Upcoming blog posts

Remember that you do need to post a blog entry for this week by the usual time. However, you do not need to post during the winter break. The next deadline after that will be 3/15, at the usual time.

More on Blogs

Just finished reviewing your blogs, and wanted to comment on a few that stood out as good examples of what works in the posts. Remember, while I don't expect you to write a novel or anything, I am looking for a certain level of depth and engagement with the text. A good example of this is Kevin's post for this week (BigKev, 04) on "Go, Down Moses." Tina (04) also offers in-depth analysis this week, as well as graphics and links. Lisa (05) makes a good connection between Porter and Faulkner and reiterates an excellent point raised by Tenesha (05) in a recent class (regarding whether or not an author can depict another race or gender accurately and fairly). Finally, Rae (Down to Earth, too 04) also makes a fascinating critique of Faulkner's depictions of women, which reflects a unique take on the text. All of these examples build on class discussion but offer new ideas that take our conversation in different directions.

Exam info

As promised, here are a few study questions for the midterm. These are not the questions that you will be asked to write about; instead they are intended to help you focus your ideas and approach the material analytically:

Consider the ways that the work of Smith, Jefferson, and Fitzhugh is “foundational.” What ideas do these early works introduce, and how do other (usually later) writers grapple with these ideas?

Try to list the important themes in each text we have read. Then see which themes overlap, appearing in more than one text. Where do you see similarities in the way that authors are treating these themes, and where do you see differences?

What are these writers “doing” in their texts? How are they trying to make a point or convey a message through elements of literature such as language, characterization, irony, etc? What effect do they hope to have on their audience? Do these writers have “agendas”?

As I explained in class, I am looking for a strong grasp of both the themes of the course and of individual texts. I really want to see your interpretation of the texts; I am looking for analysis (vs. summary) and for detailed evidence to back up your assertions. I have created a grading key to help you understand how I will evaluate your essays:

A: Demonstrates an excellent understanding of the texts discussed; includes in-depth, detailed analysis of these texts; offers a clear and well-argued answer to the exam question; includes an introduction and conclusion that make connections (comparisons and contrasts) across texts, and are not mere restatements of my question.

B: Demonstrates a good grasp of the texts and the issues discussed in class; gives a clear answer to the exam question. Uses examples from individual texts to back up own ideas.

C: Displays a basic understanding of the texts but lacks detail or depth. May be more summary than analysis. May lack a clear, definitive answer to the exam question.

D-F: Essay lacks a clear understanding of the texts and the issues of the course. May distort elements of the texts, suggesting inattention or incomplete reading. Weak or incoherent response to the exam question.

Lynching Resources

As we discussed in our last class, "Pantaloon in Black" alludes to the widespread practice of lynching in the late nineteenth-century and early twentieth-century South. Interestingly, though, Faulkner chooses not to depict the scene itself, and instead describes the events leading up to the lynching through the perspective of the white sheriff's deputy; to me, this move raises the specter of racial violence while deflecting any real examination of this violence or of white complicity in it. This fits with the ambivalent depiction of Rider that we discussed: Faulkner is trying to say something critical about Southern racism, but he doesn't seem to be able to successfully translate this impulse into fictional representation (in this story, at least).

To help fill in the incomplete picture we have, here are some links to websites that deal with lynching. For a basic overview, visit http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1979/2/79.02.04.x.html. You may also want to visit the Without Sanctuary site http://www.withoutsanctuary.org, which includes a flash movie and photo gallery describing the grotesque phenomenon of lynching photography. Please be forewarned that this site includes deeply disturbing images.

Decisions, decisions

Based on your responses to that question that I asked on the first day of class--“What do you hope to learn about the South?”--I have put together some broad topics that will serve as starting points for your research projects.

Look these over, and select the three areas which you find most intriguing. Write your choices down in order of preference and hand these in to me in class on Fri. 2/17. Also, please look at the presentation dates listed on the syllabus. While I cannot accommodate requests for specific presentation dates, I do need to know if you have a conflict on any particular day of those three days. (Please note that these are the only three days allotted for presentations, and so you must make your presentation on one of these days.)

Once I have your choices, I will assign you a partner who indicated similar interests. You will then begin working together to come up with a more focused, specific topic for your papers and presentation.

1) Investigate the question of whether there are still deep cultural and/or political divisions between the North and South.

2) Analyze media images of the South, focusing on a particular film, TV show, or book. Consider the messages the work conveys about the South and assess the work’s cultural impact.

3) Analyze regional stereotypes of the South in an effort to determine what is fact and what is fiction.

4) Look at southern “foodways,” the interrelationships of food, methods of food preparation and consumption, and regional culture.

5) Research a Southern author we haven’t read; look at the influence of place on that author’s work and analyze how the themes discussed in our course relate to at least one of this author’s works.

6) Research a Southern visual artist and analyze the strategies of representation he/she employs and the connection of the work to place.

7) Research a form of Southern music, explaining its history and cultural significance.

8) Look at interracial relationships in the South, focusing on one minority group
other than African Americans (e.g. Asian, Latino, or Native American).

Blog Business

I’ve been thinking over the problem that some of you mentioned on Friday; I agree that having both comments and the entries themselves due on the same day is bound to cause difficulties. So here’s what we’ll do: let’s make the entries (posts) due by 9:00 Weds. night from now on, and keep the deadline for your comments the same: by class time on Friday. This will give you more time to read all the entries and offer insightful comments.

Also, as we’ve discussed in class, the blogs offer a flexible format for responding to and writing about the readings and issues we’re working with. Since your blogging styles are still evolving, I want to cite some examples of what I see as the particular strong points of some of recent posts. Think about emulating/incorporating some of these techniques into your own posts:

Both DEM (04) and Debbie (05) offer selective quotes from the text to illustrate their comments, which demonstrates a detailed engagement with the text

On “Downtoearthtoo,” Rae’s post from last week offers a sustained and insightful comparison of two different texts

Kevin L. (04) writes posts that display both a command of the material and personal reflection, making his entries both unique and fun to read

On “Southern Voices” Courtney included links in her posts, which adds to the class’s knowledge of the topic she’s blogging about

Christie (05) ended her post with a question to her readers, which elicited some great responses and created a dialogue

One other suggestion: don’t forget to log into the blogger site before commenting on other students’ sites; otherwise your comment may not post.

Be watching later this week for more information about research topics.