Stephanie Whetstone – Page 49

A Christmas Carol (1843) by Charles Dickens

Stephanie Whetstone2013-12-01T12:00:37-05:00

Critical Assessment “Who can listen to objections regarding such a book as this? It seems to me a national benefit, and to every man or woman who reads it a personal kindness. The last two people I heard speak of it were women; neither knew the other, or the author, and both said, by way of criticism, ‘God bless him!’ . . . Many men were known to sit down after perusing it, and write off letters to their friends, not about business, but out of their fulness of heart, and to wish old acquaintances a happy Christmas. Had the book [...]

A Christmas Carol (1843) by Charles DickensStephanie Whetstone2013-12-01T12:00:37-05:00

A Poetic Perspective

Stephanie Whetstone2020-01-14T14:38:16-05:00

A Poetic Perspective In this poem by the late Nobel laureate Seamus Heaney, a journey that every writer must be prepared to make – from intimidation to liberation – is given metaphorical expression through the troubled history of Northern Ireland, the poet's birthplace. From the Frontier of Writing The tightness and the nilness round that space when the car stops in the road, the troops inspect its make and number and, as one bends his face towards your window, you catch sight of more on a hill beyond, eyeing with intent down cradled guns that hold you under cover and everything [...]

A Poetic PerspectiveStephanie Whetstone2020-01-14T14:38:16-05:00

The Buddha in the Attic (2011) by Julie Otsuka

Stephanie Whetstone2013-11-01T12:00:12-04:00

Critical Assessment “Though Knopf, publisher of The Buddha in the Attic, classifies the book as a novel, it is more like a beautifully rendered emakimono, hand-painted horizontal scrolls that depict a series of scenes, telling a story in frozen moments. For those looking for a traditional story, be forewarned that there is no protagonist, plot or dialogue. The main character is simply ‘we.’ Sometimes a name is mentioned, occasionally even the same name twice, but for readers who prefer well-defined characters with whom to identify, and a clear narrative arc, this book is not for you. If, however, you are interested [...]

The Buddha in the Attic (2011) by Julie OtsukaStephanie Whetstone2013-11-01T12:00:12-04:00

In Praise of the Semicolon

Stephanie Whetstone2020-01-14T14:41:17-05:00

In Praise of the Semicolon The semicolon (;) is a curious punctuation mark that could be described as neither fish nor fowl. To quote Harry Shaw’s Punctuate It Right, “It is a stronger mark than the comma, signifying a greater break or longer pause between sentence elements. But it is weaker than the period and other terminal marks (question mark, exclamation point) and cannot be used to end a sentence.” Indeed, as Shaw points out, even its name is misleading, since the semicolon does not play the introductory role of the colon and might more aptly be termed a “semi-period” or “double-comma.” [...]

In Praise of the SemicolonStephanie Whetstone2020-01-14T14:41:17-05:00

sepulcher (SĔP-əl-kər)

Stephanie Whetstone2013-10-28T12:00:23-04:00

Definition (Noun) A tomb or burial-place, a building, vault, or excavation, made for the interment of a human body. Now only rhetorical or historical. In Context “The dirt of the church sepulcher still clung to the cloth of her coat and to her blond hair, and she looked like an angel dragged in the dust.” Anne Rice, The Vampire Lestat, 1985.

sepulcher (SĔP-əl-kər)Stephanie Whetstone2013-10-28T12:00:23-04:00

Procrustean (Prō-KRŬS-tē-ən)

Stephanie Whetstone2013-10-21T12:00:45-04:00

Definition (Adjective) Of, relating to, or resembling the practices of Procrustes; (hence) enforcing uniformity or conformity without regard to natural variation or individuality. In Context “What socialists invariably want, however much the more squeamish among them may fudge or hedge, is the Procrustean ideal of using state power to squeeze everyone into the same mold, or to chop and stretch everyone to size on the same bed.” Peter Phillips Simpson, Vices, Virtues, and Consequences: Essays in Moral and Political Philosophy, 2001. This word was suggested by Peggy Moorhead Seas in the Office of Development.

Procrustean (Prō-KRŬS-tē-ən)Stephanie Whetstone2013-10-21T12:00:45-04:00

Princeton Writes Is Launched in Style

Stephanie Whetstone2013-10-11T12:00:00-04:00

On October 9, 2013, friends of Princeton Writes from across the University assembled in Whig Hall to formally launch this young initiative. In their remarks, Program Director John S. Weeren and Vice President for Human Resources Lianne Sullivan-Crowley acknowledged the critical role that now President Emerita Shirley M. Tilghman played in the genesis of Princeton Writes. “Shirley is ultimately responsible for our presence in this room,” said Weeren. “Not only did she embrace the vision I presented to her, she also helped inspire it, thanks to her deep commitment to outstanding writing, a commitment that kept her at her desk, corrective [...]

Princeton Writes Is Launched in StyleStephanie Whetstone2013-10-11T12:00:00-04:00

Brideshead Revisited (1945) by Evelyn Waugh

Stephanie Whetstone2013-10-01T12:00:41-04:00

Critical Assessment “Brideshead Revisited is not only Waugh’s best novel, it stands with South Wind and Point Counterpoint as one of the half dozen really great novels written this century by an English writer. It shines with almost indecent brilliance against the background of dull professional competence which marks the contemporary English novel. . . . “As sheer literary creations, however, no better rounded characters have been sculped in a decade. These people live, breathe and suffer with agonizing verisimilitude. They are seen as on Judgment Day with every weakness and strength completely revealed.” Sterling North, “Waugh Jerks School Tie of [...]

Brideshead Revisited (1945) by Evelyn WaughStephanie Whetstone2013-10-01T12:00:41-04:00

Roger Rosenblatt on “Useful” Writing

Stephanie Whetstone2020-01-14T14:41:50-05:00

Roger Rosenblatt on "Useful" Writing In Unless it Moves the Human Heart: The Craft and Art of Writing (2011), the distinguished – and exceptionally versatile – writer Roger Rosenblatt includes a parting memo to the students in his course, “Writing Everything,” at Stony Brook University. Here is an excerpt: “You may not need this postscript as much as I need to give it to you. But there is something about writing I haven’t told you, in part because it smacks of the sentimental and abstract – two of the monsters I’ve hoped to drive from your work. And yet, if I [...]

Roger Rosenblatt on “Useful” WritingStephanie Whetstone2020-01-14T14:41:50-05:00

Home (2012) by Toni Morrison

Stephanie Whetstone2013-09-01T12:00:14-04:00

Critical Assessment “This haunting, slender novel is a kind of tiny Rosetta Stone to Toni Morrison’s entire oeuvre. “Home encapsulates all the themes that have fueled her fiction . . .: the hold that time past exerts over time present, the hazards of love (and its link to leaving and loss), the possibility of redemption and transcendence. . . . “In these pages Ms. Morrison eschews the fierce Faulknerian prose and García Márquez-like flights of surrealism that animated some of her earlier novels, adopting a new, pared-down style that enables her to map the day-to-day lives of her characters with lyrical [...]

Home (2012) by Toni MorrisonStephanie Whetstone2013-09-01T12:00:14-04:00

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