Reading Questions from class

Week of January 10

Narrative Structure/Technique:

Matt Stempler: Does the framework often utilized by writers in the Southern Frontier tradition. . . lessen the authority of the text?

Language:

Jenni Skorupa: Why does the use of the vernacular seem to deface the literary qualities of a work? /What makes it acceptable at times (as with Shakespeare) and at other times beneath the educated readers the works are intended for?

Origins:

Alicia Goodman: Cohen & Dillingham admit that [the narrators] in some ways admired the frontiersmen for their relationship with nature, their freedom and their masculinity. Did the authors envy the frontiersmen and secretly wish to return to the kind of simpler living outside of the concerns of social status? Were the backwoodsmen as kind of ideal or just a cultural anomaly?

Brittany Gardner: How is humor used to establish a social hierarchy?

Micki Goldstein: How did this unusual form of humor develop not just in a few people but in a whole region? What about the South caused it to develop there?

Influences:

Brittany Gardner: Why is it that neither Frontier nor Tidewater literature has come to be dominant in the South, but coexist in Southern literature?

Myth-Making:

Joe Essid: Last week, Margaret Morris asked "How do we know how authentic [the tales] are in their representation?" We will need to consider this for a variety of Southern myths.

Consider how the stage show "Lion of the West" comes to represent how we actually "remember" Congressman David Crockett as "Davy" in his coonskin cap--The Alamo considers this point very well. The popular representation of Crockett becomes one that Crockett himself has to portray; the myth has come to be bigger than the man.

Don't Americans still do this? Consider how the governor of California--who has a fine sense of humor--began to call opponents "girlie men," using a term that was itself used in a Saturday-Night Live parody of him in his "Pumping Iron" days of the 1970s.

Sarah Viviani: What constitutes a legend? Is the need for a legend the same as the need for a myth? What kinds of similar characteristics do Mike Fink and Dave Crockett have?

Micki Goldstein: How did people react when they saw their heroes, men such as Davy Crockett, who had been given superhuman qualities, fail? Was it bad for morale? Reply: Our literature doesn't indicate that. It would be interesting to see, for instance, how many "realistic" accounts of Mike Fink's death exist, and compare them to the more exaggerated accounts. Good fodder for a final project.

Crockett:

Emily Wetzel: Is Davy Crockett really a rogue that American glorifies anyway? In The Alamo, we saw both sides of this historical figure. In truth is he not nearly as glorious as he is depicted and America refuses to let go of the legend?

Mike Fink:

Margaret Morris: We see two different views of Mike Fink in our readings. . .does this depend upon the narrator, the time period, and which one we believe, if any? Is this common with other well know characters? Reply: Did you note the "telling detail" about Mike Fink's remark in "Scalp Lock"? He claims that the big fish eating the smaller ones is the nature of things. That seems as good a prelude to a Naturalistic world view as any I've seen in this work (Sut also states a similar belief). It also seems quite believable as a rough-and-ready philosophy that these men shared.

Violence:

Emily Coggin: Since the type of violence in the stories is condemned, mocked, ad portrayed as savage and animalistic at times, why does it continue to be so prevalent and sometimes glorified in our culture?

Alicia Goodman: Frontiersmen seem disposed to fight each other, to the death if necessary, on the grounds of protecting honor and reputation. Why are they, whose existence is based on an independence of spirit and rejection of civilized society, so concerned about their reputation?

Landscape & Nature:

Brittany Gardener: To what extent did the landscape play a role in the adventures of the Southern frontiersmen?

Allison Forrester: How does a fascination [with the unknown or seemingly impossible] manifest in the texts? How do encounters with [this] asset masculinity? How do such encounters provide grounds for humor?

Morality:

Alicia Goodman: Historically, folktale tradition includes some aspect that relays wisdom, values or morals. Are the tall tales of the Southern frontier in any way didactic, either purposefully or by default? Reply: One of the best questions so far. I cannot propose a definitive answer. I will say that the Hobbesian nature of frontier life and morality--Fink's view of life--could be a de facto moral. For this reader, it overpowers the "justice done" in tales such as "A Narrow Escape."

Narrative Structure/Technique:

Jenni Skorupa: The descriptions, especially the characterization of the heroes, is often more telling than showing. . . .Is this reminiscent of the oral narrative from which this genre was born . . .or was there a greater significance to this unorthodox style? Reply: In this case I think we have a "genre" that had not quite matured. These authors were not, for the most part, professional writers. A later generation would get beyond the basic format and elevate the status of these sorts of tales.

Becky Workman: Many of the stories begin with a detailed, insightful description of the hero's character and end with a comparatively insensitive description of the hero's brutal actions. What is the purpose of the narrator's incongruous narrative techniques?

Becky Workman: All of the readings included men boasting about their accomplishments. What does the exaggeration of their tales add to their value? Why does Thorpe's Jim Doggett admit ["Big Bear"] that in the end his feat was not so incredible after all?

Matt Stempler: Does the high station [of the narrators] make the character less effective within the frontier narrative?

Brittany Gardner: The figurative language used in the South is quite unique. For example, the Big Bear. . . points out that his "dog knows a bear's way as well as a horse-jockey knows a woman's" (Cohen & Dillingham 339). Why does this type of language arise in the South and why is it deemed acceptable for literature? Reply: Some of the sketches at the Spirit site contain similar language though they are set outside the Old Southwest. I would suggest that exploring what is uniquely Southern and "Frontier" in literary language would be a good topic to explore in depth.

Emily Wetzel: What is it about the dry, subtle, mocking humor (as found in "Orpheus in Kentucky") that struck Southerners as funny? Is it the mocking of Chateaubriand and proper "society" that lends the quietly caustic message, or is this truly a manifestation of feelings of inferiority to all that was "refined"? In short, are Southerners as thoroughly and fiercely loyal to their culture as they claim to be? Reply: Remember, the audience for most of this was national, not simply Southern. Porter published his Spirit in New York City and to an audience overseas as well. Does, perhaps, the caustic and "down the nose" tone reflect something about social class instead of region?

