Get Lit

Spring 2016

Evolving Into Ourselves a take on young adult literature pg. 7

Out with the Old pg.

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A Journey Through Literature pg. 13

Dear Readers, Thank you for deciding to check out Get Lit! As the creators of Get Lit, we want our readers to explore the endless depths of literature with our magazine. Our main focus is to show young adults that there’s more to reading than just random words on paper. It doesn’t matter if you enjoy the wiser words of Charles Dickens or the wizard world created by J.K Rowling. We want you to get lit about literature.

Sincerely, Jessica Ramirez Gloria Mullins Olivia Bush

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A Chapter About Us CHAPTER 1:Jessica Ramirez Hey Guys! My name is Jessi, I’m one of the editors of this magazine. I am passionate about many things, including traveling, Beyonce, and reading.

Here at school I’m currently a member of FCCLA, Student Council, Esperanza Club, the pathway program, and band. I’m also a member of Woodford County’s Color Guard, and enjoy reading on my free time. I hope to inspire and share my love of literature with this magazine. Have fun and keep reading!

CHAPTER 2:Gloria Mullins Hey, I’m Gloria, and I’m so excited you’re reading Get Lit! I have read novels all my life, and I’d love to share this passion with you. Alas, books are not my only passion. The Star Wars series, the sitcom Seinfeld, and The Beatles are also engaging fandoms in my life. Here at the high school, I’ve enjoyed almost every minute I’ve been here. I love high school. This is partly why I chose to do my feature on young adult literature. I’m so excited for you to read my feature and Get Lit as a whole!

CHAPTER 3:Olivia Bush

I’m really passionate about music and chicken fingers. My favorite place to get chicken fingers is at Canes or Wallace Station. I enjoy playing the flute in the WCHS symphonic band, and listening to music of different genres. At the moment, my favorite singer is Sufjan Stevens. One of my bucket list goals is to visit England. You can find me reaing, browsing the internet, or binge watching Sons of Anarchy!

“If you want to know yourself, start by writing a book.” ~ Sheeran El Feki ~ 2

Table of

1 2 3 7 13

Lett

Out

Evolv

a take o

A Journey Through Literature

Contents

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ter from the Editor

A Chapter About Us

t WIth the Old

ving Into Ourselves

on young adult literature

e

Out Wi Electronic

v

By:Jessica R

Have you ever thought of electronics taking over teenagers lives?

In many ways it has, however one topic seems to hold its ground when compared to a digital version of it; books. An electronic copy of a book for display on a computer screen or a handheld device is called an Ebook.

While many teenagers often find ebooks more convenient over a large textbook, teenagers still seem to like a physical copy of a book over a digital version when given the choice.

Teenagers should have the opportunity to read at least one book of their choice per month, however the average teenager doesn’t read that much. Based on a survey I created out of 96 students, 1 in 3 of them answered saying that they only read

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when they have to. They have many more book options and ways to read, however levels of interest are low when it comes to reading. Modern day teenagers and kids live in a world full of technology, meaning there are many ways that they can read online whether it be on a smartphone or a desktop.

According to Pew Research Center, an or-

ganization based on internet, science, and technology, 78% of teens have a cell phone and almost half (47%) of those own smartphones. Making it very easy for them to get a book and read whenever, and wherever they want.

Sadly this opportunity is not fully used totheir advantage.

Modern day distractions and obligations, such as

Above is another study done by Pew research center - In 2011 they reasearched which type of book was best fot these specific purposes.

vs. Paper Books

Ramirez

electronics and the high levels of schools work that teenagers have to undertake are taking precious reading time from teens.

Teenagers are now more interested in things like social media, and video games, because of the easy access to communication and interaction with peers and celebrities. However when teens do read they seem to prefer a physical book over an electronic copy by a landslide. Why is this you might ask? The answer to is that is teenagers often don’t care about the easy access of ebooks, they prefer the smell, feel and look of regular books.

Many people are beginning to realize that the physical book will not be replaced, because of how popular they are with the younger generations.

