Neil Gaimans Writing

Introduction Neil Gaiman is an internationally acclaimed English writer with a wide range of comic books, fiction novels, and short stories and children’s books to his name. His literary style has intrigued many readers around the world and as a result, he has won numerous outstanding awards from his literary work.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Neil Gaiman’s Writing specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More His writing prowess is attested by the fact that his work has done notably well across several genres of the literary world. This research paper is only interested in his works in the fiction genre and shall consider the novel, Neverwhere and short stories from Smoke and Mirrors. The research paper seeks to identify external literary and cultural influences on Gaiman’s work and establish whether they serve to enrich or bring about a lack of originality in the author’s work. Gaiman ’s use of Greek Mythology Greek mythology has been widely used by many authors from virtually all genres of literature and Gaiman is not an exception. In his novel Neverwhere, Gaiman manages to weave elements of Greek mythology in the plot. He depicts his main character, Richard, as a hero in a completely different style. Extraordinary, heroes are typical of ancient Greek mythology and Gaiman’s depiction of Richard seems to pitch him as one. He is indeed an extraordinary hero because at first, he is willing to lose his fiancà © in his endeavor to assist the injured young woman, Door. Despite living an almost non-bearable life shortly after Door’s departure, when he finally finds her in ‘London below’, he sets aside all his interests and resolves to offer a helping hand. Richard’s heroic nature manifests in the beauty of his character, viz. his steadfast loyalty and kind heart rather in deeds (Schupbach Para.16). Richard’s fall through the ‘crack’ to ‘London below’ definitely reminds one of mythical tales in which everything is possible. In the London below, the speaking rats, the earls, and the monsters in sewers are further instances of mythology alluded to by Gaiman in this novel. He clutters, â€Å"Oh yes. Yes-yes-yes†¦I know exactly what to do with him† (Gaiman Neverwhere 69). This was the Lord-Rat-Speaker at his first meeting with Richard. He further depicts the villains in the novel as dangerous assassins who survived the Trojan War, a war that only exists in the depths of the Greek mythology. It is clear at this point that Gaiman, in his effort to portray how dangerous the villains were, brings in the idea of a war that is touted as having been very serious. Therefore, it is evident that Gaiman’s style is one that outsources necessary information to strengthen the images that he creates while writing. In the short story Chivalry, which is found under the collec tion, Smoke ad Mirrors, Gaiman alludes to ancient mythology in the form of a phoenix egg that is brought as a present by Galaad to the old woman, Mrs. Whitaker, to convince her to let go of the Holy Grail (Gaiman Smoke and Mirrors 45).Advertising Looking for research paper on literature languages? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The decision to use the mythical bird’s egg in the short story seems to be aimed at showing just how important the Holy Grail was and effort that could be expended in wrestling it out of the old woman’s possession. This effort goes for the apple of life too as it was a fruit that could only come out of a mythical world. Where Galaad gets the gifts from is shrouded in mystery, but eventually, he succeeds in getting the Holy Grail. Gaiman’s attraction to Greek mythology is further evident in â€Å"Nicholas Was†¦Ã¢â‚¬  where he seems to depict Santa Claus in the old man, Nicho las. Based on the short story, the torment that the old man endures while supplying children with Christmas gifts was far much beyond what Prometheus endured while serving his eternal sentence. The fact that he envied Prometheus can only mean that his torment was so much that he would have gladly traded places with Prometheus if given the chance. Influence of fairy and folk tales on Gaiman’s work Fairy and folk tales have influenced Gaiman’s work as well to a considerable extent. In the novel Neverwhere, Richard’s quest to see the angel to grant him the ability to return home to his normal life is an example. The existence of an angel in London below is a phenomenon that can only be conceived in fairy tales. Therefore, he combines fairyland possibilities with other styles such as fantasy to deliver a story that remains etched in the minds of his readers for a long time (Smith 25). The overlap of London below with fairyland is again witnessed in Gaiman’s d escription of the dwarfs, which coexisted with the inhabitants of London below. In the short stories included in Smoke and Mirrors, the influence of fairy tales is witnessed in ‘Nicholas Was†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ when Gaiman describes the old man so vividly that when he brings in the idea of distributing gifts to sleeping children, it becomes obvious that he is talking about Santa Claus. Though the story is very short, he manages to fit this style and a lot more others into the stories. This aspect confirms fairy tales also influenced the position that Gaiman’s writings to some reasonable degree. Influence of classic English fantasy literature on Gaiman’s work Gaiman heavily employs classic English fantasy in the novel Neverwhere, which generally falls under the category of urban fantasy novel. The moment Richard descends to London below, the novel shifts from being a normal work of fiction to a fantasy novel. To begin with, the vivid description of London below is a pe rfect example of fantasy. The author creates a completely new world right under the streets of London or rather ‘London above’ with a description that is almost tangible. The inhabitants of this new world are also creations of the author’s imagination.