Readings for the week

Hey all:

Seeing the lack of activity out there in blogland, I think many of you, like me, are taking this day to catch up on work. Whew! This semester has been a tough one, no? I feel like it should be the end of the semester already....well, actually, we are not too far from it. Only a few more weeks, actually. So please keep the pedal to the medal and let's move forward in the last couple weeks of the course--keep up your excellent comments in class as well as your thoughtful reflections in your blogs. Keep going!!!!

I also would like to know what you thought of the readings for the week--I think the Errol Morris, while difficult, really adds to our discussion of reading people and their actions--how does a smile reflect the inner workings of an individual? Is a seemingly obvious facial reaction not so easy to read? And then, this is the interesting move, how does this relate to our class discussion of the word torture (And yes, we will need to define the word together tomorrow night)? Can we extract "truth" from individuals if we are having such a hard time trying to read what a smile is all about?

Then, this move to graffiti. Full disclosure--I'm interested in this subject and I have spent this past summer really thinking about what it means in the 21st century when technology is everywhere to take a marker and write your name on a building. What's the point? Is it vandalism? Is it resistance? Does it speak to some of the larger issues that we have brought up in this class. I was trying to come up with a reading that would give a basic introduction to it but, honestly, everything I have ever read is either too theoretical or too basic (or way too long--chapters of books, whole books, etc). So I thought I would give you something that I am currently writing (kind of a long Blog piece) that I hope does a good job at least getting you to know the basic history of graffiti in New York City and then also to get to know two graf writers and how they "mean" different things depending on how you read the names or works on the walls. This is far from a perfect piece and there are many issues in what I wrote that I am still working though--so please feel free to come with both guns blazing and disagree.

Finally, I did want to tell you that I have purposely left this class with no ending because I wanted to see the personality of the class and see what you all would be interetsed in and would be willing to do. I have been pleased with your willingness to go out on a limb and to take chances with your readings--so I have decided that the next two weeks we will read an absolutely AMAZING book entitled, House of Leaves. To say this is a weird novel is an understatement. But it is also a novel that perfectly incorporates many of the themes that we are speaking about--and also really deals with the way that literature is physically changing on the page. The story is somewhat simple: a normal looking house is expanding from the inside. Crazy, huh? Silly, maybe? But I will say this, it is a creepy book that will keep you reading and then thinking long past the time you put this book down.

I ordered the book and it will be in our bookstore by Thursday but you can also get it in any Barnes and Noble or Borders store (or used bookstores should have a copy as well).

Take care!