Seeking Compassion

The creative non-fiction essay “Seeking Compassion” is submitted. The essay centers on the meaning of ethics, through the topics of compassion and charity. The essay follows the author’s experiences and failings in ethics and charity. Braided throughout are quotes on the topic from the works of C.S. Lewis

Teaching Literary Theory through Annotated Graphic Novels

Three original works are presented to demonstrate how Graphic Novels can be used to introduce students to critical works as well as literary texts. It has been well established that Graphic Novels are an effective format for introducing students to primary works of literature. However, an ever-increasing emphasis on visual communication and digital storytelling invites literary scholars and academic publishers to consider using this format to teach secondary texts as well. Graphic Novels deliver literature to people who learn better visually rather than verbally, by engaging readers through imagistic renderings of texts. However, they can also teach historical contexts within texts and give solid examples of literary theory within texts. By their nature, Graphic Novels invite the use of short, descriptive boxes that give narrative information of scenes and panels—these can also be used to succinctly offer information about theory, history, and textual analysis within the middle of a text, without interrupting the experience and pleasures of reading. Essentially, just as Graphic Novels help explain confusing scenes through visualization, Annotated Graphic Novels could help convey the same information found in scholarly articles but in a more easily accessible and manageable format. In addition to teaching the texts themselves, Graphic Novels can be used as a valuable teaching tool to introduce theory, history, and analysis to students who may initially struggle with traditional academic discourse. Moreover, academic publishers using the Graphic Novel format could profit from a move in this direction

The Quest for the Holy Portrayal: Medieval Women in Film

“The Quest for the Holy Portrayal: Medieval Women in Film” explores the evolution of the portrayal of early medieval women of the British Isles in film. The piece examines this depiction of women in films about the early medieval era, in conjunction with scholarly research on the lives of women in this period, combining historical analysis with modern pop culture. Besides exploring the historical accuracy of their depiction in film, this essay also looks at the four types of women often portrayed—the noblewoman, the nun, the witch, and the warrior—and discusses the modern inventions of these categories. Finally, the essay attempts to understand the changing roles of women in these types of films in conjunction with women’s changing roles in society, and looks forward to the possible evolution of women in film as society continues to change