tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68795412900373736542024-03-05T10:02:19.339-08:00Literature. Life.the blog of writer A.L.S. VosslerA.L.S. Vosslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04139238445482175559noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6879541290037373654.post-66112389429427348392017-04-07T13:51:00.002-07:002017-04-07T13:51:34.334-07:00A New BeginningHello, readers!<br />
<br />
This blog has sadly come to an end. But like Phoenix, it will rise from the ashes. It is now in the form of a new blog, <i>Fantasy. Literature. Life., </i>which you can find at <a href="http://alsvossler.com/" target="_blank">http://alsvossler.com</a><br />
<br />
I'm leaving <i>Literature. Life. </i>here, but it will not be updated any longer. Please check out my new site for regular features such as "Flash Fiction Fridays" and "Book Reviews and Novel News Tues."<br />
<br />
This marks a new phase in my career as a writer, so I invite you to come celebrate with with me by reading and following my new site. You'll not only be entertained, but also will get updates on the progress of my debut novel, which will be published sometime this fall.<br />
<br />
Thank you!<br />
<br />
<br />A.L.S. Vosslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04139238445482175559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6879541290037373654.post-32731349334415911032016-07-18T14:56:00.001-07:002016-08-18T13:45:22.619-07:00Sky PoetryI had the occasion to do a lot of traveling lately, which meant being shuffled from airport to airport and being crammed into the microscopic proportions of airplane seats. Yet, in the midst of all of that turmoil, I had a moment of wonder at the beauty of the world...and the poetry flowed.<br />
<hr />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1DXAiAJceiFZa1qhzC3sq2WNSO4YV1l1vzmO-VHkuU11sPsO4FTMcYQLA9DMr6gMax3vy1JBc4S9-wxZoSvNiJVcyV0S6K3Hq6boBp1EG48F2GTwLC5P2Fj15JJ4Ma2YzyplUHzSxSlc/s1600/plane.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1DXAiAJceiFZa1qhzC3sq2WNSO4YV1l1vzmO-VHkuU11sPsO4FTMcYQLA9DMr6gMax3vy1JBc4S9-wxZoSvNiJVcyV0S6K3Hq6boBp1EG48F2GTwLC5P2Fj15JJ4Ma2YzyplUHzSxSlc/s640/plane.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by A.L.S. Vossler (c) 2016</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Sunset at 30,000 Feet </b><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(c) 2016 A.L.S. Vossler </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">I</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">am a speck </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">in the sky</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">watching shades</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">of night</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">fall</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">one </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">by </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">one:</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Yellow--</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">gold fades </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">to orange</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">and orange</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">to red</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">purpling </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">into blue</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">bluing </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">into grey</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">greying into </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">black </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">one </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">by </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">one.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Lights </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">flicker on below</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">bidding farewell </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">to the red jewel </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">that glimmers</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">dwindles</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">blinks out</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">on the horizon. </span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<hr />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span> </span>A.L.S. Vosslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04139238445482175559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6879541290037373654.post-23697578141292745872016-04-26T12:10:00.000-07:002016-04-26T12:10:19.579-07:00Am I Childish?It's a question that I ask myself a lot.<br />
<br />
So, why is it a question that I ask myself so much? Well...I like a lot of stuff for kids. I mean, a lot of stuff. For example:<br />
<br />
I collect <i>My Little Pony</i> toys. I reject the appellation of "Brony," though. Not because I have any kind of disdain for Bronies, but because I am not really that into the <i>Friendship is Magic</i> line, which is what Bronies are primarily into. But when I say that I collect <i>My Little Pony,</i> I don't mean I have a few ponies. I have over 350 of them, not counting duplicates. I constantly scout garage sales, thrift stores, and eBay in hopes of finding G1 or G2 ponies to add to my collection. They are all organized in roughly chronological order of release.<br />
<br />
After a rough day at work, I like to unwind by watching <i>SpongeBob SquarePants.</i> Yeah. That's right. I like it because it's cute and innocent (for the most part--there are those occasional adult jokes in there). It's mind-numbing and just a great way to unplug my brain for some silliness.<br />
<br />
Most of the shows I am currently watching are for children. <i>Star Wars Rebels, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, </i>and <i>Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir</i> are the three main ones. The only show I'm following which is not for kids is <i>Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.</i> And when I watch shows, I get <i>really</i> into them. Like, a lot. I tend to obsess a little bit. Which makes me feel especially childish.<br />
<br />
I <i>love</i> a lot of kids' movies. One of the highlights of this year has been going to see <i>Zootopia</i>, which I absolutely loved! I love <i>Kung Fu Panda,</i> I love a lot of Pixar movies, Disney movies, and so on and so forth.<br />
<br />
That's a lot of kid stuff for an adult to be into. Furthermore, I enjoy YA fiction quite a bit. Something not exactly aimed at my age group. So, yeah. Does that make me childish? <br />
<br />
A lot of people would say that yes, that does make me childish. Not to stereotype, but most of these people are in the Baby Boomer generation. They see youthful interests as an indication of immaturity. However, I think that immature behavior is an indication of immaturity, not choice of entertainment.<br />
<br />
I tell myself that no, I am not childish. I cook my own meals, I clean my own house (sometimes), I show up on time to work and work my butt off once I'm there, and I sit down and do a budget with my husband every pay period. I even stick to that budget--something that took a lot of time and effort to finally convince myself to do. At almost thirty years old, I should hope that I am not childish. I don't have the thought processes of a child, at least.<br />
<br />
When I really think about what "childish" means, I think of terms like "selfish," "petty," and "irresponsible." These are characteristics that even the most sophisticated and mature individual displays from time to time, since none of us are perfect. Anyone can have moments of childishness, but being childish means having them more often than not. <br />
<br />
So if you're in the same boat as me, wondering if you're childish because of youthful interests, then fear not. You aren't childish.<br />
<br />
Neither am I. A.L.S. Vosslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04139238445482175559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6879541290037373654.post-75921753862926670512016-04-14T14:19:00.002-07:002016-04-14T14:19:39.804-07:00Welcome to the New Lamps and Mirrors!So, you might notice that <i>Lamps and Mirrors </i>is a little different. For example, it is no longer <i>Lamps and Mirrors. </i>Now, it is <i>Literature. Life. </i><br />
<br />
Why the change? Well, I honestly felt that I had pigeonholed myself with <i>Lamps and Mirrors. </i>I had nothing to write about because I couldn't think of anything sufficiently literary or writing-related. Plus, I have <i>The Lonely Young Writer </i>for stuff about writing, so I thought I would broaden the focus of this blog so that I have more to write about. Things are going to have a bit more of a personal touch to them. <br />
<i> </i><br />
What are the kinds of things you'll see on <i>Literature. Life.</i>?<br />
<br />
I'll be blogging about books that I'm reading, cinematic literature, and various things about my life. So, actually, this blog is now pretty much game for any topic whatsoever. I know "they" say that you're supposed to have a blog with a narrow focus, but obviously I've had a hard time doing that.<br />
<br />
There's more material to come, so stay tuned. A.L.S. Vosslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04139238445482175559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6879541290037373654.post-81827526675799082722016-03-31T14:25:00.002-07:002016-03-31T14:25:18.558-07:00Overhaul in ProgressSo, you may notice that things look a little different around here. If you were looking for <i>Lamps and Mirrors</i>, don't worry! You're still at the right place! Stay tuned for more updates, and in the meantime, enjoy all of my old posts.A.L.S. Vosslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04139238445482175559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6879541290037373654.post-92174866459641275042015-07-08T12:23:00.000-07:002015-07-09T09:25:34.199-07:00Six Reasons I Won't Water Down My Vocabulary<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdFatOdLc8x7TlagrT2D8jBHIiv_99d8MHC-Oir33pRPC1XaA77mmeMPr-Uzy3Xlnkt0YbGHwgtAUl3no_2Myt6xkJ_a38NLQAkolPflbbcJ7RL8dv6l3jCloYM_YO9xrOI-ONvbrAlPQJ/s1600/wowblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdFatOdLc8x7TlagrT2D8jBHIiv_99d8MHC-Oir33pRPC1XaA77mmeMPr-Uzy3Xlnkt0YbGHwgtAUl3no_2Myt6xkJ_a38NLQAkolPflbbcJ7RL8dv6l3jCloYM_YO9xrOI-ONvbrAlPQJ/s320/wowblog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Almost consistently, the first thing I’m told when any
given person critiques my work is that the vocabulary is too advanced, or that
they had to look up some of the words. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Apparently, this is a bad thing. </div>
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<br /></div>
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While it makes sense not to use advanced language in
children’s books and most young adult books, books which are aimed at high
school upperclassmen and older should be free to use whatever type of
vocabulary the author wants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here is my
reasoning: </div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>1. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just because a
word is uncommon doesn’t mean it should not be used.</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only way we
learn new words is by being exposed to them. By refusing to use ‘big’ words
because many people don’t know them, writers are purposefully limiting our
audiences. We are basically assuming our audience is dumb, and that is a grave
insult. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Reading is supposed to expand the
mind as well as entertain; writers are in fact in the position to educate. We
should embrace this power, not fear it.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>2. Sometimes the bigger, more uncommon word is the best
word. </b></div>
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<br /></div>
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Hemingway once famously said that you shouldn’t use
multiple words where one word will do. If a ‘big’ word replaces a concept that
takes 10 smaller words to describe, the big word is obviously superior. </div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>3. Readers are not idiots who need to be sheltered from
the evils of big, scary vocabulary words. </b></div>
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<br /></div>
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People who read for entertainment are already most likely
of a higher education level. When people come across a word they don’t know
while reading, they do one of three things: look it up, guess the approximate
meaning based on context, or ignore the word.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The first two options allow you to help broaden your reader’s horizons, and
who doesn’t want to do that? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The third
option isn’t bad either. People skip over stuff all the time when they read,
and usually, a handful of words they didn’t know isn’t going to prevent them
from understanding the tale at large. </div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>4. Looking up the meanings of words is literally easier
than ever. </b></div>
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<br /></div>
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It used to be that if you didn’t know a word, you would
have to haul out a dictionary and leaf through the pages to find it. Nowadays,
we have dictionary apps that allow you to look up words in less than sixty
seconds, and almost everybody has a smart device with them at all times. If you
don’t have an app, there’s Dictionary.com. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nobody has an excuse anymore, and pausing your
reading to look up a word is not the end of the world. Yes, it might temporarily
‘jolt’ somebody out of the story for a minute, but if it allows them to learn
something, that’s not such a bad thing. Most people will figure it out from
context or just ignore it, so it actually doesn’t make much difference in the
long run. </div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>5. E-Readers have changed everything. </b></div>
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<br /></div>
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If you have a Kindle or a Nook, all you have to do is tap
a word and the built-in dictionary tells you what it means. Let me say that
again. All you have to do is frickin’ tap the screen. It could only get easier
if you had dictionary software implanted in your brain! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As more and more people are switching to eBooks, the excuses for purposefully limiting vocabulary become more and more ridiculous.
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<br /></div>
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<b>6. If somebody dislikes my writing because of my use of ‘larger’
vocabulary words, then they weren’t part of my target audience to begin with. </b></div>
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<br /></div>
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This is not to say that I write only for elite, erudite audiences.
