Down the Rabbit Hole Book Club

A way a lone a last a loved a long the...

2011-07-23T09:45:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who came to final meeting Down the Rabbit Hole. If anyone wants to share thoughts about books I lurk (sorry, I mean work) at the Main Library in the Popular Materials department.

You can also find book recommendations here:

http://offtheshelf.nashvillepubliclibrary.org/

We encourage everyone to write comments and keep the conversation going.

our next (and final) text is The Passion According to G.H. by Clarice Lispector

2011-05-21T11:15:00.000-07:00

Availing herself of a single character, Lispector transforms a banal situation of a woman at home, alone into an amphitheater for philosophical investigations. The first-person narration jousts with language, playfully but forcefully examining the ambiguous nature of words, with results ranging from the profound to the pretentious: "Prehuman divine life is a life of singeing nowness" or "The world interdepended with me, and I am not understanding what I say, never! never again shall I understand what I say. For how will I be able to speak without the word lying for me?" These linguistic games frame existential and experiential crises that Lispector savors and overcomes. Although this idiosyncratic novel will not have wide appeal (who cares), those with academic (snobs) or markedly erudite tastes (weirdos) should like it very much.

Sounds perfect for Down the Rabbit Hole!

Come discuss The Passion According to G.H. by Clarice Lispector Saturday July 16th at the Main Library in the 3rd Floor Program Room at 11am. Feel free to bring food and drink.

some thoughts about Tristram Shandy

2011-05-19T09:12:00.000-07:00

- Is this book still funny?

- Who has a better outlook on life Tristram's father or his Uncle Toby?

- What about the hobby horse?

- Sterne copied many passages directly from other 18th century authors. Should this change the way we view the book?

Come discuss The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman Saturday May 21st at the Main Library in the 3rd Floor Program Room at 11am. Feel free to bring food and drink.

Our next book is The Life and Times of Tristram Shandy, gentleman by Laurence Sterne

2011-03-19T11:44:00.000-07:00

Laurence Stern's great masterpiece of bawdy humor and rich satire defies any attempt to categorize it. Part novel, part digression, its gloriously disordered narrative interweaves the birth and life of the unfortunate "hero" Tristram Shandy, the eccentric philosophy of his father Walter, the amours and military obsessions of Uncle Toby, and a host of other characters, including Dr. Slop, Corporal Trim and the parson Yorick. A joyful celebration of the endless possibilities of the art of fiction, Tristram Shandy is also a wry demonstration of its limitations.

Come discuss The Life and Times of Tristram Shandy, gentleman Saturday May 21st at the Main Library in the 3rd Floor Program Room at 11am. Feel free to bring food and drink.

Some thoughts about Not the End of the World

2011-03-18T08:54:00.000-07:00

- Stories about Trudi and Charlene bookend the collection. What do you think about Trudi and Charlene's attitude about what is "not the end of the world"? Why do these two stories open and close the collection?

- Buffy the Vampire Slayer? What about Joss Whedon in general?

- Are TV shows and video games the mythology of today?

- These next ones are borrowed from discussion questions which appeared in the paperback edition of the book:

How do you think Eddie's relationship with his mother affects his attitude? Do you think June is a good role model for him?

Fielding's doppelganger has a lot more fun than Fielding ever does. What do you think that says about Fielding's choices? If your doppelganger were free to do whatever he or she wanted, what would he or she be doing?

Discuss the ways in which people at the edges of your life - the people you sometimes see at parties, who date your distant relatives, who pass you on the way to work - are living their own stories as well as influencing yours. Where, how often, and in what ways does your life overlap with theirs?

The entire list of discussion questions can be found here.

Come discuss Not the End of the World Saturday March 19th at the Main Library in the 3rd Floor Program Room at 11am. Feel free to bring food and drink.

Our next book is Not the End of the World by Kate Atkinson

2011-01-18T12:37:00.000-08:00

Equal parts comedy, tragedy, and myth, Atkinson's stories inevitably lead to utterly surprising conclusions. Meredith Zane, one of the legendary Zane sisters, known for their perfect teeth and far-flung travels, may have just discovered the secret of eternal life. Fielding, a burned-out media critic, suspects he has a doppelganger who is sullying his reputation - and having a much better time than Fielding ever has. Marianne is a young mother whose untimely end on a rainy highway doesn't necessarily keep her out of her family's life. Arthur, a neglected and precocious eight-year-old boy taken under the wing of an enigmatic nanny, discovers a world he never knew existed.

