Tag Archives: non-fiction

A Five-Paragraph Essay to Help Students Write Five-Paragraph Essays: The Basic Structure


A Five-Paragraph Essay to Help Students Write Five-Paragraph Essays: The Basic Structure by David Reynolds. © 2021

Writing a five-paragraph essay can be a challenge for many students. Having some knowledge of the basic structure can be incredibly helpful, and it can lead students to scoring well on any such written assignment for their classes in high school or in the early years of an undergraduate program. In order to develop your skill in handling essay assignments, it is crucial that students understand the goals of each paragraph in a five-paragraph essay, and that includes the introduction, the body paragraphs, and the conclusion.

There are a variety of techniques that can be applied to writing an effective introductory paragraph, but you should keep in mind the goal of that paragraph as you write. Students should always try to follow the advice of their teacher, instructor, or professor, even if you seek assistance elsewhere, such as by following a guide like this one. The goal of the introduction is to hook your reader’s interest in your topic and lead into the body of your essay. As such, one standard approach is to think of your introduction as if it is a funnel. Begin with a broadly relatable statement, then add a few more sentences that are increasingly specific and related to your topic. The last sentence in the introduction should be your thesis statement, which ought to precisely communicate what your essay will be about. For a five-paragraph essay, the thesis statement should express your position on the topic and outline the points you will discuss in each body paragraph.

A five-paragraph essay will have three body paragraphs. This is where you really do a lot of the work, like developing the points of your argument. Nevertheless, each body paragraph should begin with an effective topic sentence. In a five-paragraph essay, each body paragraph should focus on developing a single point in support of your thesis. Ideally, the topic sentence for each body paragraph mentions the relevant point that was outlined in your thesis statement. Arrange your body paragraphs in the same order that you outlined those points in the thesis statement. You might arrange the points you discussed chronologically, but it might be more suitable for your topic to arrange your points progressively. Everything after the topic sentence is considered the supporting details. Here, you should consider the flow of your ideas. Begin by making a general claim about that specific point. Next, provide some evidence you can discuss as support. Evidence could be an example you know from common knowledge or from reading assigned materials. That is generally the case if you have to write an in-class essay where you have nothing but your pen, your page, and your wits to work with. For take-home assignments, the evidence you discuss should be quoted or paraphrased from the text you are discussing. In that case, you may be required to cite your sources. Do so using the assigned style guide. Throughout the arts and humanities, most professors require students to comply with MLA style, but that could be different in your class. Once you have provided a piece of evidence, you must follow up by explaining how it acts as effective support. In other words, it is up to you as the author of your paper to navigate the evidence for your reader. This is one of the most important aspects because this is where you demonstrate your understanding of the subject matter. Once you have moved through this flow of ideas in a body paragraph, consider including a transitioning sentence that links the point you just discussed to the point of the next body paragraph. This helps to ensure you are writing a cohesive essay, where one idea leads to the next. If it is for your third body paragraph, the transitioning sentence should signal that you are done, and that will lead to your essay’s conclusion.

The concluding paragraph’s goal is to provide a sense of closure for your discussion of any topic. Avoid treating it like there’s nothing left to do there. Although the body paragraphs are where you really make your case, the conclusion should provide some closure for your discussion overall. It is an important paragraph because it helps to determine your reader’s lasting impression. One useful method to employ is closing by return. If you had a thesis statement in the introduction that outlined three points, then reword each of those points in the conclusion as three separate sentences. Then, give it a little more thought, add another sentence or two, and you should have a concluding paragraph that feels substantial. You might also suggest further related materials to consider, especially for interested readers.

Being familiar with the basic structure of a five-paragraph essay and understanding the goal of each part can benefit students in any field of study. The introduction should focus on leading into your topic. Each body paragraph develops a single point in support of your overall thesis. In the end, the conclusion should provide a sense of closure for your reader. Finally, if you are a student who is studying literature, then you might also wish to consult the essay outline provided at the end of this article. Keeping these points in mind should lead you to writing more effective essays, and that can help you to score well for this type of written assignment in a variety of classes.