Sut Lovingood:

Becky Workman: Wilson describes Sut Lovingood as a malicious character who enjoys seeing other people suffer for no just cause. However, in the two stories we read for today, Sut indicates that his pranks are partially an effort to seek revenge on his father and on the parson, and partially an effort to expose those men for who they really are: a fool and a hypocrite, respectively. Is Sut entirely unjustified in his actions?

Brittany Gardner: In Edmund Wilson's essay, we learn that George Harris "explained his aim as merely to revive for the reader 'sich a laugh as is remembered wif his keerless boyhood,' and that he liked to express his nostalgia for the dances and quiltings of his youth" (150). However, to what extent can we trust Harris's explanation of his aim? Does Harris seem to have other aims or intentions with this work? Do the Sut Lovingood stories serve some other purpose for Harris? for the readers?

Jenni Skorupa: It seems that while the oral humor comes from the "hero" himself, the situational humor is usually caused by, but never happens to, this protagonist. The heros we've encountered so far, such as Davy Crockett, were legendary and seemingly infallible. Is this lack of slapstick humor at the hero's expense an attempt to retain/assert Sut Lovingood's status (since he is entirely fictional) much as other author's have boosted other famous personalities? Would it not be humorous to have the hero fail at something? Reply: Wait until you read "Blown up with Soda." Sut fails and Sicily Burns is the trickster in this case.

Alicia Goodman: "Sut Lovingood" features a more purposeful humor in not only the incidents but the writing as well. What is its effect on the narrative? Does this detract from the raw style of the tales? Does it obscure the seed of realism we've seen in the previous works? Reply: It would take Erskine Caldwell (before he started writing porn) to tranform Sut's world into something approaching "white trash realism." As for the way this material seems "aware" that it is humor, note, how carefully Thorpe ends "A Piano in Arkansaw." There's a formal "punch line." This material is not simply the"and then. ." type of tale so prevalent in the Spirit archive--it even has some traits of stand-up comedy. In fact, Sut's subversion of established frontier traditions enhances the humor of his telling. If you are not laughing by the fifth time Sut says "and me" in "Sut's Daddy, Acting Horse," there's something wrong. Sut's way of telling--with no mention of violence or humiliation--is my favorite moment in the entire story. It's a testament to how dry a man Edmund Wilson was, that he could not see this brilliant dialog as a direct inspiration for some of Mark Twain's finest speeches by the King in Huck Finn.

Micki Goldstein: How was Sut feel no responsibility about his role in the death of Mrs.Yardley? Can we still see him as a comedic character after he has essentially caused the death of someone? Do we ever begin to see things through Sut's personal moral viewpoint?

Sarah Viviani: As we move closer and closer into the realm of 'real' literature does it feel like the Sut Lovingood stories are more 'uplifting' which O'Conner says readers value? What may give it 'healing' qualities?

Emily Coggin: How does Harris manage to use such a roguish character to expose religious hypocrisy and lack of morality? Is this an effective way of doing so?

Sut's Langauge:

Allison Forrester: Wilson says that "one of the most striking things about Sut Lovingood is that it is all as offensive as possible." Does the use of the vernacular make the offensive nature seem more natural or does it make it more obviously offensive?

Micki Goldstein: Did the absence of organized religion on the Southern Frontier cause/contribute to the use of the vernacular and writing in the vernacular? (When compared to New England, for instance, which had a strong religious establishment.) Reply: I'm a wag about such things, like O'Connor, and my respect for religion tends toward "high church" and scholarly forms of it. But it may not be the lack of religion in these tales that leads to the vernacular. It may be the lack of ministers with really good educations and the failure of mainstream congregations to attract the "crackers" to the fold.

Allison Forrester: Rituals and formal occasions follow set rules and procedures. Is there something funny about something going awry during such events? Reply: Yes, almost always. Ever seen the film Four Weddings and Funeral? People still talk about the bird that crapped right on my bald head during my dad's funeral, as I was lining up cars to go to the cemetery. Everyone (inlcuding dad, I'm sure) began howling with laughter. Then, rushing into the church bathroom to wash my skull, I burst into the unlocked bathroom and almost bumped into a niece with her pants around her ankle. I backed out, then the priest--naturally he was present--and I looked at each other, and all I could manage was "God has a sense of humor, father."

Margaret Morris: Was it easier for readers of this time to read this type of language? Is it more difficult for us? Reply: Yes, because though Harris' use of dialect was pronounced even for the time, readers had read many other dialect sketches in the Spirit of the Times.

Women in Harris' Tales:

Brittany Gardner: I find Sut's interaction with the women in these stories interesting. One might think that women might be protected from Sut's malicious actions. However, when Sicily Burns and Mrs. Yardley become victims of Sut's, I find it hard to sympathize with them, especially Sicily. To what extent do these women deserve the treatment they receive from Sut? Does Sut's behavior represent a desire to conquer or is Sut just looking for a good time?

Matt Stempler: How should women be considered within the context of Harris' work? Are they as Sut describes them on p. 219? Or are they quite different as events of the story might suggest?

O, Brother:

Emily Coggin: In O Brother Where Art Thou, what, if anything, is different from the Southern literature we are studying that makes it more appealing to modern viewers (aside from the fact that it's a movie)?

Jenni Skorupa: One of the most humorous parts of "O Brother" is when Delmar and Pete become saved, then the three pick up the black boy who has sold his soul to the devil, and Everett remains the only one "unaffiliated." We've discussed the introduction and the hypocrisy of religion on the frontier, so it's no surprise that this scene is intended to be funny. However, since the backwoodsman typically shunned religion because of its ties to civilization, why do two of them desperately seek it out, one completely turns his back on it, and one remains skeptical, but non-partial? Is there another purpose besides entertainment of having these three religious positions come together?

Margaret Morris: We have talked about how the lack of spirituality may be because of a lack of exposure. However, we see both Sut and the characters in the movie refer to religion on a regular basis. We also see George Clooney (I forget what his character's name was) mock religion until he is facing death. Is it possible that certain characters avoid religion as a way to ignore an immediate need for forgiveness and/or so that they can continue acting in certain manners without having to feel guilty?

Alicia Goodman: In "O Brother Where Art Thou," the main character had a pair of sidekicks. The interaction between the company enabled various comedic moments. Would Sut Lovingood be more or less effective (or even possible) if he was the leader of a duo or trio?

