Serendip is an independent site partnering with faculty at multiple colleges and universities around the world. Happy exploring!

Feedback and Emerging Genres

ramgarali's picture

 

            I have enjoyed the discussions we have had these past couple of weeks. What I think works best for the benefit of the class is using Serendip as a tool to establish discussion topics for upcoming classes. In addition to that, I like the fact that Anne is a part of our discussion and encourages us to come with additional thoughts and questions to the next class. What I would like to format from the course’s structure is the amount of time we spend discussing a text, I think it would be best if we reduce the amount of texts per week to analyze them further. This format would allow us to re-read a text if necessary and give room to multiple interpretations based on class discussions. If I had the opportunity to go back and spend more time discussing texts, I would like to read Margaret Price’s ”Mad at School”(especially after having her in class).

         Something I find particularly intriguing is analyzing letters as a genre (as part of a biography or a work of fiction). With that being said, I suggest reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. This book talks about an exchange of letters between an author called Juliet, her publicist and another individual shortly after World War II and how those letters become a source of inspiration for Juliet’s future literary works. Nick Bantock’s Griffin and Sabine: The Trilogy, deals with an exchange of letters but also allows readers to interact with the letters by taking them out of envelopes etc., and reflect on interpretations by looking at pictures.