2017 ringling graphicnovel/comic

The Hitchhikers Guide To the Galaxy (Pretty much all the books listed in this week) This was one of the most enjoyable weeks of the semester because it was an exploration  of one of my favorite authors of all time, Douglas Adams. i read the complete works as far  as the hitchhiker area goes, as well as having listened to the original broadcast, seen a far share of the old television show, and the film. i absolutely love how his works are able to transcend mediums.    one of my favorite aspects about Adams is of course his Wit and humor. there is something about the sheer randomness of this train of thought that is just magical to be apart of. but what amazes me even more was the low key predictions made in his novels about technology. think Marvin for example, who was an experiment in imputing personalities into robotics. the idea of such a thing would have seemed ridiculous, yet now robotic advancements are making incredible leaps and strides. another example would be the sighing do

The Nine Billion Names Of God 1954 i really liked how this story played out especially the ending. the main characters seem so demeaning towards the monks beliefs about the world ending after discovering all of the names. yet the characters are acting in much the same way any of us would. the concept of the world ending in such a way (if at all) is too preposterous for many to even give a second thought. by reiterating the characters speculations on the audacity  of the presumed destruction, the author has crafted relatable characters that the reader can identify and agree with. at the closing paragraph though, the author exercises the shock factor by revealing in the most minimalist way that the monks were truly right. just the simplest of statements, "the stars were going out" was able to send shivers up my spine. having connected with the relatable characters i could now place myself in their shoes and feel the overwhelming dread of realization set in.    on a larger not

The Distance of the Moon this was one of my favorite reads of the semester. i loved the imagery the author conveyed, especially the textures present on the moon: the scales, the smooth mud, and the moon milk between the cracks. i also found it an interesting treatment of a love story because not everything is explained completely. at the end we still do not know whether the wife was in love with the moon or the cousin, and both remain justifiable with the information presented to the reader.   while reading the beginning my mind immediately made a connection between this story and the animated short Luna. i would not be surprised if i found out it served as inspiration. the largest similarity was the use of ladders. the moon in Luna is very close just like in this story, and the characters use a ladder to reach its surface. they are also in the middle of a vast expanse of water and are in a boat.    one part i particularly enjoyed was the little girl who starts of floating between t

I Live With You This was a very neat piece of writing because of the point of view it is told from. in fact the writer is careful to make sure we never know quite who is talking to us, whether it is a manifestation of mental making or an actual being. this is what drives the readers curiosity.    i really liked how the author used so many things that we have all experienced to make this secret character come to life. by blaming common place actions on this creation the author keeps the readers attention; we have experienced these things before, is the author going to tell us what has been causing them? things like misplacing objects or tripping over nothing are relateble to the average reader an therefore a safe thing for the author to extort.    while reading i found myself postulating on whether the this being was actually supposed to be within the character. that we all have a sort of split personality where a part of us pushes the other out of its comfort zone. it is the lady

Johnny Mnemonic this was the first time i had ever read cyberpunk, and it was not what i was expecting. a few of what i expect are motifs of the genre were familiar to me, such as the storage of information in a characters brain resembling a computer. i recall an episode of Dr.Who in which this was applied via a bank heist operation. the idea of renting out space to others was a very interesting concept that i had never seen explored before. another aspect of the story which i suspect is common place with most cyberpunk was the technical gargen. much of the descriptive language used was centered on synthetics and metals, very little organic references. this makes sense considering the robotic aspects of the genre. such terminology use gave off a very cold feeling to the writing.    The dolphin character was probably the most interesting in my eyes. again, like i have found in other readings this semester, i find myself draw to characters whom are very restricted in movement because o

Three Moments of an Explosion,What the moon brings, The unnamable, The rope is the world These stories were defiantly different from any others in the course. the topics that they centered around were either supernatural or futuristic, both strange to the targeted reader. The unnamable was the most interesting to read, where the protagonist's friend believes that everything is subjectifiable to labels. only after the supernatural attack dose the friend condone that the creature is without shape/form/name. at the time it was written i belie there was probably a large rift between the more superstitious country persons and the scientific community of city persons. this was likely some of lovecraft's inspiration. he took an existing social problem/ discrepancy and pushed it to the extreme with supernatural influence.    Another of the stories that i found intriguing was The rope is the world. this was a futuristic piece about a situation in which massive constructions are built

The Night Circus i had actually picked up this book earlier but had not found time to read it until this class. the writing style felt very fresh and almost exotic to the tongue. i really loved how Morgenstern crafted her sentences, the linguistic embellishments really helped add to the mystical feel of the novel. i also liked how the author split the narrative between the two characters to display how differently they are raised.    both grow up in a well off way, yet the social aspects of their development are completely different. Celia travels via the backstage, learning from an active performer (her father) and exposed to large crowds.  Marco on the other hand is raised in almost complete isolation with the exception of trips with his teacher.yet despite the vast difference each grows very powerful (weather through books or pain), showing that both methods are indeed effectual.    the author also writes n such a way that the reader feels included, adding a new personal level to

The Drowned Giant 1965 This story was an exploration of acceptable action based of relatability. To the persons in this novel, the giant was not one of them and therefore released the townspeople of requirements to treat him as such. To the normal person the idea of exploring a corpse is repulsive, much more so if the body is human. Some ascertain it as a question of morals, others an inset survival trait. Stay away from the thing that’s dead otherwise it could make you dead (disease). This is why the reader (typically) will feel repulsion while reading this story, because the creature is so close to a human, especially in anatomy. The author goes in to great descriptive detail, adding to the gore of the event while at the same time accentuating the unnatural detachment displayed by the people in the story.    The idea of people (let alone Children) crawling around on a corpse is disturbing at best, but what makes it so is the human aspect of the giant. If it were a beached whale

Ananzi Boys Neil Gaiman was another author I was previously accustomed to before this course, but I had never read a novel that for a large part is centered in present day. I adore the word play, descriptive qualities, and humor his writing embodies. Even with the modern-day twist of this novel I could still feel the same magic of Stardust. For this novel in particular I found it surprising that Gaiman seems to so fluidly slip into a writing that sheds light into the African American culture (both the representation of that in Florida and the tall tale heritage aspect). It is quite unlike anything I have previously read, but found myself a fan from chapter one.    Charlie’s relationship with his brother is anything but normal, and I found myself quite surprised that Charlie’s reactions to the displays of magic were not stronger. Sure, shock of his father’s death is still fresh, yet he seems to so mildly accept everything. But perhaps this is to strengthen the differences between h

The Hobbit Having been a fan of the film adaptations for Tolkien’s works, I was some what surprised at parts of the Hobbit novel. The largest difference I saw was in the depiction of the elves. Those in the novel were of a very different nature than the solemn and serious personas of Peter Jackson. One of Tolkien’s most impressive aspects is his skill of world building; he not only tells stories but crafts new cultures. One of the highlights for myself during the class lecture was the discussion of importance of song in culture. This was something I had never thought to apply to literature that world builds. Upon reading The Hobbit I was shocked at the amount and nature of the songs Tolkien created, especially those of the elves. In the novel they seem almost child like, bubbly and joyous; a great contrast from the film. It is also because of aspects of the novel like this that I can detect how it started off as a tale for his children. The tone of the novel is so much lighter than