In James English’s piece “Winning the Culture Game: Prizes, Awards, and the Rules of Art,” he starts by claiming the Booker Prize is somewhat of a fraud because it’s too cheap, too new, the criteria is too vague and the point of the prize is unclear. A quote that stood out to me was, “…that … [Read more…]
post colonial – time period, reclaiming of authority from those previously oppressed. Can offer a new perspective of India, for example, from Indian writers rather than British writers. orientalism – studying asian/eastern language and cultures Huggan’s argument: “it is rather to see that work as being bound up in a late-capitalist mode of production, where … [Read more…]
I just finished Burnt Sugar and I am honestly speechless. I’m not sure how I expected the novel to end, but the downfall of Antara due to her own self-sabotaging tendencies and the anxieties surrounding the relationship she has with her mother took a turn I wasn’t expecting. As the ending unfolded, I couldn’t help … [Read more…]
Kashta – Ma’s maid Ma clearly has some sort of illness. Sounds like Alzheimer’s to me, but they seem to allude to it not being Alzheimer’s. Dilip – main character’s husband Story takes place in India When Dilip’s mother arrives to Prune for the wedding, the main character (still unnamed) presents an internal conflict over … [Read more…]
The book we are focusing on in class as of now is The New Wilderness, by Diane Cook. Honestly, so far I am not a fan. This novel is a dystopian novel with, what should be its essential idea, a focus on environmental doom. One of the main problems I have with this novel so … [Read more…]
The Canon and Racial Inequality the canon wars were essentially a series of debates among scholars regarding higher level education syllabi in a more culturally diverse society with an increase in women and cultural minorities among higher education, scholars debated how the syllabus should reflect that, veering away from relying on the previously used, white … [Read more…]
Wallace doesn’t like to drink because his parents did – particularly his mother. Wallace found her dead in her chair the summer before he left for grad school. She had had a stroke and still had a cold drink with ice in it. The dinner with his friends – which Wallace already was unsure of … [Read more…]
Wallace – main character; his father recently passed Cole, Miller and Yngve are his friends at the lake – Wallace hasn’t spent much time with them and would rather be home than at the lake with them; Emma and her fiance Thom show up later with their dog They are all in grad school studying … [Read more…]
As I get further into Shuggie Bain I notice parallels between the characters and certain people among my own life, making the book a bit more emotional and interesting for me as a reader. Growing up, my mom was a single mother raising four kids, myself being the second oldest. My older brother, much like … [Read more…]
Main character: Shuggie Bain 16 y/o & works at a supermarket – might be 15? Kind of confused about his actual age. Agnes seems to attach to him when she feels lonely. Almost as if she depends on him to need her, just so she can feel needed and have a purpose. Shuggie’s mom lives … [Read more…]
