I'm reading some position papers just this afternoon and I came across a good, apt phrase in Jen Green's paper: "hypertextual climax." As passage in The Public Burning, at p. 409, she says, "enacts the hypertextual climax of the novel," and that passage is the one in which the Sing Sing warden talks about "billions and billions of words [that] get spoken every day."
Although Coover's writings are not hypertexts per se (I mean, not literally linked--as on the web--so that readers can explore along 1,000 paths), Jen here--and we in our discussion the past two weeks--points out that "traditional" writing (page-to-page sequencing in a printed book) can have about it a fundamental hypertextual quality.
It must be radically open to do this, such as (in Jen's words) "a dialogue in which characters use words to talk about words."
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Thursday, January 22, 2009
the folklore index Coover used
Coover used to have his students use the Motif-Index of Folk Literature, by Stith Thompson. The full title is "Motif-index of folk-literature; a classification of narrative elements in folktales, ballads, myths, fables, mediaeval romances, exempla, fabliaux, jest-books, and local legends."
The index is a categorical compilation of common and uncommon motifs from a wide range of literary traditions and genres, spanning thousands of years and many cultures. Each entry will name a motif, such as magic carpets, and list occurences of that motif in the literature covered (it directs you to an entry in some bibliography of folklore, usually). It was originally published in 1932-1937. A revised and expanded edition was released in 1955.
The work is a highly regarded and well-loved resource among students of folklore -- definitely the gold standard for reference works on this sort of thing, of which there are quite a few (Motif-Index of Early Irish Literature; Motif-Index of Polynesian, Pelonesian, and Micronesian Narratives, etc.). All the more specialized indexes use Thompson's system of organization.
* Thanks to Ben Wiebracht for researching this reference work.
The index is a categorical compilation of common and uncommon motifs from a wide range of literary traditions and genres, spanning thousands of years and many cultures. Each entry will name a motif, such as magic carpets, and list occurences of that motif in the literature covered (it directs you to an entry in some bibliography of folklore, usually). It was originally published in 1932-1937. A revised and expanded edition was released in 1955.
The work is a highly regarded and well-loved resource among students of folklore -- definitely the gold standard for reference works on this sort of thing, of which there are quite a few (Motif-Index of Early Irish Literature; Motif-Index of Polynesian, Pelonesian, and Micronesian Narratives, etc.). All the more specialized indexes use Thompson's system of organization.
* Thanks to Ben Wiebracht for researching this reference work.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
snack schedule
January 26: Lauren
February 2: Molly
February 9: Harry
February 16: Ellie
February 23 (Coover visit): Eric & Jane
March 2: Kristen
March 16: Charlotte
March 23: Kim
March 30 (Didion visit): Lindsay & Emily
April 6: Meryl
April 13: Emma
April 20: Vince
April 27 (Gordon visit): Cat & Jen
February 2: Molly
February 9: Harry
February 16: Ellie
February 23 (Coover visit): Eric & Jane
March 2: Kristen
March 16: Charlotte
March 23: Kim
March 30 (Didion visit): Lindsay & Emily
April 6: Meryl
April 13: Emma
April 20: Vince
April 27 (Gordon visit): Cat & Jen
Friday, January 16, 2009
special projects
1. Read Robert Coover’s first novel, The Origin of the Bruinists and write a summary and analysis of the book of the sort that will help those who have not read it but want to know how it relates to the other works we are reading. Be sure to consider the fact that this was his literary debut. (DUE 2/9) Charlotte
2. Read Robert Coover’s novella Whatever Happened to Gloomy Gus of the Chicago Bears and write an analysis of the piece and compare it to The Public Burning. In this report, discuss “magic realism” and how it specifically relates to these books. (DUE 2/2) Nobody
3. Write a report on the Electronic Literature Organization, which Robert Coover co-founded in 1999. Include a history/overview of the ELO, along with information about how its creation and existence has changed electronic and experimental literature generally. In September 2008 Coover gave a keynote lecture in Norway on electronic literature; what was that talk about? Finally, consider the ELO in the context of Coover the writer. The first thing to do here is contact Nick Monfort (at MIT) and interview him at length about ELO, Coover’s connection, and related matters. (DUE 2/9) Alex
4. Write a report on the influence and impact Robert Coover has had on the development of hyperfiction/hypertext/electronic writing studies at Brown University and on the general impact Brown’s program has had nationally and internationally. (Confer with the person writing the ELO report [see just above] and work with him/her to avoid duplication.) Go carefully through both undergraduate and graduate courses in digital writing and related topics at Brown. Read about their faculty involved in this area (e.g. John Cayley, a great digital artist/programmer, brought to Brown by Coover). Present the whole picture of this kind of art and teaching at Brown and its general effect. How has Coover shaped the development of this field by attracting artists and scholars to Brown, developing curriculum and new courses? Coover created the pioneer electronic writing (hypertext fiction) workshops at Brown in 1990-91, so find out about those. He has worked since 2002 with writers, composers, artists, modelers, and programmers in the immersive virtual reality of Brown’s “Cave” in a workshop called “Cave Writing.” What is the “Cave” and what is “Cave Writing”? To help you with this, email various Brown people involved in these activities – interview them and learn as much as you can about his role. (DUE 2/9) Vince
