eng 273: postcolonialism

Today's readings of short stories by contemporary Indian women writers are framed by postcolonialism, which is concisely defined here. Several key concepts in understanding a postcolonial approach to literature are: exile, hybridity, otherness. For many postcolonial writers, a sense of constant movement is implicit to their sense of self and their writing.

The intersection of postcolonial theory and feminist theory offers interesting conversations about otherness--if Western, male experience is the position of power, then Eastern women are always already Other.

eng 273: persepolis

Marjane Satrapi's graphic novel has met with international acclaim. Random House, publisher of Persepolis, has a nice website with an author interview and other helpful links (though not all of the links are active). This website, first started at Stanford University, includes information on contemporary and historic Iranian culture. For a helpful history of Iran, particularly the political and religious changes in the 20th century, look at this series of web pages. 

eng 273: basho

Check out this website for links to 30 different translations of Basho's famous frog poem.

eng 273: *inferno* and fables

Sculpture of Ulysses, Greek, 2nd century BCE, Museo Archeologico 

Nazionale Sperlonga, courtesy of Wikipedia

In Canto XXIII, Dante alludes to one of Aesop's fables, "The Mouse, the Frog, and the Hawk." Think about how Dante uses this reference...who, if anyone, do we sympathize with in this story?

We will also look at connections to Ulysses, namely Tennyson's poem, and the ending of Homer's epic The Odyssey. We'll leave the intricacies of James Joyce's Ulysses to other scholars, but we may go popular culture and explore references in The Simpsons and the Coen Brothers' film O Brother Where Art Thou. 

ub: "everyday use" by alice walker

photo of the women of Gee's Bend, Alabama by Andre Natta
from wikipedia and licensed under creative commons attribution 2.0

In Alice Walker's story "Everyday Use," Dee/Wangero and her Mother and Maggie have different ideas about the role of quilts and other items in the home--Dee sees them as art whereas her Mother and Maggie see them as part of everyday life. They also have different ideas about their culture, heritage, and how to live in a changing world. Why are they arguing about these things? Why does Dee change her name, and how does this connect with the argument about culture?

One way we know that Dee has adopted a new culture is through her name, her boyfriend/husband, and the language she uses to greet her family: "Asalamakim," which means "peace be unto you" in Arabic. These are all connections to the Black Pride movement and to a version of Muslim faith--see this link for more information.

Finally, quilts are an important symbol in Walker's story. She specifically mentions the Lone Star pattern and the Walk Around the Mountain pattern. Quilting has a rich history, and was a domestic necessity that was also a work of art. The women of Gees Bend, Alabama are famous for their artistic quilts. We can also thinking of quilts as metaphors for the women in the story...