Stephanie Whetstone – Page 43

Invisible Man (1952) by Ralph Ellison

Stephanie Whetstone2015-06-01T12:00:47-04:00

Critical Assessment "This novel is a searing and exalted record of a Negro's journey through contemporary America in search of success, companionship, and, finally, himself; like all our fictions devoted to the idea of experience, it moves from province to city, from naive faith to disenchantment; and despite its structural incoherence and occasional pretentiousness of manner, it is one of the few remarkable first novels we have had in some years. . . . "For Ellison has an abundance of that primary talent without which neither craft nor intelligence can save a novelist; he is richly, wildly inventive; his scenes rise [...]

Invisible Man (1952) by Ralph EllisonStephanie Whetstone2015-06-01T12:00:47-04:00

consternation (kŏn-stər-NĀ-shən)

Stephanie Whetstone2015-06-01T11:59:10-04:00

Definition (Noun) Amazement and terror such as to prostrate one's faculties; dismay. In Context "Four days out of Macassar we first saw the volcano, with its distinctive tufts of white steam, a sight which brought both excitement and consternation." Nicholas Drayson, Confessing a Murder, 2002.

consternation (kŏn-stər-NĀ-shən)Stephanie Whetstone2015-06-01T11:59:10-04:00

Are You Sure?

Stephanie Whetstone2020-01-14T14:20:19-05:00

Are You Sure? It is paradoxical that three words meaning "to make secure or certain," to quote The American Heritage Dictionary, create confusion in the minds of writers. Assure, ensure, and insure are kissing cousins, but they are not triplets and should not be used interchangeably regardless of context. In American English – British waters are muddier – it may be simplest to assign this trio three distinct roles: Assure should be used when eliminating doubt or instilling confidence in someone, as in, "Alicia assured her mother that students at Princeton get enough sleep." Ensure should be used when making certain [...]

Are You Sure?Stephanie Whetstone2020-01-14T14:20:19-05:00

Winners of Staff Essay Contest Named

Stephanie Whetstone2015-05-25T14:50:19-04:00

Four employees have received accolades for their submissions to Princeton Writes’ inaugural essay contest, which was launched last fall to encourage and recognize outstanding writing on the part of University staff. Marianna Bogucki, Ruth McGuire, Jamie Saxon, and Dana Sheridan were among 41 contestants, representing 29 academic and administrative units, who responded to the Selection Committee’s invitation to “describe an aspect of Princeton’s campus that often catches your attention.” In a pool of superlative essays, theirs most clearly, creatively, and compellingly addressed this topic, earning Bogucki the Princeton Writes Prize and McGuire, Saxon, and Sheridan honorable mentions. From left, Princeton [...]

Winners of Staff Essay Contest NamedStephanie Whetstone2015-05-25T14:50:19-04:00

Gilead (2004) by Marilynne Robinson

Stephanie Whetstone2015-05-01T12:00:40-04:00

Critical Assessment "Nowadays, when so many writers are acclaimed as great stylists, it's hard to make anyone notice when you praise a writer's prose. There is, however, something remarkable about the writing in 'Gilead.' It's not just a matter of writing well, although Robinson demonstrates that talent on every page . . . . It isn't just the care with which Robinson can relax the style to a Midwestern colloquialism: 'But one afternoon a storm came up and a gust of wind hit the henhouse and lifted the roof right off, and hens came flying out, sucked after it, I suppose, [...]

Gilead (2004) by Marilynne RobinsonStephanie Whetstone2015-05-01T12:00:40-04:00

Writing at Its Best

Stephanie Whetstone2020-01-14T14:21:47-05:00

Writing at Its Best by Emily Reardon This is the first in a series of reflections on the nature of "good writing," a phrase more often invoked than defined. While each of us may have a different take on what constitutes such writing, there is much to be gleaned from others' definitions. For Emily Reardon '16, Princeton Writes' Undergraduate Fellow, good writing has the power to change our perspective – sometimes dramatically. When I think of writing at its best, I think of a trick I once played on my sister in the summer. While she was out fighting the ocean current [...]

Writing at Its BestStephanie Whetstone2020-01-14T14:21:47-05:00

bête noire (bĕt NWÄR)

Stephanie Whetstone2015-04-06T12:00:10-04:00

Definition (Noun) A person or thing that is the bane of a person or his life; an insufferable person or thing; an object of aversion. In Context "The President kept India's bête noire, John Foster Dulles, in the background." Dennis Kux, India and the United States: Estranged Democracies, 1941-1991, 1992.

bête noire (bĕt NWÄR)Stephanie Whetstone2015-04-06T12:00:10-04:00

Girl with a Pearl Earring (1999) by Tracy Chevalier

Stephanie Whetstone2015-04-01T12:00:11-04:00

Critical Assessment "Chevalier's novel . . . is a wondrous, enthralling piece of work, told through the eyes of a 16-year-old girl who goes to work as a maid in Vermeer's household after her father is blinded in a kiln explosion. "Like Vermeer's paintings, 'Girl with a Pearl Earring' is deceptively simple, its events recounted in a matter-of-fact language that belies the novel's immense ambition and sophistication. Its narration, after all, enacts a hoch feminist maneuver: relating a monumental event (in this case, the genesis of one of Vermeer's most unsettling masterpieces) from the perspective of a 'marginal' participant (a woman, [...]

Girl with a Pearl Earring (1999) by Tracy ChevalierStephanie Whetstone2015-04-01T12:00:11-04:00

devotee (dĕv-ə-TĒ)

Stephanie Whetstone2015-03-30T12:00:14-04:00

Definition (Noun) A person zealously devoted to a particular party, cause, pursuit, etc.; a votary. In Context "The average devotee of this sport is more interested in acquiring a personal collection of rare and beautiful specimens than in gathering them for sale." Albert Carter, "Collecting Butterflies: Thrilling Home Hobby," Popular Science Monthly, January 1935.

devotee (dĕv-ə-TĒ)Stephanie Whetstone2015-03-30T12:00:14-04:00

The Whole or the Parts?

Stephanie Whetstone2020-01-14T14:23:31-05:00

The Whole or the Parts? Our daily discourse is sprinkled with collective nouns – words such as faculty, team, committee, and family that are singular in form but plural in implication. This creates a dilemma for careful writers. Is the board opposed to the admission of ten-year-olds or are the board against it? Is the class producing good work or are the class excelling? The answer depends on whether we choose to focus on the group as a whole or on its constituent parts. Context matters. If the family went their separate ways after the funeral, then it makes no sense [...]

The Whole or the Parts?Stephanie Whetstone2020-01-14T14:23:31-05:00

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