I write for people who are okay with expanding their minds. Heck, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">My Little Pony </i>frequently uses words
that kindergarteners wouldn’t know – like precipice, for example. If <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">My Little Pony </i>can do it when their
audience is little children, then certainly I can do it when my audience is
high school upperclassmen and older – or do you give more credit to little
kids than you do to adults? Entertainment can expand our minds. Why should we
try to curb that? The highest indicator of student success is teacher
expectation. I see no reason why that can’t apply to readers and writers, too. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Furthermore, using ‘big’ vocab words does not limit my
shot at becoming a successful writer. Best-selling author Stephen R. Donaldson
is notorious for his use of ‘big’ words, as well as archaic words. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, as you might guess from the fact that I
called him a best-selling author, he turned out to be a best-selling author
even though he uses ‘big’ words. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I’m not going to water down my writing. Yes, most people
don’t have higher than a sixth grade reading level. But it’s not like I hunt
through a thesaurus trying to find the biggest word for everything. Most of my
writing scores no more than a fifth grade level, according to the Flesch-Kincaid
rating system. Yes, that’s even my works that have the big, scary vocabulary
words in them! </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
So, no. I’m not going to cut out all the advanced
vocabulary from my work. I’m going to fearlessly continue using whatever words
I think are best for the situation, whether it’s a three year old character
saying, “Mama, bells go ‘ding, dong’!’” or a wise old Oxford professor saying
that he remembers the tintinnabulation of church bells. I don’t care if you
didn’t know the word before you read my work. I don’t care if you choose to
ignore it. </div>
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<br /></div>
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But if I both found the perfect word and helped you learn
something new, then I don’t think any writer could ask for more. </div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>What do you think? Is using 'big' words elitist and snobbish, or is it beneficial both to the writing itself and the readers? Sound off in the comments. </i> </div>
A.L.S. Vosslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04139238445482175559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6879541290037373654.post-22109576529116172192015-02-03T08:31:00.000-08:002015-02-03T08:31:33.417-08:00Flash Fiction: The Parlor Alexander the GreatSo, I did another writing exercise to loosen the bonds of writer's block. Luckily for you (or unluckily, depending on your perspective), I decided to share it here! I did this one using the same <a href="http://www.mcoorlim.com/random.html" target="_blank">title generator</a> as last time. <br />
<br />
<hr />
"The Parlor Alexander the Great"<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">© A.L.S. Vossler 2015</span><br />
<br />
Rae sat down in the luxurious armchair in Mrs. Mulway’s house. She always loved coming here; Mrs. Mulway had a constant supply of delicious cookies. Currently, Mrs. Mulway was in the kitchen boiling water for Rae’s tea. <br />
<br />
“Are your parents still fighting, dear?” Mrs. Mulway’s voice came from the kitchen. <br />
<br />
“Yeah,” Rae said. Mrs. Mulway didn’t know the half of it, but Rae didn’t want to talk about it. She hadn’t come over here to talk about her parents; she’d come here to get away from them. For just a little while, she could look over the nifty things in her elderly neighbor’s parlor. For just a little while, she could forget her parents’ screaming. For just a little while, she could forget the sound of her step-dad beating up her mom. She could forget how much she hated him. <br />
<br />
The room was filled with all kinds of curios, some of which were under a considerable layer of dust. As Rae’s eyes traveled across the mantelpiece, she saw something new: a glass dome display case containing an 11-inch figurine, a little man who was dressed like he was from ancient Greece. Rae got up and stood on her tiptoes so that she could peer at the inscription that was on the base plate: Alexander the Great.<br />
<br />
Rae tilted her head from side to side. He would have made a good friend for one of her Barbie dolls. Barbie probably would like his fancy armor. Rae glanced over her shoulder. Mrs. Mulway was busy in kitchen still, but the kettle was beginning to whistle. It would be less than a minute before she would come back into the room. <br />
<br />
No. Stealing was bad, and Mrs. Mulway was nice. It wouldn’t be right. <br />
<br />
Rae turned back to look at the figurine again. She almost screamed when she saw that the little man was pressed up against the side of the dome. “Help me.” His voice was muffled through the glass. “You have to help me.” <br />
<br />
“What will you do if I help you?” <br />
<br />
“There is nothing I cannot do, young mistress. I conquered all of Asia Minor ere my eighteenth birthday!” He put his hands on his hips and struck a confident pose. <br />
<br />
A sense of power swept over Rae. She wasn’t sure what Asia Minor was, but she knew what Asia was: it was the biggest continent in the world. A man who could conquer Asia was the most powerful thing there was, especially if he was so tiny. Forget not stealing. Forget right and wrong. “You’ll do anything I ask you to?” <br />
<br />
“By the gods, I swear I will.” <br />
<br />
Rae gritted her teeth. “I want you to kill my step-dad.” <br />
<br />
<i>Criticism (constructive or otherwise) is welcome in the comments. </i><br />
<br />
<hr />
<b>Did you enjoy this piece of flash fiction? Take a moment to share it on your favorite social network.</b>A.L.S. Vosslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04139238445482175559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6879541290037373654.post-66832180586420781092015-01-26T08:38:00.001-08:002015-01-26T08:38:56.240-08:00Flash Fiction: A Steam-Powered Rat out of TreasuresIf you ever frequent my other blog, <i>The Lonely Young Writer, </i>you may have seen my post on <a href="http://thelonelyyoungwriter.blogspot.com/2014/09/generating-ideas.html" target="_blank">generating ideas</a>. In that post, I recommend using a random title generator such as <a href="http://www.mcoorlim.com/random.html" target="_blank">this one,</a> and then write for ten minutes using that title as the prompt for your story.<br />
<br />
The result is, more or less, flash fiction.<br />
<br />
I was feeling stuck yesterday, so I decided to loosen up the writing muscles a bit by doing this exercise. The title generator spit out this monstrosity of a story title: "A Steam-Powered Rat out of Treasures." I was a bit flummoxed at first, but highly intrigued. I ended up spending 25 minutes or so writing it, rather than just ten, but I think it was well worth it.<br />
<br />
As the story is speculative in nature (it has steam-powered rats; of course it's speculative), and as I haven't posted anything here since November, I thought I would share it. Constructive criticism is encouraged and welcome.<br />
<br />
<hr />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4-n5vcdb2OTbseGtdCEMIGjFODWqBVGt1d0a6AsGtPnNswPpDQJY5I0qWw-O60ZqQ62flA1OgUFSnKHdIkfjQs9JCBMYw8lvMaekJfd0I8upMGgU8NjC68-v6OPV-driMxrOEDE_5bxA/s1600/spr.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4-n5vcdb2OTbseGtdCEMIGjFODWqBVGt1d0a6AsGtPnNswPpDQJY5I0qWw-O60ZqQ62flA1OgUFSnKHdIkfjQs9JCBMYw8lvMaekJfd0I8upMGgU8NjC68-v6OPV-driMxrOEDE_5bxA/s1600/spr.png" height="250" width="320" /></a></div>
"A Steam-Powered Rat out of Treasures"<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">© A.L.S. Vossler 2015</span><br />
<br />
Pain is all it knows. It sits in its glass prison, waiting, watching, hoping that the water dish and food will be returned soon. Instead, the people pour water into the reservoir on its back and shut the lid. <br />
<br />
It hates the thing on its back. The thing on its back makes it hot, makes steam, and makes the metal legs move. It misses its old legs, the legs it could feel with, the legs it could move by itself. But the metal legs whirr and click: whirr like the tiny rotary saw tied to its metal tail, click like the buttons on the controller that moves them. They reach in with big forceps and lift it out, checking to make sure the limbs work. <br />
<br />
They say it cannot lose the fight this time. It is better than last time. They will surely win. <br />
<br />
The fights are the worst. Others similar to it, some with extra legs and big, sharp metal ears, or their jaws replaced with powerful vises, are put into the circle. It is made to fight with the others – fight with the others, or it is hurt by the others: scratched, cut, bitten, stabbed. Fight or die. <br />
<br />
They say that it is time for the fight. They put it in the smaller cage and carry it away. <br />
<br />
All it wants is to hide in the soft nest it once had; a soft nest lined with tufts of polyester and old gum wrappers. A warm and comfortable nest, surrounded by abandoned tops and jacks, a shiny tab from a pop can, balls of paper, a doll’s head, an old plastic ring: a beautiful nest filled with beautiful treasures. <br />
<br />
A big voice echoes as they bring it into the arena. <br />
<br />
“Ladies and gentlemen, get ready for the battle of your life: incumbent champion, <i>The Big Cheese</i>, faces the challenger, <i>The Packrat</i>! Will <i>The Big Cheese</i>’s reign of terror end, or will <i>The Packrat</i> be nothing but a smear of blood and fur on the floor?” <br />
<br />
It hates the fights. <br />
<i><br /></i>
<br /><i>As always, constructive criticism is welcome in the comments.</i><br />
<hr />
<br />
<i><span style="font-size: small;"><b>If you enjoyed this piece of flash fiction, please take a moment to share it on your favorite social network. </b></span></i><br />
<br />
<hr />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><i>Image credits: The image is a compound of "Silhouette Mouse Sitting,"
courtesy of Piotr Siedlecki at PublicDomainPictures.net, and
"Steampunking It," courtesy of Randi Klugiewicz at
PublicDomainPictures.net.</i></b></span>A.L.S. Vosslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04139238445482175559noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6879541290037373654.post-19311525448068287792014-11-01T21:07:00.002-07:002014-11-01T21:07:56.223-07:00Accusation: A Short Story<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrzGfHSUFRqmuBOzzw6n-eX0TlJ1KdHclLPERXuH3NGhSjQaU35pL8Rc9vZqY1APi8IBbAd8LasSno2V2mqo2G1Bh2XkyI2mvMaT15rR6aERsVLpyD4l9rMU1FNhBW8RSZ5oNNQmvbWjg/s1600/cockroach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrzGfHSUFRqmuBOzzw6n-eX0TlJ1KdHclLPERXuH3NGhSjQaU35pL8Rc9vZqY1APi8IBbAd8LasSno2V2mqo2G1Bh2XkyI2mvMaT15rR6aERsVLpyD4l9rMU1FNhBW8RSZ5oNNQmvbWjg/s1600/cockroach.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Image courtesy of Jack Sparrow at PublicDomainPictures.net</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Well, I realize it's a day late for scary stories, but I hadn't posted anything in a while and I felt like I ought to. I had one story I was working on, but simply didn't have time to finish. Perhaps another time. However, I remembered a short story I wrote back at Community College as a school assignment, and since it was a response to a literature assignment with a speculative fiction spin, I thought it would be perfect for <i>Lamps and Mirrors.</i><br />
<br />
In my class "The Short Story and the Novel," we read Franz Kafka's <i>The Metamorphosis (Die Verwandlung)</i>. Now if you ever want an intersection of literature and speculative fiction, there it is. I absolutely loved it. For our assignment, my super awesome teacher Doug J. gave us two options: write a brief response paper, or, using Jane Smiley's "Gregor: My Life as a Bug" as an example, write a "sequel" or continuation of <i>The Metamorphosis. </i>If we chose the latter, we were to use it as a sort of explication of our understanding of the story. So, preferring creative writing to academic, I chose the second option. The following short story is the result of that assignment.<br />
<br />
<hr />
<span style="font-size: small;">"Accusation" </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"> © A.L.S. Vossler</span><br />
<br />
Her screams jolted him out of sleep for the sixth time that week. She often behaved like this at night, seemingly deaf to her own screeches—and anything else around her—for despite his attempts to wake her, her eyes remained tightly shut and she continued to moan in terror or pain. Her flagellating arms and legs could not be made to lie still, and combined with her swollen belly, she reminded him forcibly of insects that, once laid upon their backs, cannot right themselves. <br />
<br />
The first convulsion had happened on their wedding night, and it had frightened him to be certain, but he was of the philosophy that auspicious beginnings were a luxury in this day and age, and a working man simply had to take what he could get. He occasionally prided himself on his courage—after all, any other man would have already divorced the fragile young thing; but he, ah, he would stay beside her and somehow make everything right. He had watched her convulsions again and again, night after night; never seeming to come closer to discovering the cause behind them. She would always awake as her phantasm left her with a final shriek; trembling, she would cling to him and weep, all the while whispering, “Forgive me, forgive me.”<br />
<br />
He always forgave her. But this was not the cure. <br />
<br />
When he had first met Grete Samsa, she was a rosy-cheeked, beautiful creature: the daughter of an associate at the office. Mr. Samsa, by all accounts, had recently escaped some kind of medical misfortune; for where he had seemed wan before, he now appeared to be the picture of health. His once-rumpled uniform was now pristine daily. <br />
<br />
“You look well as of late, Mr. Samsa,” he told his colleague one morning shortly after this peculiar metamorphosis. <br />
<br />
“Thank you, Mr. Anklage,” replied Mr. Samsa, with a wide grin. “We have had a recent happy event at my household.”<br />
<br />
“Might I inquire as to what that might be?” Anklage asked congenially.<br />
<br />
A shadow crossed Mr. Samsa’s visage. “Well, perhaps it is of little consequence after all.” The lines that traced his brow furrowed, as though he was straining after a memory, but age or some other agent prevented it from being recalled. It was at that moment that Grete entered the scene, her rosy cheeks glowing with all the vitality of youth, carrying a basket which presumably contained Mr. Samsa’s midday meal. She kissed her father as she passed him the basket, but her eyes lingered with a bashful curiosity on Anklage’s face, and her rosy face turned a deeper crimson shade. Mr. Samsa smiled knowingly, and with a charming smile proceeded to ask Anklage to dinner. <br />
<br />
Things between Anklage and Grete proceeded in clock-work fashion, and within months their marriage was in order. Everything seemed perfect, and Anklage could do nothing but predict for himself a happy and fulfilling marriage. But hardly had their blissful lives together begun when these ferocious dreams began gripping Grete during the early hours of the morning; after she awoke, she could say no words other than “forgive me.” <br />
<br />
During their waking hours together, Anklage was loath to bring up the matter, for if he even mentioned the nighttime outbursts, Grete would cry out, bury her face in her hands, or in the most extreme case, take her fingernails and dig them into her own flesh until her blood, dark with unbalanced humors, formed stains of penitence on her white blouse. At times like these he attempted to restrain her, but she would not be appeased until the blood had successfully made its mark. Fearful of her reaction, Anklage kept the matter to himself. <br />
<br />
As the months of their marriage progressed, Grete seemed more and more plagued by her nighttime visions, which now occurred six nights a week. Sometimes, she burst into silent convulsions at the breakfast table after a peaceful night; every muscle in her body grew tense, and her jaw locked; until a small trickle of blood (from her tongue which she had managed to bite into) emerged at the corner of her mouth. Then, only then, the fit passed. <br />
<br />
Anklage’s alarm only continued to grow with Grete’s announcement of her pregnancy. He begged that she see a doctor for the convulsions, but she refused and started clawing at herself so fiercely that he was terrified to bring up the subject again for fear of his child’s life. As the baby grew inside her, the visions came with a startling new frequency; sometimes twice a night. <br />
<br />
Now, as he watched her, swinging her arms about wildly as always during the paroxysms, he could do nothing but pray for the preservation his child and his wife. Her time was expected any day now, and he was afraid that she might go into labor at any moment. He spoke soothing words and stroked her swollen belly as the spasms racked her body, forever hoping that he might reach her. He could feel his unborn child too, suffering from the same agitated dreams that plagued its mother. The characteristic final shriek shook her, and she opened her eyes, terrified, and looked up into her husband’s eyes. <br />
<br />
“God Almighty!” she cried. “Gregor, open up! I’m pleading with you!”<br />
<br />
The atypical words affected Anklage with such shock he could barely react. “Who is Gregor?”<br />
<br />
“I—” Grete’s eyes darted to and fro madly. “I don’t remember!” she screamed, and began digging her nails into her large belly. <br />
<br />
With a bellow of terror, Anklage grabbed his wife’s hands away from their defenseless child. But only blood would appease her, and she fought him with preternatural strength. He allowed her nails to scratch deeply into her legs until she drew blood, yet even after this she still screamed as madly as ever. <br />
<br />
“I killed him! I killed him! We all killed him! And did we weep in his passing? We were overjoyed! And he delivered us from debt, from debt...my brother...! Forgive! Forgive!” <br />
<br />
“I forgive you!” shouted Anklage, over the noise of her shouts.<br />
<br />
“Your forgiveness has no power! His blood is on me, my children...my children! We who destroyed him!” She began to scream unintelligibly, her body shaking as it had never done before, her voice attaining an unearthly, inhuman pitch; until with a snap, barely detectable amidst the chaos, her womb burst, and a cascade of polluted amniotic fluid spilled onto the bedcovers. Silence struck the room, as Grete’s panicked face froze. <br />
<br />
Something inside of her distended body was stirring, ready to leave its prison.<br />
<br />
<hr />
<i>Comments or constructive criticism are welcome in the comments.</i><br />
<br />
<hr />
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Lamps and Mirrors is updated sporadically, so if you are so inclined keep up with my literary (or other) musings, use the form in the sidebar to subscribe. </span></b>A.L.S. Vosslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04139238445482175559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6879541290037373654.post-9364352625950861112014-09-30T08:45:00.000-07:002014-09-30T09:50:59.800-07:00An Exercise in Speculation<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Since <i>Lamps and Mirrors</i> is a speculative fiction blog, I
thought we could engage in a little speculation exercise today. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Imagine, if you will, a world where the single most common
birth defect is a horrible, debilitating disorder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This irreparable defect manifests itself in
many ways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For some, it results in physical
deformation; sometimes slight, sometimes significant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For others, it results in crippling mental
disorders, including developmental delays and mood disorders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This defect prevents the sufferers from understanding
cause and effect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their mental age is
roughly half their physical age, and that’s at the most. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For the most unlucky, it results in a combination of
physical and mental defects.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There is no therapy to make this defect go away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No surgery to correct it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No treatment will ever repair it, not even
the most advanced technology there is. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Imagine also that this birth defect, while impossible to
