Questions After 10/1 in ENGL 190

Good morning :)

I wish that we had a little more time to discuss drama and read more plays, but it's now time to move on to fiction.  However, your papers that are due on the 7th of October (or later, if we've talked) will give me the opportunity to return to this wonderful genre and some of the topics (Gabriel, the impact of a female playwright or director) we did not touch on.  

And, yes, here are links to the drama/theater videos we watched last night.  The first set refer to the recent British production starring Hattie Morahan.  (Apologies about the name!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaYUfGEIrlU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjWkq1lZCwY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOuFocD10hU&list=PLh1_OpNt5HhRA3MI5q_WdyhVNm5mEPsKB

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEffJ6b38Ns

We didn't have time to watch Janet McTeer's interview with Charlie Rose, but I thought you might like it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZ8BhPrHb7U

And here is the link to the video of Denzel Washington and Viola Davis discussing their production of Fences:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekHNzuh1FVs

Enough!  I am also attaching a sample midterm and the sample papers that we looked at!

For next week, let's reread the folktales at http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/grimm044.html  (Godfather Death)

http://www.native-languages.org/wishramstory.htm (Coyote and Eagle Visit the Land of the Dead)

We will read chapter 5 in our book and “Girl” (317-8) as well as “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” (481-493).

Here are a few questions for your journal:

-- How is your paper coming along?  (Feel free to post your rough draft as a journal entry.)

-- Compare fiction and drama/theater.

-- Compare folk tales and literary fiction.

-- Compare the Native American folktales that we are reading to folk tales in your own tradition.

-- Compare the American short stories to short stories in your own tradition.

-- Does length matter in short stories?  How short is too short?  How long is too long?

-- Discuss the role of plot and character in the stories we have read so far.  Are these stories plot driven?  character driven?  or setting driven?

-- Discuss the ways in which fiction encourages empathy.  How does this compare/contrast to drama/theater?

-- Discuss the ways in which fiction encourages moral behavior.  How does this compare/contrast to drama/theater?

-- Discuss Death, the godson, and his father as characters.  Consider that, in Fences, Troy wrestles with Death.

-- Discuss Coyote and Eagle as characters.  Why does Coyote go to the land of the dead?  Why does he not carry out his mission?

-- Look for other stories about Coyote.  How does he differ from story to story?

Here are entries that give background about him and Native American cultures:

http://en202.blogspot.com/2014/01/native-american-folktales-for-spring.html

http://en202.blogspot.com/2014/01/trickster-tales-for-2014.html

http://en202.blogspot.com/2014/01/more-trickster-for-2014.html

I'm looking forward to seeing what you have to say!

Dr. Szlyk

Questions for ENGL 190 -- September 24

Above is a scene from the Seattle Rep's production of Fences.  Below is a picture of Denzel Washington's Troy with his son who is played by Chris Chalk.

Good evening :)

Good news....our new due date for the paper will be Tuesday October 7 at 11:59 pm.  If you have questions about the paper, please feel free to email them to me or stop by my office times.  I will also talk a little about the paper on Oct. 1.

This evening we finished our section on drama/theater with a discussion of Fences.  Next week we are moving on to fiction with chapters 3 and 4 in our book and the following folktales:

http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/grimm044.html  (Godfather Death)

http://www.native-languages.org/wishramstory.htm (Coyote and Eagle Visit the Land of the Dead)

But let's return to our questions about Fences.

Here are links to the scenes we watched:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7v4l36NTrsA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jE2dDmMGfa4

I am adding another scene with Troy (Denzel Washington) and Rose (Viola Davis):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqIHzuBm2Gk

-- Note that these scenes are all in the theater.  What do they tell you about acting in the theater, the sets, and the way that Wilson's text is performed?  

-- Fences is a character-driven play.  Discuss the strengths of this type of play.  Discuss its limitations. 

-- What role does plot play in Fences?

-- What role does setting play in Fences?

-- Fences shows unity of setting but not of time.  Discuss the strengths and the limitations of this.  Could Fences be revised to show unity of time?  How would this affect the play and our understanding of its characters?

-- How does the last scene resolve the play?  Does Cory leave the military alive and/or intact?