Week of February 7

Sarah Viviani: On page 165 Huck says in reference to the 'Duke' and the 'King' "If I never learnt nothing else out of pap, I learnt that the best way to get along with his kind of people is to let them have their own way." This 'kind of people' Twain is referring to may also include the preacher that we encounter a few pages later. While this 'kind of people' is clearly made fun of by Twain, so are the people that follow them. Who does Twain hold less respect for? The 'dukes' and the 'kings' and the 'preachers' or the people that follow them. Is Huck an exception in the fact that he doesn't necessarily follow?

Jenni Skorupa: It seems as if Jim serves as a "replacement father" for Huck, giving him advice and helping him out on the island. What are the implications of having a runaway slave (who is clearly outside of civilized society) fulfill this role over an abusive alcoholic (who is also outside of society)? How likely of a relationship would this have been?

Alicia Goodman: Huck does indeed use his cunning to defend himself, and his other actions seem more deliquent than roguish in the mean-spirited way we've seen in many of our other readings. How does Twain's choice of a child as the main character and narrator effect the humor of the piece? Would the story have the same impact if Huck were older, say in his late-teens?

Emily Wetzel: Twain seems to criticize all that characterizes the Romantic in Huckleberry Finn--both through his portrayal of Tom Sawyer as the "Romantic" character and the literal shipwreck of the Walter Scott (A Romantic poet). However, he depicts the Mississippi River and the landscape of the region with touching detail that makes it obvious how much the land means to him and how it has shaped him as a person. Why this disparity? Reply: I believe that in his Life on the Mississippi, Mark Twain blamed the Civil War on a "Walter Scott Disease" that led people to believe in Romantic ideals that were utterly at odds with how the world actually worked.

Emily Coggin: There seems to be a significant focus on luck throughout Huck Finn. What is the role of superstition in the story?

Micki Goldstein: In the article "Detached Laughter in the South" we are given examples of Flannery O'Connor's form of Southern humor. Is her humor more caustic and less crass because she is more serious and religious than other writers, or is it merely a result of a more settled society?

Matt Stempler: Is Huck's coneption of religion, particularly in the first 3 chapters, representative of a long tradition of practicality on the frontier? How do we reconcile Huck's willingness to readily accept superstition and the supernatural with his skeptical dabblings in Christianity? Like Sut, is he inured to christian teachings by rural life, seeing hypocritical 'passuns' in all their glory?

Brittany Gardner: In the beginning of the book, Huck seems to use his craftiness and cunning in a manner different from Sut Lovingood. Though Sut hurts others spitefully, Huck uses his cunning to defend himself from his abusive father. Does Huck have redeeming qualities despite his activities? Also, what is the relationship between fantasy and superstition in Huckleberry Finn?

Micki Goldstein: Is Hooper's depiction of the camp meeting in any way realistic? Is Hooper trying to convey any sort of moral message by satirizing camp meetings or is he merely interested in the humorous side of life?

Allison Forester: Huck seems to have a sense of the process of decision making and morality of characters in the novel, especially the Widow, Pap, and Tom. He often rationalizes and explains his own decisions and actions by suggesting how another character would have acted. What does this tell us about Huck? Does it give any insight as to how he feels about other characters? Does it help characterize other figures in the novel? Would it be appropriate to say that while Huck is confused about morality, he upholds a morality ahead of his time?

Alicia Goodman: Twain portrays a variety of religious belief in Huck Finn: superstition, organized religion, the vague sense of a higher power such as Providence, and general humanism. Does Twain seem to advocate one over any other?

Matt Stempler: Do the Duke and the King represent a very different version of the backwoods rascal than does Sut? It seems that while Sut represents a force of chaos, the King and the Duke have more definite goals and methods.

Emily Wetzel: Why might Twain have decided to set the novel in a time before the abolition of slavery, despite the fact that he published it in 1885, two decades after the end of the Civil War?

Jenni Skorupa: Who is more morally right and/or educated- Huck or Tom? Reply: I would strongly argue that Huck is more morally educated by the events on the river, although the end of the novel calls it into question. How could Huck play such tricks on Jim, after knowing what he does about Jim's great love for him?

Margaret Morris: How exagerated are the traditions and superstitions we see in Huckleberry Finn? Were these superstitions part of the boasting lifestyle of the frontier?

Brittany Gardner:After being in charge for a large part of the adventure, does Huck seem to become the subordinate character when Tom enters the picture?

Sarah Viviani: Does Aunt Sally’s character serve a different greater purpose or simply a different personality than the other female characters in the book? Do the other female characters seem flat, uninteresting and stereotyped? (examples: Mary Jane Wilkes, Miss Watson, Judith Lofton, Sofia Grangedord) Why does Huck have as strong an attitude towards Aunt Sally as he does?

Agrarians:

Becky Workman: The salesman in "Death of a Traveling Salesman" seems to represent the modernization/industrialization of the south, which has lost touch with the land and lacks a sense of humanity. This transformation is lamented as virtually unstoppable in many of the other texts, yet the death of the salesman seems to suggest that complete industrialization of the south will not be so successful. Does Welty include the salesman's death in order to represent an unrealistic wish that industrialization in the south will fail, or does she actually foresee failure in the modernization of the south?

Sarah Viviani: Is it possible that the industrilaist system of the North is rooted in more cultural tradition than some of the readings seem to suggest? Could it be that the fast paced, more business-like ways of the North are not void of pleasure, but rather manifestations of a fulfilling, but different culture?

Jenni Skorupa: This may not be a question we can answer, considering we haven't really discussed Agrarian societies in any of our readings, but is nostalgia a good or bad thing? Nostalgia seems to imply a certain sense of sentimentalism (not necessarily in the literary term), which is generally construed as negative, but is there something inherently wrong on relying upon tradition and memories in society or to an individual?

Alicia Goodman: The Statement of Principles championed the agrarian society of the South as opposed to the industrialism of the North. However, we haven't seen any farmers as the subject of stories we've read (other than Sut Lovingood's father plowing the field). Is it because they are too respected or too boring to be portrayed? Is there perhaps another literary tradition about agrarianism or was it just understood?

Micki Goldstein: Was it nostalgia that led the Southern writers to defend the Old South so ardently? Was industrialism truly bad, or were these writers simply idealists?