About the Author

David Reynolds’ passion for language and literature is undeniable. His first work was published when he was only 11 years old, and he’s been engrossed in the minutiae and nuances of the English language in one way or another ever since.

He holds a BA (English & philosophy) and an MPhil (humanities) from Memorial University, where he was fortunate enough to study superhero narratives in a broad context.

In 2011, Reynolds published the culmination of his research for the MPhil (humanities), titled Superheroes: An Analysis of Popular Culture’s Modern Myths.

Besides teaching English at Atlantic Canada’s largest university, he writes, edits, performs, and publishes a broad range of literature, primarily through Problematic Press, which he founded as a side project in 2013.

In 2021, Reynolds published his debut novel — The Marvelous Saga of the MERCANARY™ — the gonzo result of a lockdown art project.



Disclaimer: if you purchase a product or service after following a link in this article, then we may earn a miniscule commission. Thanks kindly for your support.

Problematic Press
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Upgraded Availability: Our Books are Now on Google Play

Problematic Press is pleased to announce a couple of recent upgrades.

Regularly, our books have been available to purchase through Amazon, in both print and Kindle editions.

Now, Problematic Press titles are available on Google Books through Google Play, as well, meaning our ebooks are easily available to over 2 billion Android and Chromebook users!

Plus, we’ve upgraded our online shop to provide our titles as .pdf files, so readers can enjoy reading our ebooks from nearly any platform!

Such deeds are worth a series of exclamations!

We believe this is a decent way to level up, at least.

Now, our fiction, non-fiction, and poetry can be accessed by more readers than ever before.

Thanks kindly for your interest in our works.

Your support of the print edition of The Marvelous Saga of the MERCANARY™ helps plant trees through the work of One Tree Planted.


Problematic Press is a small, independent publisher based in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.

MERCANARY™ is the trademark of Problematic Press.


Problematic Press
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Our New Partnership with EBSCO

What’s black and white and read all over?

Problematic Press is pleased to announce we have signed a new partnership with EBSCO Information Services.

Through this new deal, all past and future Problematic Press titles will be easily accessible through libraries all over the globe.

This is because “EBSCO is the leading provider of research databases, e-journals, magazine subscriptions, e-books and discovery service to libraries of all kinds.”

Curious about EBSCO? Learn more from this short video.

Otherwise, at this stage, Problematic Press can think beyond the local markets, knowing our titles can be read all over. This excites us greatly! That’s a fact.

And, if you’re daring to consider the writerly life for yourself, then allow us to alert you to our present CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS.

Stay tuned for much more from Problematic Press.

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Now Accepting Your Submission

PROBLEMATIC PRESS LOGO

Problematic Press is a modest operation with limited resources. Our aim is to publish 1-2 books per year going forward.

Our titles are published as paperbacks and ebooks that are distributed through retailers and libraries both online and around the world.

Problematic Press is pleased to make this call for submissions.

  • Highlighted Details
    • DEADLINE: Open and ongoing, so submit whenever.
    • We are interested in fiction, non-fiction, and poetry.
    • Final drafts should be 20,000-39,999 words.
    • Responses will be sent to applicants within two months.
    • Read the rest of this post thoroughly to get the details.
    • Find the link to the submission form at the bottom of this post.

We invite pitches from interested authors with titles intended for future publication, generally within the next year or two.

Provided the writing demonstrates exceptional mastery of English, we are open to considering original works from any person residing anywhere within Canada and legally entitled to work and earn income within Canada. However, we very much prefer to work with local creators in the St. John’s region of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. This preference is stated outright.

Understand that any licensing agreement that may result from submitting your pitch represents an investment in you as well as your book. Beyond that, you must maintain a public persona that the publisher is excited to endorse. Liabilities will not be tolerated.

Expect this process to be lengthy, rigorous, and arduous. Our authors and artists thrive when challenged, and they have the dedication and patience required to persevere.