Come discuss Not the End of the World Saturday March 19th at the Main Library in the 3rd Floor Program Room at 11am. Feel free to bring food and drink.

Some thoughts about Acme Novelty Library

2011-01-14T10:30:00.000-08:00

- By satirizing comics collectors like "Rusty Brown" and "Chalky White" is Ware biting the hand that feeds?

- Does this book have a protagonist? Did you relate to any of the characters?

- Why design a book that is intentionally, physically, difficult to read?

- If you are familiar with the work of R.Crumb, how is Ware's work similar? How is it different?

- A lot of the story lines and fake ads are very dark satire. What is the point Ware is trying to make? Who or what is he satirizing?

In May of 2010, Ware was commissioned by Fortune Magazine to do a cover for their "Fortune 500" issue. Fortune rejected his cover but you can see it here.

Come discuss The Acme Novelty Library Saturday January 15th at the Main Library in the 3rd Floor Program Room at 11am. Feel free to bring food and drink.

CHANGE OF SCHEDULE! Our next book is The Acme Novelty Library by Chris Ware

2010-11-20T11:26:00.000-08:00

By violent means student activists forced a change in our reading schedule. Since we just read Understanding Comics, we are bumping Chris Ware's graphic novel The Acme Novelty Library forward in the schedule. So our next meeting on January 15th we will discuss The Acme Novelty Library.

There have been many volumes of Acme Novelty Library published over the years, we'll be reading this one, ISBN 978-0375422959.

Come discuss The Acme Novelty Library Saturday January 15th at the Main Library in the 3rd Floor Program Room at 11am. Feel free to bring food and drink.

Some thoughts about Understanding Comics

2010-11-15T07:36:00.000-08:00

- Was McCloud's choice to present his ideas in graphic form successful? Did the subject matter lend itself to this purpose? Could he have pulled off a book about microeconomics in graphic form?

- What do think of McCloud's theory about the six steps of creation? Is his process universally true in all cases?

- Do you read comics now differently compared to when you where a child? Has there been a change?

- What is the relationship between popular art and "high" art? How does art go from the "people" to the museum or the academy?

Come discuss Understanding Comics Saturday November 20th at the Main Library in the 3rd Floor Program Room at 11am. Feel free to bring food and drink

Our next book is Understanding Comics...

2010-09-18T10:41:00.000-07:00

Now for something completely different:

A comic book about comic books = Understanding Comics. In an incredibly accessible style, Scott McCloud explains the details of how comics work: how they're composed, read and understood. More than just a book about comics, this gets to the heart of how we deal with visual languages in general. Exhaustive in scope, this detail-packed book includes a history of comics that reaches back to pre-Columbian picture manuscripts and Egyptian monuments, an explanation of how sequential art is constructed and why, and a running analysis of comics as art, literature, and communication.

Come discuss Understanding Comics Saturday November 20th at the Main Library in the 3rd Floor Program Room at 11am. Feel free to bring food and drink.

Some thoughts about The Atrocity Exhibition

2010-09-13T08:53:00.000-07:00

- Is Traven (etc.) insane?

- What do you think of Dr. Nathan? Is he complicit in T.'s "crimes"?

- Dr. Nathan says (pg. 13): "Yet these designs were more than enormous replicas. They were equations that embodied the relationship between the identity of the film actress and the audiences who were distant reflections of her. The planes of their lives interlocked at oblique commerical angles, fragments of personal myths fusing with the commercial cosmologies. The presiding deity of their lives the film actress provided a set of operating formulae for their passage through consciousness." Really?

- Is Karen Novotny a victim or a willing participant in T.'s "crimes"?

- Does mass psychosexual pathology play a role in historical events?

Come discuss The Atrocity Exhibition Saturday September 18th at the Main Library in the 3rd Floor Program Room at 11am. Feel free to bring food and drink.

