John Grisham himself claims that he was inspired to write the novel when he witnessed a rape trial in 1984 and was shocked by the young victims testimony. 2. ... PREVIOUS DISCUSSIONS ABOUT TOPICALITY OF THE NOVEL As early as 1996, when the movie based upon the novel was released, some critics argued that the presentation of the racial tension felt outdated and inaccurate. ... " (Hunter) These elements described in the review are not additions by the filmmakers, but do already exist at the very heart of the novel. Similar criticism came forward in 2013, when the novel was adapted again,...

• Word Count: 4938
• Approx Pages: 20
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

"The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson- (1894) was one of his last novels. After this novel was published Twain had to experience a series of painful experiences within his family life. ... Historical Background: The novel "Pudd'nhead Wilson- by Mark Twain was written in 1893 and published 1894. ... However, the setting of the novel was in 1830, a period called "Ante Bellum-, which was the time before Civil War and the time of slavery. ... Throughout the novel, Twain shows us how Tom grows into a terrible brat. ...

• Word Count: 3258
• Approx Pages: 13
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

Until that time, Baldwin had been working only on an unpublished draft of a novel, but in 1946 he published his first essay in the Nation. ... The essay was mainly autobiographical and impressionistic while offering sharp and perceptive comments on a variety of subjects that were to overlap with the material treated in Baldwin's fiction: the novel of protect, ghetto life in Harlem, and black-white encounters in Europe. ... Baldwin's 1949 essay Everybody's Protest Novel and 1951 essay Many Thousands Gone, however, both of which criticized Wright's Native Son, created a las...

• Word Count: 2618
• Approx Pages: 10
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

In an effort to limit the unencumbered rambling, I am going to focus on Twain's response to the racial issues at the heart of his American historical context, primarily through an interpretation of the novel (if it may be characterized as such) Pudd'nhead Wilson with reference to other works by Twain we have discussed in this course and multiple critical essays which have been pored over, albeit with less than completely gratifying results. ... Gerber in "Pudd'nhead Wilson as Fabulation,"" Mark Twain was not really a novelist - he was more of a "new journalist,"" who spun yarn...

• Word Count: 3141
• Approx Pages: 13
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Harlem is also the setting for the novel Passing by Nella Larsen, which is the story of a woman who is black but has a light skin tone that makes her appear to be white. Irene is the main character of the novel and she chooses to live her life in the African-American community; she marries a black man. ... She states earlier in the novel that she would not be ashamed if she got caught but would be embarrassed as some of the white people try to handle the situation with fake kindness. This novel raises the question of how one can simply become a certain race; aside from physical appearance, the...

• Word Count: 2640
• Approx Pages: 11
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

The movie was based on Klaus Mann's novel with the same title. ... Besides being based on Klaus Mann's Novel, the movie was also loosely based on the life of a real German actor Gustaf Gruendgens. ...

• Word Count: 3223
• Approx Pages: 13
• Grade Level: High School

For example, in "Criticism and Fiction" (1891), William Dean Howells, a advocate of nineteenth-century American realism, warns readers to avoid sentimental or sensational novels, which he claims "hurt" by presenting "idle lies about human nature and the social fabric." ...

• Word Count: 2633
• Approx Pages: 11
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

The Declaration of Independence states, "All men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights". But how much of this is true? Since the very beginning of the legal system in the United States, there has been inequality. Appearance has held such precedence for Americans. Now, with the threat of terrorists, many use racial stereotypes to determine who is accountable for our unsafe environment. ...

• Word Count: 3114
• Approx Pages: 12
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate