Learning Targets for Wednesday, August 26th:

Today I will…Examine the differences between commercial and literary fiction by comparing and contrasting author’s purpose/intent as well as the work of fiction’s affect on the reader.

Examine Toni Morrison’s excerpt from The Bluest Eye by reading critically, employing text rendering, and addressing a Great Question.

IS ALL FICTION EQUAL?

What is the difference between commercial and literary fiction?

Fiction…Why read it?

Quick Write: What is the last great book you read (besides the summer reading, of course)?

Why did you read it?

Would that book be considered commercial fiction or literary fiction? Why?

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN COMMERCIAL AND LITERARY FICTION?

Commercial vs. Literary Fiction

Commercial Fiction Fiction whose sole purpose is to

entertain, and it requires no serious or intensive study.

It is written and published primarily to make money.

It makes money because it helps large numbers of people escape the tedium and stress of their lives.

Its value is not appreciably greater than that of a video game or crossword puzzle.

Literary Fiction Fiction that is written with serious

artistic intentions, and this will yield not only enjoyment, but also understanding.

The writer hopes to broaden, deepen, and sharpen the reader’s awareness of life.

Like all serious art, this fiction provides an imagined experience that yields authentic insights into some significant aspect of life.

To Reiterate

Commercial Fiction Takes us AWAY from the real world:

it helps us temporarily forget our troubles

The work is created for the reader’s immediate pleasure.

Literary Fiction Plunges us, through the author’s

imaginative vision and artistic ability, more deeply INTO the real world

The work hopes to provide a complex, lasting aesthetic and intellectual pleasure rater than a simple, escapist diversion; its object is to offer PLEASURE plus UNDERSTANDING.

BUT…THESE TWO CATEGORIES ARE NOT CLEAR – CUT.

Wait…What?

Not every story or novel can be conveniently tossed into one bin or the other. These categories simply suggest opposite ends of a spectrum; some works may fall close to the middle rather than to one clear end, and genres normally associated with commercial purposes and categories are sometimes used successfully by authors with literary intentions.

Examples: Uncle Tom’s Cabin: straddles the line between commercial and literary.

Jane Eyre: regarded as one of the finest literary novels ever written, but adheres to certain conventions of the commercial romance novel and has been very successful since the time it was first published.

Dracula: regarded in its time as a primarily commercial work, but has since garnered enough critical acceptance and analysis to be considered further toward the literary end of the spectrum today.

The House on Mango Street: while written with an audience that did not often find the time to read in mind and having maintained a consistent level of commercial success since its publication, is primarily literary in its purpose and execution.

THE TERMS COMMERCIAL AND LITERARY SHOULD BE APPLIED TO NOVELS OR STORIES THEMSELVES, NOT NECESSARILY TO THEIR AUTHORS

For example, Charles Dickens wrote works that fall into both categories. His novel Martin Chuzzlewit is greatly discussed and admired by literary scholars, but his hugely popular A Christmas Carol is essentially a commercial work.

The difference between commercial and literary fiction does not necessarily relate to the absence or presence of a “moral.”

A story whose incidents and characters are notably shallow may have an unimpeachable moral (Dracula), while a literary story or novel may have no “moral” at all in the conventional sense; it may choose to dramatize human experience rather than to moralize about it.

Nor do the differences lie in the presence or absence of an element of fantasy. Commercial fiction my have the surface appearance of everyday reality – a police detective novel is a good example (see John Green’s novels as well) – but have little significance beyond the reality depicted.

On the other hand, a fanciful tale may impress the reader with a profound and surprising truth.

THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO KINDS OF FICTION ARE DEEPER AND MORE SUBTLE THAN ANY OF THESE DISTINCTIONS.

Let’s Try an Analogy

• Commercial writers are like magicians who devise a contrivance for our diversion. They are full of tricks and surprises: they pull rabbits out of hats, saw people in half, and juggle brightly colored balls in the air.

• Literary writers are more like explorers: they take us into the midst of life and say, “Look, here is the world in all its complexity.” They also take us behind the scenes where they show us the props and mirrors and seek to dispel the illusions.

Literary writers carefully shape their materials with the intent that we may see, feel, and understand them better, not for the primary purpose of furnishing entertainment.

Therefore, any fiction that illuminates some aspect of human life or behavior with genuine originality and power may be called “literary.”

