top of page
Welcome to the blog!
Here you'll find a variety of posts; in both content and style! Anything goes, from listicles to rants, and short think-pieces to informal essays. Sometimes I want to talk about a small section of a book/film/TV show, sometimes I want to respond to someone else's journal/essay, and occasionally I'll get caught up in a 'big idea' style conversation. Ultimately, I just want to talk about the things I like! If you find it enjoyable, informative, and/or useful, then all the better.
Search
Power and Magic in Shakespeare's "The Tempest"
Shakespeare’s “The Tempest,” raises the question of keeping and relinquishing power. Prospero is one of three characters categorized...
Carrianne Dillon
Apr 9, 20204 min read
150 views
0 comments
Love and Isolation in “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”
T. S. Eliot’s “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” is a strong example of Modernist writing. Exploring the themes of love and isolation,...
Carrianne Dillon
Apr 2, 20204 min read
719 views
0 comments
The Fall From Innocence to Impurity: The Motif of Color in “The Picture of Dorian Gray”
In Oscar Wilde’s “The Picture of Dorian Gray,” the use of color and color descriptors paint a clear picture of Dorian’s descent into sin....
Carrianne Dillon
Jan 8, 20209 min read
207 views
0 comments
Word of the Week: Jehu
Okay, so there's a historical/religious definition that is a proper noun, and a casual derivation that is a regular noun. Jehu-the-man...
Carrianne Dillon
Jan 6, 20201 min read
6 views
0 comments
So Your Resolution Is To Read More...
Instead of a book of the month, we'll start 2020 off with a few groups of short stories. Now you can meet your resolution without feeling...
Carrianne Dillon
Jan 2, 20203 min read
9 views
0 comments
Word of the Week: Schadenfreude
Happy New Year, everybody. –C
Carrianne Dillon
Dec 30, 20191 min read
4 views
0 comments
Word of the Week: Dérgingolade
It's such a shame that dégringolade is such a fun word to say when it has a rather negative definition! Dégringloade is a noun which...
Carrianne Dillon
Dec 23, 20191 min read
2 views
0 comments
Word of the Week: Mulct
Mulct is a very strange word to say. Go on, say it out loud a couple of times. Mulct. Mulll-ktt. Bleh. In this case, it's an unpleasant...
Carrianne Dillon
Dec 16, 20191 min read
5 views
0 comments
Word of the Week: Inveigh
To inveigh is to speak or write about something with great hostility. Back around Black Friday I was near a woman who inveighed against...
Carrianne Dillon
Dec 9, 20191 min read
4 views
0 comments
Word of the Week: Atrabilious
As the December holidays commence, I hope that neither you nor anyone you know goes around being atrabilious! Atrabilious is an adjective...
Carrianne Dillon
Dec 2, 20191 min read
3 views
0 comments
Scenery as a Symbol of Duality in “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”
In the 1886 Gothic thriller, “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” by Robert Louis Stevenson, descriptions of scenery and settings effectively...
Carrianne Dillon
Nov 25, 20195 min read
1,112 views
0 comments
Word of the Week: Rhadamanthine
Rhadamanthine is an adjective that refers to stern or inflexible judgement. The other week we looked at the word omphalos, which had...
Carrianne Dillon
Nov 25, 20191 min read
2 views
0 comments
Word of the Week: Kangaroo Court (It's a phrase this time!)
A kangaroo court refers to a court that either: 1. Ignores the standards of justice and does not carry any official standing in the area...
Carrianne Dillon
Nov 18, 20191 min read
5 views
0 comments
Word of the Week: Omphalos
In general terms, the omphalos is the center or the hub of everything. An omphalos can be positive or negative, as in the ompahlos of...
Carrianne Dillon
Nov 11, 20191 min read
8 views
0 comments
Word of the Week: Anfractuous
This is one of my most favorite 'rare' adjectives. Anfractuous is used to describe something that is full of windings and turnings. I...
Carrianne Dillon
Nov 4, 20191 min read
2 views
0 comments
Word of the Week: Limerence
Of COURSE there's a fancy word for the intensity of an obsessive crush! Coined by Dorothy Tennov in 1979, Limerence is a noun which...
Carrianne Dillon
Oct 28, 20191 min read
8 views
0 comments
Performativity, Language, and Homosociality: Applications of Queer Theory to The Great Gatsby
Queer theory developed as a branch of theory between the 1970’s and 1990’s. The fundamental concerns of queer theory include analyzing...
Carrianne Dillon
Oct 16, 201910 min read
92 views
0 comments
Book Review: Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
Look, I am always interested in adaptations of fairytales, and the Rumpelstiltskin story is no exception. The idea of being able to turn...
Carrianne Dillon
Sep 22, 20192 min read
7 views
0 comments
So you weren't given a thesis...what now?
Where do you start? How do you pick a topic? Step 1: DON'T PANIC! There are four prompt questions I ask myself when I want to write a...
Carrianne Dillon
Aug 30, 20192 min read
8 views
0 comments
Stories By Women, About Women, That EVERYBODY Should Read: Novels Edition.
Representation matters! Beyond seeing oneself in literature, art, music, and media, it is crucial to be exposed to well-crafted and...
Carrianne Dillon
Aug 12, 20197 min read
20 views
0 comments
bottom of page