A few ECU Defense Paper Resources

A few ECU library sources to consider for your Defense Paper:

Brian Aldiss, Trillion Year Spree: The History of Science Fiction (1986)

Gregory Bassham and Eric Bronson, The Lord and the Rings and Philosophy (2003)

L. Sprague De Camp, Science Fiction Handbook (1977)

Samuel Delany, The Jewel-Hinged Jaw: Notes on the Language of Science Fiction  (1978)

Shelia Egoff, Worlds Within: Children’s Fantasy from the Middle Ages to Today (1998)

Elyce Rae Helford (ed.) Fantasy Girls: Gender in the New Universe of Science Fiction and Fantasy Television (2000)

Neil Isaacs, Tolkein and the Critics: essays on J.R.R. Tolkein (1968)

Gerald Jones, Killing Monsters: Why children need fantasy, super heroes, and make believe violence (2002)

C.N. Manlove, Science Fiction: Ten Explorations  (1986)

Richard Matthews, Fantasy: The Liberation of Imagination (2002)

Baird Searles, A Reader’s Guide to Science Fiction (1980)

Kim Selling, Why are critics afraid of dragons: understanding genre fantasy (2008)

T.A. Shippey, J.R.R. Tolkein: Author of the Century (2001)

ALSO, a few ‘modern’ works to consider, also in our library:

Neil Gaiman: The Graveyard Book, Frost and the Odd Giants, The Ocean at the End of the Lane

Alan Moore, V for Vendetta (we also have the film!)

Frank Miller, The Dark Knight Returns   

Science Fiction/Fantasy films such as The Abyss, Blade Runner, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Dune, Escape from New York, Highlander, The Matrix, Men in Black, All the Star Trek Movies, The Terminator, Unbreakable

For Tuesday: Clarke, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Chapters 22-30

Answer 2 of the following...

1. In explaining the “error” that causes Hal to murder the entire crew of the Discovery (save Bowman), Clarke writes, “For like his makers, Hal had been created innocent; but, all too soon, a snake had entered his electronic Eden” (Ch.27).  What does this metaphor explain about his behavior, or the very “human” causes of his mutiny? 

2. Does Clarke argue that Hal is a “human” throughout these chapters?  On the one hand, he has little understanding of death or murder, merely commenting “Too bad about Frank, isn’t it?” after he’s killed him (Ch.26).  Yet on the other he exhibits guile, desperation, pride, and fear when Bowman decides to disconnect him.  Discuss a passage that seems to point in favor of his humanity—or lack thereof. 

3. Discuss how Clarke uses metaphors of the past to anchor his science fiction “odyssey” for his readers.  In many ways, this is a work of fantasy transported to the future.  Clarke makes this clear in how he tells his story, which is arguably just as important as what actually occurs.  Where do images and metaphors knock us back not only to our own Earth, but our collective past as human beings? 

4. Much of the blame for the failure of the Discovery mission can be laid at the feet of human beings, particularly the ones that designed the mission in the first place.  Why did they refuse to tell Bowman and Poole the truth about the mission?  Why is so much of our world cordoned off on a “need to know” basis?  What might this say about the nature of man—and how unprepared we are to advance boldly into the future?  

For Thursday: Clarke’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, Chs.12-21

Answer 2 of the following…

1. What does Clarke mean by the remark in Chapter 13 that “every person of real intelligence—everyone who looked an inch beyond his nose—would find his life, his values, his philosophy, subtly changed”?  What is the importance of TMA-1 to Floyd as well as to the world at large?  What does a three million year-old buried rock really mean?  

2. Why might space travel be a futuristic equivalent of prehistoric man learning to use weapons and form speech?  What makes this a new chapter in our development and evolution?  Likewise, how might this also relate to the metaphor of "Pandora's Box" which Clarke invokes when Floyd contemplates the mysteries of the Monolith?  

 3. In many ways, Dave Bowman is our “everyman,” the protagonist who represents human values we can relate to in an alien, futuristic landscape.  What kind of person is he, and why might Clarke see him as a futuristic equivalent to Moon-Watcher (the character from the first few chapters)?

4. In Chapter 16, we learn about HAL and his ability to think and speak as a human, skills he picked up "during the fleeting weeks of his electronic childhood" (118).  If HAL is basically a sped-up human, who matures and evolves in a matter of hours, what might the danger be of treating him as a fully-fledged sixth member of the crew--and in some ways, the most important member of the crew?  

  

For Tuesday: Clarke, 2001: Chs.1-11

For Tuesday: Clarke’s 2001: A Space Odyssey (Chs.1-11, pp.9-69)

Answer TWO of the following…

1. As we've discussed throughout this class, science fiction (like fantasy) is a metaphor for our own world; by placing it into the ‘future,’ we can make it easier to talk about the problems of the present.  What are some of the problems/issues Clarke uses the future to discuss in this novel?  Why might we read the date ‘2001’ really as ‘1968,’ the year it was written? 

2. According to the first chapters set in the extremely distant past, what makes us ‘human’?  How does the Monolith teach ancient ape-man to evolve into something more reminiscent of modern man?  You might also consider if this is necessarily a good thing! 

3. In most science fiction novels, the author tries to predict what the future might look like, and more specifically, how current technology might advance into new realms of creativity and convenience.  What ideas did he accurately predict, and what (if any) pitfalls might some of these advances bring in their wake? 

