Ewrt 1 c class 24 online
- 1. EWRT 1C CLASS 24 Email me if you need help!
- 2. AGENDA The Metamorphosis Critical Overview Questions Potential Theoretical Approaches Author Introduction: Elie Wiesel
- 3. Critical Overview Kafka today is a household word around the world, one of the few writers to have an adjective named after him (‘‘Kafkaesque’’), describing the dream-like yet oppressive atmosphere characteristic of his works. When his writings first appeared, however, some reviewers found them baffling, tedious, or exasperating; and the two extreme ideological movements of the twentieth century both found his message unacceptable. The Nazis banned him, and Communist critics denounced him as decadent and despairing. But fairly quickly Kafka began to be praised by a host of influential writers and intellectuals. The English poet W. H. Auden compared him to Dante, Shakespeare, and Goethe. The German writer Thomas Mann, quoted by Ronald Gray in his book Franz Kafka, said that Kafka's works are "among the worthiest things to be read in German literature." And the philosopher Hannah Arendt, writing during World War II, said (also as quoted by Gray) that "Kafka's nightmare of a world ... has actually come to pass.’’
- 4. Potential Theoretical Approaches to The Metamorphosis New Criticism Psychoanalytic Theory Trauma Theory Feminist Theory How might you apply these to this text?
- 5. Questions for Section 1 1. Discuss the details Kafka uses to establish Gregor’s life before his metamorphosis into an insect. How do these familiar details and objects define Gregor’s character and life? 1. The relationship between Gregor and his father is at the core of the story. Describe this relationship both before and after Gregor’s metamorphosis. 1. Much of this part of the story focuses on Gregor’s inner life. Describe Gregor’s private thoughts and emotions; use psychoanalytic theory to discuss his attitudes toward his family and outside world.
- 6. Questions for Section 2 Grete’s character undergoes a dramatic change in section two. Trace the changes that highlight the changes in her attitude, character, and personality. Can feminist theory help explain her behavior? Gregor refuses to part with the picture of the woman wrapped in furs on the wall. Why is it important? Explain its symbolic meaning. In section two of the story, Gregor’s sense of guilt is highlighted. Use Psychoanalytic theory to explain Gregor’s guilt. Consider how his lingering guilt affects his state of mind and his feelings toward his family.
- 7. Questions from Section 3 Discuss the three bearded lodgers. What is their purpose in the story? It is clear from the outset of Part 3 that Gregor is dying. How much of his physical decline is his own doing, and how much of it is caused by outside factors? Contrast Gregor’s state of mind at the beginning of this section to right before his death. What incidents or events cause a change in Gregor’s attitude and thinking? Are Gregor’s thoughts rational and clear, or are they blurred and irrational?
- 8. Elie Wiesel Known As: Wiesel, Eliezer; Wiezsel, Eli; Wiesel, Elie American Writer ( 1928 - ) Born in Sighet, Romania (Then Transylvania) He survived Birkenau and later Auschwitz and Buna and Buchenwald. His father, mother, and youngest sister did not. After the war, he was reunited with his two older sisters who also survived. “The only way to stop the next holocaust… is to remember the last one.”
- 9. After his release from the war camps, he boarded a train for Belgium, which was ultimately diverted to France. He stayed there, completing his education at Sorbonne, University of Paris, from 1948-51. Wiesel immigrated to the United States in 1956, and received his U.S. citizen in 1963 He eventually married Marion Erster Rose, and together they had one son, Shlomo Elisha. Other novels by Wiesel about the Jewish experience during and after the Holocaust include Dawn and The Accident, which were later published together with Night in The Night Trilogy The other two books in the trilogy have concentration camp survivors as their central characters. Dawn concerns one survivor just after World War II who joins the Jewish underground efforts to form an independent Israeli state. The Accident is about a man who discovers that his collision with an automobile was actually caused by his subconscious, guilt-ridden desire to commit suicide. Some content courtesy of Contemporary Authors Online. Detroit: Gale, 2013. From Literature Resource Center.
- 10. HOMEWORK Post #20: Answer one of the questions from slides 5, 6, or 7 in 200-300 words. Read Night (First half). Essay 2 Due Wednesday, week 9 before class via Kaizena