However Ebooks have

many factors that may affect the preference of paper over electronics.Only about 20% of teenagers are actually purchasing e-books, and reasons for this are the many factors that ebooks have playing against them in the fight against paper copies.

According to Nielsen, a company that studies consumers in more than 100 countries to give a complete view of trends and habits worldwide; the main factors are parental preference, teens lack of credit cards, and the preference of borrowing and sharing rather than purchasing. The way parents read often impact teens, if you grow up reading on physical copies of books, you are most likely to stick to that habit.

Also, teenagers un-

This is an ebook, as you can see it is very similar to paper boks.

ith the Old?

der the age of 18 years-old cannot apply for credit cards without their parents co-signature. Making it very unlikely for a tenager to have a credit card, which is how many ebooks are purchased. Also, based on Julie Glover, a young adult author and parent, parents are often more willing to buy print books for their teenagers because of the amount of control they have over what their kids are doing. On an electronic device kids are very easily distracted by social media and games.

When reading a physical book there is not much you can do with the book except for reading it.

Another major problem

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with electronic books is that nowadays most parents seem to be anti - electronics. Although there are a few parents who fully support the use of electronic for their kids, Most parents prefer their kids be outside playing, rather than be inside staring at a device. Parental approvement is important in situations like this, for they will be more likely to buy something that they think is good for their children.

However, teengers practically revolve around electronics and often take them for granted. Nevertheless they are paying a price for it, especially when we use them at night. Teenagers and kids are surrounded by electronics everyday, exposing them to the “blue lights� that these devices give off.

Blue lights refer to the blue wavelengths of traveling energy used for the visual aspects om electronics.

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Direct exposure to blue lights can cause damage to the retina, and also suppresses production of the hormone melatonin, which throws off your body’s natural sleep schedule. According to Harvard Medical School, blue wavelengths are beneficial during the day due to their ability to boost attention, reaction times, and mood, but are very disruptive at night.

According to many studies done, exposure to this light during the night has been linked to several types of cancer (breast, prostate) diabetes, obesity, and heart disease.

Many teenagers are put at this risk when they check social media, read, or play a game on their electronic device before bed.

Making this another reason why paper copies of books are more popular with parents and teens.

In order to see

teenagers preference over this topic, I constructed a survey for students in Woodford County to take.

In this survey almost 100 students were asked their gender, age, and a few other questions referring their personal preference over this topic. Out of the 96 students who participated in the survey only 18.8 % answered saying that they prefer electronic versions on books over regular paper copies.

Meaning that the rest of the students voted for paper, that means that 81.3% teens voted for paper.

Although many teenagers prefer a physical book over a digital copy ,digital books do you have their perks. The average teenage student has at least one textbook that they have to use for a class, meaning that they have to keep track of this book or carry it around.

Many teenagers would obviously choose to car-

ry their electronic device with their book downloaded on it rather than a heavy textbook. Also when it comes to organization, digital copies are often easier to keep track of and use for learning purposes. Digital devices are more advanced than regular books, and because of this students can make notes, look up unknown words, or get their answers questioned much easier and quicker on an electronic device than on a textbook. However these perks don’t seem to be enough, because the average teenager still prefers paper over digital copies.

Based on surveys and analysis done by professionals , current teenagers prefer to read on a physical book over an electronic copy of one.

They often disregard the convenience of ebooks, and let the smell, feel and look of regular books influence them to like a

physical books over electronic copies of one. Paper copies seem to be more “likable” to teenagers, because of the many factors against digital copies.

Their parents preference, teenagers lack of credit cards, and the that fact that sharing books is much easier, and privacy on a paper copy are making paper more desirable to tennegers .Also, because parents often influence their children on how they should read, factors such as the effect they have on their children’s eyes often make them lead towards one options. In this case digital copies have more negative effects on people’s eyes.Modern day, techsavvy teenagers have created a liking in technology and electronics, however this seems to be different when it comes to reading, because paper copies have become more popular with the tech-savvy teenager.

