My Science School

"House of Hades"

"The Heroes of Olympus" is the succeeding series after the "Percy Jackson" series. In this series, I liked the fourth installation, "House of Hades" better than its predecessor "The Lost Hero". While the "The Lost Hero" followed an adventurous style, with the three protagonists travelling for a quest, I felt the story dragged and the ending was delayed. On the other hand, the "House of Hades" showed the popular duo Annabeth and Percy, struggling to advance in the horrifying underworld, while the other four quest-takers travel to the House of Hades, where they can rescue them. The book presents the events through, different point of views (POVS). Like any other Rick Riordan book, this volume too included side quests but did not feel too boring. This is one sequel I like more than the original.

"Finding Dory"

The movie which I think is better than the original is "Finding Dory". Dory, a blue tang, is the protagonist. Accompanied by an octopus, she overcomes her short-term memory loss, finds her parents and escapes to the ocean in Australia. In the first movie, "Finding Nemo", she was just a side character, who had memory loss, and prolonged their searching of Nemo. But in this movie, Dory embarks on many adventures. She also inspires us by overcoming her difficulties and succeeding. This movie also has better graphics, which enhance the movie, making it a hit. Also, the final scene is breathtaking with the truck crashing and jumping. This movie also tells us that a fish is happy only when it is in an ocean, as there would be little space for a fish to swim in a tank.

"Captain America: Civil War”

According to me, "Captain America: Civil War' is better than the original film ("Captain America: The First Avenger). This film shows the different powers of most of the main avengers. Fans often wonder who is the most powerful Avenger. In this movie the Avengers are divided into two groups based on whom they believe.

"Home Alone 2"

I feel "Home Alone 2" was better than the original one. When Kevin arrives in New York, he explores every major New York landmark. The Duncan's Toy Chest shop in the film looked like one of the most magical places in the world, packed with toys of every shape and size imaginable, and owned by seemingly the kindest man alive.

In this film, Kevin finds himself away from his comfortable home, stranded in the cold, and unknown streets of downtown New York. There's an elevated feeling of danger and intensity, especially when Kevin doesn't have access to his hotel room.

The motives of the villains who call themselves Sticky Bandits are much clearer in this film than in the first one. Not only is the prize at Duncan's Toy Chest much bigger, but it also makes sense that they would want to exact revenge on the kid that caused them so much trouble last time round.

It seemed fairly ridiculous that the McCallisters couldn't call upon at least one person to check on Kevin in the first movie. Similarly, the police could have done a bit more to ensure that an eight-year-old boy left home alone was safe and sound.

But Kevin's free rein in the second film can be explained by the fact that his family doesn't initially know where he is and that New York is one of the busiest cities in the world.

So, I enjoyed the sequel of "Home Alone" more than the original Home Alone.

"Captain America and the Winter Soldier"

In my opinion, "Captain America and the Winter Soldier was better than the previous movie "Captain America the First Avenger. In both the films, the antagonist is Hydra, a technological advanced organisation created by the Nazis to produce powerful weapons. In the second film, the fight scenes and the techniques are quite simple to understand and the weapons are highly effective and

Although plot is a bit tougher to understand and there are too many action scenes in the second film it is still more interesting than the first. Everything bad that happens in the movie is because Hydra was reborn inside SHIELD (an organisation that protects the world and prevents wars).

"Captain America the First Avenger did not have many plot twists and layers. That is why I think its sequel was better.

"Home Alone"

I felt that the film "Home Alone 3" was better than "Home Alone". Both the films had a similar theme where the villains had a horrendous defeat at the hands of the kids. Technology used was better in the sequel than the original film. A lot of humorous scenes made the sequel funny. Characters and the plot in the original movie could have been much better. I felt it was unrealistic for parents to leave their child behind in the house before going for a vacation. While in the sequel, parents having a busy day and leaving their child at home for a period of time is pretty understandable. The original movie felt a bit dragged as child and the thieves kept pranking each other. In the sequel, the movie ended at the right time. I suggest you to watch the sequel. I give it a five-star rating.

"Angry Birds"

"Angry Birds" was a really popular game developed by Rovio. Then in 2016, the "Angry Birds Movie" was released. It is about flightless birds who are happy with life. However, Red, can't seem to get over some daily annoyances. Alongside his friends, Chuck and Bomb, he needs to stop the pigs from eating their eggs. This movie was great. However, the sequel was so much better. "The Angry Birds Movie 2" adds a third island to the storyline and a backstory to Mighty Eagle. The pigs and the birds join forces to stop the eagles from destroying their islands. With many new characters added in to some absolutely hilarious scenes to Red understanding the value of a team, it is much better than the first. Greatest movie one could watch!

"Through the Looking Glass"

The sequel which I find more interesting than the original work is "Through the Looking Glass" (sequel of the famous "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland"), by Lewis Caroll. The book "Through the Looking Glass", in my opinion, is the 'true' treasure of nonsense literature. Caroll beautifully unfolds the story step by step, while he highlights that Alice was in a daydream, rather than a dream which occurs in sleep (as it happens in "Alice in Wonderland"). Unlike the original story, the sequel has less changes happening with Alice herself, but more drastic changes in her surroundings and in her experiences. I love the way how Caroll portrays the other world as something opposite to the normal world, where events and memories run backwards (this explains the fact that she is in a mirror world). The poems are also really great and humorous. In the story, Alice plays the role of a white pawn, moving across the chess board, meeting new and eccentric characters on the way. The conversations are more intricate and more complicated than in "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland”, and if you don't read them carefully, taking in every detail, the confusing dialogues can drive you nuts, and you'd probably decide against reading the book! In "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland", the story follows the same plot throughout, and eventually becomes a bit boring. But in "Through the Looking Glass", there is something new every time you read it. The White Knight, the Lion and the unicorn, and all the other characters add colour and beauty to the wonderful story.

