John's Notebook

Essay on Heart of Darkness The novella form is ideal for Heart of Darkness because it intensifies the book’s sense of mystery, supports its focused narrative structure, and enhances its dark, ambiguous tone. Its tone works perfectly with this length. The book is shorter than a novel and longer than a short story. This fosters a sense of mystery... Read More

Essay on Nietzsche Reading the enigmatic Nietzsche is a rewarding journey. He can see far beyond his own time. He foresaw the collapse of certainty in our values that characterized the 20th century. He experienced the effects of Nihilism. Nietzsche was wrong about the cure, but not because he didn’t comprehend the enormity of the danger. But hi... Read More

Essay on The Little Prince The Little Prince is a novella with seemingly no literary inspiration. While there is much ink spilt about the real-life influences of the Little Prince, there is little to no evidence of any major literary influences. This would be an extraordinary thing indeed if it were true. Every other great work that comes to mi... Read More

Essay on Anna Karenina Intuition showed Levin the meaning of life. After his brother’s death in Part 5, Chapter 20, Levin entered a state of hopelessness. He had been fervently working to reform his farm for the good of society in addition to writing a book on the subject. But his efforts seemed meaningless because time would destroy it all. He... Read More

Essay on Crime and Punishment Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky was a big success. It caught the imagination of a country. It innovated Russian literature. The book was a financial success. It was an incredible asset for The Russian Messenger. Crime and Punishment also shocked readers. Critics attacked the work. Enthusiasts fell ill. But this ... Read More

Essay on Moby Dick In Moby-Dick, Melville uses the characters of Captain Ahab and his first mate, Starbuck, to explore the conflict between human emotion and logic. Starbuck represents the reader’s rational perspective as he struggles to resist Ahab’s obsessive rhetoric. Melville crafts a powerful dynamic between the two characters, who embody ... Read More

Spoilers Why Was Estella So Enthralling To Pip? You don’t have to look hard to find many examples of people falling into an all-consuming love. Women are by their nature attractive. Pip’s infatuation with Estella may just come down to her beauty. Even if that isn’t the final reason, it is certainly the first reason. “But, she answered at last,... Read More

I recently read The Little Prince. It is a wonderful book with a lot to unpack. I would highly recommend Antoine’s beloved novella. Spoilers What is the meaning of the Fox chapters in The Little Prince? The Fox explains in chapter twenty-one that he cannot play because he is “not tamed”. A wild fox of course must be tamed, or he will only act ... Read More

Thanks again to Jordan B Peterson’s essay guide. Spoilers Similarities between The Lord of the Rings and The Last of the Mohicans Both The Lord of the Rings and The Last of Mohicans share a sadness for what is passing away. Nothing says this like Tamunund’s speech at the end. He remembered the day his forefathers set down the bow and picked up... Read More

This morning, I read The Little Prince. It was incredible, and I would highly recommend the novella. I started to think about where this book might fit in my overall list of favourites. So, I put one together. Of course, these things change, but there is mine on July the Twentieth, Two Thousand and Twenty-Four My top five favorite works of fi... Read More

An essay I wrote after reading Pride and Prejudice using the very helpful essay guide by Jordan B Peterson. Spoilers Did Darcy make a good choice in marrying Elizabeth? It is needless to say that all the characters in Pride and Prejudice are full of life and incredibly interesting, but no one is quite as engaging as Darcy or Elizabeth. There wo... Read More