Naked EYE/I | Imagination Festival

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Engl 220 The Naked EYE/I \| Spring 2012 \| W. Nericcio & Company
IMAGINATION FESTIVAL NUMBER ONE urgent issues? email: memo@sdsu.edu \| phone: 619.594.1524 Elegant, eclectic, and clever (not to mention an American original when it comes to writing), Gore Vidal reminds young writers that a peek into the fabulous history of the word essay, an etymological poke into the labyrinth of essay's past, reveals other words you might not have expected to run across: "trying," "testing," and "rehears[ing]." You see most people think of an essay as a finished product--a dull, lifeless, inert textual body with a static introduction, an "ABCD" body, and a clear lets-tie-up-all-the-pieces conclusion. You will not write this kind of essay, opting instead to produce something that is less product and more process, less finished, museum-bound artifact, and more beautiful symphony. Allow the OED, the Oxford English Dictionary to show you the "guts," the DNA of the term "essay," with its Jeckyll/Hyde twin, "assay": [a. OF. essai, essay: see ASSAY n. For several of the senses see also SAY. In 18th c. the accent. was sometimes on the 2nd syll.] I. The action or process of trying or testing. 1. A trial, testing, proof; experiment; = ASSAY n. 1, 3. Obs. c1600 SHAKES. Sonn. cx, Worse essays proved thee my best of love. 1605 BACON Adv. Learn. II. vii. §7 Democritus..attributed the form thereof [of the ‘frame of things’] able to maintain itself to infinite essaies or proofs of nature. 1631 HEYLIN St. George 247, I will make bold to venture on it, by way of tryall and essay. 1648 Eikon Bas. 26 It was the first overt Essay to be made, how patiently I could bear the loss of my kingdoms. 1660 SHARROCK Vegetables Ep. Ded., You were pleased to judge me able, and..to propose..that I should make an essay of that ability. 1704 ADDISON Italy (1733) 195 After having made Essays into it, as they do for Coal in England. 1745 De Foe's Eng. Tradesman I. xii. 98 He has made an essay by which he knows what he can, and cannot do. 1812 J. HENRY Camp. agst. Quebec 28 From the essays made, it seemed to me that, etc. b. spec. The trial of metals; = ASSAY 6. Obs. So, for the purposes of this writing/research challenge, I am asking for you to return to the origins of the essay. Your mandated task is to make a sincere attempt (a trying, a testing, a rehearsing) to produce a set of ordered reflections, a group of carefully arranged tasty words that respond in some way to the novels, films, art, cultural criticism, and lectures you have worked through and will continue to work through in the coming weeks. Are you writing for your professor and your talented team of GTAs? In a way, of course you are. But in order to do well on this assignment, you must forget about your peculiar guide--the only people who count are the readers you write for: the audience for your paper. Who are they? Well, they are a lot like you. They are impatient and easily bored. They like specific details; they love direct, succinct quotes woven carefully into the fabric of an essay. If you are going to write about an image, they want to see a xeroxed reproduction of that image properly captioned and carefully catalogued in your list of works cited. They hate misspellings and passive verbs. They like tangy language which is fresh and not filled with predictable clichés. Specifications, you ask? Here they are: Your essays will run anywhere from 3 to 5 pages (tops). At the top of the first page, above your title, you will write out the prompt to which you are responding. Your essay will be cleverly titled, double-spaced, have 1-inch margins top and sides and be carefully proofread; additionally, it will be chock-full of active verbs and, in general, have syntactic variety so as to avoid the dangers of the IS VIRUS; use MLA or University of Chicago-style works cited pages. Your works of genius are due Thursday, October 18, 2012 in class--you will walk into class on time and drop your paper into the decorated receptacle that corresponds to your specific section (there will be one other bag with my name on it as well). Late papers will not be accepted. Early papers, in most cases, will be cherished lovingly. All A-level critical speculations will integrate carefully selected direct quotations from the primary texts