"The Dark Knight"

A film sequel which I liked better than the original is "The Dark Knight". It is a 2008 film which serves as a sequel to 2005 "Batman Begins". The film stars Christian Bale as the Caped Crusader, Heath Ledger as the Clown Prince of Crime(Joker). Other actors include Michael Caine, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Aaron Eckhart and Gary Oldman. Although "Batman Begins" was very good, it had a weak villain who when compared to Ledger's Joker looks like a common gangster. The Joker completely stole the show at "The Dark Knight and registered a place in our hearts in a movie that was not his One more thing which I liked is that it broke the tradition of hero always winning, even though the Joker was caught, he vanquished The Batman for eight years with his brilliant plans. Ledger became the first actor in a superhero movie to win an Oscar when he got one posthumously for Best Supporting Actor. Although "Batman Begins" was great, "The Dark Knight" will be remembered by me only because of Heath Ledgers legendary portrayal of Joker.

Books vs films

I like the "Alice in Wonderland" books by Lewis Carroll more than the films. I think the books help us develop our curiosity. It also encourages a reading habit. Unlike watching television, reading doesn't harm our eyes. When I read a story, it stays on my mind for a long time. Reading the books also help us is learn new words and improves our vocabulary, which is useful to us. That's why I find the books are more interesting and beneficial to students than films.

Picture Credit : Google

Three bears

One fairytale continues to enchant me is none other than the fascinating "Goldilocks - and the Three Bears. This tale is about a little girl named Goldilocks, who once capers into a dense forest. There she slips into a tiny house and finds three different sized bowls kept on the table. She gulps in a spoonful of porridge from the big bowl, only to get her tongue scalded. She then tries the medium-sized one and finds it too hot. Finally, she tastes the porridge from the small-sized bowl and wipes it clean. Next, she enters the sitting room. sits comfily on the tiny chair, which gives away under her weight and she falls down with a thud. She finally enters the bedroom and decides to take a short nap. She jumps on the itsy-bitsy bed and snuggles into the sheets. Meanwhile, the bears who live in the house return and they are shocked to see that they are home's a mess. The baby bear weeps on seeing her chair splintered. The mama bear groans on seeing the bed sheets strewn across the room. The baby bear is surprised when she finds a girl fast asleep in her bed. As Goldilocks wakes up, she gasps on seeing the family and runs away. The tale itself is very comical and that's how it made a lasting impression on me.

Pinocchio

"The Adventures of Pinocchio" is a fairytale that created a lasting impression on me because of two reasons. Firstly, it teaches us that if you strive for something and work as hard as possible to get it, it will be yours. Secondly, what goes around comes around. If you do good, good will happen to you, and if you do bad, bad will happen to you. Pinnochio, a wooden boy, got into so much trouble to be a real boy. He tried to take shortcuts: telling lies (every time he told a lie, his nose grew longer), hanging out with a bad crowd for fun, and not listening to his kind father. But what he actually needed to become a real boy was bravery, honesty, and selflessness. When Pinocchio saved his father's life, it fulfilled all these conditions. He became a real boy. This magical story by Carlo Collidi has important life lessons, which will stay with me forever.

A rags-to-riches story

Beside studying, I love reading books. I have read many fairy tales but the book "Cinderella: An Illustrated Classic Fairytale for Kids" by Charles Perrault has created a lasting impression on me. The protagonist is a young woman living in forsaken circumstances that are suddenly changed when she marries a prince. This is the only book that I love to read anytime, anywhere. The story shows us the meaning of a noble character, true love, forgiveness and judgment. The moral of the story is that one should be kind to all: forgive others for doing wrong and never let bad things ruin your heart. The themes of the story are good versus evil and luck changing your life. I like stories that are simple, yet profound.

The 'rat' which taught me a lesson!

The fairytale which left a lasting impact on me was "The Rat's Marriage", which is a story from "Panchatantra", written by Vishnu Sharma. The story is about a sage who transforms a rat into a girl and raises her on his own. When the girl grows up, the sage starts looking for a suitable match for her. He summons the Sun God as a prospective groom, but the girl does not accept him. So, the sage calls the cloud, the wind and the mountain, but she turns them all down. At last, the girl notices a rat and chooses him as she feels that the rat is powerful than the mountain because it can dig holes through it. The sage agrees to the match.

There are two values which I learnt from this story. First, people don't forget their true selves. I also liked that the sage chose a groom for his daughter with her consent. I like this story out of all the other fairy tales because the more we understand the story, the more we gain from it.

Believe in who you are

When we think about fairytales, some of the things that comes to our minds are gleaming glass slippers, elegant flowing gowns, flying boys and pudgy dwarves. However, a fairytale that created a lasting impression on me, because of the values it imparts, is "The Ugly Duckling" written by the prolific writer, Hans Christian Andersen. The fairytale ronicles the transition of the duckling from a peculiar grey fledgling to a graceful pearl-white swan. The duckling is often excluded by his friends because of his looks. He laments about his repulsive features. It is only years later that he becomes the beautiful bird he is meant to be. As we go on a journey of self-discovery with the duckling, we understand the importance of overcoming all the challenges that shroud our path to our destiny, with aplomb. "The Ugly Duckling" conveys that we have to accept ourselves for what we truly are.