Before and after publication, all authors and artists are encouraged to pursue external funding opportunities, such as federal, provincial, and municipal grants. The timing of such opportunities will have an impact on the timeline of publication. That is understandable, and we are flexible enough to work within such a schedule for our grant-winning authors.

If this sounds thrilling to you, then dare to proceed.

Otherwise, turn back now, saving each of us a lot of time.

"Distant. Yesterday, I believe." - David Reynolds

Problematic Press embodies the way of the MERCANARY™, our trademark sells-word chimæra.

In that spirit, we are excited to receive pitches for book-length works (20,000 words to 39,999 words in length) in a variety of genres.

The key to a winning pitch is that it is high-quality, daring excitement, but — above all — it must be an achievable goal for each of us, from revising to editing to promotion to publication and to promotion again.

Be realistic.

Do you feel up for it?

Do not pitch a series.

Do you have a completed draft of your manuscript?

No?

Turn back now.

Yes?

You may continue.

Do you still feel up for it?

Good.

This is a test.

You are encouraged to come to this well-prepared.

Consider gaining experience and levelling up before you continue.

If you’re still here, you’re doing well.

MERCANARY™ is undergoing a metamorphosis.
MERCANARY™ approves.

What Problematic Press Wants

Problematic Press is only interested in pitches for hitherto unpublished anywhere original works of literature, and we are happy to consider such original works that fall within or near the following areas:

💥 scholarly non-fiction (literature, philosophy, semiotics, arts, humanities);

💥 substantial poetry (as in a collection of poems, a lengthy narrative poem, an epic, etc.);

💥 literary short fiction collections;

💥 sci-fi and fantasy short fiction collections;

💥 genre-bending short fiction collections;

💥 literary novellas;

💥 sci-fi and fantasy novellas;

💥 wuxia action novellas;

💥 retro-present novellas;

💥 retro-future novellas;

💥 pulp-styled space operas as novellas;

💥 cyber-noir detective novellas;

💥 kaiju conflict novellas;

💥 fit-to-print erotic novellas;

💥 genre-bending novellas;

💥 and, high seas adventure novellas.

Remember: do not pitch a series. Check yourself before you wreck yourself, right?

Before completing the submission form linked below, take the time to collect your materials and make this the best pitch that you can muster.

Touch up that draft you have there, think about how to best frame your pitch, dream of the writerly life, and then update your resume (or C.V.).

Your courage has brought you this far. If you feel brave enough to take the next step, then follow the link and scroll past the familiar to find The Form of Your Submission.

Either way, Problematic Press appreciates your interest and wishes you the best of luck with your writing adventure!

Cheers!

David Reynolds, Founder & Publisher

The Epic of the MERCANARY™
The Epic of the MERCANARY™
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Market Dates for 2016

Cheers, all!

It’s that time of year again, and we’re looking forward to another great season at the St. John’s Farmers’ Market
Of course, we’d like to let you know when we’ll be there, so here are the dates:
 
June 4
July 2
August 6
November 5
December 17
 
Drop by to find author and publisher David Reynolds pushing books on the unsuspecting public.  MWA-HAHAHA!
*ahem*
Although we have a small collection of titles, they cover a broad range, including fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and more!  On-hand, we’ll have copies of Nicholas Morine‘s Kowloon Walled City, 1984, Reynolds’ own The True Story of the Three Billy Goats Gruff: The Troll’s Side of the Story, as well as Robert Hayman‘s Quodlibets, Lately Come over from New Britaniola, Old Newfoundland, a collection of over 300 short poems penned in Harbour Grace between 1618 and 1628.
And, if you miss us at the market – fear not! – you can find many of our works in print and Kindle editions, available on Amazon‘s many websites.  Plus, you can find other ebook formats of our books at Smashwords.

The market’s open from 9am to 2pm, and it looks like this’ll be the last season at the Lions Club Chalet, too. Crazy, wha?


We hope to see you there!
Cheers!

