Sandra C. Lopez's Blog, page 394
October 24, 2012
Guest Post by Angelita Williams - The Teaching of Contemporary Literature in College Courses
It is no surprise that books in college courses are pertinent to one's education, but what about incorporating literature into the mix?
My guest today discusses the matter in her article.
The Teaching of Contemporary Literature in College Courses
For most of Western history, education meant one thing to aspiring writers wanting to learn their craft: the classics. The study of the ancient poets, playwrights, philosophers, historians and orators of Greece and Rome made up the better part of any lettered person’s curriculum.
This Mediterranean dominance was first seriously broken with the rise of the cult of Shakespeare, the vernacular genius of English literature who was himself mocked in his time for having “small Latin and less Greek.” In the wake of his tremendous and all-encompassing output, English-speaking people finally had a figure they could hold up with pride against Homer or Sophocles.
Similarly, it took a long time before American literature was considered a subject worthy of study -- even in America!
To be sure, founding fathers like Thomas Paine and Benjamin Franklin had captured the notice of the literate world. Noah Webster had codified American English as the unique language of the young republic with his dictionaries. The writers we now consider the pantheon of early American literature (Irving, Cooper, Hawthorne, Poe, Melville, etc.) were all aware of their provincial status compared to the well-established culture of Europe. This comes through clearly in the Old Europe setting of most of Poe’s stories. Even as late as the turn of the last century, our most talented writers of fiction (Henry James) and poetry (T.S. Eliot) both renounced their American identity altogether, fleeing across the Atlantic and becoming British subjects.
“All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn.”
So said Ernest Hemingway. And by the time American Literature was first truly embraced as an academic subject, after World War II (an event that made the U.S. the dominant world power culturally as well as politically), Hemingway himself had to be included, along with other then-contemporary writers like Fitzgerald and Faulkner.
The percentage of Americans who attend college shot through the roof with the post-war G.I. Bill, and has steadily grown higher since. In the meantime, academia became increasingly politicized from the 1970s to 1990s. Multicultural and feminist critiques of “old dead white guys” coming to the fore” and ideas imported (often sloppily) from French deconstructionists making the scholarship coming humanities departments ever more theoretical and impenetrable. The end result was a confused canon, but one that rightly tried to include as many great works as possible from marginalized voices.
Meanwhile, another very different countervailing trend bubbled below the surface. The writing of fiction was taught as a practical fine-arts discipline for the first time, starting at the Iowa Writers Workshop in 1936. This MFA-style approach has lately trickled down into classrooms, balancing out the overly political and theoretical approaches with an emphasis on craft.
And that’s where we are today. The Internet, desktop publishing, print on demand and e-books have all served to democratize literature. If anything, our problem today is that practically every reader sees themselves as a writer! If this seems to have some of the potential of a modern-day Tower of Babel, nevertheless it’s a good problem to have.
In the literature classes I’ve taken and taught, I’ve seen so much enthusiasm for the possibilities of contemporary writing, it’s enough to make you want to ignore all the doomsayers babbling about “the end of the book.” Even if bestsellers are largely crap, they probably always were. Today’s literate public is as informed and curious as ever before, and I think this is threatening to some of the traditional gatekeepers. Here’s hoping our college students continue to argue passionately about Franzen and Morrison, DFW and Philip Roth, Fifty Shades of Grey and James Frey...and for that matter, Homer and Sophocles too!
Angelita Williams is a freelance writer and education enthusiast who frequently contributes to onlinecollegecourses.com. She strives to instruct her readers and enrich their lives and welcomes you to contact her at angelita.williams7@gmail.comif you have any questions or comments.
My guest today discusses the matter in her article.
The Teaching of Contemporary Literature in College Courses
For most of Western history, education meant one thing to aspiring writers wanting to learn their craft: the classics. The study of the ancient poets, playwrights, philosophers, historians and orators of Greece and Rome made up the better part of any lettered person’s curriculum.
This Mediterranean dominance was first seriously broken with the rise of the cult of Shakespeare, the vernacular genius of English literature who was himself mocked in his time for having “small Latin and less Greek.” In the wake of his tremendous and all-encompassing output, English-speaking people finally had a figure they could hold up with pride against Homer or Sophocles.
Similarly, it took a long time before American literature was considered a subject worthy of study -- even in America!
To be sure, founding fathers like Thomas Paine and Benjamin Franklin had captured the notice of the literate world. Noah Webster had codified American English as the unique language of the young republic with his dictionaries. The writers we now consider the pantheon of early American literature (Irving, Cooper, Hawthorne, Poe, Melville, etc.) were all aware of their provincial status compared to the well-established culture of Europe. This comes through clearly in the Old Europe setting of most of Poe’s stories. Even as late as the turn of the last century, our most talented writers of fiction (Henry James) and poetry (T.S. Eliot) both renounced their American identity altogether, fleeing across the Atlantic and becoming British subjects.