Not a Cinderella story

Fairytales are loved by all. We grow up listening to them right from our childhood. However, most of the fairytales all have a similar ending with the prince and the female protagonist getting married. But the book "Whatever After: If the Shoe Fits" written by Sarah Mlynowski, gave me a different perspective on fairy tales. The story is a twist on the popular fairy tale "Cinderella". In the original version of the story, Cinderella marries the prince and lives happily married ever after. But "Whatever After: If the Shoe Fits" offers a different take on the story. Abby and Jonah are two siblings who not-so accidentally land into Floom, the place where Cinderella lives. They advise Cinderella to start her own business selling crownies (which are like brownies) so she doesn't have to live with her step mom. In the process, Cinderella becomes financially independent and no longer wants to marry the prince. Finally, the prince ends up marrying Kayla, one of Cinderella's step sisters (who wasn't actually that stone hearted like her sister - Beatrice and her mom - Betty.) This fairytale has created a lasting impression on me, as it made me believe that fairy tales can change too!

Taking a leap of faith

A fairytale that created a lasting impact on me is "The Little Mermaid". This is such a good story. It teaches us a very good moral that we should always be brave enough to step into a life that is different from our others in order to get what our heart longs for.

When the Pootham calls

My grandmother often told me bedtime stories of the Pootham and the Unni It is a folklore of a mother who is coaxing her child. Unni to eat, She shows him the flora and fauna in their neighbourhood to get him to eat. She dotes on her child and does everything she can including calling crows and cats to entertain him and make sure he eats his meals. Thus, Unni has an enviable life. One day, a Pootham appears and possess Unni. I was terrified at the way my grandmother described the Pootham. She said that Pootham, appears before travelers as a beautiful angel and offer them betel nut. Once they accept it. the Pootham sweeps them away to the top of the palm tree where it eats the travellers. While observing the life of the mother and Unni, Pootham feels a longing for motherhood and it skillfully abducts Unni while he goes to school, When Unni doesn't return from school, his mother gets worried and begins searching for him. When the mother finds out that the Pootham has stolen her child, it tries to frighten her and even bribe her with heaps of gold, diamonds and ornaments. The mother prays to Pootham to return her child and even scorches her eyes as an offering. The Pootham tries to trick the mother by giving her a fake child. But even though the mother can no longer see, she understands that it is not her child merely by touching it. The mother gets angry and curses the Pootham. Seeing the fire in her eyes, the Pootham returns the child to her. During the summer harvesting festival, a village performing artist visits all the homes dressed as a Pootham. I feel that the Pootham is a fascinating combination of beauty and terror.

"Twelve Dancing Princesses"

The fairytale that created a lasting impression on me is "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" written by Ellen Miles. In this story, there are twelve princesses that are under a spell. The king sends a message saying that anyone - prince, peasant or king - can visit the palace and find out where the princesses dance. A boy called Julian goes on a quest to find out about the princesses' dancing time. On the way he meets an old lady who gives him two trees which grant him a wish when they grow to his height. He asks to become invisible and the trees give him a flower. He then takes the costume of a prince and visits the palace. He frees the princesses from the spell and gives the information to the king. Julian then marries Jessamine, one of the princesses and they live happily ever after. In this story, I liked Julian the most as he was very smart. This story will remain in my mind forever as I liked the suspense and imaginary factors of this story.

Perfectly imperfect

The fairy tale that inspired me the most was "Ricky of the Tuft". The story is about a boy. Ricky, who is born ugly. A fairy godmother gives him wisdom to compensate for his looks. A few years later, a princess is born in the land. She is dull minded but the same fairy godmother gives her beauty. In the story they meet each other in an enchanted forest. They are kind to each other in spite of their flaws they see and soon fall in love. From this story, I learnt that we all have something which others may not have and only with love and kindness can we can each be complete.

Off to see the Wizard.

I love fairy tales and my is "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz". In the story, Dorothy is transported to a new land when a storm hits Kansas. She wants to go back to her home desperately, but she helps everybody she meets on the way. She helps Tin-Man get some oil, helps the scarecrow get back on his feet. makes a lion overcome his fears and many more. It's such a pleasure to read about her travels. Some people might think fairy tales are for kids and for that reason, they don't read fairy tales. But this is not true. Anybody can relish fairy tales and this is why I like them.

A cautionary tale

A fairytale that created a lasting impression on me is the "Little Red Riding Hood". In this stor Little Red Riding Hood meets a wolf on her way to her grandma's house and tells him her address. She is not aware of the wolfs evil intentions. The wolf hurries over to grandma's house and shuts the old woman in a cupboard. Then he dresses up like her grandmother and tries to eat Little Red Riding Hood. She calls out for help and soon a woodcutter comes in and kills the wolf. The incident teaches Little Red Riding Hood an important lesson in her life. This fairytale is my favourite because I learnt about important safety measures. I learnt how to behave with strangers and the importance of keeping my personal information a secret. I will never forget the morals in this story.

A tale of bravery

The movie "Brave", which is the Pixar's first fairytale, is my favourite and it created a lasting impression on me. Princess Merida, with her orange curly hair, is the main character. She wants to enjoy her life freely. Her hobby is archery and horse riding. But Merida's mother wants her to follow all royal rules because she is in line to be the queen. Merida doesn't like these rules and wants freedom. She goes to the forest and asks a magical lady to change her mothers mind. But the lady changes her mother into a bear. Merida is heartbroken. She tries to look after the kingdom in her mother's place. Her mother feels proud. Merida learns to understand her mother better. In the end, she puts her mother's picture back in the family photo and that magically cures her mother and she changed back into a human.