Our Next Book is The Atrocity Exhibition by J.G. Ballard

2010-07-21T10:03:00.000-07:00

First published in 1970 and widely regarded as a prophetic masterpiece, this is a groundbreaking experimental novel by the acclaimed author of Crash and Super-Cannes. The irrational, all-pervading violence of the modern world is the subject of this extraordinary tour de force. The central character's dreams are haunted by images of John F. Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe, dead astronauts and car-crash victims as he traverses the screaming wastes of nervous breakdown. Seeking his sanity, he casts himself in a number of roles: H-bomber pilot, presidential assassin, crash victim, pscyhopath. Finally, through the black, perverse magic of violence he transcends his psychic turmoils to find the key to a bizarre new sexuality.

Come discuss The Atrocity Exhibition Saturday September 18th at the Main Library in the 3rd Floor Program Room at 11am. Feel free to bring food and drink.

Some thoughts about Blood and Guts in High School

2010-07-10T07:44:00.000-07:00

- What is punk?

- What is obscene? Would be okay if this book was banned from a high school library?

- Is Janey mentally ill? Does she want to get better? Can she get better?

- Is the plot literal, or its it symbolic of processes in Janey's mind? Is it symbolic of processes that happen on a social level?

- By the end of the novel, is Janey empowered or is she a victim?

- Why is the book titled Blood and Guts in High School?

Come discuss Blood and Guts in High School Saturday July 17th at the Main Library in the 3rd Floor Program Room at 11am. Feel free to bring food and drink.

Our Next Book is Blood and Guts in High School by Kathy Acker

2010-05-19T09:56:00.000-07:00

Jamey lived in the locked room. Twice a day the Persian slave trader came in and taught her to be a whore. Otherwise there was nothing. One day she found a pencil stub and scrap of paper in a forgotten corner of the room. She began to write down her life...

Kathy Acker, whose work has been labeled everthing from post-punk porn to post-punk feminism, has created a brilliantly subversive narrative built from conversation, description, conjecture, and moments snatched from history and literature.

Come discuss Blood and Guts in High School Saturday July 17th at the Main Library in the 3rd Floor Program Room at 11am. Feel free to bring food and drink.

Some thoughts about Billy the Kid...

2010-05-12T10:45:00.000-07:00

- Who is the narrator of this book?

- My copy had blank photographs in it. I had the knee jerk response to an experimental form, "is this a typo?" What were the blank photographs, or whatever they were, about?

- Ondaatje started his career writing very nonlinear texts like Billy but slowly his works came to have more straight forward narratives. Are artists by nature more daring at the beginning of their careers?

- It feels to me that Billy the Kid has lost some of his mystique since the 19th century. Does the American West have the same appeal as it used to, or have we deconstructed it beyond "repair"? Do we have any contemporary figures that youth simultaneously look up to or are afraid of in equal measure?

- Can you define "cowboy psychedelia"?

Come discuss The Collected Works of Billy the Kid Saturday May 15th at the Main Library in the 3rd Floor Program Room at 11am. Feel free to bring food and drink.

Our next book is The Collected Works of Billy the Kid by Michael Ondaatje

2010-03-20T10:45:00.000-07:00

From the Booker Prize-winning author of The English Patient comes a visionary novel, a virtuoso synthesis of storytelling, history, and myth, about William Bonney, a.k.a. "Billy the Kid, " a bloodthirsty ogre and outlaw saint.

A major gear shift after Infinite Jest, Ondaatje's volume combines photography, historical documents and poetry.

Come discuss The Collected Works of Billy the Kid Saturday May 15th at the Main Library in the 3rd Floor Program Room at 11am. Feel free to bring food and drink.

Some more thoughts about Infinite Jest...

2010-03-17T10:48:00.000-07:00

- Does this book have a protagonist?

- One theme is the idea that people have to bottom out before they can change: drug addicts destroy their lives, tennis students eliminate their personalities. References to self annihilation occur often, especially via destruction of the head-brain-mind: the infinite jest mind wipe, reference to people being "unmapped," and James Incandenza's microwave suicide. What is this about?

- Marathe says Americans would gladly kill themselves for the "entertainment," aka Infinite Jest V or VI. Is this true? Are Americans more puerile than other people?

- Were Avril, John Wayne, Gately and Hal part of a Quebecois conspiracy?

D.F. Wallace's papers were recently acquired by University of Texas at Austin. Go here to check out handwritten manuscripts and pages from Wallace's personal dog-eared dictionary.

Wallace did a stint in a substance abuse recovery house not unlike Ennet House. This anonymous resident's account of his experience there has been attributed toWallace.