“All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn.”
So said Ernest Hemingway. And by the time American Literature was first truly embraced as an academic subject, after World War II (an event that made the U.S. the dominant world power culturally as well as politically), Hemingway himself had to be included, along with other then-contemporary writers like Fitzgerald and Faulkner.
The percentage of Americans who attend college shot through the roof with the post-war G.I. Bill, and has steadily grown higher since. In the meantime, academia became increasingly politicized from the 1970s to 1990s. Multicultural and feminist critiques of “old dead white guys” coming to the fore” and ideas imported (often sloppily) from French deconstructionists making the scholarship coming humanities departments ever more theoretical and impenetrable. The end result was a confused canon, but one that rightly tried to include as many great works as possible from marginalized voices.
Meanwhile, another very different countervailing trend bubbled below the surface. The writing of fiction was taught as a practical fine-arts discipline for the first time, starting at the Iowa Writers Workshop in 1936. This MFA-style approach has lately trickled down into classrooms, balancing out the overly political and theoretical approaches with an emphasis on craft.
And that’s where we are today. The Internet, desktop publishing, print on demand and e-books have all served to democratize literature. If anything, our problem today is that practically every reader sees themselves as a writer! If this seems to have some of the potential of a modern-day Tower of Babel, nevertheless it’s a good problem to have.
In the literature classes I’ve taken and taught, I’ve seen so much enthusiasm for the possibilities of contemporary writing, it’s enough to make you want to ignore all the doomsayers babbling about “the end of the book.” Even if bestsellers are largely crap, they probably always were. Today’s literate public is as informed and curious as ever before, and I think this is threatening to some of the traditional gatekeepers. Here’s hoping our college students continue to argue passionately about Franzen and Morrison, DFW and Philip Roth, Fifty Shades of Grey and James Frey...and for that matter, Homer and Sophocles too!
Angelita Williams is a freelance writer and education enthusiast who frequently contributes to onlinecollegecourses.com. She strives to instruct her readers and enrich their lives and welcomes you to contact her at angelita.williams7@gmail.comif you have any questions or comments.
September 7, 2012
Guest Post by Samantha Gray - Why you should attend a book festival
In honor of this fall's upcoming book festivals, I am please provide a guest post by a fellow book aficionado on why you should attend a book festival. Observe.
Why you should attend a book festivalby Samantha Gray
As a book lover writing to a community of book lovers, I feel compelled to sing songs of praise when it comes to book festivals. I know what you’re thinking: book festivals? What year is it?
The idea of a book festival might seem a bit antiquated to you, and to a certain extend I don’t blame you, reader. We live in an age where you can download virtually any book to a tablet for your immediate enjoyment. If you aren’t enthusiastic about eReading, there’s no end to the number of books you can purchase from online retailers like Amazon and Barnes and Noble. If you just want to pick out a good book, these are perfectly suitable ways to do so.
A book festival is about the community of people who love everything about reading. It’s a time for readers and authors to gather and celebrate what it means to write words on paper, to express thoughts and emotions to an unknown readership. A book festival is an experience, and one that I can’t recommend enough for dedicated readers and writers who’ve never attending one.
Allow me to make my case further.
Sitting in on readings
One thing I would recommend to anyone attending a book festival is to check out a reading. It doesn’t even matter if you know the author whose reading their material or not—just the experience of witnessing prose in action is something every writer and reader should witness. I’ve sat in on any number of readings, and I can’t express how amazing it is to listen to authors read their own stories aloud and talk about the material afterwards.
The readings at a book festival are perhaps the best example of the communal environment encouraged there. Authors are eager to share their work with readers, and readers are just as excited to listen in as a group. It’s a rare moment when reading is transformed from a solitary activity to a group. If you do anything at a book festival, definitely attend a reading.
Network with fellow readers and writers
Book festivals are a great venue for meeting new people, for both social and professional reasons. Casual readers will meet fellow fans of an author’s work—it’s a great chance to talk about some of your favorite novels, memoires, and stories among people who actually know and understand the material. You’d be surprised at how easy it is to make friends at a book festival, despite the stereotype that most serious readers are introverts.
For amateur and serious writers alike, a book festival is the ideal networking opportunity. Powerful authors, important members of the literary press, and publishing officials are just some of the clientele that you can expect to encounter at a booGet a chance to meet your favorite authors
Of course I can’t talk about book festivals without discussing the experience of meeting an author. Many authors—especially the more famous ones—will hold book signings, lectures, and general meet and greets so that they can meet fans. Indeed, book festivals offer a one of a kind experience for readers to meet their favorite authors, and I can’t recommend it enough. You’ll never forget the time that you got to chat with your favorite author, and you’ll probably have a picture or a signature to prove it!