The legend of Cinderella

Fairytales can include magic talking animals and a touch of realism. They often teach us about the consequences of our actions and values such as kindness and patience. "Cinderella" is a timeless fairy tale character, which has been adapted into many films and books over the years. My favourite is the animated version of this fairytale. "Cinderella" is is a magical story that inspires us to not settle for anything less than our dreams. It is the story of a kind hearted young woman who is mistreated by her stepmother and stepsisters. Despite their cruelty, Cinderella remains kind and humble. As Cinderella puts it, "Be kind, have the courage and always believe in a little magic." Her dream is to live a long happy life. She believes that "good things happen to good people". Her quotes will make you believe in the wonders of life. Cinderella teaches us how to behave in the world, how to be a better person, also teaches us the importance of kindness and forgiveness, and never letting bad things ruin our heart. This is a wonderful story.

Picture Credit : Google

Trilogy, a series of three dramas or literary or musical compositions that, although each is in one sense complete, have a close mutual relation and form one theme or develop aspects of one basic concept. The term originally referred specifically to a group of three tragedies written by one author for competition. This trilogy constituted the traditional set of plays presented in Athens by a number of competitors at the 5th-century-BC drama festivals known as the Great Dionysia. One of the first authors to present such a trilogy was Aeschylus, whose Oresteia is the only surviving example from that time. Modern examples of trilogies include Robertson Davies’s Deptford Trilogy and Roddy Doyle’s Barrytown Trilogy.

The term is less often applied to music, such as the Berlin Trilogy of David Bowie which is linked together by musical sound and lyrical themes, all having been recorded at least partly in Berlin, Germany.

The term is seldom applied outside art. One example is the "Marshall Trilogy", a common term for three rulings written by U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall from 1823 to 1832 concerning the legal status of Native Americans under U.S. law.

Creators of trilogies may later add more works. In such a case, the original three works may or may not keep the title "trilogy".

The first three novels in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series were dubbed a trilogy, and even after he extended the series, author Douglas Adams continued to use the term for humorous effect - for example, calling Mostly Harmless "the fifth book in the increasingly inaccurately named trilogy."

Kevin Smith's films Clerks, Mallrats and Chasing Amy were often marketed as "The New Jersey Trilogy" because they had overlapping characters, events and locations. After the release of a fourth film, Dogma, the series is referred to as "the View Askewniverse".

The Star Wars Trilogy of three films released between 1977 and 1983 has since been expanded into a trilogy of trilogies, including the original trilogy, the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy released between 1999 and 2005 and the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy released between 2015 and 2019.

Picture Credit : Google

Prequel, a literary or dramatic work whose story precedes that of an earlier-written work. For example, Lillian Hellman’s play Another Part of the Forest (1946) portrays the earlier lives of the characters she first wrote about in The Little Foxes (1939).

Like sequels, prequels may or may not concern the same plot as the work from which they are derived. More often they explain the background that led to the events in the original, but sometimes the connections are not completely explicit. Sometimes prequels play on the audience's knowledge of what will happen next, using deliberate references to create dramatic irony.

Though the word "prequel" is of recent origin, works fitting this concept existed long before. The Cypria, presupposing hearers' acquaintance with the events of the Homeric epic, confined itself to what preceded the Iliad, and thus formed a kind of introduction.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word "prequel" first appeared in print in 1958 in an article by Anthony Boucher in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, used to describe James Blish's 1956 story They Shall Have Stars, which expanded on the story introduced in his earlier 1955 work, Earthman Come Home. The term came into general usage in the 1970s and 1980s

Rather than being a concept distinct from that of a sequel, a prequel still adheres to the general principle of serialization, defined only by its internal chronology and publication order. For example, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999) is a prequel to Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983) but is only a predecessor of Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002) because of the release order. Likewise, 1984's Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is a prequel to 1981's Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, in that it is set in 1935, one year before the first film.

Picture Credit : Google

A narrative may be an entire novel or a simple short story. Some narratives are divided into interrelated groups like the Canterbury Tales. Some narratives are larger and made up of both prose and poetic interludes; an example of this type of narrative is The Cremation of Sam McGee.

Many narrative poems are performance pieces. They hold oral traditions in which poetry was used as a way of memorization. The meter, alliteration, and kennings helps bards better remember the stories which were used to tell of traditions, the happiness of life, and life's deepest troubles.

There are four types of narrative verse:

Ballad

A poem similar to a folk tale which uses a repeated refrain. This means that every few stanzas a portion of the poem is repeated, much like a song.

Epic

A long, serious poem which tells the story of a hero. Think of stories like Odyssey or Ben-Hur.

Idyll

A poem about either an idolized country scene or about the heroes of yesteryear. This could also include the story of Odyssey, except for different reasons. An idyll speaks of someone or something in a way that it should be idolized. For example, today many stories of Ghandi or Martin Luther King, Jr. could be written about in an idyll. However, an even better example could be George Washington.

Lay

A long poem which was sung by medieval minstrels. The long poems generally were about the news of the day or historical facts they wished to be passed along throughout the countryside.

Credit : Poem of Quotes

Picture Credit : Google

A manuscript was, traditionally, any document written by hand – or, once practical typewriters became available, typewritten – as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced in some indirect or automated way.