repair, is one hundred percent preventable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You might be imagining a world like that in the movie
<i>Gattaca</i>, where people can order genetic designer babies with absolutely no
defects.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No, this scenario is much
simpler than that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead, imagine that
doctors have developed technology that will guarantee that no baby will ever
suffer this particular birth defect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
is the simplest thing in the world: all that a pregnant woman has to do is
carry a small, powerful box that prevents the defect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She has to carry it with her every day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She has to have it on her person at every
moment, from conception to delivery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As
long as she has this box, she will be guaranteed that her baby will not develop
this devastating disorder. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Imagine further that this technology is provided to women
absolutely free of charge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is no
cost.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s no excuse not to get one
of these anti-defect boxes, because there are free anti-defect box vending
machines spaced every three feet no matter where you are in the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s practically a paradise; a world where mothers have
total control over protecting their children from this one particular birth defect,
no matter what. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now imagine that there is a woman who decides not to use one
of these boxes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s scientifically
proven that her baby will be born with this disorder if she does not carry the
box with her at all times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even if she
puts it down for just one day, her baby could suffer serious consequences.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But she doesn’t want to use this box.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>None of her friends have to carry a box
around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Life is so much more fun without
the box.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Still, she feels guilty about
not using the box, so she tries to use it at least occasionally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This still won’t protect her baby.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every time she goes a day without the box,
her baby becomes worse and worse. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even
hours without the box can hurt the baby.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She doesn’t like the box.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She can’t take it to parties.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Plus, being pregnant is stressful, and not using the box helps her to
relax. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Imagine this world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This world where the single most common birth defect is the only
completely preventable one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now imagine
that mothers everywhere are refusing to do what will prevent it, for whatever
reason. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Open your eyes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
is not the Twilight Zone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is not
speculation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is our reality, and it’s
our reality today. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only thing
speculative about this is the anti-defect box.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In reality, the answer is not a magical box; it's abstaining from alcohol during pregnancy. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders are the single most common
birth defect in the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It, and birth
defects caused by other substance abuse, are the only birth defects which are
one hundred percent preventable. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The <i>only</i> ones. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And all that the mother needs to do is not drink any
alcohol.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s totally free.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is no excuse for drinking while
pregnant. Not because it makes you uncomfortable at parties, not because
drinking relieves stress, not because it’s inconvenient. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Everywhere, women know that drinking hurts their
babies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everywhere, there are women who
still choose to drink while pregnant. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everywhere,
babies are being born into a lifetime of disorder and distress because their
mothers couldn’t stop drinking alcohol for forty weeks. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
September is FASD awareness month.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And even though we are moving into October,
this is something we cannot forget during the rest of the year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Encourage
the women in your life not to drink while pregnant. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tell the women (pregnant or not) who suffer
from alcoholism or other substance addiction that they can overcome their
addictions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Help and support them. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Encourage them. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They can’t undo the drinking they’ve done already
during their pregnancy, but they can prevent their baby’s FASD from becoming
worse than it already is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tell them that
they are valuable and loved, and that you will help them while they struggle
against their addiction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Help them get
through their pregnancies without one more drop of alcohol, one more puff of
marijuana, or one more line of cocaine. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For those women who have FASD children, whether biological
or adopted, help and encourage them in their struggle to help their child have
as normal a life as possible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For the
guilt-ridden woman who drank during pregnancy, offer forgiveness and aid. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Befriend any children and adults who suffer
from FASD.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let them know that they are
valuable and loved. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Together, we can prevent FASD and be a balm to the hurt of
those who already suffer. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s not speculative.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkw1OecOTs2uXRsrnWpNs3hzE6yhmw77QocQ_zbjVQwDkOgO7Uy06vGtloVLei_B6T4y1A3UybfsGj7EArt6nHQIat8Qks8wg8UvA3uZObJoZIsOPCsp_YLodm6QYkWjgANY1DYcKDtLU/s1600/facebookisupport049-300x292.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkw1OecOTs2uXRsrnWpNs3hzE6yhmw77QocQ_zbjVQwDkOgO7Uy06vGtloVLei_B6T4y1A3UybfsGj7EArt6nHQIat8Qks8wg8UvA3uZObJoZIsOPCsp_YLodm6QYkWjgANY1DYcKDtLU/s1600/facebookisupport049-300x292.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Image courtesy of www.mofas.org</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Learn more about FASD at these websites: </div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/fasd/index.html" target="_blank">CDC: Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders</a> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://depts.washington.edu/fasdpn/htmls/fasd-fas.htm" target="_blank">University of Washington: What is FASD? </a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.mofas.org/about-fasd/fasd-faq/" target="_blank">Minnesota Organization of FAS: FASD FAQ</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<b><i>Please</i></b> help me spread awareness of this important issue by sharing this post on your favorite social network. <br />
<br />
<i>In the comments, give a shout-out of support all those who suffer from FASD and addiction</i>.<br />
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<hr />
<b><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Lamps and Mirrors </i>is updated sporadically, so if you are so inclined keep up with my literary (or other) musings, use the form in the sidebar to subscribe. </span></b></div>
A.L.S. Vosslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04139238445482175559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6879541290037373654.post-69713232709876961732014-09-26T08:42:00.000-07:002014-09-26T08:42:06.060-07:00Poetry Friday: "Vines"Late night sleeplessness and jasmine oolong tea seem to be good for the poetic muse. <br />
<hr />
<br />
<b>"Vines"</b><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">© 2014 A.L.S. Vossler</span><br />
<br />
Branches vine together; <br />
twist and turn, turn and twist— <br />
Fantasy, Reality: <br />
symbiotic, synergistic,<br />
distinct, yet intertwined—<br />
different leaves and different blossoms, <br />
with thorns both tangled tight. <br />
One reflects and One defines, <br />
One a host, the Other guest. <br />
Dual trees of single root—<br />
for what we label 'fantasy'<br />
springs up from reality, <br />
but what we name 'reality'<br />
was once Creator's fantasy—<br />
which is tree and which is shoot? <br />
One a guest, the Other, host,<br />
One defines and One reflects. <br />
Both tangled tight with thorns, <br />
different blossoms, different leaves, <br />
intertwined yet so distinct— <br />
synergistic, symbiotic, <br />
Reality and Fantasy:<br />
turn and twist, twist and turn—<br />
Branches vine together. <br />
<br />
<i>As always, constructive criticism is welcome in the comments. </i><br />
<br />
<hr />
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Lamps and Mirrors </i>is updated sporadically, so if you are so inclined keep up with my literary musings, use the form in the sidebar to subscribe. </span></b>A.L.S. Vosslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04139238445482175559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6879541290037373654.post-13913776055935956112014-07-09T09:36:00.000-07:002014-07-09T09:42:13.795-07:00347 Things You Should NEVER DO in Writing or Your Work Will SUCK Because I Said So!Have you ever noticed that lots of writing websites and magazines are full of advice? They dole out instructions as though ex cathedra, all with the smarmy superiority that comes from knowing that what <i>they</i> say is how <i>all writing</i> should be.<br />
<br />
Have you ever noticed how many great books flagrantly ignore these rules?<br />
<br />
I am not saying that all of the rules are bad. Some are helpful. For example, avoid using adverbs and a weaker verb when you can use one stronger verb. That's helpful. That's good advice. Many take that and say, "do a search through your document and eliminate every thing that ends in -ly." (Lovely and only are exceptions, since they are adjectives and not adverbs.)<br />
<br />
That, my friends, is bull crap.<br />
<br />
At least in my opinion. Eliminating your weaker verb-adverb pairs, if you can, is a good idea. To flagrantly label all adverbs as some kind of satanic force lurking in your manuscript, causing you to suck as a writer, is stupid. Adverbs add flavor. They are good. Like spices, you don't want too many of them. But saying that all adverbs in writing are bad (and there are some who literally believe this) is like saying that putting spices in your food ruins your food. There is such a thing as too much spice, or the wrong kind of spice, but your food will be bland without it. <br />
<br />
Again, all of this is my opinion. But then again, I haven't fed on the honey-dew and partaken of the milk of paradise that gives all of these writing magazines their divine authority to declare all things must be a certain way. Therefore, my argument is invalid.<br />
<br />
Another helpful rule is to avoid flowery writing. Once again, this is a helpful notion. You don't want everything to be poetic to the point of being florid. However, some unilaterally impose the rule of ALL flowery writing is bad ALL the time NO MATTER WHAT.<br />
<br />
Once again, bull crap.<br />
<br />
Do I need to pull out the spice analogy again? Maybe a home decor analogy would be better. You don't want too much of a certain thing in your decor because it gets cluttered and over-the-top. But saying to get rid of all flowery writing in every instance is like telling someone they should live in a sterile white home with no color.<br />
<br />
But hey, I'm not God like those writing mags, so I'm probably wrong.<br />
<br />
There are hundreds of rules like this. Never use exclamation points. Use speech tags as little as possible. Don't let your characters become overly emotional more than once per book, because real people don't have multiple emotional outbursts very often. (That last one should win awards for the least accurate advice ever.) They go on and on and on, and articles on writing perpetuate them as though they are divine rules written by God Himself onto stone tablets at Sinai.<br />
<br />
The end result of all writers following all of these rules exactly will be the single most boring period of literature heretofore in history.<br />
<br />
Literature innovates. It breaks the rules. I'm not talking about flagrantly disregarding good advice, because all of these suggestions have some wisdom to them. It's the difference between saying, "wearing black has a slimming effect" and demanding that everyone must wear black or they are complete fashion failures. <br />
<br />
Why do I use a fashion analogy? Because fashion changes from time period to time period. Why does it change? Innovators change it. Fashion would be boring if people didn't introduce new ones or experiment with it in some way. <br />
<br />
That's what most of these 'rules' are. Fashion. It's not 'stylish' to do x, y, or z, so don't do it. <br />
<br />
Funny how the people who make these rules are the ones profiting from them. They take something that one or two successful authors did, make it a rule, put it in a magazine, slap a price tag on that sucker, and then rake in the moolah as thousands of writers pay to learn how they too can NOT SUCK. (Oooh, that last one was a run-on sentence. Kick me out of the real writers club, because I broke a rule.)<br />
<br />
With writing, there aren't rules. There are good practices that make sense, and in general, should be adhered to. There is plenty of wisdom to be obtained from the experience of others. But writing is not math, people. If you want a career field that is dominated by HARD and FAST RULES then you should be studying mathematics.<br />
<br />
Even in math, though, innovators experiment to find new ways of solving problems. Do the 'rules' change? No. But mathematics still evolve.<br />
<br />
If you're desperate for writing rules, I can't offer you any. But here are some suggestions:<br />
<br />
1.) It is useful and important to know the 'rules'. You have to know them in order to break them. It's the difference between ignorance and intention.<br />
<br />
2.) Take writing advice with a grain of salt. Trust your gut. <br />
<br />
3.) Well-behaved <strike>women</strike> writers seldom make history. <br />
<br />
<br />A.L.S. Vosslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04139238445482175559noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6879541290037373654.post-92071283805305798952014-03-22T06:13:00.000-07:002014-03-22T06:17:16.670-07:00Teenage Mutant Ninja Continuity ErrorHeroes in a half…..whatever. <br />
<br />
In order to begin today’s blogging adventure, I am forced to admit that yes, I do, in fact, watch Nickelodeon’s <i>Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles</i>. However, the subject of today’s blog really is not so much about the show itself, but rather what the show exemplifies: the “willing suspension of disbelief.” <br />
<br />
This is a subject which has been hashed and rehashed since the phrase was first used by none other than my good Romantic buddy, Samuel Taylor Coleridge. “The Phrase Finder,” a delightful British website that explores the origins of various idioms, offered this succinct explanation:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>
This term was coined by Samuel Taylor Coleridge in 1817 with the publication of his Biographia literaria or biographical sketches of my literary life and opinions:<br />
<br />
"In this idea originated the plan of the 'Lyrical Ballads'; in which it was agreed, that my endeavours [sic] should be directed to persons and characters supernatural, or at least romantic, yet so as to transfer from our inward nature a human interest and a semblance of truth sufficient to procure for these shadows of imagination that willing suspension of disbelief for the moment, which constitutes poetic faith."<br />
<br />
The state is arguably an essential element when experiencing any drama or work of fiction. We may know very well that we are watching an actor or looking at marks on paper, but we wilfully [sic] accept them as real in order to fully experience what the artist is attempting to convey.</blockquote>
<br />
The expression has since been hijacked beyond poetry to any number of different applications, one of which, most notably, is the Science Fiction/Fantasy genre. In many respects, this makes a good deal of sense. If one is going to be reading about wizards, vampires, alternate realities, and various other things which do not exist or are simply impossible, one needs to overlook these absurdities and accept them as real. Ursula K. Leguin, in the introduction to her excellent novel <i>The Left Hand of Darkness</i>, humorously notes that when one reads a story, one temporarily becomes insane and believes in things that are not real. <br />
<br />
This is why I think that the lean, green ninja team is such a good example of the willing suspension of disbelief. I mean, for crying out loud, it’s a show about teenage mutant ninja turtles! The <i>title alone </i>requires one to put reality aside. Of course, as fan of the Science Fiction/Fantasy genre, this is second nature to me. I am able to put the absolute ludicrousness of the show’s main premise and enjoy it a great deal. <br />
<br />
At the same time, the threshold for the willing suspension of disbelief is highly individual. As with pain thresholds, each person has a certain level before they start screaming in agony. For example, my father, a lifetime reader of speculative fiction, absolutely cannot stand <i>Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles</i>. I asked him why, and his response was, “They make my brain hurt.” He is, of course, absolutely scandalized that his adult daughter watches and enjoys it. By the way, this only makes me enjoy it even more. <br />
<br />
Perhaps it is the childishness of the show that turns my father off, but I think also that the premise itself strains his willingness to even try suspending disbelief. I can relate to this—for me, it’s the <i>Twilight</i> saga. The premise itself does not appeal to me, and therefore things that fans readily overlook drive me batty (vampire pun noted). In other words, <i>Twilight</i> makes my brain hurt. <br />
<br />
This is something that all writers of fantasy need to keep in mind; sometimes the premise itself strains the imagination of the readers. Is your premise so strange that most people won’t be willing to give it a go? Given the wide variety of tastes in this world, you’ll never be able to win everyone, but a good premise should still appeal to quite a few people. However, even a good premise can tank if the execution is poor. <br />
<br />
The biggest culprit for ending the suspension of disbelief is continuity errors. I don’t mean problems with the continuity of the plot line itself, though that is something undesirable as well. I mean continuity errors in the rules of the imaginary universe itself. For example, I am able to accept all of the silliness of <i>Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles</i> in all its goofy green glory, but one thing that drives me absolutely insane is the fact that there never seem to be any people in New York. If we are to take this universe that is set in reality but has supernatural elements like aliens, rat ninja masters, and talking turtles, we still expect it to follow the other rules of our “real” universe. One of these rules is that New York is absolutely packed with people, day and night. The idea that the streets are largely vacant at night is silly. <br />
<br />
