Sunday, December 6, 2009
Ignorance as a starting point
Lopate says, "Personal essayists are adept at interrogating their ignorance. Just as often as they tell us what they know, they ask at the beginning of the exploration of a problem what it is they don't know - and why. They follow the clue of their ignorance though the maze. Intrigued with their limitations, both physical and mental, they are attracted to cul-de-sac: what one doesn't understand, or can't do, is as good a place as any to start investigating the borders of the self" (xvii). What does this mean for us as authors of essays, and also as readers of essays?
Question 4
Danko says, "I encourage my students to keep a journal mainly for the practice of writing, but also to engage in a kind of self-dialouge, even self-examination. And when keeping a journal, we still may have an audience in mind (which itself can be tied to the creation of voice and persona), but it's a place where we can feel comfortable making a mess before we clean things up" (8). Do you keep a journal as a place to practice writing? What do you think of journal writing in your own life?
Here's another conversation starter thing.
In an interview with UCSC, David Sedaris is asked about the difficulties of writing about his personal life and exposing himself to the world. He responds, "When I'm writing about myself I think about myself as a character." When you are writing a personal essay, are you able to step outside of who you are in the piece and look at yourself from an "authorial" point of view?
Friday, December 4, 2009
Discussion #2
-Do you think people nowadays get the same satisfaction form blogging, writing on-line diaries, and writing on Facebook that writers get from writing personal essays? What has been your experience?
Roundtable Prompts
Below are some of Dr. Stover's prompts/queries for us to explore. Add your own in the comments, change the questions, or respond to one or all!
- Which essay topics drew out your best work? (Nature and the Human Spirit, Zuihitsu, Montaigne imitations, Self-investigation, Prodding the Sacred Cow, The Past and the Retrospective Glance, Shifting Perceptions, Handling Powerful Emotions with Detachment)
- Do you think people nowadays get the same satisfaction form blogging, writing on-line diaries, and writing on Facebook that writers get from writing personal essays? What has been your experience?
Lazar says, "I've read some utterly unique blogs, erudite and less autobiographical, that seemed to be carving out a new spirit of the age, as well as mirroring their times (60) Have you read blogs like this? Are they the contemporary essay form?
Danko says, "I encourage my students to keep a journal mainly for the practice of writing, but also to engage in a kind of self-dialouge, even self-examination. And when keeping a journal, we still may have an audience in mind (which itself can be tied to the creation of voice and persona), but it's a place where we can feel comfortable making a mess before we clean things up" (8). Do you keep a journal as a place to practice writing? What do you think of journal writing in your own life.
Evan says. "...as I write I'm continually amazed at how the form of the essay forces me to reinvent myself (5). Have you had that experience?
Discussion # 1
Finding something to say about the personal essay, has not be such an easy task for me. Dr. Stover provided us with some great prompts to work with and, as I read over some of my responses to the questions...my answers seem to be trite, rehashed in the worst possible-less eloquent manner.
So I quit that stuff.
Instead I went back to my research project and looked into what David Sedaris had to say about his personal writing process, ruminations about writing, quips about 'the essay' (although not formally stated as such), etc.
Below are links to two interviews that I found. Perhaps if you want to respond to a little something in one or both of the interviews. Or respond with some startling genius of your own or from one of your favorite writers.
Either way...let's discuss. Something.
David Sedaris Interviews:
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