4. In Chapter 10, “Clavius Base,” Clarke writes about the working spaces of the moon workers, which are full of modern conveniences and décor.  He goes on to note, “Every man and woman in Clavius had cost a hundred thousand dollars in training and transport and housing; it was worth a little extra to maintain their peace of mind.  This was not art for art’s sake, but art for the sake of sanity” (60).  What is he getting at here?  What role does ‘art’ play in the life of people—like many of us—who might not be artists or care much for art at all?                                                   

For Thursday: Finish The Hobbit!

For Thursday: The Hobbit, Chs. 12-End 

Answer 2 of the following (I've given you 5 questions this time!)...

How is Smaug a lot like the dwarves (especially Thorin) as well as some of the Men (and Hobbits!) in the story?  Though he is a great dragon and a creature of old, how has his heart been corrupted by a lack of fantasy and a narrow view of “business?”

Bilbo exclaims to himself, “Now I am a burglar indeed!” when he finally steals something—in this case, the Arkenstone.  Why does he take it and say nothing to the dwarves?  Does it do this because it calls to him, the same way as the Ring did?  Or does he have a larger plan from the beginning? 

In the passage with Smaug, we learn that “there was one smell [Smaug] could not make out at all, hobbit-smell; it was quite outside his experience and puzzled him mightily” (201).  Additionally, Bilbo refuses to tell his name, and instead indulges in a series of “kennings,” an Anglo-Saxon poetic form.  What effect does this have on Smaug, and what might be his purpose in doing this?  Why taunt an already awake and angry dragon in this manner? 

Why is the Battle of the Five Armies dispatched in little more than five pages?  Why do we get so little human drama here, but more “telling” rather than “showing”?  Is this an example of Raffel’s claim that The Hobbit is a good story but definitely not “literature”?  Would literature have included the battle?  Do other ancient epics? 

At the very end of the book, Gandalf teases Bilbo by saying, “Surely you don’t disbelieve the prophecies, because you had a hand in bringing them about yourself?  You don’t really suppose, do you, that all your adventures and escapes were managed by mere luck, just for your sole benefit?  You are a very fine person, Mr. Baggins, and I am very fond of you; but you are only quite a little fellow in a wide world after all!”  (272).  How are we supposed to read this passage?  Is it sarcastic?  Serious?  Self-mocking?  Is Gandalf really negating Bilbo’s role in the book—which is actually his story—or is he questioning whether or not Bilbo is a reliable narrator?  

For Tuesday: The Hobbit, Chs.8-11

No writing this time, just work on catching up on reading (get to Ch.11 or very close) and I'll give you an in-class response on Tuesday.  ALSO, start thinking/planning your Final Paper.  I'll give you an actual assignment sheet for the Final Paper on Tuesday just so everyone is clear on what to do.  I'll also hand out an article on Tolkein's literary merit (or lack thereof) on Tuesday which we will discuss on Thursday--I'll leave copies in my door in case you have to miss (though I can't think of a possible reason why should should!) :) 

Until then, I leave you with the song of the Elves:

South away! and South away!
Seek the sunlight and the day,
Back to pasture, back to mead,
Where the kine and oxen feed!  
Back to the gardens on the hills
Where the berry swells and fills
Under sunlight, under day!
South away! and South away!  

For Thursday: The Hobbit, Chs.5-7

For Thursday: Tolkein, The Hobbit, Chs. 5-7

As always answer 2 of the following…

1. In Beowulf, a work which Tolkein not only translated but was highly influenced by, the phrase “wyrd” is often used, which translates to fate or chance.  In one significant passage, Beowulf claims, “Wyrd saves oft/the man undoomed if he undaunted be” (lines 572-573).  How does fate (or luck?) seem to function similarly in The Hobbit?  Does the narrator seem to believe in such a concept, and at times does it serve Bilbo when he proves worthy of it? 

2. The Hobbit is full of poetry and song, from the dwarfs’ songs (which resemble Beowulf) to the goblins’ ferocious chants to Gollum and Bilbo’s riddles. Why does the narrator (who has a distinct personality) include these unnecessary embellishments in the story?  After all, we don’t really need them to understand the plot, and many people just skim over them entirely.  Why might he want us to hear the poetry and puzzle over the riddles ourselves? 

3. Tolkein purposely went back and revised The Hobbit to bring it in line with his evolving mythology and the Lord of the Rings trilogy.  Though we can read The Hobbit as a stand-alone work, where do we see foreshadowings and links to the later works in this one?  How, for example, do we know the ring isn’t just a magic trinket but a true “ring of power”? 

4. How does Bilbo live up to his name and pedigree in these chapters and become, in a small way, a hero of legend?  What causes him to do this?  Is it an accident, like the way Gandalf tricked him into undertaking the Quest, or is it a conscious decision of Bilbo’s?  Discuss a scene where you see him renounce his identity as a "burgher" and become a "burglar."  

For Tuesday: Tolkein's The Hobbit (at last!)

For Tuesday: Tolkein, The Hobbit, Chapters I-IV (pp.1-63)

Answer 2 of the following questions (and don’t rely on the movie to answer them for you—the book is a bit different!)

In what way might we consider The Hobbit and/or the character of Bilbo Baggins a variation (or revision) on several of Lord Dunsany’s stories of Fantasy and Reality such as “The Wonderful Window,” etc?  Consider that Tolkein definitely knew these stories in the same way that anyone writing fantasy today would be aware of J.K. Rowling. 

