Rachael Arsenault's Blog - Posts Tagged "literary-analysis"
January 2022 Wrap-Up: A Lack of Five-Stars, Drunk Hamsters, and A Project Finally Completed
I know it looks like I read basically nothing this month, but that’s not true! I finished three books! They were just all very meh. 😩 Yeah, 2022 is not off to the best start in terms of reading. But it is a big month for my essay writing!
What I’ve Enjoyed
Articles
In This Prison, COVID Patients are Housed with Inmates on Suicide Watch
A horrifying but eye-opening look into how both mental health crises and the COVID-19 pandemic are mishandled in prisons.
What’s the Mandatory Deduction for Being Black at the Olympics?
I had never considered the role systemic racism played in sports competition before, but after reading this, it’s obvious that it’s a rampant problem. Figure skaters who were technically more skilled than their competition received consistently lower scores, advertisements for massive televised sporting events like the Olympics focus almost exclusively on white athletes, and countries with a predominantly non-white population see far fewer Olympic medals than countries like the United States.
You Have No Idea How Hard It Is To Get A Hamster Drunk
And now for something completely different!
People do a lot of weird stuff in the name of science. In this case, trying to get hamsters drunk. It’s an interesting and weird little weird – definitely worth five minutes of your time. The only downside is there are no cute pictures or videos of tipsy hamsters wobbling around.
Other
The Legend of Vox Machina
When I tell you I have been waiting years for this show, I’m not exaggerating. I’ve been hype ever since the Kickstarter was announced. Now that the first three episodes are finally out in the world, I can safely say it does not disappoint. Seeing these characters come to life is WILD, and I’m so stoked for the Critical Role cast that they were able to do this – and excited for what this means for the future of animation and television. And, you know, wondering if we might see other campaigns animated if this does well. 👀
What I’ve Created
Articles
“I don’t really think he counts as a guy.” Queerness in the House of Night
I originally published this to Vocal in 2020, but I’m sharing it again for two reasons. One, I’m still extremely proud of it and want more people to read it. And two, it’s the first in a series of essays that I’ve been working on for years, and I intend to share links to all of them, too. Being able to apply my degree in sociology and Native Studies (as well as my personal perspectives and experiences) to critical analysis of the harm done by a popular book series has been a very important and fulfilling process for me, and I hope I’m able to leave an impact on anyone who reads these essays.
The other essays that came out this month are:
•Part honey, part whore: Sex Shaming and Internalized Misogyny in the House of Night [Part 1]
•She chose vengeance and anger: Sex Shaming and Internalized Misogyny in the House of Night [Part 2]
•”My own Nubian princess.” Blackness, Exotification, and Dehumanization in the House of Night
•Ancient tribal blood and the heartbeat of outsiders: Mystification, Appropriation, and Indigenous Representation in the House of Night
As always, if you’ve enjoyed these essays and other work I’ve shared on Medium, please consider following me over there. I’m currently sitting at 30 followers, and if I can get to 100 I’ll be eligible for the Medium Partner Program. Sharing my work is also a great way to show your support!
And that about wraps things up. While the books I read were certainly disappointing, the month wasn’t a total waste. Plus, there are plenty of other books I’m looking forward to reading throughout the year. Fingers crossed February brings me a five-star!
If you want to see my somewhat more sporadic updates throughout the month, check me out on Twitter and Instagram, where I’m @rachaellawrites
What I’ve Enjoyed
Articles
In This Prison, COVID Patients are Housed with Inmates on Suicide Watch
A horrifying but eye-opening look into how both mental health crises and the COVID-19 pandemic are mishandled in prisons.
What’s the Mandatory Deduction for Being Black at the Olympics?
I had never considered the role systemic racism played in sports competition before, but after reading this, it’s obvious that it’s a rampant problem. Figure skaters who were technically more skilled than their competition received consistently lower scores, advertisements for massive televised sporting events like the Olympics focus almost exclusively on white athletes, and countries with a predominantly non-white population see far fewer Olympic medals than countries like the United States.
You Have No Idea How Hard It Is To Get A Hamster Drunk
And now for something completely different!
