WRT 102 - Desert Vista - Higgins: Spotlight: O'Brien and Joyce

This did not happen is a common refrain throughout the stories in The Things They Carried. Tim O'Brien's account of the Vietnam War purposely blurs the line between fact and fiction to get closer to the truth of what soldiers actually experienced. This compelling volume explores the life of Tim O'Brien and his attempts to wrestle with the trauma and shame of war in The Things They Carried. A collection of related essays explore topics such as the moral complexity of war, writing as a path to spiritual redemption, and the novel's portrayal of gender. Contemporary perspectives on war, such as the need to help soldiers suffering from PTSD and not repeating the mistakes of Vietnam, are also presented.

This new set examines the overriding themes found in literature. This approach particularly helps students build critical thinking skills by making connections between thematically-similar works of literature, as well as providing a more global perspective by comparing and contrasting works from around the world. Beyond outlining the general treatment of the theme in American, British and world literature, the set profiles authors and highlights 37 major works centered around the theme. Also included are an extended list of works in all genres and media (fine art, dance, film, etc.) related to the theme as well as subject and title indexes.

From the beginning of his literary career, James Joyce was the most distinctive figure in the renaissance that occurred in Irish cultural life after the death of Charles Stewart Parnell. From the first, he set himself to liberate Ireland, not by returning to Celtic myths or the Gaelic language and folklore, but by Europeanizing its cultural institutions. His early stories are an exorcism of the spirit of paralysis he felt about himself in the Dublin of his youth.