Samantha Gray is a freelance writer based in Houston, Texas, who offers college advice to those interested in furthering their studies and careers. She can be reached for questions or comments at samanthagray024@gmail.com.
Why you should attend a book festivalby Samantha Gray
As a book lover writing to a community of book lovers, I feel compelled to sing songs of praise when it comes to book festivals. I know what you’re thinking: book festivals? What year is it?
The idea of a book festival might seem a bit antiquated to you, and to a certain extend I don’t blame you, reader. We live in an age where you can download virtually any book to a tablet for your immediate enjoyment. If you aren’t enthusiastic about eReading, there’s no end to the number of books you can purchase from online retailers like Amazon and Barnes and Noble. If you just want to pick out a good book, these are perfectly suitable ways to do so.
A book festival is about the community of people who love everything about reading. It’s a time for readers and authors to gather and celebrate what it means to write words on paper, to express thoughts and emotions to an unknown readership. A book festival is an experience, and one that I can’t recommend enough for dedicated readers and writers who’ve never attending one.
Allow me to make my case further.
Sitting in on readings
One thing I would recommend to anyone attending a book festival is to check out a reading. It doesn’t even matter if you know the author whose reading their material or not—just the experience of witnessing prose in action is something every writer and reader should witness. I’ve sat in on any number of readings, and I can’t express how amazing it is to listen to authors read their own stories aloud and talk about the material afterwards.
The readings at a book festival are perhaps the best example of the communal environment encouraged there. Authors are eager to share their work with readers, and readers are just as excited to listen in as a group. It’s a rare moment when reading is transformed from a solitary activity to a group. If you do anything at a book festival, definitely attend a reading.
Network with fellow readers and writers
Book festivals are a great venue for meeting new people, for both social and professional reasons. Casual readers will meet fellow fans of an author’s work—it’s a great chance to talk about some of your favorite novels, memoires, and stories among people who actually know and understand the material. You’d be surprised at how easy it is to make friends at a book festival, despite the stereotype that most serious readers are introverts.
For amateur and serious writers alike, a book festival is the ideal networking opportunity. Powerful authors, important members of the literary press, and publishing officials are just some of the clientele that you can expect to encounter at a booGet a chance to meet your favorite authors
Of course I can’t talk about book festivals without discussing the experience of meeting an author. Many authors—especially the more famous ones—will hold book signings, lectures, and general meet and greets so that they can meet fans. Indeed, book festivals offer a one of a kind experience for readers to meet their favorite authors, and I can’t recommend it enough. You’ll never forget the time that you got to chat with your favorite author, and you’ll probably have a picture or a signature to prove it!
Samantha Gray is a freelance writer based in Houston, Texas, who offers college advice to those interested in furthering their studies and careers. She can be reached for questions or comments at samanthagray024@gmail.com.
August 16, 2012
Review: GRECO'S GAME by James Houston Turner
Plot: The story of former KGB colonel Aleksandr Talanov continues in the hotly-anticipated follow-up to USA Book News's Best Thriller of 2011, Department Thirteen. Greco's Game finds Talanov witnessing the brutal murder of his wife. Convinced the bullet was meant for him and wracked with guilt, he spirals downward on a path of self-destruction, hitting rock-bottom on the mean streets of Los Angeles. But in a seedy world ruled by the Russian mafia, all is not as it seems. Was her murder an accident, or was it a carefully-planned strategy? The answer lies in Greco's Game, a chess game played in 1619 that Talanov's old KGB chess instructor regarded as the most brilliant example of how to trap and kill an opponent. The question is: who was the target?My thoughts: When I first read the summary of this book, I admit that I was intrigued, even though I’m not real big on spy thrillers.
From the very first sentence, Turner captures the reader with words full of pulsating adrenaline. His character, Alex Talanov, reminded me of that good-looking guy on The Perfect Weapon—devoted, faithful, and determined to seek justice…and look hot doing it. I couldn’t help thinking back to that movie when Talanov drop-kicked the bouncer trying to get back into that night club. The fact that he was in his fifties was negligibly overlooked.
Still reeling over his wife’s murder, Talanov struggles to find reason to get up in the morning; and since he was once part of the Russian KGB, the authorities do everything possible to put him down for good. With everyone wanting a piece of him, he immediately starts off as a “wanted man,” which then spins the reader into this ludicrous Mission Impossible set.
After the first 10 chapters or so, the story line began to wane my interest.
The book is a typical thriller that takes you on one rollercoaster ride after another without a chance to breathe. I often felt dizzy by the calculating plot and deadened by the assortment of characters that kept dropping out of nowhere. Like a chess game, you really have to concentrate and pay attention; as much as I tried to play along, somewhere along the line I just didn't care to know the winning results.
Not to say that it was bad, of course. In fact, it’s a great story for those who like international thrillers. But, personally, I just couldn’t get into it.
