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Faulkner and American Modernism

Wanted to share a few items to get you thinking as you explore Faulkner.

The first is a piece of art, Picasso's Guernica. Think of As I Lay Dying as Faulkner's Guernica--a deliberate and provocative disruption of traditional ideals of artistic coherence and perspective designed to provoke us to question our cultural assumptions. For Picasso, the target is war. For Faulkner, the primary target to me seems the American family but critics have seen Faulkner offering a powerful critique of the American south, race, class, religion, sexuality, the land, and more. The key to reading both texts is to reflect on what the author might be trying to achieve by "messing with your head" in the ways that Picasso and Faulkner do.

One key difference to keep in mind: Faulkner deliberately employs humor and irony in ways that Picasso does not, but both works deeply invest themselves in narrative disruption and perspective manipulation--and that gives us a starting point for thinking about one as a visual gateway to the other.

The second is the best Faulkner web site around--I encourage you to explore it for background and other goodies that may intrigue you. Faulkner studies is something of a cult among literary critics and aficionados and I think this site reveals some of the best and worst things about such lunacy.

Here is the Monday game plan:

1. Some discussion of ee cummings and Marianne Moore poetry

2. A first exploration of Faulkner's As I Lay Dying from a Modernist perspective

3. A brief Awaking quiz, so make sure you bring your annotated text!

4. Sign ups for Verbal Exam #1

See you tomorrow,

Jim

Paper Extension Until Wednsday

Dear American Lit Scholars:

A few hours after our class on Wednesday, I was diagnosed with bronchial pneumonia by my friends at Kaiser. I have basically been asleep since then (yes, like a "patient etherized upon a table") and am only now coming back to life! I will be good to go by class time on Monday, so I wanted to share some thoughts about our next adventures...

As I think about next week, I cannot imagine any way that I will begin grading your essays before the end of the week, so  you may all certainly take until Wednesday to complete them--no sense me collecting them on Monday when I will not begin grading them until after Wednesday at the earliest.

In my crazed state in class on Wednesday, I did not preview this coming week's reading: the comic, chilling, demented Modernist masterpiece As I Lay Dying. Faulkner's novel is another benchmark in literary Modernism--and to some degree does the American family what Prufrock does to romantic love and desire. Yes, it's another heartwarming tale!

I will be posting some more notes on Faulkner later today, but my most urgent message to you about the text is not to worry if you feel confused. You are supposed to! As you work your way--or should I say stumble in horrified and I hope amused confusion--remember that for this text it is ok to "cheat" and look at one of the many friendly plot summary tools you can find on the web--from Wikipedia to Spark notes--to reassure yourself that what you think is going on is what is actually happening (you will be right 99% of the time but having someone else agree with you is reassuring!).

More later...

Did You Miss Me Today?

I hope you missed having class today as much as I did? (Who are these presidents, anyway, and what gives them the write to come between us and our learning experience!).

I am posting two documents that I would like you to look over before class on Wednesday.

The first is our rubric for our first paper: Download Huckfinnrubric

And the second is a combined week 3 and 4 class preparation form that I would like you to try to fill out as much as you can of before you come to class on Wednesday (obviously, you cannot fill out the description of your work in class on Wednesday, but the rest you can do ahead of time): Download Pp3_4

I will be returning the 600 word drafts you turned in last week on Wednesday with a rubric score and a few brief comments.

I look forward to talking about the end of Huck Finn in class on Wednesday!

Jim

Powerpoints

On class days when I use a powerpoint in class, I will also post a copy here:

1/25 Download 1_25

2/1 Download 2_1_2010

2/8 Download 2_8

2/10 Download 2_10

Please email me if you have any questions about these powerpoints.

Thanks,

Jim

Spring 2010 Texts Information

The reading list for our journey through American literature this spring is long. To help you try to save money and fully explore your options, I am posting this information about texts you need to buy for the course now (we will be reading other texts that are freely available on web sites, but since you will not need to purchase those I do not list them here).

All of our texts are available in the bookstore: Lit 251 Texts In Bookstore

If you buy everything on our list from the bookstore, the texts add up to roughly $80.00. I know that seems high, but for an upper-division literature course (and please remember that American Literature 251 is an upper-division lit course), we simply have to read a wide range of texts. In all cases but one, I have chosen the cheapest printed text available (the one exception is our first text, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which I discuss below).

You may be able to save money by checking new and used prices online, so for each of our texts I have provided an image, an ISBN number, the date by which you will need the text for the class, some price information, and an Amazon link (listed below with images and ISBN numbers). I am not recommending Amazon in any way, but Amazon's site is a good place to gather information and begin your search for alternatives to the bookstore.

If you buy online--either from the bookstore or somewhere else, make sure you will have the text by the date we need it for the class. We do not need most of our texts until later in the semester, but you need our specific edition of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn right away. This is a scholarly edition that has detailed, unique, and illuminating scholarly footnotes about the biographical and cultural contexts of the text that will be central to our discussions, quizzes, and paper about the book.

Because the text is more expensive than other editions and because you will need this book right away to succeed in the class, I am offering a $5 book scholarship to anyone who brings the correct edition of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (see details below) to the second day of class. This scholarship will bring the text price down to the cost of most cheaper editions; but remember, you must have the text by the second day of class!

I know times are tough--believe me I know--so if a pressing financial need or situation makes it difficult for you to purchase these texts, please contact me to explore options to help you (jimsullivan@miracosat.edu). I do not want anyone to miss out on this class because of text book costs. And I will do everything I can to help any students in a particularly difficult situation.

Mark Twain
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
University of California Press, 2001
Date Needed for Class: Right away!
We will begin discussing the book on our second day!
MiraCosta Boostore: Used $15.00
Amazon: New $13.57
Used Online from $2.00
ISBN: 978-0-520-22838-2

Amazon Link

• • • • • • • • • •

 Kate Chopin
The Awakening
Dover
Date Needed In Class: Wednesday February 17
MiraCosta Bookstore / Amazon: New $2.00
Used from $.34
ISBN: 978-0486277868
Amazon Link

• • • • • • • • • •

William Faulkner
As I Lay Dying
Vintage, 1991
Date Needed in Class: Wednesday March 3
MiraCosta Bookstore: Used $9.75
Amazon: New $9.23
Used Online from $2.40
ISBN: 978-0679732259
Amazon Link

• • • • • • • • • •

Ralph Ellison
Invisible Man
Vintage
Date Needed In Class: Wednesday March 15
MiraCosta Bookstore: Used $10.50
Amazon: New $10.17
Used Online from
ISBN: 978-0679732761

Amazon Link

• • • • • • • • • •

Eugene O'Neill
Long Day's Journey Into Night
Yale
Date Needed in Class: Monday April 12
MiraCosta Bookstore: New $12.95
Amazon: New $9.07
Used online from $2.50
ISBN: 978-0300093056
Amazon Link

• • • • • • • • • •

Toni Morrison
Sula
Vintage
Date Needed in Class: Wednesday April 28
MiraCosta Bookstore: New $14.00
Amazon: New 9.89
Used online from 4.50
ISBN: 978-1400033430
Amazon Link

• • • • • • • • • •

 
Leslie Marmon Silko
Ceremony
Penguin
Date Needed in Class: Wednesday May 5
MiraCosta Bookstore: New $16.00
Amazon: New $10.40
Used online from 8.50
ISBN: 978-0143104919
Amazon Link