Come discuss the second half of Infinite Jest Saturday March 20th at the Main Library in the 3rd Floor Program Room at 11am. Feel free to bring food and drink.

A new space for the Experimental Literature Book Club

2010-02-24T13:38:00.000-08:00

Starting March 20th the Experimental Literature Book Club will meet in the 3rd Floor Program Room. This is the space which used to house the Interlibrary Loan office, behind the nonfiction service desk on the third floor. This is a permanent change.

It is an asymmetrical space for an asymmetrical book club... sort of. This gives book clubs at NPL a permanent place to meet and frees up the conference rooms for rental.

Our next book is... the same book: Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace

2010-01-19T07:54:00.000-08:00

As we barrel down the highway of elite tennis academies and Boston AA meetings (are they different from other cities'?) I have to wonder how it will all end. If it will end... Infinite Jest get it. Will Hal and Don ever be together? Find out during the stunning conclusion of Infinite Jest, or at least our discussion thereof.

Come discuss the second half of Infinite Jest Saturday March 20th at the Main Library in Conference Rm 3 at 11am. Feel free to bring food and drink.

Some thoughts about the first half of Infinite Jest

2010-01-09T12:32:00.000-08:00

- There was massive hype around this book before it was even published. Wallace's suicide only added to the book's mythology. Did this effect your approach to the text?

- What are the long passages of intricate detail all about? Pages and pages about tennis drills, calculus war games, and AA meetings: what is there function?

- If Hal and Don are the protagonists, are there any parallels between the two of them?

- Does AA work? If you think it does, why do you think it does? In a related matter, what makes a good tennis player?

Come discuss the first half of this book (around pg. 490) Saturday January 16th at the Main Library in Conference Rm 3 at 11am. Feel free to bring food and drink.

Our Next Book is Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace

2009-12-04T14:32:00.000-08:00

Equal parts philosophical quest and screwball comedy, Infinite Jest bends every rule of fiction without sacrificing for a moment its own entertainment value. The world was shocked by author's death in 2008, come discuss the first half of his masterwork. We discuss the second half in March.

We want some entertainment value! I'm about to file for entertainment bankruptcy!

Come discuss this book Saturday January 16th at the Main Library in Conference Rm 3 at 11am. Feel free to bring food and drink.

Some thoughts about If on a winter's night a traveler

2009-11-19T12:18:00.000-08:00

- What were Calvino's intentions when writing this book? Why not just write a series of essays about reading and writing? Why not just write several beginnings of novels as a collection of short stories without the Reader and the Other Reader tying them together?

- The notion of an Other Reader seems intrinsic to the concept of book clubs. Why do you come to a book club? What do you get out of it?

- If you found out a book you loved was actually written by a counterfeit author or a computer program would it matter to you?

- In many ways If on a winter's night... is a homage to reading. Do you have any rituals when you read? Places you love to read in / at? Conditions that have to met: certain light, certain time of day?

- Kindle?

Come discuss this book Saturday November 21st at the Main Library in Conference Rm 2 (a one time change) at 11am. Feel free to bring food and drink.

Our next book is If On a Winter's Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino

2009-09-22T10:08:00.000-07:00

Calvino shows that the novel, far from being a dead form, is capable of endless mutations. If on a winter’s night a traveler turns out to be not one novel but ten, each with a different plot, style, ambience, and author.

Come discuss this book Saturday November 21st at the Main Library in Conference Rm 3 at 11am. Feel free to bring food and drink.

Some thoughts about Louis Riel

2009-09-17T07:08:00.000-07:00

- Are any of Riel's actions legally justified? What about morally so? Do you think he received a fair trial?

- When William McDougall forges the Queen's signature, is that not a treasonable offense?

- The parts about MacDonald deliberately instigating a rebellion were troubling to me. I wanted to know if they those sections of the book were factual. Do you think Brown has a bias, or is he fair?

- How do you know if you are really a prophet or not?

Here's the full transcript of Riel's final statement at his trial.

Come discuss this book Saturday September 19th at the Main Library in Conference Rm 3 at 11am. Feel free to bring food and drink.