Pageflex Persona [document: PRS0000026_00030]

The Troll's Side of the Story

Quodlibets - Front Cover

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As the Gift-Giving Season Approaches…

Indeed, as the gift-giving season approaches, consider how those you love might love to receive one of our books!

What’s that you say? “Shut up about the holidays; it’s too early for all that now,” you say. Well, with online ordering you have to think about shipping and potential delays, and we wouldn’t want anything to come between your loved ones and the Problematic Press title(s) they have their hearts set on!

So, no matter what you choose to celebrate or refuse to celebrate, Problematic Press has a special little something for your special little someone!

The Troll's Side of the Story

The True Story of the Three Billy Goats Gruff: The Troll’s Side of the Story was written by David Reynolds when he was about 9-11 years old. It relates the young author’s reinterpretation of the classic Norwegian fairytale, considering how the troll might have seen things differently.

Subtle and charming, bright and playful, The True Story of the Three Billy Goats Gruff: The Troll’s Side of the Story reimagines the classic tale to reflect on the perspective of the kind troll who falls prey to the prejudice of the eldest goat Gruff. Illustrations by Myles Reichel give this tale life. Plus, this edition also includes Sir George Webbe Dasent‘s translation of the classic folktale. This book is best suited for adults reading to young children, for early readers, and for all of us children-at-heart.

Cavern: City in the Dark - Front Cover

Nicholas Morine’s Cavern: City in the Dark is now available in print and Kindle editions!

Cavern: City in the Dark is a dystopian adventure set on a ruined Earth.

Deep beneath the scarred and scorched surface of the Earth, the last of us remain.

The Cavern is deep, dark, and damp. The city is busy, expansive, industrious. Technology has been salvaged, scavenged from the surface, and repurposed to a new fashion. Survival comes in the form of the shunt, drilled deep into the skull. A device that takes all the pain away, and lays it on the shoulders of one poor soul.

The Sufferer. An old man, dying beneath the tree of tears. And when his heart breaks, it will spell doom for us all.

Nicholas Morine was born and raised in Gaspereau, Nova Scotia. Words are his livelihood. He has written many words on a range of subjects, from tech to fashion. Having returned to Nova Scotia, he continues to write non-fiction and fiction. Montag Press published his debut novel, Punish the Wicked: A Dystopian Horror. Problematic Press is proud to present Cavern: City in the Dark, his second novel.

Quodlibets - Front Cover

Robert Hayman’s Quodlibets, Lately Come over from New Britaniola, Old Newfoundland is a collection of witty, poetic verses that were penned while he served as governor in colonial Harbour Grace, Newfoundland between 1618 and 1628. His is likely the first English poetry penned in North America.

And, his work is quite impressive. Containing original poetry as well as his translations of pieces by John Owen and Francois Rabelais, Quodlibets reflects on thieves and knaves, good wives and whores, as well as the untamed beauty of Newfoundland. Hayman’s poetry exposes his love for Newfoundland, inviting the adventurous and hopeful to settle this rock. The language for this edition has been updated by David Reynolds to facilitate reading for modern audiences yet preserve the poetic voice of the author.

BookCoverPreview - Front

It’s been more than 125 years since A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder was first published, and now Problematic Press is pleased to present this annotated edition of James De Mille‘s classic masterpiece. This book is now available in print and Kindle editions!

While playing a silly game, four bored yachtsmen find a mysterious copper cylinder bobbing along the sea. They soon discover the briny cylinder contains a massive script, a journal of sorts, detailing the adventures of Adam More, a sailor lost at sea. Examining the script reveals More’s incredible story of drifting across the ocean, sailing to lost lands, encountering giant beasts, and meeting truly peculiar people. This satirical tale is sure to entertain!

De Mille was a Canadian scholar and author. He pioneered Canadian science fiction and fantasy with his masterpiece, A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder. De Mille had many lofty goals for his fantastic satire, and he struggled to accommodate all of them, leaving the denouement somewhat abrupt in his ultimate manuscript. Nevertheless, what remains is a thought-provoking tale of absurd wonder that seeks to challenge our most deeply held values. The story was first published posthumously as a serial by Harper’s Weekly in 1888, eight years after the author’s death.