Emily Coggin: How is the concept of family related to the nostalgic attempt to argue against losing the culture of the South to a more a more modern and "progressive" civilization?

H.L. Mencken:

Brittany Gardner: To what extent do Mencken's criticisms of the South reflect current life in the region? How does the South of Huck Finn compare to the South of today?

Emily Coggin: Are the facial deformities symbolic in any way, or are they just there to add to the humor and plot? Reply: Other than reinforcing the image of degradation, I don't know. Ellie Mae's cleft-palate is not the butt of jokes, as "Hare lip" is in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Follow-up Q : Was it necessary for the older Lesters to die at the end of the novel? How would the book have been different if they had kept living? Also, what point is Caldwell trying to make by having his characters be so utterly devoid of normal human emotion?

Allison Forester: Consider the use of repetition in Tobacco Road. The days seem to merge into a solid mass of time; even major events do no set them apart. What effect does it have on the novel? What is the significance of the repeated images such as chinaberry trees, the fields, the automobile (and its horn!)? What is the significance of the references to god and religion? Does the repetition down play the fate of this family? Does it numb the reader the way in which the family has been numbed?

Follow-up Q : The Lesters clearly have their own system of beliefs concerning God. It seems as though their God provides the promise of material things--food, shelter, clothing. Why/How do they maintain this faith when it seems their situation progressively worsens? While many religions provide comfort and hope, theirs seems an empty promise. Is this why it is so easy for them to behave in manners that even they deem sinful?

Alicia Goodman: Why are we left with Lov at the end of the novel to reflect on the situation and fill the role of the absent narrator? Was it because of his odd relationship with Jeeter or because he's more intelligent and less bias than any of the other remaining characters? Would it have been as effective to have a nameless neighboring farmer end the book?

Follow-up Q : The Lesters seem to blame their depraved condition on ill-treatment from God, yet they look to Him to deliver them from their poverty. Is Caldwell just poking fun of their backwoods religion, using it as a comedic source, or is he making a larger point about the degradation of religion?

Jenni Skorupa: If Jeeter being so tied to the land is what perpetuates the cycle of hunger (since the family is too lazy to farm), why is it destroyed in the end, while clearly the cycle continues as Dude and the others drive off honking the horn of the new, but completely destroyed, automobile?

Emily Wetzel: I find it hard to decide if we as the reader are soposed to like or dislike both Lov and Jeeter. What indications are in the text from the author that are meant to sway the reader's opinion of his characters, if any? How are we soposed to view these men and their families--with pity or disgust?

Margaret Morris: Is Caldwell attacking poverty or ignorance? Would the Lesters be able to survive with such ignorance in a different type of society?

Follow-up Q : Does the "humor" in Tobacco Road make the novel a more effective commentary on social systems and their ineptitude or is Tobacco Road meant to be read as a criticism at all?

Sarah Viviani: What exactly are Jeeter's feelings for his children? Can we say that he loves them? He admits at several points he is proud of them, and says that sometimes he has the urge to have even more. Do they represent hope for him, as Tom did at one point? How does he feel differently about his boys than his girls?

Becky Workman: Why is Jeeter so disturbed by the memory of his father's corpse partially eaten by rats when he seems so hardened to other, even more disturbing sights? Is this defiguration of a dead man any more disturbing than the fact that Ellie May has never received an operation to correct her mouth?

Follow-up Q : Can we reach a conclusion on the nature of Lov's character? While at some times he seems cruel and perverted, at others he is perhaps the most introspective character in the novel. (I'm thinking about the end in particular, where he reflects on the deaths of Jeeter and Ada in much more depth than do any of their children).

Matt Stempler: Does the experienced, depraved nature of the Tobacco Road residents made abundantly clear in the beginning of the novel lessen the impact of their trip to Augusta? How can we regard Dude, Jeeter, or Bessie as even remotely innocent, as they seem to appear in the hotel episode, when we have seen them at their most depraved and sinful? Is there a sense of two different moralities operating here? Is there a connection between the degree of their poverty and the degree of their depravity?

Matt Bacary: On page 153 there is mention of Tom's success as a cross-tie contractor and how much money he was making. Jeeter than says he was almost as proud as tom as he was of Dude, who only married a woman twice his age and missing a nose so he could drive a car. What does this say about the Lesters? Other poor farmers on tobacco road? Does this type of rationale have anything to do with the lack of emotion shown at the death of the old grandma and both Jeeter and Ada?

Sarah Viviani: As I Lay Dying unfolds in the contexts of the character's interior monologues. Why does Faulkner rarely have them share their thoughts? How come their conversations are so simplistic and short?

Becky Workman: Unlike Jeeter Lester, Anse Bundren has surprising success in getting "loans" from people. What is it about his character that makes people feel compelled to give him things? One person mentioned that he had been loaning Anse things for so long that there was no sense in stopping now. Why not? How has Anse ever repaid or even thanked them?

Follow Up: Does Darl have an ulterior motive (as we'd now call it) for going to Jefferson? Everyone else seems to. Reply: If not, it might make sense--even for a madman--to get his mother decently buried.

Margaret Morris: I have two questions: What is the importance of eyes symbolically and what does this symbolism represent? Is Darl actually crazy?

Follow Up: In many cases, people see Jewel as standoffish and cold, however, he seems to be the character that sacrifices the most and who holds the family together. He get's Addie's coffin into the waggon, he rescues the animals and the coffin from the fire, he is angered by all of the people coming to watch Addie die, he rescues Cash's tools from the creek. He gives up his horse. He seems to sacrifice the most. What importance does this have?

Matt Stempler: Does the disjointed, yet oddly intense, narration of the novel make the text seem more or less realistic? Does it effectively convey emotion? Are the different styles of narration that correspond to the different characters believable?

Jenni Skorupa: Is the use of italicized "dialogue" from the various narrators a stylistic technique unique to Faulkner or this novel, or is there a symbolic significance or pattern to the use of italicized narration versus normal narration?

Emily Wetzel: Do you consider As I Lay Dying to be primarily a comic or a tragic novel? Can it be distictly either? What is it that makes it funny, and what is it that makes it tragic, all that the same time?

