Blog 10: The Horror of Fight Club

Fight Club is the first novel (with the possible exception of the hypertext Patchwork Girl) we've read that isn't normally classified as horror. From what we've discussed this semester, as well as your own observations while reading, what defines the horror genre? Does Fight Club fit with this paradigm of horror? If so, what makes it horror? If not, why not? And what genre, if any, would you label it?

comments for this post will remain open until Sunday 4/20 at 11:59 pm

Blog 9: Fight Club and Style

Chuck Palahniuk's Fight Club is written using a style different from any of the other works we've read. As we discussed in class, this is partly related to the time period during which the book was written (1996). Discuss the relationship between Palahniuk's style and changing societal norms and values in the 1990s-2000s. How does the society a novel is produced influence the style of the novel? Also consider the other novels we've read in terms of style/year produced. For example, House of Leaves was written 4 years after Fight Club, though the 2 novels have seemingly disparate styles. Are there any connections between the styles of the 2 novels?

comments for this post will remain open until Sunday 4/13 at 11:59 pm

Bonus Blog: Creating the Hypertext Project

This is bonus blog and will remain open until Thursday, April 10 at 11:59 pm. Responses will be worth up to 15 points. In order to receive all points posts must be a MINIMUM OF 300 WORDS (this is about 1.5 pages of a double-spaced word document) and must show an in-depth discussion of the prompt. Responses are optional and all extra points will be added to your final grade at the end of the semester.

Discuss the process of creating your hypertext project. What was your goal in creating this project? Did you find that creating this project helped you to think about the text in a different way than writing an essay would have? What are the benefits and drawbacks to approaching a text in this way rather than in a more "traditional" way (such as writing an essay)?

Discuss the reasons for all your choices on design: colors, graphics, layout, and how these choices worked with the content of your hypertext essay. What element of your site were you most happy with? What part were you least happy with? Was there anything that you wanted to include in your website but were unable to due to technical issues?

Blog 8: House of Leaves and Genre

Though it has a very unique structure and narrative point of view, House of Leaves is heavily influenced by the horror genre. The novel does deal with fear and terror and the supernatural--all hallmarks of horror. In many ways, however, the book doesn't focus on these "traditional" expressions of horror in the same way that say, a slasher movie or a Stephen King novel would. Traditional horror often focuses on events and action, whereas Danielewski's novel treats the events in the house on Ash Tree Lane as a kind of side story, one that often takes a backseat to Zampano's critical analysis and Johnny Truant's tales of sex, drugs, and life in LA.

With this in mind, what creates horror in House of Leaves? What has been the "scariest" part of the narrative for you? Why? Consider other texts (books, short stories, films, tv shows) that you consider to be part of the horror genre. What do these texts have in common? Why do people liked to watch/read/experience fear and how does this relate to the horror in House of Leaves?

Blog 7: Patchwork Girl

Blog 7: Patchwork Girl
As we discussed in class, Patchwork Girl has numerous narrative threads and voices, often switching between voices or stories without any clear reason. Discuss the narrative threads that you encountered while reading and analyze the narrative for themes. What is the ideology (or world view) of Patchwork Girl? How does Jackson use her story (as well as the stories of L. Frank Baum, Mary Shelley, and other authors) to create this theme/ideology. Use specific examples from the text to support your reading.

Blog 6: Literature and the Internet

The last few texts that we're reading are all in some ways influenced by changes in how people read. In particular, the evolving role of technology in people's lives has led to changes in the way people get, process, and create sources of information. Discuss the ways that, in your opinion, literacy (and literature) have changed as technology becomes more advanced. In other words, what's the connection between literature and technology?

Blog 5: Reading Patchwork Girl

Discuss your reading so far of Patchwork Girl. Have you ever read a hypertext novel before? Are you having difficulty navigating through the story? Is a coherent narrative unfolding or is it unclear what the plot, characters, setting, themes, etc of the story are? How is reading the hypertext novel similar and/or different from reading a traditional novel? What strategies are you using to work through the unusual format of the story?

