On my bookshelf

FICTION

George Orwell's 1984: Read at your own risk, because this novel will send you insane. It will leave you questioning the entire workings of the world and the government and the so called 'freedom' you have. While you're at it, read a few other of Orwell's books; he's an incredible author, one of my very favourites. (tw: torture)

Beatrice Sparks' Go Ask Alice: A novel presented as the diary of a teenage girl heavily addicted to drugs, Go Ask Alice is one of the saddest stories I've ever read. It was presented to me as a true story, and it wasn't until thirty seconds ago that, with a bit of Googling, it was revealed to me that this novel is fiction. Reading it as a real girl's memoir, I was horrified, and I'm sure you will be just as affected by the chilling storyline as I was, even if you read it as a fictional tale. (tw: drug abuse)

Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita: This classic novel has gone through a lot of criticisms, and it's obvious why. If you read it the right way, however, it is an incredible story. Lolita is NOT romantic, as most of the general population tends to believe. It is twisted, perverted, illegal, so read with a keen eye so that you can see past the surface romance and see the true purpose behind this wonderfully written text. (tw: paedophilia)

NON-FICTION

Nicholas D Kristrof's Half the Sky: I haven't read much non fiction, I must tell you. I have, however, watched the documentary that was inspired by this book and since then I have yearned to read it. Half the Sky explores the multitude of discrimination women and girls suffer in everyday life. An incredible documentary and what I'm sure will be an incredible read. (tw: rape, abuse)

POETRY

Buddy Wakefield's We Were Emergencies: This poem puts things into perspective. You are not as broken as you think you are. Things are better than they seem. Buddy Wakefield will change your views on life, I promise. (Listen to We Were Emergencies here)

Mary Elizabeth Frye's Do Not Stand at my Grave and Weep: You've most likely read this one before, but it's been one of my favourites for years so I just had to include it. We are eternal, we will never die. Remember that.

FILMS

Dead Poet's Society: This one is beautiful. For a teacher to inspire a group of young boys to appreciate poetry is incredible. The way in which these boys' lives are touched by literature resonates in my entire being. This one sets the bar pretty high, Mrs Bevin. (tw: suicide)

Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber on Fleet Street: (or pretty much anything by Tim Burton, honestly): If you don't love Tim Burton you're either lying or you're wrong. I'm a sucker for anything gothic and anything musical, so it's my perfect match. Not really sophisticated at all, but if it stars Johnny and Helena, does it really have to be? (tw: murder, blood)

BLOGS

Humans of New York: I'm sure you've come across this blog before, but maybe you haven't delved into it. Humans of New York explores the lives of ordinary people living ordinary lives; a truly captivating experiment.

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So there you go: my favourites of all time. Read up, my pretties.
(Sorry if you find the trigger warnings annoying or unnecessary, I always like to err on the side of caution.)

'The Scarlet Woman' - A Reflection

'The Scarlet Woman' is a highly descriptive text which offers a detailed insight into a femme fatale figure in the eyes of her lover. In writing 'The Scarlet Woman' , I have utilised imagery in order to highlight the true essence of the femme fatale depicted in the text.

I have employed a strong sense of imagery when describing the femme fatale and the effect she has on her lover. Metaphors are the most common form of imagery, the author describing being with the woman as 'a whirlpool of desire' and holding her presence as having 'a fire burn deep within my soul'.  This emphasises the intensity of the man's lust for the femme fatale, effectively conveying a sense of her power and allure. Also implemented with the same effect is the use of personification in the phrase 'her ebony locks form a snare around my blackened heart'. This, too, highlight's the woman's almost violent form of attraction; an element of the traditional femme fatale archetype. The recurring image of the femme fatale's 'scarlet lips' serves as a motif which exaggerates the power she has over her lover. The man's fixation with 'that red hue' proves that she has the capacity to completely entrance a male and lure him into the trap that she holds. If she has such a potent effect on her lover's thinking and everyday life, she has the absolute power to control him in any way she pleases.

'The Scarlet Woman' successfully applies a variety of imagery techniques in order to convey the underlying theme of the femme fatale, portraying a confident and assertive woman who boasts independence.

The scarlet woman

Everything about her is lipstick. Lipstick on her empty champagne glass, on my white collar, on the cigarette lying in the glass ashtray by the lounge. It reminds me of her; that red hue. Every time I see a scarlet lip or a red rimmed coffee cup she pervades my mind. I can't get her out.

The first time I met her I fell in love. Or in lust, rather. It's impossible to love a woman with such confidence, such elegance. Her evasive nature keeps a man's fiery heart from clinging to her stone one. I don't think she could love either; she's too distant. There's a barrier between her world and ours, preventing us from ever entering one another's hearts.

To be with her is a whirlpool of desire. Each time she touches me, and every time she doesn't, a fire burns deep within my soul and I melt into a pool on her marble floor. Even her presence sends shivers down my spine, and I'm captivated. Her ebony locks form a snare around my blackened heart, and I long for the day her arms will bear the same tightness around my neck.

We do touch, of course, but never with the wholehearted affection I crave. Always in lust, never in love. Passion entraps us, as her red lips do my mouth. For a while I truly believe there may be a hint of tenderness in our embrace. Of course, there never is, for she is a woman of mystique, and such a trait could never be coupled with affection. Our pairing the the work of pure chance, or so I always thought. I've come to believe there is a reason more sinister, though what that is, is far past me. One day I may uncover the intentions behind her cold lips and trembling thighs, but for now I am blind.

