Introducing Module 7: New Forms and Modes of Literature

What is the future of literature? of reading and writing, ink on paper, pixels on screens? The image above is a still from The Hawtplates Visual EP "Make Me Down" (2020), a video that combines song, poetry, dance, typography, and cinematography. 

Will we always be tapping out letters to make words on a qwerty keyboard? Will we always use handwriting? Will we desire different ways of telling and receiving stories, poems, and songs?  Are we, in fact, going back to the oral tradition of story-telling that existed for millennia before the invention of writing? Or will there always be some basic and primordial need for traditional alphabetic literature that we read to ourselves or others without multimedia technology? 

In some ways, history has already answered this question. Movies, television, popular music, video games, and the internet itself are far more popular than books, magazines, and newspapers. 

Here are four links to get ready for the new module. The first three have been selected (curated) by me, and the last link is kind of the "open-source" choice for those of you who don't want to write about "video-literature" or vidlit. You can not choose an artist or writer that isn't one of the three selected choices or one that appears on ubuweb.

1) The Hawtplates with DCAD alumni, Breck Omar Brunson, Make Me Down

2) Claudia Rankine and John Lucas, Situations

3) Ryan Trecartin and Lizzie Fitch, Assorted Videos

4) Ubuweb: This is probably my favorite site on the internet. You could live your whole life and not get to all the content. Some of the pages are slow to load, so be patient.  

For your final paper, write a sharp and insightful essay that gives your reasoned and well-argued position on this issue. Is traditional literature dead, dying, hanging on but insignificant? Or is there something truly enduring and irreplaceable about the old ways of accessing literature? The act of reading a book is really different from the act of watching a video or listening to an audio track. Different parts of our brains and imagination are activated.  What do you think and why? Engage your ideas directly with the work on one of the links above (Hawtplates, Rankine/Lucas, Trecartin/Fitch, ubu.com.  Have fun with this essay. You are an authority on this subject, each of you.

We're back to our two-column, single-spaced format that we used earlier this semester. Remember to put an image in the top left quadrant. You are free to continue your essay on a second page. Go for it. Don't neglect to revise and proofread your essay carefully before uploading it to Populi. I am not requiring a preliminary draft for this essay, because the training wheels are off at this point of the semester. However, if you would like me to look over a draft, you can send it to me as an attachment. You can also set up an appointment with Emma Lena at the DCAD Writers Studio. 

Due: No later than noon on Tuesday, December 8 

Questions: csmith@dcad.edu

Last Day with E.A. Poe

 

Here is an excerpt from his famous essay, "The Philosophy of Composition" (1846). We can see Poe as someone who crafts language in a very calculated way. We typically don't think of artists making their work in this manner. We tend to think that artists (musicians, poets, etc.) make their work with intuition and a "let's see what happens" attitude. Sometimes this is called "waiting for the muse." What do you think? Let's read this excerpt and have a brief discussion.

The question now arose as to the character of the word. Having made up my mind to a refrain, the division of the poem into stanzas was, of course, a corollary: the refrain forming the close to each stanza. That such a close, to have force, must be sonorous and susceptible of protracted emphasis, admitted no doubt: and these considerations inevitably led me to the long o as the most sonorous vowel, in connection with r as the most producible consonant.

The sound of the refrain being thus determined, it became necessary to select a word embodying this sound, and at the same time in the fullest possible keeping with that melancholy which I had predetermined as the tone of the poem. In such a search it would have been absolutely impossible to overlook the word “Nevermore.” In fact, it was the very first which presented itself.

The next desideratum was a pretext for the continuous use of the one word “nevermore.” In observing the difficulty which I at once found in inventing a sufficiently plausible reason for its continuous repetition, I did not fail to perceive that this difficulty arose solely from the pre-assumption that the word was to be so continuously or monotonously spoken by a human being — I did not fail to perceive, in short, that the difficulty lay in the reconciliation of this monotony with the exercise of reason on the part of the creature repeating the word. Here, then, immediately arose the idea of a non -reasoning creature capable of speech; and, very naturally, a parrot, in the first instance, suggested itself, but was superseded forthwith by a Raven, as equally capable of speech, and infinitely more in keeping with the intended tone.

I had now gone so far as the conception of a Raven — the bird of ill omen — monotonously repeating the one word, “Nevermore,” at the conclusion of each stanza, in a poem of melancholy tone, and in length about one hundred lines. Now, never losing sight of the object supremeness, or perfection, at all points, I asked myself — “Of all melancholy topics, what, according to the universal understanding of mankind, is the most melancholy?” Death — was the obvious reply. “And when,” I said, “is this most melancholy of topics most poetical?” From what I have already explained at some length, the answer, here also, is obvious — “When it most closely allies itself to Beauty: the death, then, of a beautiful woman is, unquestionably, the most poetical topic in the world — and equally is it beyond doubt that the lips best suited for such topic are those of a bereaved lover.”

