Cheryl Snell's Blog, page 68
June 5, 2010
Multicultural Fiction
A reader said, "I saw this definition (of a multicultural novel) in the paper a while ago... 'Postcolonial novels explore the cultural bouillabaisse: characters of various national origins...living in an international capital queasily negotiating...cultural transition.' Queasily is important, I think--like the main character in The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears."
Though the quote refers to a book review by Darryl Wellington in The Washington Post about The Opposite House, by Helen Oyeyemi...
Though the quote refers to a book review by Darryl Wellington in The Washington Post about The Opposite House, by Helen Oyeyemi...
June 4, 2010
Marriage in Fiction
Jeff Eugenides (of Middlesex fame) famously disputed the vitality of multicultural novels a few years ago in a Slate interview. "What's the great subject of the novel?" he asked. "Marriage, of course. In the West, we've lost that subject. Marriages aren't arranged anymore. Divorce is no longer unthinkable. You can't have your heroine throw herself under a train because she left her husband and ruined her life. Now your heroine would just have a custody battle and remarry."
I think that, althou...
I think that, althou...
June 3, 2010
June 2, 2010
Starts and Stops
I know I've said this before, but I like lists. Like Jhumpa Lahiri in The Namesake, right?
This afternoon, as I sipped a mango lassi (blend ice, plain yogurt and mango slices; add sugar to taste) I thought about how much ink has been spilled on the importance of first lines in a novel. There must be a list for that, I thought—and one appeared at a quick click
From the haunting (Rebecca), to the stately (Anna Karenina), to the breezy (Howards End) to the detached (Jane Eyre), first lines "are mo...
This afternoon, as I sipped a mango lassi (blend ice, plain yogurt and mango slices; add sugar to taste) I thought about how much ink has been spilled on the importance of first lines in a novel. There must be a list for that, I thought—and one appeared at a quick click
From the haunting (Rebecca), to the stately (Anna Karenina), to the breezy (Howards End) to the detached (Jane Eyre), first lines "are mo...
June 1, 2010
The Elephant and The Mouse
In the wedding scene in Shiva's Arms, one of the aunties says of the newlyweds, "The elephant should not marry with the mouse." Ever wonder where that came from? Here you go.
The Elephant and The Mouse
The elephant and the mouse fell in love and decided to get married.
When the elephant told her father, he said 'Don't be silly, an elephant cannot marry a mouse.'
When the mouse told his mother, she said 'Don't be silly, we mice do not marry elephants.'
So the elephant, who was very musical, became ...
The Elephant and The Mouse
The elephant and the mouse fell in love and decided to get married.
When the elephant told her father, he said 'Don't be silly, an elephant cannot marry a mouse.'
When the mouse told his mother, she said 'Don't be silly, we mice do not marry elephants.'
So the elephant, who was very musical, became ...
May 31, 2010
Hindu Myth, Image, and Pilgrimage
How do you make foreign cultures more accessible to students without oversimplifying them? And how do you invite students from foreign backgrounds to investigate and connect with their own cultural roots? In her course Hindu Myth, Image, and Pilgrimmage, Professor Diana Eck engages both audiences in an exploration of Hindu gods, Indian religious geography, and the rich visual iconography of Hindu belief. In the lecture and interview presented here Professor Eck focuses on Shiva, Parvati...
May 29, 2010
Top Ten Reasons to ♥ Shiva's Arms
1. Because it takes you to India, where you've always wanted to go.
2. Because if you ever had a mother-in-law, you can relate.
3. Because it's got sex, drugs (ok, meds) and rock n roll.
4. Because it's pretty funny.
5. Because we all need to raise our test scores. Can you say vidama pidingarathu?
6. Because it comes with exotic recipes.
7. Because its author is a multiple Pushcart Prize nominee. And Pushcart almost sounds like Pulitzer.
8. Because the book is so good, it's left the critics almost...
2. Because if you ever had a mother-in-law, you can relate.
3. Because it's got sex, drugs (ok, meds) and rock n roll.
4. Because it's pretty funny.
5. Because we all need to raise our test scores. Can you say vidama pidingarathu?
6. Because it comes with exotic recipes.
7. Because its author is a multiple Pushcart Prize nominee. And Pushcart almost sounds like Pulitzer.
8. Because the book is so good, it's left the critics almost...
Top Ten Reasons to Love Shiva's Arms
1. Because it takes you to India, where you've always wanted to go.
2. Because if you ever had a mother-in-law, you can relate.
3. Because it's got sex, drugs (ok, meds) and rock n roll.
4. Because it's pretty funny.
5. Because we all need to raise our test scores. Can you say vidama pidingarathu?
6. Because it comes with exotic recipes.
7. Because its author is a multiple Pushcart Prize nominee. And Pushcart almost sounds like Pulitzer.
8. Because the book is so good, it's left the critics almost...
2. Because if you ever had a mother-in-law, you can relate.
3. Because it's got sex, drugs (ok, meds) and rock n roll.
4. Because it's pretty funny.
5. Because we all need to raise our test scores. Can you say vidama pidingarathu?
6. Because it comes with exotic recipes.
7. Because its author is a multiple Pushcart Prize nominee. And Pushcart almost sounds like Pulitzer.
8. Because the book is so good, it's left the critics almost...
May 28, 2010
Kolams
Last night I dreamed I was in front of the Om Building, one of the locales in Shiva's Arms. I was on my knees making a kolam, just like in the scene where Amma is preparing to receive the "pompous bandicoot" maestro and his "vixen daughter". Outside (in real life and in the fiction) a thunderstorm was revving up. What is the universe trying to tell me? If I look out on the porch and see streaks of colored chalk, I'm gonna freak.
