Week 3: Cervantes

I was out sick.

I'm really frustrated with being sick. And it is unfortunate that I had to miss a class I enjoy because I overworked myself with my 12 hours of work and my coughing was out of control. I am sure the others in the class are glad I wasn't there to annoy/infect them. I am looking forward to next week. Hopefully I am better.

Week 3: Intro to Graduate Study

This week we discussed critical approaches to literature and how developing our interpretive skills allow us to grow as a reader. This was actually a great discussion, and I would have liked to participate, if for no other reason than to argue the opposing point (that all this interpretation is BS). But, instead I coughed.. and coughed... and coughed... and left early.

Week 2: Cervantes

We discussed, at length, Daphnis and Chloe. It is an old Greek novel which illustrates a pastoral love story of two very naive teenagers.

Also I think I may have agreed to give my 20 min presentation on this topic. Oops.

Week 2: Intro to Graduate Study

I am still sick. I coughed the whole time. We discussed Northanger Abbey. During the break everyone gave me suggestions on what to do to stop coughing. I'm sick of suggestions, and death stares.

Paper Due : Monday October 3rd. Topic-- Northanger Abbey  -- Ugh.

Week 1: Cervantes

Our 45 minute introductory class covered the following:

1. passing out the syllabus
2. there are 2 class dates we need to make up b/c the prof will be out of town
3. writing trivial facts about ourselves on note cards

End of class. See you next week.

Week 1: Introduction to Graduate Study

So, I am finally taking the only required course for MALit students. Basically this course is designed to introduce you to writing research/term papers and reading novels. Probably would have made sense to take this class first-- but since they only offer it in Fall and I started in Winter, I have completed 4 classes (term papers and all) before taking this one. Oh well.

The first week was just introductions. Basically, I sat in the room coughing up a lung (bronchitis) and assuring everyone that I was no longer contagious. We have to read Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen for next week. I have already read it, I didn't enjoy it. I have started it again-- still not thrilled. Hopefully I get through this first round of boring female writers so I can move on to other more interesting (though, in the case of our next book, highly over-taught ) literature.

Other observations from the first week;
1. not as many in this "required" class as I was expecting
2. when asked, " what do you read?" everyone in this program is such a ridiculous snob, listing high brow literature by famously difficult authors-- right..  you read that on your ipad at the beach ---liar.

Week 4: Beats

This week we discussed the differences between the actual Beat generation and the Beatnik which was an exploited version of the stereotype, as seen above. Our professor showed us multiple examples (including this one) of poorly associated literature covers claiming to be part of the Beat movement. Silly.

We then discussed jazz, Jack Kerouac and spontaneous prose. It was beautiful and frustrating at the same time. I read The Subterraneans as it was intended, quickly, and as if listening to a great jazz performance. I enjoyed it. I did not overly examine the use or misuse of punctuation, nor did I mark notes in my margins examining each word. Come on people, don't you listen to jazz, don't you read for pleasure? Don't you do anything other than try to be perfect academic intellectuals? Ugh!

Meanwhile, my response paper this week which discussed how this book was written as a jazz performance, and was meant to be read that way?.... A+ bitches. A+.