Ex Lit Book Club: Our next book is Louis Riel by Chester Brown

2009-07-23T07:16:00.000-07:00

Legendary cartoonist Chester Brown reveals in the dusty closet of Canadian history there are some skeletons that won't stop rattling. To some Louis Riel was one of the founding fathers of a nation but to others he was a murderer who nearly tore a country apart. A man so charismatic he was elected to government twice while in exile with a prize on his head--but so impassioned his dramatic behavior cast serious doubts on his sanity. Riel took on the army, the government, the Queen, and even the Church in the name of freedom. Will Riel's visionary democracy ever be enough to defend him from the verdict of history?

More importantly, what will our verdict be? Come discuss this book Saturday September 19th at the Main Library in Conference Rm 3 at 11am. Feel free to bring food and drink.

[this blog is feeding into my twitter, so that's why I keep putting Ex Lit Book Club in the titles of posts. In case anyone was wondering.]

Ex-Lit Book Club: some thoughts about Illuminatus!

2009-07-15T09:20:00.000-07:00

- Does this book have a political agenda? If so, what is that agenda?

- Does this book have a protagonist? Who, if anyone, are we supposed to root for?

- Conspiracy theories are an integral part of the plot. What role do conspiracy theories play in our culture, in our history? Is their influence positive or negative?

- Another plot premise is that minds can be altered (reprogrammed) with or without the knowledge the subject. Is this true? Do the government, or corporations, or any other body for that matter try to unconsciously alter our minds? Can someone be driven insane against their will, or be convinced to commit a crime against there will?

- What is the role of religion within the book?

- Can you think of any historical or fictional models that Hagbard Celine might be based on?

We'll be meeting to discuss this book discuss this book SATURDAY July 18th at the Main Library in Conference Rm 3 at 11am. Feel free to bring food and drink. This will be our first meeting on Saturday. I'm sure it will be a fun one.

Ex-Lit Book Club meeting and reading schedule 2009-10

2009-05-27T09:39:00.000-07:00

I’ve played it safe and went ahead booked Saturday morning times (11am) as staff have been instructed to expect a Metro budget cut. We'll stay in conference room 3 at the Main Library. Here are this year’s winners:

Illuminatus! Trilogy by Robert Anton Wilson & Robert Shea - July 18th

Louis Riel: A Comic Strip Biography by Chester Brown – Sept. 19th

If On a Winter’s Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino – Nov. 21st

Infinite Jest (first half) by David F. Wallace – Jan. 16th

Infinite Jest (second half) by David F. Wallace – March 20th

Collected Works of Billy the Kid by Michael Ondaatje – May 15th

Blood & Guts in High School by Kathy Acker – July 17th

New people continue to come to each meeting and maybe new people can come now on Saturdays too. Thanks everyone for your continued support. This is an amazing reading list.

Next Ex-Lit Book Club selection is The Illuminatus! Trilogy by Robert Shea & Robert Anton Wilson

2009-05-23T07:21:00.000-07:00

Here's the publishers blurb for the The Illuminatus Trilogy:

Joseph Malik, editor of a radical magazine, had snooped into rumors about an ancient secret society that was still alive and kicking. Now his offices have been bombed, he's missing, and the case has landed in the lap of the tough, cynical, streetwise New York detective Saul Goodman. Filled with sex and violence--in and out of time and space--the three books of The Illuminatus! Trilogy are only partly works of the imagination. They tackle all the cover-ups of our time--from who really shot the Kennedys to why there's a pyramid on a one-dollar bill - and suggest a mind-blowing truth.

The author of the Wikipedia entry has this to say:

The Illuminatus! Trilogy is a series of three novels written by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson purportedly between 1969 and 1971, and first published in 1975. The trilogy is a satirical, postmodern, science fiction-influenced adventure story; a drug-, sex- and magic-laden trek through a number of conspiracy theories, both historical and imaginary, which hinge around the authors' version of the Illuminati. The narrative often switches between third and first person perspectives and jumps around in time. It is thematically dense, covering topics like counterculture, numerology and Discordianism.