The Problematic Press edition of James De Mille’s A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder features a Foreword and Annotations by David Reynolds. Reynolds briefly introduces the author and the novel while his end notes reflect on interesting elements of the text and reference scholarly works.

Narrative, Nature, and the Cock and Bull Story - Front Cover

Narrative, Nature, and the ‘Cock’ and ‘Bull’ Story: The Lockean Tristram Shandy and the Modern Novel is based on Tiller’s research as a graduate student at Memorial University of Newfoundland. Her studies focused on Laurence Sterne‘s novel The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman (1760). Sterne’s novel has tremendous comedic appeal, but it is also noteworthy because Shandy narrates the tale as a string of digressions and tangents. This means Sterne’s novel is one of the first English novels to stray from Aristotle‘s classical literary guidelines as presented in his Poetics. In Narrative, Nature, and the ‘Cock’ and ‘Bull’ Story, Tiller applies concepts from John Locke’s Essay Concerning Human Understanding to explore how such deviations lead Tristram, in the series of events stemming from his birth, to a more precise imitation of nature than strict adherence to Aristotle’s guidelines could have procured.

Amanda Tiller is the Humanities Collections Development Librarian at the Queen Elizabeth II Library, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s. Before completing her Master of Library and Information Science at The University of Western Ontario, she completed her Master of Arts in English Language and Literature at Memorial University of Newfoundland.

Vester Vade Mecum - Front Cover Mock-Up

Vester Vade Mecum: A Collection of Short Fiction is a collection to delight educators and pupils alike. It contains a variety of important short works of English literature, featuring authors such as Mary Shelley, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Edgar Allan Poe, Louisa May Alcott, Oscar Wilde, Arthur Conan Doyle, Pauline Hopkins, Stephen Leacock, Howard Phillips Lovecraft, and others. Edited by David Reynolds, the text contains contextual information about each author and story as well as questions to provoke critical reflection.

Vester Vade Mecum is a Latin phrase that means “you go with me.” As the title of this textbook, that phrase carries multiple meanings. It indicates that this is a manual that mindful students will carry with them in their studies. In relation to the enduring nature of great stories, the title alludes that these are tales we often recall in our own reflections. In relation to the nature of storytelling, it suggests how the author leads the reader along their journey.

Fawning, Fear and Frustration - Cover

Fawning, Fear, and Frustration: A Collection of Teenage Poetry from the 90s collects thirty six poems by a young David Reynolds. It features a range of poetry that considers love, death and confusion in addition to a number of matters that lay somewhere in between.

cover

Superheroes: An Analysis of Popular Culture’s Modern Myths by David Reynolds is a semiotic and cultural anthropological interrogation of popular North American superhero narratives, such as those of Superman, Spider-Man, and Batman, that provides insight into how media’s messages influence the culture’s ethical values. Since emerging in the late 1930s, the superhero has become a pervasive figure in North American popular culture. As an extension of ideas presented by Friedrich Nietzsche, Joseph Campbell, and Umberto Eco, this dissertation argues that superhero tales must be regarded as modern mythology. It follows that people observe and learn social norms of justice from such narratives, since these ideals are intrinsic to the tales. In investigating the superhero’s role as a contemporary figure of myth, this project focuses primarily on three areas: an account of the history of the superhero from 1938 to present; an examination of the cultural functions of contemporary superhero narratives; and, an interrogation of vigilantism, responsibility, and justice in these narratives and how those concerns further relate to ideologies and practices in North American culture.

hat-logo-final-smaller.jpg

If you aren’t in the St. John’s region of Newfoundland and Labrador, then you can find print and Kindle copies of our titles online from the Problematic Press Shops (CAN and US). Otherwise, you might find us pushing books with a table at the St. John’s Farmers’ Market. We hope to see you there!