In Chapter One, “An Unexpected Party,” Bilbo asks the dwarfs, “I should like to know about risks, out-of-pocket expenses, time required and remuneration, and so forth” (21).  Why does this sound distinctly out of place in a fantasy novel, and where else do we spy conscious anachronisms in his story?

Though The Hobbit opens with a simple domestic scene (“in a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit”), how does Tolkein hint that a great mythology lies behind the prosaic world of the Shire?  Why do you think he felt it necessary to let glimpses of this ancient world shine through his simple tale?  How does it affect how we read and understand the work as a whole?

In Chapter II, “Roast Mutton,” the dwarfs reflect on Gandalf: “So far he had come all the way with them, never saying if he was in the adventure or merely keeping them company for a while.  He had eaten most, talked most, and laughed most.  But now he simply was not there at all!” (30).  What kind of character/wizard is Gandalf, and how does he prepare to the other famous wizard in the class, White’s Merlyn?  Are they versions of the same character?  

For Tuesday: Lord Dunsany, Tales of Fantasy and Reality

For Tuesday: Lord Dunsany, In The Land of Time

Read the stories in Part IV. Fantasy and Reality: “The Wonderful Window,” “The Coronation of Mr. Thomas Shap,” “The City on Mallington Moor,” “The Bureau d’Echnage de Maux,” “The Exile’s Club,” “Thirteen at Table,” and “The Last Dream of Bwona Khubla” (pp.219-259)

Answer 2 of the 4 questions...

1. Many of these stories seem to cross numerous genre boundaries, from ghost stories to mysteries and folk legends.  Given this diversity, why might we consider each one part of the larger genre of “fantasy” literature?  What definition of the genre (or of Lord Dunsany’s art) helps characterize these stories as part of the fantasy tradition that we’ve seen with White and Coleridge? 

2. The horror/fantasy writer, H.P. Lovecraft, who was a great admirer of Dunsany, wrote of these stories, “Instead of remaining what the true fantaisiste must be—a child in a child’s world of dream—he became anxious to show that he was really an adult good-naturedly pretending to be a child in a child’s world” (Joshi, xiv).  Based on this, do you see these stories as a revision of his former philosophy in The Gods of Pegāna?  Is he being a more "adult" writer here?  Or are they cut from the same cloth, despite their more modern setting?  Discuss a specific story or moment that illustrates your view. 

3. In the story, “The Coronation of Mr. Thomas Shap,” the title character began to “care less and less for the things we care about, for the affairs of Shap, a business-man in London.  He began to despise the man with a royal contempt” (227).  Based on this, how might we read many of these stories as a satire on modern life, the life of business and accounts and respectability?  Where else can we see Dunsany mocking the pretensions of London society which are so easily cast aside by his dreamers and visionaries?

4. Most of these stories are about invisible worlds that most people cannot see, and whose existence rests on the veracity of a single narrator.  Are we meant to view these narrators as “unreliable” and question the very nature of their eyewitness accounts?  In other words, are they making fun of the people telling the stories...or does Dunsany fully expect us to believe their tales of wonder?  How can we tell?

The Intersection of Myth and the Mundane: Building Around the Elves in Iceland

Here's an interesting article from The Guardian about the necessity to accommodate the presence of the elves and other supernatural creatures while obtaining building permits in Iceland.  Around 80% of Icelanders believe in--or refuse to deny the existence of--elves and fairies (basically, all the stuff Lord Dunsany and Tolkein write about).  Might be a nice counterpoint to the dismissal of fantasy literature as not grounded in "reality."

http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2015/mar/25/iceland-construction-respect-elves-or-else

For Thursday: Lord Dunsany and the Gods of Pegana

For Thursday: Lord Dunsany, “The Gods of Pegāna” (pp.4-48)

Answer 2 of the following questions…

1. Joseph Campbell wrote that “No, mythology is not a lie, mythology is poetry, it is metaphorical.  It has been well said that mythology is the penultimate truth—penultimate because the ultimate cannot be put into words.”  How might we look at Lord Dunsany’s mythology as a poem that tries to translate some abstract element about life (or death) into the visible terms of gods or legends?  Discuss one of the mini-chapters as a way of illustrating this. 

2. In “The Sayings of Imbaun,” the great prophet Imbaun claims that “I only know that I and men know naught concerning the gods or aught concerning men” (42).  What does this say about the role of knowledge in Pegāna?  What ultimately separates the wisdom of gods and men?  What does one know that the other doesn’t?  How is Imbaun initiated into this secret knowledge by the High Prophets? 

3. Why couldn’t this collection of myths and legends work as a unified religion?  How does Lord Dunsany make sure we don’t misinterpret is as literal fact (the way we might an organized religion), but instead, as a collection of poetic puzzles that remind us, “Their nature is your nature, and all of these wonderful poetic images of mythology are referring to something in you”? 

4. Discuss the god of Death (Mung) in these works.  He is the most recurring character of the divine pantheon, though in THE END, even he cannot escape his own demise.  How does Lord Dunsany envision him and his relationship to mere mortals?  Why does he write that, “between Pegāna and the Earth flutter ten thousand thousand prayers that beat their wings against the face of Death, and never for one of them hath the hand of the Striker been strayed, nor yet tarried the feet of the Reletnless One” (14).  What kind of god is he?  

