Final Portfolio EL266

EL266

Now that it's the end of the semester, here is my final portfolio for my class, American Literature 1800-1915. The first one explained this next bit, so skip to the next paragraph if you've read it. This class looks at a variety of American literature (obviously from the selected time period), and also looks at techniques for writing about literature. For this reason, the entries that will be referenced here are a blend of responses to text-book chapters, and responses to various works of literature from the time period. This portfolio is designed simply to showcase the work I've done since the last one.

When I signed onto my blog to write this, looking at the counter saying how long it's been since my last post made me feel a bit like I'd imagine a Catholic feels when telling their priest it's been thirty years since their last confession. Though the end of the semester was definitely hectic for me, I really wish I would have gotten at least SOME blogging done earlier. Because I failed in that, I'm not going to include sections illustrating timeliness or the comments I've gotten, since I accomplished niether. I will however, try to include a bit more depth than I typically do.  

To begin with, I'd like to present a few blogs that I feel are reasonably well written, in terms of addressing the literature, and providing insight about the material. I was particularily pleased with my blog about disease as a literary devise, as discussed in Foster. Disease is one I especially feel bad about not blogging earlier as I recall that I thought up everything I talked about when I read the chapter several weeks ago at the laundry mat (they need to get wireless). Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. Du Bois and Aaron MacGruder combines my discussion of Washington and Du Bois works, but also discusses a character from Aaron MacGruder's cartoon "Boondocks," who is named after Du Bois. Oral Tradition contains part of a discussion from another class, and relates to modern "internet tradition" and the John Henry legend. If you didn't read it previously, I recommend it. Symbolism? discusses The Wizard of Oz, and some of the symbolism/allegory I picked up. Irony Trumps EVERYTHING discusses Foster's chapter on Irony, as well as Chuck Palahnuik's novel Choke (again), and finally A Farewell to Foster discusses the envoi from Foster, as well as the idea of literary scholarship.   

While my blogs weren't up in time for others to comment, I still commented on theirs. These are some blogs that I participated in discussions on. Oz by Jered Johnston discusses the idea of the power-balance between good and evil in the Wizard of Oz. I commented on Katie Lantz' blog "That wuz him" discussing Huck's reaction to Pap's death. I actually went of topic here, as the way in which something was phased made me think of the similarity between Huck's going through th story not knowing he is free from Pap, and Jim's going through the evasion, not knowing he is likewise free. In Heather Mourick's blog Recess is Important I discussed the ending of Foster's How To Read Like a Professor. 

To sum everything up, here is a list, in order of every blog required for the class since my last portfolio, Crossin' Walden on a Raft, while Reading with a Raven :

Evasion  on the last part of Clemens' The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

 "Trash of the Veriest sort" or the Great American Novel?  on Mallioux's "Bad-Boy Boom"

Disease on Foster chapter 24

More Agreement  on Scott's "There's More Honor: Reinterpreting Tom and the Evasion in Huckleberry Finn"

Agreed  on Smith's "Huck, Jim and American Racial Discourse"

Irony Trumps EVERYTHING  on Foster's chapter 26

Oral Tradition  on the John Henry legend

Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. Du Bois and Aaron MacGruder on Washington and Du Bois

A Farewell to Foster on the Envoi from Foster

Symbolism? on Baum's The Wizard of Oz