The study of the writing in surviving manuscripts, the "hand", is termed palaeography (or paleography). The traditional abbreviations are MS for manuscript and MSS for manuscripts, while the forms MS., ms or ms. for singular, and MSS., mss or mss. for plural (with or without the full stop, all uppercase or all lowercase) are also accepted. The second s is not simply the plural; by an old convention, a doubling of the last letter of the abbreviation expresses the plural, just as pp. means "pages".

A manuscript may be a codex (i.e. bound as a book) or a scroll. Illuminated manuscripts are enriched with pictures, border decorations, elaborately embossed initial letters or full-page illustrations.

Most surviving pre-modern manuscripts use the codex format (as in a modern book), which had replaced the scroll by Late Antiquity. Parchment or vellum, as the best type of parchment is known, had also replaced papyrus, which was not nearly so long lived and has survived to the present only in the extremely dry conditions of Egypt, although it was widely used across the Roman world. Parchment is made of animal skin, normally calf, sheep, or goat, but also other animals. With all skins, the quality of the finished product is based on how much preparation and skill was put into turning the skin into parchment. Parchment made from calf or sheep was the most common in Northern Europe, while civilizations in Southern Europe preferred goatskin. Often, if the parchment is white or cream in color and veins from the animal can still be seen, it is calfskin. If it is yellow, greasy or in some cases shiny, then it was made from sheepskin.

Picture Credit : Google

Fanfiction is a genre of amateur fiction writing that takes as its basis a “canon” of “original” material.

This original material is most often popular books, television shows and movies – but can expand to almost anything, from the lives of celebrities to the travels of inanimate objects like the Mars rover.

The main impulse behind fanfiction has always been a playful desire to engage with original works. Yet authors are still subject to modern copyright laws. In Australia, the US and the EU, copyright exists for the lifetime of the author plus seventy years.

Many early Disney film adaptations were derivative works based on out-of-copyright novels – think Alice in Wonderland (1951) and The Jungle Book (1967). In a way this could be considered a form of fanfiction.

Today, existing restrictions mean those interested in “remixing” copyrighted material create online communities to discuss and distribute their work freely. One of the aims of the fan-led Organisation of Transformative Works is to fight for the validity of fair use laws.

Still, the amateur status copyright law forces on fanworks is one of the reasons fanfiction as a whole is regarded with some derision.

This is one reason why the Twilight fanfiction origins of 50 Shades of Grey were obscured. Due to residual textual and thematic similarities, the question of copyright infringement remains open.

Credit : The Conversation

Picture Credit : Google

Simple and relatable

R.K. Narayan is the one of the indian authors I love. I enjoy reading his Malgudi Days in which he has woven together different stories from the depth of his own imagination and created the imaginary town of Malgudi. His language is rich and beautiful and he writes with sheer simplicity. Another author I admire is Ruskin Bond. At the end of every page, he leaves me with the feeling that there should be more to the story. His books are intriguing and appealing. I also love reading Sudha Murthy. She writes in simple English and in a down to earth manner. Her stories are realistic and all of us can relate to them. She teaches us important lessons such as ethics through her books.

Adventures ahead

Three Indian authors whom I like are Satyajit Ray, Ruskin Bond, and R.K. Narayan. When it comes to thrill, adventure, and suspense, Ray's books are my first preference. Ray has the ability to keep readers engrossed throughout the entire book. His art of keeping the suspense intact till the end and his contextual choice of words and phrases is extraordinary. On a different plane is R.K. Narayan, whose stories are based on real-life situations and human reactions to day-to-day happenings in the imaginary town of Malgudi. His protagonist Swami is loved by all. To a city-grown kid like me, Narayan excellently projects the interesting life in the villages. Last, but not the least, I love Ruskin Bond for opening my imagination to the beauty of nature. Bond's stories bring alive the spirit of mountains, landscapes, seasons, and the simplicity of hill-folks, who form the prime characters in his stories.

Gopi, Mini and mystery

The three Indian authors I enjoy reading are Sudha Murty, Ravi Subramanian, and Nandini Nayar I like Murty's "The Gopi Daines" because it is an amazing adventure of a dog. It tells the story of how Gopi came to live with Murty's family. I like Ravi Subramanian's 'The Mystery of School on Fire", which is a fascinating mystery. It has lots of twists. Towards the end of the book, the three protagonists solve the problem smartly. I also liked Nandini Nayars "Mini" books. I enjoyed reading about Mini's summer holiday with monsters. I felt it was an extremely creative and interesting story for young kids.

Unique writing styles

The three Indian authors whom I enjoy reading are Sudha Murty, Ruskin Bond and Rudyard Cipling. I like Sudha Murty's stories because many of them are based on real life experiences. He stories inspired me a lot.

I like Ruskin Bond's stories because they are descriptive and interesting to read. He has a knack for describing places, people and things so well that I feel like I am one of the characters. I like Rudyard Kipling's stories because he writes from the perspective of animals. His stories press the thoughts, feelings and emotions of animals. Animal lovers would love to read his books.