Defense Paper Abstract and Announcements

No reading for Tuesday (the Tuesday after break, of course): I'll introduce the theme our next two books, Lord Dunsany's In the Land of Time and Tolkein's The Hobbit.  If you want to read ahead, feel free to read the first stories in Lord Dunsany's book about "The Gods of Pegana," which we will discuss on Thursday.  

Also, I'm posting the Abstract Assignment below, but note that it's not due for some time.  The Paper #2 is due RIGHT AFTER SPRING BREAK (see the assignment a few posts down).  Start thinking about it!  :)

The “Defense Paper” Abstract

I want everyone to finish this class by writing a significant critical paper which ties the themes and books of our class into the “big picture” of literary studies.  In this case, I want you to write a defense of fantasy/science fiction as bona fide literature, and not a subgroup of literature (such as Fantasy, Young Adult, Comic Books, etc.).  No branch of literature has been more influential in the 20th century than fantasy and science fiction, and yet almost no branch is more critically derided, tolerated only in passing when a ‘major’ writer such as Orwell or Atwood turns their attention to it.  Yet characters such as The Invisible Man, Hobbits, the Mariner, H.A.L., Merlyn, and superheroes themselves have entered the realm of mythology: they are metaphors invoked in everyday speech, and the basis for dozens of new works of literature and film.  In short, you can’t seriously study 20th century literature without contemplating the role of science fiction and fantasy in shaping its borders.

The DEFENSE PAPER will be a 10-12 page paper that consists of Three Parts: (a) A definition/defense of “science fiction and fantasy” which explains how you understand it and why this contradicts the stereotype of the form current in popular culture and/or literary studies; (b) a discussion of TWO works from class that develop your definition through example through close reading, outside sources, and (if applicable) biography; and (c) connection with a modern work of fantasy/science fiction that seems to share the same ideas, themes, or aesthetic.  This work could be another (relatively recent) book, film, video game, or album.  Remember that science fiction/fantasy is not relegated to literature alone—it crosses over into all sorts of art forms and modes of expression. 

Your ABSTRACT is a 2-3 page paper which explains the following, even though this could still be in fairly rough form: your working definition of fantasy and science fiction, which you hope to explore in your paper; the two works you want to discuss in your paper and how they seem to fit your definition; and a brief discussion of a modern work you feel also complements your definition.  An abstract doesn’t need to employ close reading or sources (though it could), but should be a general summary of your thoughts-in-process, and ambitions for doing serious research.  You do not need to include an annotated bibliography with your Abstract; all I care about for now is some specific ideas and approaches, which can be expanded and ironed out as you keep reading and writing throughout the semester.

THE ABSTRACT IS DUE FRIDAY, APRIL 3rd BY 5pm in my office (or earlier, if you can; the sooner you get on this, the sooner you can start focusing on the research/reading for the paper) 

For Thursday: The Sword in the Stone, Chs.15-23

For Thursday: White, The Sword in the Stone, Chs. 15-23 (or as close to the end as you can get)

Answer 2 of the 4 questions that follow:

1. What do you make of the scene in Chapter 15 when the Questling Beast begins to waste away when Sir Pellinore stops hunting it?  Initially, it seems like his quest is rather pointless and comical, and yet after this scene he vows to return to the Hunt forever (even though, strangely, he has already caught the Beast).  Is this scene another instance of the foolish and Quixotic nature of knighthood?  Or does this represent/reveal something else entirely? 

2. In Wart’s adventure with the Geese, he tells Lyo-lyok, “I like fighting…It is knightly.”  Her response is, simply, “Because you’re a baby” (170).  Why is the Geese adventure somewhat different from his experiences with the Fish, the Ants, and the Hawks?  Why might the perspective be different with Geese, and what ideas and concepts don’t make sense to them from the “real” world? 

3. In class today (Tuesday), I pointed out the long passage on page 183 where Merlyn explains the importance of learning to Wart: “The best thing for being sad…is to learn something.”  Why is this a just response to Wart’s initial question about growing up, “Why do people not think, when they are grown up, as I do when I am young?” (181).  What might Merlyn be trying to teach Wart about the essential difference between innocence and experience, childhood and adulthood?  Why is education the essential bridge between the two?

4. The Sword and the Stone was written right on the eve of World War II, when England’s involvement was all but inevitable.  The composition of the entire series occupied him throughout the war, and the books became progressively darker.  How cynical or hopeful do you feel this book is about human nature in a time of war?  What verdict does Merlyn—or others—deliver upon the human race?  Consider the passage, “Do you know that Homo sapiens is almost the only animal which wages war…There are the five ants, one termite that I know of, and Man” (193-194). 

Announcements!

A few notes since many of you have missed an entire week of class now:

* The Paper#2 assignment is posted below; I was planning to give this out today, but ECU opened after our class.  :(  I'll go over it again on Tuesday, but please note that it exists and note that I've pushed back the due date until after Spring Break

* The reading assignment is 2 posts down (Chs.8-14 of The Sword and the Stone).  If you  haven't posted your response to Chs.1-7 (and many of you  haven't), today (THURSDAY) is the last day to do so.  

* I'm  posting Mid-Term grades today, and they will be available for you  next week.  Right now, the grade is based only on Paper #1, your attendance, and your blog question responses.  Remember that you can revise Paper #1, so your grade can rise quickly based on revisions and/or your future paper grades.  Also try to keep on top of your blog responses, since a few of you tend to skip a week or two at a time.  Be careful--the goal of the blog responses is to make you more aware of the conversation surrounding fantasy/science fiction  literature so you can write more sophisticated papers.  

