Class Notes

5/21/07
Vocabulary:
1) Ironic: Containing or exemplifying irony: an ironic novel; an ironic remark.
2) Allusion: A passing or casual reference; an incidental mention of something, either directly or by implication: an allusion to Shakespeare.
3) Frame: A structure for admitting or enclosing something
4) Symbol: Something used for or regarded as representing something else; a material object representing something, often something immaterial; emblem, token, or sign.
5) Raconteur: A person who is skilled in relating stories and anecdotes interestingly.
*Two sisters who couldn't tell a story to save their lives.

*We started class by saying our names and finding out a little bit about what they say about us. Visit this site if you are interested to finding the orgin of your last name.
http://genealogy.about.com/od/surnames/a/surname_meaning.htm

*All stories are a retelling of another
- No matter what the story is, chances are that is has already been told. When you look at a story as simple as Cinderella in our text, you will see that there are many different versions. Who is to say what the original version is, or is theses are even all of the versions available.

5/23/07
Vocabulary:
1) Myth: A traditional or legendary story, usually concerning some being or hero or event, with or without a determinable basis of fact or a natural explanation, esp. one that is concerned with deities or demigods and explains some practice, rite, or phenomenon of nature.
2) Displacement: The state of being displaced or the amount or degree to which something is displaced. To move or put out of the usual or proper place.
3) Archetype: The original pattern or model from which all things of the same kind are copied or on which they are based; a model or first form; prototype.

* Retelling a modern day Fairytale - Retelling a story in one's own words (rather than reciting a text from memory) provides oral fluency practice. Story-telling is a common human activity which can be enjoyable, especially if the material is interesting. If you need some ideas on how to get started, check out this website, it offers examples of such stories:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairy_tale

* In-class activity:
We looked at the tale of Cinderella, and had the chance to see the many retellings of this tale, looking closer at these tales helps us see how disney's version fits into the mold of "typical"
- typical: "Once upon a time...": "Long before books were made, people told stories. They told them to one another and to the children as they sat before the fire. Many of these stories were about interesting people, but most of them were about the ways of fairies and giants. In those days, if people did not know why strange things happened, they said it was because of fairies. Even then, they could imagine such wonderful things that fairies might do. Of course, the people who told the stories in that long ago time, and the people who listened to the stories, really believed in fairies. At the same time, these are about people, too. The people in the stories are often so real that you imagine you might be in their place, or that we might know them in real life. Most of the fairy stories also have some lesson that we might learn and thus be a wiser person".
To read up more on where it all began, check out this website:
http://library.thinkquest.org/03oct/01781/myweb5/

* "All literature is a displacement of myth" N. Frye
- Starts with a story and work backwards. Eventually, this will end with a myth.

* "Everything is infinitly interesting" Ballard
http://excalibur.renderosity.com/mod/gallery/index.php?image_id=1142536&member

* The Demon Lover:
http://www.eecs.harvard.edu/~keith/poems/demon.html
* Reviews:
http://www.jstor.org/view/01496611/dm981060/98p0553o/0

*Song: House Carpenter, by: Bob Dylan
Lyrics: http://www.bobdylan.com/songs/carpenter.html