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Passage

Passage is a science fiction novel by Connie Willis, published in 2001. The novel won the Locus Award for Best Novel in 2002,[1] was shortlisted for the Nebula Award in 2001,[2] and received nominations for the Hugo, Campbell, and Clarke Awards in 2002.[1]

Passage follows the efforts of Joanna Lander, a research psychologist, to understand the phenomenon of near-death experiences(or NDEs) by interviewing hospital patients after they are revived following clinical death. Her work with Dr. Richard Wright, a neurologist who has discovered a way to chemically induce an artificial NDE and conduct an “RIPT” brain scan during the experience, leads her to the discovery of the biological purpose of NDEs. Science fiction scholar Gary K. Wolfe writes, “Willis tries something truly astonishing: without resorting to supernaturalism on the one hand or clinical reportage on the other, without forgoing her central metaphor, she seeks to lift the veil on what actually happens inside a dying mind.”[3] Through Lander’s work, Dr. Wright is able to develop a medicine that brings patients back from clinical death.

The novel contains enlightening discussions of various disasters, including the RMS Titanic, the Hartford circus fire, the Hindenburg disaster, the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa, the Boston Molasses Disaster, and, almost as prominently as the Titanic, the sinking of theUSS Yorktown. (Willis has written extensively in several novels about events in World War II.)

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Literary fiction

Literary fiction comprises fictional works that hold literary merit; that is, they involve social commentary, or political criticism, or focus on the human condition. Literary fiction is deliberately written in dialogue with existing works, created with the above aims in mind and is focused more on themes than on plot, and it is common for literary fiction to be taught and discussed in schools and universities.

Literary fiction is usually contrasted with popular, commercial, or genre fiction. Some have described the difference between them in terms of analyzing reality (literary) rather than escaping reality (popular). The contrast between these two subsets of fiction is controversial among critics and scholars.

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Dogville Lars Von Trier

Dogville is a 2003 Danish avant-garde drama film written and directed by Lars von Trier, and starring Nicole Kidman, Lauren Bacall, Chloë Sevigny, Paul Bettany, Stellan Skarsgård, Udo Kier, Ben Gazzara and James Caan. It is a parable that uses an extremely minimal, stage-like set to tell the story of Grace Mulligan (Kidman), a woman hiding from mobsters, who arrives in the small mountain town of Dogville, Colorado, and is provided refuge in return for physical labor. Because she has to win and retain the acceptance of every single one of the inhabitants of the town to be allowed to stay, any attempt by her to have her own way or to put a limit on her service risks driving her back out into the arms of the criminals. Although she has no power in herself, her stay there ultimately changes the lives of the local people and the town in many ways.

The film is the first in von Trier’s projected USA – Land of Opportunities trilogy, which was followed by Manderlay (2005) and is projected to be completed with Washington. The film was in competition for the Palme d’Or at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival[2] but Gus Van Sant‘s Elephant won the award. It was screened at various film festivals before receiving a limited release in the US on March 26, 2004.

Since its release, critics’ reception for Dogville has been polarized. Some have branded it as pretentious or incomprehensible, while others have labeled it a masterpiece. As part of the 2012 Sight & Sound polls, six critics and three directors named it one of the best films ever made.[3]