Think About It

Styling

In many novels, the style isn’t very important. That is not true with several of the novels, short stories, and poems we’ve read for this class. For example, Sherman Alexie using a similar style in each of the stories we’ve read. They include a deep characterization of the protagonist and a rich sense of self and truth. On blackboard almost everything enjoyed the boldness of Alexie for writing in a very honest manner. Elizabeth, for example sparked a discussion on the possibility of over using arousal in The Diary of a Part-Time Indian.

With this in mind, do you believe that style is an important aspect of a story? Do you think style distracts from a story?

Formatting


Though the format of novels changes from author to author, like many other aspects when writing, it can truly add to a work and change it in some ways. Alexie for example, always uses subheadings in his short stories and brief chapters in his novel whereas Erdrich using extremely long chapters with very short openings to those chapters in the form of the two diaries. Naturally, the form of poems change depending on the subject, content, and author’s preference. However, some author’s are known for the format of their poems. Shakespeare, though archaic compared to what we have been reading this semester, developed the Shakespearean sonnet.

Do you think the format of a novel, short story, or poem is able to distract from that piece of writing? Do you think format can add something new to a piece of writing?
What are some examples of formatting that you find distracting? Have any of the things we’ve read so far been difficult for you to read because of their formatting?

Isabel Allende's The Sum of Our Days + Louise Erdrich's Shadow Tag (intro)

Isabel Allende's method of communication largely revolves around her correspondence with family, her "tribe," as she calls it. She repeatedly credits her daily contact with her mother as the initial building blocks for the chapters of her memoir, The Sum of Our Days.

"Thanks to my mother's epistolary talent and my obligation to answer her, I have in my hands a voluminous correspondence in which events are kept fresh. That is how I have been able to write this memoir. The purpose of that methodical correspondence is to keep pulsing the cord that has joined us since the instant of my conception, but it is also an exercise to strengthen memory, that ephemeral mist in which recollections dissipate, change, and blend together; at the end of our days it turns out that we have lived only what we can evoke. What I don't write I forget; it is as if it never happened" (200).

Allende's writing and language primarily revolves around her clan and the life they so vibrantly live each day. She openly writes of her relationship with her husband, both the good times and the bad, ultimately allowing readers to discover just how unique and beautiful their marriage is-- but not without including the years of work and patience that they have tirelessly put forth.

While Allende's experiences leave readers with a beautifully descriptive image of two people who have managed to stand each other long enough to realize that they are soul mates, Louise Erdrich paints a very different scene with her novel's words. Erdrich's novel Shadow Tag is about a woman, Irene America, who is trapped in a loveless marriage. Her husband, an artist whose success stems from paintings of Irene in various poses, exhibits many of the self destructive traits that Sherman Alexie referred to in his texts.


"The portraits were everywhere. By remaining still, in one position or another, for her husband, she had released a double into the world. It was impossible, now, to withdraw that reflection. Gil owned it. He had stepped on her shadow." - Shadow Tag (40)

Irene spills her thoughts onto the pages of two diaries; one she knows her husband reads through when she isn't looking, and another which is locked away in a safety deposit box at the bank. Their bitter relationship and her resentment inspires her to leave entries about elaborate affairs and sexual escapades in her "fake" diary, all carefully designed to enrage him each time he reads it behind her back.

In a 2010 book review, the Washington Post said, "The man [Irene] hates is also the man she loves, and his passionate desperation to win her back is alternately endearing and repellent, eventually threatening. It's a devastating portrayal of the circular insanity of romantic obsession."

Some Discussion Questions to think about as you finish The Sum of Our Days and embark upon Shadow Tag:

1.) Gil seems to think that Irene struggles with reading and making sense of any significant works of literature, yet pours over her diary entries and accepts them at face value. Who (if anyone) is more at fault for the sneaky behavior? What does Irene hope to accomplish in each of her "blue" diary entries?

2.) In addition to Irene and Gil's marriage, consider Allende's "overbearing" personality and involvement in her own family... Is respect for privacy or bold truth more important in relationships?

3.) What kind of affect does this dysfunctional lifestyle seem to have on Gil and Irene's three children? Are they similar or different to Sherman Alexie's characters in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian?

Isabel Allende's The Sum of Our Days

Isabel Allende's The Sum of Our Days is a deeply revealing memoir that recounts all the gritty details of the lives of her extraordinary family. Allende bares her soul after the painful death of her daughter and as she writes, she explores a wide variety of topics in the wake of her loss, including marriage, spirituality, and motherhood. Despite the devastating and often dramatic events that Allende remembers, she bravely encounters each memory and meticulously constructs her thoughts and stories as if she was carrying on an intimate conversation with a close friend.

