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Romantic Poets and Jinjer’s “Pisces”: Meaning, Duality, and the Human Tragedy

June 19, 2019

duality, humanity, Jinjer, meaning, Pisces, poetry, Romanticism

Hell, what a title, huh? Only a madman like myself could find a connection between Romantic poets and a modern band like Jinjer. But before we talk about Jinjer’s “Pisces”, meaning, duality, and the human tragedy, there’s something you need to know about Romantic poets.

They were bad-ass motherfuckers.

They were obviously the rock stars of their day – including drug use – in that they talked about things nobody else dared to. Romantic poets, in general, had the personal integrity to express what they believed. As a result of this integrity, they also often shared another characteristic.

They were tormented souls.

Perhaps it feels confusing to you to hear that. Can a bad-ass really be a frail, introvert creature, haunted and often misunderstood by society?

That’s what we’ll be talking about today. Drawing from Romantic poets such as William Blake as well as a song by a modern band, Jinjer’s “Pisces”, meaning, duality, and the tragedy of human existence will come full circle.

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Writing and Reading Symbolism in Literature: a How-To Guide

April 6, 2019

Fiction Writing Tips, Writing

fiction, literature, meaning, reading, symbolic, symbolism, writing

In today’s article, we’ll talk about symbolism in literature. Worry not, it’s not an academic post. Conversely, it’s meant as a simple but revealing how-to guide, useful both to inexperienced and seasoned readers and writers. I wrote this article wanting to offer a better understanding of how symbolism in literature operates, and particularly how to read it or write it.

Motivation for this post arose from a review of one of my works. Through the text of the review, I realized that the reader had missed several key aspects of symbolism in the novel. What made the case interesting, however, was that this was not a case of an unsophisticated reader. It was obvious that the reader was fairly experienced, skilled, and read the book for what it was. And yet, s/he missed these symbolic, allegorical excerpts.

Symbolism, allegory, parable, allusion. There are subtle differences between these concepts, but they all coexist under the grand umbrella of “metaphorical meaning”, as opposed to “literal meaning”. To keep this article accessible, I use terms such as “symbolism” or “metaphor” interchangeably, that is, referring to any expression of non-literal meaning.

Virtually everyone knows what this symbolizes, to the extent that its literal meaning (a blindfolded woman holding a pair of scales and a sword) is entirely ignored. **Familiarity** exists in an *inversely proportional* relationship with **affective power**. In simpler words, symbolism in literature that is harder to grasp, is also more rewarding for the discoverer.

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How to Manipulate Readers: A Short Guide for Fiction Authors

December 3, 2018

Fiction Writing Tips, Writing

art, creativity, literature, manipulation, meaning, reading, writing

As a fiction writer, you create worlds. You create a different reality, populating it with characters and meaning. In essence, the role of writing as art is to inspire affect – that is, an emotion, a thought, or a state of mind. And learning how to manipulate readers can be an integral part of this endeavor.

At first, the idea of an author manipulating readers might sound controversial. This is probably a result of the connotations the word “manipulation” contains. But, as with so many other things, the controversy stops once you realize what manipulating an audience really refers to in this context.

Manipulating your readers creatively has nothing to do with writing gimmicks. The former is a legitimate literary device; the latter has nothing to do with the art.

In today’s article I’ll show you:

What it means to manipulate your audience.
Why would you want to do that.
How to manipulate readers in an efficient, respectful way.

how to manipulate readers — Writing fiction is not about a strict representation of reality, but about affect

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