Follow-Up: How does the narrative style of As I Lay Dying affect the reader’s or the characters’ perceptions of time?

Brittany Gardner: With Tobacco Road, we noticed a kind of repetition that suggested a circular or stagnant way of life on the Lester land. What is the significance of repetition in As I Lay Dying? Does it have the same effect in As I Lay Dying that it has in Tobacco Road? I am interested in how Faulkner uses various narrators to move the plot forward.

Emily Coggin: Faulkner creates an interesting structure greatly consisting of the characters' interior monologues. How does this contribute to the story? Does it create a sense of loneliness and isolation or intuitiveness?

Follow-Up: How do we feel about Dewey Dell? Is she a victim of circumstance, or does she just make bad choices? How would people feel about her at the time that the novel was published?

Matt Baccary: Vardaman is constantly talking in strange ways and calling his mom a fish. What does Vardaman mean by this?

Follow-Up: Although Anse may have had alterior motives, along with most other characters, for going into town with the coffin, he keeps saying its what Addie wanted. Would she really have wanted a trip to town as embarassing as the one she got? Or was she hoping to get to town to distance herself from that family?

Sarah Viviani: How can we explain some of the characters' difficulties to explain what actually exists? How does this relate to their "emptiness?" Why do Darl and Vardaman, specifically, seem caught up in this language?

Follow-Up: Towards the end of the novel (pp. 253-254) Darl narrates outside of first person. i.e. "They pulled two seats together so Darl could sit by the window to laugh." Does this narrative strategy parallel Cash's commnet: "But it is better for [Darl]. This world is not his world; this life his life." (261) Of all the characters is Cash the most self-refelxive, and the most in touch with reality?

Allison Forester: The text clearly offers several points of view. What does it say about personal identity? Is a character more defined by what he/she writes or by what other write about him/her? Does it vary from character to character?

Micki Goldstein: Is the magical realism necessary in this book? What would the story have been like if Faulkner had stuck to strictly realism? Would there have been a story? What does that say about real life? Reply: No way to answer the last question. Of course, without the magical realism there would be a story--perhaps the same story without Addie's perspective.

Alicia Goodman: What does Anse’s remarriage at the end of the novel say about his character? What does it say about the point of the narrative as a whole?

Alicia Goodman: Women in The Hamlet play a central role, much moreso than in any of our previous readings. The older, more matronly women seem to wield power or at least some sense of respect from the men of the town, such as Mrs. Littlejohn, Mrs. Tull or Mrs. Varner. Other women seem to be treated violently, with Mr. Armstid stealing his wife's hard-earned money and then beating her and Eula as the target of fascinated violence in lieu of desire. Does Faulkner follow the Southern frontier stereotypes with his women characters? How does he want us to feel about these women?

Follow-Up: In The Hamlet, Mink Snopes is an out-an-out delinquent and the novel ends with a hunt for some legendary treasure. We haven't seen the arrested criminal or a treasure hunt in any of our previous reading. Is Faulkner, therefore, adding to or deviating from the frontier humor tradition?

Micki Goldstein: As readers we pitied the Lesters and wanted them to succeed. However would we have been willing to see them be as manipulative as the Snopeses are in order for them to succeed? Do we admire the rise of the Snopes family?

Brittany Gardner: Reflecting upon the discussion of characters in As I Lay Dying, I found the description of Flem's eyes as "the color of stagnant water" interesting (24). What does this description suggest about Flem as a character?

Emily Coggin: Why does Faulkner use the sewing machine salesman to narrate much of the story? Does he share the same views as the narrator?

Follow-Up: The relationships that Faulkner portrays all seem to be based on strange types of power struggles or plain practicality. Is actual love or friendship portrayed at all in this novel?

Matt Baccary: What is it about Snopes and his rise in Frenchman's Bend that seems to worry some of the other townspeople? Is it jealousy that bothers them, or the fact that they were outdone by members of the Snopes family?

Allison Forester: What does The Hamlet say about hidden appearances? Faulkner suggests that people are not what they seem. Are they intentionally deceitful? Also, like the in As I Lie Dying, there is a focus on characters' eyes. Is the truth about characters revealed in their eyes?

Follow-Up: Many characters seem larger than life, almost legendary. What effect does this have? How does this affect the depiction of less 'large' characters?

Becky Workman: Does Flem truly target people to victimize, or does he simply allow them to fully expose their greatest weaknesses? Does he foresee the chaos his actions will cause, or, like Sut Lovingood, does he merely act as a catalyst for a series of events that nobody could completely orchestrate and control? Reply: Note that Flem's motive for everything is simple: to make a profit. You cannot say that about Sut.

Follow-Up: Eula's family sees her as hopelessly lazy, whereas the men attracted to her seem to see much more in her and don't even appear to notice her lack of motion. What is her appeal to these men? Is she truly apathetic to everything, or is there a reason underlying her behavior? (At one point the schoolteacher seems to think that she is full of rage).

Margaret Morris: What is the importance of motion versus motionless? There are examples throughout the entire novel, but here are some quick examples.
Pg. 4 - "small shiftless mortgaged farms"
Pg. 21 - "who even in that first glance postulated that immobile dreamy solidarity of statuary"
Pg. 23 - "the two broad faces, one motionless, the other pumping"
Pg. 35 - "shiftless men"
Pg. 107 - "though they soon realized that her indifference to the toy was that she would have to move herself to keep it in motion" .
Reply: One definition of "shiftless" is to be disreputable, even criminal. I do not know the origin of the term. It seems that either Faulkner is using the term to mean run-down or unwilling to do honest work.

Micki Goldstein: What role does humor play in Wise Blood? How does dark humor fit in a
religious novel?

Allison Forester: What is the significance of O'Connor's use of animated description?

Consider the following: (a)Hazel's bed on the train (13) and his bathroom stall (14) are compared to a coffin, (b) a salesman's table is compared to an altar, as though he is selling potato peelers (18) like one would preach, (c)windshield wipers that make "a great clatter like two idiots clapping in church" (38), (d) Hawks's (the blind man) eyes that though misshapen worked (56), (e) the Essex makes "a sound like a goat's laugh cut off with a buzz saw" (82), (f)"there was something in him of everyone she had ever known, as if tehy had all been rolled into one person and killed and shrunk and dried" (94), (g)"the Bible had sat like a rock" (95), (h) glasses that blur vision and hide dishonesty, but show the truth (95-96), (i) "eyes without bottom" (119), (j) "staring into the darkness until he was the pin poin of light" (120).?

