ANGELICA MANGLONA
The following compilation of academic essays observe qualities within selections of fiction that I admire. In these essays I observe themes, tools and devices that I influence or play a role in my creative writings.
Although I might not write specifically on these themes in general, I find the writing styles of the author's themselves and how they communicate their relative theme interesting as well as how each portray different dynamics within the world they create. I try to learn from the devices they use or the links they create and implement the skills I learn from them into my own fiction.
The essays shown here are completed assigned works I have done for my undergraduate classes. It should also be noted that a majority of these works are written under the assumption that the reader is familiar with the respective work discussed.
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To read more about each piece, hover over each image. Follow the link beneath the reflection to see the project itself.
In this, I researched criticisms and academic articles on Marquez's short story "the Incredible and Sad Tale of Innocent Erendira and her Heartless Grandmother." I wrote this for a research project in an undergraduate class, Introduction to English Studies, I used these criticisms to develop my understanding of Marquez's views on politics and authority. I then used Marquez's fiction to observe how these views translate into his fiction.
POWER IN GABRIEL GARCIA MARQUEZ'S work
This was a short essay done for assignment labeled as a "Greedy Reading" in my undergraduate Creative Writing II course. I selected Charles Yu's short story, "Standard Loneliness Package." In this essay, I avoid any detailed analysis, instead focusing on the elements of this story that I admire. I observe how Yu's characterization and form propel the story in the reader effect, the story's aesthetics or its themes.
Charles yu's characters and form
This critical analysis paper was written for my undergraduate class, Contemporary Latin American Literature. This essay was fueled by my growing interest in different literature's treatment of gender roles and how such roles are shifted. I use Manuel Puig's novel, Kiss of the Spiderwoman, to study how Puig observes gender roles through his characters. This assignment was limited to four pages, therefore, I focused my analysis on the transformation of gender roles to one character's perception.
Gender roles in manuel puig's work
This essay, written for a Medieval Women class, compares Medb and Cuchulainn and analyzes how each is treated in the Tain. Throughout this class, I was surprised to find several empowered females in the texts we read. I also became very interested in how genders were represented and defined, which at times were not as concrete as modern representations. The analysis involved in this paper influences how I view the societal construction and the actual fluidity of gender, and how people might react to such.
Gender Dynamics in the tain
This essay was the final essay for a 300-level Medieval Women class, which observed how women were represented in Medieval literature. This specific essay responded to one of three writing prompts. The selected prompt instructed to write an essay justifying why medieval literature classes should not be shut down in fictional San Florio University. The topics that interested me most in this class was how women obtained authority in patriarchal societies, which my essay further explores.