Note that it is <i>this</i> that strains my credulity, not, you know, the whole <i>teenage mutant ninja turtles taught ninjutsu</i> <i>by a rat. </i> It’s because I can suspend the disbelief in mutants; I can’t accept that in an otherwise “normal” universe, New York City magically seems empty anytime the turtles need it to be. I have an entire laundry list of things that bug me about that show—another of which is the whole “heroes in a half-shell” bit. They have an entire shell, people. I know you’re trying to be clever and cute and catchy, but the turtles have their whole shell!<br />
<br />
Ahem. <br />
<br />
The point is that continuity and consistency is crucial. If I’m supposed to believe that a=b and b=c, then I darn better well find out that a=c. If it doesn’t, it’s going to make me mad. In many cases, this will be a total deal breaker for the reader or the viewer. In the case of <i>TMNT</i>, I am willing to deal with my complaints because I like the show enough otherwise. I also accept that it is a kids’ show and kids have a much, much higher threshold than grown-ups. <br />
<br />
Thus, while the topic of the willing suspension of disbelief has nearly been beaten to death, it is absolutely crucial that authors always keep it in the back of their minds. I like this thought that the website "TV Tropes" offers: <br />
<br />
<blockquote>
Any creative endeavor, certainly any written creative endeavor, is only successful to the extent that the audience offers this willing suspension as they read, listen, or watch. It's part of an unspoken contract: The writer provides the reader/viewer/player with a good story, and in return, they…accept the reality of the story as presented and accepted that characters in the fictional universe act on their own accord. <br />
<br />
An author's work, in other words, does not have to be realistic, only believable and internally consistent…When the author pushes the audience too far, the work fails.</blockquote>
<br />
This is why consistency and continuity are so crucial to successful stories. Not all members of one’s audience are going to be that forgiving. Orson Scott Card reiterates again and again how vital rules are in speculative fiction. <br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Before you can tell a meaningful story, you have to hone and sharpen your understanding of the world, and that begins with the fundamental rules, the natural laws. Remember, because speculative fiction always differs from the knowable world, the reader is uncertain about what can and can’t happen in the story <i>until</i> the writer has spelled out the rules. And you, as a writer, can’t be certain of anything until <i>you</i> know the rules as well (36). [Emphasis original]</blockquote>
<br />
So, while “world creation sounds like a marvelous free-for-all” (Card 36), it is actually an affront to your audience to be inconsistent. Some might be generous enough to accept the “a wizard did it” argument, a phrase which originated in the popular TV show <i>The Simpsons</i>. A lot of people don’t, though. "TV Tropes" defines the expression thusly:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The standard all-encompassing explanation for any continuity errors noticed by hardcore fans of any given fantasy show: If it doesn't make sense, A Wizard Did It. […] However, using it to excuse major Plot Holes that the creators really should've caught beforehand will make people rightly angry.</blockquote>
<br />
Think about that for a moment. “Rightly angry.” Not “angry,” or “nit-picky,” but “rightly angry.” There is another phenomenon that can be insulting, known as “Bellasario’s Maxim.” It is: “Don’t examine this too closely.” According to TV Tropes it was<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Said by producer Donald P. Bellisario on March 17, 1990 at an SF convention in response to a persistent fan with very specific questions about the way things worked on Bellisario's series <i>Quantum Leap</i>. An unashamed admission of handwaving details unnecessary to the enjoyment of a show, and an exhortation to not let the obsession with those details get in the way of the story. Implicit in the Maxim is a request to understand that the story is being told by a small production team that (due to the limitations of the medium) has to work quickly, with limited budget and tight deadlines, and has to dodge Executive Meddling, all while trying to turn out the best product it can.</blockquote>
<br />
Okay, maybe we all have the urge to ask our audience to overlook errors, but when we don’t, they still will be “rightly angry.” Granted, I also like <i>Quantum Leap</i> in spite of its absurdities. <br />
<br />
The willing suspension of disbelief is something which all authors rely on, but one must be careful not to rely on it too much. Never ask more suspension from your readers than you yourself are willing to give—and even then it’s important to stop and think about the rules of your speculative world from every angle. <br />
<br />
As Card so beautifully sums it up, “The rules you establish don’t limit you; they open up possibilities. Know the rules, and the rules will set you free” (45-46).<br />
<br />
------------------------------------- <br />
<br />
Works Cited<br />
<br />
Card, Orson Scott. How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy. Cincinnati, Ohio: Writer’s Digest Books, 1990. <br />
<br />
Martin, Gary. "Suspension of Disbelief.” <i>Phrase Finder.</i> 17 Mar. 2014. [http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/suspension-of-disbelief.html ].<br />
<br />
TV Tropes Foundation, LLC. “A Wizard Did It.” <i>TV Tropes.</i> 16 Mar. 2014. [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AWizardDidIt].<br />
<br />
---.“Bellasario’s Maxim.” <i>TV Tropes.</i> 16 Mar. 2014. [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BellisariosMaxim].<br />
<br />
---. "Willing Suspension of Disbelief." <i>TV Tropes.</i> 16 Mar. 2014. [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief].<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />A.L.S. Vosslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04139238445482175559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6879541290037373654.post-54219551278365351142014-03-21T09:51:00.002-07:002014-03-21T10:40:25.145-07:00TGIPF!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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To set the context for today's Poetry Friday, I have had a few things published.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A couple of short stories made the cut for my
community college’s webzine, and a few of my poems were published in my
university’s humanities journal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also
worked for a newspaper for the better part of a year, where I wrote a weekly
column and also wrote several articles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I have done movie reviews, book reviews, and even a couple of pieces of creative
non-fiction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then, of course, there is
this blog, though a debate exists amongst the writing community as to whether a
blog counts as being published.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Regardless, a smattering of my work has appeared in various
publications; therefore I suppose I can say that I am a published writer. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It has been my life’s dream to have a novel published,
however.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since I was fifteen (which is rapidly
becoming longer and longer ago) I have worked on one novel or another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, I am closer than ever to being
completely done with one—I tried to garner some interest with a publisher by
sending them the first few chapters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Naturally, I received a very polite form letter, but that hasn’t
discouraged me. </div>
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<br /></div>
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The other day I was thinking about how much of my life I
have poured into my writing; it has occurred to me before that the amount of
time an author puts in is gargantuan in respect to the amount of time a reader
does.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Particularly if that reader is
like me, who demolishes books more than she reads them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can read a 600-page novel in under a week,
as long as I don’t actually sleep very much.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But even if I take my time, the most time I will spend is probably one
or two months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One or two months of my
life is all it takes to consume something that the author spent <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">years</i> crafting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some authors can churn out a novel a year—but
even then it’s a year versus one or two months. </div>
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<br /></div>
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So, when I think about the prospect of my novel being
published, the idea is bittersweet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s
weird to think that something I put years into might be read in a month or
less.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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But this is the nature of all art. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<br />
-------------------------------------------<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>[Untitled]</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(c)2014 A.L.S. Vossler</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here between these pages,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have spilled ink </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
like droplets of black sweat, </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
like dark splashing tears,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
like a pouring out of blood, </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
a pouring out of life, </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
of years of careful crafting,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
obsessing, perfecting.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Hours and hours of labor </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
are typeset and reproduced</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
as easy as pressing a button,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
as swift as a bird in flight,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
as myriad as a flock of doves</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
bursting from their long-shut cote, </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
only to be caught a moment, </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
admired briefly, and released. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
A.L.S. Vosslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04139238445482175559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6879541290037373654.post-29963404362656320092014-03-19T05:39:00.002-07:002014-03-19T05:39:49.346-07:00My Apologies for the HiatusIf any of you read this blog on a semi-regular basis, you may remember that one of my goals for the New Year was to post weekly on Lamps and Mirrors. <br />
<br />
Ha! Hilarious, aren't I?<br />
<br />
So, I offer my deepest apologies for my long absence. Life has been rather hectic, and as you may be aware, my last post was about lacking a certain inspiration.<br />
<br />
I plan to resume posting more regularly, but every week will most likely be an endeavor I will not be able to attain--notably with Poetry Fridays. I can write about writing on demand far more easily than I can write poetry on demand. Poetry really does require a certain attention to detail and nurturing that does not lend itself well to deadlines, which is part of the reason that most creative writing courses give you a drafting deadline for your poetry and then focus primarily on revision over a course of multiple class periods.<br />
<br />
That being said, I do have a poem prepared for this Friday, but it may be the last Poetry Friday until I am once again taken over the poetic muse.<br />
<br />
I do have multiple exciting topics planned for other posts, though. This weekend I'll be exploring my own take on the idea of "the willing suspension of disbelief." For future posts, I will be discussing some other articles that have been written about writing, as well as writing up a review of <i>William Shakespeare's Star Wars: Verily, a New Hope</i>. <br />
<br />
(Go ahead. Let that title sink in for a moment. Let the pure, unadulterated nerdiness wash over you. Besides, it's not like I'm reviewing my sister's copy of <i>Hamlet</i> translated into Klingon.) <br />
<br />
In conclusion, don't let my long absences dash all of your hopes for future posts. <br />
<br />
Come back this Friday and Saturday and don't miss out on all the literary fun!<br />
<br />A.L.S. Vosslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04139238445482175559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6879541290037373654.post-54945821218764345722014-01-17T08:53:00.002-08:002014-01-18T05:10:08.025-08:00Poetry Friday: Hail...Muse?<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Poetry is not exactly something which can be forced.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Okay, it can be forced, but in general, the
result is terrible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hence, you are
reading this today instead of the regularly scheduled Poetry Friday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span> Instead, I want to talk about something poetry-ish while not
actually writing poetry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Okay, so maybe I’ll write some poetry; it is Poetry Friday after all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I mean, limericks technically are
poetry…technically. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sculpting <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Don Juan</i>
like Myron,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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“Hail, Muse! Et cet’ra,” wrote Byron.</div>
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What poets invoke</div>
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He saw as a joke</div>
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‘Midst the Romantic environ. </div>
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<br /></div>
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(My scanning is not wrongly done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Byron pronounced Juan, “JOO-ən.” Professors
do say that this is the way it is, judging by his scansion.) </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That was my semi-poetic introduction to today’s semi-poetic
topic: The Muse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
George, Lord Byron was considered a bit of a Romantic era
apostate for his view of the Muse (amongst other things).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One
of my very favorite lines of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Don Juan </i>is
when Byron opens the section by writing, “Hail Muse! Et cetera.” This was a bit
of a stab at those Romantic era writers who still employed the invoking of the
muse as part of their poetry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Back in the good ‘ol days of Greek yore, the Muse was a semi-deity
who supposedly came to the poets and gave them their inspiration for
writing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Greek writers frequently
invoked the Muse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Later, the invoking of
the Muse fell into disuse, particularly with the advent of shorter poetical
forms such as the sonnet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The decline of
polytheistic religion and the rise of Christianity’s prominence throughout the
Western poetry-writing world also contributed to the poetic Muse’s
demise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the time the Enlightenment
rolled around, the idea of the Muse was laughable. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Enter the Romantic Poets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The Romantic movement was largely a pendulum-like reaction to the
Enlightenment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Romantic philosophy
saw a return to nature and the ‘primitive man.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Much of the poetry of this era is characterized by pantheism and the
idea of the poet as semi-divine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whereas
for the Greek poets, the Muse was an actual deity, to the Romantic writers, the
Muse was in fact part of the whole natural universe, flowing through each of
us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course, some were especially
tuned into this, so they were elected by the divine spirits to be poets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Samuel Taylor Coleridge was one of the
earlier Romantic poets who subscribed to this; in “The Eolian Harp” we see him
as the harp (poet) played by the wind (the divine pantheistic Muse).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Likewise, in “Kubla Khan,” we see the poet as
one who has been elected by the powers of the earth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Apparently brought on by feeding on
honey-dew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your individual results may
vary. )<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, the Romantic poets returned to the custom of invoking
the Muse—though not as such.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead,
you see nature taking the part of the Muse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Part of the reason Wordsworth and Coleridge (particularly his earlier
works) are such a pain to read is due to their rambling on and on forever about
nature before they get to the actual point of the poem (I’m talking about you,
“This Lime Tree Bower, My Prison”). </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Even Byron’s fellow Romantic apostate Percy Bysshe Shelley still
subscribed to this semi-divine poet business.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Though they both saw nature in decay rather than in glory, if you read
“Ode to West Wind,” you will see a very depressed Shelley calling on the spirit
of the wind to inspire him. (I knew an English professor who referred to
Shelley as the emo kid of the poetry world.) However, Byron’s delightfully
satirical writing mocks the idea of an all-inspiring Muse (not to mention a few
less-than-friendly jabs at Wordsworth).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“Hail Muse! Et cetera” is his flippant rejection of such a concept. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After the Romantic era, the idea of the Muse once again fell
into disuse, except for the occasional reference.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Saying “the Muse is upon me” is just a way of
saying you’ve had a brilliant idea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Heck, that’s even where we get “to muse,” as in to ponder or think
about. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, now that you have read this little introduction to the
notion of the Muse, I want to ask:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Is there such a thing?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Granted, I don’t believe in a Greek semi-deity or a
pantheistic, milk-of-paradise-dispensing spirit that inspires people to write,
but I have to admit, there are times that a writer just gets those <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I-have-to-write-it-now-or-I’ll-explode</i>
moments (mostly at terribly inconvenient moments).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Contrast these with the “meh” moments where
you can’t seem to put a single word on the page, and even if you do, you strike
it out. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Think about it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
call it writer’s block, or the writing doldrums.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Doldrums are places without wind; a place
where you get stuck while sailing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
seems as if a lot of writers feel like their ideas are beyond their control,
just like being a leaf blown around in the wind. (Hmm, where have I heard that
idea before?)</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I know that I feel this way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Sometimes, I’ve got nothing, and then I feel “inspired” and just write
and write and write.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the other hand,
I am capable of forcing myself to write without feeling inspired, and
frequently do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I admit that the quality
is diminished in these cases, though.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now, if you read <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Writer’s