Blue Lights Benefficial Factors

-Helps regulate the bodies natural sleep & wake cyscle -Boosts alertness -Helps memory and cognitive function -Elevates moods

Harmful factors

- raises risk of some cancers - Digital Eyestrain Syndrome: blurry vision, difficulty focusing, headaches, neck and back pain

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J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series is almost a genre in itself. From Platform 9 & ¾ in Britain to Harry Potter World in Universal Studios, “muggles” all over the world

Courtesy of Public Domain

Jessi is proud to say he is a perfectly average teenager, guy, student; you get the idea. True to all average teenagers, Jessi’s mom likes to have a say in almost every aspect of his life. When she pushed him to read a book as opposed to idly fiddling with his electronics, his mind immediately went blank. Consequently, he ventured to his local library and eventually to the young adult section. Jessi pondered why there is a whole section targeted towards teens. He feels restricted. Little does he know, there is a plethora of novels, plots, and authors waiting for his eyes to read their abundant pages.

Many young readers were thrust into a love for Harry Potter, as shown in this artsy photo.

EVOLVING I OURSELVES

and age spectrum adore the series. It was, however, originally targeted towards young adults. Why was this?

The series could not have been released at a more opportune time, the late 1990’s. The majority of the decade was consumed with realistic teen novels. For instance, Maniac Magee was a

popular novel by Jerry Spinelli with themes of racism and literacy, set in a divided town. Nothing but the Truth

by Avi had a theme of the destruction lies can cause, set in a town in Pennsylvania. Set largely in a juvenile detention center in Texas, Holes had themes of cruelty and the importances of friendship.

INTO S a take on young adult literature

R e f l e c t i ng the culture of the time, these downto-earth novels may be too close for comfort, in the case of some teens. Harry Potter’s more fant asy-related moods, tones, and t h e m e s provided an outlet for everyday teenage struggles in the late 1990’s.

Jennifer Lynn Barnes, a young adult author, speaks about how just like adolescence is the transitional period of childhood and adulthood, fantasy novels such as Harry Potter provide a transitional period be-

Interview with Mona Romine: High School Librarian What type of books are most checked out of the library?

By Gloria Mullins tween real and imaginary life.

Themes like humility, power, and death were portrayed in Harry Potter like they never had been before. These themes are of course nothing absolutely new, but are more prominently shown through the host of a magical world.

J.K. Rowling’s genius series was timed so beautifully that waves of fantasy, supernatural, and whimsical novels and series came pouring out of authors shortly after her release.

Twilight and other supernatural novels portray teenage life in “another world” or “out of this world” perspectives. Just as Jennifer Lynn Barnes pointed out the similarity between real and fake worlds and childhood and adulthood, the same connection can be made for Twilight and other supernat-

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Realistic Fiction, definitely. John Green is popular, but not as popular as has been in past years.

Complicit is the most popular realistic book out now. A common theme is a psychological thrill, as in getting inside people’s minds that have some sort of an undiagnosed mental issue. I also see sci-fi books like The Fifth Wave.

Which themes are common in nominated books?

Teen problems. Whether it’s in sports, whether it’s in romance, whether it’s in fantasy, the idea of the problems that face young adults pop up all over.

How we become who we are has always been a key topic. It’s important to read about how other people evolve through their lives; it gives you more basis for your own.

This “another world” trend set by Harry Potter has leaked itself into another genre, dystopian novels.

Series such as the Hunger Games, Divergent, and The Maze Runner all have futuristic aspects. All the parts that put a dystopian creation together may seem unrealistic.

The story itself may not be real, but the feelings are very real to many teens. Young adults love to connect with Katniss, Tris, and Thomas on an emotional level as opposed to a more raw, physical level.

These dystopian characters are ideal people teens strive to be. Adolescents are transformed and inspired after reading these novels, if only for a short moment, to be a great leader like Katniss.