Ray, Premchand and Bond

The three Indian authors I like are - Satyajit Ray, Premchand, and Ruskin Bond. Firstly,

I like Satyajit Ray's book "The Adventures of Feluda". Rays keeps the stories short yet funny, and informative. Also, he weaves in lesser-known facts into his work. For example, in one of his stories Ray mentions that most people choose number 7 if asked to pick from 1 to 10. His stories do not drag unlike other novels in which the detectives often have a tendency to lecture the readers. On the other hand, Premchand's stories are based on people's daily lives. He tries to teach us morals through his stories. Some of my favourite stories from Premchand are the "Old Mother' and the 'Tale of Two Cows". And lastly, I like Ruskin Bond's books. They are full of adventures, and sometimes also include evil spirits and animals. Some of my favourites are "The Blue Umbrella", "The Adventures of Rusty" and "Burning Bright' his new book on Jim Corbett. All of these authors hold a special place in the world of literature.

Different styles

Three Indian authors I enjoy reading the most are Ruskin Bond Sudha Murty and R.K. Narayan Ruskin Bond has a unique style of writing and his way of describing-especially nature-makes scenes and the backdrops very vivid. His books always have bits of humour, which make you laugh even in an otherwise serious story.

Sudha Murty's stories, on the other hand, are simple and interesting with an Indian flavour added to them. Most of her books make us appreciate the unique culture that our country has. I will always keep her book, The Magic of the Lost Temple to be among my favourites.

Though in contrast to Sudha Murthy's style of writing, R.K. Narayan, too, has the same way of narrating Indian heritage, especially village life in his books. Unusual friendships and emotional endings make his stories memorable.

Ruskin Bond, R.K. Narayan, and Rabindranath Tagore

The three Indian authors I enjoy reading are Ruskin Bond, R.K Narayan and Rabindranath Tagore. I have been reading their stories from a young age and their works have had an impact on me. Ruskin Bond's stories are unique because they can be light-hearted and at the same time some will leave you searching for answers. A lot of his stories are set in Northern India - mostly in Mussoorie. Shimla and Agra and the stories often revolve around his childhood. Reading them is always a memorable experience. When it comes to R.K. Narayan. "Malgudi Adventures" is one of the first books I read. Set in the fictional South Indian town of Malgudi, the characters are quite charming. Swaminathan and his friends immediately found a place in my heart as their childishness was something I could relate to. Rabindranath Tagore's short stories like "Kabuliwala" and "Postman" are quite emotional and touching.

Historical fiction and real-life stories

Three Indian authors who I like reading are Kalki Krishnamurthy, Sudha Murty and Ruskin Bond. Kalki is well known for his amazing historical fiction novel "Ponniyin Selvan". His books have vast imagination and creativity. And his description of a place makes us relive them. Through his selective choice of words, he makes his books a better read. Sudha Murthy's stories always enrich life values. Her stories are based on incidents in her life and they are filled with emotions. Her stories teach us how to act in certain situations. Ruskin Bond is a famous author whose stories also feature some of his life stories. His works are interesting and they develop a curiosity. These three authors have a unique style of writing and I feel such story writers are important for this world.

A mixed bag of stories

Ruskin bond, Sudha Murty and R.K. Narayan are my favourite Indian authors. They have unique styles of storytelling and that's what I love. Ruskin Bond's "The Children's Omnibus" is a book that deals with folktales, scenes from his life and many moral stories. I still remember laughing out loud while reading "My Failed Omelettes".

Sudha Murty's "Grandma's Bag of Stories" is a very nice book, which has moral stories and they taught me many things. Her classical stories are the ones everyone will appreciate. And I am also a huge fan of R.K. Narayan's "Malgudi Adventures" which has 17 stories revolving around the town of Malgudi. One of the stories "A Tiger In The School" which is about a tiger entering an empty school - is of my favourite stories by the author.

Uncle Pai, Bond and Ray

I am a fan of detective stories, so I love reading Satyajit Ray's "Feluda" series. The way Feluda solves mysteries are amazing. The stories are so thrilling that the books are really unputdownable.

Ruskin Bond's stories are often about beautiful friendship and human-animal interactions. I like his stories as they are interesting yet simple and create a desire in me to live a life like his. It is so amazing to see how he uses simple words and detailed observations to make everyday stories exciting. Anant Pai is the creator of Tinkle", a magazine that I love a lot. His stories are so funny it makes my sides ache with laughter. Characters like Ramu and Shamu, and Kapish, are the ones he created. He has also written the "Amar Chitra Katha" series which brings Indian mythology to life.

Kalam, Murty and Narayan

Sudha Murty is a great author. I read her books as they are very interesting. While reading her books it makes me feel that I am one of the characters in the book. She also teaches moral values in her writings. R.K.Narayan's writings revolve around the daily lives of common people. Malgudi is created by him, as a place where the stories occur. The stories are humorous and realistic. We feel that it is happening in our presence. I enjoyed reading books written by A.PJ Abdul Kalam. He writes with clarity and it is easy to read. I have read his autobiography and it is really inspiring.

He was a great scientist and became the president of India and yet remained a really humble person and a great soul.

Of mythologies and nature

I usually like reading books by foreign authors such as Jeff Kinney, Dan Brown, Agatha Christie, and Enid Mary Blyton. But I liked the books by Indian authors as well.

One of three Indian authors I like the most is Amish Tripathi. He is an alumnus of Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta. He started his writing career with the "Immortals of Meluha", the first novel in the "Shiva Trilogy". It's my favourite. Tripathi usually writes mythological novels with his own twist. I hope he will keep writing books to enrich our mind.

The second-best Indian author I like is Ruskin Bond. According to me, he is the one of the most famous Indian authors. Bond is of British descent. He started his career with "Room On The Roof' in 1856, which won John Llewellyn Rhys Prize in 1957. He was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1992 for "Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra".

