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.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Our next book is Bearheart by Gerald Vizenor
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.
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.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Some thoughts about Labyrinths...
- 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.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Our next book is Labyrinths by Jorge Luis Borges
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.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Some thoughts about Dhalgren...
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.
=================================
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.
- 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.
=================================
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.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Dhalgren is now ready for pick up
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.
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.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Some thoughts about Watchmen
- 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.
- 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.
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