Commentaries – Page 2 – Berkeley Fiction Review

Fandom and Fascism

Fandom is no longer niche. What started as a madhouse of creativity, chaos, and community has evolved…
This is not for u/[redacted]: The uncritical reception of House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski

Contrary to proponents of the antagonism claim, I did not find House of Leaves to be…
Reimagining Gothic Literature: Sex, Shame, and Society in Nosferatu (2024)

Film’s treatment of the vampire and gothic horror tradition over the decades is a cultural benchmark…
The End is Nigh: Literary Perspectives on the Apocalypse

“Crisis!” “Chaos!” “Outbreak!” “Disaster!” These words pop out of headlines every time I open the news…
My Brilliant Ferrante: A Retrospective on Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan Quartet

In July of last year, the New York Times ranked Elena Ferrante’s 2011 novel, My Brilliant…
Lending and Learning: The Revolution of the Library

While I never took the library’s resources for granted, it took learning more about overlapping library-affiliated…
“But What Was She Wearing?”: Little Red Riding Hood and a Critique of Condemnation in Children’s Literature

The world of Little Red Riding Hood may be full of dark forests and cunning wolves,…
Japan’s Oppenheimer Problem: Fact, Fiction, and Storytelling in Modern Politics

The Japanese government continues to censor national fact, fiction, and storytelling. To make sense of this…
Don’t Kill the Bug! Kafka’s Plea for Self Preservation in The Metamorphosis

While these common interpretations of The Metamorphosis are compelling, they often cast Gregor as the culprit,…
The Ties That Bind: Toxic Motherhood in White Oleander

When we think of famous literary mothers, the nurturing and uncomplicated ones tend to place foremost…