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(10/22/13 12:30am)
On October 25, 1962, John Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Prize for his literary works. You may recognize him from your high school reading list, nestled between other writers such as Ray Bradbery, Chaucer, and Shakespeare. He was the most notable American lit writer on my list and when I saw "Of Mice and Men" on the list, I groaned. How many times would I have to read about the depressing sympathy killing of the complicated character Lennie?
Nevertheless, John Steinbeck is actually one of my favorite writers. Not only was he an excellent narrator, he also illustrated and perpetuated major events in society at the time. This is easily seen in one of his best known works, "The Grapes of Wrath."
This event in history — Steinbeck winning a Nobel Prize — met with a lot of criticism. People disagreed with the decision and felt Steinbeck did not meet the standard of a Nobel laureate. Despite those criticisms, I think we cannot deny Steinbeck's place in American history and his special tact for identifying the importance of social issues while living through them.
So this week, if I get a chance between exams and essays, I will grab my favorite Steinbeck novel, "East of Eden," off the shelf. I will sip on mandarin orange tea and be transported to the not-so-distant world created by the American people, and illustrated by the legendary John Steinbeck.
You can reach me at arabusa@asu.edu or on Twitter @marie_eo.
(10/17/13 6:01pm)
The government shutdown, fiscal crisis, and threat of the US dollar losing its reserve status, has left many to wonder what the future
(10/16/13 4:45pm)
"The morns are meeker than they were,The nuts are getting brown;The berry's cheek is plumper,The rose is out of town.The maple wears a gayer scarf,The field a scarlet gown.Lest I should be old-fashioned,I'll put a trinket on.""Autumn," by Emily DickinsonA few days ago we had one of the coolest, sweetest days in the valley. The rain drizzled in the early morning when the sky was a little meek. We hit a high of 70 degrees, the breezes were blowing, and I broke out my favorite light cardigan. By midday, the sky was a beautiful blue. We don't get too many days like that in Phoenix. We bask in the Arizona heat until our skin burns and we grow accustomed to blasting the A/C in our cars because it's the only way to set our bodies and minds at ease. And when we turn the calendar to November (per one of my favorite websites, the Weather Channel), we'll feel the silence of a perfectly tempered car, no air bouncing off the inside walls. No more screams of pain when our arms accidentally hit the metal part of the seat belt that we were trying to avoid in the first place. This is the Arizona version of Emily Dickinson's "Autumn." She spent most of her life in Massachusetts where the leaves change color before falling to the ground, the air lowers to a deeper chill, and everything seems to fade into beautiful shades of brown. Dickinson values the colors and the nature around her, as described in her poem, and wishes to welcome in the autumn weather with a trinket, a special piece of simple jewelry. For us, autumn will fade straight into winter and we may not even notice the change. But for that brief moment we will feel Arizona's own colors change. Everything will brighten to a more muted yet vibrant hue. Autumn is coming, friends. I'm excited, are you?You can reach me at arabusa@asu.edu or on Twitter @marie_eo.
(10/15/13 8:06pm)
It’s no secret: The Internet has wrung journalistic, film and music industries dry. The front pages of newspapers can be obtained free of charge via Newseum, any movie you crave — new or old — can be found online and, come on, who even pays for music anymore?
Even as vast cultural enterprises are at war with the vastness of the World Wide Web, one area has stayed reasonably safe: books.
Books and literature can play a huge role in personal development, as author Neil Gaiman told The Guardian on Oct. 14.
“I don't think there is such a thing as a bad book for children,” Gaiman said. He also discussed the challenges the publishing industry has and will continue to face in the digital age.
Publishing has managed to keep dry throughout the technological storm because as Evan Hughes wrote in an Oct. 8 New Republic article, “Books don’t want to be free.”
In fact, because e-books are cheaper to create, the publisher’s pay-off is actually quite a bit more than that of a paperback. E-books are inexpensive on the consumer’s side, too — talk about a win-win.
But why books? All this innovation over the years and books are the things that really stood the test of time? Well, yes. People still find value in literature, and although some authors might argue that $14.99 isn’t placing enough value on their work, it’s more than people are paying for movies, television and news (which is more often than not, nothing). The timeless quality of books has kept the industry alive.
While Twilight and Harry Potter fans can argue with one another until the end of time about which book series trumps the other, the fact is they’re both mythological and unrealistic. You’ll never have to give up your mortality in the name of love, and you likely won’t receive a letter from Hogwarts via owl.
Books, like movies, are often fantastical and unrealistic, evoking little more than far-fetched dreams and dreadful nightmares.
However, this isn’t always the case. Literary fiction has recently been proven to play a major role in our understanding of others’ emotions, as well as our own.
So yes, this excludes any mythological stories or Nicholas Sparks-esque romances, but how much did those novels really teach you about realistic social interaction?
