Michael Wu's New, True Review

“One may smile, and smile, and be a villain.”             When looking for adjectives to describe the tone and plot of Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home , one of the last words that comes to mind is “happy.” From start to finish, this graphic novel is awash with somber reflection, calculated literary allusion, and dark, twisted humor. “Funny” doesn’t always mean “happy,” and Fun Home is a great example of that. Bechdel’s writing, while eloquent and engaging, leaves little in the way of cheerfulness. The same can be said about the novel’s visuals. The color palate, with its single shade of dull, watercolor blue at various levels of saturation, does a good job of evoking the idea of memory, but not in a particularly positive way. But perhaps the most jarring visual indication of the deep sadness inherent in this novel can be found in the faces of the characters themselves. This particular design choice on the part of Bechdel was very quickly pointed out during dis...

               One of the most defining aspects of The Bell Jar is Sylvia Plath’s unique style of narration. Her writing is characterized by a decidedly poetic descriptiveness that helps to convey details and emotion in an incredibly nuanced way. The book is jam-packed with similes, metaphors, and other literary devices scattered among the pages amidst a backdrop of consistently vivid descriptions. And while these details are essential for the overall character of the novel, they are ultimately traditional literary techniques that you could theoretically find in many other works of poetry or prose if you looked hard enough.             However, there are some other aspects of Plath’s writing that stand out to me far more than the blanket-level similes and descriptions, like the intense, aromatic herbs and spices that add robust flavor to an already fragrant, satisfactory dish. There are ...