Elevator Pitch

Friends! Lovers! Neighbors! My name is Maddie Hayes, and I very much enjoy literature. Which you already know, given the title of my blog, but a fact is a fact, and facts bear repeating. I'm a sucker for a good book, a strange poem, a well crafted lie. You get it. What do I love more than literature, you ask? Great question, dear reader! Humans have reliably recycled words, stories, themes, and legends, in all kinds of ways, for eons. (Disclaimer: have not done the actual math. Math is not my forte. I digress). Why should you care that I love that? Well, to be honest with you- honesty is important in any great relationship!- you don't have to. There is no "should" in this particular corner of the internet. Feel free to sit there and scoff at the (beautiful, remarkable, truly fabulous) dork behind this post. Ready? I'll give you a moment. ... Okay. Back to my pitch! As a media hog nowhere near recovery, with a gorgeous little degree in English Lit, I can take y'all on a fun ride. The only thing better than tearing a movie to shreds? Backing up your trash talk with textual evidence, baby! I don't approve of gatekeeping "classic" literature. You don't have to be a scholar or a book snob to enjoy old, dusty, awesome stories. That's a myth, and it's not one I plan on retelling here. It's a damn shame that we've been taught to believe that reading is a chore, like matching your socks or eating your vegetables. Each story has its own distinct life cycle, and today's shows, musicals, and books can be carbon dated back hundreds, if not thousands, of years. I will help you understand the stories we've built our lives around. From Greek demigods to modern-day superheroes, "The Taming of the Shrew" to "Ten Things I Hate About You", there is a trace of the past in everything we come across, every day, whether we know it or not. We're gonna fish that needle out of the haystack, put it under a microscope, and figure out what the hell's so interesting about it. If you don't like to read, dozed off in English class, or didn't take the school route, this blog is for you. Are you disillusioned with art and culture? Do you find yourself bored of everything but your own reflection? This blog is for you. If you are an absolute rock and somehow able to resist my undeniable charm and admirable wit, you might say to me, "I don't like friends, or movies, or books, or opinions." To that I say: This! Blog! is! for YOU! Why? I'm a shameless self promoter, that's why, and I'm gonna get my way, damn it. Maddie Hayes, signing off. Let's swipe some books from their pedestals, crack 'em open, and have a little fun, shall we?