Often times people completely overlook setting when analyze literature so I found it quite refreshing that your thesis was centered on how setting creates meaning. It was obvious that the differences in the settings of Strout's novels have a profound effect on the character. Bob, in the example that you gave, turned nearly racist when he returns to his original home in Maine, even though he spent a lot of time in New York which is made up of nearly 50% minorities.
One way you might have been able to expand this analysis is by looking at the language Strout uses to describe each setting. For example, you explained how each setting changed the characterization of certain characters, but how did Strouts specific word choices or sentence structures vary between each different setting? Maybe, like in Emily's presentation, the author chooses to switch the way she arranges sentences when describing different settings.
Let me start with a fun fact. I did not know you had such an eye for humor! The first line of your power point was utterly hilarious and I didn’t think you actually meant for that much laughter; you have a eye for dry sarcasm. However, enough about that, let’s talk location. Rarely have I seen location brought up into conversation about literature and the more I think about it the more I believe that it is ever impactful. Your point truly hit home with the statistic concerning Caucasian populations in Main as compared to New York’s 52%. This was especially interesting when combined with the focus of your PowerPoint. Like Nick said above, you didn’t search for some higher meaning; you found setting and outlined its great influence on a work as a whole. However there could be a tweak or two that would advance your rationale. The lack of specific textual references set you back in the long run. Were there any specific literary devices that contributed to the settings meaning, pastoral imagery, etc? Overall profound and refreshing views on you work of literature. Your project was very memorable.
Marissa, I definitely wanted to comment on your presentation because it was different from the others. Your presentation was very focused on the setting of the novel and where the author lived and grew up. The activity you did where we thought about what our hometown meant to us made a lot of sense because I never really realized how much Mason has affected my life. When you brought up the idea of one of the characters being racist, that was a great way to prove that the setting had affected him. Especially with the statistic you provided. It appears that by Bob being racist, the setting was a good form of characterization as well.
I really liked the poem you chose to share. I've read One Art before in class, but the connection you made was something I hadn't thought of before. I would suggest maybe adding another slide detailing that explanation so that people who didn't get to watch you present can make the connection too. Also, more textual evidence would be helpful in understanding the novel. I think you did an excellent job all in all, bringing a fresh idea to the project that helped break the monotony!
Often times people completely overlook setting when analyze literature so I found it quite refreshing that your thesis was centered on how setting creates meaning. It was obvious that the differences in the settings of Strout's novels have a profound effect on the character. Bob, in the example that you gave, turned nearly racist when he returns to his original home in Maine, even though he spent a lot of time in New York which is made up of nearly 50% minorities.
ReplyDeleteOne way you might have been able to expand this analysis is by looking at the language Strout uses to describe each setting. For example, you explained how each setting changed the characterization of certain characters, but how did Strouts specific word choices or sentence structures vary between each different setting? Maybe, like in Emily's presentation, the author chooses to switch the way she arranges sentences when describing different settings.
Let me start with a fun fact. I did not know you had such an eye for humor! The first line of your power point was utterly hilarious and I didn’t think you actually meant for that much laughter; you have a eye for dry sarcasm. However, enough about that, let’s talk location. Rarely have I seen location brought up into conversation about literature and the more I think about it the more I believe that it is ever impactful. Your point truly hit home with the statistic concerning Caucasian populations in Main as compared to New York’s 52%. This was especially interesting when combined with the focus of your PowerPoint. Like Nick said above, you didn’t search for some higher meaning; you found setting and outlined its great influence on a work as a whole.
ReplyDeleteHowever there could be a tweak or two that would advance your rationale. The lack of specific textual references set you back in the long run. Were there any specific literary devices that contributed to the settings meaning, pastoral imagery, etc? Overall profound and refreshing views on you work of literature. Your project was very memorable.
Marissa, I definitely wanted to comment on your presentation because it was different from the others. Your presentation was very focused on the setting of the novel and where the author lived and grew up. The activity you did where we thought about what our hometown meant to us made a lot of sense because I never really realized how much Mason has affected my life. When you brought up the idea of one of the characters being racist, that was a great way to prove that the setting had affected him. Especially with the statistic you provided. It appears that by Bob being racist, the setting was a good form of characterization as well.
ReplyDeleteI really liked the poem you chose to share. I've read One Art before in class, but the connection you made was something I hadn't thought of before. I would suggest maybe adding another slide detailing that explanation so that people who didn't get to watch you present can make the connection too. Also, more textual evidence would be helpful in understanding the novel. I think you did an excellent job all in all, bringing a fresh idea to the project that helped break the monotony!