From all of us at Problematic Press to all of you, we hope your holiday season is full of joy and merriment… and reading!

Dig this? Then, “Like” us on Facebook!

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Appearance at SFotR8

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Problematic Press Appearances at Sci-Fi on the Rock 8

Problematic Press is pleased to announce that David Reynolds and Myles Reichel will be appearing at Sci-Fi on the Rock 8 at the Holiday Inn throughout the convention, from May 23rd-25th! The writer and illustrator of The True Story of the Three Billy Goats Gruff: The Troll’s Side of the Story will be at the Problematic Press table, found along Diagon Alley. They’re totally stoked about this book, and they’d love to hear from you and sign your copy!

This book and our others will be available for purchase at SFotR8, too, so you can pick up whichever titles tickle your fancy! We have a variety of titles in different genres. Besides this reinterpretation of a classic fairytale we have books that dabble with superhero scholarship, action-dystopia, Sterne scholarship, classic short fiction, early Canadian science fiction, early Newfoundland poetry, and more! See below for book descriptions and pricing.

The Troll's Side of the Story

The True Story of the Three Billy Goats Gruff: The Troll’s Side of the Story was written by David Reynolds when he was about 9-11 years old. It relates the young author’s reinterpretation of the classic Norwegian fairytale, considering how the troll might have seen things differently.

Subtle and charming, bright and playful, The True Story of the Three Billy Goats Gruff: The Troll’s Side of the Story reimagines the classic tale to reflect on the perspective of the kind troll who falls prey to the prejudice of the eldest goat Gruff. Illustrations by Myles Reichel give this tale life. Plus, this edition also includes Sir George Webbe Dasent‘s translation of the classic folktale. This book is best suited for adults reading to young children, for early readers, and for all of us children-at-heart.

Copies of this book can be purchased from the Problematic Press table at SFotR8 for $15CAN.

BookCoverPreview - Front

It’s been more than 125 years since A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder was first published, and now Problematic Press is pleased to present this annotated edition of James De Mille‘s classic masterpiece. This book is now available in print and Kindle editions!

While playing a silly game, four bored yachtsmen find a mysterious copper cylinder bobbing along the sea. They soon discover the briny cylinder contains a massive script, a journal of sorts, detailing the adventures of Adam More, a sailor lost at sea. Examining the script reveals More’s incredible story of drifting across the ocean, sailing to lost lands, encountering giant beasts, and meeting truly peculiar people. This satirical tale is sure to entertain!

De Mille was a Canadian scholar and author. He pioneered Canadian science fiction and fantasy with his masterpiece, A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder. De Mille had many lofty goals for his fantastic satire, and he struggled to accommodate all of them, leaving the denouement somewhat abrupt in his ultimate manuscript. Nevertheless, what remains is a thought-provoking tale of absurd wonder that seeks to challenge our most deeply held values. The story was first published posthumously as a serial by Harper’s Weekly in 1888, eight years after the author’s death.

The Problematic Press edition of James De Mille’s A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder features a Foreword and Annotations by David Reynolds. Reynolds briefly introduces the author and the novel while his end notes reflect on interesting elements of the text and reference scholarly works.

De Mille’s satirical tale of wonder has entertained readers for many years, yet the work has remained largely overlooked. For that very reason, Problematic Press is tremendously excited to add this work to our growing collection of titles!

Copies of this book can be purchased from the Problematic Press table at SFotR8 for $18CAN.

Cavern: City in the Dark - Front Cover

Nicholas Morine’s Cavern: City in the Dark is now available in print and Kindle editions!

Cavern: City in the Dark is a dystopian adventure set on a ruined Earth.

Deep beneath the scarred and scorched surface of the Earth, the last of us remain.

The Cavern is deep, dark, and damp. The city is busy, expansive, industrious. Technology has been salvaged, scavenged from the surface, and repurposed to a new fashion. Survival comes in the form of the shunt, drilled deep into the skull. A device that takes all the pain away, and lays it on the shoulders of one poor soul.

