Suggest-a-syllabus, topics for thematic group reads

[Patty, free birdeaucrat]

Note: This continues a discussion that was started here:
reviving the discussion - an idea

If you were to organize a group discussion around a theme, what theme would you use?

Or

Have you ever read two or more books in a row, and seen an unexpected connection between them, and found yourself thinking, "If I were teaching a course on "unexpected connection/theme X" I would use these books, and also that other book, and we could watch X movie, and discuss such and such essay, etc, and it would be fabulous!
(I can't be the only dork who does this)

I'm starting this discussion topic as a place where we can post those brainstorms, mostly just for fun, because it really is fun to dream up syllabi.

But I'm also hoping that people will get excited about each other's proposed/imagined syllabi, and that this will lead to thematic group reads/discussion groups. For further clarification on this, please see the NOTE/Link at the beginning of this post.

Feel free to post any:

themes/topics that you'd be interested in a multi-text group discussion about

your imagined syllabus for a theme

partial/incomplete reading lists on a theme

simple themes, complex themes, themes that have occurred to you that you would never actually want to follow through on, anything, really.

This doesn't have to lead to anything (but I'm kind of hoping it will), but for this thread it's just for fun. If we decide to pursue one or more of the themes, we'll start separate threads for each discussion group.

[Patty, free birdeaucrat]

Themes that have been suggested so far include:

Scotland
Magical Realism
Garbage (imagined syllabus currently in development)

[Patty, free birdeaucrat]

Here, I'll give you all a writing assignment. Think of a topic you are pleased to come across when reading a novel. Write down as many novels as you can remember that included it in 5 minutes.

For example, I love it when I find fishing in a novel.

Novels with fishing that I can think of in 5 minutes:

Trout fishing in America, Richard Brautigan
Sutree, Cormac McCarthy
Moby Dick, Herman Melville
Sometimes a Great Notion, Ken Kesey
One of the Smiley novels (I can't remember which), John Le Carre
Assumption, Percival Everett

(Turns out 5 minutes isn't very long. Maybe give yourself 6.)

[Martha]

Hey Patty,

I love a writing assignment. My topic is childbirth, mostly the gruesome sort. Not sure how this stands up against fishing (I would add Hemingway's Big Two-Hearted River to your list).

1000 Autumns of Jacob DeJoet - David Mitchell
The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
The Red Tent - Anita Diamant
The Secret Scripture - Sebastian Barry
Beloved - Toni Morrison

[Patty, free birdeaucrat]

Hi Martha! I can't believe Hemingway didn't leap to mind during my five minutes! Well, I haven't read that story, so I will add it to my list.

Love your list. A+.

[Robert]

Patty

For Garbage, a start

Archie Ammons - Garbage
William Gibson - Mona Lisa Overdrive

[Patty, free birdeaucrat]

Thanks, Robert, I'll look those up!