Author Archives: nrhelms

Directing, Gaming, Shakespearing.

Was The Creature Developmentally Disabled?

One could argue that the creature from Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel, Frankenstein, is a character suffering from psychosocial impairments. Developmentally, psychosocial skills are gained in childhood, and some issues can be worked out with therapy, preventing further problems in adulthood. The creature in this novel had no childhood to develop through. The creature was thrownContinue reading “Was The Creature Developmentally Disabled?”

Disabled Space: Depictions of the Disabled in Modern British Literature

Society functions on the notion of ins and outs, those who are “in” the society and those who are banished from the protective walls that delineate it. One can define society variously, but inclusion and exclusion are always at the root of this abstraction. For example, “human society” or civilization includes all the people ofContinue reading “Disabled Space: Depictions of the Disabled in Modern British Literature”

From Loneliness to Darkness (project #1)

Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, is a classic horror story that frequently comes up in popular culture. This is a story of alienation and secrecy which critiques societal structure, raising the question of what it means to be human. The human experience is primarily social, and it has been proven essential that we interact withContinue reading “From Loneliness to Darkness (project #1)”

The Reuniting

For a first project, I decided to transform a scene from “Chevrefoil” into a comic strip. I specifically, used the stanzas, In the woods she finds that man whoLoves her more than any other. They show their joy, to be together– He can talk to her at leisure,She speaks to him all her pleasure. Then she outlines everyContinue reading “The Reuniting”

The Tragic Tales of Love Suicides Throughout Literature (Project 3)

Ah young love, don’t you love it? Love makes people do crazy things, doesn’t it? It might make you, change your look, act like someone you’re not, or in some extreme cases kill yourself cause you cant be with them. William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and Chikamatsu’s The Love Suicides at Amijima follows the laterContinue reading “The Tragic Tales of Love Suicides Throughout Literature (Project 3)”

Ambiguity in “The Love Suicide at Amijima” and “Hamlet”

Chikamatsu is notorious for his plays on words that include double meanings, irony, and references to other plays. These phrases add to the romantic aspect of the piece. Chikamatsu shows here that he likes to illustrate a realistic world that is not guided by strict laws. The ambiguity begins on the first page with theContinue reading “Ambiguity in “The Love Suicide at Amijima” and “Hamlet””

King Dusyanta-> John Smith-> Aragorn

This project will consist of three “film reviews” from Shakuntala, Pocahontas, and Lord of the Rings. I believe that their “heroic” characters and their respective conflicts draw similar conclusions. I am setting out to show a pattern in characters perspective storytelling over time. It should start as origin, to “original”, then to the final rendition.Continue reading “King Dusyanta-> John Smith-> Aragorn”