5. Contact Coover by email and try to get him to discuss his passion for writing about childhood, childhood memory, children’s tales, legends/folk tales, old-time movies, etc. Use what he says to help you contemplate the whole array of his writing that deals with these subjects and/or uses this mode. Look at summaries of his books and pick some texts that deal with these subjects that we are not reading and/or that might not be otherwise listed in any of these special projects. Of course you can also work with texts we are reading, like A Night at the Movies & A Child Again. (DUE 2/16) Sam
6. Read Robert Coover’s Gerald’s Party and write a summary & analysis of the book of the sort that will help those who have not read it but want to know how it relates to the other works we are reading and to our understanding of Coover in general. (DUE 2/9) Jane
7. Read Robert Coover’s collection of fictions Pricksongs and Descants: Fictions and write a summary and analysis of the collection of the sort that will help those who have not read it but want to know how it relates to the other works we are reading and to our understanding of Coover in general. What reputation did and does Pricksongs and Descants have – among critics and among other writers? (DUE 2/16) Jen
8. Contact Robert Coover’s son Roderick by email and interview him (by email, phone or in person – he’s a professor at Temple) about his father. Talk about his father’s influence on his own career, particularly with regard to his recent radioplay adaptation of Gerald’s Party. (DUE 2/16) Cat
9. Read Robert Coover’s Stepmother and write a summary & analysis of the sort that will help those who have not read it but want to know how it relates to the other works we are reading and to our understanding of Coover in general. (DUE 2/9) Lauren
10. Watch as many films written by Joan Didion as you can and report back to us on them. Also look for interviews Didion gave about these films. Her films include The Panic In Needle Park, Play It As It Lays, A Star is Born (1976 version), True Confessions and Up Close and Personal. (See IMDB.com for complete list.) Describe her collaboration with her late husband, John Gregory Dunne. Contact the producer/director Jon Avnet and learn about his work with Didion and Dunne on Up Close and Personal and about his relationship with Didion in general. Try to get a copy of the screenplay of any of the films she has written; if you get one, read it closely and tell us about it. (DUE 3/2) Pamela
11. Read Joan Didion’s collection of essays Slouching Towards Bethlehem and write a summary and analysis of the book of the sort that will help those who have not read it but want to know how it relates to the other works we are reading and to our understanding of Didion in general. (DUE 3/16) Lily
12. Read the theatrical version of Joan Didion’s The Year of Magical Thinking and write a report outlining the differences between the original book and the play. Also, include information on the play’s production and run on Broadway from articles and interviews with Joan Didion and Vanessa Redgrave. (DUE 3/23) Emma
13. Read Joan Didion’s collection of essays The White Album and write a summary and analysis of the book of the sort that will help those who have not read it but want to know how it relates to the other works we are reading and to our understanding of Didion in general. (DUE 3/23) Kim
14. Read Joan Didion’s Salvador and write a summary and analysis of the book of the sort that will help those who have not read it but want to know how it relates to the other works we are reading and to our understanding of Didion in general. (DUE 3/16) Emily
15. Read Fixed Ideas: America Since 9/11 and as many of Joan Didion’s political articles & essays from the last several years as you can find. Write a report that summarizes what you’ve read. Discuss Didion’s place in the political/literary sphere. Consider how her politics have influenced her books and her writing career in general. What is Didion’s reputation as a writer about American politics – a journalist of sorts? (DUE 3/16) Harry
16. Read Joan Didion’s The Last Thing He Wanted and write a summary & analysis of the book that will help those who have not read it but want to know how it relates to the other works we are reading and to our understanding of Didion in general. (DUE 3/23) Eric
17. Read Joan Didion’s After Henry and write a summary and analysis of the book of the sort that will help those who have not read it but want to know how it relates to the other works we are reading and to our understanding of Didion in general. (DUE 3/23) Molly
18. Read Mary Gordon’s Final Payments and write a summary & analysis of the book of the sort that will help those who have not read it but want to know how it relates to the other works we are reading and to our understanding of Gordon in general. (DUE 4/6) Whitney
19. Read Mary Gordon’s Joan of Arc and write a summary and analysis of the book of the sort that will help those who have not read it but want to know how it relates to the other works we are reading and to our understanding of Gordon in general. (DUE 4/6) Ellie
20. Read Mary Gordon’s The Company of Women and write a summary & analysis of the book that will help those who have not read it but want to know how it relates to the other works we are reading and to our understanding of Gordon in general. (DUE 4/13) Nobody!
