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Authors Talk: A Discussion with Davyne DeSye

April 13, 2018

This article introduces a new series of blog entries, which I refer to as “Authors Talk”. You can think of it as an author interview and, indeed, that is the name of the blog category. However, I prefer to see it as a friendly chat between fellow authors. Today I’m having this virtual chat with Davyne DeSye, author of Carapace. If you’re a science fiction fan (and even if you aren’t), this novel is a must-read. Easily one of the best science fiction works I’ve read lately (you can read my review of Carapace here). A detailed list of useful links to Davyne DeSye’s work can be found at the end of this article.

Davyne DeSye
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Knowledge in Frankenstein

April 11, 2018

Note: the following article on the element of knowledge in Frankenstein is a modified excerpt (pp. 168-169) from my doctoral dissertation, “Time is Everything with Him”: The Concept of the Eternal Now in Nineteenth-Century Gothic, which can be downloaded (for free) from the Tampere University Press pages. For a list of my other academic publications, see the related page of my website.

Knowledge in Frankenstein: a Central Element

One of the central themes in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is the element of knowledge. Particularly, the novel is preoccupied with the connection between knowledge and quality of life. There are direct, dire consequences for all the characters of Frankenstein who seek knowledge, and the creature is explicit in regard to that: “Increase of knowledge only discovered to me more clearly what a wretched outcast I was” (Shelley 1999, 101).

Indeed, in Frankenstein knowledge is clearly seen as a burden. This is particularly true for the creature, who describes how his sorrow increased along with knowledge. He adds that he wished to “shake off all thought and feeling”. He also pessimistically adds that the only escape to overcome pain was death (Shelley 1999, 93). It is a noteworthy detail that Paradise Lost is one of the books the creature reads that lead to his increase of knowledge (Shelley 1999, 100) – a subtle hint at the complex metatextual dynamics involved in Frankenstein.

knowledge in frankenstein
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5 Reasons why I Like Chess

April 9, 2018

Remember my article on coffee and summer afternoons? This one is a bit like that. It’s just something spawning out of my head, without much thought, without any preparation. In a way, it serves a somewhat therapeutic function. Then again, isn’t all writing like that? Isn’t all writing a giant middle finger pointing upward, toward the cosmic joker? So, treat today’s article as the workings of the unconscious mind. Yes, it is about chess – and five reasons why I like chess – but deep down it’s just about me being frustrated with the world right now.

why I like chess
Chess. So captivating, so simple, so complex.
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