Faded flowers.... (8)

photo by Mathias Erhart, flickr

In the first few pages of Persuasion we are introduced to Sir Walter Elliot and his descendants via an entry in the Baronetage. Austen goes on to give her readers the briefest of snapshots of specific individuals: Sir Walter, for whom "vanity was the beginning and the end of...character" (10); his deceased wife, "an excellent woman, sensible and amiable" (10); Lady Russell, "of steady age and character" (11); Elizabeth, "very like [her father]" (11); Mary, who had "acquired a little artificial importance" through marriage... (and who quite frankly drives me crazy) (11); and finally, Anne - Anne who is "nobody" in the eyes of her father or sisters . . . Anne, who is "only Anne" to her immediate family . . . Anne, whose "bloom had vanished early" . . . Anne who is, well, just Anne.

And yet we suspect that this is not entirely true. We suspect that Anne is somehow much more than what we are first shown. After all, this is her story, and you can't have a story about "nobody."

As you read, be on the lookout for moments that hint at Anne's true identity and character, whether that be through her actions, her words, or her thoughts and observations, which often (but not always) reflect those of the narrator.

Who is Anne Elliot, really? Are your initial impressions confirmed throughout Book I, or do they change? If so, why? As always, be sure to include page number references.


Comments are due by Friday, 28 October, noon. 

Drawing Parallels (7)

from www.fotoblography.com

Now that we've finished reading and discussing two texts, it's time for some comparative analysis. For this post, identify and analyze an element in The Odyssey and Out of the Silent Planet.  You may focus on specific characters, settings, scenes, dialogues, or any other aspect of the narrative that lends itself to such a comparison.

Please do not write anything like this:
"Odysseus and Ransom both were trying to get home. That's sort of, you know, similar. Yeah. Similar. So, you know, kind of the same. And, well, they both really wanted to get home, but it was, um, really difficult and, um, hard. For both of them."

Or this:
"That big guy, the Cyclops, was kind of like those tall scary guys, the sorns...or is it 'scorns'? I can never remember. Anyway, they both lived in caves. And didn't hang out in groups. And, um, were really different from people. And they both liked cheese. That's very important."

Based on classroom conversation, I'm confident that you've identified any number of narrative elements that provide fodder for nuanced, interesting, and delightful comparisons. Here's your chance to wax eloquently about 1 of them. Please cite any quotes with page numbers. Otherwise there's no need for specific references, though your post must include specific information, explication, and analysis.


Due Friday, 21 October, noon.

Truth in Fiction (6)

Out of the Silent Planet offers many terse and pithy phrases whose meanings extend beyond their immediate contexts. Some examples include:

Small claims must give way to great. (Weston, 29)
The love of knowledge is a kind of madness. (Narrator, 56)
A pleasure is full grown only when it is remembered. (Hyoi, 74)

For this post, find one such phrase (being sure to identify the speaker and page number) and then comment on how the underlying meaning (whether true or false) reappears and/or is expanded upon in another section of the text. For example, you could argue that the first phrase above (though Lewis obviously didn't agree with it - at least not insofar as Weston meant it) reappears towards the end of the book where the reader is introduced to claims even larger than those of Weston, claims that demand some sort of response and that diminish the seeming importance of Weston's mission.

Though you each need not locate a unique phrase, you each must point to a unique moment in the text to which it can be applied. This post will require you to do some close reading and some sophisticated analysis. Do NOT fall prey to the abysmal, nonsensical, and pathetic discourse illustrated in the comic below. Find something significant to say, and then say it articulately, please. We will all be grateful for your own terse and pithy (and coherently significant) analysis of a terse and pithy phrase.

Some rules:

• you may use one of the phrases listed above
• phrases must be applied uniquely (see previous paragraph)
• phrases may be used only FIVE times each, so keep careful track of previous posts
• comments must be posted by 5 pm next Thursday (10.13) 

An xkcd webcomic. xkcd.com/451

Show . . . don't tell (5)

As we discussed in class this week, C.S. Lewis believed that a good author must use an economy of words (nothing extra), must be diligent about accuracy of vocabulary (use the word that conveys your exact meaning), and must show beauty / sublimity / ferocity / etc. rather than simply stating it; "The sky was beautiful" or "The heavens were sublime" or "The dragon was fierce."

Boring. Blah. Ungood.

Lewis shows us countless things in Out of the Silent Planet - the personalities of the main characters, the overwhelming heavens, the sublime landscape.

Find a moment when Lewis 'shows' readers something about either a character or a setting. Do not repeat a specific example already discussed in class, though you may certainly use another reference to either Ransom, Weston, or Devine.

Include the specific line from the text (referenced with page number) and then tell us (...yes, it's okay to tell us...) what exactly that reference shows us. Comments are due by next Wednesday at midnight.

Writing Life (4)

In her book Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Life and Writing Anne Lamott writes: 

"Thirty years ago my older brother, who was ten years old at the time, was trying to get a report on birds written that he'd had three months to write, which was due the next day. We were out at our family cabin in Bolinas, and he was at the kitchen table close to tears, surrounded by binder paper and pencils and unopened books on birds, immobilized by the hugeness of the task ahead. Then my father sat down beside him, put his arm around my brother's shoulder, and said, "Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird." 

You're writing an essay, not a report; and you have only 3 weeks, not 3 months. Still, the advice is good. Take it one step at a time. (Which implies that you must, in fact, take a step - [read: write] - at some point.) 

To help you get started, for this week's blog please post a comment about your upcoming paper topic. I realize we haven't conferenced yet and that your ideas are still quite possibly nascent. Be that as it may, I'll happily take it upon myself to nudge you along. Please give

• a brief description of your overarching topic
• why/how it caught your interest and attention while reading
• your proposed thesis - the position or idea for which you'll be presenting textual evidence. 

It's quite possible that some of you will have a similar topic, but you should each have a unique thesis. 

Posts are due by midnight on Thursday, September 22.