Digest</i> or similar types of things, you will frequently hear people support
the idea of writing whether you “feel like it” or not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Waiting for inspiration will get you
nowhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The best thing to do, so the
advice generally goes, is write whatever and then go back and fix it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And this is sound advice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have used that advice on multiple occasions </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There is something to be said for the “you can’t edit a
blank page” camp, but without the inspiration, without the Muse, is what you’ve
written even worth editing? At least, this is how I’ve been rationalizing my
lack of writing lately.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In all honesty,
I think there is something to be said for waiting for inspiration; on the other
hand, the “fake it ‘til you make it” strategy is useful as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But I’ll be a monkey’s uncle if it doesn’t ever work for
writing poetry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes, it doesn’t
even work for prose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It does work for
blog posts, though, which is mostly why this one is so terrible.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Perhaps I need to feed on some honey-dew. Now, do you think that's the melon or some kind of nectar? And where can I get some milk of paradise to chase that down with? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">What do you think of
inspiration versus perspiration in writing? Does it work for all forms or just
some? If you write poetry, do you have to feel ‘inspired’ first? Did you find
the second limerick hidden in the post? Did you like it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why am I asking so many questions?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Leave your thoughts or pleas for me to shut
up in the comments. </i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<![endif]-->A.L.S. Vosslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04139238445482175559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6879541290037373654.post-6888688419033468602014-01-13T12:09:00.003-08:002014-01-13T12:09:54.160-08:00I have an article published on Mythic Scribes!If you are a writer of speculative fiction, then you will probably love <a href="http://mythicscribes.com/" target="_blank">Mythic Scribes</a>. I have been a member of this fantasy writer's website/forum for a little over a year or so and I love it. Not only do they have a great board for discussing all things pertaining to fantasy writing, they also have spectacular articles on writing on their main page. <br />
<br />
Well, all of them are spectacular, except for this one, which was written by yours truly:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://mythicscribes.com/miscellaneous/fan-fiction-epiphany/" target="_blank">Fan Fiction: An Epiphany</a><br />
<br />
It was very kind of Mythic Scribes to darken their doors by publishing a piece that I wrote. <br />
<br />
I hope that you all go take a look at my article and check out all the awesome stuff that's going on at Mythic Scribes!A.L.S. Vosslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04139238445482175559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6879541290037373654.post-44772974415012385232014-01-10T08:11:00.003-08:002014-01-10T08:11:38.622-08:00Poetry Friday! <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Fountain</div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(c) 2014 A.L.S. Vossler </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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Spout and cascade onto blank serene page;</div>
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Sweet bold rushing music in phrases and rests.</div>
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And meaning’s fine mist gently does drift</div>
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Away on the breeze of perception. </div>
A.L.S. Vosslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04139238445482175559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6879541290037373654.post-6064501150714064502014-01-04T17:39:00.000-08:002014-01-04T17:39:38.835-08:00Fantasy, Realism, and Rossetti! Oh my!: Thoughts on “Goblin Market”<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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If you ever have the opportunity to study Christina
Rossetti in an academic climate, you will find more academic journal articles,
essays, and even books written on “Goblin Market” than on any other of her many
fine works.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even when you do find a
resource touching on another of her poems, it is frequently analyzed in light
of or in conjunction with “Goblin Market.” </div>
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<br /></div>
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In other words, if you would like to learn about “Goblin
Market,” prepare yourself for a feast. </div>
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<br /></div>
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As could be expected in academia, however, this feast is
a cornucopia of contradictory ideas and interpretations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some suggest that “Goblin Market” is a
metaphor for humanity’s fall and Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you are of a Christian bent, you can
easily see why someone might see this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Laura’s fall comes through fruit; Lizzie’s pure behavior and
self-sacrifice brings Laura back. There is even the beautiful sacramental
language of “Eat me, drink me, love me” (473) which resonates with the
Christian Eucharist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Further research
tells that Rossetti was heavily involved in the Anglican church, so this makes
the Christian narrative interpretation quite believable. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Other interpretations build from the highly sensual
language in the poem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some writers say
that it is a metaphor for the emphasis that Victorians put on women’s virginal
status and its role on the economic state of women in England.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This too is easy to see; Lizzie is saved by
keeping her silver penny, a metaphor for virginity, while Jeannie dies “for
joys brides hope to have” (315).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Research also informs us that Rossetti worked with the Anglican church
to provide relief and healing to women who had been involved in
prostitution.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This interpretation is
also viable and supported with both literary and historical evidence. </div>
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<br /></div>
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The sensual nature of the poem has spurred even extremely
prurient takes on its meaning; for example, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Playboy</i>
once released a book with erotic photographs to go along with the poem. All you
need to do is read “She sucked and sucked and sucked the more/ […] / She sucked
until her lips were sore” (139-141) and you sort of get the idea. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All I can say is that they must have been
trying to appeal to lonely English professors. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
You can research “Goblin Market” until you are dizzy (and
I have).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In everyone’s eagerness to
explicate this poem into oblivion, however, I notice that no one ever stops to
ask, “Hey, what if this was just a story she wrote?” Even if one did, the reply
is obvious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All stories have a deeper
meaning—no story is “just” a story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While
Stanley Fish might insist that the readers create that meaning all by
themselves, I tend to think that the meaning more or less comes from the
author. </div>
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<br /></div>
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(However, my many issues with Fish and his extreme
reader-response criticism are outside the scope of this blog post. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps another day I shall delve into the
problems with the controversial idea that meaning is created and not found.) </div>
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<br /></div>
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A question which I also have never seen asked is this:
“What genre is ‘Goblin Market?’” Answers to such a question would generally be
either “literature” or “poetry.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is
my proposition, however, that “Goblin Market” is fantasy. </div>
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<br /></div>
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I can almost hear the academic purists crying, "Blasphemy!" now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Fantasy? Are you mad?
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s literature! It’s not fantasy, you
Tolkien-toting hag! It’s a metaphor for reality!”</div>
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<br /></div>
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To which I reply, “What do you think fantasy is, anyway?”</div>
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<br /></div>
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I bring this up because there is an unspoken tendency in
academia—and the writing world at large—that fantasy and science fiction aren’t
“real” literature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just go to any
English department and tell the professors that you are writing a novel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their faces light up at first, but then when
you tell them it’s speculative fiction, they sort of look away as if embarrassed
for you; a look that says, “Ah, you poor, pathetic purveyor of pulp fiction.” </div>
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<br /></div>
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Who knows, maybe I just went to the wrong college.* </div>
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<br /></div>
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However, I ardently insist that speculative fiction <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">is</i> literature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And this is where the title of my blog comes
in. </div>
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<br /></div>
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“Lamps and Mirrors” is a reference to M.H. Abrams’ theory
of the mind as a lamp or as a mirror.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>One of my favorite writers, G. E. Veith, Jr., takes Abrams’ metaphor and
applies it to realism and fantasy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Veith
does not call realism and fantasy genres, however; rather, he describes them as
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">modes</i> of literature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I find the term ‘mode’ to be far more
accurate, because ‘mode’ suggests that something can change, whereas
‘genre’—literally meaning ‘kind’—is a narrow category with a fixed definition. </div>
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<br /></div>
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The problem today is that publishing genres have caused
‘literature’ to become synonymous with ‘realism,’ or, even worse, ‘the only
stuff that intelligent people should read.’” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Veith, however, describes realism and fantasy
by their function—as a mirror or as a lamp. </div>
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<br /></div>
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“Literature as a mirror,” he writes, “reflects the truth as
it is” (118), thereby defining realism as a mirror.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Likewise, he compares fantasy to the lamp: </div>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
Literature as a lamp projects what
is in the mind into tangible forms. […] When a lamp gives off light, it enables
people to see not only itself but the external objects around it. Good fantasy
does the same.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While projecting inner
longings and fears, it also sheds a hard, objective light on the human
condition (118).</div>
</blockquote>
<br />
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However, the truth is that neither fantasy nor realism can
be bottled into such constricted definitions; the modes of literature, while
distinct in their attributes, can be fluid and transposable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Veith emphasizes this by blurring their
distinctions, saying that “fantasy can function as a mirror,” though its
purpose is closer to a “fun-house mirror, whose exaggerations can help us
notice what we normally ignore” (118). Orson Scott Card, a prominent writer of
Science Fiction and Fantasy, also subscribes to this notion. </div>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
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Indeed, one of the greatest values
of speculative fiction is that creating a strange imaginary world is often the
best was to help readers see the real world through fresh eyes and notice
things that would otherwise remain unnoticed (61-62).</div>
</blockquote>
<br />
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Conversely, “Even realistic fiction as a human expression
and an active interpreter of the world it comments upon can serve as a lamp” (Veith
118), largely in part because “the wonders of the real world can outdo our
wildest imaginations” (Veith 119).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So where is the line drawn between fantasy and realism?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are discrete yet mysteriously interwoven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This blurring of distinctions is why, though
the title of my blog is “Lamps and Mirrors,” the subtitle is “Where Literature
and Speculative Fiction Meet.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I were
to list the genres respectively, speculative fiction would be first and then
literature would be second.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Note that I
use the publishing industry standard of ‘literature’ as synonymous with
‘realism’ and substitute ‘speculative fiction’ for ‘fantasy.’) This is because
I agree with Veith’s conclusion that “For all its impossibilities, fantasy can
paradoxically be very realistic psychologically and spiritually.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the same token, realism, when pursued far
enough, can include the fantastic” (146). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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This is why I once again submit that “Goblin Market” is
fantasy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fantasy and realism, while
distinct, are not mutually exclusive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
“Goblin Market,” Rossetti’s lamp of imagination takes us to a strange,
delightful world filled with fantastic little goblin men.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her gorgeous description of “ratel- and
wombat-like” (342) fills our mind's eye with wonder and enchantment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The malevolent transformation of the goblins
into vicious assailants against good-willed Lizzie sparks our imaginations with
a glimpse of the fantastic heroine, “white and golden” (409) where she
stands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To say that “Goblin Market” is
not fantasy is an insult to Christina Rossetti’s inimitable skill. </div>
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<br /></div>
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However, fantasy and realism are not so distinct.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Academics say that “Goblin Market” is a
metaphor, and indeed it is: a comparison without the use of ‘like’ or
‘as.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The definition of fantasy as a
lamp might say that this is indeed all fantasy is—a grand metaphor using the
unfamiliar and imagined to describe the real.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In fact, fantasy is nothing more than a recombination of what already
is:</div>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
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Writers of fantasy are often said
to be “creating” what does not in reality exist. […] The most outrageous
monster conceivable is only a new combination of what already exists. A dragon
is simply a giant reptile, with perhaps the wings of a bat and the fire of a
blast furnace added on. […] Try to imagine a monster which owes nothing to what
is real. […] Try to imagine a new shape of a new emotion. Try to imagine a new
color.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The mind must work in terms of
the existing created order, of which it is a part. […] Fantasy is tied to
reality… (Veith 119)</div>
</blockquote>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Veith is not the only writer to suggest that fantasy is not
just a bunch of imaginative gobbledygook which writers pull out of their rear
ends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Card also emphasizes the importance
of researching the real world in order to write effective fantasy and science
fiction. </div>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
Speculative fiction is not an
escape from the real world, and writing it is not a way to have a literary
career without having to research anything! Speculative fiction instead
provides a lens through which to view the real world better than it could ever be
seen with the natural eye (62). </div>
</blockquote>
<br />
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Hence, we see that all of Rossetti’s goblins are compared to
animals, a motley assortment of creatures from all over the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wombats would have been an exotic creature
for the Victorian Englishman to consider at the time—which reinforces the
notion that even the real can be fantastic. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Of course, the creatures of “Goblin Market” are not the only
things which draw from reality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is
why “Goblin Market” can be interpreted in so many different ways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is echoic of Christian doctrine, or
Victorian society’s attitudes toward sexuality, or whatever particular theory
one to which one might subscribe. (It might even be echoic of graphic sexual
material, but I submit that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Playboy</i>
released their illustrated version in highly poor taste, working to sell sex
rather than increase an appreciation of literature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I personally find their doing so
deplorable—and yet highly ironic in light of “Goblin Market”s possible
description of sex as something monetized.)</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To ask what genre one might categorize “Goblin Market” as,
in my opinion, is really a bit of a moot point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Rather, we see that its mode of literature is fantasy—a lamp which sheds
light on the realities before us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tricky
as literary modes can be, however, we also see that it behaves in accordance
with reality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This concept is what drives this entire blog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is an intersection of the literary modes,
a bold contradiction to the publishing and academic world that literature and
speculative fiction can be one and the same, the place where literature and
speculative fiction meet. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
--- </div>
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<br /></div>
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Works Cited:</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Card, Orson Scott. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">How
to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy. </i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cincinnati: Writers Digest, 1990.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Rossetti, Christina. “Goblin Market.” <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Goblin Market and Other Poems.</i> Ed.
