Reading/Questions for Cavafy, Poems 1905-1915 (from The Collected Poems)

 

From Poems 1905-1915:

* The City
* Wise Men 

* Finished 

* The God Forsakes Anthony
* Monotony
* Ithaca
* As Best You Can
* Trojans
* Sculptor of Tyana
* In Church

* Very Seldom

* Painted

* At the Entrance of the Cafe
* One Night 

* Come Back
* Far Away

* He Vows 

* I Went 

Answer 2 of the following: 

Q1: In a poem like "Wise Men," Cavafy claims that mortals see present things, gods the things to come, and wise men that which is imminent. What is the difference between that which is present and that which is imminent? And who might these "wise men" be? Is there another poem that sheds light on this? 

Q2: Cavafy's most famous poem is "Ithaca," and it refers to Homer's The Odyssey--Odysseus is always trying to get back home to Ithaca. However, the poem argues that "Ithaca gave you the wondrous voyage:/without her you'd never had set out./But she has nothing to give you any more" (39). What do you think he means by this? Why is home never the destination you think it is, according to him? 

Q3: Many of this poems are frankly about defeat and futility, often using events of the past--like the Trojan War--to highlight this. According to many of these poems, what causes humans to give up or fold in the face of disaster? Why are so few of us heroic like the heroes of old? What makes humans so predictably human, and so predictably flawed? 

Q4: In the earlier poem "Desires," the poet reflects on what happens to desires that are never acted upon. How do some of these poems reflect on the opposite: what happens when you do act upon them? Is that the secret to a good life--simply to indulge in pleasure? Or is there a darker side to this as well? 

Video Lecture #5: Reading Metaphors

 Here's a shortish-long video about how to read and appreciate metaphors in poetry, and how we might read the metaphors in one of Cavafy's early poems, "Candles." Be sure to respond to the question at the end of the video with a COMMENT below. Hope "time flies" for you watching this video, so you don't feel like you "wasted your time" (P.S. those are metaphors). :) 

Reading/Questions for Cavafy's Poems, Part I

NOTE: I'll post a video soon to help you think about ways to read and approach poetry, and specifically, how to get the most out of Cavafy's poems. If you're not experienced in reading poetry, don't fret; just read slowly and try not to worry about the 'story' as much as the metaphors: how does the poet relate one things in terms of another? What is he trying to make us see in a new light? A poem is almost always a meditation on or a contemplation of something naturally occurring in life--clouds drifting past the moon, candles flickering in a darkened room, etc. A vivid image always reminds the poet of something else, something larger, and the point of them poem is to help us see it, too. 

READ THE FOLLOWING POEMS: Voices, Desires, Candles (3-5), An Old Man (5), Supplication, The Souls of Old Men (7), The First Step (7-9), The Windows, Walls (13), Waiting for the Barbarians (15-17). 

Answer 2 of the following:

Q1: Does the poet-narrator of each poem seem consistent, or do they seem to be coming from different people? If you had to characterize the speaker of several poems, who would he (or she) be?

Q2: How does Cavafy take a completely ordinary object in one of these poems and transform it into a metaphor for something larger? Which poem made you see the object in a completely different light? Why is the object/metaphor so effective?

Q3: In his famous poem, “Waiting for the Barbarians,” he imagines the tension and despair as Romans await the arrival of invading Barbarians. Yet the poem ends with the news that “there are no barbarians anymore.” They seem disappointed, because “Those people were some sort of a solution.” What do you think he means by this? How does the poem try to explain why barbarians could be a “solution”? And what ‘problem’ are they answering in the first place?

Q4: In the poem, “The First Step,” a young poet complains to an accomplished poet that he will never climb very high on the “stairway of Poetry.” How does the poem challenge the conception of poetic success and the ultimate aims of being an artist? Is going ‘higher’ necessarily better? Why or why not (according to the poem)? 

Video Lecture #4: Chekhov and the Uses of Comedy

 For Friday (and the weekend), here's a video about comedy--how we can define it and understand what it's doing, even when it's making us cry (from laughter, or from horror). Watch this after reading our two short plays, The Bear and A Proposal, which we'll discuss next week! The BLOG RESPONSE is at the end of the video, so don't forget to LEAVE A COMMENT! 

ALSO: don't forget to turn in your Rough Paper #1 on Friday, either by e-mail or to the box on my door! 

Reading/Questions for Chekhov's The Bear & The Proposal

 NOTE: Sorry for the delay--my internet was out for a good part of the day and I couldn't post this until now. We'll discuss these two plays next week, and I'll post another lecture video on the nature of comedy on Friday. ALSO--don't forget to turn in your Rough Paper #1 on Friday by 5pm. 

