By Chiara Hampton You need only to walk into a library to know that literature is vast. Similarly, for every copy you recognize in a used bookshop, there will be twenty cracked tomes you’ve never heard of. For lovers of language and literature, this expanse may feel both exciting and tragic – so many books, so few hours in a day (or even in a lifetime). Every novel we read is a choice. Some might approach the creation of their life’s library by curating a list of classics or must-reads to choose from. Others will whimsically pick up whatever catches their eye, whether this be a new release or a gorgeous 19th century cover. In both cases, it’s easy to fall into a pattern of reading within a restricted pool of tastes or genres. There’s nothing inherently wrong with becoming a master of science fiction or modern feminist literature; in fact, understanding the ins and outs of a particular area will undoubtedly lead to greater appreciation (plus you can stand in front of t...
By Chiara Hampton Walking into the world of a novel blind has a quality of excitement. You’ve not yet been influenced by reviews, academic contexts, the particularities of the author’s biography. Perhaps it was the cover that drew you in or the recommendation of a friend. In any case, nothing exists in your mind but the text itself. You note the writing style before beginning to untangle the first threads of an unfamiliar story. By the time that story concludes, you’ve created an impression both personal and isolated.
By Chiara Hampton The new semester is upon us, bringing with it fresh aspirations and anxieties. Uni calendar dates may be arbitrary divisions of time, but these artificial beginnings provide excellent opportunities to seek out new experiences. Last September marked the start of my first year of university: an ideal moment to put down roots. As an English student, I was naturally drawn to literary organizations, among them PublishED. After their annual bookshop crawl, I joined the society and have attended every event since. You’ll have likely ascertained that my goal here is to encourage you to capitalize on this period of uni recalibration and give the society a try. Information about our events and the literary magazine we produce are readily available on this very site, yet they do not fully encapsulate the personal and atmospheric aspects of the society. Instead, this post is dedicated to (and here I accept the risk of drawing on the vacuous vocabulary of school boards and ur...
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