One on One Conferences: Tuesday, November 24

No Zoom Class Next Tuesday, November 24

This is for both Academic Writing Lab at 10:50 and Reading & Composition (2:00 & 3:30)

You don't need to prepare anything for your conference. You just need to be ready to talk honestly about your progress as a college writer.

Conferences will take approximately ten minutes each. Please note your assigned time and set the necessary notification. I will have the "Waiting Room" function enabled, so you might need to wait a minute or two as I finish up the previous conference. Missing your assigned time will count as an absence. This is not an optional kind of thing. OK? If you can't make it to your assigned time, you must let me know as soon as possible and we'll reschedule it.

The Zoom link is the same as my FYE rotation:

https://zoom.us/j/91283381716#success

(You might have to copy and paste this into your browser.)  Questions: csmith@dcad.edu

10:00    Hailey Crawford

10:10    Manases Davilla

10:20    Dylan Drace

10:40    Charissa Forman

10:50    Marjani Griggs

11:00    Valentino Harvey

11:20    Kalyiah Jenkins

11:30    

11:40    Hayley Locke

12:30    Shaunna O'Neal

12:40    Gianna Pilotti

12:50    Karen Plata

1:10    Max Sartor

1:20    Ashleigh Umbrecht

1:30    Haley Rose Wilks

2:00    Zavier Jimenez

2:10    Amanda Nokes

2:20    EB Roberts

2:40    Lucas Smith

2:50    T-Lo Thomas

3:00    Joel Stover

3:20    Kenny Bolden

3:30    Gwen Cierniak

3:40    Mia Crawford

4:00    Dani Ilyayeva

4:10    Tamiya Johnson

4:20    Shaye Robinson

4:30    Renee Ballard

Joe Biden Loves William Butler Yeats

 

President Biden is a complete maniac for the poetry of Ireland's WB Yeats. Obama is too. Check it out.  Donald Trump's favorite poet is... I'm drawing a blank. I'm not sure if he's ever read a poem. 

DCAD Writers Studio Always Helps!

 

Talk to Liberal Arts faculty member, Emma Lena. Arrange for a free tutorial. Click here.

Checklist for Research Paper: A Baker’s Dozen 

If you can answer “yes” to the following questions, the draft of your research paper is probably in fairly good shape. This will enable you to really focus on the ideas, nuances, and details for your final version, due this Thursday, November 19, no later than noon.

 ___ Does my paper conform to the basic MLA format? Double-spaced, one-inch margins, serifed font (Times New Roman, Garamond, Georgia), page numbers in top right corner, indented paragraphs without an extra space between paragraphs, a final page with the words “Works Cited” centered at the top with at least three sources cited properly and in alphabetical order by author’s last name? 

 ___ Does my paper have a lively and meaningful title that relates to my main idea?

 ___ Does my paper have a “hook” that grabs the reader’s attention from the start? 

 ___ Does the first paragraph end with a clear statement of the paper’s central idea? 

 ___ Is it possible for an intelligent person who knows Poe’s story to disagree with the paper’s central idea?

 ___ Do the “body” paragraphs advance a clear idea in the first sentence with evidence to support it in the following sentences? 

 ___ Do most of my paragraphs have between 5 and 8 sentences? 

 ___ Do the paragraphs link together with transition words, phrases, and ideas?

 ___ Does every paragraph end with your words, not the words of Poe or a secondary source? 

___  Does my paper stay away from slang, overly informal language, and too much "I" voice?

 ___ Does my paper use correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, in-text citation, etc.? 

 ___ Does my paper end with a clear conclusion that advances an idea that has relevance in the real world, not just the imagined world of Poe’s story? 

 ___ Do I like my paper? Am I proud to show it to my classmates and teacher?

Research Essay DUE Next Week

 

Next week your research paper is due. You're submitting an ungraded draft on Tuesday (upload no later than noon) and a final version two days later on Thursday.

This assignment counts for 20 points, which is a fifth of your final grade for the class. Please remember that it's not something that you can easily do in an evening. This kind of writing requires time. 

Look carefully at all the blog posts about this assignment, and also the assorted resources (like the PowerPoint about MLA format below this post).

Make sure your argument isn't obvious. What are you bringing to your interpretation that a reader wouldn't automatically understand?

This is a more formal type of academic writing, so keep slang, profanity, and casual language out of it. You can use your "I" voice, but this should be kept to a minimum, probably just at the start and conclusion of your essay. The body of your essay should be a close examination of Poe's text that includes secondary sources. However, please remember that it's your voice and your ideas that are central to your paper. 

MLA Format Guide

 

This wonderful and informative PowerPoint presentation covers all the basics you'll need to format your research paper correctly. Please follow the directions carefully. This is a life-skill for academic writing.