-- We did not talk enough about Gabriel.  What part does he play in his family and the play?  Does Wilson use him to comment on war and the role that African-American men have played in it?

-- Discuss the humor that Denzel Washington brings to Fences.  

-- Discuss the father/son relationship in Fences.

-- How does August Wilson's commentary (including stage directions) help you understand the play more fully?

-- Compare Rose and Nora, continuing our discussion from class.  How might a female playwright represent these women?

Here are the videos on baseball that we saw in class:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ab9pJ6fVX1o

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GI5jgstEdMI

This is also worth looking at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sa7y4lvl1E

-- How do these videos help you understand Fences (and Troy's anger) more fully?

-- How do they help you understand American culture?

-- What surprised you about Fences?  Why?

-- What would you like to write about for your paper?

Good night, and see you next week!  I hope that those of you who celebrate Rosh Hashanah had a wonderful celebration.

Dr. Szlyk

Here we see Cory and Raynell in the Syracuse Rep's 2010 production.

Here you see Gabriel with Troy and Rose in the same production.

Questions After Class on 9/17

Above is a picture from a more recent production of A Doll House with Steve Toussaint as Dr. Rank and Hattie Morahan as Nora.  Below is a picture from a Seattle production with a relatively young Dr. Rank.

Good evening :)

Tonight's class was jam-packed, but I think that we managed to do as much as we could.  I like that Ms. Pandya showed us some of the key sources for literary research, including JSTOR and the e-books.  Here is the link to our course page at the library by the way:  http://libguides.montgomerycollege.edu/ENGL190_SzlykR?hs=a&gid=3184 

I also liked that we were able to watch and discuss the rest of A Doll House!  We may discuss the play and film a little more next week, but the main reading will be August Wilson's Fences.  We will also discuss how to approach the upcoming paper.

Before I send the questions, I want to quickly post a few links.

The first is a link to last week's questions: http://en202.blogspot.com/2014/09/questions-after-class-on-910.html

Next is a link to other versions of A Doll House: http://en202.blogspot.com/2013/08/from-archives-pictures-and-more-of-doll.html  

My entry on the relationship between theater and film is here:  http://en202.blogspot.com/2013/08/theater-and-filmvideo.html

And here are tonight's questions:

What are your thoughts on the relationship between theater and film and/or video?  Should every play be made available on video?  Or is theater best experienced in the theater?  Why? Why not?  Is it better for one to see an adequate Nora and Torvald live or to see Claire Bloom and Anthony Hopkins perform these roles on film?  Why?  Why not?

If you've attended plays, discuss the difference between watching a filmed version of a play and a live version in a theater.  

What does film add to a play?  (Note the variety of camera angles in the last scene of the film as well as film's ability to depict places we don't see on stage.)

Last week I mentioned Kohlberg and Gilligan's theories of moral development.  Here are links to information about them.

http://faculty.plts.edu/gpence/html/kohlberg.htm

http://www.stolaf.edu/people/huff/classes/handbook/Gilligan.html

I am adding Erikson's theory as well:  http://web.cortland.edu/andersmd/erik/sum.html

Use one of these theories to discuss the characters in A Doll House.  If you are familiar with other theorists, you may use them as well.

What do you think is the climax of A Doll House?  Why?

Where do you see foreshadowing used in the play?  Why?

Where do you see false closure used?  Why?

How do Act 2 and Act 3 build on Act 1?

Did you expect Nora to do what she did at the end of the play?  Why?

What do you think of Ibsen's ending?  Is it credible?  Why?  Why not?

Why is A Doll House worth continuing to read, stage, and watch?  

Is it time for a new film version?  Why?

How would you stage this play today at MC?  Consider how other directors have handled this task.  Here is a link to a review of a German director's production:  http://www.villagevoice.com/2004-11-09/theater/nora-gets-her-gun/full/

If you were to show another scene from the film, which one would you show?  Why?

Discuss how Nora handles Dr. Rank's confession.  Does this scene have an effect on her?  Why?

Discuss how Torvald handles Nora's leaving him.  Does this scene have an effect on him--or him as he is portrayed by Anthony Hopkins?  Why?  

Do you think that Nora and Torvald will reunite?  Why?  Why not?