People do a lot of weird stuff in the name of science. In this case, trying to get hamsters drunk. It’s an interesting and weird little weird – definitely worth five minutes of your time. The only downside is there are no cute pictures or videos of tipsy hamsters wobbling around.
Other
The Legend of Vox Machina
When I tell you I have been waiting years for this show, I’m not exaggerating. I’ve been hype ever since the Kickstarter was announced. Now that the first three episodes are finally out in the world, I can safely say it does not disappoint. Seeing these characters come to life is WILD, and I’m so stoked for the Critical Role cast that they were able to do this – and excited for what this means for the future of animation and television. And, you know, wondering if we might see other campaigns animated if this does well. 👀
What I’ve Created
Articles
“I don’t really think he counts as a guy.” Queerness in the House of Night
I originally published this to Vocal in 2020, but I’m sharing it again for two reasons. One, I’m still extremely proud of it and want more people to read it. And two, it’s the first in a series of essays that I’ve been working on for years, and I intend to share links to all of them, too. Being able to apply my degree in sociology and Native Studies (as well as my personal perspectives and experiences) to critical analysis of the harm done by a popular book series has been a very important and fulfilling process for me, and I hope I’m able to leave an impact on anyone who reads these essays.
The other essays that came out this month are:
•Part honey, part whore: Sex Shaming and Internalized Misogyny in the House of Night [Part 1]
•She chose vengeance and anger: Sex Shaming and Internalized Misogyny in the House of Night [Part 2]
•”My own Nubian princess.” Blackness, Exotification, and Dehumanization in the House of Night
•Ancient tribal blood and the heartbeat of outsiders: Mystification, Appropriation, and Indigenous Representation in the House of Night
As always, if you’ve enjoyed these essays and other work I’ve shared on Medium, please consider following me over there. I’m currently sitting at 30 followers, and if I can get to 100 I’ll be eligible for the Medium Partner Program. Sharing my work is also a great way to show your support!
And that about wraps things up. While the books I read were certainly disappointing, the month wasn’t a total waste. Plus, there are plenty of other books I’m looking forward to reading throughout the year. Fingers crossed February brings me a five-star!
If you want to see my somewhat more sporadic updates throughout the month, check me out on Twitter and Instagram, where I’m @rachaellawrites
February and March Wrap-Up: An Unfortunate Dry Spell With Hope for the Future
I know I missed a month, but I have a very good reason for that: I haven’t read a single thing I genuinely enjoyed.
Yeah. It sucks.
I’ve also been struggling to find time to read, and the book that I am enjoying working my way through is over 600 pages long and only available to me in paperback, which means no reading on my phone when the baby falls asleep on me. I’m not sure when my reading will pick up again, or how long it will take me to finish my current read.
That being said, I do want to continue posting these wrap-ups and sharing what I’ve loved reading and writing recently. So, with that in mind, I might shift to posting these every two or three months unless I happen to have a busy month for reading or writing.
Now, let’s get into this rather short wrap-up, shall we?
What I’ve Enjoyed
Other
The Legend of Korra
Yeah, yeah, I’m about ten years late to that bandwagon. But I’m glad I finally decided to check it out! While there were certainly flaws in the series (let’s all just agree not to talk about season 2, am I right?), I really enjoyed it! The characters were fun, I loved the new ways bending was explored, and seeing how the world had grown and changed in the years after A:TLA was really fascinating. Plus, getting to see some old favourites pop in now and then was delightful. Definitely look forward to rewatching this sometime.
What I’ve Created
Articles
Acceptable Targets and Miscellaneous Misrepresentations in House of Night
Continuing on with the essays I was sharing in my last wrap-up, this is a collection of mini-essays on a variety of topics that I either couldn’t expand into full-length solo pieces, or didn’t have time to do so in a manner that would do the subject justice. The length of this piece might look daunting, but because it’s a collection of essays rather than a single standalone essay, you can actually dip in and out and read sections as you see fit.