The Sufferer. An old man, dying beneath the tree of tears. And when his heart breaks, it will spell doom for us all.

Nicholas Morine was born and raised in Gaspereau, Nova Scotia. Words are his livelihood. He has written many words on a range of subjects, from tech to fashion. Having returned to Nova Scotia, he continues to write non-fiction and fiction. Montag Press published his debut novel, Punish the Wicked: A Dystopian Horror. Problematic Press is proud to present Cavern: City in the Dark, his second novel.

Copies can be purchased from the Problematic Press table at SFotR8 for $15CAN.

Narrative, Nature, and the Cock and Bull Story - Front Cover

Narrative, Nature, and the ‘Cock’ and ‘Bull’ Story: The Lockean Tristram Shandy and the Modern Novel is based on Tiller’s research as a graduate student at Memorial University of Newfoundland. Her studies focused on Laurence Sterne‘s novel The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman (1760). Sterne’s novel has tremendous comedic appeal, but it is also noteworthy because Shandy narrates the tale as a string of digressions and tangents. This means Sterne’s novel is one of the first English novels to stray from Aristotle‘s classical literary guidelines as presented in his Poetics. In Narrative, Nature, and the ‘Cock’ and ‘Bull’ Story, Tiller applies concepts from John Locke’s Essay Concerning Human Understanding to explore how such deviations lead Tristram, in the series of events stemming from his birth, to a more precise imitation of nature than strict adherence to Aristotle’s guidelines could have procured.

Amanda Tiller is the Humanities Collections Development Librarian at the Queen Elizabeth II Library, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s. Before completing her Master of Library and Information Science at The University of Western Ontario, she completed her Master of Arts in English Language and Literature at Memorial University of Newfoundland.

Copies can be purchased from the Problematic Press table at SFotR8 for $10CAN.

Vester Vade Mecum - Front Cover Mock-Up

Vester Vade Mecum: A Collection of Short Fiction is a collection to delight educators and pupils alike. It contains a variety of important short works of English literature, featuring authors such as Mary Shelley, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Edgar Allan Poe, Louisa May Alcott, Oscar Wilde, Arthur Conan Doyle, Pauline Hopkins, Stephen Leacock, Howard Phillips Lovecraft, and others. Edited by David Reynolds, the text contains contextual information about each author and story as well as questions to provoke critical reflection.

Vester Vade Mecum is a Latin phrase that means “you go with me.” As the title of this textbook, that phrase carries multiple meanings. It indicates that this is a manual that mindful students will carry with them in their studies. In relation to the enduring nature of great stories, the title alludes that these are tales we often recall in our own reflections. In relation to the nature of storytelling, it suggests how the author leads the reader along their journey.

Copies can be purchased from the Problematic Press table at SFotR8 for $30CAN.

Quodlibets - Front Cover

Robert Hayman’s Quodlibets, Lately Come over from New Britaniola, Old Newfoundland is a collection of witty, poetic verses that were penned while he served as governor in colonial Harbour Grace, Newfoundland between 1618 and 1628. His is likely the first English poetry penned in North America.

And, his work is quite impressive. Containing original poetry as well as his translations of pieces by John Owen and Francois Rabelais, Quodlibets reflects on thieves and knaves, good wives and whores, as well as the untamed beauty of Newfoundland. Hayman’s poetry exposes his love for Newfoundland, inviting the adventurous and hopeful to settle this rock. The language for this edition has been updated by David Reynolds to facilitate reading for modern audiences yet preserve the poetic voice of the author.

Copies of this book may be purchased from the Problematic Press table at SFotR8 for $10CAN.

Fawning, Fear and Frustration - Cover

Fawning, Fear, and Frustration: A Collection of Teenage Poetry from the 90s collects thirty six poems by a young David Reynolds. It features a range of poetry that considers love, death and confusion in addition to a number of matters that lay somewhere in between.