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Neil Gaiman’s Writing specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More They add to the blend of fantasy that the author depicts in the story. They are people complete with everything they require to live their lives and are completely oblivious of the possibilities of living a life besides the one they have in their world. Door’s disappearance to this world after getting better is a clear indicator that she did not care much about the comforts that life in ‘London above’ could offer. Richard’s transition from his normal self to this other person, who did not exist to other people around him, was yet another product of the author’s imagination. The fact that a human being can exist yet be barely noticed by all people around him/her gives the impression that s/he might have been invisible yet s/he sees them and thinks s/he is in the same realm with them. This same display of fantasy is witnessed in Chivalry when the author refers to the Holy Grail and all the importance attached to it yet to Mrs. Whitaker, it is nothing more than an item that adds beauty to her house (Marcus Para.12). Galaad’s trips to nobody knows where and his return with the different items to appease the old lady to give him the Holy Grail also seems to bring about an element of fantasy in the short story. It cannot be explained how he could access items, which only existed in ancient Greek mythology, in his human nature. In addition, the items could do exactly what was said of them, which is slightly hinted at when Mrs. Whitaker touches the different items and realizes that she in stantly feels different. Influence of pulp fiction on Gaiman’s writing Gaiman in his writing also alludes to pulp fiction especially in Neverwhere when he creates a young woman whom Richard finds himself willing to assist under whatever circumstances. The idea of a hero striving to save a lady finds its roots in pulp fiction. This observation means that when Richard sets out on dangerous adventures although with some element of unwillingness or doubt about his desire to assist, Gaiman is borrowing from pulp fiction. Richard assists the girl in ‘London above’ and it costs him so much, but still goes ahead to help in ‘London below’ where his ability to help is highly doubted by Door herself. He eventually emerges as a unique hero not in deeds, but in his way of thinking and his perception of all that they went through. Ultimately, he does not fall in love with Door as many would have expected and this element adds to his uniqueness as a hero in the sto ry. Conclusion The works of Neil Gaiman will continue to intrigue many who come across them because they are a product of a clever combination of different styles of writing blended with the author’s unique writing style.Advertising Looking for research paper on literature languages? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Gaiman’s approach to writing could easily be thought of as lacking in originality, but in essence, the numerous allusions made to various sources serve to create the effects he desires without having to use a lot of words. Clearly, the influence that other works of literature have on Gaiman’s work serves to enrich it rather than to water it down. He is a great writer. Works Cited Gaiman, Neil. Neverwhere, New York City: Harper Collins Publisher, 1997. Print. Gaiman, Neil. Smoke and Mirrors, New York City: Avon, 1999. Print. Marcus, Richard. Book Review: Smoke And Mirrors: Short Fictions and Illusions by Neil Gaiman, 2008. Web. Schupbach, Jo. The Inverted City – The Use of London’s Underground in Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere, 2011. Web. Smith, Clay. â€Å"Get Gaiman?: PolyMorpheus Perversity in Works by and about Neil Gaiman.† Interdisciplinary Comics Studies 4.1 (2008): 1-29. Print. This research paper on Neil Gaiman’s Writing was written and submitted by user Audriana Pacheco to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

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buy custom Self-Assessment Portfolio essay Self-assessment helps an individual to evaluate his/her achievements in a given period. To write this portfolio, I did five tests: personality, motivation, team player, communication and leadership ones. Particular attributes of people define what they can do best and how they handle issues. In this self-assessment portfolio, I reflected the results obtained from assessment tests and evaluate how the results will apply in my business career. Results of the first test show that I have an ESTJ personality. It means that I am an extroverted person with honesty and good administrative skills. By being an extrovert, I am able to communicate with other people and learn from them. Social skills help a lot in business management since a person can interact with all the stakeholders of an organization. By interplaying with customers one can identify problems as soon as they happen. My personality proves that I am an assertive person when it comes to making decisions. This quality means that I am confident of actions that I take (ESTJ personality, n.d.). I want to be successful in business management in the future. Being in business requires one to be persistent and make wise decisions. Assertiveness also helps an individual to be a good leader. My personality results also show that while making judgment I would think critically to arrive at the solution rather than consider my emotions and feeling. One should always separate personal feelings from activities of the business. Emotions can cause wrong decisions and choices, thus they should take less consideration. The second test was the motivation one which shows that I am basically motivated by three main attributes: teamwork, autonomy and mastery (Motivational test, n.d.). I like to wor as a team player, and understand that the energy created within a group of people is crucial. 