Fated Mates and Free Will
How Romance Reverses Determinist Naturalism “What is a man, if his chief good and market of his time be but to sleep and feed? A Beast, no more.” William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act 4, Scene 4. Romance is partially known for its reliance on tropes, more as a means of driving marketing and informing character, but…
An Introduction to Moral Architecture and Moral Framework
A Sneak Peek at this month’s “Craft Corner” in The Eftsoons Romantic, Issue #1 Psychology and personality tests have taken over much of the contemporary writing advice out there today. Both can make characters and, subsequently, plots, more plausible but neither produces a complete person or a deeply satisfying narrative on their own. Psychology can tell…
A Return to Aristotle and Why
The Poetics, Mimesis, and the Justification for Genre Fiction All literary theory we currently have today originates at some point with Aristotle’s Poetics. From the time of its rediscovery in Europe after the Crusades to the mid-19th century, Aristotle’s mimetic theory held sway in the literary world as the golden standard for evaluating, analyzing, and appreciating literature. What…
Before There was Romance, There was the Epic
I wanted to take a slight step back this week from the discourse on Romance to focus on its literary precursor, the epic. If you get all your literature recommendations from social media, then the only two real examples you’ve seen of this art form are The Odyssey and The Iliad. These are not the…
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About Me
I am a life-long bibliophile. This blog began as an attempt to ket my love of great literature out into the world. After my own experience with classic literature and mental health, I wanted to give others the same opportunity to find that one piece of literature that gives them hope. When I’m not blogging, I’m writing great content for businesses, parenting a very rowdy Quaker parrot, knitting, and serving my faith community.
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Since this blog post came out, this site has undergone a few changes, one of which is that I am more focused on romantic literature specifically within the classical canon and how that romantic tradition affects our current romance market.
Believe it or not, there are some very interesting overlaps and corollaries that I don’t think anyone outside of the academic world is really talking about.
But one thing that hasn’t changed is the viewpoint: I will always bring you classics that are outside the mainstream, that will completely change your mind about how we approach literature.
So, come along for the ride as I explore the world of the romantic, the writing of statement, and the stories we actually want to read.