The following are excerpts are from Amazon reviewers that gave the book FIVE stars:

People love to point out, and attack, this book's muddled ideology, its ever-shifting style, its countless digressions, its violent swings between adolescent fantasies and serious philosophy, etc, etc, ad infinitum. To these people, I can only say, "Duh." This book, like most things RAW [Robert Anton Wilson] has worked on, is A TEST. It runs the gamut from Occultism to Solipsism to Libertarianism to Objectivism, and most of the things in between. Through it all, the narrative refuses to attach itself to one specific outlook. Why, you ask? - Varius, Pittsburgh PA

Illuminatus! is pershaps one of the most wonderful books I have ever read. The combination of occultism, anarchism, and outright wierdness carries the reader through the most bizzare conspiracy theory ever dreamt of. This book will make you laugh, rage, and probably cause you to become a bit paranoid. -J. French, Oakland California

This book changed my life in ways I never knew it could change. It shook my death grip upon the pillars of my so-called sanity loose and taught me a little bit about being more comfortable with myself, with acceptance, with tolerance, with sobriety, with religion, with spirituality, with consciousness, with unconsciousness, with love, with lust, with politics, drugs, sex, with cults, with fraternal organizations and all the other dirty subjects that people seem to "know" so much about around here. - John McLaughlin, Ladera Ranch CA

The following are excerpts are from Amazon reviewers that gave the book ONE star:

To be honest, I bought the book many years ago, after it came highly recommended by a friend. I did not read any reviews before I started reading it, because I wanted to keep an open mind. And oh boy, was I in for a surprise. I really, really, really tried to stick to it, but all I could get through was the first 130 pages. I must say that once in a while the narrative is quite interesting, but... Overall, it seems like the book was written by a undermedicated paranoid schizophrenic, who's been smoking something very illegal. I feel very sad and sorry for people, who thought this book was intellectual and profound. - JR, New Jersey wilderness

After several of my friends raved non-stop about the trilogy I decided to see what all the fuss was about. I was without a doubt the single biggest waste of my time. I tried to read it; I actually got through the first book and into the second one before my frustration overcame me. I did something that I have never done before I destroyed the book. I threw it into a foul disgusting gutter where it proceeded to fester and rot. I'm not kidding. I actually hated the book that much. Only the Mission Earth Series by L. Ron Hubbard comes close to being such a colossal stink bomb as this one. - A Customer

I know that this book's cover is really interesting, and that the synopsis is intriguing. That's why I bought the book in the first place. Well, I was duped. Like a fool, I and my money were soon parted. I wasted my money. Okay, first of all, this isn't a real conspiracy novel. It's an (intentionally) incoherent mess of rambling that happens to mention a lot of famous names. - A Customer

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Oh what a long strange trip it will be. Come discuss this book discuss this book July 16th at the Main Library in Conference Rm 3 at 6pm. Feel free to bring food and drink.

Discussion questions for Bearheart

2009-05-16T17:17:00.000-07:00

- Bearheart, as with much of Vizenor’s oeuvre, is concerned with trickster mythological figures. Do any of the characters fit trickster archetype? If they do, how does their behavior effect the events in the story?

- What does role does Vizenor think language plays in society? What role in our consciousness? What does he mean by “terminal creeds” and “word wars”?

- Many characters shift identities (Bishop Parasimo, Pio Wissakodewinni) or have multiple names (Saint Plumero, aka Bigfoot, aka double saint). What function does this have in the story?

- Lilith Mae Farrier? Your guess is as good as mine.

This meeting will also be the final vote for next year's selections, if you didn't already vote via email, and also the last chance to vote when you would like to meet if the libraries hours change.

We'll be meeting to discuss this book May 21st at the Main Library in Conference Rm 3 at 6pm. Feel free to bring food and drink.

Ballot for 2009 - 2010 selections

2009-03-20T14:48:00.000-07:00

Ballot for next year's books:

Blood and Guts in High School - Kathy Acker

Louis Reil: A Comic-Strip Biography - Chester Brown

If on a Winter's Night a Traveler - Italo Calvino

Cronopios and Famas - Julio Cortazar

House of Leaves - Mark Z. Danielewski

The Dark Night Returns - Frank Miller

The Third Policeman - Flann O'Brien

The Collected Works of Billy the Kid - Michael Ondaatje

Tropisms - Nathalie Sarraute

Infinite Jest - David Foster Wallace

Email me your top four selections in order of preference before our meeting on May 21st, OR make sure to come to the May 21st meeting and vote with a paper ballot. In the event we elect to read lengthy works, I'll split them up as need be.