21. Read The Stories of Mary Gordon and write a summary & analysis of the book that will help those who have not read it but want to know how it relates to the other works we are reading and to our understanding of Gordon in general. (DUE 4/20) Kristen
22. Contact Kate Levin, for starters, and then anyone else at Barnard whom you know or can find, and report to us on Mary Gordon’s presence at Barnard. What courses does she teach? How explicit is/was her feminism in its impact on the literature or writing curriculum, or in her activities on campus. What is her role at Barnard? What kind of teacher is she? What books does she teach when she teaches literature? (DUE 4/13) Lindsay
2. Read Robert Coover’s novella Whatever Happened to Gloomy Gus of the Chicago Bears and write an analysis of the piece and compare it to The Public Burning. In this report, discuss “magic realism” and how it specifically relates to these books. (DUE 2/2) Nobody
3. Write a report on the Electronic Literature Organization, which Robert Coover co-founded in 1999. Include a history/overview of the ELO, along with information about how its creation and existence has changed electronic and experimental literature generally. In September 2008 Coover gave a keynote lecture in Norway on electronic literature; what was that talk about? Finally, consider the ELO in the context of Coover the writer. The first thing to do here is contact Nick Monfort (at MIT) and interview him at length about ELO, Coover’s connection, and related matters. (DUE 2/9) Alex4. Write a report on the influence and impact Robert Coover has had on the development of hyperfiction/hypertext/electronic writing studies at Brown University and on the general impact Brown’s program has had nationally and internationally. (Confer with the person writing the ELO report [see just above] and work with him/her to avoid duplication.) Go carefully through both undergraduate and graduate courses in digital writing and related topics at Brown. Read about their faculty involved in this area (e.g. John Cayley, a great digital artist/programmer, brought to Brown by Coover). Present the whole picture of this kind of art and teaching at Brown and its general effect. How has Coover shaped the development of this field by attracting artists and scholars to Brown, developing curriculum and new courses? Coover created the pioneer electronic writing (hypertext fiction) workshops at Brown in 1990-91, so find out about those. He has worked since 2002 with writers, composers, artists, modelers, and programmers in the immersive virtual reality of Brown’s “Cave” in a workshop called “Cave Writing.” What is the “Cave” and what is “Cave Writing”? To help you with this, email various Brown people involved in these activities – interview them and learn as much as you can about his role. (DUE 2/9) Vince
5. Contact Coover by email and try to get him to discuss his passion for writing about childhood, childhood memory, children’s tales, legends/folk tales, old-time movies, etc. Use what he says to help you contemplate the whole array of his writing that deals with these subjects and/or uses this mode. Look at summaries of his books and pick some texts that deal with these subjects that we are not reading and/or that might not be otherwise listed in any of these special projects. Of course you can also work with texts we are reading, like A Night at the Movies & A Child Again. (DUE 2/16) Sam
6. Read Robert Coover’s Gerald’s Party and write a summary & analysis of the book of the sort that will help those who have not read it but want to know how it relates to the other works we are reading and to our understanding of Coover in general. (DUE 2/9) Jane
7. Read Robert Coover’s collection of fictions Pricksongs and Descants: Fictions and write a summary and analysis of the collection of the sort that will help those who have not read it but want to know how it relates to the other works we are reading and to our understanding of Coover in general. What reputation did and does Pricksongs and Descants have – among critics and among other writers? (DUE 2/16) Jen
8. Contact Robert Coover’s son Roderick by email and interview him (by email, phone or in person – he’s a professor at Temple) about his father. Talk about his father’s influence on his own career, particularly with regard to his recent radioplay adaptation of Gerald’s Party. (DUE 2/16) Cat
9. Read Robert Coover’s Stepmother and write a summary & analysis of the sort that will help those who have not read it but want to know how it relates to the other works we are reading and to our understanding of Coover in general. (DUE 2/9) Lauren
