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Anne Dalke's picture

Week 8b: The Many Interpretations of Prodigal Summer

This weekend you'll be writing a paper interpreting Barbara Kingsolver's novel Prodigal Summer through one of the many lenses provided by the critics we've read so far this semester. If these critics were writing an analysis of the novel, what would they say about how it works, what's going on, what's important? (i.e.: what might Lewis Hyde's coyote have to do w/ the coyotes in the novel? what might Paula Gunn Allen say about the way it structures foreground and background? what would Barry Schwartz's take be on the presentation of choice? or Michael Pollan's on the treatment of the food chain?)

Before Thursday's class, please post your initial thoughts about this: think of it as a kind of "story starter"...tell us what the seed of your essay it: the image or idea, knotty problem or unanswered question from which it begins. Then start to think out loud here what your critic might do w/ that idea.

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