Jenni Skorupa: A vehicle can and has served as an important metaphor in many pieces of literature. We saw in Tobacco Road, Dude's obsession with blowing the horn and the family's complete abuse of the car to the point of destruction in a matter of days. Here, Haze asserts repeatedly that anyone with a good car needs no justification, yet his car is such junk even the mechanic won't fix it. The horn doesn't even work when he tries to blow it. Once he gets it fixed, it makes the sound of a "goat's laugh cut off with a buzz saw" (82). What is the significance of the car in this novel, especially considering Haze considers it the only place he can call his own?

Alicia Goodman: Religion seems to play a critical role in the characters' sense of self identity. Are those characters with religion better people, or at least better off, than those without? Are existentialists doomed? Do the amoral need religion?

Margaret Morris: What is the importance of faith versus faithlessness?

Brittany Gardner: When Sabbath Hawks informs Haze that she is a "bastard," Haze reacts in disbelief. Such a reaction leads one to believe that Haze is shocked by the fact that a preacher could commit such a sin. Does Haze really want to believe in God or human morality or is he truly skeptical? Is his faith or the breaking down of his faith reflected in his pursuit of Mr. Asa Hawks? Is Haze's desire to believe in something a redeeming quality?

Sarah Viviani: In O'Conner's essay on the Grotesque in Southern literature, she says that the South is "Christ haunted." On how many levels, and by what is Hazel Motes "haunted?" Is he accurately symbolic of O'Conner's "haunted" South?

Emily Coggin: I am having a hard time tying Enoch's story and Haze's story together. How are the two characters related and what significance does Enoch's story have in relation to the overall themes of the story of Hazel Motes?

Reply: My quick take on Emily Coggin's really strong question:
1) O'Connor wrote in stages, and Enoch has his own existence in at least two stories that precede the book. The "fit" seems odd partly for this reason
2) Absurdist work often includes characters talking past each other. That sure applies here!
3) Enoch has a nice functional element here. He (and later Mrs. Flood) make new jesuses. Enoch's madness holds up a mirror to Hazel, and where Enoch finds Jesus in the mummy, Mrs. Flood makes Hazel's body a replacement for the destroyed "new jesus" that Hazel himself demolishes.

Week of March 21: O'Connor stories & Night of the Hunter

Matt Stempler:Is the creation of a distinct, and in many ways unfamiliar, moral universe critical to any conception of Southern Fiction? Does it seem like this genre, perhaps more than any other, is inhabited by characters that adhere to an unfamiliar moral code or are outright unbalanced?

Sarah Viviani: In "The Artifical Nigger," Mr. Head at first seems to disagree with Nelson that he is "from" the city, and is even annoyed by the notion. As the story progresses however, it is Mr. Head that begins to reiterate that the city is where Nelson is from. Why is this?

Emily Coggin: Although "The Artificial Nigger" speaks more directly about religious matters, how do the other stories imply religious messages as well? More specifically, how does O'Connor address the issue of hypocrisy in her short stories?

Alicia Goodman: There is clearly a hopeful message to The Night of the Hunter, as Mrs. Cooper preaches throughout. "The children are our future" is not, however, Flannery O'Connor's conclusion. Is there any source of optimism in her stories? Does she present a source of redemption for humanity?

Jenni Skorupa: Is there supposed to be a source of redemption in The Night of the Hunter? If so, does the fact that Ben Harper steals and murders for the sake of his children's future and security justify his sins? Are there any other characters whose actions could be considered redemptive? Does Preacher Howell really believe he is a messenger of God and that God is ok with the sins he commits?

Alison Forester: How does the role of the conman interact with religion? What did the film and O'Connor's stories say about this character type? Is there more than one type of conman?

Margaret Morris: In many of these pieces, as well as in the movie, there seems to be violent actions from outside sources directed at youth and at the elderly, as well as a tenion between the youth and elderly within. Could this be symbolic of something?

Brittany Gardner: In many of these pieces, as well as in the movie, there seems to be violent actions from outside sources directed at youth and at the elderly, as well as a tenion between the youth and elderly within. Could this be symbolic of something?

Alicia Goodman: Ignatius is a walking contradiction. He encourages "strength and force" and "militant and authoritarian" action to achieve desired goals, but he himself indulges in his own whims and is pouty when he doesn't get his way. He champions complacency. What would his ideal world look like? Would it follow his ideals of a strict society or the course of his lazy actions?

Becky Workman: Toole describes Ignatius and Patrolman Mancuso with particular detail to their attire, which is more unorthodox than that of the other characters. Although Ignatius chooses to look this way and Mancuso does not have quite as much choice, I feel like Toole juxtaposes them in this common ridiculousness for a reason. Why?

Brittany Gardner: Ignatius is self-centered, lazy, and disgusting. What does it mean that Ignatius, a highly educated person, is portrayed in such a manner? How does this relate to Hulga's portrayal in "Good Country People"?

Margaret Morris: How is that the world that Toole creates can seem so vivid and real while characters like Ignatious are so fantastic?

Sarah VIviani: Ignatius's comment that he feels "something of a kinship with the colored race" on page 122 and the paragraphs that followed on "negroes" were somewhat puzzling to me. He calls the "negroes" pleasant, and writes that they as a race, have more integrity then the middle class whites. However, given the satiristic nature of the novel and the novel's setting do we read this as utterly derogatory? Or, does Ignatius really believe that he should have been born African -American?

Micki Goldstein: What is the significance of all the references to Heart of Darkness?

Allison Forester: Jones seems to be the voice of reason in this absurd novel. He is, perhaps, the least 'suspicious character' in the work. Why would Toole include a character like this? What is his purpose?

Follow-Ups For Toole's Novel:

Becky Workman: Mr. Levy's idea about how he can improve Levy Pants awakens his motivation and leads him to change his entire life around, including his attitude and mood. Ignatius experiences great changes in his life at the end of the novel as well, but he does it reluctantly only when the other options are not satisfactory. At the very end, we see evidence that Ignatius' personality will not change after his relocation, but his "relaxed valve" suggests that there might be a glimmer of hope. Will Ignatius alter his attitude as a result of the other changes in his life?