As many teenagers experience mood shifts, many popular young adult novels shift genres, moods, and themes. Recently, supernatural and fantasy novels have given way back the the pre-Potter phase of young adult literature. Mona Romine, a high school librari-

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an, has noticed more realistic novels being plucked off the shelves. Remembering our friend Jessi, when he hears the phrase “realistic novels”, his mind immediately darts to the well-known author, John Green, also known as “The Teen Whisperer” by The New Yorker.

What makes “The Teen Whisperer” so outstanding to young adults is his authentic application of real world teenage issues to a fictional character. Of course, there are many other genius tactics surrounding this author. The New Yorker claims his books are “narrated in a clever, confiding voice.”

It is this voice that shines through his novels, demanding teens to ask themselves thematic questions such as “what is the meaning of life?”, “why do people suffer?”, or “how does one handle love?”. John Green says to The New Yorker, “Teenagers feel that what you conclude about those questions is going to matter. And they’re dead right. It matters for adults, too, but we’ve almost taken too much power away from ourselves. We don’t acknowledge on a daily basis how much it matters.”

John Green discusses the movie version of Paper Towns at the Soho Apple Store. The rest of the cast and director accompanied him, but they are not shown.

ural novels. These plot lines portray the turning point between life and death. Vampires, zombies, and ghosts are the “undead”, providing this transitional point.

Green feels society has not recognized teenage thirst for philosophical and emotional concepts such as these. Therefore, he becomes the Powerade, if you will, to quench this thirst for young adults. His first released novel in 2005, Looking for Alaska, which makes all readers empathize with the protagonist, question their ways of grieving, and dwell on the devastation of young death.

In 2008, Paper Towns was released. This novel was about a simple guy about to graduate high school. This time in anyone’s life can be very sentimental, deep, and reflective. Green portrays Quentin, the main character, in a very relatable way, forcing readers to identify with him. Readers then

Have YA themes changed in the years you have been a librarian?

Courtesy of Flickr Images

ponder the same philosophical questions Quentin asks himself. Questions like “what am I supposed to do now?” And “where is my place in life?” Are what appeal to young readers.

To save [what many consider] his best work for last, Green was thrust into the young adult literature spotlight when he published The Fault in Our Stars in 2012. This masterpiece was on the Times best-seller list for 124 consecutive weeks.

Inspired by his brief but impactful work in a children’s hospital, Green’s TFIOS is not your average “cancer book”. He insures that all teenagers can relate with the characters by providing a multiple philosophical perspectives on life. The main characters both have cancer, which makes them all the more susceptible to death. They have many deep conversations, but never fail to add a punchline somewhere amidst all the seriousness. An online literary magazine, Carvezine, claims Green to be a genius with his “delicate balance of light and dark” in TFIOS. “The Teen Whisperer” is once again providing teens with a deeper outlook on life.

Not only was The Fault in enal hit on the bookshelves, it across the world in 2014. Much to fans’ relief, the movie was almost

Our Stars a phenomslayed movie theatres all devout John Green identical to the book.

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Well, I became a librarian in 1996 or 1997. I see the same themes and such, but there are different aspects of today’s YA literature. An increase in media has definitely increased the amount of books that become movies. There was no social media issues like cyberbullying and sexting 20 years ago. The components change as the world changes.

Are there any upcoming novels or themes you have noticed in YA lit recently?

There are a few books out involving contemplating one’s soul and identity.

Questions like “is your soul a gender?” come up. If one soul falls in love with another, does gender really play a huge role in that? Just really psychological things.

“The components of young adult literature change as the world changes.”

Many major young adult novels have been transformed to fit the movie screen. The Harry Potter series, The Hunger Games series, John Green’s Paper Towns, and the Divergent series have all made cinemas packed with all kinds of people: adolescents, parents, avid readers, and those who solely watch the movie.

Mrs. Romine says she has seen a definite increase in young adult novels becoming movies through her years of being a high school librarian. This is partly due to an increase in media, but it is also due to a constant interest in literature from teens. Teenagers read? What?! A Pew Survey through CNN shows that 16 to 29 year-olds are the largest group checking out books from their local libraries.

