Look - A Stone Left Unturned!

Thus far we've discussed a number of aspects of Flaubert's novel; however, we certainly have not exhausted the work. What is one aspect of the novel (theme? character? passage? scene?) that class discussion did not touch on thoroughly (or at all), but which you feel demands attention?

"A poem should not mean,/ But be."

Of the poems we've studied over the past few weeks (consult the presentation list if necessary), which (other than yours) did you find the most memorable and/or meaningful? Why?

Free Indirect Discourse

We have discussed Flaubert's use of free indirect discourse in Madame Bovary. (For a reminder, here's a helpful link: http://everything2.com/title/Free%2520Indirect%2520Discourse) Cite a passage from the novel that illustrates the use of free indirect discourse and briefly explain how the author makes use of this narrative technique. (You may wish to use this link -- http://www.online-literature.com/gustave-flaubert/madame-bovary/ -- to access the text in order to simply copy and paste a passage. Be forewarned, however, that the translation is not the Lowell Bair translation that we've been using.)

Qui est Madame Bovary?

A quick "google images" search of "Emma Bovary" (or "Madame Bovary") turns up a multitude of images trying to capture the essence of the character. (1) Select the visual representation that you feel best captures the essence of (or, at least, some aspect of) Emma. (2) Either paste the image into your response or provide a link to the image. (3) Finally, explain why you chose the image you did. (That is, examine the quality or characteristic of Emma Bovary that is captured well by the actress, painting, portrait, photo, etc.)

Reality ... What a Concept!

Critic Lionel Trilling famously observed, "All prose fiction is a variation of the theme of Don Quixote." Indeed, throughout the Western literary tradition, novelists (like visual artists) have been forced to align themselves somewhere along a continuum that can be thought of in any number of permutations: Realism vs. Romanticism, Real vs. Imagined, Actual vs. Symbolic, What Is vs. What Could (or Should) Be, Fact vs. Fiction, External Truth vs. Internal Truth, etc. Another way of saying this is that every novelist must face the paradoxical task of how to convey truth through the medium of fiction.

What are your thoughts on this? You might address where a specific novel might fall in one of the continuums listed above or you might reflect on the very nature/role of novels themselves. (That is, why do we read novels? Is it to learn about our world or to escape from it?) You may even think about the relevance of this notion to the current television trend towards "reality shows"!

Assessment Assumptions

Think of the many different ways by which teachers have assessed you over the course of your schooling: objective quizzes/tests, open-ended quizzes/tests, essays (in-class and take-home), projects, presentations, etc. What are your thoughts on assessment? What types of assessment do you find most valid and/or valuable? What are least valid/valuable? (I'm not asking what you "like" best, or what's "most fun," though you can certainly mention that. What I'm more interested in is your opinion on what form(s) of assessment is/are the most educationally sound.)