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Contemporary Literature Videos


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Shakespeare's The Tempest 2 Prospero's Powers
134 Views

Does Prospero have magical powers? And if he does, could he get us into Hogwarts? We've been waiting so patiently...

Contemporary Literature 13 The Road
76 Views

Welcome...to The Road. Hope everyone remembered to bring their cannibal repellent.

Contemporary Literature 9 Sylvia Plath
46 Views

Time to explore Sylvia Plath's "Daddy" and "Ariel." Those are both poems, by the way. We're not that interested in her actual dad, Otto. No offense...

Contemporary Literature 8 Sherman Alexie and Truman Capote
60 Views

What difficulties did Sherman Alexie write about in "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian"? What elements did Capote deal with in his bo...

Contemporary Literature 7 Language of Social Progress
62 Views

Contemporary works of literature such as The Help reference important historical events in order to reflect on themes and challenges that have...

Contemporary Literature 6 The Things They Carried
215 Views

How did the Vietnam War change the public perception of the U.S. government? What themes are explored in The Things They Carried? Do you know the M...

Contemporary Literature 5 Post War
56 Views

What are the characteristics of post-war literature? What themes are explored in Maus? Is Maus about mice? Does anyone else feel like cheese right...

Contemporary Literature 4 James Baldwin
82 Views

What were the issues James Baldwin wrote about, and what was the significance of his short story "Sonny's Blues"? You don't know the answer? Fine.....

Contemporary Literature 2 On the Road
111 Views

On the road again...we just can't wait to get on the road again...and discuss On The Road. 

Contemporary Literature 3 Howl
30 Views

What's the central theme in Howl, and what's unusual about the style in which its written? Bonus points if you howl your answers.

Contemporary Literature 1 Introduction
375 Views

Welcome to Contemporary Literature. It's not old and banal like all that ancient literature. It's hip and cool. It wears Warby Parker glasses. 

Contemporary Literature 14 New Journalism
25 Views

Join us for part fourteen of Contemporary Literature: New Journalism. It's harder, better, faster, and stronger than old journalism. Either that, o...

Contemporary Literature 15 Susan Sontag
13 Views

Susan Sontag was a famous photographer who never even owned a selfie stick. Can you imagine? 

Contemporary Literature 16 David Foster Wallace
92 Views

David Foster Wallace, author of Infinite Jest, had a fondness for footnotes.11 Shmoop also enjoys a good footnote. 

Contemporary Literature 18 Mary Rowlandson: The Captivity Narrative
556 Views

We're only going to hold you captive for a minute and thirty-two seconds, which is roughly eleven weeks less than Mary had to endure. Also, we'll b...