Yours truly, literature, and leading a discussion.

Ophelia

(If you are short of time, skip to postings 3 or 4.)

Those among you who studied literature at university, as I did, in the 1980’s , may have learnt what I did: one of the golden rules was that you never, ever discussed characters from literature as if they were actual human beings (to be brought to the level of a TV serial, or psychoanalysed at will, as in , for Hamlet:

- Does Hamlet love Ophelia – a little
- - a lot
- - not at all ?

- Does Hamlet have incestuous feelings for his mother? )

The rule was so absolute as to be actually unspoken. I only first found out about it when I attended a tutorial about Thomas Hardy at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, and heard the participants break the rule straight away (“ Now what did you think of such and such character in this novel ?” I was appalled -- but kept quiet about it).
Only as a post graduate student, two or three years later, was the rule mentioned and explained to me: the main explanation was that literary analysis in the Sixties (when I was yet to have my first English lesson at Junior High School) had apparently erred on the path of psychoanalysis.
For the record, I still firmly believe in that rule in the context of university studies.

Now, I have looked at the types of questions that have been suggested on the web for discussions of A Thousand Splendid Suns, and I will actually use one or two of them ( I’ll give my sources later).
I will post on a “do as you see fit” basis, but I can already hear the God/ Goddess of Literature shouting “Blasphemy!” in the background.

Naturally, if my postings/ questions do not address what you want to write about concerning this novel, feel free to add your own threads.

Finally, this is my first attempt at leading a discussion on any forum, and I hope worthy fellow-members of Booktalk will forgive any naïve mistakes I may make (as I re-read what I have written, “English-as-a-foreign language-lesson plan” does come to mind).

P-S: Chris has advised me to keep my postings short, and I am giving this advice some very serious consideration.

irishrose · Posted: Thu Dec 20, 2007 1:31 pm Post subject:

Ophelia

levenade · Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2008 9:09 am Post subject:

Ophelia · Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2008 9:37 am Post subject:

Hello Levenade,

It's a complex question.

The idea was that the best entry into literature was style (images being the easiest one), themes, construction, rather than characters.
One advantage for, say, first year college students, is that it made people concentrate on what is technical and requires a good knowledge of the text.

In an exam paper, it is very difficult to write about those if your knowledge of the play or novel is sketchy. Yet many beginners would feel they could write something about the characters, but the question would be: is this literary analysis?

Characters in a novel or a play are not to be taken for real people.
I think it's particularly clear if you think of the classics: King Lear is much more than a king or a man seen in his relationship with his daughters. You learn about what he represents through his interactions with other characters but also from the imagery and music in the verses he says.

Or for a novel, many characters in literature were not people but types, for example, in Thackeray's novel Barry Lyndon, the rogue.

Levenade, are you thinking of staying with Booktalk?
Would you like to write an introduction?

levenade · Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 3:07 am Post subject:

that makes sense. thanks Ophelia.

yes, i think i will be dropping by every now and then =]

WildCityWoman · Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2008 1:28 pm Post subject: Whatever turns your crank . . .

Why not discuss the characters?

But I can understand there having been a rule about it though - we once discussed a book by Lewis Carroll at the library book discussion group - it was Alice in Wonderland (a wierd story in itself).

One of the women went on and on and on about Lewis Carroll himself - she had heard at another discussion group (online, I believe) that he was a pedophile.

For heavens' sake! I didn't wanna' know that!

Whether it's true or not, doesn't interest me, but this is a good example of how dirty gossip gets started - somebody says it, then somebody passes it on - next thing you know it's true!

-------------------------

The only real thing I wonder about the author of 'Thousand Suns' is this - is he writing the experience of these women in such a sensational way 'cause he knows it's being read in America? Does he think that's what Americans and Canadians want to read?

That isn't my opinion, btw - I don't think he has that in mind.

But it was discussed on another site - Book Buzz, I think.

Does anybody else have that opinion?

---------------------------

Ophelia - you're the forum leader - you moderate in whatever manner you think is appropriate.

Ophelia · Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2008 3:21 pm Post subject:

Wildcitywoman wrote:

WildCityWoman · Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2008 6:14 pm Post subject: Other novels?

Splendid Suns and The Kite Runner - has he written other novels besides them?

Ophelia · Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2008 6:24 pm Post subject:

Not that I know of.
By the way, I found The Kite Runner the better of the two novels by far.

WildCityWoman · Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2008 6:39 pm Post subject: I agree . . .

The book didn't really pick up for me till I was about 1/4 the way through - I was thinking Thousand Suns was better - but now that I've gone all the way to the end of Kite Runner, I agree - it's the best.

I think what threw me in KR was that it was about the men - I was expecting it to be about the women again. Didn't think I was going to identify with the men.

I was so happy with the ending of Kite Runner - I will shut up about that, for the benefit of those who haven't started/finished it yet.


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