Rasipuram Krishnaswami lyer Narayanaswami, commonly known as R. K. Narayan is my third favourite author. He is from South India. His book "Malgudi Days" is set in the fictional village Malgudi. He is one of the greatest authors ever in Indian history.

Picture Credit : Google

Suzanna Arundhati Roy (born 24 November 1961) is an Indian author best known for her novel The God of Small Things (1997), which won the Man Booker Prize for Fiction in 1997 and became the best-selling book by a non-expatriate Indian author. She is also a political activist involved in human rights and environmental causes.

In 1997 Roy published her debut novel, The God of Small Things to wide acclaim. The semiautobiographical work departed from the conventional plots and light prose that had been typical among best-sellers. Composed in a lyrical language about South Asian themes and characters in a narrative that wandered through time, Roy’s novel became the biggest-selling book by a nonexpatriate Indian author and won the 1998 Man Booker Prize for Fiction.

Roy’s subsequent literary output largely consisted of politically oriented nonfiction, much of it aimed at addressing the problems faced by her homeland in the age of global capitalism. Among her publications were Power Politics (2001), The Algebra of Infinite Justice (2002), War Talk (2003), Public Power in the Age of Empire (2004), Field Notes on Democracy: Listening to Grasshoppers (2009), Broken Republic: Three Essays (2011), and Capitalism: A Ghost Story (2014). In 2017 Roy published The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, her first novel in 20 years. The work blends personal stories with topical issues as it uses a large cast of characters, including a transgender woman and a resistance fighter in Kashmir, to explore contemporary India.

Credit : Britannica

Picture Credit : Google

Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple.

Educated at home by her mother, Christie began writing detective fiction while working as a nurse during World War I. Her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920), introduced Hercule Poirot, her eccentric and egotistic Belgian detective; Poirot reappeared in about 25 novels and many short stories before returning to Styles, where, in Curtain (1975), he died. The elderly spinster Miss Jane Marple, her other principal detective figure, first appeared in Murder at the Vicarage (1930). Christie’s first major recognition came with The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926), which was followed by some 75 novels that usually made best-seller lists and were serialized in popular magazines in England and the United States.

Christie’s plays included The Mousetrap (1952), which set a world record for the longest continuous run at one theatre (8,862 performances—more than 21 years—at the Ambassadors Theatre, London) before moving in 1974 to St Martin’s Theatre, where it continued without a break until the COVID-19 pandemic closed theatres in 2020, by which time it had surpassed 28,200 performances; and Witness for the Prosecution (1953), which, like many of her works, was adapted into a successful film (1957).

Credit : Britannica

Picture Credit : Google

Emily Jane Brontë was an English novelist and poet who is best known for her only novel, Wuthering Heights, now considered a classic of English literature. 

Emily Brontë’s work on Wuthering Heights cannot be dated, and she may well have spent a long time on this intense, solidly imagined novel. It is distinguished from other novels of the period by its dramatic and poetic presentation, its abstention from all comment by the author, and its unusual structure. It recounts in the retrospective narrative of an onlooker, which in turn includes shorter narratives, the impact of the waif Heathcliff on the two families of Earnshaw and Linton in a remote Yorkshire district at the end of the 18th century. Embittered by abuse and by the marriage of Cathy Earnshaw—who shares his stormy nature and whom he loves—to the gentle and prosperous Edgar Linton, Heathcliff plans a revenge on both families, extending into the second generation. Cathy’s death in childbirth fails to set him free from his love-hate relationship with her, and the obsessive haunting persists until his death; the marriage of the surviving heirs of Earnshaw and Linton restores peace.

Sharing her sisters’ dry humour and Charlotte’s violent imagination, Emily diverges from them in making no use of the events of her own life and showing no preoccupation with a spinster’s state or a governess’s position. Working, like them, within a confined scene and with a small group of characters, she constructs an action, based on profound and primitive energies of love and hate, which proceeds logically and economically, making no use of such coincidences as Charlotte relies on, requiring no rich romantic similes or rhetorical patterns, and confining the superb dialogue to what is immediately relevant to the subject. The sombre power of the book and the elements of brutality in the characters affronted some 19th-century opinion. Its supposed masculine quality was adduced to support the claim, based on the memories of her brother Branwell’s friends long after his death, that he was author or part author of it. While it is not possible to clear up all the minor puzzles, neither the external nor the internal evidence offered is substantial enough to weigh against Charlotte’s plain statement that Emily was the author.

Credit : Britannica

Picture Credit : Google

Pride and Prejudice, romantic novel by Jane Austen, published anonymously in three volumes in 1813. A classic of English literature, written with incisive wit and superb character delineation, it centres on the burgeoning relationship between Elizabeth Bennet, the daughter of a country gentleman, and Fitzwilliam Darcy, a rich aristocratic landowner. Upon publication, Pride and Prejudice was well received by critics and readers. The first edition sold out within the first year, and it never went out of print.

The work, which Austen initially titled First Impressions, is the second of four novels that Austen published during her lifetime. Although Pride and Prejudice has been criticized for its lack of historical context (it is likely set either during the French Revolution [1787–99] or the Napoleonic Wars [1799–1815]), the existence of its characters in a social bubble that is rarely penetrated by events beyond it is an accurate portrayal of the enclosed social world in which Austen lived. She depicted that world, in all its own narrow pride and prejudice, with unswerving accuracy and satire. At the same time, she placed at its centre, as both its prime actor and most perceptive critic, a character so well conceived and rendered that the reader cannot but be gripped by her story and wish for its happy denouement. In the end, Austen’s novel has remained popular largely because of Elizabeth—who was reportedly Austen’s own favourite among all her heroines—and because of the enduring appeal to men and women alike of a well-told and potentially happily ending love story.