See you on Tuesday!  

Paper #2: Fantasy and Metaphor

Paper #2: Fantasy and Metaphor

“Merlin took off the sailor hat which had just appeared and held it out to the air for inspection.  “This is an anachronism,” he said severely.  “That is what it is, a beastly anachronism” (White, 91). 

For your Second Paper, I want you to explore how fantasy functions not merely as a location or a plot device, but as a metaphor.  This suggests that we not read fantasy too literally, but appreciate the wizards, kings, knights, mariners, witches, vampires, and fairies as a framework to explore larger—and more modern—ideas.  Often the way to spot this is through a book’s use of anachronism, which delineates the boundaries between fantasy and reality.  Fantasy should occasionally remind us that the story is merely a window for seeing ourselves (or our times), so we don’t make the mistake of dismissing it as “kid’s stuff” or a mere “fairy tale.” 

For this paper, choose ONE of the following ideas to develop:

Ø  The Education of the Innocent: each of the three works we’ve read concerns the ‘education’ of an innocent: the Wedding Guest in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Cristabel in the poem of the same name, and Wart in The Sword and the Stone.  How do at least two of these works use metaphors of fantasy/legend to discuss the education of a ‘modern’ human being? 

Ø  The Anachronistic Author: each work also contains within it a narrator who seems curiously out of step with the rest of the work: either the author of the glosses in The Rime, the poet/narrator of Cristabel, and the narrator of The Sword in the Stone.  Why do these works use a ‘modern’ voice to narrate ancient legends and events?  How does this change the meaning of the story and/or how we interpret it? 

Ø  The Role of the Wild: fantasy literature often employs the natural world (animals, insects, forests, icebergs) as characters within the story.  Thus we find Wart visiting the world of fish, ants, and geese in The Sword in the Stone; the Mariner killing an Albatross and being hunted by a “northern spirit”; and Cristabel meeting her double in the dark woods under a midnight moon.  How does the natural world become a metaphor for ideas within us? 

REQUIREMENTS

Ø  As before, you should find at least 2-3 sources to help you generate ideas and respond to the literary discussion of fantasy, which is many generations old. 

Ø  Be sure to properly introduce and cite quotations in your paper according to MLA format. 

Ø  The paper should be at least 4-5 pages, double spaced, but that’s a minimum; you can do more if you like. 

PAPER #2 IS DUE BY MONDAY, MARCH  23rd BY 5PM (the Monday after Spring Break) 

For Thursday (We Have Class!): The Sword in the Stone, Chs.8-14

Since my Neil Gaiman talk in Tulsa got cancelled due to winter weather, I will be here to teach class on Thursday.  And since most of you already got off on Tuesday for a trip, I don't want to lose an entire week of class if I can help it.

Today (Tuesday) we discussed the opening chapters (1-7) of The Sword in the Stone and discussed how fantasy functions as metaphor in this work and Coleridge's work.  Be sure to answer Tuesday's question no later than Thursday, since very few people turned them in.  For THURSDAY, read Chs.8-14, though there are no blog questions.  I will give you an in-class writing response when you come to class.  ALSO, I will assign Paper #2 on Thursday, so you want to show up!  

Also, for those interested, here is an except from a long article I wrote on T.H. White that will give you some background on the creation of The Sword and the Stone.  Click "read more" below to access it...

For Tuesday: White, The Sword in the Stone (from The Once and Future King), Chs.1-7

For Tuesday: T.H. White, The Sword in the Stone, Chs. 1-7 (pp.10-72)

NOTE: As I will discuss on Tuesday, The Sword in the Stone was originally a stand-alone book that became part of a larger series of books which were eventually called The Once and Future King.  However, the final book was refused by the publisher, so White never felt that it was a complete work, which justifies us just reading the first installment. Also, the first book was actually re-written years after its publication, with parts of the final, fifth book, The Book of Merlyn, inserted bodily into the manuscript (since his publishers refused to release it).  So the work we read today comes from both ends of the Once and Future King series. 

Answer 2 of the 4 questions that follow:

1. While discussing The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, I suggested that one of the hallmarks of fantasy literature is anachronism, which the Oxford English Dictionary defines as, “Anything done or existing out of date; hence, anything which was proper to a former age, but is, or, if it existed, would be, out of harmony with the present; also called a practical anachronism.”  How does White consciously employ anachronism in his story, both in the narration and in the events of the story itself?  Why is this a useful technique in a fantasy novel?

2. How is White satirizing traditional romantic notions of knighthood in The Sword in the Stone?  What experiences/quests does Wart expect to undergo in his education, and how might characters such as Sir Pellinore poke fun at this notions?  In other words, what does White think knighthood and heroism is truly all about in the Medieval world of legend? 

3. In her biography of T.H. White, Sylvia Warner notes that “The Sword in the Stone has the impetus and recklessness of a beginner’s work.  It is full of poetry, farce, invention, iconoclasm, and, above all, the reverence due to youth in its portrayal of the young Arthur” (xii).  Why do you think White wrote a book about the myths of Arthur, Merlyn, and Camelot from a young boy’s perspective?  Why does he have such “reverence” to youth, and why might we not get the same story if told from an adult Arthur?