It was also suggested that we meet once a month, instead of every other month. If you would prefer this, let me know before May 21st or come to the May 21st reading voice your opinion.

Our next book is Bearheart by Gerald Vizenor

2009-03-20T10:24:00.000-07:00

Gerald Vizenor’s first novel reverses the sentiment of Manifest Destiny as Proude Cedarfair and his wife Rosina travel south through the ruins of a white world that ran out of gas. The Cedarfairs, and a bizarre collection of disciples, are forced on a pilgrimage when government agents descend on the reservation to claim their sacred cedar trees for fuel.

An unclassifiable mix of mythology, fictional satire, cultural theory, and esoteric history, Vizenor’s prose will point your mind into unseen nooks of the American psychic landscape.

If you're digging around for a used copy, Bearheart was originally released with title Darkness in St. Louis: Bearheart.

May's meeting will also be the final vote for next year's selections, so if don't vote via email before then, be sure to come that this meeting. (And Vizenor is one of favorite authors, so you should come anyway.)

We'll be meeting to discuss this book May 21st at the Main Library in Conference Rm 3 at 6pm. Feel free to bring food and drink.

Some thoughts about Labyrinths...

2009-03-12T10:43:00.000-07:00

- Borges is always sited as being highly influential. Heck, even I said it when whipping up a blurb for this blog. What aspects of his work are influential? In the works we’ve read so far can we see his influence?

- Borges is also cited as a giant in “world” literature. His works seem totally European to me. Any thoughts about this?

- I found these stories, sometimes, very funny. Would you consider his stories satire? Why do scholars and readers have so much trouble classifying his stories?

- Two ideas that recur over and over are the circular nature of time and that all persons are really a singular person. Do these ideas have any validity in reality?

Here’s a great Borges website:

http://www.themodernword.com/borges/

We'll be meeting to discuss this book March 19th at the Main Library in Conference Rm 3 at 6pm. Feel free to bring food and drink.

Our next book is Labyrinths by Jorge Luis Borges

2009-01-20T15:25:00.000-08:00

If Jorge Luis Borges had been a computer scientist, he probably would have invented hypertext and the World Wide Web. Instead, being a librarian, he became the leading practitioner of a densely layered imaginistic writing style that has been imitated throughout this century, but has no peer.

Borges is the father of nearly all the titles we read here at the Experimental Literature Book Club. This is not the month to miss.

The library did acquire copies for us, so make sure to grab yours at the Main Library return desk!

We'll be meeting to discuss this book March 19th at the Main Library in Conference Rm 3 at 6pm. Feel free to bring food and drink.

Some thoughts about Dhalgren...

2009-01-06T11:05:00.000-08:00

Wow. I'm not sure where to start (I think Delany would consider that a literary victory on his part), but I will try:

- Where or what is Bellona?

- What is the Kid's real name?

- How is Kid's state of mind portrayed? Is he insane?

- How are gender roles portrayed in the book?

- Who or what is Roger Calkins? Who or what is Ernest Newboy? What role they play in creation and publication of Kid's poems?

- Did Jack kill Paul Fenster?

- What about the all the sex; is it necessary?

- Dhalgren was begun in 1968. How might the political events of that time influenced its subject matter?

- What are some the other ambiguities that are never resolved (e.g., the red eyes, the scratch on many of the female characters calves, etc.)? Do these have a function within the story?

Here's a literary biography of Delany written by himself under a penname. Towards the end is an extensive bibliography of critical texts dealing with his work.

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We'll be meeting to discuss this book January 15th at the Main Library in Conference Rm 3 at 6pm. Feel free to bring food and drink.

Dhalgren is now ready for pick up

2008-11-21T13:20:00.000-08:00

Our next book is Samuel Delany's nonlinear masterpiece Dhalgren.

Kirkus reviews sums it up this way, "A futuristic, postapocalyptic narrative, Delany's circular and heavily allusive fiction surveys the American 'autumnal' city of Bellona, where some sort of disaster has taken place, altering not just the social structure but the nature of the space-time continuum. An anarchist community evolves, prominently featuring Delany's protagonist, "the Kid," a pansexual gang leader and poet."

Speaking for myself, I can't wait to sink my teeth into this one. Copies are now available for pick-up at the Main Library return desk. It is lengthy. I would start early.