Candace Ward. New York: Dover, 1994. 1-16.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Veith, Gene Edward, Jr. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Reading
Between the Lines: A Christian Guide to Reading Literature. </i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway,1990.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">---</i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">*I'm talking about all of my professors except for Douglas J., who taught a class on speculative fiction. Thanks for that, Mr. J.; you taught me to be fearless in my love of all things Science Fiction and Fantasy.</i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">---</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><i>Share your thoughts on genre, literary modes, or whatever you have to say about "Goblin Market" in the comments. </i> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></div>
A.L.S. Vosslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04139238445482175559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6879541290037373654.post-55503517617654611672014-01-03T05:06:00.003-08:002014-01-09T21:18:15.681-08:00Poetry Friday Guest Post: Christina Rossetti<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
If you have not already surmised this from reading my
blog, I will say it now: I love poetry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I mean, I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">adore</i> poetry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Reading poetry gives me chills; hearing
poetry gives me chills. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am going to
share with you today what is, in my opinion, one of the most delicious poems I
have ever read. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I consistently get
goosebumps every time I read it. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have
read a lot of poetry, and this is one of the poems that I go back and read
again and again. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
It is “Goblin Market” by Christina Rossetti.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Now, I am not just sharing this poem as easy filler for
my blog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tomorrow I will be discussing
“Goblin Market” at length, not only about its sheer amazing literary merit, but
particularly in how I see its significance for the Speculative Fiction
community.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
As you read one of Christina Rossetti’s defining
works—what I see as the crown of her many fine poems—I encourage you to read it
aloud.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most poetry is intended to be
read aloud, but “Goblin Market” is an especially delightful experience in both
the ears and the mouth. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
As a further disclaimer, in case I have not made myself
clear, the following poem is not my own original work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was written in 1862 by Christina Rossetti,
an English poet. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
Now do you get the Rossetti 'bowl' comment I made?<br />
<br />
---<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
"Goblin Market"</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
From <i>Goblin Market and Other Poems,</i> 1862</div>
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By Christina Rossetti </div>
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<br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Morning and evening <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(1)</span></div>
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Maids heard the goblins cry</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Come buy our orchard fruits,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Come buy, come buy: </div>
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Apples and quinces, </div>
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Lemons and oranges,</div>
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Plump unpecked cherries,</div>
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Melons and raspberries,</div>
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Bloom-down-cheeked peaches,</div>
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Swart-headed mulberries, <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(10)</span></div>
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Wild free-born cranberries,</div>
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Crab-apples, dewberries,</div>
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Pine-apples, blackberries,</div>
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Apricots, strawberries; —</div>
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All ripe together </div>
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In summer weather, —</div>
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Morns that pass by, </div>
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Fair eves that fly;</div>
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Come buy, come buy:</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Our grapes fresh from the vine,<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> (20)</span></div>
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Pomegranates full and fine,</div>
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Dates and sharp bullaces,</div>
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Rare pears and greengages,</div>
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Damsons and bilberries,</div>
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Taste them and try: </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Currants and gooseberries, </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Bright-fire-like barberries, </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Figs to fill your mouth, </div>
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Citrons from the South,</div>
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Sweet to tongue and sound to eye;<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> (30)</span> </div>
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Come buy, come buy.”</div>
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<br /></div>
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Evening by evening</div>
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Among the brookside rushes, </div>
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Laura bowed her head to hear,</div>
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Lizzie veiled her blushes: </div>
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Crouching close together</div>
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In the cooling weather,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
With clasping arms and cautioning lips,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
With tingling cheeks and finger tips. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Lie close,” Laura said, <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(40)</span></div>
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Pricking up her golden head:</div>
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“We must not look at goblin men,</div>
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We must not buy their fruits: </div>
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Who knows upon what soil they fed</div>
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Their hungry thirsty roots?”</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Come buy,” call the goblins</div>
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Hobbling by the glen. </div>
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“Oh,” cried Lizzie, “Laura, Laura,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
You should not peep at goblin men.” </div>
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Lizzie covered up her eyes, <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(50)</span></div>
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Covered close lest they should look;</div>
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Laura reared her glossy head,</div>
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And whispered like the restless brook:</div>
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“Look, Lizzie, look, Lizzie, </div>
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Down the glen tramp little men.</div>
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One hauls a basket, </div>
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One bears a plate,</div>
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One lugs a golden dish</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Of many pounds weight. </div>
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How fair the vine must grow <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(60)</span></div>
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Whose grapes are so luscious;</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
How warm the wind must blow</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Through those fruit bushes.”</div>
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“No,” said Lizzie, “No, no, no;</div>
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Their offers should not charm us,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Their evil gifts would harm us.”</div>
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She thrust a dimpled finger</div>
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In each ear, shut eyes and ran:</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Curious Laura chose to linger</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Wondering at each merchant man.<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> (70) </span></div>
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One had a cat’s face,</div>
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One whisked a tail, </div>
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One tramped at a rat’s pace, </div>
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One crawled like a snail,</div>
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One like a wombat prowled obtuse and furry,</div>
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One like a ratel tumbled hurry skurry. </div>
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She heard a voice like voice of doves</div>
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Cooing all together:</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
They sounded kind and full of loves</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
In the pleasant weather.<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> (80)</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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Laura stretched her gleaming neck</div>
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Like a rush-imbedded swan,</div>
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Like a lily from the beck,</div>
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Like a moonlit poplar branch, </div>
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Like a vessel at the launch </div>
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When its last restraint is gone.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Backwards up the mossy glen</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Turned and trooped the goblin men,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
With their shrill repeated cry, <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(90)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Come buy, come buy.”</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
When they reached where Laura was</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
They stood stock still upon the moss,</div>
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Leering at each other,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Brother with queer brother;</div>
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Signalling each other, </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Brother with sly brother.</div>
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One set his basket down,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
One reared his plate;</div>
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One began to weave a crown<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> (100)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Of tendrils, leaves, and rough nuts brown</div>
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(Men sell not such in any town);</div>
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One heaved the golden weight </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Of dish and fruit to offer her:</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Come buy, come buy,” was still their cry.</div>
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Laura stared but did not stir, </div>
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Longed but had no money:</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The whisk-tailed merchant bade her taste</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
In tones as smooth as honey, </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The cat-faced purr’d, <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(110)</span></div>
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The rat-paced spoke a word</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Of welcome, and the snail-paced even was heard;</div>
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One parrot-voiced and jolly</div>
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Cried “Pretty Goblin” still for “Pretty Polly;” —</div>
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One whistled like a bird. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
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But sweet-tooth Laura spoke in haste:</div>
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“Good folk, I have no coin;</div>
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To take were to purloin:</div>
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I have no copper in my purse,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I have no silver either, <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(120)</span></div>
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And all my gold is on the furze</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
That shakes in windy weather</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Above the rusty heather.”</div>
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“You have much gold upon your head,” </div>
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They answered all together:</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Buy from us with a golden curl.”</div>
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She clipped a precious golden lock,</div>
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She dropped a tear more rare than pearl,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Then sucked their fruit globes fair or red:</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Sweeter than honey from the rock, <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(130)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Stronger than man-rejoicing wine,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Clearer than water flowed that juice;</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
She never tasted such before,</div>
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How should it cloy with length of use?</div>
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She sucked and sucked and sucked the more</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Fruits which that unknown orchard bore;</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
She sucked until her lips were sore; </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Then flung the emptied rinds away</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
But gathered up one kernel-stone,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
And knew not it was night or day <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(140)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
As she turned home alone. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Lizzie met her at the gate</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Full of wise upbraidings:</div>
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“Dear, you should not stay so late,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Twilight is not good for maidens;</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Should not loiter in the glen</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
In the haunts of goblin men.</div>
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Do you not remember Jeanie, </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
How she met them in the moonlight,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Took their gifts both choice and many, <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(150)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Ate their fruits and wore their flowers </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Plucked from bowers</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Where summer ripens at all hours?</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
But ever in the moonlight</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
She pined and pined away;</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Sought them night and day,</div>
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Found them no more, but dwindled and grew grey;</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Then fell with the first snow,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
While to this day no grass will grow</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Where she lies low:<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> (160)</span></div>
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I planted daisies there a year ago </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
That never blow. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
You should not loiter so.”</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Nay, hush,” said Laura:</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Nay, hush my sister:</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I ate and ate my fill,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Yet my mouth waters still;</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
To-morrow night I will</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Buy more;” and kissed her:</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Have done with sorrow; <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(170)</span></div>
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I’ll bring you plums to-morrow</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Fresh on their mother twigs,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Cherries worth getting;</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
You cannot think what figs</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
My teeth have met in,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
What melons icy-cold</div>
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Piled on a dish of gold</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Too huge for me to hold,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
What peaches with a velvet nap,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Pellucid grapes without one seed:<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> (180)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Odorous indeed must be the mead</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Whereon they grow, and pure the wave they drink</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
With lilies at the brink,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
And sugar-sweet their sap.” </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Golden head by golden head,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Like two pigeons in one nest</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Folded in each other’s wings,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
They lay down in their curtained bed:</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Like two blossoms on one stem,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Like two flakes of new-fall’n snow, <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(190)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Like two wands of ivory</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Tipped with gold for awful kings.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Moon and stars gazed in at them,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Wind sang to them lullaby, </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Lumbering owls forbore to fly, </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Not a bat flapped to and fro</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Round their rest:</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Cheek to cheek and breast to breast</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Locked together in one nest.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Early in the morning <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(200)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
When the first cock crowed his warning, </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Neat like bees, as sweet and busy,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Laura rose with Lizzie:</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Fetched in honey, milked the cows,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Aired and set to rights the house,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Kneaded cakes of whitest wheat,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Cakes for dainty mouths to eat,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Next churned butter, whipped up cream,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Fed their poultry, sat and sewed;</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Talked as modest maidens should:<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> (210)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Lizzie with an open heart,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Laura in an absent dream,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
One content, one sick in part;</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
One warbling for the mere bright day’s delight,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
One longing for the night. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
At length slow evening came:</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
They went with pitchers to the reedy brook;</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Lizzie most placid in her look,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Laura most like a leaping flame. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
They drew the gurgling water from its deep; <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(220)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Lizzie plucked purple and rich golden flags, </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Then turning homewards said: “The sunset flushes</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Those furthest loftiest crags;</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Come, Laura, not another maiden lags,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
No willful squirrel wags, </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The beasts and birds are fast asleep.”</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
But Laura loitered still among the rushes</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
And said the bank was steep.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
And said the hour was early still,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The dew not fall’n, the wind not chill:<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> (230)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Listening ever, but not catching</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The customary cry,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Come buy, come buy,”</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
With its iterated jingle</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Of sugar-baited words:</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Not for all her watching</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Once discerning even one goblin</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Racing, whisking, tumbling, hobbling;</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Let alone the herds</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
That used to tramp along the glen, <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(240)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
In groups or single,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Of brisk fruit-merchant men. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Till Lizzie urged, “O Laura, come;</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I hear the fruit-call, but I dare not look:</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
You should not loiter longer at this brook:</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Come with me home.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The stars rise, the moon bends her arc,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Each glowworm winks her spark,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Let us get home before the night grows dark:</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
For clouds may gather <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(250)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Though this is summer weather,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Put out the lights and drench us through;</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Then if we lost our way what should we do?”</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Laura turned cold as stone</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
To find her sister heard that cry alone,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
That goblin cry,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Come buy our fruits, come buy.”</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Must she then buy no more such dainty fruit?</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Must she no more such succous pasture find,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Gone deaf and blind? <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(260)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Her tree of life drooped from the root:</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
She said not one word in her heart’s sore ache;</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