4. Based on our reading so far, what kind of education do you feel Merlyn is trying to give Wart?  Why is he transforming him into fish and having him consort with eccentric knights?  How does this contrast with what Wart wants to learn and thinks he ought to learn?  [you might also consider that Merlyn lives backwards, so he knows the tragic fate of Camelot...is he trying to teach Wart, in some way, to reverse this?]

For Tuesday: Coleridge, Cristabel (1797/1801)

For Tuesday: Coleridge, Cristabel (pp.24-41)

Answer 2 of the 4 questions that follow:

1. In many ways, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is a poem about “experience,” since the Mariner is a man of the world who carries the darkness of society into the unsullied Arctic.  Cristabel, though unfinished, seems to explore the idea of “innocence” through the unformed, child-like character of Cristabel.  How might we read her character metaphorically, as a journey of childhood inexperience into the “dark woods” of adult sexuality?  (and yes, any knowledge of Freud is welcome here!) 

2. In Richard Holmes’ book, Coleridge: Early Visions (1989), he writes that Cristabel is “chant-like, trance-like.  Its power derives from a haunting suggestiveness of atmosphere, an incantation of psychological symbols and spells, which defy any normal narrative development” (287).  How does the poem achieve these “trance-like” effects?  What sounds, images, metaphors, or other features make it seem more like a spell or a dream than an actual story or poem? 

3. What is the difference between Part I and Part II of the poem?  Literally, Part I occurs during midnight, while Part II occurs the following morning.  Does this basic distinction change the general tone/focus of each part?  Why do you think Coleridge separated the poem into two parts when the entire poem was left incomplete?  Does something tangible change from one part to the next? 

4. Why might Geraldine the earliest form of a character that has since become extremely popular in fantasy and horror fiction?  What kind of character is she, and what about her description, actions, or motives might suggest other, more modern characters/types?  Consider lines such as, “Deep from within she seems half-way/To lift some weight with sick assay,/And eyes the maid and seeks delay;/Then suddenly, as one defied,/Collects herself in scorn and pride,/And lay down by the Maiden’s side!--/And in her arms the maid she took” (30).  

For Thursday: The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

For Thursday: The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

Answer ONE of the following questions for Thursday:

1. In Stanza III of Coleridge’s poem, “Dejection: An Ode” (the poem is on pages 63-67), he writes,

            My genial spirits fail;

            And what can these avail

To lift the smothering weight from off my breast?

            It were a vain endeavour,

            Though I should gaze for ever

On that green light that lingers in the west:

I may not hope from outward forms to win

The passion and the life, whose fountains are within. 

How might the ideas/metaphors in this poem help us understand the curse and the atonement of the Ancient Mariner?  What could the “smothering weight” be?  What might he stare at the “lingers in the west”?  What “fountains are within”?  

2. Many critics in Coleridge’s time and our own have taken exception to the moral that ends the poem: 

He prayeth well, who loveth well

Both man and bird and beast.

He prayeth best, who loveth best

All things both great and small;

For the dear God who loveth us,

He made and loveth all.  

Do you feel this is the true moral of the poem, which helps explain the nature of the Mariner’s curse?  Or is this an attempt to tack an easy moral onto a nightmarish poem, to help tuck readers into bed at night (and perhaps, to please Wordsworth, since this sounds  an awful lot like many of his poems)? 

For Tuesday: The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

For Tuesday: Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

NOTE: We’ll be reading the poem slowly, so I encourage you to read the entire poem, but feel free to read slowly, even if you don’t quite finish it.  In this poem, the details are more important than the overall story, so look at it less as an actual narrative than a series of short poems that cohere into a larger theme.  But most of all, read slowly and look for the metaphors, since poetry is all about how metaphors transform our perception/experience of the world (especially important in fantasy literature!). 

Answer 2 of the 4 questions that follow:

1. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner opens with a frame narrative, that of the Mariner stopping a Wedding Guest and putting him under a spell so he can tell his story: “He holds him with his glittering eye.”  Why do stories typically employ a frame narrative (think of ones you know from previous classes) and why might it be especially important in a work of fantasy?  Why not simply tell the Mariner’s tale without the artifice of telling it to someone else? 

2. Read the glosses on the left side of the poem carefully: are they really there to clarify the action of the poem?  While at times they seem to merely summarize the events, where do they do something else?  Do you find passages that seem to add unnecessary detail or comically deflate the narrative?  Consider particularly this gem: “Like vessel, like crew!”  (also consider, if the glosses are so important, then why not simply write prose instead of a poem?)

3. Why does the Mariner kill the Albatross?  How does the crew initially react to this death, and why does their reaction change over time?  In the fantasy logic of the poem, why does this seem to be a “sin”?  Is it a sin cosmically, or merely a sin in the minds of the men?  Or simply in the mind of the Mariner himself? 

4. The Oxford English Dictionary defines the term “sublime” as: “Of a feature of nature or art: that fills the mind with a sense of overwhelming grandeur or irresistible power; that inspires awe, great reverence, or other high emotion, by reason of its beauty, vastness, or grandeur.”  The Romantics were anxious to invoke the power of the sublime in art, often by evoking Nature in their art and poetry.  Where do we see this in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner?  Where does the poem trying to inspire awe, fear, and reverence in the metaphors and imagery?  How might this underline the theme or ideas in the poem itself?  