Answer 2 of the following:

Q1: Both of these short plays are considered 'farces,' meaning they're geared for easy laughs and broad social satire. In many ways, they're the equivalent of sketch comedy like what you find on SNL or shows like Schitt's Creek, etc. However, Chekhov claimed that The Seagull was also a comedy (if not a farce), so they must have some things in common, too. What does reading these two short plays help you see or appreciate about the humor of The Seagull? Are these plays like miniature Seagulls? Could you call them a trial run for the later play?

Q2: Both plays have unmarried women (though one is technically a widow) receiving proposals of marriage: why is the very idea of a proposal humorous? How does it allow Chekhov to take a jab at some of society's most sacred (and secret) taboos? You might also consider why in "The Proposal," the father is willing to marry off his daughter to a man he seemingly hates and is telling to "go to hell."

Q3: In The Bear, Smirnov mocks Popova by saying "take a good look at any one of these romantic creatures: petticoats and hot air, divine transports, the whole works; then take a look at her soul. Pure crocodile" (27). How might The Seagull explain where he got these unflattering views on women and feminine behavior? Who might he be referring to from that play?

Q4: Typically, a comedy is a play that ends in a marriage or the promise of a marriage, so both plays qualify. But beyond the technical definition, are these really happy endings? Do the plays restore the promise of happiness for both parties? Or do they break off early (only One Act, after all) because extending it into a second or third act would veer into tragedy? 

Video Lecture #3 & The Seagull, Act 4

 For next week, be sure to finish the play and watch this video which gives you a little background about Chekhov and the first productions of The Seagull. In many ways, this is a very autobiographical play, so you might hear some echoes of his own life once you know a little more about it. Be sure to respond to the question at the end of the video as a COMMENT. See you in class!

Reading/Questions for Chekhov's The Seagull, Acts 2 & 3

 Answer two of the following for next week, and be sure to watch Act 1 (two posts down) if you haven't already. It will definitely help you keep all the actors straight and appreciate their relationships. 

Q1: Discuss a scene or even a small passage of dialogue where you think the play is most 'comedic.' Remember, Chekhov claims that this play is a comedy, even though many directors and actors are suspicious, and many perform it as a straight tragedy. Is there any moment where we can take him at his word? Is anything genuinely funny? Or is it a different kind of comedy?

Q2: Trigorin, who barely says two words in Act 1, launches into a massive monologue in Act 2. Many believe that Trigorin is a stand-in for Chekhov himself, or at least very close to the way he saw himself. What is the purpose of this monologue, and why is it not only a contradiction to many of Nina's beliefs, but also of Irina and Konstantin's as well?

Q3: At the beginning of Act 2, Irina tells Masha that "Because I work all the time, I live life to the fullest...I don't think about old age, I don't think about dying. Whatever happens happens" (125). Why does this carry a whiff of Manon's outlook and philosophy? Do you think she is the "Manon" of the play? Or is her coolness merely an act? 

Q4: Much of the tension of this play is between the upper and lower/middle classes, since some people live here year round, while others only come here to 'party.' Discuss a scene where Chekhov makes this tension apparent, and how might he want us to read this? Whose side does he seem to be on? 

Rough Paper #1 Assignment: Due Friday, September 18th

 A so-called ‘rough’ paper is exactly that: an attempt to work out ideas on paper and not worry too much about being polished or turning in your best writing. It falls somewhere between the reading questions and a polished paper. Think bigger, but don’t try necessarily harder. Just try to have fun with these and not worry about the grade—they’re worth less, and you can always revise them anyway. For this paper, I’m mostly interested in the connections you can forge between the two works, each one of which is quite revolutionary in its way and was shocking to its contemporaries.

Choose ONE of the following:

OP1:     How does each work share a common philosophy (or rejection?) of love? How do they examine the attitudes and actions of love, and why might both be critical of what men and women do in the name of love? And why might both works be critical of ideals in love?

OP2:     How might we read each work as a condemnation of upper-class values and the accepted class structure? In general, each work concerns people who have wealth and luxury: what use do they make of these advantages? And what happens to the lower-class people who come into their path?

OP3:     How might each work be playing with Shakespeare’s famous idea that “all the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players; they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts” (As You Like It). In other words, how is each work self-consciously theatrical in satirizing how people fall into predictable roles and patterns? Do people ‘act’ rather than feel? Follow the lines of their class rather than the will of their heart? Is society (or something else) our ultimate director?

OP4:     Discuss two characters (one from each work) that seem to compliment each other in something more than just their actions (their morality, their philosophy, their psychology, etc). What makes them so alike? Why might Chekhov have been inspired from the earlier character, and how did he adapt/revise this character into his own time and play?

