and the
of the
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Introduction:
James Joyce, (author of Ulysses and Finnegan’s Wake) and William Faulkner, who wrote The Sound
and The Fury and As I Lay Dying, are considered two of the two greatest writers of the twentieth century
and certainly two of the most profound thinkers since Shakespeare. In Ulysses, Joyce dramatized the life
altering concept that a single day can serve as a microcosm for an entire life. A parallel idea is that a single
man, or indeed, a single woman –-- in this case you and me --- are in some fundamental yet unstated and
usually unrecognized way, an everyman or an everywoman leading a life both ordinary and sublime. In
the novels of both Joyce and Faulkner (as well as many others), there are no heroes (except for the
prodigious imaginations of their authors) and the main characters are anti-heroes who suffer great losses
yet radiate a humbling and transcendent humanity.
Accordingly, through our readings and films, this course attempts to explore both the world and
the self in order to deepen our experience and understanding of what it means to be human. The purpose
of this course, and of all great art, is to explore the full gamut of human experience so that, in the words of
Henry David Thoreau, “when the time comes to die, we will not discover that we have not lived.”
The question then becomes, can we, in 14 weeks, embolden each other to travel the here-to-fore
invisible
into unknown territory where each of us has an opportunity to become the hero of our own
lives? I know of no other more worthwhile challenge.
--- your instructor
Assessment of Prior Knowledge of Modern Literature:
The following are 7 statements about literature. How many do you agree with? How many are true?
Write T or F to the left of each of these 7 statements.
______ 1. Reading professional critics is the best way to discover the meaning of stories.
______ 2. Compelling stories usually have complicated plots.
______ 3. A story needs a message to be worthwhile.
______ 4. Clarity of vision and worthwhile life lessons are the hallmarks of modern literature.
______ 5. A good story will answer the questions of the curious reader.
______ 6. The author is the narrator, or speaker, of a story.
______ 7. True stories depict actual events that really happened.
After you have answered all 7, print out this page and bring it to our next class to turn in.
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Myths about Modern Literature:
The word “myth” has two meanings that are often confused. For most people, myth is a commonly
held belief that upon close examination turns out to be false. For the sake of clarity, I will refer to these
sorts of myths as a myth with a small “m”. The other type of Myth, that I will refer to as a Myth with a
Capital “M,” are legends and stories that may never have actually happened but contain deeply meaningful
psychological and emotional realities that are forever and eternally true. This type of “truth” is not literal
but metaphorical or symbolic.
Myths are important because they guide our lives and give our days and years both meaning and
purpose. Unfortunately, the great, life-vivifying Myths of the past, of heroic figures such as Ulysses,
Aphrodite, and Dionysus have been watered down into tepid imitations by our commercial culture that
exults things over people and appearance over substance. Finding the “person of our dreams,” getting
married, and living “happily ever after” or becoming “rich and famous” are examples of myths with a
small “m” that are deeply embedded in our culture. Look around, however, and you will find that both of
these myths are breaking down and falling apart. Films and stories of a literary nature offer ways of
understanding our fragmented modern society with its dissolving myths in a deeper human and historical
context that allows for the possibility of an inner healing to take place. However, how and when this healing
happens, is usually paradoxical and mysterious. Insights on this level are not easily won, for a price must
be paid, and this usually involves both courage and imagination.
These are the three values, courage,
imagination, plus humility that this course challenges
you to develop.
Let’s look at courage. It takes courage, first of all, to reflect on our own inner flaws, our selfcenteredness and blindness. All of us, after all, have “blind spots,” things we literally do not see about
ourselves. And just as the sure sign of living in a “rut” is the inability to see that one’s life has become
repetitive, habitual, and boringly predictable, so too is the smug certainty that we are sufficiently aware
and not blind to our own limitations. This unconscious blindness is the surest way to retain a rhinoceros
like insensitivity, all the while not noticing how our complacent self-assuredness diminishes our inner lives
and our ability to experience the wonder of those around us.
What about
imagination? Like the word “creativity,” imagination has become a clichéd, “catch-
all” term that sounds good but really doesn’t have much descriptive value. Why, then, is imagination so
important, and how is it to be developed?
Quality films and award winning stories enliven our imaginations. They wake us up by altering our
perceptions and inspire us to emulate characters who embody the courage and spontaneity we fear we may
lack. By confronting what seems hopeless, dangerous, and difficult, these imaginary, “dreamed up”
characters teach us courage and empathy as they rouse our deepest fears and desires. This is wonderful,
but as long as we remain passive observers and consumers without ever daring to write our own stories or
act in a scene from a play or a film, our imaginations will remain dormant, lifeless, and underdeveloped,
existing only in the sleepy, sun-scorched border towns of our psyches.
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So, if you want to be imaginative, imagine! If you want to experience the exhilaration and joy of
creativity, create!
The essence of imagination --- and this can be experienced while reading, writing, or talking --- is
the playful invention of unusual connections between ideas and things that normally do not go together.
To do this requires risk taking and emulating the mind of a child. Playing it “safe” and never risking the
fear of looking foolish will, I promise, prevent you from ever creating something new and truly interesting.
Also, the fear of the unknown, if succumbed to, will keep us forever locked away in those small, suffocating
rooms of unimaginative platitudes and ready-made beliefs. Most people prefer the security of what they
already know to the uncertain unknown. However, if you want to experience the exhilaration of creation
and become the hero of your own life,
dare to admit, like Socrates, that you don’t really know anything.
risk sounding foolish.
surprise yourself with your own playfulness, and
cliff jump into the wild unknown…
All you have to lose is boredom. But what you may discover are the unexplored regions and the
of your own
!
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