Literature, Class 5: Period 3, Thursday, October 2

[clevermsbennet.livejournal.com]

"There is a famous quotation," Miss Elizabeth Bennet said, "which says, slightly paraphrased, 'I am sorry that this letter is so long. I did not have time to write a short one.' This may sound laughable, unless one has ever tried to write a letter and discovered that one only has a single sheet of paper. Being concise, being clear in the least number of words possible, that will in many cases require more thought, more effort, than simply filling a page with one's news.

"The same is true, to some extent, with works of fiction. I do not mean to imply that a short story would take an author longer to write than a thousand-page epic. However, a short story is truly a different work than a novel. An event happens, an anecdote is shared. In a novel, the overarching plot is frequently one of personal development: the characters' lives, in short, and the growth that they achieve, or that which they fail to achieve. A novel has a narrative, connecting a series of events; a short story may have one event, and the sequence that creates that event, or what occurs after, as a result.

"Poems can be short, only meant to convey an impression, a feel, perhaps a moment in time. By contrast, there is epic poetry, which seeks to tell a long narrative in poetic form. Historically, epics have their own rules: there is one hero, fighting either with the assistance of or despite the interventions of various deities. There are long lists: geneaologies, in some cases, as well as the names of the dead, and of those who fought bravely on each side. Epics also must start with an invocation to the muse.

"Plays we discussed briefly, of course, during our study of William Shakespeare. As we noted there, the loss of narrative means that we must show our audience what we wish for them to know. Plays allow for actors to bring their own personalities to each role, for directors to stamp their own imprints onto the works -- which some may say gets us further from the play's original intent. This is true, unless one believes that perhaps plays are intended to be open in this manner: adaptable to each new performance and what it may bring out of the work.

"Another complication is serialization. Many novels were, at one time, printed in news-papers in segments. Writing to that audience means that each passage's beginning must be accessible to new readers, but more importantly, each passage's ending must leave your audience desiring more. Charles Dickens' work was serialized; as a result, many of his chapters end with dramatic cliffhangers. The intent was to inspire the audience to return to your next episode, eager to know of their beloved characters' fates.

"These are, of course, generalities, and will not be applicable in every case. However, it is important for us to think about how form affects content. If one was to write a story of a war, the tone, the characterization, the overall impact, all of these would be very different in an epic poem than a novel. In serial form, one would plot carefully which major battles fell on which chapter breaks. In a play, one might compress two minor characters into one, so as not to confuse the audience with interchangeable side roles.

"At times, outside factors can affect the story in very specific ways. It has been rumoured, falsely, that Dickens was paid by the word; though he was not, many of his contemporaries were. One can imagine how fondly they reached for adjectives, for a little more description to round out that third paragraph, whether or not the it was perfectly crisp as it then stood. By contrast, a modern author named Stephen King once finished a 1200-page saga, only to have his publisher insist that the book needed to be far shorter or it would not sell. The issue was not the content, or that the book's pacing was unsteady, but that, because of commercial and practical concerns, the book needed to lose four hundred pages. The book was reduced, and published; years later, when the author was famous, he re-released the book in its original state.

"The form of a story changes that story. How we tell a tale alters it; what we keep, what we omit, what words we use. We experience this every day, when recounting to one's sister the dreadful argument one had with one's mother. It is no less true in literature than it is in life."

She smiled. "One final note. I wished to discuss the contrast between an author's intentions and those results, but I am not certain how easy this will be, since we have not all read the same works. For this one week, I ask, if you can: please find a copy of Jane Austen's Randolph Park or Amelia. Read either, or both, for next week's class, if you are able to do so. There will be no penalty if you are not."

Comments

Sign In [LIT-5]

[clevermsbennet.livejournal.com]

Colorfully.

Re: Sign In [LIT-5]

[wanna-be-lucas.livejournal.com]

Lucas Scott

During the Lecture [LIT-5]

[clevermsbennet.livejournal.com]

Take notes, pass notes, conversely quietly with your neighbors; do please remember to keep it brief if you do not seek detention.

Re: During the Lecture [LIT-5]

[wanna-be-lucas.livejournal.com]

Lucas made a note to grab a copy of Randolph Park from the library. It was nice to have a purpose in mind for his continual reading.

Re: During the Lecture [LIT-5]

[spiritandsword]

Annja was taking notes on the lecture, wondering what Roux would think of this.

Re: During the Lecture [LIT-5]

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

Michael was listening carefully.

Re: During the Lecture [LIT-5]

[bad-nose-job.livejournal.com]

Penelope took carefully detailed notes as she listened intently.

Re: During the Lecture [LIT-5]

[withoutverona]

Romeo listened thoughtfully, writing How we tell a tale alters it in his neat italic script. Somehow that felt like it might be important.

Re: During the Lecture [LIT-5]

[pyroliz.livejournal.com]

Liz listened to the lecture and took down detailed notes.

Re: During the Lecture [LIT-5]

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

Liir was listening, of course, but the whole lecture made him wonder what it might be like to write a story. The idea had never really occurred to him, and yet the discussion of forms left him holding such a desire, like an orphaned child, with no idea what he might write about or even how he could write knowing so few things.

The itch, as it was, was there all the same.