REQUIREMENTS

• CLOSE READING: Which means, use the text to illustrate your ideas and help us understand what a passage is really saying. Don’t assume that everyone understands it. If you quote something, explain it to us—show us the small nuances of a given speech or description. A single sentence can change an entire book, after all!
• NO PLOT SUMMARY: Readers don’t need to know what the play is about—assume they’ve already read it. They need to see what you think about it. Guide us, don’t summarize things to us.
• CITATIONS: When you quote something, introduce the work (which can be as easy as saying, “In Act One of The Seagull, Trigorin says…”) and be sure to cite the page number at the end.
• DUE FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18^th BY 5pm (e-mail or in my box)

Video: Staged Performance of Chekhov's The Seagull (1975)

 NOTE: Be sure to check out the revised schedule two posts down...I revised it, since I originally only included the Monday class! Both are included now, with some other minor changes. I'll be giving you the Rough Paper #1 assignment next week as well! 

REMEMBER, too, no class on Monday since it's Labor Day! Watch the video instead, and get a jump on reading The Seagull (at least Act One). 

The version below is from 1975, a pretty good stage version with some great actors. It might seem a little dated, but it will give you a sense of how this play might sound and be performed, since it was meant to be staged rather than merely read on the page. 

Watch to the 35 minute mark, since that's where the Act One fades into Act Two. If you want to watch more, by all means, do, but that's all I'm requiring for next week (though only Wednesday classes will be able to discuss it with me). The translation of this version is different than ours, so don't be surprised if the words don't match up exactly. However, the general sense if the same.

THE LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiPfPzt8azc&list=FLlwtqihnWACTq33cOADXeFg&index=2&t=995s

ALSO: Here's a link to the recent trailer for the 2018 film of The Seagull. If you like it, you can rent it on You Tube and watch the whole thing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Gc6Orz5XtI

Final Questions for Prevost, Manon Lescaut

One last set of questions for the final chapters of the book! As usual, answer any 2 of the 4 and bring them to class next week or e-mail them to me anytime before then.

Q1: Throughout the narrative, des Grieux makes wildly inaccurate statements, such as "Clearly there was nothing absolutely criminal in my case," or "there was nothing in my behavior, taken all round, which was completely dishonorable." Is this all an act for the benefit of his audience? Or does he really believe he has been unfairly maligned by society and fate?

Q2: Why did he abandon Manon in prison when his father comes to free him? In other words, why does he say he didn't intercede for her...and why might he have actually decided not to? Given his insistence on following her to the very ends of the Earth (or New Orleans), why did he give her up so easily here? 

Q3: What do you make of des Grieux and Manon's sudden religious conversion in New Orleans? Is this authentic? Or somewhat staged? Is there any other reason why they might have finally tried to get married? And if so, do you think it was more her idea or his?

Q4: Think about this carefully, even though the answer seems obvious: do you think des Grieux murders Manon at the end of the novel? Yes, naturally, he says she died of natural causes or exposure, but when he returns to the town, he is arrested for killing her. Is there any reason to believe them--and doubt him? Is this consistent with his character and Prevost's intentions as a storyteller? 

Revised Schedule for Both Classes (see below--made more changes!)

 NOTE: I had to make some minor schedule changes because I left out our third book, Cavafy's Poems! So below you'll see our new schedule (for now), which inserts those poems and gives you some extra time to write your first "rough paper." Let me know if you have any questions! 

FOR MONDAY CLASSES 

M 31                In-Class Discussion for Manon Lescaut, Chapters IV-IX

 

SEPTEMBER

W 2                 Blog: Reading/Questions for Manon Lescaut, Chapters X-XII

F 4                   Blog: Video, The Seagull, Act One [read Act One if possible]

 

M 7                  LABOR DAY 

W 9                 Blog: Reading/Questions for The Seagull, Acts Two & Three

F 11                 Blog: Video, The Seagull, Act Four 

 

M 14                In-Class Discussion for The Seagull, Acts Two-Four

W 16               Blog: Reading/Questions for The Bear & The Proposal

F 18                Rough Paper #1 due by 5pm

 

M 21                In-Class Discussion for The Bear & The Proposal

W 23               Blog: Reading/Questions for Cavafy, Poems I

F 25                 Blog: Video, Cavafy, Poems II

 

M 28                In-Class Discussion for Cavafy's Poems I-II

W 30               Blog: Reading/Questions for Cavafy, Part III

F 2                   Blog: Video, Cavafy, Poems IV

 

OCTOBER

M 5                  In-Class Discussion for Cavafy, Poems IV

W 7                 Blog: Video, The Eastern Tradition & Botchan, Part I

F 9                  Proper Paper #1 due by 5pm

 

M 12                In-Class Discussion for Botchan, Part I

W 14               Blog: Reading/Questions for Botchan, Part II

F 16                 Fall Break

 

