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.