Make-up Tests

I’ve set aside the following times during Finals Week for make-up tests. You may sign up to take any test that you missed. If you didn’t miss any, but would like to retake ONE of the tests (#1-#4), you may also do so. Either way, email me at jdudley@usd.edu by this Friday, May 2 to sign up for a time.

UPDATE

See below for room numbers:

Tuesday, May 6
3:30 pm - Dakota 13

Wednesday, May 7
11:00 am - Dakota 13
2:00 pm - Old Main 201

Thursday, May May 8
10:30 am - Dakota 13
1:00 pm - Dakota 13

Final Exam

A reminder that our final exam is scheduled for 12:30-2:30 pm on Tuesday, May 6. The exam will include questions on material from the entire semester, and the format will be much like the earlier tests. If you have any suggestions for topics or memorable passages, or if you have questions, please post them here, and I’ll try to respond or include them as possible.

Postmodernism

In class we discussed the characteristics of Postmodernism, as both a literary descriptions and a broader cultural phenomenon. A very good overview of some of the key ideas involved in Postmodernism can be found at this website maintained by Dr. Mary Klages, Associate Professor of English at the University of Colorado. Among the major critics who have defined Postmodernism is Frederic Jameson, who connects Postmodern art and literature to the rise of global capitalism, and the onslaught of marketing produced by our consumer-based society. Other important critics include Jean-Francois Lyotard (whom I mentioned in class), who sees Postmodernism as a reflection of new ways of defining knowledge in what “post-industrial” societies, and Jean Baudrillard, who suggests that we are surrounded by “simulacra,” or simulations, which rely on the suggestion of a coherent “original” that doesn’t really exist.

Donald Barthelme’s “The Balloon” is certainly a prime example of postmodern fiction. It’s very much about the act of reading and understanding, a story about reading a story, in other words. Like a lot of postmodern writing, it serves as a philosophical text more than a traditional “story.”

Grades and Links

The grades for Test #4 are posted on WebCT. As always, stop by my office hours with any questions.

Also, since technology let us down today, here are some links to a site where you can hear some poets read their work:
Allen Ginsberg
Adrienne Rich

Conformity and Individualism

The tension between conforming to what is perceived as “normal” and maintaining individual liberty is always a big issue in American literature and culture, but it seems particularly prominent in later 20th-century writing. What do these texts suggest about ways to successfully negotiate this problem? Writers such as Allen Ginsberg and Gwendolyn Brooks emerged from the apparently “conformist” 1950s with works and ideas that challenged the status quo in a number of ways, but which also reflected the existence or emergence of subcultures (or countercultures) that provided a sense of community and belonging to their members. How important are such communities in providing support for individuals who may not fit into “mainstream” society? Would the existence of some sense of community have helped, for instance, Darl or Blanche…? Moreover, does the fragmentation of postmodern America into an assortment of subcultures undermine or strengthen the culture as a whole?

The South

Several of the works we’ve read recently are set in the American South - As I Lay Dying, A Streetcar Named Desire, and “Good Country People.” All of these texts might be considered a part of the “Southern Literary Renaissance” of the 20th century. Why do you think so many significant writers and artists emerged from the South during this period, and what are some common themes or problems that you see connecting these texts?

A Streetcar Named Desire

Readers and audiences usually have strong reactions to the play: Who, if anybody, do you sympathize with here? All of the characters are certainly flawed in various ways. Is Blanche right that she understands Stanley better than Stella? What does she think she understands? You might also think about this in connection with Faulkner and his depiction of the South… Are both texts responding to some of the same social forces and upheavals?

Nostalgia

One of the themes that we’ve discussed in relation to modernism, and which also comes up in connection with the American South, is nostalgia. Certainly, in the early 20th century, a mythology of the agrarian South as a peaceful, harmonious place destroyed by the Civil War (as in, for instance, Gone With The Wind) offers a counterpoint to the alienation and confusion of modernity. It’s hard to see As I Lay Dying, however, as very nostalgic for the way of life that the Bundrens have experienced. While they embody the Northern stereotypes of “backward” Southerners, they also “belong” to the modern world in many ways, in their selfishness and materialism, for instance. The paradox here is that Darl the most “cosmopolitan” (in his own limited way) is the one who doesn’t belong to their future. As Cash says at the end of the novel, “This world is not his world” (1955). What is Faulkner saying about “this world” and where it’s going?