Re: During the Lecture [LIT-5]

[gameknowsgame.livejournal.com]

Blair wondered if Chuck's dirty limericks counted as epic poetry. Possibly just epically bad.

Re: During the Lecture [LIT-5]

[sarcasm-guy.livejournal.com]

Sokka diligently scribbled notes.

Re: During the Lecture [LIT-5]

[morpherboy.livejournal.com]

Marco, as usual, was fighting to stay awake.

Re: During the Lecture [LIT-5]

[carsexual]

Sam struggled to pay attention and remain fully conscious.

Discussion #1: Form and Content [LIT-5]

[clevermsbennet.livejournal.com]

Which formats do you favor, when (if) you read in your leisure time? What are some advantages and disadvantages to each? Are there specific genres or stories that seem to fit into certain formats better than they might in others?

Re: Discussion #1: Form and Content [LIT-5]

[thankgoditsme.livejournal.com]

"I like some of each format. There are short stories I prefer over novels, novels I prefer over poems and plays that blow the others out of the water. It all depends on whether the story and characters can get my attention and keep it for as long as they want me. Short stories pack a punch if they're done well and in a small amount of time. Novels require a commitment to get through. I wouldn't really say one is better than any other because they all have their strengths and weaknesses. It comes down to a matter of preference in the end."

Re: Discussion #1: Form and Content [LIT-5]

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"Poetry," he admitted, looking about to see how this might be taken by the others.

"As the rhythms and the flows of the words seem... special. Almost magical in their own right. I suppose that is an advantage, though I realize from reading other books that such a form does make writing dialogue next to impossible.

"And I suppose a poem need be something that evokes, as you said, a feeling. Some emotion. Even when detailing events, the whole of it conspires to leave something behind in the mind, almost like the taste in a mouth after consuming something sweet or sour or hot."

Re: Discussion #1: Form and Content [LIT-5]

[death-of-hope.livejournal.com]

"I like some novels, short stories, and children's books," Anemone answered. "I don't like reading plays or really books, because I read slowly and I have a hard time visualizing what's going on."

Re: Discussion #1: Form and Content [LIT-5]

[gameknowsgame.livejournal.com]

"I like a good long story during the summertime," Blair said. "It's something to keep you company with out in the Hamptons."

Re: Discussion #1: Form and Content [LIT-5]

[sarcasm-guy.livejournal.com]

"I'm still a fan of poetry," Sokka announced. "It.. It's just this glistening jewel of text that reaches right in and touches your soul for one single, beautiful moment."

He shrugged. "As for everything else, just about any story works best when it's written up as a screenplay and acted out."

Discussion #2: Writing [LIT-5]

[clevermsbennet.livejournal.com]

When you write -- essays for other classes, letters home, fiction, or notes for a friend -- how heavily do you edit yourself? Is it easier for you to write a short letter or a long one? Have you ever wished you could use poetry for prose, or vice versa?

Re: Discussion #2: Writing [LIT-5]

[wanna-be-lucas.livejournal.com]

"As much as I try to keep things short and meaning contained in select words, I find my writing tends to go on the longer side," Lucas admitted. "And I'm terrible at editing myself."

Discussion #3: External Factors [LIT-5]

[clevermsbennet.livejournal.com]

If a story is told in episodes, will that create an uneven narrative if the work is later reprinted as a novel? If an author was paid by the word, would his work necessarily be bloated? Would the shortened form of King's lengthy novel seem skeletonized?

Re: Discussion #3: External Factors [LIT-5]

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"People used to write in episodes all the time", Michael pointed out. "Just depends how good they are at keeping track."

Speak with Miss Bennet [LIT-5]

[clevermsbennet.livejournal.com]

For she is here.

Speak with the TAs [LIT-5]

[clevermsbennet.livejournal.com]

Once they have pinged in.

Re: Speak with the TAs [LIT-5]

[wanna-be-lucas.livejournal.com]

Lucas was much more available this week, having his own body and thus, recognizable to his classmates.

OOC [LIT-5]

[clevermsbennet.livejournal.com]

The opening quote is thought to be by Blaise Pascal, translated from the French, though it's been heavily misattributed to just about everyone, ever.

The Stephen King story is true; it's in the opening notes for the uncut version of The Stand, and I thought it was kinda interesting.

You are not being asked, as players, to read anything for next week, zomg. This was partly for anyone who has (as a player) read either work and wanted a valid excuse to be able to say his or her student did, as well. If you-the-player haven't, you can just say your character got busy -- there's no punishment for students who don't.

If you decide you want to read either, both Mansfield Park and Emma are public domain, and thus, they're up on Biblomania (MP (http://www.bibliomania.com/0/0/6/9/frameset.html)/Emma (http://www.bibliomania.com/0/0/6/7/frameset.html)) and Project Gutenberg (MP (http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/141)/Emma (http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/158)) as well as a number of other sites. There are also excellent summaries and notes on SparkNotes (MP (http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/mansfieldpark/)/Emma (http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/emma/)) and similar sites, which should help your student fake their way along if you'd like for them to read the work but you-the-player don't have the time or inclination.

Yes, we're doing Jane Austen next week, for a valid reason that isn't just me going "hee, meta."

I think the OOC note is done now.

Re: OOC [LIT-5]

[darkangelsawyer.livejournal.com]

Peyton is totally up for being given detention today. :)