I am excited to read Hurston's book with you. I was never assigned this book in any of my classes, and when I read it last summer I was embarrassed to realize that I had somehow overlooked one of the most amazing masterpieces in our literature. This is one of my favorite books. I am curious to see what you all think. The novel is tight, but perhaps not quite as tight as Gatsby, and I'm afraid you might feel it's a let-down, but I think it is very nearly as intensely written, and Hurston performs much more amazing feats of ventriloquism than Fitzgerald attempts. I hope you end up seeing that this book is as virtuosic as Gatsby, and maybe even more mature, because less ironic.

Friday, April 29, 2011

Chapters 10-13 (Tea Cake!)

So?  What do you think?  Parts you like?
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Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Chapters 7-9 (Life with Jody)

The first half of the book is over--how does Janie's life seem to you now?  I am also curious about what you think of her relationship with her husband--Hurston's sympathies (and mine) lie with Janie, but I don't think Hurston sugarcoats the fact that Janie is not the perfect wife for Joe Starks, either.  Also--how's the language going?  Still difficult?  And do you like the book so far?  Connections to other stuff we've read?  Anything else?
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Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Chapters 5-6: Eatonville

The book shifts gears a bit here (again!).  What are you thinking as you read?  What do you notice?  What parts do you particularly like, and why?
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Monday, April 25, 2011

Through chapter 4

What do you think so far?  What do you like?  There is so much going on: the remarkable figurative language, the gender stuff, the distinct narrations, etc....
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