Emily Wetzel: A critic writes: "Here at any rate is Ignatius Reilly, without progenitor in any literature I know of -- slob extraordinary, a mad Oliver Hardy, a fat Don Quixote, a perverse Thomas Aquinas rolled into one -- who is in violent revolt against the entire modern age..."

However, he is truly revolting against the modern age, or simply embodying it as he seeks to defy what is typically "southern" and "genteel"?

Reply: It's hard for me (who hates TV as much as Ignatius hates Scenicruiser buses) to see Ignatius, who loves to hate bad movies and who cannot miss the Yogi Bear show, as much of a reactionary against modernity. Ignatius likes the ideal of the Middle Ages, not the actuality of them. To quote Sir Kenneth Clark from his masterful work (a book and yes, a hell of a good PBS TV series) Civilization, "People sometimes tell me that they prefer barbarism to civilisation. I doubt if they have given it a long enough trial."

Alicia Goodman: Is Ignatius Reilly an active, conscious trickster with a conniving agenda as his mother suggests or the passive nucleus of a chaotic world? Is he is own man or Fortuna's tool?

Margaret Morris: What is the importance of Ignatius seeming like a child we he is really a grown man? Here are some examples of how he is child-like (besides the fact that he is still living with his mother): worrying about the baseball machine at the arcade, being referred to as a poor boy, etc., watching the TV show, created fantasies of a nemesis, exploding the popcorn bag in the movies, scared to be alone, letting air out of the tires, not washing his sheets, thrashing in the bathtub, purchasing a yo yo, obsession with Minkoff.

Brittany Gardner: To what extent are Toole's characters stereotypical? How does Toole make them unique? How is the moral universe Toole creates different from those we have seen in O'Connor's work?

Emily Coggin: Most of the characters in the book blame Ignatius' actions on the fact that he is spoiled or has had too much education. Although he is obviously eccentric, he realizes that he may be sent to a mad house and seems to understand that he is a sort of outcast in society. Is he actually insane? Does Toole give any indications of why he is the way he is?

Jenni Skorupa: Ignatius being motivated by "the minx" seems out of place for several reasons. Not only is it out of character (seeing as he lacks motivation in everything else) but it is also a break from the frontier tradition, where the character acts mainly as a catalyst without true intent. Then there is his disdain for sex, but being driven by a sexual creature (and perhaps desire). Is this just part of the inconsistency of his character or did Toole have a greater reason for this?

Micki Goldstein: Is it harmful to the novel that the characters such as Jones and Dorian Greene are such blatant stereotypes? Could this novel be written and published in 2005?

Allison Forrester: Though relationships (romantic and familial) and friendships) in this novel seem a bit unconventional, they are none the less important. Is there a knave and a fool in every relationship? What role do relationships play in the novel?

Also, is Irene a knave or a fool? Though she does not send Ignatius to the Charity hospital, she still manages to get rid of him

Becky Workman: We see Stella's baby onstage for the first time at the end during Scene 11 at the same time that Blanche is being taken away to the insane asylum. What is the significance of this timing?

Jenni Skorupa: Despite all of her character flaws, I couldn't help but feel pity for Blanche at the end of the play. Not even her own sister believes her and has her carted off to a mental institution. In the Confederacy of Dunces, we saw Ignatius narrowly escape the same fate and generally agreed that he should have gotten it. Is it because we see Blanche do less damage that her demise seems to harsh? Or is this simply a commentary on the dying Tidewater tradition ways, where the Southern Belle has no place?

Micki Goldstein: How does this play relate to the Southern Frontier humor tradition? Reply: isn't Stanley a doer rather than a thinker, a man with drive, a braggart and bully? Wouldn't he survive well on the frontier, and doesn't Stella's attraction to him say something about what one needs in the modern struggle to survive and cope with death: sex and a drive to get ahead?

Matt Baccary: What is the driving force behind the relationship of Blanche and Stanley, and what exactly does this do for the story?

Alicia Goodman: Stella, though integral to the story plot, is a rather undeveloped character. Other than her unhealthy dependent relationship with Stanley, we don't know much about her. Blanche and Stanley, however, are both knaves trying to get their own ways through manipulation. Where does Stella fit in the scheme? What larger theme does she represent?

Brittany Gardner: In what ways does Stanley resemble characters such as Ignatius and Sut Lovingood? In what ways do his motives resemble the motives of these characters?

Also, I am interested in how the Louisiana French Quarter in Streetcar compares to the setting in A Confederacy of Dunces. There are moments in Streetcar that remind me of the chaos in the world in A Confederacy of Dunces.

Lastly, what is the significance of background sounds in Streetcar?

Sarah Viviani: Both Blanche and Stanley have dual personalities, as well as conflicting backgrounds. Stanley is a Polish and living in America, and Blanche is described as a Southern-belle though her circumstances hardly merit her the title. She is also described as "moth-like," and Mitch informs us that he has never seen her in the light. What is Williams trying to communicate about the experience of race, cutltre or ethnicity in America?

Margaret Morris: Is Blanche's obsession with illusion and fantasy a means of self-defense and demonstrative of her inability to face reality and truth?

Emily Coggin: Could this be interpreted as a feminist play? Are the female characters victims? Also, where is the humor in this play?

Emily Wetzel: What does William's depiction of Blanche and Stanley's lives say about desire?.

Baby Doll & 27 Wagons Full of Cotton

Brittany Gardner: The question about what makes Baby Doll change after her day with Vicarro is a particularly interesting question to me. I had the same question after watching the film yesterday. Do you think it would be helpful to look at that scene during class? Would it be helpful to discuss what we think actually happened between Baby Doll and Vicarro that day? I had the impression that the filmmakers wanted us to jump to a few conclusions.

Becky Workman: Would Jake Meighan allow Vicarro to continue raping his wife if it meant that his crime would go unpunished?

