Interesting Literature

A Summary and Analysis of Ambrose Bierce’s ‘The Boarded Window’

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

‘The Boarded Window’ is a story by the American author Ambrose Bierce, who is also remembered for his witty The Devil’s Dictionary and for his mysterious disappearance in around 1914. Like many of Bierce’s tales, ‘The Boarded Window’ contains elements of the horror genre. The story is about a man living in a cabin in the woods in Ohio. When his wife dies, he falls asleep after preparing her body for burial, only to discover a terrifying intruder making off with it.

10 of the Best Examples of Petrarchan Sonnets Everyone Should Read

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

The Petrarchan sonnet, also known as the Italian sonnet, is the oldest of the two greatest and best-known types of sonnet. Although the invention of the sonnet form precedes him – the Sicilian poet Giacomo da Lentini is thought to have invented the sonnet in the thirteenth century – the poet who usually gets the credit for putting the sonnet on the literary map was the Italian poet Francesco Petrarca, who is usually known simply as Petrarch (1304-74).

The Curious Meaning of ‘Wuthering Heights’ by Kate Bush

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

In 1978, ‘Wuthering Heights’ by Kate Bush became the first song written and performed by a female artist to top the UK singles charts. At the time, Bush was still a teenager, aged nineteen years old. Her powerful pop song inspired by a classic Victorian novel struck a chord with listeners and launched her idiosyncratic and remarkable music career. There could only ever be one Kate Bush.

10 of the Best Beatnik Poems Everyone Should Read

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

The Beat Poets were an important movement in American poetry in the 1950s and 1960s. Favouring free verse and spontaneous writing in many cases, poets of the Beat Generation sought a more direct and authentic poetic voice. Many of the Beats felt a great sense of disillusionment in the immediate post-war years, and their poetry reflects this mood.

12 of the Best Synonyms for ‘Additionally’

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

‘Additionally’ is a useful word: so useful that a writer can find themselves in danger of overusing it in certain contexts. What viable alternative words are there which can serve as good synonyms for the word additionally?

Let’s take a look at the best additionally synonyms, exploring how they might be used as a substitute for that commonly used word.