Decade Project; Fun Home Discussion; The Stone Gods

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Lab:

Continue working on your decade project. See previous posts for more details.

 Also, I asked you to complete some homework. If you completed this work, please turn your draft in before 8:00. See previous posts if you did not accomplish this task. Then complete on your own time and turn in late.

 Also, for our discussion on the novel (look! a synthesis!), please read the following short articles on the book (see handout):

 At 8:00, we will go to the classroom to discuss Fun Home. Here are the discussion questions:
  • An "artificer" is a skilled craftsman/craftsperson or inventor. Give some reasons where, how, and why Bechdel uses this trope in the book. (Note: there are 3 parts to this question: where does Bechdel use the idea of an "artificer," how is it used, why does she make this allusion?)
  • Who were Daedalus & Icarus? Comment on Bechdel's use of this mythological allusion in the book. Are there other allusions that you caught? What might the allusion mean? How does she use it as a thematic structure to provide meaning in her graphic novel?
  • Explain why the setting of this book (and its title) are both ironic and appropriate for this story? Irony is verbal, situational, and dramatic.
  • Allusions abound in this book. List examples of allusions used in the book. [hint: look for graphics or illustrations in the book that show titles of other books...what are some of these books?] 
  • As much as it is unraveling the mystery of her father's strange life and death, how does Bechdel's own life parallel that of her father? Is this an effective strategy to use, do you think? Why or why not?
  • How does the allusion to Camus and his philosophy about suicide & the Myth of Sisyphus play a role in the book? What themes might it suggest or foreshadow?
  • Why might Bechdel allude to The Adams Family (by Charles Adams)? What might she be suggesting by this allusion?
  • What connections might Bechdel be making between the story her grandmother tells and the provincial life of her father (pg. 40-42)?
  • How does Bechdel develop her mother's character effectively in the novel? [Hint: how does Bechdel use allusions to make connections or assumptions about her parents?]
  • What might be the connection between the chapter An Ideal Husband and The Importance of Being Ernest?
  • Why might Bechdel allude to the classic epic The Odyssey & James Joyce's Ulysses in the graphic novel? 
  • Note the structure of the graphic novel. Strip away the pictures and one-liners in the panels, what we seem to have is a personal essay. The narrative is driven by the use of 1st person POV captions. In your opinion, would the novel have as much emotional impact if it were a traditional memoir? Why or why not? Consider the role of graphics in pop culture/post-modern texts. What role does it serve--or does it distract from the narrative?
  • View this novel through the lens of a feminist or gender critic. What do you think?
  • Were the Duke freshmen justified in refusing to read Fun Home? Discuss. Consider "safe spaces" on college campuses...you'll be there soon.
  • Other...
After our discussion, we will pick up and begin reading our next novel. Here's the info on the author & text:

Jeanette Winterson is a contemporary novelist. She is a lesbian writer who dabbles in science fiction, literary and poetic prose. She was born in Manchester, England, and adopted by Pentecostal parents who brought her up in the nearby mill-town. She attended Oxford, and currently writes for various UK newspapers (she is a journalist, as well as a literary novelist and poet).

Her novels include:

Food for thought: GJ1132b (synthesis) & Easter Island (just in time for Easter!)

HOMEWORK: Please catch up on your writing projects/portfolio pieces. See previous posts for all the gory details. Also, please complete (yes, complete) The Stone Gods.

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