For Monday: Watchmen, Chs.4-7

For Tuesday: Moore/Gibbons, Watchmen, Chs.4-7

Answer 2 of the 4 questions that follow:

1. The background comic, Tales of the Black Freighter, is a tour de force of parallel word + image storytelling.  The question is, what role does it ultimately play in the narrative?  While the actual narration seems to echo what occurs in the frames themselves, what other themes/ideas seem to resonate from the background comic to the comic proper? 

                        

2. The idea of time, keeping time, and in a sense, making time is a central metaphor in Watchmen.  As Dr. Manhattan reflects, “But it’s too late, always has been, always will be too late.”  If Dr. Manhattan is able to observe time as a continuous event, why does he also seem powerless to prevent future events from becoming “present”?  Is this an example of his callous, indifferent nature to the fate of man (thus making him a kind of super villain)?  Or are there other ways to interpret his lack of interference with the wheel of time? 

3. Chapter Six ends with the famous quote from Nietzsche, “Battle not with monsters lest yet become a monster…and if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.”  This describes much of Rorschach’s career as a superhero, which consists of an uncompromising mandate: “never despair.  Never surrender.”  How do we interpret the “blot” of Rorschach’s soul as a crime fighter?  Is he merely an “Invisible Man” deluding himself that he’s on the side of right?  Is he a madman as dangerous—indeed, even more dangerous—than many of the criminals he prosecutes?  Or does he suggest the inevitable fate of every superhero, who necessarily removes the distinction between good and evil in order to “save the world”?

4. In Chapter 7, pages 16-17, we get an entire page without dialogue or narration at all: in this series of frames, we watch Nite Owl embrace a woman who tears his “costume” off, revealing his true self—the costume of Nite Owl.  He does the same for her, revealing Jupiter’s true form before a nuclear bomb destroys them both.  How do we read a wordless comic differently than one with various layers of written language?  Why is this an important scene to tell visually, and are there other scenes that dispense with language to make an important point?  

Paper Sources for Wells/Watchmen

Below are a few (but not all, of course) sources you might want to consult en route to your Paper #1. Remember, knowing the conversation of a given literary topic, whether it's Shakespeare or Science Fiction, gives you more to write about and respond to.  In the end, whenever you write a paper, you're entering a conversation that has been going on for years or centuries, so there's no need to reinvent the wheel.  Hearing what people outside of class have to say on the subject will not only jump start your paper, but will make you more knowledgeable on the topic itself.  Below are some places to start, but be sure to search EBSCO and JSTOR for more options if these don't work for you.  

The Invisible Man

* Christopher Priests' Introduction to the Penguin Edition: this is an excellent introduction by an acclaimed master of modern science fiction (he wrote the novel, The Prestige, which became a film not long ago with Christian Bale).  

*  Primitive Modernity: H. G. Wells and the Prehistoric Man of the 1890s

Richard Pearson The Yearbook of English StudiesVol. 37, No. 1, From Decadent to Modernist: And Other Essays (2007), pp. 58-74 (via JSTOR)
* An appreciation of H.G. Wells, novelist.  Austin, Mary Hunter, 1868-1934 Charlottesville, Va. : University of Virginia Library, 1996  (ECU library)

* The future as nightmare; H. G. Wells and the anti-utopians.  Hillegas, Mark Robert, 1926-New York, Oxford University Press, 1967  (ECU library)

* H. G. Wells.  Parrinder, Patrick New York : Putnam, c1977 (ECU library)

*  The ECU Library also has copies of many of his other novels, notably The Time Machine, The Island of Dr. Moreau, and The War of the Worlds, among others.  

Watchmen

* Watchmen and Philosophy: A Rorschach test.  ed. Mark White.  Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, 2009.  (in ECU library)

* Keating, E.  The Female Link: Citation and Continuity in Watchmen.  Journal of Popular Culture, 2012, Dec. (EBSCO)

* Miettinen, Mervi.  Men of Steel?  Rorschach, Theweleit, and Watchmen’s Deconstructed Masculinity.  Political Science and Politics 47.1 (2014) (EBSCO) 

*  Barnes, David.  Time in the Gutter: Temporal Structures in Watchmen.  Kronoscope 9 ½ (2009) (EBSCO)

* Dubose, Mike.  Holding Out for a Hero: Reganism, Comic Book Vigilantes, and Captain America.  Journal of Popular Culture 40.6 (2007) (EBSCO)

Short Paper #1 Assignment

Paper #1: The Science of Superheroes

“Somebody has to do it, don’t you see?  Somebody has to save the world…” (Watchmen, Ch.2, page 11). 

In your first paper, I want you to examine the metaphor of superheroes which have arguably become our 20^th/21^st century mythology.  We know, too, that they are metaphors, since they are reinterpreted for each new generation (Superman, Batman, etc.) and represent ideas which are more symbol than substance.  Yet, the idea of an alter ego ties reminds us that they are “us,” a metaphor we’ve consciously invented to view the world through the frame of science fiction (or fantasy).  Superheroes continue to live because they continue to speak to us, as much for their image of superhuman abilities as well as the uneasiness of what those powers might bring—for ourselves, and for all humanity.

Using Wells’ The Invisible Man and Moore/Gibbons’ Watchmen, I want you to answer one of the following questions in a short 5-6 page essay.  Each question can lead to a variety of answers and should not be considered to have an obvious answer; as with most literary questions, the answer lies in your perspective and how you can make the books “speak” to your discussion. 