Either 30+ year-olds just own all the books they are interested in, or young adults actually dominate the literature playing field, even if it’s just by a miniscule amount.

Mrs. Romine has noticed other trends of change throughout her years. Of course, the increase in media has affected young adult literature. Books revolving around social media issues like sexting and bullying did not exist twelve years ago, but these issues are prominent in today’s literature.

As the world changes, young adult literature will adapt to fit the world. Young adults are the people growing up in this world, experiencing these problems firsthand. Because of this, this “genre” will always appeal to middle schoolers, high schoolers, and college students. These novels will always revolve around the endless topic of teenage problems, as well as how one evolves into himself/herself. The adolescent age is so full of struggles, highs, lows, and celebrations based upon the surrounding world. Young adult literature merely reflects all of these occurrences in a single genre.

Let’s return to our friend, Jessi. As he peeks through the shelves of the library, he notices girl with her nose stuck in a book. She breaks her focus to glance up and gaze off for a moment, then she is drawn to her novel again. It only took that magic moment to trap Jessi in the clutches of teen love. Our friend plucks a realistic novel about a girl and a guy off the shelves, inspiring himself to take a step of in the direction of teen love.

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Best Young Adult Books Of All Time Acoording to TIME magazine The Absolutely True Diary of a Part- Time Indian - Sherman Alexie Harry Potter series -J.K. Rowling The Book Thief -Markus Zusak A Wrinkle In Time -Madeleine L’engle Holes -Louis Sachar

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“Literature is the art of discovering something extraoridinary about oridinary people.”

A Journey Through Literature By: Olivia Bush

Early Civilizations

Did some of the greatest works of literature written appear randomly out of thin air one day? Let’s travel through the history of literature to discover its origin.

Writing is a form of expression for many people everyday. Without writing letters, words, or sentences, literature would simply not exist.

If writing wasn’t invented we couldn’t communicate or express our emotions to others through written words.

In the 3rd millennium BC, Mesopotamia was one of the first civilizations to use writing. Members of the Mesopotamian society used writing mainly for records, accounts, and contracts. Before the click clacks of typewriters, Mesopotamians used damp clay and reed styluses to record essential information from their dai-

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ly lives. The Epic of Gilgamesh is probably one of the most well known piece of literature from Mesopotamia, because it was one of the first works of literature be written.

A Google forms survey I conducted showed that 54% of 57 Woodford County High School students have studied The Epic of Gilgamesh, an epic poem written by an unknown author, follows the king of Uruk, Gilgamesh, on a mystical adventure across the world. Literature in the early millenniums, was used to teach people morals and valuable lessons that have been passed down through generations of literature.

However, around Circa 2000-1200 BC, the Aryans, located in India, followed a religion known as Vedic religion. The Vedic religion followers created their own holy book written in their native language Sanskrit. This collection of religious texts were written in order to preserve scriptures, songs, beliefs of the sacred Vedic religion.

These holy texts are known as Vedas by Vedic

a Hindu man using the vedas during a religious cermony curtesy of Annie Mallegol of flickr.com

Literature adds to reality, it does not simply describe it.

It enriches the necessary competencies that daily life requires and provides. ~ C.S. Lewis

religious followers. The most well acknowledged and first Veda written Rigveda allows historians to understand Indian history during 1300’s B.C, because there wasn’t other historical sources besides the Vedas.

The Vedas not only serve as religious literature, but also contain useful historical accounts.

The Samaveda and Yajurveda, are Vedas filled with prayers and chant used for sacrificial rituals.

The fourth and last Veda is called the Atharveda, it explains Ghana, Karma, and Upasana, which is four essential mantras important to the Vedic religion.

Achilles, the main prtagonist of Homer’s The Odyssey. ( curtesey of of Myth Image/ flickr.com)

Ancient Greece

During thepre-classical and classical eras of Greece, is when Ancient Greek literature was gen-

erally created. The classical era starts with Homer writing two epic poems, based on ancient legends, called the lliad and Odyssey. The Iliad is a tragedy about a Greek hero, named Achilles, during the Trojan war.