Copies of this book may be purchased from the Problematic Press table at SFotR8 for $8CAN.

cover

Superheroes: An Analysis of Popular Culture’s Modern Myths by David Reynolds is a semiotic and cultural anthropological interrogation of popular North American superhero narratives, such as those of Superman, Spider-Man, and Batman, that provides insight into how media’s messages influence the culture’s ethical values. Since emerging in the late 1930s, the superhero has become a pervasive figure in North American popular culture. As an extension of ideas presented by Friedrich Nietzsche, Joseph Campbell, and Umberto Eco, this dissertation argues that superhero tales must be regarded as modern mythology. It follows that people observe and learn social norms of justice from such narratives, since these ideals are intrinsic to the tales. In investigating the superhero’s role as a contemporary figure of myth, this project focuses primarily on three areas: an account of the history of the superhero from 1938 to present; an examination of the cultural functions of contemporary superhero narratives; and, an interrogation of vigilantism, responsibility, and justice in these narratives and how those concerns further relate to ideologies and practices in North American culture.

Copies of this book may be purchased from the Problematic Press table at SFotR8 for $10CAN.

If you can’t make it out to SFotR8, don’t worry – copies can also be purchased online from the Problematic Press Shops (CAN and US). Additionally, wholesale purchases of Problematic Press titles can be made through CreateSpace Direct, Ingram, and Baker & Taylor. Feel free to contact us if you have difficulty ordering (send email to problematicpress@gmail.com).

We’ll be involved with some other attractions throughout the convention, as well. Our own David Reynolds will be delivering a short presentation 11:30am on Sunday, May 25 titled Superman, Batman, and War-Time Propaganda as part of the Warp-Speed Workshops series. On top of that, Myles Reichel will be attending the video screening of Uneeda‘s music video, “Momentum.” You can even pick up a Ninja Story t-shirt from the Problematic Press table!

While you’re attending the convention, be sure to take in all of the other great attractions! There are special guests, film screenings, workshops, and more to entertain the whole family!

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Direct all media inquiries to problematicpress@gmail.com. Thank you.

ABOUT PROBLEMATIC PRESS

Problematic Press is a small, independent book publishing endeavour founded by David Reynolds and based in St. John’s, NL. Problematic Press has a mission with a broad scope, aiming to entertain and educate readers of all ages. Perhaps that’s problematic. Problems make us think.

Regardless, Problematic Press will produce original works as well as popular classics, with an emphasis on texts that challenge readers’ notions and the status quo. Special attention is given to Newfoundland literature, Canadian literature, and other imaginative works from such genres as speculative fiction, fantasy, science fiction, pulp fiction, non-fiction, comics, and children’s books. Problematic Press will also release selected anthologies of poetry and short fiction, some of which will be formatted as textbooks suitable for high school and post-secondary education.

The attention span of the collective consciousness is too short. Problematic Press aims to challenge readers while revitalizing interest in important narratives from the past that remain relevant today.

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Day 1: It Has Begun

Welcome, friends!

This is a momentous occasion.  Problematic Press has just arrived on the scene with a mission to stimulate your hungry, eager intellects!

Problematic Press intends to challenge your fundamental preconceptions of the world through original works of literature as well as important, yet often neglected, texts from the past.  Our first release will be Robert Hayman’s Quodlibets, which is quite likely the first work of literature produced in North America.  Written while Hayman was Governor of the British colony in Harbour Grace, Newfoundland in 1628, this edition features David Reynolds’ adaptation of the Middle English poetry into more contemporary language, in order to make the text more accessible to today’s audience.  Reynolds makes every effort to preserve the poetic elements of Hayman’s work, which reflects upon matters ranging from spirituality to politics and is largely an appeal to the British to settle in the Newfound-land.  Quodlibets portrays the reflections and attitudes of one of Newfoundland’s, and also North America’s, founding fathers in unabashed eloquence.

Stay tuned for updates on other upcoming releases!  Tell your literati friends that Problematic Press is here to stay!

Cheers!

David Reynolds

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