To wrap up our series on violence in books, I wanted to look at the philosophical side of this problem. As recently featured author Aya Walksfar wrote, “Like it or not, accept it or not, authors impact the world by setting up limits for acceptable behavior, admirable behaviors and how greatly one can dream. We … Continue reading Violence, Vicariously Viewed: Reading Works with Graphic Content
Tag: Abuse
As readers, many of us seem appalled when our favorite characters suffer at the hands of their authors; when they get killed off, harmed, or traumatized, we close the book with a frown and think, “Why can’t the authors just leave them alone?” Or, perhaps, we chuck the volume across the room, emotionally, and write … Continue reading Writing Violence: A Confession
In our earlier post, we outlined the three methods for handling violence in books—close exposure, offstage, and retelling. Some readers like all the detail (and excitement) of experiencing the action first hand, while others prefer to glance the other way while dreadful, gruesome happenings are taking place. Here, we’ll examine real-life examples from novels, starting … Continue reading Three Examples of Violence in Books
I give my end-of-week post to other authors and bloggers whose work is worth noting. There are so many excellent articles out there, so many good poems and stories that I want to use my online space, once a week, to send all of you to read something you might otherwise miss. To see last … Continue reading Spotlight Saturday #5
Fifty Shades of Grey opens this weekend, and while I personally haven’t read the book, and have no intention of watching the movie, I can understand why the story has found such an audience. Past the shock and curiosity, there is a cultural hunger for a love we can feel. And if someone loves us … Continue reading A Love We Can Feel
Recently, there has been an outcry against rape as a plot point in stories, most recently the blog post petitioning against Reign’s use of it in a future episode. They cite how dangerous it can be to portray such a sensitive topic the wrong way and how it reinforces society’s negative portrayal of rape victims, … Continue reading Does Rape Ever Belong?
Andrea Lundgren 