However the “Odyssey” combines characteristics of a tragedy and comedy. This epic poem follows the journey of Odysseus; a warrior of the battle of Troy.

When the war is over, Odysseus tries to sail home back to Ithaca. During his Journey he faces mythical obstacles. “The odyssey” and the “Iliad” is similar to the “Epic of Gilgamesh”, because they both are epic poems; containing mythical creatures, supernatural forces, and courageous heroes. A new form of poetry arises during the classical era called Lyric poetry, and it becomes a popular poetry style among Greek poets.

Lyric poems were sung by a person or choir to the rhythm of a

stringed instrument called a Lyre. Archilochus of Paros, was one of the earliest lyric poets. He is best known for writing lyric poems based on his feelings, which was uncommon during this time period because most poems were based epics or old legends.

Archilochus of Paros, paved the way for many modern bands and poet, because he combined elements of poetry and music together. Music bands from The Beatles to One Direction, have been directly influenced

by Greek lyric poetry.

The Ancient Greek helped pioneer a form of literature called theatrical literature also known as theatre. Believers of the Greek god Dionysus (Dionysians) held ceremonies in honor of Dionysus.

During these elaborate ceremonies, Dionysians would sing and recite Greek myths. Thespis, a fellow Dionysus priest, was the first to speak dialogue while a chorus singed. He ultimately became the first actor.

Therefore, people in the

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A medieval manuscript about the birth of Jesus, which was a common theme in medieval literature.

western culture coined the term Thespians (actors).

The city of Dionysia, hosted an yearly festival in honor their patron God Dionysus. During this yearly festival, Dionysians, held theatrical contests. Only four authors were allowed to participate in theatrical contests. These four authors were required to write one satyr play and 3 tragedies. Each of the four chosen authors were required to perform their pieces of theatrical literature, and would perform in front of Greek citizens.

The festival was over the span of four days, so each author’s performance lasted a single whole day. This year Leonardo Dicaprio won his first academy award, so who was the first person to earn an award for acting?

Thespis, founder thespian culture, won a theatrical award for his tragedy performance in 534 BC. Even though many Greek theatrical literature texts didn’t survive, there is evidence of it’s influence on future generations of authors.

The Middle Ages

Medieval literature in Eu-

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curtesy of e-codices of flickr.com

rope, covers the era of literature between the years ca. 500-1500. At this point Europe was divided in two halves; the East and West. Eastern Europe, was ruled the Byzantine empire, a continuation of the Roman Empire. However, the eastern empire didn’t thrive compared to their western counterparts. In the later years of the medieval period, The Byzantine Empire, continued to study Greek literature; poetry, drama, and prose.

Medieval literature was written in Vernacular languages (Europe’s native language); opposed to the language of Latin or Greek. Theatrical literature was also continued into the medieval era.

Western medieval dramas were created for church ceremonies. During Medieval church ceremonies, actors would recreate scenes from the bible and reenacted moments from the lives of saints’.

These plays were spoken in Latin, and were taken very seriously. However, these religious plays were performed in other places besides a church setting. Actors would now add in secular material and speak in vernacular languages instead of Latin. In modern times, there are many television shows and movies based on the bible. Examples would be: Killing Jesus, A.D. The Bible Continues, and The Son of God. This shows how Medieval theatrical literature has influenced the creation of Christian television shows and movies.

A misconception among people is that medieval literature was just heroic legends. There was other genres including fairy tales, mythology, and satire. 49% of 71 WCHS students, chose myths as their favorite type of literature genre.

quote or picture/Infographic

Epic legends were very popular among people of the medieval period.

Epic legends are divided between two groups; Pre-Christian and Christian. Pre-Christian literature consisted of oral legends originating from European barbaric tribes. These oral legends were written by scribes of the medieval era thus becoming famous works of literature. Norse mythology greatly influenced Pre-Christian legends.

There are 3 well known pieces of Pre-Christian literature.

Beowulf, is the longest old English epic poem.