10. Watch as many films written by Joan Didion as you can and report back to us on them. Also look for interviews Didion gave about these films. Her films include The Panic In Needle Park, Play It As It Lays, A Star is Born (1976 version), True Confessions and Up Close and Personal. (See IMDB.com for complete list.) Describe her collaboration with her late husband, John Gregory Dunne. Contact the producer/director Jon Avnet and learn about his work with Didion and Dunne on Up Close and Personal and about his relationship with Didion in general. Try to get a copy of the screenplay of any of the films she has written; if you get one, read it closely and tell us about it. (DUE 3/2) Pamela
11. Read Joan Didion’s collection of essays Slouching Towards Bethlehem and write a summary and analysis of the book of the sort that will help those who have not read it but want to know how it relates to the other works we are reading and to our understanding of Didion in general. (DUE 3/16) Lily
12. Read the theatrical version of Joan Didion’s The Year of Magical Thinking and write a report outlining the differences between the original book and the play. Also, include information on the play’s production and run on Broadway from articles and interviews with Joan Didion and Vanessa Redgrave. (DUE 3/23) Emma
13. Read Joan Didion’s collection of essays The White Album and write a summary and analysis of the book of the sort that will help those who have not read it but want to know how it relates to the other works we are reading and to our understanding of Didion in general. (DUE 3/23) Kim
14. Read Joan Didion’s Salvador and write a summary and analysis of the book of the sort that will help those who have not read it but want to know how it relates to the other works we are reading and to our understanding of Didion in general. (DUE 3/16) Emily
15. Read Fixed Ideas: America Since 9/11 and as many of Joan Didion’s political articles & essays from the last several years as you can find. Write a report that summarizes what you’ve read. Discuss Didion’s place in the political/literary sphere. Consider how her politics have influenced her books and her writing career in general. What is Didion’s reputation as a writer about American politics – a journalist of sorts? (DUE 3/16) Harry
16. Read Joan Didion’s The Last Thing He Wanted and write a summary & analysis of the book that will help those who have not read it but want to know how it relates to the other works we are reading and to our understanding of Didion in general. (DUE 3/23) Eric
17. Read Joan Didion’s After Henry and write a summary and analysis of the book of the sort that will help those who have not read it but want to know how it relates to the other works we are reading and to our understanding of Didion in general. (DUE 3/23) Molly
18. Read Mary Gordon’s Final Payments and write a summary & analysis of the book of the sort that will help those who have not read it but want to know how it relates to the other works we are reading and to our understanding of Gordon in general. (DUE 4/6) Whitney
19. Read Mary Gordon’s Joan of Arc and write a summary and analysis of the book of the sort that will help those who have not read it but want to know how it relates to the other works we are reading and to our understanding of Gordon in general. (DUE 4/6) Ellie
20. Read Mary Gordon’s The Company of Women and write a summary & analysis of the book that will help those who have not read it but want to know how it relates to the other works we are reading and to our understanding of Gordon in general. (DUE 4/13) Nobody!
21. Read The Stories of Mary Gordon and write a summary & analysis of the book that will help those who have not read it but want to know how it relates to the other works we are reading and to our understanding of Gordon in general. (DUE 4/20) Kristen 22. Contact Kate Levin, for starters, and then anyone else at Barnard whom you know or can find, and report to us on Mary Gordon’s presence at Barnard. What courses does she teach? How explicit is/was her feminism in its impact on the literature or writing curriculum, or in her activities on campus. What is her role at Barnard? What kind of teacher is she? What books does she teach when she teaches literature? (DUE 4/13) Lindsay
papers & other requirements
POSITION PAPERS: You will write a response to the readings every week (well, you may skip one). These are informal "position papers." They are to be 400-500 words in length and must be sent to the Fellows listserv any time before 6 AM on the Monday morning of the week's class. Four of these papers will be evaluated closely--at least one each on Coover, Didion and Gordon. Each week, bring a printed copy of your position paper to class. At the end of class you can decide if the paper you hold in your hands is one of the four you will turn in for evaluation.