Blog 4: Women and Children

In both novels we've read so far, women and children have played a key role in the expression of horror. Men, though present in the stories, have been less involved (and perhaps less susceptible) to the horror presented in the narratives. Furthermore, the trends of women and children as having clear connections to the supernatural/monsters/unexplained continues in both film and literature. Discuss the reasons you think that women and children are such a prevalent site for horror. How does gender and/or age influence the portrayal or presence in horror? What ideological (societal, theoretical, etc.) issues are raised when women and children are most intimately acquainted with the monstrous?

Blog 3: Style

James' The Turn of the Screw and Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House are similar stories in many ways. They share similar protagonists, settings, and plot points. Both stories are about young women who move away from their family homes into haunted isolated estates.

Written over 60 years apart (1898 and 1959, respectively), the novels are written in very different styles. Discuss the writing styles of the two novels. Which novel was easier to read? Why? Consider elements such as sentence structure, page layout, amount of dialogue, etc. How much does an author's style influence your enjoyment and understanding of a novel?

Blog 2: The Turn of the Screw

Henry James' novella The Turn of the Screw relies a great deal on ambiguity. As we discussed in class, whether or not the ghosts are "real" is unclear throughout the story. Other events (such as the final scene, the children's intentions, Miles' expulsion from school, etc.) are equally ambiguous. With that in mind, write a few paragraphs addressing the following questions:

1. How did you interpret the events in the story? Do you think the ghosts were "real" or were they a figment of the governess' imagination? Were Miles and Flora innocent children or was their innocence and goodness just a ruse? Support your readings with textual evidence.
2. Why, in your opinion, did James create such an ambiguous story? How does the ambiguity serve the overall purpose and ideology of the narrative?

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Blog 1: Horror/Genre

Fred Botting's article "Future Horror (The Redundancy of Gothic)" explores the ways in which the definition of "horror" has changed in literature (and film) over the past 2 centuries. His argument is that contemporary horror is about the void that lurks beneath the surfaces that define our reality, whereas Gothic horror dealt with the absence of the paternal figure and the resultant chaos of this absence. Based on your previous encounters with the horror genre (in literature, film, television, video games, etc.), what do you think is the reason for society's fascination with the terrifying and monstrous? How would you define the horror genre? What makes something "horror"?

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Introduction to Class Blog--READ THIS FIRST!

First of all, there are no right or wrong answers in these forums. Prompts are designed to encourage critical thinking. Consider the topic, and then think of an interesting and creative way to respond. The blog is a chance to share your insights and thought processes with your colleagues, as well as to experiment with different ideas and forms of writing. Don't be afraid to write creatively

Credit for your posting will be based on your clear attempts to respond to the topic at a meaningful level, on the depth of your thinking on the subject, and on the degree to which your writing experiment and engages with the prompts.

Each week you will need to respond to the discussion question posted. Posts should be a MINIMUM of 200 words in order to receive full credit. Responses need to be posted by Sunday at midnight, and no late posts will be accepted. (Advice: Write your response on your word processor first, and then cut and paste it into the forum blank.) A total of 15 points will be possible for your response each week, and there will be a total of 10 blog posts. An additional 5 points weekly will be possible by posting a "reply" to or comment on any of your classmates' responses. (You may reply to more than one classmate's posting, but you will not earn more than 5 total additional points.) Don't post a reply just to earn extra points--post a reply only if you have something important, insightful, or useful to say; extra points will be based on the quality/depth of your reply. Please note in either your response title or in the first line of the response whose post you are commenting on.

To post a comment, click on the "comment" button underneath the blog prompt that you want to respond to. A screen with a comment box will be displayed. Click on the "Other" choice as opposed to the "Blogger" choice underneath the box. Enter your name or UF username (something so that I know it is you). You do not need to enter a website unless you would like to. Then cut and paste your reply into the comment box and select "Publish Comment."