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Benjamin Espen

Northrop Frye on Thematic Modes

Northrop Frye on Thematic Modes

Last time, we explored Northrop Frye's modes of heroic action, which creates a model in two dimensions, the mythic-ironic axis and the tragic-comic axis. In the latter part of the First Essay, Frye turns to another related way of categorizing stories: theme or "dianoia". Aristotle lists

John the Balladeer by Manly Wade Wellman

John the Balladeer by Manly Wade Wellman

A With Both Hands Mini-review Silver John, or John the Balladeer, is Manly Wade Wellman's Southern folk hero. John tramps the ridges and hollows of Appalachia, bringing song and the Gospel wherever he goes. John is a poor and humble man. He places his trust in the Lord,

My Brother's Keeper by Tim Powers

My Brother's Keeper by Tim Powers

Tim Powers latest, My Brother's Keeper, is a tale of misplaced charity causing a multigenerational curse. It is also a secret history of the Brontë family, and as usual, Powers' explanation for their troubles is such a good story that it threatens to replace whatever else you

WBH Weekly Digest 2024-01-06: The Color of the Gods

WBH Weekly Digest 2024-01-06: The Color of the Gods

Gemini Destroyer Book ReviewThis is the end. Gemini Outsider was an end. This is the end. The end of the Gemini Man story, the ultimate culmination of everything that happens. Which makes it interesting that the Gemini Man hardly appears in it. We will instead follow a petty criminal, a

Northrop Frye on Heroic Modes of Action

Northrop Frye on Heroic Modes of Action

In this post, I'll isolate one specific part from Northrop Frye's Phase Space so that we can look at it in more detail. Let's turn to Frye's model of the mode of heroic action. Frye surveys literature over time, and he classifies

Gemini Destroyer Book Review

Gemini Destroyer Book Review

This is the end. Gemini Outsider was an end. This is the end. The end of the Gemini Man story, the ultimate culmination of everything that happens. Which makes it interesting that the Gemini Man hardly appears in it. We will instead follow a petty criminal, a former follower of

WBH Weekly Digest 2023-12-29: Border Reivers

WBH Weekly Digest 2023-12-29: Border Reivers

I get deep into that makes a story a story this week. Gemini Outsider Book ReviewIn the second Gemini Man book, Gemini Drifter, I said that Matthew and Jason had the freedom to make their own path. In Gemini Outsider, that choice has now been made. The choice is to