Aging Poorly vs. Being Harmful: A Final Look at House of Night and the Works of PC Cast and Kristin Cast
Summing up my thoughts on all of this was hard, not least because the subject is so expansive. But I did my best to convey why the problematic and harmful content in these books is not just an example of something aging poorly or being outdated, while also showing that these issues exist throughout the authors’ body of work, not just within this one series.
How to Write a Book Series as a Pantser
I had a hard learning curve when it came to mapping out and effectively executing a multi-book plot as a pantser (well, plantser, really), and I decided to share some of the tips and lessons I had learned along the way. Hopefully it will make that journey a little easier for other writers out there.
Buzzword Feminism and a Legacy of White Saviours: An In-Depth Review of Spells Trouble
When I say my reading has been bad lately, this is a prime example. Normally I don’t do straight-up book reviews outside of Goodreads and Storygraph, but I’ve decided to experiment with lengthy ones like this for books that I have a lot to say about. In the future, I hope those reviews can be more positive, but that sadly is not the case for this first one. If you’re interested in seeing my thoughts on the world-building and writing of Spells Trouble, as well as my opinion on how the authors’ handled representation of queer characters and POC, then definitely check this one out.
And that’s all I have to share for now. If you like my content and want to see more regular updates from me, follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and/or Medium. I’m @rachaellawrites on all of them.
Yeah. It sucks.
I’ve also been struggling to find time to read, and the book that I am enjoying working my way through is over 600 pages long and only available to me in paperback, which means no reading on my phone when the baby falls asleep on me. I’m not sure when my reading will pick up again, or how long it will take me to finish my current read.
That being said, I do want to continue posting these wrap-ups and sharing what I’ve loved reading and writing recently. So, with that in mind, I might shift to posting these every two or three months unless I happen to have a busy month for reading or writing.
Now, let’s get into this rather short wrap-up, shall we?
What I’ve Enjoyed
Other
The Legend of Korra
Yeah, yeah, I’m about ten years late to that bandwagon. But I’m glad I finally decided to check it out! While there were certainly flaws in the series (let’s all just agree not to talk about season 2, am I right?), I really enjoyed it! The characters were fun, I loved the new ways bending was explored, and seeing how the world had grown and changed in the years after A:TLA was really fascinating. Plus, getting to see some old favourites pop in now and then was delightful. Definitely look forward to rewatching this sometime.
What I’ve Created
Articles
Acceptable Targets and Miscellaneous Misrepresentations in House of Night
Continuing on with the essays I was sharing in my last wrap-up, this is a collection of mini-essays on a variety of topics that I either couldn’t expand into full-length solo pieces, or didn’t have time to do so in a manner that would do the subject justice. The length of this piece might look daunting, but because it’s a collection of essays rather than a single standalone essay, you can actually dip in and out and read sections as you see fit.
Aging Poorly vs. Being Harmful: A Final Look at House of Night and the Works of PC Cast and Kristin Cast
Summing up my thoughts on all of this was hard, not least because the subject is so expansive. But I did my best to convey why the problematic and harmful content in these books is not just an example of something aging poorly or being outdated, while also showing that these issues exist throughout the authors’ body of work, not just within this one series.
How to Write a Book Series as a Pantser
I had a hard learning curve when it came to mapping out and effectively executing a multi-book plot as a pantser (well, plantser, really), and I decided to share some of the tips and lessons I had learned along the way. Hopefully it will make that journey a little easier for other writers out there.
Buzzword Feminism and a Legacy of White Saviours: An In-Depth Review of Spells Trouble
When I say my reading has been bad lately, this is a prime example. Normally I don’t do straight-up book reviews outside of Goodreads and Storygraph, but I’ve decided to experiment with lengthy ones like this for books that I have a lot to say about. In the future, I hope those reviews can be more positive, but that sadly is not the case for this first one. If you’re interested in seeing my thoughts on the world-building and writing of Spells Trouble, as well as my opinion on how the authors’ handled representation of queer characters and POC, then definitely check this one out.
And that’s all I have to share for now. If you like my content and want to see more regular updates from me, follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and/or Medium. I’m @rachaellawrites on all of them.