It’s about a hero named Beowulf and his enduring battle with the villainous monster Grendel. Song of the Nibelungs, a German piece of medieval literature, retells the journey of Siegfried. The Edda, is a two part work of lit-

erature, based on Norse mythology stories. Dragons, Knights, and King Arthur is how some people might describe Christian medieval legends.

There is more to Christian legends contrary to popular belief. A main theme in medieval Christian literature was chivalry, which means loyal and honorable behavior towards a person’s lady or lord. The amount of chivalry a person had reflected in their Christian integrity. Chivalry created the literary form of Romance, which can be written as a narrative poem or prose. The epic poem called song of Roland, retells the battle of Roland, a knight against the Islamic army located in Spain.

Don’t worry I haven’t forgotten about the legendary King Arthur.

There is multiple romance stories written in

prose and narrative poem form about the adventures of King Arthur. Romantic narrative poems or stories are also called Arthurian legends, written by a combination of French and English authors. As the medieval era slowly fades, the Renaissance begins.

The Renaissance

In Italy, Spain, France, and England literature began to gain more popularity due to invention of printing. This era is known as the Renaissance/ reformation period (ca.1350-1650). Earlier in history, only a few people were literate, so the ability to read literature was limited. However, during the Renaissance, the middle class increased, which also increased literacy rates. The term Renaissance means the “the full revival of humanism.” Humanism, is “an outlook

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that emphasizes human capabilities and concerns.

Humanism encouraged authors to view the world through a secular lense. Authors and scholars, during the Renaissance wanted to study classical literature; such as the Greeks. In the Renaissance era, the formative age of the novel took place.

This is when authors were experimenting with different types of novel styles.

Italy, the birthplace of the Renaissance, produced 3 of the most influential authors of the 14th century; Giovanni Boccaccio, Dante, and Petrarch.

Dante Alighieri, an epic poet, was the author of the epic poem Divine Comedy(1320). It was an epic poem about Hell, Heaven, and Purgatory from the medieval perspective. Religious literature was still evident in the Renaissance as it was in the Medieval.

Petrarch, known as the “father of Humanism”, was a lyric poet, who is best

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known for the Canzoniere.

The Canzoniere, was filled with short sonnets written for a woman named Laura. The Decameron (1351), was written by an Italian prose writer by the name of Boccaccio. The Decameron was a collection of short stories. The story is based on 10 fictional travellers, who tell 10 stories each.

The majority of the short stories were folktales, but with Boccaccio twist. In his stories Boccaccio used humanistic elements, therefore making him an author with an easily distinguishable writing style.

Modern Literature

The Great Gatsby, a famous modern dramatic novel, by F.Scott Fitzgerald, shows the influence of Ancient Greek theatrical literature on modern literature. The Great Gatsby, exposes the dark side of the lives of wealthy Americans during the 1920’s. This novel deals with death and loss, which are themes of various Greek tragedies. began in ca. 1800 to present day and is divided

Drawing of Mark Twain, author of Huckleberry Finn. curtesy of ictinus of Flickr.com

between two groups, radicalism and realism. Radicalism literature uses life like settings, plot, and characters; therefore showing the positive and downsides of life in reality opposed to a fantasy world. Gustave Flaubert, Is considered the founder of realist literature, because he was one of the first authors to write about the problems of people in real world. His most well known work of literature is Madame Bovary.

Flaubert is described as more of a strict realist; unlike Charles Dickens or Mark Twain, who are both realist. According to a survey conducted, only 8% out of 72 WCHS students were familiar with Charles Dickens.

Contradicting realist literature is the style radical literature, which doesn’t use conventional writing techniques, like proper grammar or spelling.

The era Romanticism, which developed within the modern era. The genres of science fiction and fantasy were therefore born. Famous works such as Peter Pan, Dracula, and Frankenstein were created. What will the future of literature look like? Only time will tell..

T

F. Scott Fitzgerald

“ hat is part of the beauty of all literature.

You discover that your longings are universal longings, that you’re not lonely and isolated from anyone. You belong.”

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