Serendip is an independent site partnering with faculty at multiple colleges and universities around the world. Happy exploring!

Reply to comment

smigliori's picture

Class Summary...Book of Salt, Round Two

So, playing with the chronology of the actual discussion for easier digestion, here's a basic summary of what happened on 11/20.

Dr. Faustus

Gertrude Stein's Dr. Faustus Lights the Lights played the past two weekends in Goodhart Theatre. The performance was apparently well received by all in the class who attended, though I tend to agree with Karl Kirchwey, who apparently hates Gertrude Stein. jrizzo, who played Death (dressed in a black wedding dress) talked to the class about the way rehearsals addressed the "performance of the unconscious".

Dr. Faustus was also site-specific due to this being the last Mark/Hiroshi collaboration in Goodhart, which is set to undergo renovations starting after graduation. (Mark's on sabbatical next semester, so the spring production will be by a guest director.) Apparently the set was very beautiful, it's astonishing we didn't burn down Goodhart with all the lights (I think the safety officer was a little concerned). Anne also regaled the class with an anecdote about her first experience in Goodhart, listening to Mary Daly speak. This concreted her view of Goodhart as a female space. I pointed out that this is helped by the fact that, from the stage, Goodhart looks like a giant cervix (Abby agreed).

Other Coursekeeping

11/20 was the National Trans Day of Remembrance

Tickets for Age of Arousal are $10, and can be picked up from Bryn in the English House Office

Drafts due at 5 PM TODAY

Next Tuesday: Gertrude Stein and Marilyn Hacker - The Lesbian Poet: To Conform Or Not To Conform? (Okay, so that's not actually the title for the class, but it totally should be)

Sign-up sheet for groups for Final Performances to be passed around next Thursday - can be individual but groups are preferred


Book of Salt

Four different ways (at least) that it could be construed as a feminist text

- Abby's consideration of "the danger of the senses"

- way to get out of the gaze by focusing on the other senses - Western thought is very focused on the sense of sight

- lack of focus on the categories of gender/ sexuality could be an example of what feminism should be striving for (as per jessy's post) - a "normalizing of queerness" - general nodding (I liked this idea, which was a surprise to no one), Flora and Abby dissented

- text written involving Gertrude Stein, whose noteriety for ignoring grammatical markers complicates the implications of race and gender markers

Importance of "geographic circulation"

- novel is driven by Bihn's (Bao's?) desires for other men

- good sex has no narrativ - because if it's good fully in the moment?

- heteronormativity of gstein's and atoklas' lives - cultural/ socioeconomic implications

Things We Didn't Have Enough Time To Really Discuss

Distorted intimacies caused by the inequity of global economy

Why did Truong write a novel about Gertrude Stein in such a descriptive form?

- adixon - blogs, e-mails, IMs lack grammatical markers in a way gstein would probably appreciate

- Flora - about Bao (/Bihn) not about gstein - difference between lack of knowledge of language and intentionally ignoring grammar

- jrizzo - only interested in gstein's personal story, not her work itself - comparison of grammatical markers to gender markers

 

Reply

To prevent automated spam submissions leave this field empty.
3 + 8 =
Solve this simple math problem and enter the result. E.g. for 1+3, enter 4.