Pride and Prejudice inspired various stage, film, and television productions. Notable adaptations included the 1940 film with Greer Garson as Elizabeth and Laurence Olivier as Darcy, the 1995 TV miniseries starring Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth, and the 2005 movie featuring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen. 

Credit : Britannica

Picture Credit : Google

Frankenstein, the novel written by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley is often hailed as the first novel in the science fiction genre.

On March 11, 1818 Frankenstein or, The Modern Prometheus was published for the first time. Written by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, who was merely 21 at that time, the novel is often hailed as the first novel in the science fiction genre. Much like how it was for women writing in other genres, it was not an easy task for Shelly. The first edition was published anonymously and there is an interesting story behind writing the novel.

In 1816, Mary Shelley along with her husband, poet Percy were visiting Villa Diodati near Lake Geneva. It was rented by Lord Byron and John Polidori. The story goes that one evening, as suggested by Byron, all of them wrote their own ghost story. “I busied myself to think of a story – a story to rival those which had excited me to this task. One which would speak to the mysterious fears of our nature, and awaken thrilling horror – one to make the reader dread to look around, to curdle the blood, and quicken the beating of the heart,” Mary wrote in the 1831 edition of the novel.

Needless to say she succeeded in producing what she had set out for. The tale of a scientist who decided to play God but then disgusted with his creation abandoned him has achieved an iconic status over the years. However, even though Mary Shelley started the genre, so as to say, it was still a struggle for women to make a mark in this field. Even after all these years, there remains only a handful of female writers who have managed to carve a niche for themselves. On the author’s birth anniversary, we bring to you names of some other female authors who have lent their words to the science fiction genre to make it more enriching.

Credit : The Indian Express

Picture Credit : Google

Romeo and Juliet, play by William Shakespeare, written about 1594–96 and first published in an unauthorized quarto in 1597. 

Shakespeare’s principal source for the plot was The Tragicall Historye of Romeus and Juliet (1562), a long narrative poem by the English poet Arthur Brooke, who had based his poem on a French translation of a tale by the Italian Matteo Bandello.

Shakespeare sets the scene in Verona, Italy. Juliet and Romeo meet and fall instantly in love at a masked ball of the Capulets, and they profess their love when Romeo, unwilling to leave, climbs the wall into the orchard garden of her family’s house and finds her alone at her window. Because their well-to-do families are enemies, the two are married secretly by Friar Laurence. When Tybalt, a Capulet, seeks out Romeo in revenge for the insult of Romeo’s having dared to shower his attentions on Juliet, an ensuing scuffle ends in the death of Romeo’s dearest friend, Mercutio. Impelled by a code of honour among men, Romeo kills Tybalt and is banished to Mantua by the Prince of Verona, who has been insistent that the family feuding cease. When Juliet’s father, unaware that Juliet is already secretly married, arranges a marriage with the eminently eligible Count Paris, the young bride seeks out Friar Laurence for assistance in her desperate situation. He gives her a potion that will make her appear to be dead and proposes that she take it and that Romeo rescue her. She complies. Romeo, however, unaware of the friar’s scheme because a letter has failed to reach him, returns to Verona on hearing of Juliet’s apparent death. He encounters a grieving Paris at Juliet’s tomb, reluctantly kills him when Paris attempts to prevent Romeo from entering the tomb, and finds Juliet in the burial vault. There he gives her a last kiss and kills himself with poison. Juliet awakens, sees the dead Romeo, and kills herself. The families learn what has happened and end their feud.

Credit : Britannica

Picture Credit : Google

Lord Chamberlain’s Men, also called Chamberlain’s Men, a theatrical company with which William Shakespeare was intimately connected for most of his professional career as a dramatist. It was the most important company of players in Elizabethan and Jacobean England.

The records of performances given at court show that they were by far the most favoured of the theatrical companies. Their only rival was a company known during Elizabeth I’s reign as the Admiral’s Men and after that as Prince Henry’s Men. From the summer of 1594 to March 1603 the Lord Chamberlain’s Men seem to have played almost continuously in London. They undertook a provincial tour during the autumn of 1597, however, and traveled again in 1603 when the plague was in London. The company went on tour during part of the summers or autumns in most years thereafter.

 In the autumn of 1599, the company was rehoused in the Globe Theatre, built by Richard and Cuthbert Burbage on the south bank of the Thames, due west of London Bridge at Southwark. This was the company’s most famous home. Profits there were shared between members of the company as such and the owners of the theatre (called “housekeepers”), who included the two Burbages, Shakespeare, and four others. Shakespeare was the company’s principal dramatist (he also acted with them), but works by Ben Jonson, Thomas Dekker, and the partnership of Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher were also presented. About 1608 another theatre, in the converted monastery of the Blackfriars, became the winter headquarters of the King’s Men. This was also managed by the Burbages, and profits were shared in a manner similar to that followed at the Globe.

Shakespeare, who had retired to his home town of Stratford-upon-Avon, died in 1616. Richard Burbage died in 1619. The longest-surviving member of the original company was John Heminge, who died in 1630. The company itself ceased to exist when, at the outbreak of the English Civil Wars in 1642, the theatres were closed and remained so until the Restoration 18 years later.

Credit : Britannica

Picture Credit : Google