LISTSERV RESPONSES: Each week you will respond to one of the position papers sent to the listserv by your fellow Fellows seminarians. Send your response before noon. Your response should be sent to the listserv and should make a rejoinder to one point in one paper. These responses should be one short paragraph in length, about 100 words. Be sure to make it clear which point in which person's position paper is the one to which your response is responding. The listserv address is whfellows09@writing.upenn.edu.
PROJECTS: A special project will be randomly assigned to you. These, too, should be sent to the listserv--any time before 6 AM on the date indicated on the projects list above. Length: whatever is appropriate for fulfilling the purpose of the project but no less than 750 words. These need not be fancy or high-toned, but, rather, straightforward and lucid and, if apt, organized into short titled sections to make for easy reading. If you are not assigned a project, see Al or Jamie-Lee ASAP so that we can devise one.
OBLIGATIONS DURING FELLOWS' VISITS: As an absolutely vital part of the seminar, you will be called upon to volunteer during the two-day visits of the Fellows. Fulfilling this (mostly pleasurable) function is as much a requirement as the others listed here. If Jamie-Lee has not asked you to take on a role during the visits, be sure to ask her what you can do to help.
FINAL EXAM: There will be a wildly comprehensive, personalized final exam. It will be sent to you by email, to be written at your convenience ("take home") any time during the exam period.
LISTSERV RESPONSES: Each week you will respond to one of the position papers sent to the listserv by your fellow Fellows seminarians. Send your response before noon. Your response should be sent to the listserv and should make a rejoinder to one point in one paper. These responses should be one short paragraph in length, about 100 words. Be sure to make it clear which point in which person's position paper is the one to which your response is responding. The listserv address is whfellows09@writing.upenn.edu.
PROJECTS: A special project will be randomly assigned to you. These, too, should be sent to the listserv--any time before 6 AM on the date indicated on the projects list above. Length: whatever is appropriate for fulfilling the purpose of the project but no less than 750 words. These need not be fancy or high-toned, but, rather, straightforward and lucid and, if apt, organized into short titled sections to make for easy reading. If you are not assigned a project, see Al or Jamie-Lee ASAP so that we can devise one.
OBLIGATIONS DURING FELLOWS' VISITS: As an absolutely vital part of the seminar, you will be called upon to volunteer during the two-day visits of the Fellows. Fulfilling this (mostly pleasurable) function is as much a requirement as the others listed here. If Jamie-Lee has not asked you to take on a role during the visits, be sure to ask her what you can do to help.
FINAL EXAM: There will be a wildly comprehensive, personalized final exam. It will be sent to you by email, to be written at your convenience ("take home") any time during the exam period.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
intervention leads to insanity
From Wilfrid Sheed's 1968 review of Coover's Universal Baseball Association: "The trouble with being a game-playing God is that, although one is all-powerful, one is still in the employ of the dice. Zeus stuck with his scales. If Waugh intervenes personally, the players will sense it and just give up, life will leave the game forever. But the dice keep favoring the Evil One (the pitcher who did the beaning), and the league is slowly dying of sorrow and bewilderment. Waugh is beside himself and stays up all night throwing, allowing his real life to go to hell in the process. Ultimately, Waugh does intervene and fix the dice, and in doing so, appears to descend into complete insanity. The players go their own way after that, found private religions and stage reformations, and proceed to talk like 17th-century parsons and death-of-God theologians. Is there really a Henry Waugh? Who knows? One continues to play for the sake of the game -- whatever that is. It is impressive to realize that all this is going on in one man's skull."
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
the way families are
From Mary Gordon's Circling My Mother: "One of the things I believe to be most true of family life, whether it is a single mother and her child or a huge extended family, is that the family believes certain habits, practices, to be ordinary, whereas they are easily seen by the outside to be odd, inexplicable, even insane" (p. 59).
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