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So, playing with the chronology of the actual discussion for easier digestion, here's a basic summary of what happened on 11/20.

Dr. Faustus

Gertrude Stein's Dr. Faustus Lights the Lights played the past two weekends in Goodhart Theatre. The performance was apparently well received by all in the class who attended, though I tend to agree with Karl Kirchwey, who apparently hates Gertrude Stein. jrizzo, who played Death (dressed in a black wedding dress) talked to the class about the way rehearsals addressed the "performance of the unconscious".

Dr. Faustus was also site-specific due to this being the last Mark/Hiroshi collaboration in Goodhart, which is set to undergo renovations starting after graduation. (Mark's on sabbatical next semester, so the spring production will be by a guest director.) Apparently the set was very beautiful, it's astonishing we didn't burn down Goodhart with all the lights (I think the safety officer was a little concerned). Anne also regaled the class with an anecdote about her first experience in Goodhart, listening to Mary Daly speak. This concreted her view of Goodhart as a female space. I pointed out that this is helped by the fact that, from the stage, Goodhart looks like a giant cervix (Abby agreed).

Other Coursekeeping

11/20 was the National Trans Day of Remembrance

Tickets for Age of Arousal are $10, and can be picked up from Bryn in the English House Office

Drafts due at 5 PM TODAY

Next Tuesday: Gertrude Stein and Marilyn Hacker - The Lesbian Poet: To Conform Or Not To Conform? (Okay, so that's not actually the title for the class, but it totally should be)

Sign-up sheet for groups for Final Performances to be passed around next Thursday - can be individual but groups are preferred

Book of Salt

Four different ways (at least) that it could be construed as a feminist text

- Abby's consideration of "the danger of the senses"

- way to get out of the gaze by focusing on the other senses - Western thought is very focused on the sense of sight

- lack of focus on the categories of gender/ sexuality could be an example of what feminism should be striving for (as per jessy's post) - a "normalizing of queerness" - general nodding (I liked this idea, which was a surprise to no one), Flora and Abby dissented

- text written involving Gertrude Stein, whose noteriety for ignoring grammatical markers complicates the implications of race and gender markers

Importance of "geographic circulation"

- novel is driven by Bihn's (Bao's?) desires for other men

- good sex has no narrativ - because if it's good fully in the moment?

- heteronormativity of gstein's and atoklas' lives - cultural/ socioeconomic implications

Things We Didn't Have Enough Time To Really Discuss

Distorted intimacies caused by the inequity of global economy

Why did Truong write a novel about Gertrude Stein in such a descriptive form?

- adixon - blogs, e-mails, IMs lack grammatical markers in a way gstein would probably appreciate

- Flora - about Bao (/Bihn) not about gstein - difference between lack of knowledge of language and intentionally ignoring grammar

- jrizzo - only interested in gstein's personal story, not her work itself - comparison of grammatical markers to gender markers