Friday, September 16, 2011

Introducing the Blog Prof

After I was asked to teach a first-year seminar, I decided I'd like to engage students with some of my favorite novels. So, I made a list.

The Knife of Never Letting Go, by Patrick Ness
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, by M.T. Anderson
We Have Always Lived in the Castle, by Shirley Jackson
In the Night Garden, by Catherynne Valente
Cloud Atlas, by David Mitchell
Meanwhile, by Jason Shiga

Reflecting on the list, I realized part of what I loved in each of these works was that they broke the rules of your normal, everyday story. I'd hit on my theme for the course: Telling the Story Queer. In the posts that follow, students will introduce themselves and then reflect on the novels, stories, and film that we're exploring together over the course of the semester.

Until then, a bit more about me.

Why do I like stories that bend or break the rules?
  • Could it be that I was raised by social-justice minded parents who took my brother and me to protests and encouraged us to question authority? 
  • Could it be that both my dad and mom were (and are) feminists who encouraged me to break through gender barriers?
  • Could it be that I'm a philosopher and so love questions about what reality is like and love my mind being blown by theories that present whole new ways of looking at reality?
  • Could it be that since college I've been part of the LGBTQIA community?
  • Could it be that in high school, I was a straight-A getting, new-wave wanna-be with bi-level hair? (In other words, I was both a freak and a geek - a bespeckled, crazy-haired kid in the midst of my permed/feathered/contact lensed peers.)
Likely, it's all of the above. Of course, I'm often drawn to more conventional story-telling, too--especially in movies. There's nothing more comforting for me than a bowl of popcorn and a good romantic comedy or period piece. (I've a huge crush on both Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet).

What are your favorite books--that you've recently read or from childhood? Are there themes to what you love to read or watch?
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12 comments:

  1. jess.putlandSeptember 18, 2011 at 2:47 PM

    I would like to start by saying that I, too, I have a huge crush on Mr. Darcy and you cannot have him. As for myself, I love Science Fiction and Fantasy movies and books. Anything magical and strange is appealing. I can also relate to how you feel about High School and as to the "different" books.

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  2. LaurenSeptember 18, 2011 at 11:08 PM

    My favorite books are The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Looking for Alaska, To Kill a Mockingbird, and anything by Markus Zusak. I generally lean toward books with LGBTQI themes/characters (I'm kind of obsessed with human sexuality). I also really like dramatic books/movies, and anything that makes me think.

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  3. samweesnerSeptember 19, 2011 at 12:17 AM

    My favorite book is Rant by Chuck Paluhniuk. I really like any book that's meant for little kids like The City of Ember and The Chronicles of Narnia and things like that.

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  4. HumbertSeptember 20, 2011 at 2:41 PM

    Selecting a set list of favorite books is a task not unlike that of choosing your favorite prostitute. And that for me is quite the grueling chore; I love all of them. There are those that are relatively normal, but they are sweet and put a smile in your step as you walk home. There are the ones that everyone has been with and although this is discouraging at first, one soon figures out why their name continues to be screamed out of the window. There are the exotic, risk taking, whips flying, and blood curdling beauties that love to imbue rapture, as they tantalize you with the unknown. And of course, there are the regulars. These are the ones with whom you have fallen in love and continue to meet. Sometimes you simply want to talk and bask in their presence, as they caress your troubles away with the touch of but a finger.

    My favorites, in no particular correlation with the prose above, are as follows:

    Lolita, Invitation to a Beheading- Vladimir Nabokov
    The Portrait of the Artist as Young Man- James Joyce
    Still Life with Woodpecker- Tom Robbins
    Franky and Zooey, The Catcher in the Rye- J.D Salinger
    Paradise Lost- John Milton
    We Need to Talk about Kevin/ The Post Birthday World- Lionel Shriver
    The 120 Days of Sodom- Marquis de Sade
    Tropic of Cancer- Henry Miller
    Invisible Monsters, Rant- Chuck Palahniuk
    I Know This Much is True- Wally Lamb
    The Story of the Eye- George Batailles
    The Wasp Factory- Iain Banks
    Brave New World- Aldous Huxley
    The Iliad, Odyssey- Homer
    Grapes of Wrath- John Steinbeck
    The Picture of Dorian Gray- Oscar Wilde
    Hamlet, Othello, etc. - Shakespeare
    Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance-Robert Pirsig
    The Great Gatsby- F. Scott Fitzgerald
    In Search of Lost Time- Marcel Proust(not yet done)
    The Perks of Being a Wallflower- Stephen Chbosky
    The Awakening- Kate Chopin
    Poets: Charles Bukowski, James Kavanaugh, Baudelaire, Shakespeare

    And there are many more, but I don't want you to think me a harlot. I am sure there are themes running throughout my list, but I care not to analyze, as a fear of finding a rash and ruining all the fun.

    Adieu,

    (I happen to own a small brothel, and if there any customers who finds themselves currently aroused, I would be happy to share)

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  5. LaurenSeptember 20, 2011 at 4:35 PM

    (I apologize for commenting twice, but) whoever Humbert is: No one else I know has read We Need to Talk About Kevin. So, kudos to you.

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  6. ThedardenSeptember 21, 2011 at 10:16 AM

    Any of my favorite books have to mystery and suspense in them.

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  7. Stasio RamirezSeptember 21, 2011 at 8:55 PM

    I'm not necessarily an avid reader, I prefer movies... less effort, but there were a couple books that I enjoyed during high school, which were "Beloved" by Toni Morrison as well as "House of Spirits" by Isabel Allende. Magical Realism is pretty interesting.

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  8. YouaSeptember 23, 2011 at 5:14 PM

    I'm not much of a reader unless I get to choose the book myself. But a book that I've fallen in love with is call, " This Lullaby " By Sara Dessen.

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  9. NickSeptember 24, 2011 at 3:59 PM

    I read a few books last year at juniors. They were novels from Slovakia. My roommate was from Europe. It was a good experience to live with him.

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  10. LisaSeptember 29, 2011 at 7:32 AM

    TATY SAYS: In my English class we've been exploring our personal literacy. In that I recalled the fact that the first book I ever repeatedly read as a child was Cars, Trucks and Things That Go (still an amazing book in my opinion). When I started reading more challenging books my favorite was Little Pilgrims Progress. Now I tend to like various types of books. Yet my favorite author is still Sarah Dessen because for some reason I have a huge soft spot for hopeless romantic books

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  11. LisaSeptember 29, 2011 at 7:35 AM

    Back at Taty: Gold Bug!

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  12. Troy HeskethSeptember 30, 2011 at 10:40 AM

    my favorite book is the Warrior Elite. its a autobiography about navy seals and what they encounter during there tests and rise through the ranks to achieve there goal of being labeled as a navy seal

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