But peering thro’ the dimness, nought discerning,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Trudged home, her pitcher dripping all the way;</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
So crept to bed, and lay</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Silent till Lizzie slept;</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Then sat up in a passionate yearning,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
And gnashed her teeth for baulked desire, and wept</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
As if her heart would break. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Day after day, night after night, <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(270)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Laura kept watch in vain</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
In sullen silence of exceeding pain. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
She never caught the goblin cry:</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Come buy, come buy;” —</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
She never spied the goblin men</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Hawking their fruits along the glen:</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
But when the noon waxed bright</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Her hair grew thin and grey;</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
She dwindled, as the fair full moon doth turn</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
To swift decay and burn <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(280)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Her fire away. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
One day remembering her kernel-stone</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
She set it by a wall that faced the south;</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Dewed it with tears, hoped for a root.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Watched for a waxing shoot,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
But there came none;</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
It never saw the sun,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
It never felt the trickling moisture run:</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
While with sunk eyes and a faded mouth</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
She dreamed of melons, as a traveler sees <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(290)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
False waves in desert drouth </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Whit shade of leaf-crowned trees,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
And burns the thirstier in the sandful breeze. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
She no more swept the house,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Tended the fowls or cows,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Fetched honey, kneaded cakes of wheat,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Brought water from the brook:</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
But sat down listless in the chimney-nook</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
And would not eat. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Tender Lizzie could not bear <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(300)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
To watch her sister’s cankerous care</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Yet not to share. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
She night and morning </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Caught the goblins’ cry:</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Come buy our orchard fruits,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Come buy, come buy:” —</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Beside the brook, along the glen,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
She heard the tramp of goblin men,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The voice and stir</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Poor Laura could not hear; <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(310)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Longed to buy fruit to comfort her,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
But feared to pay too dear. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
She thought of Jeanie in her grave,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Who should have been a bride;</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
But who for joys brides hope to have</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Fell sick and died</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
In her gay prime,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
In earliest Winter time,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
With the first glazing rime,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
With the first snow-fall of crisp Winter time. <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(320)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Till Laura dwindling</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Seemed knocking at Death’s door:</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Then Lizzie weighed no more</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Better and worse;</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
But put a silver penny in her purse,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Kissed Laura, crossed the heath with clumps of furze</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
At twilight, halted by the brook:</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
And for the first time in her life</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Began to listen and look. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Laughed every goblin <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(330)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
When they spied her peeping:</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Come towards her hobbling,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Flying, running, leaping, </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Puffing and blowing,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Chuckling, clapping, crowing,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Clucking and gobbling,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Mopping and mowing,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Full of airs and graces,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Pulling wry faces,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Demure grimaces, <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(340)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Cat-like and rat-like</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Ratel- and wombat-like,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Snail-paced in a hurry, </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Parrot-voiced and whistler,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Helter skelter, hurry skurry, </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Chattering like magpies,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Fluttering like pigeons,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Gliding like fishes, —</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Hugged her and kissed her: </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Squeezed and caressed her: <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(350)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Stretched up their dishes,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Panniers, and plates:</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Look at our apples</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Russet and dun,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Bob at our cherries,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Bite at our peaches,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Citrons and dates,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Grapes for the asking,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Pears red with basking</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Out in the sun, <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(360)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Plums on their twigs;</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Pluck them and suck them,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Pomegranates, figs.” —</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Good folk,” said Lizzie, </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Mindful of Jeanie:</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Give me much and many:” –</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Held out her apron, </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Tossed them her penny. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Nay, take a seat with us,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Honour and eat with us,” <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(370)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
They answered grinning:</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Our feast is but beginning,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Night yet is early, </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Warm and dew-pearly,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Wakeful and starry:</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Such fruits as these</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
No man can carry;</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Half their bloom would fly,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Half their dew would dry,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Half their flavour would pass by. <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(380)</span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Sit down and feast with us,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Be welcome guest with us, </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Cheer you and rest with us.” –</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Thank you,” said Lizzie: “But one waits</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
At home alone for me:</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
So without further parleying, </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
If you will not sell me any </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Of your fruits though much and many, </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Give me back my silver penny</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I tossed you for a fee.” – <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(390)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
They began to scratch their pates, </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
No longer wagging, purring, </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
But visibly demurring,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Grunting and snarling. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
One called her proud,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Cross-grained, uncivil;</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Their tones waxed loud,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Their looks were evil.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Lashing their tails, </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
They trod and hustled her, <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(400)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Elbowed and jostled her,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Clawed with their nails,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Barking, mewing, hissing, mocking,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Tore her gown and soiled her stocking,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Twitched her hair out by the roots,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Stamped upon her tender feet,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Held her hands and squeezed their fruits</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Against her mouth to make her eat. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
White and golden Lizzie stood,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Like a lily in a flood, — <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(410)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Like a rock of blue-veined stone</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Lashed by tides obstreperously, —</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Like a beacon left alone</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
In a hoary roaring sea,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Sending up a golden fire, —</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Like a fruit-crowned orange-tree</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
White with blossoms honey-sweet</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Sore beset by wasp and bee, —</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Like a royal virgin town</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Topped with gilded dome and spire <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(420)</span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Close beleaguered by a fleet</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Mad to tug her standard down. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
One may lead a horse to water, </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Twenty cannot make him drink.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Though the goblins cuffed and caught her, </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Coaxed and fought her,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Bullied and besought her,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Scratched her, pinched her black as ink,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Kicked and knocked her,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Mauled and mocked her, <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(430)</span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Lizzie uttered not a word;</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Would not open lip from lip</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Lest they should cram a mouthful in:</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
But laughed in heart to feel the drip</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Of juice that syrupped all her face,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
And lodged in dimples of her chin,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
And streaked her neck which quaked like curd.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
At last the evil people, </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Worn out by her resistance, </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Flung back her penny, kicked their fruit <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(440)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Along whichever road they took,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Not leaving root or stone or shoot;</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Some writhed into the ground, </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Some dived into the brook</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
With ring and ripple,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Some scudded on the gale without a sound</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 165.05pt;">
Some vanished in the distance. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
In a smart, ache, tingle,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Lizzie went her way;</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Knew not it was night or day; <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(450)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Sprang up the bank, </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Tore thro’ the furze,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Threaded copse and dingle,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
And heard her penny jingle</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Bouncing in her purse, —</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Its bounce was music to her ear. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
She ran and ran</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
As if she feared some goblin man</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Dogged her with gibe or curse</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Or something worse, <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(460)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
But not one goblin scurried after, </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Nor was she pricked by fear; </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The kind heart made her windy paced</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
That urged her home quite out of breath with haste</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
And inward laughter. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
She cried, “Laura,” up the garden,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Did you miss me?</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Come and kiss me. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Never mind my bruises, </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Hug me, kiss me, suck my juices <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(470)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Squeezed from goblin fruits for you,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Goblin pulp and goblin dew. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Eat me, drink me, love me;</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Laura, make much of me;</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
For your sake I have braved the glen </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
And had to do with goblin merchant men.”</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Laura started from her chair,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Flung her arms up in the air,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Clutched her hair;</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Lizzie, Lizzie, have you tasted <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(480)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
For my sake the fruit forbidden?</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Must your light like mine be hidden, </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Your young life like mine be wasted,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Undone in mine undoing, </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
And ruined in my ruin, </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Thirsty, cankered, goblin-ridden?”—</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
She clung about her sister, </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Kissed and kissed and kissed her:</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Tears once again</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Refreshed her shrunken eyes, <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(490)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Dropping like rain</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
After long sultry drouth;</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Shaking with aguish fear, and pain, </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
She kissed and kissed her with a hungry mouth. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Her lips began to scorch,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
That juice was wormwood to her tongue,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
She loathed the feast:</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Writhing as one possessed she leaped and sung,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Rent all her robe and wrung</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Her hands in lamentable haste, <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(500)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
And beat her breast.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Her locks streamed like the torch</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Borne by a racer at full speed,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Or like the mane of horses in their flight, </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Or like an eagle when she stems the light</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Straight toward the sun,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Or like a caged thing freed,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Or like a flying flag when armies run.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Swift fire spread through her veins, knocked at her
heart,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Met the fire smouldering there <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(510)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
And overbore its lesser flame;</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
She gorged on bitterness without a name:</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Ah! fool to choose such part</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Of soul-consuming care!</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Sense failed in the mortal strife:</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Like the watch-tower of a town</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Which an earthquake shatters down,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Like a lightning-stricken mast,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Like a wind-uprooted tree</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Spun about, <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(520)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Like a foam-topped waterspout</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Cast down headlong in the sea,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
She fell at last;</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Pleasure past and anguish past,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Is it death or it is life?</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Life out of death. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
That night long Lizzie watched by her, </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Counted her pulse’s flagging stir,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Felt for her breath, <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(530)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Held water to her lips, and cooled her face</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
With tears and fanning leaves:</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
But when the first birds chirped about their eaves, </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
And early reapers plodded to the place</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Of golden sheaves, </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
And dew-wet grass</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Bowed in the morning winds so brisk to pass,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
And new buds with new day</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Opened of cup-like lilies on the stream,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Laura awoke as from a dream, <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(540)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Laughed in the innocent old way,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Hugged Lizzie but not twice or thrice;</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Her gleaming locks showed not one thread of grey</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Her breath was sweet as May</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
And light danced in her eyes. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Days, weeks, months, years</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Afterwards, when both were wives</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
With children of their own;</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Their mother-hearts beset with fears,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Their lives bound up in tender lives; <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(550)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Laura would call the little ones </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
And tell them of her early prime,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Those pleasant days long gone</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Of not-returning time;</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Would talk about the haunted glen,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The wicked, quaint fruit-merchant men,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Their fruits like honey to the throat</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
But poison in the blood;</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
(Men sell not such in any town;)</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Would tell them how her sister stood <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(560)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
In deadly peril to do her good,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
And with the fiery antidote:</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Then joining hands to little hands</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Would bid them cling together,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“For there is no friend like a sister</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
In calm or stormy weather;</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
To cheer one on the tedious way, </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
To fetch on if one goes astray,</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
To life one if one totters down, </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
To strengthen whilst one stands.” <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(570)</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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---<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
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Work Cited:</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Rossetti, Christina. “Goblin Market.”<i> </i><i>Goblin Market
and Other Poems.</i> Ed. Candace Ward. New York: Dover, 1994. 1-16.</div>
<br />