This story – whether large or small – presents an insight into the nature and condition of our existence. It gives us a keener awareness of our humanity within a universe that is sometimes friendly, sometimes hostile. It helps us to understand our world, our neighbors, and ourselves.

So…How do I read Literary Fiction?

If time is permitting, you should read any piece of literary fiction at least twice in order to fully grasp what it has to offer

The first time to simply enjoy and familiarize yourself with it.

The second time read more slowly and deliberately in an attempt to understand the full artistic significance and achievement of the piece.

So…How do I read Literary Fiction?

It is important to keep an open mind.

You need to be willing to expect the unexpected.

Know that it will address one or more of the GREAT QUESTIONS.

Assignment

Critically read and annotate the excerpt from The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison.

Then, you will complete some text rendering.

Text rendering is a process to break down a piece to get at the authentic meaning.

Once you have critically read and annotated the selection, you will pick out:

One word from the selection that is especially compelling, provocative, and meaningful

One phrase from the selection that is especially compelling, provocative, and meaningful

A Great Question the selection addresses (use textual evidence to support your choice)

Please Grab ALL 4 Documents in the Front of the Room!!

Turn in your HOMEWORK: Please turn in your 6 word memoir with your rubric.

Please make sure your name is on both documents.

Please do NOT staple them together.

If you still need to submit your student info. sheet or your AP contract, please put this in the box as well.

Also, if you have your binder, please put it in your drawer in the black file cabinet.

Please take out your text rendering for The Bluest Eye and some paper to take notes on.

Homework:

Please read “My Papa’s Waltz” at least 2 times.

Please complete TPDASTT over the piece in your composition notebook.

Please be prepared to explicate your perception of this piece on Monday.

Learning Targets for Friday, August 28th:

Today I will…

Examine a provided image for meaning by employing the OPTIC strategy to analyze the piece.

Examine aphorisms for meaning by deconstructing the statement for author’s purpose as well as my perception of what is being stated.

Explain my interpretation of the excerpt from The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison by explicating my text rendering as well as provide justification for my choice of the Great Question.

LOOK AT THE RUBRIC YOU HAVE BEEN PROVIDED

OPTIC: Untitled

Think/Pair/Share:

An aphorism is a succinct statement expressing an opinion, perception, or general truth. Read the following

aphorisms VERY carefully:

“If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.” - Anonymous

“Until lions tell their stories, tales of hunting will glorify the hunter.” - African proverb

“Theory is subversive because it puts authority in question.” – Stephen Bonnycastle, In Search of Authority

“What you see and hear depends a good deal on where you are standing; it also depends on what sort of person you are.” — C. S. Lewis

“All photographs are accurate. None of them is the truth.” — Richard Avedon

“There are things known and there are things unknown, and in between are the doors of perception.” — Aldous Huxley

“Better keep yourself clean and bright; you are the window through which you must see the world.” — George Bernard Shaw

What do all of these quotes have in common with the activity you just did with the photograph? Explain your thinking.

PERCEPTION IS EVERYTHING

IF THE DOORS OF PERCEPTION WERE CLEANSED EVERYTHING WOULD APPEAR TO MAN AS IT IS, INFINITE.WILLIAM BLAKE

Quick Write: What do you think this quote from William Blake is trying to convey? How does this align with what we were discussing on Friday in regards to the photographs and the aphorisms?

Learning Targets for Monday, August 31st:

Today I will…

Examine an aphorism from William Blake for author’s purpose as well as my perception of what is being stated by addressing a quick write prompt as well as actively participating in discussion.

Explain my interpretation of the excerpt from The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison by explicating my text rendering as well as provide justification for my choice of the Great Question.

Examine my understanding of “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke by actively participating in a discussion over my perception of the piece as well as what led me to my conclusions.

Assignment

Critically read and annotate the excerpt from The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison.

Then, you will complete some text rendering.

Text rendering is a process to break down a piece to get at the authentic meaning.

Once you have critically read and annotated the selection, you will pick out:

One word from the selection that is especially compelling, provocative, and meaningful

One phrase from the selection that is especially compelling, provocative, and meaningful

A Great Question the selection addresses (use textual evidence to support your choice)

SOCRATIC DISCUSSION OVER THE TEXT RENDERING OF THE EXCERPT FROM THE BLUEST EYE BY TONI MORRISON & “MY PAPA’S WALTZ” BY THEODORE ROETHKE.

Debrief:

What was your perception of these pieces influenced by? Has you perception changed due to you participating in this Socratic discussion?