Midterm Study Guide -- Fiction

This afternoon, before the papers come in, I'd like to start the midterm study guide for fiction.  The pictures above are of Mel's Drive-In in Hollywood
http://www.melsdrive-in.com/hoursandlocations/hollywood.html
and a street scene in LA.  Southern California is known for its car culture (isn't The Fast and the Furious set there?), and people are able to drive antique cars more often because the roads don't need to be salted as they do here. 

Hmmm....on review day I'll have to dig up a YouTube of various antique cars on display in Southern California!

However, let's start with the folktales from Monday the 18th.

The first is the Brothers' Grimm's "Godfather Death."

http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/grimm044.html

Next is the Wishram story, "Coyote and Eagle Visit the Land of the Dead."

http://www.native-languages.org/wishramstory.htm

The Navajo shadow puppet show "Coyote and Horned Toad" follows:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjUlyarH9F0

In addition, here is Wikipedia's outline of the characteristics of oral culture:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orality#Theory_of_the_characteristics_of_oral_culture

Take a look at the book review of Fr. Walter J. Ong's Orality and Literacy below:
http://worldlit2.multiply.com/journal/item/51/Orality_Literacy_._._._Cross-Posting_from_EN_201_Blog
How does orality shape the folktales we've read?  How does it shape the stories that Troy tells in Fences--and his approach to life?  (Feel free to compare it to Rose's or Cory's.)

-- Here are some of my EN 202 entries on the Brothers Grimm and their work. 
http://worldlit2.multiply.com/journal/item/146/The_Brothers_Grimm_From_Enchanted_Forests_to_the_Modern_World
http://worldlit2.multiply.com/journal/item/147

For the outline of Joseph Campbell's monomyth (hero's journey), see this link:

http://orias.berkeley.edu/hero/JourneyStages.pdf

It goes without saying that Dagoberto Gilb's "Love in L.A." and Joyce Carol Oates' "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" will be on the midterm.  Terms on plot (including foreshadowing, flashback, and false closure) and character (including protagonist, antagonist, and anti-hero) will be on the midterm as well.  Below is a picture of Shakespeare's Falstaff, who exemplifies the anti-hero.  He is the bearded man with the big belly...the man who is talking!

Here is a montage of scenes from "Smooth Talk," the movie that Chris mentioned in class today:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=co9bfNOlSRQ

The trailer is below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXvmkCVbrBk&feature=related



The following stories will be on the midterm:  Sandra Cisneros' "The House on Mango Street," Alice Walker's "Everyday Use," and Lynda Barry's "Today's Demon: Magic."  We will also cover point of view (first-person, third-person limited & objective & omniscient) and theme as a way to compare/contrast works from different genres.  In addition, there may be a question or two on the definition of literature and inclusion of various genres (graphic fiction, autobiography & life writing, film, music).  With the last in mind, here are links to the videos from American Graffiti:

Here is the link to the trailer. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6Jo1gH89VM

For the beginning of the movie, see this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tzfm2fKYARU


To listen to Bob Dylan's "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" and read the song's lyrics, go
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziQx0cXV4nY

Here are some more sites where you may find Lynda Barry's work:

http://www.marlysmagazine.com/

http://www.comixology.com/articles/10/All-the-Comics-4-Lynda-Barry

http://comicscomicsmag.com/2011/02/lynda-barry.html

Vice Magazine also has an interesting interview with her.

The last stories on the midterm will be Jamaica Kincaid's "Girl" and Ernest Hemingway's "Hills Like White Elephants." 

I may also ask you about the following prose poems:

Russell Edson's "Sleep"
http://webdelsol.com/tpp/tpp5/tpp5_edson.html

Naomi Shihab Nye's "Hammer and Nail"
http://webdelsol.com/tpp/tpp5/tpp5_edson.html

Below are the definitions that we looked at: