My top three texts from this academic year as an English Literature and Creative Writing student
As my module teaching for second year officially ended last term, I thought I would dedicate a blog post to my favourite texts that I have read across my modules this year. To clarify, I took four modules this year: a compulsory creative writing module, Composition and Creative Writing, and then three optional modules. These were American Horror Story (an English Literature module which looks at the horror genre in the United States through both film, literature and other paraliterary forms), Twentieth Century US Literature, and Screenwriting. In no particular order, here are my top three favourite texts from the year!
- The Haunting of Hill House – Shirley Jackson
Described by Stephen King ‘as nearly perfect a haunted-house tale as I have ever read’, Shirley Jackson’s gripping horror novel, The Haunting of Hill House, was the first novel which made me feel unnerved and genuinely scared whilst reading it. There have been several horror movies which have lingered with me after the credits (we all know the feeling of being scared to turn the lights off after a good horror film!), but this was the first text which had the same effect. After I finished the final chapter, I found myself turning Jackson’s spectral story over and over in my mind for several days, attempting to uncover new meanings or possible interpretations in the face of some unfathomable moments. The novel addresses strands of horror which I am particularly interested in – psychological horror and psychological thriller – through overt descriptions of Eleanor’s internal thoughts and more subtle projections of her psychological decline through her surroundings.
The creepy and uncanny descriptions of the house itself, coupled with the perturbing psychological degeneration of the protagonist, Eleanor, was both narratively captivating and creatively engaging. I found myself re-reading some of Jackson’s sentences, for they were so rich in imagery whilst still maintaining a lean, taut writing style.
I absolutely loved reading this novel, and have Shirley Jackson’s collection of short stories, The Lottery and Other Stories on my to-read list.
- “Ghosts” – Vauhini Vara
“Ghosts” was introduced to me as a reading for one of my creative writing seminars, Composition and Creative Writing (you can read the narrative by clicking on the hyperlink above). As part of one of the seminars, we used Artificial Intelligence as a lens to discuss ideas of authenticity in creative writing: does it matter if an author is ‘real’ or not, and how do we define ownership of a text?
“Ghosts” deployed the use of AI in a strikingly unique way, and I was immediately floored by the sophistication of its usage. I decided to place “Ghosts” as one of my top three texts, as it enlightened me to some of the amazing creative uses of AI in writing, when I was initially sceptical of. The use of AI in the text also feels entirely relevant to the content, as a means for the author to extend their own voice at a time when they feel unable to write due to emotional distress.
- Black Hole – Charles Burns
Black Hole is an incredible graphic novel, and I place it as one of my top three through its heavily-focused approach to body horror, a theory which I learned about this academic year during American Horror Story. The rich, complex imagery of Burns’ graphic novel adds such depth to a compelling narrative.
The story, whilst relatively simple and revolving around teenage characters in an upturned suburbia, feels so captivating due to the different themes which Burns layers on top: sexuality, disease, as well as deeper metaphors about the wider society of the United States.This was one of the first graphic novels that I read, and I have since found a great appreciation for this type of narrative. Therefore, Black Hole is one of my top choices for its ability to reinvigorate an appreciation for this genre.