Test #3

The grades for Test #3 are now posted on WebCT. I’m a bit concerned that the class average for this text is down significantly from earlier tests… I’m considering various ways of addressing this, both in terms of offering some opportunity to improve your grade and as this relates to future tests. If you have any thoughts on this, please post them here, or email me privately. And, of course, stop by my office if you want to have a look at your test.

As I Lay Dying

If you’re finding the novel a bit confusing — and really, who wouldn’t? — you might take a look at some of the information on this page from William Faulkner on the Web, a site at the University of Mississippi.

Faulkner

As a couple of people have pointed out, I put the wrong page numbers for As I Lay Dying on the syllabus. My apologies! You should read up to 1889 for Thursday — I’ll update the posted schedule and correct the various problems as soon as I can. Thanks!

Race and Identity

Coincidentally enough, as we are reading and discussing a novel about the problems of being “neither black nor white, yet both,” I ran across an interesting article in the New York Times on this issue, and how it has been elevated in the public consciousness by the candidacy of Barack Obama. There seem to be some connections between this discussion and the issues that Nella Larsen raised in 1928. 80 years later, it’s interesting that this is presented as a “new dialogue” on the question of racial identity.

The Harlem Renaissance

Like any “renaissance,” the Harlem Renaissance involved a negotiation between the past and the present. In the case of African American artists and intellectuals, this negotiation was complicated by the limitations placed upon them in American society during the early 20th century. Despite these limitations, we see concerns in writers such as Hughes and Larsen that correspond to the issues raised by Cather, Pound, Frost, etc. What are some connections you see among the various kinds of modernism represented by these writers?

Updated Schedule

In the interests of my own sanity (and yours as well), I’ve decided to push back the schedule slightly. We will not be discussing Quicksand until this Thursday, and we’ll drop Glengarry, Glen Ross from the reading list. The last two tests will be pushed back to 4/1 and 4/21, respectively. The revised schedule is available at the course website, here: http://www.usd.edu/~jdudley/schedule.htm

Modernist Poetry

Among the key elements of Modernist literature in general are formal experimentation and the notion of an “avant-garde,” that is, a small group of artists and thinkers at the forefront of creative work whose ideas are ahead of popular tastes. Certainly writers such as Pound, Eliot, Stein, etc., were much less concerned with establishing a large audience than with challenging some of the conventions surrounding literature. For many people, their work remains challenging and difficult. What are some of your response to their work, and what conclusions can you draw from these responses?

Midterm Exam Grades

The grades for the midterm exam are posted on WebCT. Let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

My Antonia

Some issues you might respond to include the role of nostalgia and memory in the novel. To what extent do Jim’s memories of the past evoke a sense of nostalgia for a lost era? How important is the mythology of the “pioneer experience” to the novel (and/or to the culture of this part of the world…)? In what ways does the book provide a commentary on the way memory works? You might also consider the presence of the many embedded narratives within this novel. How do the stories of Pavel and Peter, Blind D’Arnault, Wick Cutter, etc., fit into the larger narrative? Can you sense a structure in the novel, in spite of the various digressions and tangents that come up?

For some interesting information about Cather, and about her significance in the state of Nebraska, take a look at the Willa Cather Foundation website.

Test #2

Grades for the second test are posted on WebCT. Feel free to stop by my office if you have questions or would like to look over the exam.

Du Bois and Chesnutt

Some questions to keep in mind as you read Du Bois and Chesnutt: What kind of a text is The Souls of Black Folk? How and why does Du Bois combine autobiography, non-fiction, and other forms? What does Du Bois mean by “double consciousness”? How does this idea describe the situation faced by African Americans (then or now)? Is it applicable, to some degree, to other groups of people as well? What does the image of the veil suggest about the notion of race as a category of identity? How does Chesnutt’s fiction demonstrate Du Bois’s idea of “double-consciousness”? How does Mr. Ryder’s dilemma metaphorically represent the choices faced by African Americans? How does Chesnutt use dialect and vernacular storytelling (compared to, say, Twain)?