And, as promised, here are links to sequels to A Doll House.  Which works for you?  Why?

https://www.marxists.org/archive/eleanor-marx/1891/dolls-house-repaired.htm

http://www.timeout.com/newyork/upstaged-blog/jonesing-for-nora-a-short-history-of-a-dolls-house-sequels

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2358434/

http://www.teenhelp.org/forums/f40-self-expression/t81975-dolls-house-sequel/

Let me know if you have questions about the journal or the upcoming paper!

See you next week--or at my office time!

Dr. Szlyk

Questions After Class on 9/10

I couldn't find a trailer of Gillian Anderson's performance of Nora, but here are two images -- and a link to an article by A.S. Byatt about her response to the play and its protagonist over the years:
http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2009/may/02/ibsen-a-dolls-house  Ms. Byatt also provides important context to the play.

Good evening :)

It was wonderful to meet everyone this evening, and I'm glad that we were able to watch *and* discuss the beginning of A Doll House.  

For next week, please read chapters 21, 22, and 23 in our book (excluding Trifles) and A Doll House.  We will meet on the first floor of Macklin outside the library doors in order to attend Ms. Niyati Pandya's presentation on researching on literary topics.  I will be posting the library tutorials for the class at MyMC.  We should be returning to our classroom in SB between 7:30 and 8 pm.  There we will finish up our discussion of A Doll House, watching some later scenes.

Here are a few questions for your journal.  You may end up writing your paper on one of these topics!

- What did today's scenes add to your understanding of A Doll House?  performance?  theater?

 

-- How did today's scenes complicate your understanding of A Doll House?  Nora?  the characters' relationships?  the actors' performances?

 

-- Discuss A Doll House as a film.  How do the extra scenes (the opening credits, the scenes outside of the house, especially Krogstad's scene with his sons) add to your understanding of the play?

 

-- We've been focusing on characters' psychology and actors' performances.  How do other elements (set design, camera angles, composition of shots, sound, costumes) add to your understanding of the play?

 

-- If you've had a chance to read the play in our anthology or online, how do the stage directions add to your understanding of the play?  How do they limit it?  Does the film ignore any of the playwright's guidelines?

 

-- What do you make of the coincidence that Mrs. Linde and Krogstad used to know each other?  Why?
 

-- What do you make of the way that Ibsen introduces his characters and their stories?  why?

 

-- Try out this website:  http://www.pbs.org/manorhouse/1905/

The men below from 1905 are wearing "informal beachwear."

What would your life have been like in 1905?  How does this knowledge help you understand A Doll House a little better?  Why?  

 

Watch some of the following performances of A Doll House.  What seems to be the underlying emotion that grounds the actors' performances?  How do they compare to Claire Bloom, Anthony Hopkins, et al's performances?
We'll start with Jane Fonda's, also from 1973.  Mrs. Linde is played by French actor Delphine Seyrig.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjX-u7yAWDs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6ZBCAYjEcg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtSGp72hoXE&list=PL4_TqTPg6R4Am9Kq6WVQqC2b2mZW7L8Vo

 

Janet McTeer's Nora is more recent:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m81oiq5yvCc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7v_vyPsC3aQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbTGhNw98aw

 

Here are even more recent trailers from various productions, some modern dress.  (The one depicted above is from a Chicago production.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hb3CIsynKa4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-9DP6djTxg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhN7DQs1_XQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOuFocD10hU

 

-- Discussing one or two of these videos, compare the film and stage versions.  What seems to be the significant differences?  

-- Compare the newer versions with the 1973 versions.  What do we seem to see in A Doll House, Nora, and Torvald now?

 

-- Many have used feminist thought and theory to discuss A Doll House.  Is the play a feminist play?  Why?  Why not?

 

-- Discuss Nora and Torvald's marriage further.  How do the videos from other productions and your reading of Ibsen's play help you to understand their marriage more fully?  

 

-- Do you sympathize with Nora?  with Torvald?  why?  why not?

 

I'm looking forward to seeing you next week and hearing more of your thoughts on A Doll House!

Welcome to Fall 2014 and ENGL 190

Watch this space for questions from our class, background readings, and study guides!

