20th Century World Literature

The Metamorphosis: Thinking from Research

2009-11-10T06:18:00.000-08:00

What have you found that is interesting, surprising, thought provoking, troubling, funny, etc.?What have you learned that is worth sharing? What new questions do you have about the story?

** Remember to use quotation marks if you use words directly from a source and to give appropriate citation information on the source.

Mishima - Biography

2009-09-06T06:50:00.000-07:00

It is possible to read and appreciate Mishima's work without knowing his unusual life story, but, as is often the case, this author's life informs his work. In some ways Mishima's text is a reflection of his life, his values and the political climate in which he lived. Check out the following links and identify a couple new sources to learn about Mishima's extreme nationalism and his fears for post-war Japan. Get some idea of the passion that lurks behind this peaceful, almost fable-like story of Hatsue and Shinji. How does this information enrich your understanding of the story? Does it change your feelings about the text to learn that it is actually quite polemical?

Mishima discusses his values
Mishima's Ultra-Nationalism - See email attachment
Brief Biographical and Critical Overview

The Word

2009-09-01T14:34:00.000-07:00

Whatever the language, literature is necessarily about words. In this paean to language, Pablo Neruda, the Nobel Prize winning Chilean poet whom Gabriel Garcia Marquez called "the greatest poet of the 20th century in any language," celebrates the word- its beginning, its evolution and its purpose.

Read Neruda's poem in English (and in Spanish, if you can). Consider the implications this poem might have for the study of world literature, works in translation? How will our work in this class be different than that of other English courses? How will it be the same?

**For those of you who are able to read both the English and the Spanish, let the rest of us know what we miss by only being able to read the translation. Are there places where you feel that Mitchell (the translator) is "interpreting" rather than simply translating? If so, could it be helped? Has he left out or added anything in the process?

The Word by Pablo Neruda

Mishima - Archetypes: The Heroic Quest

2009-08-25T06:54:00.000-07:00

Archetypes provide windows into the human experience from any perspective- any time, any place. They reveal the patterns in human life that connect us to people around the world and throughout time. When studying literature in translation, we may find the language, habits or cultural assumptions foreign or new, but we may still recognize patterns of human behavior. The archetype of the heroic quest shows up in The Sound of the Waves. Though Shinji is different than many western heroes, many aspects of his story are just like the stories of Ulysses, Indiana Jones, Luke Skywalker, Sir Gawain, etc. Do some research into the theme of the heroic quest and explain how that archetype helps to inform Mishima's novel.

Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey: Summary of the Steps

Cerritos College Website on The Hero's Journey

Christopher Vogler: Walt Disney and The Hero's Journey

Maybe Plato Was Right

2008-09-16T16:22:00.000-07:00

In the following article from the latest Newsweek, writer Sharon Begley offers an explanation of why we often vote based on a candidate's "story" rather than "experience, positions on issues and policy proposals." In what ways might Begley's essay corroborate Plato's fear of the effect of poets (or storytellers) on the ideal society?

"Heard Any Good Stories Lately?"

Book Censorship in the United States

2008-09-11T07:41:00.000-07:00

As you read Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, you may feel fortunate that you did not grow up in China during The Cultural Revolution and grateful that you are free to read literature, stories, poetry- basically anything that you choose. However, it is not necessarily that simple, even in the United States. You may be surprised at what you find on the following websites.

The Online Books Page

Banned Books Week
September 27- October 4, 2008