Today in Literature History

[Noblejanobii]

Welcome to Today in Literature History!

Here you will find fun facts about each day in literature history! Everything from Shakespeare to Oscar Wilde to Dr. Seuss can be featured here so keep an eye out for fun facts and the craziness that could easily surface here!

This is also an open discussion style thread, so feel free to discuss and mull over whatever fact has been posted each day! Below will be a list of each day's facts so if you want to find a particular one, the legend is below!

Facts of the Day:
-4/24/16: The Picture of Dorian Gray
-4/25/16: O'Henry begins to writer
-4/26/16: A Jazz Age author is Born
-4/27/16: Ralph Waldo Emerson Dies

[Noblejanobii]

Today in Literature History…

On this day in 1891 Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray was published. The ever infamous story about morality, frivolity, insincerity and so much more. It's an ever controversial story that sold extremely well, which served to only escalate the controversy around the story. It's about a man who, the more he sins, the worse his painting of himself reflects it. His painting is his soul.

So what do you think? Was Oscar Wilde's story truly worthy of its controversy? What about the concepts behind the story? What is the message behind the work as a whole?

[Suicune's Fire]

UUUUGGGGGGHHHHHHHH. I watch the movie adaptation of that which was released in...2009 or something? It freaked the fruitcake out of me and I hated it. xD It was sort of nightmarish. The concept is cool... The movie just freaked me out. Dx

[Noblejanobii]

I haven't watched the movie, so I can't say for sure how creepy it is, but when I read the book like… a long time ago (I can't really remember when and I don't believe I ever finished it because it was banned at my school) it was extremely creepy so I can see how it'd be pretty freaky in movie form too.

[Ganyu]

Oh my god, it is TODAY?! I should do something.... like take out my copy of the novel and read it!!

Never saw the film adaptation but the story itself is meant to be freaky xD And that's why I fell in love with it. It really inspired a lot of my poetry, which had a dark morbid beginning (still does, but I try to be less cynical nowadays :x), as well as my fledgling short stories/novellas.

[Noblejanobii]

Today in Literature History…

On this day in 1898 William S. Porter began his five year sentence for embezzlement. Better known by his pen name "O'Henry," Porter is a very famous short story writer than created most of his works while he was behind bars. These works include Cabbages and Kings, Roads of Destiny, and Whirligigs. Each of these is a collection of short stories best known for their complete surprise endings.

[Ganyu]

Never heard of him, but it's quite cool how he comes up with such witty short stories during his imprisonment.

[Noblejanobii]

Today in Literature History…

The author of a great jazz age novel was born! Anita Loos, author of the book Gentlemen Prefer Blondes was born on this day in 1893. Her story takes place in a Great Gatsby style and was inspired by real life events when Loos witnessed one of her closest friends go completely ga ga over a blonde woman. This story was so popular it subsequently became a Broadway show and a movie starring Marilyn Monroe!

[Noblejanobii]

Today in Literature History…

On this day in 1882 Ralph Waldo Emerson died at the age of seventy-eight. This is the guy that you see with quotes on poster probably about twenty percent of the time in high school. He was a very influential journalist, poet, essay writer, and more. Even more so, he was a transcendentalist. Emerson often wrote about and gave lectures to show his support of his beliefs and is highly regarded in the literature community.

[Suicune's Fire]

I haven't heard of the guy, but I'm not particularly literature-history educated. xD I tried looking up transcendentalism but it was a little confusing.