The author of this story, Jackie Brewster has written: “The Fox Cub” in year 2014, while currently living in Nottingham. She actually won the competition of Mselxia, which is a women’s magazine.

Shortly put, it’s about a brand new friendship developing between two young girls and becoming a brief acquaintance at the same time when it suddenly ended. The story is written in medias res and is not chronologically build up for the reader to go through. We first meet one of the head roles of characters in the story, named Marie. Then Rachel is mentioned when she stops peddling her bike as she sees the new girl, who approaches nearer to the playing field. They fell into a conversation which turns out to give discomfort to poor Rachel, who kind of regrets the talk with Marie after. Marie wants to show her something. [Læs mere…]

– Summary:

According to the author of this particular article published back in 2010, Jenna Goudrea who’s an American journalist, who writes about business and leadership for the magazine called Forbes, it’s not all that unusual for men and women to put a question mark in front of the theme of marriage.

All of the sudden men’s biological clocks begin to tick as well but only once they’ve realized that their close friends/relatives/co-workers are first in line when it comes down to the whole monogamous commitment for the long hall. Also better known as the concept of marriage, or the so called wholesome that it should provide for the two people involved in it.

The article contains serious and skeptically charged questions, such as why one should even get married in the first place.

Furthermore it indicates to women’s independence, and the more modernistic ideals in which a man is not needed to be a bread winner in the same way as the Middle Ages for example.

Sociologist Whelan also believes that it’s a good portion of social pressure combined with the ties of love that makes a couple want to marry each other. [Læs mere…]

In the almost fairytale-like story Once Upon a Shop of a small fruit and veg shop Jeanette Winterson takes us back in time to the magically enchanting and nostalgically charming streets of Spitalfields, London. Her loathing and revulsion toward cooperate chain supermarkets, who she feels favor profit over more important matters like food quality and sustainable farming, cause her to open her own niche shop with a business partner. Together they let their happy and healthy approach to life shine trough the store showcasing their love and devotion to enriching peoples lives by selling quality food. Together they spread happiness all the way out on the street through the front door. [Læs mere…]

In Kathryn Simmonds short story Letter from the Understudy a slightly anonymous actor tries to make something of himself to the best of his abilities. He experiences himself “living in the shadows”, as he describes it, but resolutely tries to burst out from backstage and soak up the spotlight shining down on the platform. But not everything comes so easy. The main character Gavin struggles to cement himself as the starting actor for the role of Romeo until he, blinded by fever, jumps the gun and takes matters into his own hands which results in quite dramatic consequences.

The story is composed in the form of a letter written by the protagonist, Gavin, to his former theatrical director Malcolm. In the letter Gavin is explaining a certain event that shaped his career for a long time and still until the date the letter was written. [Læs mere…]

Dressing up for the Carnival is a short story, written by Carol Shield, starring various characters and describing their seemingly indifferent actions in a non-chronological and ran-dom order. The title “Dressing Up for the Carnival” was originally released as a collection of 22 short stories in book format containing 249 pages but for this essay an excerpt has been chosen.

This excerpt tells seven different stories through the lives of seven different characters. They`re named Tamara, who bears resemblance to the weather god, Roger, who has found happiness in a mango, the two Borden sisters, who have just come home from a ski trip, Wanda, who has been sent on the strangest of errands by her boss, the old Mr. Gilman, who desperately tries to convince himself that his life is as fulfilling as everyone else`s, the popu-lar high-school halfback Ralph Eliot, and the first-year arts student Susan Gourley. Already from this short description of each character it is becoming apparent that this is not a short story like any other as it`s plot is very surreal and in some ways even dreamy. [Læs mere…]