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Joyce Carol Oates Themes

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Recommended: Literature the gothic genre

Joyce Carol Oates was born in 1938, she was raised on her grandparent’s farm. As of her childhood, she has said, “...was dull, ordinary, nothing most people would be interested in…”. Oates went to Syracuse University on a scholarship and graduated valedictorian of her class; later she pursued her masters degree in English at the University of Wisconsin, where she met her first husband. She has gone on to teach creative writing at Princeton and has taught at the University of Detroit. In February 2008, she lost her husband to pneumonia, this was an unbearable time for the author, she lost weight and found herself to be incapable to write.Eventually she remarried and has been able to deal with the loss of her first husband better. Oates has …show more content…

Oates has mostly written more violent and uncomfortable topics. She believes life and fiction are very similar that they are-”full of imagination and possibility, but with intimation of chaos and danger around every corner.”, Which is why in her writing she can explore some of the more peculiar themes.Oates dreams( as if she was in a trance) her way into her fictional stories, unlike other writers who write from their own experience or meticulously pattern their stories into their own life. Much of her work is on the gothic romance side, yet her theme varies from gothic romance to political thriller. Even though she has written extensively in all kinds of genres, most critics say that her short fiction sum up her principal themes. Oates is notorious for her creative style as well as way of thinking, she isn't one to stay away from strange or uncomfortable themes, which makes her genuinely loved and …show more content…

Oates has a clear love for literature and writing as she has said before, “No,the thing is, we all love storytelling, and as a writer you get to tell stories all the time.”, the way she writes puts you in a daze, she writes so vividly it’ll probably left you feeling exhausted as if it were your own life.Before this research I was ignorant and oblivious of all the vast work she has done. I had the impression since that her life wasn't exciting her work would be the same, nevertheless I was exceedingly perverse. As of now I highly recommend her work, it's mind boggling and something most people aren't accustomed to. Her work isn't something you will put down or want to end. I personally believe her work has influenced writers as well as readers . Joyce Carol Oates is exceptional along with a talented author.

Works Cited

Bender, Eileen T. "Joyce Carol Oates." N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Nov. 2015.
"Joyce Carol Oates (American Author) -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia." Encyclopedia - Britannica Online Encyclopedia. N.p., 14 Sept. 2015. Web. 4 Nov. 2015.
"Joyce Carol Oates Criticism." ENotes. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Nov. 2015.
Oates, Joyce Carol. "Joyce Carol Oates." Acadamy of Achevement. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Nov. 2015. .
Star-Ledger, Saed Hindash/The. "Joyce Carol Oates: Princeton's 'dark Lady of Fiction' Comes Shining | - New Jersey Magazine | Living in New Jersey | Inside

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