Allison Forrester: What do characters like Blanche, Grace, and Baby Doll say about the human condition? How does this comment contrast to that made by characters like Stanley, Archie Lee, and Silva Vacarro? Do the nameless Man and Woman of "Talk to Me Like The Rain and Let Me Listen" stand apart from the other characters as each seems to fall in both categories?

Also, in Streetcar referring to her husband Blanche says "I hurt him the way that you would like to hurt me, but you can't!" (490). And in Baby Doll Archie Lee says "there is no torture on earth which is worse than what a cold woman does to a man." How do these statements contradict what we see play out in the stories?

Finally, Baby Doll says "we got nothing to do but wait for tomorrow and see if we are remembered or forgotten." Is this a universal statement that applies to all of man kind? Is this, perhaps, also the voice of Williams?

Emily Coggin: What is the significance of Flora comparing herself to America? And what is the significance of the suggestion that she (as well as Baby Doll) enjoys the pain caused by the men?

Alicia Goodman: Flora seems to be a psychologically immature and unstable character but also a trophy wife. Does she fit into any of the frontier stereotypes for women? Is her breakdown at the end of the play similar to Blanche's?

Jenni Skorupa: The movie makes it more apparent that Vicarro is the true con man here, as compared to the play where both men seem to end up in a blissful oblivion of the other's "crime." Is this how Williams originally intended for it to be interpreted? It seems too contrived for Vicarro to not only get the affadativ he needs, but the girl (and her aunt) he desires. Does he really want her? Or is he just using her vulnerability to get what he really wants?

Sarah Viviani: What does Babydoll represent to Archilee?

Margaret Morris: Baby Doll: What is the importance of infantile eroticism (ie. the peeping tom)?

27 Wagons: What is the importance of possession (ie. the white kid purse)? Is Silva correct in his idea concerning undertainty? Is his revenge uncertain?

Matt Stempler: Certainly there are quite a few elements in Baby Doll that are clearly recognizable as conventions Tenesee Williams often follows. There is a powerful immigrant character, strong emotions, and a relatively powerless female character. Do we see the influence of frontier literature or later southern fiction in the movie? Does the balding husband share something of Flannery O'Connor's grotesque? Is the rotting house pulled right out of the Snopes' world?

Week of April 11: Middle Passage

Why does the African god disappear completely from the novel after the ship sinks? Is it able to drown?

Sarah Viviani: Rutheford Calhoun has similar qualities to the traditional con-man. However, he seems to be set apart from the other con-men we have studied because we, as readers, know him so well. How does this affect whether or not we call him a con-man?

Sarah Viviani: The conversation that Falcon and Rutheford have right before Falcon kills himself is full of language and imagery that point toward Falcon being a completely "broken" (literally and figuratively) man. How is his condition before he dies different, if at all, from the disunity we analyzed on Tuesday? Is Johnson saying that disunity in American culture may be a guise for total brokenness?

Margaret Morris: Is this novel more about race relations or individualism?

Brittany Gardner: What is the significance of Calhoun's adventure on a slave ship?

Alicia Goodman: What is the effect of the first person narrative on the veracity of "Middle Passage"? Are we more likely to believe Rutherford's point of view than Ignacius's?

Jenni Skorupa: The scene where Cpt. Falcon catches Calhoun snooping around in his room is intriguing. First off, Calhoun says it was the night that he became the Captain's bride. Falcon not only abstains from punishing Calhoun, but arms him with one of his pistols that requires a magnetic ring to fire. Given Falcon's open admission of disdain for blacks, what does this represent? Especially given Falcon's (and Calhoun's) unredeeming personality.

Matt Baccary: My qestion has to deal with the captain. Allthough a portion of the crew seems to believe he is a mental case who is totally incapable of leading the ship back safely to New Orleans, is he really that poor of a captain, keeping in mind the crafty ways he has of getting information out of Calhoun and his intelligence about turning people on each other?

Sling Blade

Emily Wetzel: "'Sling Blade' is a classic. It is a film that will probably be studied by up-and-coming screenwriters and directors for its carefully-crafted scenes and impressive dialogue. With such a simple premise and a simple character, Thornton has created an intellectually-challenging story and characters that demand your sympathy." What is it that makes us sympathize with these characters? Does this film deserve such high praise?

Allison Forrester: Throughout Middle Passage there is a sense of something stained--lips, hand... And in Sling Blade, Karl is continuously rubbing his hands together as if to wash them (Lady Macbeth washing away the invisible blood stains?). Is this stain a force connecting the seemingly different characters?

Also, when Karl is interviewed on the day he is released, when asked if he will kill again he says, "I don't reckon i got no reason to kill nobody. Mmm." And later when he confronts his father he says, "I studied on killing you. Studied on it quite a bit. But I reckon there ain't no need for it if all you're gonna do is sit there in that chair. You'll be dead soon enough and the world 'll be shut of ya. " Yet he kills Doyle. Is this act heroic? He knows the bible, and knows that it is a sin to kill. However, he says, "the Bible says two men ought not lay together. But I don't reckon the Good Lord would send anybody like you to Hades." Does he think his act is justifiable in the eyes of God, does he do it out of pure love for Frank and Linda? (his previous sins have been washed away with the baptism).

Jenni Skorupa: Carl and Rutherford both claim and appear at times to be below the intelligence of others. Rutherford, however, speaks like an educated black man, philosophizes with Falcon, and quickly picks up the Allmuseri language. Likewise, Carl reads a wide variety of literature (and is never very far from his books) and basically teaches himself everything he knows, such as small engine repair. Are these characters as dumb as they appear or want us to believe? Is this just one of the ways in which we as readers/viewers are supposed to be sympathetic? Does this justify their cons and sins?

Emily Coggin: What does Billy Bob's character tell us about morality? He kills at the end of the movie to protect what has become his family. Perhaps that's why he killed originally as well. How does this influence the way we think about what is right and wrong?

Brittany Gardner: In the last scene, we see Karl (Billy Bob Thornton's character) looking at the world from inside a mental hospital. When asked what the world was like, Karl responds, "It was too big." Why is the world too big for Karl? Which world is insane?

Margaret Morris: One of the tag lines in Sling Blade is that heroes come from unlikely places. At the end of Middle Passage, is Calhoun an unlikely hero? As a changed character, is he now an effective conman, or without the log book would his situation seem hopeless?

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