We'll be meeting to discuss this book January 15th at the Main Library in Conference Rm 3 at 6pm. Feel free to bring food and drink.

Some thoughts about Watchmen

2008-11-14T07:19:00.000-08:00

- Is this literature? If so, why? If not, is it genre fiction? Quality genre fiction?

- What did you think of the art? Are there any aspects you find particularly striking? Did you notice any recurring motifs?

- Do the “mockumentary” intercapitulary chapters work?

- Was Veidt’s plan morally right?

- All the characters seemed to be based on superhero stereotypes. Can you think of any examples (real or fictional) who some of the characters might be based on?

- RORSCHACH. I find him to be an unforgettable character. His personal politics / moral code distill the political and moral themes of the book. Any thoughts?

- Who are the Watchmen?

Cass provided this great portal to Watchmen critical resources:
http://www.watchmencomicmovie.com/watchmen-analysis-criticism-reviews.php

Jeremy gave me this link to a minority report on the impact of Watchmen:
http://www.slate.com/id/2131269/

We'll be meeting to discuss this book November 20th at the Main Library in Conference Rm 3 at 6pm. Feel free to bring food and drink.

Watchmen now ready for pick up

2008-09-19T10:23:00.000-07:00

Our next book, Watchmen by Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons, is one of the most critically lauded works of fiction of the last quarter century. Find out what all the fuss is about.

Many members of the book club owned personal copies, so there are quite a few copies left for pick up at the Main Library Return Desk.

We'll be meeting to discuss this book November 20th at the Main Library in Conference Rm 3 at 6pm. Feel free to bring food and drink.

Some thoughts about Pale Fire...

2008-09-09T10:04:00.000-07:00

- Does this novel succeed on a dramatic level?

- Is Nabokov lampooning academia? Is he more sympathetic to John Shade or Charles Kinbote?

- How do the circumstances surrounding Shade’s death relate to his ideas about mortality found in the poem?

- Did you notice any recurring formal motifs in the novel?

We'll be meeting to discuss this book on September 18th at the Main Library in Conference Rm 3 at 6pm. Feel free to bring food and drink.

Great News! Experimental Literature Book Club books now ready for pick up!

2008-07-29T12:05:00.000-07:00

Great news! The Friends of the Library have generously agreed to sponsor the Experimental Literature Book Club. That means copies of books will be specifically reserved for our book club and can be picked up at the Main Library Return Desk. Just ask for the Experimental Literature Book Club book. Books will have a special due date and won't have to returned or renewed until the after meeting said book is discussed. The next meeting's book should be available the evening we discuss our current book; e.g., the evening we discuss Pale Fire (Sept. 18th) you can pick up a copy of The Watchmen which you won't have return or renew on until after our discussion Nov. 20.

Copies are limited and will be available in first come first serve basis. You can always call the Library (862-5400, ask for the Main Library Return Desk) or call me (862-5853, ask for Bryan) to check if any copies are still available.

Of course there is kind of a catch. Two of our titles are not available from the vendor that library uses to purchase books. That means we're on our own with those two titles. Which titles: Labyrinths by Jorge Borges and Bearheart by Gerald Vizenor. Labyrinths is in print and can be acquired quite easily due to Borges' popularity and if I pull the library's copies I can make a very limited number available. Bearheart is also in print but in far smaller numbers, and library owns no copies. Bearheart may have to be purchased from used book sellers. I can help folks track down copies if need be.

Huge thanks to the Friends of the Library, the Technical Services department, and the Circulation department.

We'll meet to discuss Pale Fire on Sept. 18th at 6pm in Conference Room 3 at the Main Library.

Reading Schedule for 2008 - 2009

2008-06-17T17:13:00.000-07:00

You voted and courted superdelegates. Here are the results:

Pale Fire - Vladimir Nabokov (Sept. 18)

The Watchmen - Alan Moore (Nov. 20)

Dhalgren - Samuel R. Delany (Jan. 15)

Labyrinths - Jorge Luis Borges (March 19)

Bearheart: the Heirship Chronicles - Gerald Vizenor (May 21)

The Illuminatus! Trilogy - Robert Shea & Robert Anton Wilson (July 16th)

We'll meet in Conference Room 3 in at 6pm in the Main Library downtown. We meet the third thursday of odd numbered months. Specific dates are listed above. Feel free to bring food and refreshment.