A study conducted by David Kidd and Emanuele Castano published Oct. 3 in Science magazine concluded that those who engage themselves in literary fiction, which focuses more on the characters (as opposed to popular fiction, focusing more on the plot), tend to possess greater levels of empathy and better social skills.
Subjects were asked to read excerpts of literary fiction, which included works by recent National Book Award finalists or winners of the 2012 PEN/O; popular fiction, taken from Amazon’s best-seller list and non-fiction stories from Smithsonian Magazine. Those who were assigned to literary works scored highest on emotional and empathetic tests. They tended to have greater understanding of those around them and were more in touch with reality.
While the difference between “literary” and popular fiction can be debatable, the genre in the context of this project pertained to books that contained more complex and therefore more realistic characters with a lesser focus on the plot.
In popular fiction, the characters are often fully developed and stereotypical, thus allowing room for a messy yet intriguing plot. Literary classics such as J. D. Salinger’s “The Catcher in the Rye” are quite the opposite — an example of literary fiction. It’s plot is almost non-existent, but anyone who’s read the novel knows the attachment readers can form with Holden Caulfield, an incomplete and deeply flawed character that you piece together with parts of yourself.
Popular fiction is great; sci-fi can be addicting, and I’m a sucker for a good biography. But nothing can change you like an almost-developed character waiting for you to grow with them.
Never doubt the power of literature.
Who are we kidding? It’s the only form of culture for which we’re still willing to pay.
Reach the columnist at haley.tonetti@asu.edu or follow her on Twitter @haleytonetti
(10/10/13 5:00am)
The Tempe History Museum sits on the corner of Rural Road and Southern Avenue in Tempe, Ariz. The complex also features the Tempe library and community center.The space around the museum is full of shade and places to sit.The museum itself welcomes those coming in from the desert sun to take a peek at some of Tempe’s stories and, of course, it’s cool air conditioning.
(10/09/13 5:34pm)
Once upon a time I was a little girl growing up in the world of Disney princesses. I was always enthralled by the bright colors, beautiful dresses, and glass slippers. The idea of my own Prince Charming was more of an expectation rather than a fairy tale.These characters were formed from the world of the Grimm brothers, who wrote hundreds of fairy tales. They are not fairy tales that necessarily include an air of uber-positive mysticism and kind, talking animals. The Grimm brothers wrote stories of girls without hands and dying farm birds alongside the stories of princesses with beautiful golden hair and heartthrob princes. Despite the apparent lack of reality that exists in some of their stories, the inherent dilemmas and deeper meanings bring about that human quality. For that reason, everyone feels something when they experience the fairy tales and adapted stories — it's universal. That universality made the stories appealing for adaptations: Gregory Maguire's "Mirror, Mirror", "Ella Enchanted" by Gail Carson Levine, "Beastly" by Alex Flinn, among various others. There are television shows and movies: Once Upon a Time, and the recent influx of Snow White based movies. What makes these written works so powerful and moving for generations upon generations? These stories, and the emotions they stir, are timeless. Once upon a time I was that little girl that watched Disney princess movies more times than I can count. Today, Prince Charming is I'll-know-it-when-it-happens. And while I've grown, these fairy tales will never cease to have a hold on me.How do you feel about fairy tales? Let me know through email at arabusa@asu.edu or on Twitter @marie_eo. .
(10/07/13 11:51pm)
How much do you like trees? I mean, really like trees. If you asked me to list off trees, my list would probably be something like this: mesquite, evergreen, pine, sequoia, palo verde, cypress, palm. And then at some point I would repeat palm again, because that's a lot of what I see here in the Valley. I appreciate trees, the shade they offer from the scorching summer heat, their participation in our air quality. But, I'm not Will Blacklin. He studied trees in college, stared at them for hours on end. He took Cordelia Kenn on a date where all he talked about were trees.Cordelia is the protagonist of one of my favorite books, "This is All: The Pillow Book of Cordelia Kenn" by Aidan Chambers. And Will Blacklin is the instrument-playing boy she falls in love with. (Not sure what a Pillow Book is? See one of the most famous pillow books here.)The book is a tome at 808 pages, but it never slows down and never grows tiresome. The first time I read "This is All" was early on in high school. I enjoyed it, but while I scanned the pages, it seemed that the ideas and themes of the book went over my head. I felt like my life was just beginning, which is how Cordelia felt in the beginning. But towards the end, I was lost.I picked the book up again recently and started to read. I reminisced in the moments that once made sense to me, falling in love with a boy who accompanied my piano-playing. But now, I can feel the pain of losing that boy in my bones, the frustration of people coming in and out of my life, the playfulness of a new and foreign environment and the occasional loneliness of it. I realized that this is the beauty of Aidan Chambers' work. One day, maybe four or five years from now, I'll pick up the book again (for the 9th or 10th time) and read the moments that lead up to the end of the Pillow Book. Perhaps I'll be able to relate to those events in ways that I have not been able to relate before. If you haven't read this book before, it is worth a gander. It is real, it is timeless. Plus, it's the perfect fall book (especially since there's a cute guy that loves trees, and trees remind me of fall). Do you have any other fall book recommendations? Let me know at arabusa@asu.edu or on Twitter @marie_eo.
