Literary Theory & Criticism

Dec 30, 2022

Measuring the Representation of Women in Fiction

The Bechdel-Wallace Test is a feminist way critique of art. By answering 3 key questions, you can evaluate if a work has rounded female char

Mar 24, 2022

Talking “Too Muchness” with Writer Rachel Vorona Cote

A few weeks ago, I held Le Salon’s first ever author event with Rachel Vorona Cote to discuss her 2020 book Too Much: How Victorian...

Oct 19, 2021

Freud and the Uncanny: That Creepy Feeling You Get with a Spooky Book

Why does somethings seem scary? Read about Freud's theory of the uncanny to understand how writers and movies manipulate our expectations.

Sep 2, 2021

Getting Serious About Humour!

It may seem like it removes the funny ha-ha part of humour to talk about why we laugh, but there is a good reason to take a closer look:...

Jun 30, 2021

Book Diversity in Canadian Literature

Traditionally Canadian Literature, or CanLit, has highlighted voices of European settlers, been divided along English versus French...

Mar 8, 2021

Filling the Literary Gaps: English Female Writers 1750 - 1915

Not Just Jane: Rediscovering Seven Amazing Women Writers Who Transformed British Literature (2016) by Shelley DeWees is a delightful...

Feb 24, 2021

Reviewing One of the First English Novels

How do you review a book that is 300 years old? The grammar, punctuation, and narrative structure are not like anything we see in today's...

Jan 3, 2021

Finding Their Voice: The Female Bildungsroman

Is there such a thing as a female bildungsroman? I break it down for you (including some suggested reading!).

Nov 2, 2020

Reader-Response Theory: Putting the "You" Back into Literary Criticism!

When diving into literary criticism, I always encourage people to start with reader-response theory because it is something most people...

Sep 2, 2020

Distance Learning During Covid-19: Teaching Classic Literature to your Teen

If you are struggling with a teen who has to tackle classic literature in their English class, here are 5 tips to support them.

Aug 24, 2020

Western Literary Theory in 500 Words

Literary theory can feel overwhelming. Here we breakdown the key theories to apply to your own reading (you are probably even doing them!).