I often wonder if there is another man. For such a beautiful and alluring woman, there must be. I always fall back to the idea that there isn't, although I'm aware that's a culprit of wishful thinking. My hopeful and trusting mind is all that keeps us together, and it fueled my initial attraction to her. When I saw her long legs and scarlet lips, rounded in a seductive chuckle, it was impossible for me to deter my eyes, and the second she took a step in my direction, the hope that she was unattached to a man denied any rational reasoning.

Since then we've been an item. Me full of regard to her blood red lips and apathetic attitude, her to my naivety. One day it may be real, but for now I'm comfortable with the prospect. Our lust is a fire, our love a facade. Until I die I will be devoted to her, while she will remain forever uncaring for me. And that is okay, for I never asked for her love; only for her time and the touch of her vermilion lips.

Harriet Smith has sent you a message

Dear Diary...

Tuesday 17th December 1815
Harriet's inclination to marry Mr Martin strikes me as terribly hasty. She has shared with me that she believes that every woman should marry, yet I have none of the usual inducements of women to marry. If one has sufficient income in her own right she has no other reason than to marry that for love. Regardless of that, Mr Martin is a farmer; in no way adequate for Harriet's hand. Even if she were to love such a man, it would bruise her reputation, and she would lose the respect of many of high profile.

Friday 20th December 1815
I'm ever so astonished by Mr Elton's marriage proposal! I was so certain that Mr Elton was in love with Harriet, so it comes as quite a shock to me. The pair are so suited to each other, and I'm terribly sorry for Harriet for convincing her of such. I suppose he doesn't care much for love or character, but rather the status I hold in Highbury. I, of course, declined, as I wouldn't ever leave my dear father for the sake of wedding a man who cares not for me as a person. I only hope that darling Mr Elton finds love with a young woman he is more suited to, whether it be Harriet or not. Such a gentleman deserves to find love in a woman, and a woman would be greatly privileged to earn his hand.

Clarice vs. Dolores

Agent Clarice Starling of "The Silence of the Lambs" is perhaps a character that one would identify as a femme fatale, but Dolores Haze, Lo, Dolly, Lo-lee-ta; a young nymphet? Could a young and innocent girl possibly be considered a manipulative seductress?

It seems so. And strangely enough, Lolita is the typical femme fatale in this instance, more so than the conservative yet forceful Clarice Starling. In "Lolita", genre is utilised purposefully in order to illustrate Lo's femme fatale status, and genre is also a component of Starling's role as a femme fatale. Connected to this genre is the characterisation of the femme fatales as protagonist and antagonist

"Lolita" begins as a romance, however, when Humbert and Dolores find themselves being followed by men in dark cars, the novel's genre quickly shifts into a crime thriller alike "The Silence of the Lambs". The difference being that Starling is the protagonist in the crime fiction whereas in "Lolita" Humbert takes on the role of a film noir protagonist rather than Dolores. In accordance to this shift in genre, Lolita's character changes as well; from a subject of adoration into a femme fatale. This juxtaposition highlights Dolores' sudden desire to defy Humbert, seducing him only to gain benefits from his wealth and character. She acts secretively around Quilty, a playwright who she has fallen in love with, convincing Humbert to attend Quilty's plays while hiding their relationship, and eventually running away with him. This puts Dolores in the role of the protagonist; the position of a typical femme fatale. Starling, however, plays the role of protagonist, which is not common of a femme fatale. She befriends Dr. Lecter against orders and solves the case single handedly, stating the famous words "Mr Gumb, you're under arrest". The manipulative nature of her work is indicative of her femme fatale status, much like Dolores Haze's manipulation of Humbert. Though each of the femme fatales plays a different role in a crime fiction, they both possess the manipulative and persuasive qualities of a femme fatale.

There is no one definition of a femme fatale, as represented in the differences between Dolores Haze and Agent Clarice Starling. What really defines a femme fatale is woman of strength who can manipulate any man to her advantage and always come out ahead in the end.

Lovechild

If I were to mention the Stolen Generation, your quick little minds would immediately jump to the Indigenous children torn from their mothers during the early to mid 1900s. Maybe after a bit of thought you'd mention the Canadian equivalent, but you wouldn't imagine the atrocities occurring between middle class Anglo-Saxon women.

I'm not much of a television person, but on my mother's recommendation I sat down in front of the box last night and watched the new Australian drama Lovechild. Not far into the program I had the realisation that the forced adoption of underage mothers' children was essentially another case of a stolen generation.

If you're not familiar with the happenings of the mid-late 1900s, mothers-to-be who were underage or unwed were often handed over to the church for the term of their pregnancy. By their parents. Once the girls gave birth to their child, it was ripped from her and adopted out to families, sometimes (illegally) sold. These children grew up not knowing who their true mother was, just like the Indigenous children known as the Stolen Generation.

How do you feel about this? Do you think these children's and mothers' rights have been violated? Do they deserve an apology? If you have no opinion, or even if you do, I urge you to catch the next episode of Lovechild next Monday at 8:40pm. Maybe you'll see the fierce and independent young girls depicted in the program as a form of a real life femme fatale.