Hey All, Below is a recap of our last discussion section:
Harris’ final exam is structured as follows:
Section 1. (15pts) Multiple Choice, 15 questions
Section 2. (5pts) Short Answer, 2 questions
Section 3. (20pts) Passage Recognition and Analysis (4 passages)
Please remember to bring in a short excerpt from one of the following authors for our review day:
In Maggie Cassidy, how does Kerouec’s long and descriptive sentences affect the way you feel about life while reading this book? Why does Kerouec go out of his way to describe the most simple things that have nothing to do with the book?
Concerning Lee Child’s style; does his more entertaining writing style rather than artistic make it easier/more entertaining for you to read or do you prefer novels that have a deeper/hidden meaning behind them?
http://people.umass.edu/sharris/in/e131s/FinalExamGuide.pdf
1.) Concerning Jack Kerouac’s “Maggie Cassidy”; The book was written as a somewhat fictional, yet real events in Jack’s life, but names are changed. How does this make it easier/harder to connect to versus if the book was written about random made-up people? Although he doesn’t mention it a lot, does the story being based in Massachusetts affect you at all?
2.)Concerning Lee Child’s, “The Killing Floor”; Although for me it is somewhat obvious, what is different about this book versus the other materials we have read in this class? Has it made it more enjoyable/easier to read or less enjoyable and why?
1) In Maggie Cassidy, Kerouac uses odd descriptions such as “brown light” on page 34. It is difficult to imagine light as brown, so why does he use two words that are not clearly associated with each other in his description? What kind of effect does this create?
2) On page 68, Kerouac writes “laughing, coughing on his cigar, bending quickly with huge red-faced excitement to scratch his ankle.” Here the narrator is talking about an interaction he has with his father and decides to include such a minute detail as “to scratch his ankle.” This does not add any significance to the story and it is a small enough description to be disregarded but he still decides to include this action. Why does Kerouac include these kinds of descriptions?
1. During the first portion of the novel, we learn that before Jacky met Maggie, he met Pauline Cole “under the clock…every day in December.” Although Pauline seems to have more going for her on the surface, what do you think it is about Maggie that draws Jack to her?
2. As discussed in lecture, Lee Child writes more for entertainment value versus artistic merit. His style of writing is easier to comprehend and he tells the reader exactly what is going on. What did you think of this style? Did it make you want to read past the first chapter?
In chapter 6 of “Maggie Cassidy”, there’s a very vivid description of the river and how it flows at night, followed by the arrival of James Cassidy at his home. Why are these two juxtaposed next to each other? What is the importance of this scene and how does add to the chapter/novel as a whole?
2. In the first chapter of The Killing Floor by Lee Child, the story is told in first person by the main character, Jack Reacher. How does the first person view contribute to the mystery of the plot so far? Does it detract from the plot or add to it? Does the first person view make the book seem more juvenile or does it make it more alluring?
1. Throughout Brennan’s The Long Winded-Lady, Maeve Brennan constantly describes streets throughout New York City, describes every-day people, and Uses words like “last night”, or “yesterday” as if the reader should know exactly where every location is, who everyone is, and what time period it is. In relation to our recent lecture why do you think Brennan incorporates these descriptions? What effect is intended?
2. When the author states “He was from one of the Spanish-speaking countries, and I think he had been here only a very short time” (Brennan 4), do you think this is a surely known description, or just a judgement? Initially, Brennan confirms a fact but shortly after in the same sentence describes an unsure thought in this passage. Does this statement qualify as a component of classic style writing?
Maeve Brennan was writing for the New Yorker during an era of political, economical, and social changes. This time period was the beginning of New Journalism and many writers wanted to portray a true account of everyday life. How does Maeve Brennan’s writing style reflect American society in the 1960’s?
The author describes the people and places she observes and invites the reader to be part of the New York lifestyle. She observes the lives of others, but rarely interacts with them. Do you think this is because she feels like an outsider and not a true New Yorker?
1. In class we focused on how Brennan wrote in the “classic style”, what are some examples of this style early on, in, They Were Both Forty?
2. What do you believe is the importance of Brennan staying away from character development and focusing more on the descriptions of scenery and situations?
1. Brennan is known to write using the classic style. In “The Long-Winded Lady”, do you think that her work follows the criteria that comes with the classic style of writing? Why or why not?
2. Brennan’s descriptions of people and places are very thorough and factual. She slips her opinions into her writing in a subtle way as well. For example, Brennan describes the Empire State Building, a structure that people around the world associate with New York City and its grandeur, as something that is an “ugly length” and “tries to be on nudging terms with every other building in the city.” The way she writes this is as if its a simple fact of life, but many would be appalled if they heard someone say that the Empire State Building is ugly. Why do you think Brennan is so irritated by a structure so closely associated with the history of the city she loves so much?