Response to Course Materials 2

In class, we've covered a variety of topics since the last time we were told to write one of these.  We spent a lot of time at first talking about the different eras and movements of literature.  That was actually really interesting, because we could incorporate a lot of time periods that we talked about in both American Literature and British Literature into what we covered.  For example, when we talked about Medievalism, I found myself remembering how Beowulf and The Canterbury Tales demonstrated aspects of the movement, with their epic heroes and references to religion.  Being able to look back on the writing helped me remember the unique aspects of different literary movements better.

What really stood out to me were our (longer than usual they took quite a while to go through) presentations on Greek mythology and the Bible.  I've always loved Greek mythology, so going over the myths was a very enjoyable experience for me, especially as I learned a few new ones from my section, such as "Baucis and Philemon" or "Alpheus and Arethusa".  Hearing details that I'd forgotten of the Trojan War and the creation of the gods was also fun.  (And I don't think anybody will forget Emily's drawings any time soon.)  Of course, we weren't reviewing them only to go over the stories, but to be able to find allusions to them in other literature.  Unlike many of the class, it seems, I was rather unfamiliar with the Bible stories, so I took more notes on them.  I have before heard allusions to "The Prodigal Son", which I'd never really understood, though I could make an educated guess from the context.  After hearing about it in class, though, I can think back on the discussion (which, for those who would appreciate it, was about Sirius Black's relationship with his family).  In general (at least to me), there is something very satisfying about being able to spot allusions to mythology and Bible stories in literature, so I definitely appreciated the opportunity to learn/review them to help me in my endeavor.

At some point in there, we also talked about different critical lenses.  I found that it was an easier lesson for me, at least, because I remember covering quite a few of them in American Literature in particular.  I mentioned in my previous Response to Course Materials that in American Literature, Mrs. Reed had us watch Star Wars through different critical lenses.  That was part of a unit dedicated to them.  Therefore, many of the big ones covered in the Prezi - the one with the creepy dolls and eyes which haunt my nightmares - were review from that class.  New Criticism (only by the name Formalism), Psychoanalytic, New Historical, Marxism, Feminist, Reader Response, Archetypal, and Structuralism (also with a different name), were all mentioned before, in American Literature.  The others were new, but pretty self-explanatory, for the most part.  I do find it useful to look through texts from different perspectives, which critical lenses help accomplish.

And finally, we spent time more time recently talking about Theater of the Absurd and Comedy.  Very appropriate, given what we read: The American Dream.  I really enjoyed learning about Comedy, in particular, and how people believe humor works.  While I was familiar with the concept of a comedy, my overall idea came from what Shakespeare had written as his comedies - basically stories where not many people died and a whole bunch of people got married.  And a lot of mistaken identities or people falling in love with the wrong people and such, if I recall correctly.  This more modern comedy seems a lot different and reading through how to analyze the different aspects of it was great.  The play itself was really fun.  I found it completely strange in the beginning and until the very end, I had no idea what the characters - especially Mommy - were talking about most of the time.  Yet, many things seemed to work themselves out and it was entertaining.  I have not yet managed to find many examples of allusions - I suppose we were supposed to notice them, given how much time we spent on the topic of allusions to mythology and religion- in the play, but there is still time to keep looking, especially after a more thorough reading.

I think I've covered everything that we've done in class since the last Response to Course Materials.  I find that these are actually a really great way of making sure I remember everything we've covered and help get everything straight in my head.