Monday's Meeting Recap: 8/12

I started Monday’s meeting in the same way I started the previous meeting, by addressing the last set of quotation responses.  The quotation responses were generally of a very high quality and I complimented the group for making very shrewd and perceptive observations.  I reminded the group that the next step is to take these observations and synthesize them into more comprehensive assertions about what is going on in the text.  In other words, what do all of these things add up to?  When you consider all of the things you are observing, what patterns do you see, and why do these patterns matter – not just to the book, but to humanity in general?  Don’t be afraid to make bold assertions about these things.  You do not need to do it in every response, but push yourself to arrive at these assertions occasionally.  Also, push yourself to be resourceful with the book.  Don’t just focus on the quotation in front of you every time; allow yourself to access other parts of the book that relate to the quotation.  This shows that you think in a fluid way and that you have some familiarity with the text.

After discussing the responses, we briefly took notes on a few phases of literary criticism.  The intent was to get at what the AP exam values as far as your critical writing style goes.  The AP tends to value writing that resembles the New Critical style of literary criticism, so we talked briefly about New Criticism as opposed to Post-Modernism / Post-Structuralism.  In simplified terms, New Criticism tends to treat a piece of literature as a force unto itself which can be appreciated fully without any access to information about its historical conditions, the author’s biography, or any other specialized angle of inquiry.  It puts an emphasis on textual structure, tension inherent in the text, and relationships between elements in the text.  Post-Modernism, on the other hand, tends to see the text as porous, and the act of interpretation depends as much upon the interpreter’s lens as it does the text itself.  I briefly mentioned some of these “lenses” as possible areas of interest for students later in the year, but recommended looking up New Criticism as a mode of writing for the AP exam itself.

As for the second half of Invisible Man, students found the book had become increasingly surreal as it went on, and cited a number of scenes and episodes that were either very hard to reconcile with the rest of the book or simply made students uncomfortable.  The “rape” scene concerned many students, and this led us to note that the role of women in the book was quite complicated.  However, at one point we tried to contextualize the rape scene as part of a larger theme concerning role-playing: characters in the novel invariably expect the Invisible Man to play a preconceived role, and become very disturbed when he doesn’t conform, even if the role is a rapist or thief.  We explored other major motifs as well: the preponderance of eyes (“pain-sharpened” or just falling out), the legacy of slavery and the links of chain, issues of discipline and subordination, the creation of new selves and new roles, and the idea of being a “mechanized” or inanimate human being.  The students asked some shrewd questions as well: did Norton recognize The Invisible Man at the station and pretend not to?  How reliable is the narrator? Why does the Invisible Man never mention his family, besides the grandfather?  And I asked: why did the Invisible Man leave Mary for the Brotherhood?  Students offered very thoughtful responses to these questions, which I will leave open for you if you will be responding in the comment section below.

Because of time constraints, I need to schedule the next meeting for Tuesday, August 27^th.  The book this time is Jean Rhys’ Wide Sargasso Sea, which will be a nice transition into Jane Eyre during the school year.  The assignment is the same as the previous two assignments for Invisible Man, only for the longer response, please choose a passage in which the author uses style or technique in a way that is both unique to this book and also reveals something meaningful about the book as a whole.  This particular book boasts a lot of narrative shifts and unusual stylistic choices, which should make it easy for you to find a good passage.  Come to the next meeting ready to say a few words about what you think makes your passage work and what it reveals.

For those who couldn't come, please remember that you have to post a comment in the comment box.  See previous posts for details.

Thanks again to everyone who came to the meeting and to those who wrote to me.  See you next time.  Mr. Telles.