Monday, February 27, 2012

Juke Joint

Please respond to the post below by 4 p.m.,  Sunday, March  4.

How does Walter Bernstein convey his feelings about Frankie's? Pick an image or phrase or device that you believe helps him get across to readers what he wants them to think about the bar. What is the dominant sense of the place Bernstein wants us to have? How does the technique or phrase (or whatever) you picked reflect that? Caveat: Each of you should pick something no one else has.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Third Winter

Choose one of the following to answer. Please post your response by Sun ,  4 p.m.


1) Describe the relationship between the straight and parenthetical passages in Martha Gellhorn's "The Third Winter." In other words, what is the function of each and how do they function in relation to each other?

2) Analyze an instance of Gellhorn's use of metaphor or simile. Include why she choose this image and whether or not it works and how or why.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Death of Rodriguez

The issue for a writer is how to close the gap, often yawning, between the writer's subject and the reader's experience. Give one example of how Richard Harding Davis creates reader admiration and/or sympathy for Rodriguez in his story. You should cite a specific image, description, etc., rather than make a general statement. Notice, too, how he leads us to feel quite the opposite about the Spaniards.

Please respond by 3 p.m., Feb. 22 (Wednesday.)

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

writers on writing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xE8RAw_uYwU

Traction/Didion

http://www.bu.edu/agni/essays/print/2006/63-birkerts.html

Explain why or why not you think Didion's piece meets Birkerts' definition of "traction." Please respond by 4 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 12.

Monday, February 6, 2012

Story Ideas Revisited

By 3 p.m., Wed., Feb. 8, please briefly describe the incident or scene that you will use as the basis of your short prose submission (no longer than 500 words and closer to 250) to cur.ren.cy. Read the submission guidelines below before posting. It's important that your prospective subject be journalistic as well as literary. Keep in mind Henry James' criteria for judging a piece of writing: 1) What is the writer trying to achieve? 2) Did the writer achieve it? 3) Was it worth achieving? The last is also the most important.

http://www.currencylit.com/submit

Cur.ren.cy

http://www.currencylit.com/submit

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Story Ideas

By 3 p.m., Wed., Feb. 8, please briefly describe the incident or scene that you will use as the basis of your short prose submission (no longer than 500 words and closer to 250) to cur.ren.cy. Read the submission guidelines below before posting. It's important that your prospective subject be journalistic as well as literary. Keep in mind Henry James' criteria for judging a piece of writing: 1) What is the writer trying to achieve? 2) Did the writer achieve it? 3) Was it worth achieving? The last is also the most important.

http://www.currencylit.com/submit