opinion – Modcast — Accessibility, Literature, and Mustachios

Book I’d Like to Forget No. 1

Against a red background, a person with short black and a black shirt and pants scratches their head as they look at a sheet of paper they are holding. A white dialog box shows the viewer what is on the paper. Three emoticons from left to right are frowny, smiley, and neutral. Each face has an empty red checkbox beneath it. Source: http://www.digital-web.com/articles/accountability_of_accessibility_and_usability/

Unfortunately, we can’t like every single book we read.

The Importance of Wearing a Mask During a Pandemic: There are Benefits!

A group of people place their hands together, all palms facing outward, as another hand with a paintbrush paints a red heart shape over their hovering hands.

by Richard Ramirez We must remember the benefits of masking as a win/win because we are able to protect ourselves and we can protect each other. We get an opportunity to be heroes to one another. COVID-19 does not discriminate against anyone. An article by Katarina Buchkovska says, the virus does not discriminate and canContinue reading “The Importance of Wearing a Mask During a Pandemic: There are Benefits! “

The Socialist Hero: The Chronotope of E.L. Voynich’s ‘The Gadfly’

Black and white scribble art depicting a hand holding a calligraphy pen, scratching on a sheet of paper. Source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/735634920356474407/

by Ryan Cooper The Gadfly, a novel by Ethel Lilian Voynich published in 1897 marked the birth of the paramount socialist hero for the coming century. Not only would the novel go on to be one of the most popular novels in the Soviet Union, selling over two and a half million copies; it wouldContinue reading “The Socialist Hero: The Chronotope of E.L. Voynich’s ‘The Gadfly’”

Book Bundles: Where We Were and How We Got Here

Drawing of books, open and closed and lined up in a row. A glass inkwell, calligraphy pen, old timey spectacles.

Welcome to the Modcast’s blog series, Book Bundles. This is where we recommend two or more books based around a topic or theme. So you’ve got options! I think the title really says it all: We can’t know where we’re going until we know where we’ve been. If you’re interested in origins, check these out:Continue reading “Book Bundles: Where We Were and How We Got Here”

The Chronotype of the Victorian Fabula in Jane Eyre

by Ghadah Alfualyj This blog post explores how Charlotte Brontë crafts a feminist chronotope within Jane Eyre, from within the Victorian fabula of the hero’s journey, from Gateshead to Thornfield. With a thorough analysis of Jane Eyre, it appears to me that Brontë’s narrative is deeply focused on the chronotope, what Bahktin calls space-time, inContinue reading “The Chronotype of the Victorian Fabula in Jane Eyre”

Aspects of Mimetic and Antimimetic Narratives in Stephen King’s IT

by Sarah Uhlig As the fabula of Stephen King’s IT develops, The Loser’s Club gains an understanding of how their world was created and the true setting they live in. Within IT, King introduces two alien creatures, The Turtle and Pennywise, both of whom are essential in the revelation of worldly knowledge and understanding. WhileContinue reading “Aspects of Mimetic and Antimimetic Narratives in Stephen King’s IT”

Book Bundles: The Exploitation of Africa

Welcome to the Modcast’s blog series, Book Bundles. This is where we recommend two or more books based around a topic or theme. So you’ve got options! You’ve seen the humanitarian organization’s ads begging for money, and you’ve seen the viral videos of missionary workers giving them tools and chocolate. Now get ready to confrontContinue reading “Book Bundles: The Exploitation of Africa”

Class Struggle and Socialism in The Time Machine

by Ashley Lucio H.G. Wells, a well-known socialist with strong views on capitalism and class, claimed “the abolition of ‘inheritance and property other than an individual’s own work was the entire object of the new and enlightened order of Socialists. Wells reiterated his faith in meritocratic versions of democratic socialism for decades,” (Collinge) through his novels, shortContinue reading “Class Struggle and Socialism in The Time Machine”

Background Not Backdrop: The Importance of Time-Space in Fiction

by Victoria Valle Imagine that you are on a train—a subway. What does it look like? What does it smell like? What does it feel like? This is a space you and other commuters occupy only briefly, one backdrop of many in a daily routine. You likely enter this space early in the morning andContinue reading “Background Not Backdrop: The Importance of Time-Space in Fiction”

Engendering “A Brave New World”

By Zelda Elizondo Using James Lawson’s theory of chronotope and Robyn Warhol’s Feminist Perspective, Caballero, by Jovita Gonzalez, was told in a heteroglot and polyphonic manner (Lawson 386). As a result of this it caused a centrifugal world where everyone had their own differing thoughts, ideas, dreams, and goals at a crucial time in TexasContinue reading “Engendering “A Brave New World””