I'm looking forward to meeting you on Sept. 10.  The picture above will give you an idea of what will be in store for us this semester.

Dr. Szlyk

Questions After Whitman

Yikes!  I want to make sure that I send out my questions to you while I'm online this afternoon.  Also, if you haven't done so already, be sure to fill out the survey for this class.  The link will be gone on Sunday:

https://mc.simplyvoting.com/

Yesterday we finished our readings with Whitman's poetry.  I hope that you enjoyed our brief look at his work.

Tomorrow and Friday we will review for Wednesday's exam.  Going over your notes, the whiteboard pictures at MyMC, and your journal will help you to review.  Our exam will follow the same format as the midterm did.

Here are some questions for you.

-- How did the presentations help you understand American literature a little better?

-- How did Fatu's presentation on Liberian folklore help you understand race relations in the 1800s and/or the Native American folklore?

-- How did Orlando's presentation on American Romanticism help you understand our readings in the second half of class, especially Poe, Hawthorne, Melville, Dickinson, and Whitman?

-- Here are links to some elegies to Lincoln:

http://www.classroomelectric.org/volume2/belasco/elegies/melville.html

http://www.classroomelectric.org/volume2/belasco/elegies/bryant.html

http://www.classroomelectric.org/volume2/belasco/elegies/aldrich.html

These are some lines of John Milton's "Lycidas":

http://www.classroomelectric.org/volume2/belasco/elegies/milton.html

How do they compare to Whitman's "When Lilacs Last..." and perhaps "O Captain! My Captain!"?  How are they different?  Note that an elegy is often written to honor a dead hero.

-- Prof. Helen Vendler maintains that "When Lilacs Last..." is "not an intimate elegy."  What do you think?  Here is a link to her argument:  http://tannerlectures.utah.edu/_documents/a-to-z/v/Vendler_01.pdf

Note that she also mentions that Whitman writes from the perspective of others.

-- Sociologist Daniel Levinson and psychologist Erik Erikson have each formulated an interesting theory of human development:

http://humangrowth.tripod.com/id3.html

http://web.cortland.edu/andersmd/erik/sum.html

How might these theories apply to Whitman in "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry" and "When Lilacs Last..."?  How might they apply to the characters in the stories we've read?

-- How does Whitman write about race?  about gender?  

-- Here are some links about Whitman and sexual identity:  http://www.jstor.org/stable/2933958

http://www.whitmanarchive.org/criticism/current/encyclopedia/entry_49.html

http://ir.uiowa.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1500&context=wwqr&sei-redir=1&referer=http%3A%2F%2Fscholar.google.com%2Fscholar%3Fstart%3D30%26q%3Dwalt%2Bwhitman%2Bhomosexuality%26hl%3Den%26as_sdt%3D1%2C21%26as_vis%3D1#search=%22walt%20whitman%20homosexuality%22

How might these help you understand his work more?

-- How does Whitman conclude American Literature I?

I'm looking forward to seeing and hearing what you have to say!

Questions After 4/30 Class

Above is a view of Brooklyn Ferry!  We will be listening to Lucille Clifton's performance of this poem in class:
http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/crossing-brooklyn-ferry


Good evening :)

I am pleased to say that I have finally posted the prompts for the final!  Please let me know if you need additional information after looking them over.

On Friday Orlando will be presenting on Romantic Literature, a topic we have glanced at this semester.  We will begin Walt Whitman, focusing on the poems "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry" and "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloomed."  We will also begin reviewing for the final.

Here are a few questions for your journal:

-- How does Walt Whitman finish up our course?

-- What does he add to American literature?  American identity? poetry?

-- What jumps out at you as you read his poetry?  Why?

-- How does Whitman capture the experience of being in a city?

-- How does Whitman capture the loss Americans felt after Lincoln's assassination?  How does he capture his own emotions?

-- Is Whitman public like a frog?  Why?  Why not?

-- What does he add to your understanding of gender?

-- Should a writer go out into the world to gather experience?  Or should he/she stay home and focus on his/her writing?

-- Discuss the impact of Whitman's line lengths, repetition, and/or free verse.

-- Are you Team Emily?  Or Team Walt?  Why?

I am looking forward to seeing what you have to say!