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jrlewis's picture

Reading Arabian Nights

Because I love reading in bed, I bought a paperback copy of Arabian Nights at Barnes and Noble.  I thought that this text was especially appropriate to read in bed before sleeping.  I was with the king and the younger sister, a fellow listener.  The stories distracted me to the point of losing sleep or oversleeping the next morning.  The interlaced serial nature of the text was incredibly addictive.  I found myself craving another tale and another tale after that.  A like bites of a cake, each forkful delicious...

jrlewis's picture

Closely Related Literary Kinds...

I just finished reading Philippe Petit's book, "Man on Wire" pp  This text chronicles Petit's multiyear long project to perform a high wire walk across the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center.  There is a significant amount of autiobiographical information, including Petit's childhood passion for horseback riding.  Interspersed throughout the text are black and white images of Petit, his accomplices, and the Twin Towers.  Some are photographs, others are sketches and notes in

Caroline H's picture

Food, Physiology, and Psychology

A Spanish proverb says that “the belly rules the mind”.

jrlewis's picture

Genres as Recipes or Recipes as Genres?

Perhaps this is a stupid question…  Especially for someone who has taken almost enough literature courses to be an English minor… An avid reader of novels, graphic narratives, biographies, and texts on philosophy and science… 
WHAT IS LITERATURE?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 
Is it the texts of the Western Canon?  Is it global?  Is it any kind of artist writing?  What about important articles? Comics? Papers? Speeches? Films? Recipes?

Kwarlizzle's picture

The Collective I-Function

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jrlewis's picture

The Tyranny of Henry James

In our discussion of The Portrait of a Lady, Anne asked our class to consider “who is the tyrant” of the novel.  She was inquiring what character or concept constrained the formerly free and independent character of Isabel Archer.  A discussion ensued about whether Gilbert Osmond or Isabel Archer’s imagination was the tyrant.  I would like to propose a third interpretation; Henry James, himself, is the great tyrant of his own novel. 

aseidman's picture

Storytelling through Serials - How and Why?

 

I think it would be an interesting idea for us to study serial fiction as a genre.

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