Reminder for Wed., April 29th:

Read both Kerouac and Ashbery (which is a switch from last week). We will discuss in the following order: Ginsberg's "Howl", then Kerouac, then Ashbery.

Mimicking the Artist 1

Mimicking the Artist 1: (Civil Rights Era of America)
due: Monday, May 4, 2009

Guidelines:

- 1-2 page short story (perhaps one brief scene from a larger piece) that serves as a creative homage to a writer you admire (or don’t!).

- Can be an author we’ve read, or a writer you’ve read and feel you understand their literary techniques/writing style.

- Imitate/parody the author’s writing style – the literary device(s) that make them famous (plot, characters, language/dialect/syntax/word choice, dialogue, theme, symbolism, suspense, allegory/ etc.)

o At the top, on left-hand side, head your paper with:
       • Your name
       • Mimicking _______ (insert their name)
       • ID story and/or aspect of their writing you’re mimicking

Since we live in a Post-9/11 America, what issues are relevant today that you could represent through a piece of literature? Choose one of the authors we have read, or another established American author from the time period (1945-1980ish) we are working through in the first half of the quarter. How do they deal with their culture? How do we, as 2009 Americans, deal with ours? Imitate your author’s writing style and genre (poetry, drama, fiction, essayist?) but in your own voice. In other words, write a modern version or homage to one of the texts of that era.

The ubiquitous advice to burgeoning writers (even if forced to write!) is to be honest, and “write what you know.” However, leaving the statement at that is dangerous. Without context, it tells you to write with an authority of having the answers, when this is simply not the case What that statement really means is this:

Write from the reality and experiences of your life; what have you been through, what people in your life have gone through; what is the world you live in; what themes of humanity obsess you? What do you know, but not really know? What is worth exploring based on you and your experience?

Schedule Reminders/Clarifications:

1. Reader Response #2 is rescheduled for a later date! 

2. No Class, Friday, April 24th: for class attendance, e-mail me a quick response to James Balwin's "Going to Meet the Man" in which you contrast the thematic and stylistic choices between Baldwin and Ralph Ellison.

3. Week 4 Readings 

Monday, April 27th: "Postmodern Manifestos" (p. 2485); Allan Ginsberg's "Howl" (p. 2576) and "A Supermarket in California." (We will also spend some time discussing Baldwin and his writing.)

Wednesday: Frank O'Hara (p. 2590-2596); Berryman (p. 2273-2283)

Friday: Ashbery (p.2603 -2619); Kerouac (p. 2439-2459)

For Friday, 4/17:

Reader Response 1 (50 points): Concentration of Language

Due: Friday, April 17th

Pick one line of dialogue from one of the characters in Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire.

• It must be one sentence, or at most one segment (one turn in the back and forth between characters) of dialogue…but preferably not a long segment.
  

Explain and interpret how this one line represents different elements of the play*: the character speaking, the setting, the plot, and most importantly, how does this line indicate or foreshadow what happens to the character(s) by the end of the play.

*You don’t have to discuss “everything.” I really want you to focus – and focus on explaining that one line and how it represents the play (like Obama represents American history, or iPods represent 21st American culture) . . .

Tip of the Day: Be direct, avoid the “I” and focus on what the line and play and its characters. By being the writer, we know you are there, making the interpretation! You don’t need a long intro (3-4 sentences?), either – make your claim on what the line represents in the first sentence if that helps you get right into interpretation.

Guidelines: 1-2 pages, double-spaced, 12 point font (Times New Roman or other standard font); cite page numbers of quoted, paraphrased or summarized material.

Class Discussion, Wed., 4/15:

For Wednesday you are to have read the first five (5) scenes of Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire, as we'll begin discussing it then.

Also, we will discuss Jarrell's two poems from last class.

Class Discussion, Monday, 4/13:

Elizabeth Bishop, Stanley Kunitz and Randall Jarrell.

At least, this is the goal (at least the first two)!

Bishop (p. 2166): The Fish, At the Fishhouse and Questions of Travel

Kunitz (p. 2103): Father and Son, After the Last Dynasty, and Quinnapoxet

Jarrell (p. 2266): 90 North and The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner

For Wednesday, 4/8:

Below are the specific authors and poems we'll focus our first discussion around. They are not necessarily in the order that we will discuss them in class, so make sure to get at least one good reading of each poem.

Annotate each poem. It might be helpful to use a thesaurus or have an encyclopedia help you pick up allusions or define unfamiliar words and phrases.

Wednesday’s Heavy List:

Theodore Roethke:

- My Papa’s Waltz
- The Lost Son
- The Waking
- Elegy for Jane
- In a Dark Time

Robert Penn Warren:

- Audobon

Stanley Kunitz:

- Father and Son
- After the Last Dynasty
- Qunnapoxet
- The Wellfleet Whale

Randall Jarrell:

- 90 North
- The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner
- Thinking of the Lost World

Elizabeth Bishop:

- The Fish
- At the Fishhouses
- Questions of Travel
- One Art

Syllabus for Spring 2009