·         What is the essential difference between a superhero and a supervillain?  Both want to change or save the world, and both, at some point, are viewed as criminals.  Is being a hero/villain a state of mind?  A moral conviction?  Or is it simply egotism and madness?  In other words, what separates Griffin and Rorschach?  Captain America and the Comedian? 

·         How do modern-day superheroes (including Watchmen) consciously play on the original script of Wells’ The Invisible Man?  Where do we see the seeds of the modern superhero/villain in the exploits of Griffin, who sought to institute the “Epoch of the Invisible Man”?  How might many of our current heroes—and anti-heroes—be traced to his prophetic example?

·         While superheroes and villains are often presented in very black and white terms (good vs. evil), the reality is far more complex.  How does the narration of both books change how we perceive the metaphors of superheroes/villains?  Consider how the storytelling techniques of a comic challenge the perspective of this straightforward storyline, and how Wells’ unusual narrative style offers us a distinct look at the making of the first super villain. 

REQUIREMENTS:

·         5-6 pages, double spaced using MLA format, Works Cited

·         At least 2 outside sources, helping you respond to the conversation of superhero science fiction, H.G. Wells’ novels, or Moore’s novels (check the blog for source ideas)

·         DUE Friday, February 13^th by 5pm (in my office—no e-mail if possible) 

For Thursday: Starting Moore/Gibbon's Watchmen, Chs. I-III

For Thursday: Moore/Gibbons, Watchmen, Chs.I-III

NOTE: If your edition of Watchmen has the extra materials between chapters (the excerpts from “Under the Hood,” etc.), you don’t have to read that.  These are “extras” added for the deluxe edition of Watchmen.  Just stick to the comic for now.  ALSO, take your time reading the comic and don't worry if you get confused.  There's a lot going on in the first three chapters that makes more sense as you get further into the narrative.  Some of the story is also a bit graphic, so read in small doses it if bothers you.  Remember that the story, like all science fiction, is a metaphor: don't take it too literally!  

Answer any 2 of the 4 questions below in a short paragraph:

1. Describe the style of the artwork in Watchmen.  If you’ve read graphic novels/comics before, how it is similar or different to other works you’ve read, particularly comics in the superhero vein?  What is the overall tone/feel of the work based on the style of the artwork and the coloring?  How does it complement the story being told and create a sense of a “narrator” telling the story?

2.  What kind of superheroes do we have in Watchmen?  Are they similar to the familiar staple of heroes we’ve seen in comics and film (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Spiderman, Captain America, etc.)?  Are any of them satires or exaggerations of the Marvel/DC framework?  Something to consider is why Moore would create his own superheroes when the comic was published by DC: why not simply use Superman, Batman, etc.?  What do new characters based (however loosely) on old ones allow him to explore/show us about the science fiction metaphor of superhuman characters and their society? 

3. Watchmen is a rather complex comic  and employs many of the sophisticated techniques of comics storytelling, particularly the technique known as parallel narrative.  This is where we see one story in the frames, yet hear a second story being narrated by speech bubbles or other text.  Discuss a scene where this technique changes how we experience the story based on multiple layers of storytelling (both visual and linguistic) working together. 

4. How does some of the themes of Wells’ Invisible Man get reinterpreted or re-examined in this comic?  Where do we see shadows of Griffin and his mad ambitions sprinkled throughout the text?  Consider ideas such as the primitive man, the “id,” the “invisible” outsider, the Racist-Savior, and the documentary or “objective reporter” approach to narrative.  Be specific and highlight a specific scene in your response.  

For Thursday: The Invisible Man, Chs.12-20

From the 1933 adaptation of The Invisible Man 

For Thursday: Wells, The Invisible Man, Chs. 12-20

As before, answer two of the following in a short paragraph, and cite individual passages whenever possible.  Remember, any writing you do now will pay off on the papers to follow! 

1. How does the Invisible Man exhibit many of the qualities and mannerisms of the typical “super villain” we find in movies and comics today?  Though we can argue he isn’t as maniacal as a Joker or a Green Goblin, he still offers a blueprint for these later villains.  Related to this question, would you consider Griffin a psychopath, a man who (like an evil Sherlock, perhaps) is built to test the boundaries of society?  Would he be the way he is even without invisibility? 

2. Many writers have argued that science/technology is neither bad nor good; the question is simply who uses it and to what ends.  With this in mind, what are the Invisible Man’s goals in pursuing the science of invisibility?  What is he will to do to see his project through?  Why might it be telling that his immediate uses for the “miracle” of invisibility are all criminal (or comic) in nature? 

3. Ursula K. Le Guin remarks that “science fiction is metaphor,” reminding us that the future, science, and ideas like invisibility are speculative and allegorical.  In other words, they offer a novel framework in which to view our own lives and ideas.  How might much of these chapters be satirizing late 19th century English society through the “haunting” of an Invisible Man?  Where do we see H.G. Wells’ own ideas about society shining through his seemingly unbiased journalistic observations? 

4. Many early works of science fiction, such as Frankenstein, glossed over how the science was accomplished in favor the larger themes of the book.  Why, then, does Wells offer us a scientific explanation of Griffin’s achievement?  Do we need to understand how Griffin became invisible in order to appreciate or understand the story?  Wouldn’t adding technical details/information threaten to alienate his non-technical readers?  You might compare this to the way Michael Crichton, among others, sneaks in actual science into his otherwise quite commercial novels such as Jurassic Park, Sphere, The Andromeda Strain, etc.