The Woman Thread

[Sapphire]

You're going for an English PhD and you don't like Joyce!!! :eek: Allow me to explain: I wrote my senior thesis on Ulysses and Faulkner's Absalom Absalom -- if I never read another convoluted sentence in my life it will be too soon. I like(d) their styles of writing, I just got really burned out on it and I'm still not over the burnout-- and that was 6 or so years ago.

And, while I respect Joyce, he's very, very difficult (I wouldn't argue too much with those who say that his writing is "pretentious to the point of being ridiculous", although I wouldn't say that exactly either). Reading Joyce can be interesting, but it always gives me a headache. Required reading for an english major, though.

I started typing a paragraph to you just now about why I prefer late-20th century Caribbean literature to Joyce and Faulkner, and I got myself all mixed up because I thought it'd be easy to explain the differences -- when really, they're strangely and interestingly similar. I think you gave me an idea for a conference paper about that, Zinn. Woohoo!!

[Sapphire]

Karmel Sutra....sounds like a spiritual (wink wink) night.When my lover is far, I turn to the only other two men who truly understand me: Ben and Jerry. I had to break up with Mike and Ike; they're not familiar with the DL.

[Howard Zinn]

Allow me to explain: I wrote my senior thesis on Ulysses and Faulkner's Absalom Absalom -- if I never read another convoluted sentence in my life it will be too soon. I like(d) their styles of writing, I just got really burned out on it and I'm still not over the burnout-- and that was 6 or so years ago.

And, while I respect Joyce, he's very, very difficult (I wouldn't argue too much with those who say that his writing is "pretentious to the point of being ridiculous", although I wouldn't say that exactly either). Reading Joyce can be interesting, but it always gives me a headache. Required reading for an english major, though.

I started typing a paragraph to you just now about why I prefer late-20th century Caribbean literature to Joyce and Faulkner, and I got myself all mixed up because I thought it'd be easy to explain the differences -- when really, they're strangely and interestingly similar. I think you gave me an idea for a conference paper about that, Zinn. Woohoo!!


I love Faulkner too. :D

Yes, he is difficult, but I don't enjoy literature that isn't difficult.

I would comment, but what the hell is late-20th century Caribbean literature. :p

[Sapphire]

what the hell is late-20th century Caribbean literature. :pThe future of literary studies, baby. :cool: When I'm tenured at <insert prestigious state university>, come take Dr. Sapphire's carib-lit class. I assure you, it'll be all the rage.

If anyone's seriously interested, some of my favorite novelists, any of whom I would recommend reading are: Michelle Cliff, Merle Hodge, Paule Marshall, Edwidge Danticat, Sylvia Wynter, and the classic big daddies CLR James, VS Naipaul and George Lamming. A good book to help you cross from Brit lit to Carib lit is Jean Rhys' "Wide Sargasso Sea" (It's a retelling of Bronte's "Jane Eyre" from the perspective of the Caribbean character / madwoman in the attic, so it's easy to make connections if you've read that book.) PM me if you want.

Has this thread ever been on topic? :D

[johno]

as long as we're on topic. you haven't lived until you've read Samuel Selvon. I'm not old enough obviously, but his depiction of Trinidad in the time of WWII in "A Brighter Sun" is spot on according to my Dad and most older people I speak to. I've found the contrasts between Cariblit, Britlit and Amerlit so refreshing that I've begun to compile a list of African authors to read when next I've got the time and the library resources.

[Achtung]

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