Chopin: To Begin... and/or End? where?

 Welcome to the Eng 40 class blog. 

Note: in general, plan on reading stories more than once--you should read, reread as you go along (why is discussed below), then do a second complete reread before writing.

NOTE: In general, look for conflict and change in stories.  Usually, in a short story, this resides with one character, the main or point-of-view character (though may also occur in secondary characters to some extent).  Conflicts can be both within a character and between characters (usually a bit of both). Note how details reveal what these conflicts are, how they develop (how characters work through them), and evidence, sometimes subtle, that a character changes during the story as a consequence, and achieves--though  not always--some sort of realization/resolution of conflict.

NOTE: In general, it is good practice to read a story through once, noting details that seem important or interesting, even though you may not know why at first.  Then, as patterns begin to emerge, you can go back ("reread") to see how details of these patterns accumulate and lead to meaning.  These activities will also help you gather evidence that you can use in developing your essays. A second read of the story, with some of these patterns in mind, should help you formulate specific thematic foci.   Your notes on these two activities, + the study sheets posted to weekly modules, should give you ample material to begin drafting your analytical essay.  The main point of the essay is detailed analysis--find patterns of particular details that suggest what is going on--character conflict and change--beneath the literal surface plot.

Now to the first story: Kate Chopin's "Story of an Hour":  

The study sheet posted to the weekly moduyle excerpts comments from several secondary sources; reviewing these critics' remarks should provide a critical context and help you with the theme of the story, as well as providing some background for the analysis of particular details (titles and authors of articles are in bold, followed be excerpts from the articles).  

Another very helpful set of materials is found by following the links to the story itself on the syllabus.   Choose the link on the syllabus for Chopin's story (http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/webtexts/hour).   After reading the story, try the "Reading response" exercise, then select the "Now Go to the Study Text" link and read the annotations to the highlighted textual details (mouseover a highlight and click on it to get the popup window message)--these will help you see how a close reading of a story's details reveal its themes and patterns of meaning, and how meaning is articulated throughout the story as these patterns of details develop/interconnect/accumulate.  You should annotate stories in this way as your read--for eg, keep a Word window open as you read, so that you can make note of relevant scenes and details. You can also check "Websites on Kate Chopin" for useful articles as secondary sources.

In this, and many of our stories, we have a focused third person narrator--i.e., the narrative voice is not a character in the story, as in first person narration, but focused primarily through the eyes of the main character, so Mrs. Mallard is the character we really come to understand--she is a "round," fully developed character (ie, we see her conflict and how she works through it) rather than a "flat" character; the purpose of flat characters is typically to bring out aspects of the main character. 

In this case, attend esp to Mrs. Mallard's observations, and the emphasis (her unconscious focus on, until realization comes to her) patterns of open v closed (this patterns is evident in at least four separate images throughout the story, beginning with the "open window"--i.e, to get the pattern stated,  consider what surrounds the window (it is a window in what?).  Also note details of Mrs.Mallard's observations--what she sees through the open window. Critics' comments beginning on the third page of the study sheet posted to the weekly module will be helpful here.

As you comment specifically on patterns of imagery and details of those images, consider the closing description of Mr. Mallard--what is he carrying, and how do the particular details (how is his brief case described? what else is he holding?) resonate with main character's conflict?

Avoid too general a reading--Mrs. Mallard is not "happy" about her husband's death: the focus is not on his death, but on the door this opens for her

Avoid also leaping to her articulated self-realization "free free free..."; the essay should focus on how the character gets gradually to that moment of realization--details of her observation, showing the gradual understanding of her new position, and the conflict/struggle in accepting it.  Notice how patterns of details reveal this struggle and the gradualness of the realization; particular details and images that speak to her before she consciously grasps their messages... 

Teaser question: what word rhymes with "room" (and what does that say about what a room might  symbolize in this context) that, if explored though relationship to other details in the story, comments on Mrs. Mallard's status/position in her marriage--and the position of women generally at the turn of the 19th century.

Good luck, and I'm excited to have all your voices as part of our reading experience....

OK--good blogging; be sure to check here for any current messages/updates.

Also, please check as well as your email, for important information throughout the

 semester.

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If posting to your own blog, or entering into the blogging portion of the course for EC:

As student blogs begin to appear--on the right hand side of the screen--you should select a different one each week, and read and respond to what the writer has to say. You must comment on at least one other student's blog, a different writer each week, to receive full credit for the blogs.

Find your blogs posted under "Current Blogs." To access a blog, read and comment on it, simply click on the blogger's name. Review all current blogs about a particular story, including my comments, and others' comments, before writing essays about that story.

NOTE: If, after clicking on a blog, you get a lot of code but no blog, check the URL in the top address bar: if it ends with "/feeds/posts/default," delete all of that so that the address ends with ".com"--do not delete the entire address, just the last three parts; then press "enter" and you will see the blog.

NOTE: to avoid above, if you are creating a blog, on your blog "design" page, under "settings"  check "other," and make sure you select "full" on the "feeds" drop-down menu.

Also, under "settings," "posts, comments and sharing," make sure to select "anyone" under "comments"  

I've also saved blogs from previous classes (see "blogs from previous classes")--please review these, so you can see the strengths and weaknesses (and avoid the latter); You may, in your blogs, refer to comments made by bloggers in previous classes, but you must also refer to the current blogs.  Two good examples are in 9th set of "Blogs from Previous classes": the one titled "Short Fiction at KBCC" is the most insightful overall; the second "English 40" (often referred to in my comments as "Albert's blog")--second from bottom of the list-- is also a good one, though many have insights Links scattered through; the fourth and fifth from the bottom ("my thoughts" and "short fiction eng") are the weakest; but attend to my comments on ALL the blogs. Please DO NOT leave comment for or send messages to previous bloggers.


I'm looking forward to hearing all your great ideas! I hope you'll enjoy this virtual class experience, and take full advantage of this opportunity to become Internet authors.


VERY IMPORTANT: In addition to my comments on individual blogs, read my weekly blog posts on each story before writing about that story--they will give you some guidance, clarification, things to think about, etc...  And remember--blogs are not just summaries. Give us your best insights!

To reemphasize: when blogging about these stories, concentrate on specific commentary. No need to summarize the complete piece each time--we all know that already, and your essays will provide an introductory overview. You can begin with a summary if that helps you focus your thoughts, but don't END with that: just as in writing your essays, pick an interesting event, detail, image, symbol, bit of dialogue, element of setting, scene, etc. that plugs into some interesting thematic issues, character conflicts, etc., and run with it. The essays will--SHOULD--provide detailed analysis of how these things function in the story itself; we can do some of this here, as well--the blogs can help you find points of discussion to analyze further in essays--but we also have an opportunity here, to kick some of our discoveries around in a larger field, and, via the comments on others' blogs, some opportunities to build on, counterpoint or argue with, or provide additional/differing perspectives on, each other's findings..