ENGL 200 D: Reading Literature: Literature in the Marketplace

Tuesday: 11:30-12:30: David, Averi, Ashley, and Thomas

Wednesday: 10:00-11:00: Nathan, Chelsea, Becca, Vivian

Wednesday, 11:30-12:30: Caitlin, Theresa, Inez, Phillip

Guidelines for conference feedback are here. Remember that your grade is based both on your posting comments, and your ability to contribute during the conference itself — simply saying “well, this is good, and I don’t have anything else to say” will affect your grade.

No blog post for Week 9!

Your blog post revisions need to be completed by Friday, August 19th, at 5 p.m.

All you need to do is tag the post with the original week’s tag (week5blog, etc.) and also with the tag “revision.”

“Selling a Book By Its Cover” (NYTimes)

Discussion question: what does this tell you about the potential of books to be valuable?

“The End” (NYMag)

Discussion question: This article, from approximately three years ago, makes several observations about the state of the book industry, and its future. Do you see things that it got right? That it got wrong? What’s happened since?

“In the Future, Everything Will Be Free” (Institute for the Future of the Book)

Final question: do you read books online? Why, or why not? What do you see ereaders, and printed books, as offering you? What influences your ability and choices to buy books? (whether for pleasure, or for school/professional purposes?) What would an ideal book be for you, and why?

The riots that have been taking place in London since Sunday evening (and in greater England since Monday evening) are relevant to Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom, since it deals with individuals who have been isolated and kicked out of their economic systems (i.e., Julius going offline).

In a broader sense, many of the texts that we’ve read this quarter are about how economic systems work — how they set up life for individuals — and also when those systems fail, either through collapse, or fail to allow individuals to provide a good life for themselves and their families.

There is no single answer that explains the London riots. However, the fact that they are happening suggests that on some level, the economic system in England isn’t working.

Your assignment for Wednesday is to read up on the riots, and bring two contrasting perspectives on them to class. These perspectives can take the form of a blog post, an article online, or even tweets. Post links to your two pieces of information in comments below. (If you want to link to a single Tweet, click on the date (7 Aug) associated with it. Not everyone can bring the same article, or tweet, etc. — so look through to see what other people have found.

Wikipedia has a summary of the cause of the riots that is a good starting point. It’s not by any means complete, but it’s a good entry.

The BBC is London’s oldest television/radio news source.

The Guardian, the Telegraph, and the Independent  are London’s three major newspapers.

You can also find info on the riots by searching for the #LondonRiots hashtag at Twitter .

You don’t have to find info from these sources — you can also look at other news sources or blog posts from throughout England, or elsewhere.

I look forward to seeing what you find.

Please post one discussion questions for tomorrow here. You have until the end of the day today, Monday, August 8th.

Write about your preliminary thoughts for the second major paper assignment. (This may involve sketching out the character and environment that you intend to focus on, or, if you haven’t completely decided, you can write about the characters whom you’re thinking of choosing between.) In either case, give your readers a preview of the ideas and questions that you want to engage: what things do you think need to be discussed?

Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom presents an alternative economy to our current one. It’s meant to be slightly disorienting; to require you to look at the way the world works from an alternate perspective.  Don’t let it intimidate you: the best way to deal with it is to treat it like a puzzle that you’re putting together.

1. How does the Bitchun Society work?

2. What economic problems does it solve? And what new ones does it create?

3. In what way is labor valuable within the Bitchun Society? And how does it interact with other types of value? Look at Dan, Lil, Julius (the narrator), Debra, or Tim Fung for examples.

4. Because the Bitchun Society uses wireless networking, nearly everyone is connected all of the time. How does this change everyday life? How does it effect the system of credit?

There’s only one question for tomorrow’s reading: what ideas do you see being articulated in this novel? These might take the form of things that you see Fleming as wanting to promote, or things that he promotes unconsciously, out of habit. They might be large, or minute. Be prepared to cite the pages in the text where you see them appearing.

: Part II of this novel is really about the differences and similarities of Bond and Goldfinger. Both men cheat at golf, though for different reasons; both men have an attraction to women; both men particularly care about things being done in a certain way. Neither man is an individual working entirely alone; and neither man is of high station.

1. Moving beyond these broad differences and similarities, how else can Bond and Goldfinger be said to resemble each other? Find specific passages, and be prepared to explain your interpretation. Also be prepare to explain why these similarities and differences might be said to be important.

2. If you look back at Adam Smith’s Theory of Moral Sentiments, Section I, Chapter III, paragraph 20, you will find descriptions of the man of inferior rank, and the man of rank and distinction. Where do Smith’s characteristics match up with Bond and Goldfinger? How might their actions be classified, according to this paragraph?

3. Think back to Addison and Defoe’s discussions of Lady Credit. How might the actions of women in this novel (so far, Jill Masterton and Tilly Soames) be said to echo or confirm Defoe and Addison’s ideas? How might they challenge them?

Here is the assignment sheet for Major Paper #2.