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Showing posts from November, 2018

Gender in Children’s and Young Adult Fiction.

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Strong Female Character Over recent years we have heard the phrase ‘strong female character’ repeated many times. From books to television to movies the trend in creating this archetype seems to be everywhere. But what does it actually mean and is the term endearing or damaging? We can define the strong female character as the opposite of the damsel in distress. (Slides: strong female characters) In the first half of the 20th century, the rise of mainstream  feminism and the increased use of the term Dr. Lisa Blower, 44, a lecturer in Creative Writing at Bangor University, however, sees it as little more than a ‘branding.’ ‘I’m very anti-label when it comes to things like that because I think the labels do it a disservice,’ she said. ‘As soon as you say the words strong female character you are already genderizing the role […] The gender battle and feminism is to have equality where that gender is more fluid.’ The Statistics Recent

'The Haunting of Henry Twist' Spoiler Free Review

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I'm so glad I took my time with this book! I started it a while ago for my course but never got the chance to finish it, until now. The Haunting of Henry Twist is a beautifully written, serene story set in the 1920's about a man named Henry Twist who tragically loses his pregnant wife in an accident. The book is about his mourning and his journey of raising his child as a single father 100 years ago as well as dealing with a mysterious figure who has been following him throughout London. Don't go into this book expecting a traditional ghost story like the title may suggest though. The story, however, does raise an interesting debate as to who/what is haunting its pages. The book also deals with soldiers after World War One and their struggle to reconcile with everyday life. The story features many historical facts, and the author put a lot of research into the period she was writing about as there is information about topics ranging from the war to baby care in the 20

RWBY Manga Anthology #2 'Mirror Mirror' Spoiler Free Review

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I didn't think this was as good as the first one (the Ruby edition), but it is still worth a read if you're a fan of the show. This is the second anthology about the Rooster Teeth show RWBY and focuses on the second member of Team RWBY, Weiss Schnee. All of the stuff I said about the previous collection that was good still stands for this one, but I'll quickly recap it. I think these anthologies are a great way of showcasing different artists and their work. They provide new takes and new character interactions for fans of the show. However, it is worth saying that these mangas are not canon. This series is especially worth a read if you're a fan of RWBY Chibi because the majority of the stories in this anthology are comedic ones that take place while the four girls are still at Beacon. My favourite story in this series was 'Soft, Warm Ears' because I thought it had some of the better art-work and story. No matter what style of art you like you will find it in

Do young people have a place in musical theatre?

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Musical theatre: Musical theatre has long been a place for creative minds to express themselves. The art form has been around for thousands of years from tragedies and comedies in Ancient Greece where music and dance were during the 5th century BC to today in shows like Hamilton which earns an average of $500,000 in profit every week. One of these musical theatre lovers is Katie Tew, 19, Publicity Officer at Bangor University ’s Students' Operatic and Dramatic Association (SODA). Tew said, ‘I think it’s just so much fun, It’s that opportunity to be someone else on stage. You’re with all of your friends and just doing what you enjoy.’ (A slideshow of images of different SODA cast's and performances). On top of this, Tew also points out the personal benefits of performing in a show, saying, ‘people can come to rehearsals, and they can be really quiet, and after they’ve done a show they can gain so much confidence.’ When talking about a recent pro

'City of Fallen Angels' Spoiler Free Review

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I had a lot that I liked about City of Fallen Angels, but also a lot that I didn't like. First of all, this book was a step back from the last installment in The Mortal Instruments series, City of Glass, but that was to be expected as the series should be divided up into two trilogies, with this book being the start of the second one. Many people expect books in a series to have a 'bigger' story each time, but that is not the case for this book. Also make sure you read the first prequel, Clockwork Angel, before reading this book. I did, and I would have struggled to understand some of the things referenced in this book if I hadn't. Go into this book expecting a similar story to City of Bones. I enjoyed getting more lore in the series, particularly surrounding the vampires. As always with Cassandra Clare's book, I thought I knew what was happening and that the story was simple, but Clare always finds a way to subvert our expectations with plot twists most people d

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