The concept of the “kafkaesque” is often poorly defined and understood. In the simplest terms, something is kafkaesque if it reflects the themes explored in Franz Kafka’s fiction; namely, those of bureaucracy and the confusing—often nonsensical—rules, behaviours, and mannerisms of our modern existence. These themes criticise law, social niceties, and capitalism, amongst other things. Stories …
British Literature
The women of fantasy are always pushing the boundaries of the genre in all new directions, as these wonderful writers prove with their marvellous stories and characters. The fantasy genre has historically been known for its lack of diversity, with white men writing the vast majority of fantasy novels, but that stereotype is vanishing, and …
This is the era of the weird woman! Sad girls and weird girls, rise up—we’re taking over the world of good fiction. What’s a weird girl, you ask? Weird woman fiction is literature that’s written by women, usually featuring unlikeable protagonists with odd behaviours. It may have a horror or thriller tint, or it may …
There are movie adaptations of books that we love—ones that actually outshine their source material—and there are movies made from books we didn’t even know existed; movies that many of us think are original works. Seen the films? Now read the books! Here, we’ll cover the books that you may or may not know exist, …
Novellas provide a special kind of reading experience, and require their own kind of skill to craft. Shorter than a novel (but still often expected to carry the same narrative heft) and longer than a short story, novellas are exciting in their uniqueness. They can be re-read more easily and therefore provide more thematic satisfaction …
Lesbian authors are paving the way when it comes to genre and boundary pushing, writing dark and toxic love stories and unlikeable women protagonists. When looking at lesbian novels and the art put out by lesbian authors, you see the darkest kinds of gothic fiction, as well as the brightest dedications to love and kindness. …
There is no simple or easy place to start talking about William Shakespeare; a man widely regarded as the greatest writer and wordsmith of the English language, and possibly beyond. Shakespeare’s plays and poetry remain as popular today as they ever have been, and much of that is down to his mastery of language and …
Throughout history, the written word has been a vessel for expressing knowledge, wisdom, love, conviction, hatred, and empathy, as well as a gateway to imagination and the places that can lead to. For that reason, succinct quotes about reading can inspire and comfort bookworms and appreciators of language and the written word. For many, reading …
There’s a lot that goes into writing a successful and poignant biography: honesty, detailed research, clear context, empathetic writing, and so much more. Biographies hold a unique place in the world of nonfiction. The best biography books often appeal to people who may not even explicitly care about the book’s subject. It’s all about human …
While literary fiction is a relatively broad genre (if it can be called a genre at all), and a relatively young definition, there is still a great wealth of literary fiction books out there. Here you’ll find some of the best literary fiction books ever written, some of which are beloved classics from the 20th …