The Best of American Literature

I honestly did not think very hard on this subject.  As soon as I saw Dr. Preston's post about this topic, I immediatly thought of my book.  Those 122 pages were and still are the greatest accomplishment of my small, puny, insignificant life (the reason I say those things is because they are, of course, the truth.  I'm 1 in 6 billion, and as of yet, too young to make an impact.  For now, at least).  But yes, my novel has been the highlight of my Junior year as a whole, not just from English 3. 

And for those of you who said you wanted to read it, go ahead and leave your email adress in the comments, and I will send you a snippet.  Sorry, but that's all my editor will let me give away.

CA out.

Derby Reportage.

Coming out of that piece, definitely scrambled upstairs, my first thoughts were "Sweet baby Jesus that was long!!"  And that, my friends, is the honest-to-God truth right there.
I spent much of the time reading that story thinking to myself, Why did Hunter S. Thompson choose to write this story as long and elaborate as he did? I mean, he actually speaks of the Derby for about three sentences, then back to himself and his story.  I understand that he was starting a new style of writing, but why did it have to be so... vulgar and... self-centered?

CA out.

JOHNNY CYBERPUNK

First Reaction- "... What is he saying?!?"
Second Reaction- "Woah, how cool!"
Third Reaction- *Mind being blown*

Overall, this story had a wonderfull impact on my thinking.  Sure, could've used some spell-check, but maybe that was part of the plan.  No one could ever know, could they?  But the best thing about "Johnny Mnemonic" was the fact that it was so far into the future, yet so... not.  You following me?  I mean, it seemed like some things were impossibly outdated, and there were other things that were so beyond my comprehension of technology that the language and plot left me in the dust.  Yet I continued after that plot, not only because it was so sci-fi but because I wanted to see how the story played out.  And much to my delight, there was a giant climatic battle and a cliff-hanger ending that only increased my respect and reverence for William Gibson (I mean, who thinks of cyborg dolphins?!  Genius!!!!!!)

CA out.

The Confidant Strikes.

What are the various ways Nick Carraway functions in The Great Gatsby? How does he help give us the tour through Gatsby's world? How does he help us get to know Jay Gatsby? How does his presence change the course of the plot, the interactions between other characters, and/or the reader's understanding of the tone and theme of the novel? What else (if anything) do you think Carraway's character accomplishes? How would the book be different if the narration was provided by an anonymous, omniscient voice?

 

 F. Scott Fitzgerald is a literary genius.  Hands down.  His expert use of deep symbolism and beautiful portrayal of a class-defined society continue to apply to civilization today.  Yet, in his world-class book The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald takes a simple first-person narrator, Nick Carraway, and uses him to completly transform the book into one of the greatest American novels to date.  Fitzgerald's use of his confidant to bring in another view and opinion on the rich and mysterious Jay Gatsby.

MAPLAN, MaBrotha!!

Ok so in class today, I had this awesome idea that I could use a Mind Map to plot out the relation between TS Eliot's writing and the goings-on in his personal affairs.  You know, connect the ideas flouting around his head at the time to the ideas flowing across the paper with his name on it. 

I AM T.S. ELIOT

I am a cat fanatic and keep more than a dozen as pets at a time.

I am "Possum" to my friend Ezra Pound.

I am a Nobel Prize winner.

I am the man that wrote,  "This is how the world ends/  Not with a bang, but a whimper."

I am a night watchman for the Royal Airforce, helping notify them of German bombers that I can see from my office window.

My Modernist

I have chosen T.S. Elliot as my Modernist.