Your New Year's Literary Resolution

In anticipation of the New Year, I'd like to hear your resolution for a work of literature that you're planning to read sometime in 2009, along with an explanation of why you feel you need to read it.

Napoleon or a Louse?

What are your thoughts concerning Raskolnikov's theory propounded in Part III, Ch. 5 of the novel? Does the theory have any validity? Is Raskolnikov himself extraordinary or ordinary? Should anyone be granted "extraordinary" status in terms of having the right to transgress accepted moral boundaries?

Trust Thyself

Trust thyself: Every heart vibrates to that iron string. Accept the place the divine Providence has found for you; the society of your contemporaries, the connection of events. Great men have always done so and confided themselves childlike to the genius of their age, betraying their perception that the absolutely trustworthy was seated at their heart, working through their hands, predominating in all their being.
– Ralph Waldo Emerson (“Self-Reliance”)

Would Dostoevsky agree or disagree with Emerson? Explain ...

Books That Changed the World

It is almost a cliche to talk about how "books can change the world." However, this morning at the Beinecke Rare Book Library we had the opportunity to view original editions of books and manuscripts that truly did change the world, including the First Folio of Shakespeare, the Gutenberg Bible, Darwin's The Origin of Species, the Luther (German) Bible, Hitler's Mein Kampf, Thomas More's annotated prayer book, and the jottings of Galileo, Newton, and George Washington. Which work impressed you the most, and why? Or, if you prefer, what book would you have liked to see, but didn't, and why?

(Note that even those who did not attend the field trip can respond to the second question.)

"Life doesn't imitate art, it imitates bad television.”

(Woody Allen)

The other day in class you received a printed copy of a list of responses to a question posed by the Yale Art Gallery: "What is art and why does it matter?" (The link is below if you misplaced the list.) Now's your chance to respond. So what is art? And why does it matter?

(You may choose to respond without reading the list - or previous bloggers' responses - in order to ensure that your answer is yours, and is not affected by someone else's response.)

http://artgallery.yale.edu/pages/whatisart/what_openhouse.html).

An Offer You Can't Refuse ...

Today in class we watched a scene from The Godfather and briefly discussed some of the techniques the director, Francis Ford Coppola, used to heighten the tension and suspense in the scene. Review a suspenseful scene from a movie you've previously seen. Then, comment on some of the film techniques used by the director to help achieve the desired effect in the scene. (Please include the title and director of the film you choose to address.)

2006 AP Free-Response Question #3

In many works of literature, a physical journey -the literal movement from one place to another - plays a central role. Choose a novel, play, or epic poem in which a physical journey is an important element and discuss how the journey adds to the meaning of the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary.

(Briefly sketch out an argument for addressing the prompt above by referring to a specific work of literary merit.)

Something is rotten in the state of Petersburg.

Literary critic Michael Salerni has asserted that Raskolnikov and Hamlet "should get a room." Surely it is ridiculous to suggest that these two disparate characters are cut from the same cloth, just as it is ludicrous to suggest that there are correlations between Shakespeare's tragedy and Dostoevsky's novel.

Please, prove me wrong. (For the sake of involving as many people as possible, please limit your response to ONE specific point of connection and please refer specifically to Crime and Punishment, preferably citing a passage from the novel.)

You Never Get a Second Chance ...

... to make a first impression. So what's your first impression of Crime and Punishment? You might focus on Dostoevsky's style, the character of Raskolnikov (or another character), the novel's Petersburg setting, or a particular passage or idea presented in the first two chapters of the novel. You might also choose to pose a question about or provide an analysis of the novel thus far.

(We can use the comments below as a starting point for discussion of the beginning of the novel on Monday 12/1.)

VFA (Vocabulary For A.P. Students)

Today in class we briefly discussed the practice A.P. multiple choice questions for the poems "An Epitaph," "Sestina," and "The Habit of Perfection." Some students expressed a bit of frustration at being stumped by challenging vocabulary or somewhat obscure literary terms. Please cite a particular word/term that caused a problem for you (including poem and question number), then provide a definition or explanation. No repeats, please!

(Sorry for the disturbing visual, but I couldn't pass it up!)

2002 AP Free-Response Question #3 (Form B)

Often in literature a character's success in achieving goals depends on keeping a secret and divulging it only at the right moment, if at all. Choose a novel or play of literary merit that requires a character to keep a secret. In a well-organized essay, briefly explain the necessity for secrecy and how the character's choice to reveal or keep the secret affects the plot and contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole.

Please identify the work of literature you'd choose in addressing the prompt and briefly sketch out an abstract for your argument. (Obviously, you're not writing an essay here, but rather conveying your thoughts on how you'd approach the essay question.)