---<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Share your thoughts on this amazing Victorian poet in the comments. This poem is just so incredibly sumptuous all the way throughout, but my personal favorite lines are: 409-422, 466-476. If you don't feel compelled to read the whole poem again, go back and read those. Oh! So awesome. </i>A.L.S. Vosslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04139238445482175559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6879541290037373654.post-57221463908527378322013-11-22T12:57:00.004-08:002013-11-22T12:57:46.504-08:00Poetry Friday"Remembrance"<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(c) 2013 A.L.S. Vossler</span><br />
<br />
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Remembrance;</div>
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a sacred estate </div>
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takes the insignificant, </div>
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makes it holy,</div>
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sanctified,</div>
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purified,</div>
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whole.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Who wishes to be forgotten?</div>
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Forget me not, the lovers cry.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Those unremembered</div>
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are swallowed, whole, by time,</div>
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made unholy,</div>
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defiled,</div>
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broken.</div>
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<br /></div>
A.L.S. Vosslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04139238445482175559noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6879541290037373654.post-45727930794879527562013-11-15T08:44:00.001-08:002013-11-15T08:44:31.737-08:00Poetry Friday: Throwback<br />
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I stumbled across some old poetry the other day. I wrote these back in high school for my freshman literature class. Our poetry unit asked that we write three different forms of poetry: one, where we<b> </b>set up our own meter pattern; another, to write a haiku, and third, to write a limerick. As I have no pride whatsoever in the limerick I wrote, I present you with the first two assignments<br />
<br />
<b>The Fairy </b><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(c) A.L.S. Vossler</span><br />
<br />
Tinkling, sparkling in the air;<br />
Magic follows everywhere.<br />
The flow'rs all bloom with radiance bright<br />
When comes the fairy of the night.<br />
To life the world springs, when she sings<br />
Then flies away on silv'ry wings. </div>
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Even at fourteen, I had an obsession with all things fantasy. At the time I was really into elves and fairies. Now, this was sort of inspired by Tolkien's poem "Goblin Feet<i>" </i>(not connected with the Middle-Earth milieu). However, most of the word choices were because a), it had the correct number of syllables, or b), it rhymed. </div>
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<b>The Storm</b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(c) A.L.S. Vossler</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
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Endless skies bleed rain</div>
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Clouds cast shadows; eerie ghosts<br />
Lightning rends earth's vault. </div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">This one, unsurprisingly, I wrote on a rainy day. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Poetry is one of those things where no matter how simplistic it is, people try to impose a lot of meaning on it. Case in point, William Carlos Williams. Oh, the critics love to break it down and explicate the hell out of his works. Reading literary criticism of poetry always makes me think of Billy Collins' famous quote:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">"All they want to do is tie the poem to a chair
with a rope and torture a confession out of it. They begin beating it
with a hose to find out what it really means." </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">I am personally guilty of the new critic/formalist approach to poetry--I so love the words themselves that I find myself waxing a little toward the Archibald MacLeish <i>"Ars poetica" </i>camp. However, I don't pretend for a moment that formalism is enough to properly interpret any given work. I do like to borrow from many critical camps--and I am quite guilty of beating poems with hoses. </span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"> Now, I am no enormous fan of Williams' poetry, but I find the desperate attempts of critics to understand it hilarious. Maybe we should just appreciate it for what it is and let it "</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/CreativeWork">be palpable and mute / As a globed fruit"(MacLeish 1-2)...</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><span itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/CreativeWork">Sorry, sorry. The <i>Ars Poetica </i>thing again. I just laugh to think that someday, some rabidly reader-response critic who puts Stanley Fish to shame or some delightfully vicious deconstructionist or enthusiastic feminist critic is going to get a hold of a simple poem I wrote as a naive teenager. It's pretty amusing actually. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><span itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/CreativeWork">And people wonder why Coleridge felt the need to explain his works and put marginal glosses in "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner"? Talk about foresight. And we still tear apart his works and even his letters and glosses. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><span itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/CreativeWork">So, anyway, this literary tirade is partly to make up for the fact that I won't be posting again until next week. </span></span></div>
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</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/CreativeWork"><i>If you care to offer any reader-response or deconstructionist or feminist criticism, please do so in the comments. I especially enjoy deconstruction. </i> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/CreativeWork">Works cited (please forgive the lack of proper MLA format, I am short on time today.)</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/CreativeWork"><a href="http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/ars-poetica-2/" target="_blank">Macleish, Arichibald. "Ars Poetica."</a> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/CreativeWork"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/83336-all-they-want-to-do-is-tie-the-poem-to" target="_blank">Billy Collins quote</a> </span> </span></span></div>
A.L.S. Vosslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04139238445482175559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6879541290037373654.post-82192179107056389082013-11-10T19:48:00.000-08:002014-01-03T05:12:26.039-08:00Delicious Words and the Language of the Fantastic<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“A picture is worth a thousand words,” says the old
adage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For me, this always raises the
question, “If a picture is worth a thousand words, what is a word worth?” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The question is a fiddly one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A single word can be worth nothing, or it can
be worth—well, a thousand words. The four letters ‘w-o-r-d’ themselves are a
good example.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has become common in
modern speech to say ‘word’ in response to something, or indeed to nothing at
all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you ask the speaker to explain
what they mean, your results may vary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In fact, the use of ‘word’ in this capacity means so many different
things that it effectively means nothing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It becomes a puff of air, nothing more than the empty utterance of a
semi-vowel, vowel, liquid, and stop. It’s something to say, totally detached
from any meaning at all. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Another word that has suffered non-meaning starts with the
interdental unvoiced fricative and ends with the palatal unvoiced stop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Also, it rhymes with ‘duck.’) If you ever
listen to people use this word, especially Chef Gordon Ramsay, you will notice
that it means absolutely nothing—just something to say, albeit something rude
to say.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
‘Word’ and assorted vulgarities, however, and not the only
words affected by the meaninglessness phenomenon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘Like’ also comes to mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am certain that you can think of any number
of expressions, most of them interjections, which have absolutely no definitive
meaning. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, a word can be worth nothing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or, it can be worth thousands of words.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pick up the Oxford English Dictionary and
look up ‘word.’ The definition is, depending on the size of the print and the
pages in your copy, about a page long.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Suddenly those four linguistic phonemes are worth more information than
can be easily conveyed by a dictionary, and you would be hard-pressed to find a
picture to portray it. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am, if you have not already surmised, obsessed with words
and linguistics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The expression ‘word
nerd’ is hardly satisfactory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, I
think of words like candy—sweet, delicious candy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I simply enjoy turning words over in my mouth
and feeling the way they are formed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Some words, however, become more delicious in the presence of other
words; context affects the flavor of each one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They are delicious because of the way it feels to speak them, the way
they sound, and what they mean.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One of my favorite examples of the deliciousness of words is
Richard Snyder’s poem “A Mongoloid Child Handling Shells on the Beach”:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
She turns them over in her slow
hands,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
As did the sea sending them to her;
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Broken bits from the mazarine maze,
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
They are the calmest things on this
sand. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
The unbroken children splash and
shout,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Rough as surf, gay as their nesting
towels. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
But she plays soberly with the
sea’s </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Small change and hums back to it
its slow vowels. (1-8)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is an excellent example of how familiar words can be exotic
when used in a certain way; alliteration and consonance have a way of doing
that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> The words themselves, laced with sibilance and long vowels, mimic the sounds of ocean breakers. </span>It
really is beautiful. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If common words have so much effect in the context of
reality—note the supernatural meaning they convey to the Down Syndrome child’s
communion with nature—imagine what unfamiliar words might do. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I think of unfamiliar words as the language of the fantastic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do not mean made up words; I mean actual
English words that are in actual English dictionaries but are not used in
commonplace vocabulary. This is because fantasy relies on strangeness. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Speculative fiction by definition is geared toward an audience
that wants strangeness” (20), writes Orson Scott Card.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He also notes that “one of the greatest
values of speculative fiction is that creating a strange imaginary world is
often the best way to help readers see the real world through fresh eyes” (61-62).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Strange words, by which I mean unfamiliar words, are an
excellent way to create and define imaginary worlds and give us fresh eyes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of my favorite authors, Stephen R.
Donaldson, excels in the use of obscure, archaic, or simply uncommon words to
do this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He could easily use more
vernacular language and convey the same things, but by choosing something
unusual, he adds to a sense of this literature of the strange. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For example, in his <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Chronicles
of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, </i>Donaldson frequently describes his
powerful characters as ‘puissant’ rather than ‘powerful.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He uses ‘preternatural’ in place of ‘unnatural’
or ‘supernatural.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course, there are
some slight differences in connotation in these word choices, and in the
literary context of the story, it makes a lot of sense. ‘Puissant’ also
connotes ‘potent,’ and the main character, in addition to being impotent, also
feels a total sense of powerlessness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘Preternatural’
connotes something aberrant and outside of nature, rather than just against or
greater than it. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The word choices are important for their literary symbolism,
but their delicious strangeness contributes to the unfamiliarity of the milieu
that Donaldson has created.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The words function
far beyond their meaning and paint a picture for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A picture that is worth—well, a thousand
words. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
--- </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Works Cited</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Card, Orson Scott. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy. </i>Cincinnati, Ohio: Writer’s Digest Books, 1990. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Snyder, Richard. “A Mongoloid Child Handling Shells on the
Beach.” <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama.</i> Seventh ed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Eds. X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. New York: Longman, 1999. 732</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
---</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Afterthoughts:</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Immediately after
writing “If a picture is worth a thousand words, what is a word worth,” I spent
about 30 minutes trying to find a clever pun about Romantic era poets before
giving up and finishing the post. </i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">If you use ‘puissant’
and ‘preternatural’ in your everyday vocabulary, I want to be your new best
friend. </i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">If you also tried to
make a Wordsworth pun, I want to be your new best friend. </i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">If you actually came
up with a good Wordsworth pun, please leave it in the comments along with any
other thoughts you might like to share. </i></div>
A.L.S. Vosslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04139238445482175559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6879541290037373654.post-46764166969395708122013-11-08T04:09:00.003-08:002013-11-08T04:09:48.640-08:00It's Poetry Friday!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
"Longing"</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(c) A.L.S. Vossler</span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Longing, longing; ah, I long.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Intangible desire is my song. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yearning, yearning; ah, I yearn.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Vague strivings fill a shapeless urn.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Though inspiration rend my side</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Flood me with a drowning tide</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
of things I scarce can hope to bear</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To fruit or ever hold or share</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The ramblings without pointed goal</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ebbing from the vacant shoal </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sweep me into the morass</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Of the ocean’s formless mass</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Of dreams bent into tuneless song</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ah, my soul, I long, I long. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Have I solid hopes to learn?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ah, my soul, I yearn, I yearn. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
A.L.S. Vosslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04139238445482175559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6879541290037373654.post-48202229314190132842013-11-02T07:03:00.000-07:002013-11-02T07:03:01.413-07:00The Adventures of Sir Writesalot, Part II<div class="MsoNormal">
Last time, we left Sir Writesalot exultant in his victory
over the editing virus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He feels
convinced that his work is as perfect as he could possibly make it be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who could possibly be the antagonist for him
now?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Why, the Publisher, of course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Publisher is rather like the head of an
entire evil entity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is the crime
boss.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And he has many lesser villains in
his employ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The least of these lackeys is Slushpile, a veritable morass
of an individual.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He absorbs manuscripts
like a sponge, good and bad alike.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An
excellent manuscript like the one produced by Sir Writesalot gets sucked into
Slushpile’s vast belly, where it sloshes around amongst other manuscripts that
would make an English teacher contemplate ritual suicide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If a manuscript manages to be successfully regurgitated from
Slushpile’s deep and vast belly, the next villain in line to receive it is Dr.
Editor. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Dr. Editor used to struggle with the Editor virus until it
finally overpowered her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, she picks
apart others’ works, and she is also is ruled by a secondary infection of
marketing fever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You see, she does not
merely evaluate the work based on literary merit, but whether she thinks it
will sell and make lots of money for the Publisher. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Her presence re-awakens the dormant virus within Sir
Writesalot and shatters his confidence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He realizes that his work was not as perfect as he thought, and he comes
to realize that the deck is stacked against him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All the Publisher truly cares about, in the
end, is the bottom line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Established
writers, or even writers of dreck get published more easily if their dreck
happens to match the popular theme <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">du
jour.</i> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Cough, cough<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">. Vampires! </i>Cough, cough, cough.)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If, by some miracle, Dr. Editor approves of Sir Writesalot’s
manuscript, it climbs up the ladder to the Publisher, who makes Sir Writesalot
sign all manner of…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Of…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Legal documents. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">[A woman screams in
the background.]</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now the Publisher really flexes his all encompassing
control.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He might try to seize the
rights to the work, holding it over Sir Writesalot’s head that he is the only
one who will publish this, and it’s now or never, buddy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He may even force Sir Writesalot to sign a
contract saying that Sir Writesalot will <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">never
publish anything with another company, ever again.</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yeah.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Publisher
is a piece of work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And because the
Publisher is one of the quickest ways to success, it seems like the only option
is to go with his extortionist requirements. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Suppose, however, that Sir Writesalot goes with a private
publisher or even self-publishes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now,
he has no marketing power except for what he can do on his own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s practically a nine-to-five job by
itself, and Sir Writesalot needs lots of money for that ring he wants to give
his main squeeze.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He might have to work
two jobs already. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Either way, Sir Writesalot is in a load of trouble.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His only solution is perseverance. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To be clear, I am not actually vilifying the publishing
industry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I compare the publishers to
villains in the sense that they are a challenge for the writer, not that they
are evil. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, it can seem extremely
unfair to the aspiring writer to fight his or her way up through an industry
which really presents huge hurdles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One
might need literary agents or lawyers to navigate its perilous waters, and
neither of those work for free. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Which is a problem for the impoverished Sir Writesalot. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Again, the only solution is perseverance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has to continually fight for his
manuscript and not give up, ever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the
end of the second movie, he is successful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Everything looks great until just before the credits, Sir Writesalot
says, “I think I’ll write another novel, but I want to switch genres.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">[Dramatic music.] </i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Publishers, if they make a lot of money off of your work in
a specific genre, really pressure writers into remaining in that genre.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are many successful authors who have
published both Science Fiction and Fantasy, but even then it’s not without a
fight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Publishers are interested in
money trends—and really, you can’t blame them for that—but it is frustrating
for the writer who would actually like to write in more than one genre. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As you can see, even the superhero writer, the writer in the
best of circumstances, has many challenges to face. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now, let’s return to reality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The aspiring writer is not Sir
Writesalot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have real life jobs and
real life responsibilities that get in our way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We have writer’s block.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can
get so discouraged by the editing process that we give up. We might receive one
rejection letter and never try again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
want to be published as quickly as possible; we want to share our story and
vision with the world, but we are constantly fighting against our personal
obstacles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It seems like we don’t stand a chance, if Sir Writesalot
just barely made it by the skin of his teeth. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The truth is that his solution is also our solution.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perseverance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It took J.R.R. Tolkien the better part of his life to produce <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Lord of the Rings.</i> There is never a
hurry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your lifetime of labors may
result in a cult following that you could never have predicted. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some people are published early in their
careers, others later, but success is not defined by how soon you are
published. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have often struggled with this urge to be published sooner
rather than later.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But someday, my slow
steady work will pay off. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And when that day comes, I—and any writer who makes it that
far—will feel like a superhero. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments. </i> </div>
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<![endif]-->A.L.S. Vosslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04139238445482175559noreply@blogger.com1