“The sins of the father are to be laid upon the children.” – Shakespeare So. Many. Thoughts. Where do I begin? Perhaps at the very beginning–when a little magical baby survived a deadly attack from a very cruel wizard setting in motion events that culminated in the Battle of Hogwarts in which the evil wizard was finally defeated. But what if the magical baby did not survive? Or what if that cruel wizard did not…
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I had fragmented memories of watching the 1999 Disney animated movie when I was too young to question the story’s politics. Based loosely on Edgar Burrough’s adventure series, any interpretation of the movie will be fraught with problems inherent to colonial literature – racism, imperialism, the savior complex, etc. The Legend of Tarzan is a retelling of the tale that tries commendably to cater to the modern sensibilities of the 21st century. First, this is…
So, what’s better than a magical story about a princess? Simple! A magical story about two princesses. Many have written about how Frozen is a marked shift from Disney’s traditional romantic princess-in-distress-saved-by-prince-charming formula.Well, don’t get too excited. Frozen is instead about a princess-in-distress saved by another princess-in-distress. Personally, I think the shift is debatable. Why, for instance, do Elsa and Anna have to be princesses in the first place at all? They could have siblings…
….and I am starting to hear my own thoughts again. Which is a relief. Around the same time last year, Kapil and I finally decided that we had had enough of peace, and quiet and enjoying our life. It was time to shake things up a little and throw ourselves a little challenge. So we decided to have a baby. Following a bumpy 2013, which involved changing cities, jobs, and several apartments, we ended the…
For those not familiar with American history, the term Pioneers is used to describe the explorers who moved westwards in search of land and riches from the heavily populated East. Writers like Willa Cather wrote novels and stories to capture the trials and tribulations of this period of exploration. Most of the westward expansion was by settlers who worked on railways which were being built to connect mining towns. Any pioneer’s town population was often…
J.K. Rowling’s foray into adult fiction was surprisingly good albeit a little depressing. I have enjoyed the Harry Potter series for its concept and plot and never from a literary standpoint. This novel on the other hand is stronger on the language and structure whereas the plot is tepid. Image Credit: Author So, Whats It About? “Things denied, things untold, things hidden and disguised.” ― J.K. Rowling, The Casual Vacancy The narrative starts with a…