Dublimericks

Today in class we read the “Dublimericks” created by Bernard Benstock and Michael J. O'Shea. Please add your own limerick (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limerick_(poetry) in which you provide a capsule summary of a work of literature (or, if you'd prefer, a single aspect of that work). If the work is not immediately recognizable to us, please identify it. Also, just because someone has already written a limerick on a work of literature doesn't mean you can't write on that one as well. Good luck and have fun!

"The Abstract and Brief Chronicles of the Time" Part II

This past Tuesday night, we witnessed history in the making. It seems that everyone - politicians, historians, pundits, writers, celebrities - is trying to weigh in and capture the magnitude of the moment. Please attach a quote from someone that you think accurately puts into perspective the significance of this moment in history and explain your thoughts on why you selected the particular quotation.


Please note: This is not meant to be a discussion of issues or politics as usual, but rather a recognition of a cultural/historical moment that transcends political opinion and political party. If the election had turned out otherwise, we still would would be talking about a moment of cultural and historical importance, only in terms of gender rather than race.

"The Abstract and Brief Chronicles of the Time" Part I

Your turn to play critic! Briefly, what did you think of the performance of Hamlet at St. Joseph's College? If possible, try to limit your comment(s) in scope to a single actor, scene, or aspect of the performance. Feel free to praise, criticize, or simply note an observation or two.

Joyce to the World!

An easy one to begin November: What's your favorite story in Dubliners and why? (Don't feel you need to wait until the end of the collection to post - write whenever you feel inspired about a particular story!) For this post, feel free to answer the question as is; in other words, it's OK to respond here on an emotional/ personal/subjective level, as I'm asking for your favorite story, rather than the "best" story. I am, however, interested in the "why." (Incidentally, if your answer is "none of them," then please refrain from posting...)

Forget that CAPT "Good Literature" question ....

... when dealing with James Joyce, we're dealing with GREAT literature. Granted, Joyce is difficult. While Dubliners is certainly accessible, even in these early stories it will become clear that Joyce demands more of his readers than most writers do. His first novel, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, is readable, though tough going at times. As for his two epic works, Ulysses and Finnegans Wake, Joyce seems to make good on his famous challenge: "The only demand I make of my reader is that he should devote his whole life to reading my works."

I am curious as to your thoughts on the connection between the difficulty of a text and the value of that text. Does a work have to be complex and difficult to be considered "great"? Can "easy" works of literature that require little effort provide readers with the full, rich experiences we expect from "great" works of literature? If possible, please refer to specific texts in your comments.

"Words, words, words" (II, ii, 210)

OK, so here's your chance to have the "last word" on Hamlet. (Well, not really, but I like the way that sounds.) Since Hamlet is arguably the most quotable and oft-quoted play of the most quotable and oft-quoted writer in the English language, I'd like to hear your favorite quote from the play. That is, what's the play's most meaningful or most memorable passage to you and why? (Note: If you say "To be or not to be," you will be automatically barred from further participation on this blog due to lameness of response.)

Just a Memento Mori

Just how useful is it to meditate on death? In her Hamlet and Revenge, critic Eleanor Prosser posits that Chrisitan tradition views "meditating on the death of the body [as] but a preparation for meditating on the more important truth: the eternal life of the soul" (225). Do you agree? To what extent must we be always conscious of our physical mortality in order to live rich, productive lives?

The "F" Word

Forget for a second the feminist literary approaches. I'm curious as to how you understand the feminist movement itself. Is feminism merely a topic to be studied in a history course, its aims already having been achieved? Or is feminism still a vital and relevant cultural and sociological movement?

Oedipus Wreckage

According to Bernard Knox, Sophocles's play "presents us with a terrible affirmation of man's subordinate position in the universe, and at the same time with a heroic vision of man's victory in defeat." Is this apparent paradox resolvable? Also, you might wish to explore the ramifications of Knox's comments on Hamlet, or, for that matter, on life itself.

Freud: Fraud?

You have just read some of the basics of Freud's theories of human behavior and of literature (including Ernest Jones's Freudian interpretation of Hamlet). I am curious as to your thoughts concerning the validity of Freudian theory, from some of his specific arguments to the field of psychoanalysis in general. Go ahead. Fire away.

Critics on Hamlet

Have you read any interesting critical commentaries with regard to Hamlet? Do tell! (If possible, provide a link!)

Hamlet: Saint or Sinner?

In Hamlet, as in life, morality can often be rather ambiguous. What aspects of the play point toward this notion of moral ambiguity? Are we to view Hamlet himself as primarily an agent of good or evil? Can you think of another fictional character who embodies the notion of moral ambiguity?

Hamlet ... Why the delay?

Just why does Hamlet wait so long to enact his vengeance??? Feel free to cite established theories or to come up with one of your own.