Nov. 7 - 13

Post Modern Literature

BE SURE TO REGISTER NOW for the final exam  (May 3 - 6) if you have not done so. If you are not registered at least a week in advance of the exam slot you want, you will not be able to take the exam, meaning I will have to turn in an F for you. So please do that even if you are not sure what your schedule will be--work your schedule around whatever time you register for.

OUTCOMES:

Students should

  • be familiar with the major events and movements of the historical period corresponding to the works of writers studied.
  • understand the major plot and/or ideas of the assigned works of Updike, Morrison, Lahiri, and Edrich.
  • be able to analyze the motivations of the characters in the assigned works.
  • be able to apply the major themes discussed in this unit and be able to explain how these themes are demonstrated in the works assigned.
  • be familiar with the characteristics of post modern literature.
  • be familiar with the information in the linked documents on magical realism.

Assignments include

  • reading the head notes about the writers in the text book,
  • reading all the documents linked in the module
  • viewing the video on The Big Fish, which discusses magical realism
  • reading selections from the works of Updike, Morrison, Edrich, and Lahiri,

Assessments include one written assignment and one discussion.

 

 Assignment 8: Due Nov 13

1.  Read the head note on Toni Morrison and “Recitatif” (1401). Write a paragraph explaining the what kind of relationship the girls had over the years. 

Then use whatever clues you can in the story to decide which of the girls is black and which is white. ALSO, go to the Discussion 5: Recitatif to express your opinion in our last forum (10 points).

2.  Read John Updike’s head note and "Separating" (1426). Write a paragraph explaining to what degree this is story reflects reality in today’s America.

Also, check this web site:

http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes Links to an external site.

Here you find out what Nobel Prizes are, when and how awarded and some winners of the Nobel Prize for Literature. See if you can find all the American winners. Toni Morrison won in 1993, important enough to be an exam question. 

3. Read the head note for Louis Erdrich and her story “Fleur” (1599. Also, read about magical realism in Magical Realism But for your assignment, write a paragraph describing why you think the townspeople are so fascinated with Fleur. Also, you probably did not see the movie "Big Fish." But, even if you did not, the You Tube video below still might help you GET magical realism.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tXoJpR3aW0 Links to an external site.

 

4. And, for your last short story reading for the semester (we’ll read a few post modern poems next week), Jhumpa Lahiri’s “Sexy” (1650) is good story. There’s quite a bit of interest in Indian writers these days and in Indian culture and film (Slum Dog Millionaire, for example). Lahiri, like most of the rest of Americans, grew up in America, but her parents’ homeland impacted her life and her art. Just summarize this story briefly. Turn in the four paragraphs as one document.