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This quality shows that I understand myself perfectly, and always know what I want. Being assertive means, I consider others while expressing a point of view by critically analyzing the importance of their opinion. With this type of intercourse any party can win; it is not necessary that people should follow my opinions at all times. Effective communication in business helps to build a strong partnership that is key to success of any company. Timely intercourse helps management to solve issues on time. Wherever there is effective communication there is good flow of information that integrates the organization and enables it to run efficiently (Communication style test, n.d.). The fourth test was a team-player one. It showed that I like working as a team because I understand that this helps in sharing ideas. While working in a team I listen to others but also want the same to be done in response. I always respect oopinions of every individual in a group and take advantage of learning from them. I am patient, kind and very responsible. I always take my time to ensure that everyone is doing well and help those who remain behind. Teamwork increases creativity in the workplace, it improves the quality and establishes a healthy relationship between employees and management. A group works more quickly rather than individuals. In business environment there are activities that require people to work alone, but most of the projects perform better n case of group work. (Are you a team player?, n.d.). The last test was on leadership. The results describe me as an ambassador, creative builder, truth-seeker, people mover and an advocate. As an ambassador, I can handle a lot of situations with patience and grace. As an advocate, I can represent a group of individuals and be their spokesman. As a people mover, I can motivate workers and build a team of hardworking employees. 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East European and Russian Foreign Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

East European and Russian Foreign Policy - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that in recent years the relations between EU and Russia have been more baffling than we could possibly imagine. Europe has lost its strategic loadstar. Having absorbed 27 countries, Europe is in the state of a dilemma regarding expansion or regarding the issue of dealing with Russia. Russia too realized that its renewed government style was not in a very happy term or relationship with EU which it did not expect and so the relations after EU Enlargement have been more or less a confusing state of affairs. After the formation of European Union, things have changed drastically for the people and governments near them. Russia is no exception. We all know that Soviet bloc was split in 1991 and soviet era republics became independent. Not to mention the fact that some countries which have the Russian flair in its growth and development have suddenly become free and have joined EU. These East European Countries have led to core formation of Euro pean Union. Thus it was soon understood that Russia has lost some of its key allies in the process and that it finds itself in isolation both in terms of geographic and political platforms. Another fact is that these East European countries have displeasure with what the Soviet Union has treated them.   The ideologies were different and there was resentment in these countries over the rule of Soviet Union. Also, the eastern bloc was not too happy with the way military section was withdrawn from those places. Factually speaking as the times moved the ideological differences grew so high that though they had same set of language and culture, they were in fact poles part in government If we talk about relations with Europe then we can say there were issues which actually have affected the relationship between them. The enlargement of NATO, the wars in the Balkan region and more importantly the agenda of the EU were the main issues. Apart from these the internal issues of Russia have become a significant factor of relations between them. In this paper we look at the issue of Russia and EU relations and we will be considering some core issues like EU enlargement and relationship levels among them by considering the security, human rights, political and economic factors which affect both of them May 2004 was historic month of the European Union History when as many as 10 countries joined EU and this included 3 of previous Soviet bloc nations and similarly in 2007 two eastern European nations joined the league, thus the major part of Europe with the exception Russia was part of the league and this was main issue among their relations. The reason for a low relation level with Russia was the different ideologies of the states. Post 1990’s soviet transition government has different perception levels when compared the ideology followed by EU. One thing we need to understand is that EU is Russia’s main partner when it comes to trade and commerce and so let’s look at the impact of this enlargement in terms of economic perspectives of both the countries.We know that Russia is a country, where the contribution of production to the domestic market is fairly high. At the same time, in some EU member states production output directed to domestic market is shrinking drastically. Apparently, these countries chose to be export-driven economies and are successfully trying to integrate into international division of labor by penetrating new markets with competitive goods and concurrently ceding domestic markets to more competitive foreign products. Undoubtedly, they are more dependent on the world economy than Russia.If we look at the economic consequences of the result on enlargement of EU with respect to the relations of EU-Russia we can say that it has two sides of the coin, one which talks from Russian point of view and other form European view. Analysts of Russian view focused on negative implications from custom tariff hikes for separate commodities. They talked about problems associated with goods movement through the newly joined