quick to throw blame, even though she knows she is not just betraying the Untouchable but also her family, who all love him dearly. Kochamma's betrayal is perpetuated by her desire for control and power, but she also realizes what is at risk for her family if she did not create such a betrayal: social downfall greater than what has already occurred.
Velutha is betrayed not just by Baby Kochamma, but by the Communist party, which turns its back on him to save face. He encapsulates the systemic oppression of marginalized communities in India during this time. There is no possibility for him to escape his social status, and even today many untouchables still face mass discrimination.
https://medium.com/@notesfromunderground/caste-system-of-india-a-hoax-b0dffb333696
It is the very structure of betrayal that produces betrayers, but even so, experiencing betrayal is still profoundly personal. Nobody in the novel seems to get over their betrayal: Ammu and Velutha each pay with their lives (either immediately or later); Estha and Rahel can never recover as their relationship as adults remained fractured from the ghosts of their youth.
The God of Small Things thrives off the suffering of characters-- for if no one suffers, no one can find strength in resilience and defy societal norms. It is almost as if Roy is projecting betrayal as a catalyst for the true liberation of the self. Betrayal is integral to human experience, she seems to be saying, whether rooted in love or societally driven; there are complexities that raise moral dilemmas in the face of a world inbred by power imbalance and systemic injustice. At the very least the novel forces us to question that this is the case, even if there are no final answers.
Bibliography
-
Mayell, H. (2003). India’s ‘Untouchables’ Face Violence, Discrimination. [online] National Geographic. Available at: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/pages/article/indias-untouchables-face-violence-discrimination.
-
Rosenblum, N.L. (2016). Good Neighbors: The Democracy of Everyday Life in America. [online] JSTOR. Princeton University Press. Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1q1xqr8.10 [Accessed 11 Mar. 2024].
-
Roy, A. (1997). The God of Small Things. New York: Random House Trade Paperbacks, An Imprint Of Random House, A Division Of Penguin Random House Llc.
The Indian caste system is a social hierarchy that is passed down through family. It is very hard to rise up the system. As an untouchable- Velutha is already an outcast- even in the Communist party, he is still somewhat looked down upon.