Assimilation

The problem of what it means to be an “American” is one that several of these texts raise. In seeking to assimilate into a society that may not readily welcome them, writers who might be characterized as “other,” either due to race, religion, sexuality, etc., confront challenges to their sense of identity and subjectivity. Certainly, this theme is relevant to the work of Oskison and Zitkala-Sa. How do their texts address the problem of assimilation, and to what extent are the struggles they describe still relevant today?

Naturalism

Many readers and critics have dismissed literary naturalism as “pessimistic determinism” - an approach that denies the potential for individual freedom and that see human beings as helpless to control their own destiny. At the same time, others read works such as the stories we have read by Crane and London as affirming the values of humanism that arise out of the rational philosophies of the Nineteenth Century. What is your response to these stories of successful and unsuccessful survival? What, if anything, is “instructive” (to use Crane’s term) or compelling about these stories?

Garland and Cahan

Hamlin Garland and Abraham Cahan both dedicated themselves to chronicling the difficulties encountered by immigrants, working people, and others who were often neglected in the pages of literary magazines. Although their characters and settings are quite different, what do you see in common between the work of these writers?

Some interesting websites:
A history of the Daily Forward, Cahan’s newspaper
A photo essay of Garland’s boyhood home in Iowa

Grades

Grades for Test #1 should be posted on WebCT. Let me know if you are unable to view your grade. (fyi: the number is out of 25 points)

Sample Test Questions

Here are some examples of the kinds of questions that might appear on Thursday’s test

The Awakening

It’s always interesting to me to see how readers react to the character of Edna. In my experience, many readers today have a hard time sympathizing in any way with Edna’s situation. To some extent, the limitations placed on wives and mothers during the late 19th and early 20th centuries are quite different from our cultural context, which perhaps explains some of this. Edna, to be sure, makes some very bad decisions and is presented in an objective, uncompromising light, but what are some of the forces that lead her astray?

Map of Rome

As promised, here a link to see where Daisy and Winterbourne walked to meet Mr. Giovanelli in Rome (You can also find the Colosseum nearby if you’re interested…). There’s also this interesting art exhibition from the J. Paul Getty Museum on “The Grand Tour” that provides some historical context, as well as some nice images.

PowerPoints

As requested, I’ve made the PowerPoint Presentations available on WebCT. If you have trouble locating them please let me know.

Daisy Miller

Some questions and issues you might think about:
Twain and James are both considered archetypal “Realists,” yet there are many obvious differences between their texts. What are connections or distinctions, in terms of style, subject matter, thematic concerns, etc.? How does each author rely on irony as a rhetorical device, and what is the effect of this irony? If Huck represents a certain kind of “American,” in what ways does Daisy represent another typically American figure? How is the word “American” used and invoked within the text? What kind of a narrator is Winterbourne? What role does social class play in the novel, and how do such factors as style, taste, language, national identity, and money intersect with the idea of class? How does the oft-repeated maxim that “knowledge is power” emerge within this story?

Links

A fascinating website that you might find useful is “Mark Twain in His Times,” maintained by Professor Stephen Railton at the University of Virginia. There you’ll find a lot of information about Twain (Sam Clemens) himself, as well as the historical contexts surrounding the publication of the novel. Some other interesting sites include The Mark Twain House & Museum in Hartford, Connecticut and PBS’s website devoted to Ken Burns’s documentary about Twain.

The ending…

Many critics have complained about the so-called “evasion episode” at the end of Huck Finn. Does Tom’s return undermine any development that Huck has experienced as a character? Many readers find it frustrating that Huck fails to stand up to Tom’s increasingly idiotic “plans” to free Jim. Given Huck’s dramatic decision to “go to hell” rather than turn Jim in, it seems strange that he won’t just help Jim escape, instead of going along with Tom. What explanation do you have for this?