Principles of Literary Study: Fiction - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Principles of Literary Study: Fiction principles-s14.blogs.rutgers.edu

• Prof. Andrew Goldstone (andrew.goldstone@rutgers.edu)

Office hours today: 2:30–4 p.m. in Murray 031 Thursday, April 17, 2014. Morrison (3).

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review

▶ we see the past through everyone’s eyes

external narration, but layered focalization

• ral tradition rather than “objective” history: transmission,

reconstruction parts of the past are unspoken, unspeakable, or lost

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review

▶ we see the past through everyone’s eyes ▶ external narration, but layered focalization

• ral tradition rather than “objective” history: transmission,

reconstruction parts of the past are unspoken, unspeakable, or lost

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review

▶ we see the past through everyone’s eyes ▶ external narration, but layered focalization ▶ oral tradition rather than “objective” history: transmission,

reconstruction parts of the past are unspoken, unspeakable, or lost

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

review

▶ we see the past through everyone’s eyes ▶ external narration, but layered focalization ▶ oral tradition rather than “objective” history: transmission,

reconstruction

▶ parts of the past are unspoken, unspeakable, or lost

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review: levels of focalization

Denver was seeing it now and feeling it—through Beloved. Feeling how it must have felt to her mother. (91; qtd. by “Wayland McCarron”) EN (CF1 (CF2 (CF3))) CF1: Denver CF2: Beloved CF3: Sethe

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review: levels of focalization

Denver was seeing it now and feeling it—through Beloved. Feeling how it must have felt to her mother. (91; qtd. by “Wayland McCarron”) EN (CF1 (CF2 (CF3))) CF1: Denver CF2: Beloved CF3: Sethe

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review: empathy #fail ?

A glance into the apartment revealed a negro woman holding in her hand a knife literally dripping with gore, over the heads of two little negro children, who were crouched to the floor, and uttering the cries whose agonized peals had first startled them. (May, 37) A third pumped blood down the dress of the main one—the woman schoolteacher bragged about, the one he said made fine ink, damn good soup, pressed his collars the way he liked besides having at least ten breeding years left....Suppose you beat the hounds past that point

• thataway. (176)

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review: empathy #fail ?

A glance into the apartment revealed a negro woman holding in her hand a knife literally dripping with gore, over the heads of two little negro children, who were crouched to the floor, and uttering the cries whose agonized peals had first startled them. (May, 37) A third pumped blood down the dress of the main one—the woman schoolteacher bragged about, the one he said made fine ink, damn good soup, pressed his collars the way he liked besides having at least ten breeding years left…. Suppose you beat the hounds past that point

• thataway. (176)

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what is to be done?

Sends this deed of fearful daring Through my country’s heart no thrill, Do the icy hands of slavery Every pure emotion chill? Oh ! if there is any honor, Truth or justice in the land, Will ye not, as men and Christians, On the side of freedom stand? (Watkins, 42) And then no words. Humming. No words at all. (179)

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what is to be done?

Sends this deed of fearful daring Through my country’s heart no thrill, Do the icy hands of slavery Every pure emotion chill? Oh ! if there is any honor, Truth or justice in the land, Will ye not, as men and Christians, On the side of freedom stand? (Watkins, 42) And then no words. Humming. No words at all. (179)

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Morrison’s history

Decimated but stubborn, they were among those who chose a fugitive life rather than Oklahoma….In between that calamity and this, they had visited George III in London, published a newspaper, made baskets, led Oglethrope through forests, helped Andrew Jackson fight Creek, cooked maize, drawn up a constitution, petitioned the King of Spain, been experimented on by Dartmouth, established asylums, wrote their language, resisted settlers, shot bear and translated scripture. All to no

• avail. (131)

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dilemmas

‘I stopped him,’ she said, staring at the place where the fence used to be. ‘I took and put my babies where they’d be safe.’ (193; qtd. by “liv098”)

Discussion

How does this scene (192–93) invite us to respond to the question, Is Sethe’s action justifiable?

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explanations

This is the first time I’m telling it and I’m telling it to you because it might help to explain something to you although I know you don’t need me to do it…. I couldn’t help listening to what I heard that day. (228)

Discussion

Why this?

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explanations

This is the first time I’m telling it and I’m telling it to you because it might help to explain something to you although I know you don’t need me to do it…. I couldn’t help listening to what I heard that day. (228)

Discussion

Why this?

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next

▶ Finish the novel (if you haven’t) ▶ Read the preface to Beloved ▶ Read (and bring in) Holloway, Alexandre, Berger ▶ Underline the main argument of each