Your final paper will have at a minimum 5 pages: At least four full pages of your writing that incorporates at least two secondary sources (other critics writing about Poe, the actual story, or ideas related to the story) as well as quotations from the story itself. All of this must be cited correctly. The fifth page should have the words "Works Cited" centered at the top with your citations in alphabetic order underneath. There will be at least 3 citations on this page. 

If you have a lot to write, you might have more than 5 pages. That's absolutely fine. However, remember that it's the quality of your writing that counts, not the quantity. 

Lastly, if you want me to take a direct look at your draft, send it to me as an attachment: csmith@dcad.edu

JStor at DCAD

Many or most of you are familiar with the online database called JStor. It reproduces page-for-page facsimiles of academic print journals. You can be assured that if you find a source on JStor, it's a scholarly source. 

Go to the Populi main page and look at the topmost banner. 

Click on "Library"

To get to JStor, click on "Files"

Username: dcadstudent

Password: research

Here's an unmanageable search for "Edgar Allan Poe":

This search is in the right direction. Still a lot of titles to sift through:

You will need to use at least one scholarly secondary source in your research paper. Maybe you'll want to use more?

Covid-19 and "The Masque of the Red Death"

 

I've already told both of my Reading and Composition classes that I never thought about teaching Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death" until the pandemic came upon us, much like the Red Death of Poe's story. 

Many of you will probably want to incorporate current events from 2020 into your interpretation of Poe's story and its relevance to our situation as a culture, society, nation, species. Make sure your ideas take center stage. Remember that "your ideas" include your feelings and emotions and so-called irrational thoughts. 

Here are links to some articles from online newspapers. Pay special attention to how they weave Poe's exact words with their own purposes. They are, in essence, using Poe's words to support their argument. Cool, right?

Maya Philips in Slate

David Ulin in The Los Angeles Times

Iskra Fileva in Psychology Today

Paul Lewis in The Baltimore Sun

 

   

Two Assignments Due on Tuesday, November 10

FIRST ASSIGNMENT

Upload to our Populi page a draft of Creative Project #2. This has two parts: 

A) Your graphic image that somehow connects to the world of ideas in E.A. Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death." This could be a drawing (traditional or digital), a painting, a photo, a collage, a meme, or something else that I'm not thinking of. This is very open. Please submit this as either a JPG or PDF.

B) A paragraph or two that explains the choices you made in creating your image. Think about the subject you chose to represent, the composition, the color, and so on.  How does it comment on Poe's story? Be as specific as possible. 

SECOND ASSIGNMENT

Upload on Populi Discussions tab

This is very straightforward. Write a draft of the first paragraph of your research essay in 5-8 sentences. Upload this on the Discussion tab on our Populi page. You do not need to cite any sources in your first paragraph. What you do need to do is establish your voice and your argument. The final sentence of this paragraph should clearly articulate your main point. This is sometimes called a thesis statement, an argument, or a claim. It should not be something that is plainly evident and impossible to disagree with. An example: "Prospero is a bad leader who doesn't care about the "common" people." I can't imagine anyone disagreeing with this. What all good writers do is propose a "new way of seeing/understanding." An example: You want your reader to think, "Hmm, I never thought that the colors in the story were so important. I want to learn more."

Your paragraph will not be binding. You are always free to revise and rewrite your drafts. 

Upload on Populi Discussions tab

Questions:  csmith@dcade.edu.

E.A. Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death" in Film and Culture

To start class today, I want to screen a brief biographical video about Poe's life and writing. Sometimes it's hard to remember that he was a real person; in so many ways he seems more like a character in a story. This video is the one that I think best suits art college students like you. It's full of art, animation, mash-ups, etc. 

I wonder if anyone in your generation knows about Vincent Price? He specialized in scary and creepy film roles. Here's the trailer from the 1964 film version of Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death."

You can watch the film for $3.99 or Amazon Prime. However, be aware that the film is not a faithful adaptation of Poe's short story. 

Likewise,  this charming animated version isn't at all an exact retelling of Poe's story. It was made by Jay Marks in 2012. In it, we get Poe's life intertwined with "The Masque of the Red Death." 

Two classic books for college writing students: "They Say, I Say" & "The Elements of Style"

 

Do you actively and independently want to improve your academic writing? Do you want to have better control over the tools of language and academic discourse? I hope the answer is yes to both of these questions. These two books are like bibles or holy books for college students. Read them and consult them. Your writing is guaranteed to improve. 

They Say, I Say is a remarkable book. Almost every college student will encounter it at some point in their college career. For our Poe research essay, I'll point you to chapter 15 (184).

You might have encountered this famous book, Strunk and White's The Elements of Style during high school or maybe even grade school. It's famous for a good reason: the advice is simply delivered and it holds up to our changing times. A new edition comes out every few years, but it's essentially the same.