M 19                In-Class Discussion for Botchan, Part II

W 21               Blog: Reading/Questions for Botchan, Part III

F 23                Blog: Video, Botchan, Part IV

 

M 26                In-Class Discussion for Botchan, Parts III & IV

W 28               Blog: Video, “The Postcolonial Nation”

F 30                Blog: Reading/Questions for Miguel Street: “Bogart,” “The Thing                         Without a Name,” “His Chosen Calling”

NOVEMBER

M 2                 In-Class Discussion for Miguel Street (stories above)

W 4                 Blog: Reading/Questions for Miguel Street: “Man-Man,”

“B.Wordsworth,” “The Pyrotechnicist”

F 6                   Blog: Video, Miguel Street, “B.Wordsworth”

 

M 9                  In-Class Discussion for Miguel Street (stories above)

W 11               Blog: Reading/Questions for Miguel Street: “Titus Hoyt, I.A.,” “The Blue

Cart,” “The Mechanical Genius”

F 13                 Rough Paper #2 due by 5pm

 

M 16                In-Class Discussion for Miguel Street (stories above)

W 18               Blog: Reading/Questions for The Lover, Part I

F 20                 Blog: Video, The Lover, Part II

 

M 23                In-Class Discussion for The Lover, Parts I & II

W 25               Thanksgiving Break

F 27                 Thanksgiving Break

 

M 30                In-Class Discussion for The Lover, Part III

 

DECEMBER

W 2                 Blog: Video, The Lover, Part IV

F 4                   Work on Final Paper

 

Proper Paper #2 due TBA

FOR WEDNESDAY CLASSES

M 31                Blog: Video, Manon Lescaut, Chapters VII-IX

 

SEPTEMBER

W 2                 In-Class Discussion for Manon Lescaut, Chapters IV-IX

F 4                   Blog: Reading/Questions for Manon Lescaut, X-end 

 

M 7                  Blog: Video, The Seagull, Act One

W 9                 In-Class Discussion for The Seagull, Act One

F 11                 Blog: Reading/Questions for The Seagull, Acts Two-Three

 

M 14                Blog: Video, The Seagull, Act Four

W 16               In-Class Discussion for The Seagull, Acts Two-Four 

F 18                Rough Paper #1 due 

 

M 21                Blog: Reading/Questions for The Bear & The Proposal

W 23               In-Class Discussion for The Bear & The Proposal

F 25                 Blog: Video, Cavafy, Poems Part I

 

M 28                Blog: Reading/Questions for Cavafy, Poems Part II

W 30               In-Class Discussion for Cavafy, Poems I-II

 

OCTOBER

F 2                   Blog: Video, Cavafy, Poems, Part III

 

M 5                  Blog: Reading/Questions for Cavafy, Poems, Part IV

W 7                 In-Class Discussion for Cavafy, Poems, Parts III-IV

F 9                   Blog: Video, The Eastern Traditions/Botchan, Part I / Proper Paper #1 due by 5pm

 

M 12                Blog: Reading/Questions for Botchan, Part II

W 14               In-Class Discussion for Botchan, Parts I-II

F 16                 Fall Break

 

M 19                Blog: Video, Botchan, Part III

W 21               In-Class Discussion for Botchan, Part III

F 23                 Blog: Reading/Questions for Botchan, Part IV

 

M 26                Blog: Video, Botchan, Part V

W 28               In-Class Discussion for Botchan, Parts IV & V

F 30                 Blog: Video, “The Postcolonial Nation”

 

NOVEMBER 2

M 2                  Blog: Reading/Questions for Miguel Street: “Bogart,” “The Thing Without

a Name,” “His Chosen Calling”

W 4                 In-Class Discussion for Miguel Street (stories above)

F 6                   Blog: Reading/Questions for Miguel Street: “Man-Man,”

“B.Wordsworth,” “The Pyrotechnicist”

 

M 9                  Blog: Video, Miguel Street, “Naipaul’s Mimic Men”

W 11               In-Class Discussion for Miguel Street (stories above)

F 13                 Rough Paper #2 due by 5pm

 

M 16                Blog: Reading/Questions for Miguel Street: “Titus Hoyt, I.A.,” “The Blue

Cart,” “The Mechanical Genius”

W 18               In-Class Discussion for Miguel Street (stories above)

F 20                 Blog: Reading/Questions for The Lover, Part I

 

M 23                Blog: Video, The Lover, Part II

W 25               Thanksgiving Break

F 27                 Thanksgiving Break

 

M 30                Blog: Reading/Questions for The Lover, Part III

 

DECEMBER

W 2                 In-Class Discussion for The Lover, Parts II & III

F 4                   Work on Final Paper

 

Proper Paper #2 due TBA