... nobody yet?
I think we were supposed to talk about how the structure changes throughout this section ...
what are your thoughts?
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Faulkner Firsts
In order to prepare for the Sound and the Fury, I'd like you to scour the internet to discover some facts about William himself. Faulkner's background and experiences are critical in establishing a context for the book. Once you have done this, post an interesting fact in the comment section! We will begin on Friday!
Monday, October 6, 2008
Final Thoughts on Native Son
We were supposed to blog tonight ... no one has yet ... I forget what we were supposed to blog about. oh geez. post here!
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
Violent Thoughts
Hi everyone!
I'm hoping to pose a few questions and make a few statements here in order to continue the thinking we began in class today.
Q: Do you think Americans have a unique obsession with violence? Why?
I think it is important for you to understand that there has been a long standing violent literary tradition, and that the violence showcased is reflective of certain historical conditions and characteristics. The growth of popular literacy created a mass audience entranced by suspense and subsequent action. In fact, Alexis de Tocqueville noted early that " a mass market is not conducive to a literature of nuances, understatement and delicate pleasures." American audiences do feed on exaggeration, emotion, and striking effect- and violence is intriguing. Charles Brockden Brown wrote of one character who is driven by the impulse to kill and another who laughs hysterically after killing his wife and family. James Fenimore Cooper has a long history of slaying myriad Native Americans. Poe tells tales of gore and gloom. Lippard writes a novel that includes six rapes and twice as many murders. Mellville describes murder. Hawthorne too. Huck Finn is eyewitness to two of the most unforgettable murders in literature. Bierce, Crane, London, Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Steinbeck, Warren-- all written legacies of violence.
In order to really understand the violence in the text, we need to examine the root of violence, the character of Bigger, and the function of narrative voice.
Q: What is the root of violence in the text?
Q: Bigger repeatedly says to himself that the accidental killing holds the "hidden meaning of his life...He had murdered and created a new life for himself. It was something that was all his own, and it was the first time in life he had anything that others could not take from him." Discuss the concept of killing as an "act of creation."
Q: How does narrative voice function in the novel?
Hope to see some great comments!
I'm hoping to pose a few questions and make a few statements here in order to continue the thinking we began in class today.
Q: Do you think Americans have a unique obsession with violence? Why?
I think it is important for you to understand that there has been a long standing violent literary tradition, and that the violence showcased is reflective of certain historical conditions and characteristics. The growth of popular literacy created a mass audience entranced by suspense and subsequent action. In fact, Alexis de Tocqueville noted early that " a mass market is not conducive to a literature of nuances, understatement and delicate pleasures." American audiences do feed on exaggeration, emotion, and striking effect- and violence is intriguing. Charles Brockden Brown wrote of one character who is driven by the impulse to kill and another who laughs hysterically after killing his wife and family. James Fenimore Cooper has a long history of slaying myriad Native Americans. Poe tells tales of gore and gloom. Lippard writes a novel that includes six rapes and twice as many murders. Mellville describes murder. Hawthorne too. Huck Finn is eyewitness to two of the most unforgettable murders in literature. Bierce, Crane, London, Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Steinbeck, Warren-- all written legacies of violence.
In order to really understand the violence in the text, we need to examine the root of violence, the character of Bigger, and the function of narrative voice.
Q: What is the root of violence in the text?
Q: Bigger repeatedly says to himself that the accidental killing holds the "hidden meaning of his life...He had murdered and created a new life for himself. It was something that was all his own, and it was the first time in life he had anything that others could not take from him." Discuss the concept of killing as an "act of creation."
Q: How does narrative voice function in the novel?
Hope to see some great comments!
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
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