In a 2008 interview, Allende was asked about the interesting themes and lively stories that are featured in the memoir. Allende responded, "'All stories are interesting if told in the right tone. When I came to live here, friends, publishers asked me, 'What are you going to write about now, in Marin, [with] no more ghosts, premonitions?' I told them, 'It's pretty weird here.'" She continued, "In the 17 years since Paula died, many things happened to the family. I had written about it all: Every day, I write a letter to my mother with the events and the mood of the day. She saves them for me and each year gives me back a year of letters. ... As I sat down Jan. 8, 2006, I was ready to start an historical novel. Then my agent called from Spain. She said, 'Write a memoir, before you forget everything.'"

Allende's writing style is often considered to contain elements of "magic realism." By Wikipedia's definition, "'magic realism' is an aesthetic style or genre of fiction in which magical elements are blended into a realistic atmosphere in order to access a deeper understanding of reality. These magical elements are explained like normal occurrences that are presented in a straightforward manner which allows the 'real' and the 'fantastic' to be accepted in the same stream of thought. It has been widely considered a literary and visual art genre; creative fields that exhibit less significant signs of magic realism include film and music."

Discussion Questions:

1. Some of Allende's family members were/are terrified of being written about. Do you think it's beneficial to release a "tell-all" memoir such as The Sum of Our Days, or were all the elements of her story relevant?

2. Allende's life is almost ridiculously dramatic at times. She has even been quoted as saying, "You can tell the deepest truths with the lies of fiction." Do you think this is "magic realism" at work, or do you think her story can be literally interpreted at face value?

3. Which sub story in Allende's memoir do you think best represented her reputation for being such an influential and inspiring Latin American writer?

Poetry by Louise Erdrich and Joy Harjo

Joy Harjo and Louise Erdrich are authors of Native American descent. Their poetry is full of unique and original metaphors that shape and add intrigue to their writing. Much of their writing also contains Indian dialect and cultural references.

Erdrich’s poem “Family Reunion” is an example of the Indian dialect I mentioned above. I think this poem shows the uniqueness to their way of speaking and introduces to the reader to the customs of the people in terms that are understandable and relate-able.

“Ah punka, you’s my Debby, come and ki me. / …Them’s Indian dogs, Ray says, lookit how they know me.”

I find it interesting that this is Erdrich’s example of dialect. It isn’t that much different from modern-day southern dialects. I hear people say “them’s” and “lookit” quite often. I think the main difference is the italicized words. The words “punka” and “ki” are quite different from modern-day vocabulary.

Both poets master metaphors. Many metaphors are tired and overused, but I found such originality in their metaphors and analogies.

Erdrich examples:

“Captivity” – “After that the birds mocked. / Shadows gaped and roared / and the trees flung down / their sharpened lashes.” Not only is this a beautiful image, but it continues the idea of the poem that the narrator could find no safety. Not even the wilderness warrented a safe return. Instead, it frightened her enough to prevent her from running. It continues that idea that there is no hope or chance of freedom. Nature is pushing closer to her enemy, her captor.

“Indian Boarding School: The Runaways” – “All runaways wear dresses, long green ones, / the color you would think shame was.” In her interviews, Erdrich mentions that Indian children were stripped from parents and forced into boarding schools. I am not surprised to find that many probably tried to run away, to find their homes, their parents. I think the mention of shame is a statement about how the sudden changes in their culture—the forced changes—made young children feel ashamed of their heritage. It made the think that being Indian was a bad thing, a shameful thing.

Harjo examples:

“A Map to the Next World” – The Map analogy continues throughout the entire poem and brings out the overall of theme of “finding” the light. The narrator in this poem is giving someone else instructions on finding the new world and rebuilding their world. The map is his key to completing this task, but it is more than that. It is a lesson in what NOT to do. It’s a key in what went wrong last time. It twists the idea of a map to find your way to the idea of a “treasure” map—the treasure being the new world, the rebuilding.

 “Take note of the proliferation of supermarkets and malls, the / altars of money. They best describe the detour from grace.” This detail about the map sharpens the theme of the work. Their “city,” “heritage,” “language,” etc. has been forgotten and lost due to a fall from grace, due to sin. This quote shows the sinfulness of living materialistically and “in the world” which are the reasons behind the fall in the first place.

“Insomnia and the Seven Steps to Grace” – “though the season before dawn is always winter” This metaphor associates the moments before dawn, the moments before sunrise with the coldest time of the year. I think it correlates well with the theme of the poem. It fits the idea that “insomniacs” or third shifters have a much more difficult time seeing the beauty of the day because they are constantly surrounded by darkness. Coldness is often paired with darkness. The lack of light is the same as the lack of heat.

Discussion Questions

1.      Do you think that language (dialect, metaphor, analogy, etc.) has any effect on the success or failure of writing in general? How does your opinion relate to Erdrich’s and Harjo’s poems?

2.      Many people see certain dialects as a lack of intelligence. Given the example of dialect in “Family Reunion,” do you think that there is a literacy issue in some parts of the country?

3.      What other examples of language (dialect, metaphor, analogy, etc.)  can you find that connects to the themes of these poems?