(10/03/13 4:00am)
I believe the phrase, "What the hell, McClellan!" was heard a lot in the White House. General George McClellan was the first General-in-Chief during the start of the Civil War. Now, he didn’t last very long in office. He was a headache for Lincoln and extremely criticized by citizens. In the Tumblr history community, he’s mostly a vehicle for jokes about retreating. Here’s a few reasons McClellan actually kind of sucked at his job.
(10/02/13 4:00am)
(10/02/13 3:00am)
I'll be the first to admit that as much as I hate creasing the pages of a book, I sometimes fold over corners to mark my page. I cringe as I do it, but sometimes you just don't have a bookmark lying around.
(10/01/13 5:00am)
Hey folks, it’s October and that means Halloween is almost here and with it a plethora of scary stories, legends, myths, and
(09/30/13 4:01pm)
When I power on my computer every day, there are a select handful of websites I visit immediately. I pull up Google Chrome at the bottom left corner of my computer screen and open maybe two or three tabs to start out.
(09/26/13 4:00am)
My heart is pumping. My hand is cramping. My eyes are flitting around the room from student to teacher and back to my paper,
(09/25/13 4:00am)
It always plays out the same way.
(09/24/13 4:00am)
A Rant About The Difference In What People Think Historians Do And What We Really Do
By Tom Black
(09/23/13 4:23pm)
When I was younger, because of my Sri Lankan skin tone, I thought I was African American. Growing up In Los Angeles, people would glance at my skin and think that I'm part of the African American community, and because of that I found myself drifting towards African Americans.
(09/23/13 4:00am)
Last week, an author I've recently come to love, Rainbow Rowell, relayed some devastating and shocking news on Twitter. She had an appearance planned at a Minnesota school, where she was invited to speak by a group of librarians who loved her work. After a couple of parents demanded Rowell's books were removed from the shelves, The Anoka-Hennepin school district, the library board, and the county decided to cancel the author's event. The book? Rainbow Rowell's "Eleanor and Park."
Why was it banned?
Why are any books banned?
Books have been banned for many reasons. These reasons could be profanity and swearing, or topics deemed inappropriate, like sexual themes and drugs. Others, for violence and alcohol. Some books are simply deemed "unsuited" for a certain age group. There is no specific criteria that categorizes a book as "banned." It's a relative decision made by a library, school, board, or any other institution. In fact, more than half of the books on my summer reading list blog post were banned for various reasons. Even "Captain Underpants" was banned in some places!
(09/20/13 7:00am)
Avocado is the best non-sweet fruit I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. My appreciation for it developed slowly, at first I didn't even care for it. But as I've gotten older and my taste has matured, I've become obsessed.
(09/19/13 5:45pm)
Hey guys, so did you know that Tuesday was Constitution Day? That’s right, a day celebrating the documents that created our government! Wow, okay guys don’t sound too excited, but did you know that there is more than just a day that celebrates our Constitution? Did you know there is an entire nonprofit, nonpartisan institution and museum? Jumping jellyfish, where is it located?
(09/18/13 1:08am)
A few weeks ago, Potterheads (Harry Potter fans? Members of the Potterverse? What do we call ourselves?), yes I am included in that, buzzed with anticipation at the news that J.K. Rowling would be writing two new Harry Potter books. Bloggers across the interwebs ruminated on possible story lines. Would these books showcase the legacy of our favorite wizards: Harry, Hermione, and Ron (and cough, Neville, cough)? Perhaps these books would follow the adventures of their children, who were introduced to us at the end of the series. My personal favorite was the possibility of prequels.But now the truth is out, and the ever-sneaky Rowling confirmed that she would be writing the script for a spinoff movie series based on her popular Harry Potter supplement, "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them." The spinoff movies will focus on the "writer" of the textbook, Newt Scamander. Personally, I'm excited to see Rowling try her hand at screenwriting one of her works. I think this will be a new challenge for her, but I believe she will succeed. She has always had a very humorous, whimsical, and classic style that I think has the ability to make dialogue shine. Moreover, she has already seen what her writing is like on the big screen, so she can envision this work as well.However, I do think that this may be a little bit overkill. Overkill as in unnecessary. I am already satisfied with the movie series. Harry Potter weekends on ABC Family, anyone?I still think a prequel would be a good idea. But you know, it's J.K. Rowling. I wouldn't ever pass up a chance to see her in action. What are your thoughts on the spin-off? Let me know at arabusa@asu.edu or on Twitter @marie_eo.