and will avoid ALL of the quicksand-like bad habits noted here on the gradesheet to your right--click it to make it readable. gradesheet. High A-level works will makes use of secondary research discovered either by prowling the stacks, the shelves of books that fill Love Library, aka the Library of Love, or that you can gather off of JSTOR or PROJECT MUSE--be sure to CITE THESE WORKS CAREFULLY... One last bit of advice, do NOT plagiarize ANY material from the internet; unCITED material = PLAGIARISM; also, if you are going to "quote" a passage from an illustrated text, go to the bother of xeroxing the image and incorporating it INTO your essay. Last hint? Have a blast with this paper! Try things you have NEVER tried before! Test the limits of your imagination! Especially for graduating seniors: put everything you know on and between the lines of your big scary imagination blow-out! Good luck: with your talents, you may not need it! Choose ONE of the following prompts... 1. Sabotaging Conventions Both Frida Kahlo and Michael Powell break conventions to create their art. Would either of these artists have been as remarkable if they had not deviated from the standard? Explore particular aspects each of these artists employed that either worked especially well in the creation of an amazing end product or hindered readers/viewers' larger appreciation of their work. 2. Alienation, Alienation What is the function of alienation in art? To what extent do Franz Kafka and Orson Welles alienate their audiences, and for what purpose? Examine the technical strategies both artists use and note the similarities/differences in their approach. 3.The Old Switcheroo Adapt ideas from the TOUCH OF EVIL chapter of Tex[t]-Mex but apply them NOT to Orson Welles's TOUCH OF EVIL, but to Michael Powell's PEEPING TOM 4. Freud on the run Take any essay from the Freud collection, THE UNCANNY, and use his work as a tool to decipher the complexities of Kafka and Orson Welles. 5. Literary Criticism Contrast the psychological narrative techniques of Kafka and Hoffman in "The Metamorphosis" and "The Sand-Man." Be sure to incorporate at least one piece of literary criticism as a resource for each of the works. There are great FREE resources online provided by the SDSU Library: PROJECT MUSE and JSTOR. 6. Film and Literature Using specific references to film techniques used in TOUCH OF EVIL and PEEPING TOM, discuss how Michael Powell and Orson Welles would differ in adapting Kafka's "The Metamorphosis." 7. More Freud (with Frida) Read the first three Freud essays included in the collection THE UNCANNY--adapt Freudian theoretical moves as you execute close analyses of at least three of Frida Kahlo's paintings. 8. Oscar Wilde and Michael Powell Both THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY and PEEPING TOM can be thought of as nuanced meditations on the relationship between psychology and representation, the psyche and narcissism; in a nuanced, carefully crafted essay, explore the overlaps and conflicts between the writing of Wilde and the cinema of Powell. 9. John Berger on Zarate and Crumb Using the writings of John Berger et al, (see assignment for October 4, 2012 in you day to day calendar), contrast the strategies of Oscar Zarate and Robert Crumb when it comes to adapting Freud/Kafka 10. Kafka, Meet Wilde; Wilde, Meet Kafka Establish a connection between the fiction of Franz Kafka and Oscar Wilde and explore these links in a cogent, well-crafted essay. 11. ENOUGH ALREADY with the Naked Eye/I While "The Naked Eye/I" is a catchy enough name for our English 220 seminar, a careful reading of the texts we have surveyed in class thus far this semester would be equally well-served if we had entitled this class _______________________. Write an essay using close reading and specific examples (word and image) to make the case for a different way of thematically organizing this class. 12. The Scene of the Crime Choose a still image from Peeping Tom and compare / contrast it with Kahlo's "A Few Small Nips." Which murder scene is more horrifying to you, and why (note that A-level essays will include sources/research that speak to the compexities of murder and its representation)? Is Kahlo's proto-self-mutilation via canvas easier or more difficult to accept than Mark Lewis' mutilation of others? Is Kahlo more similar to Mark Lewis or to Michael Powell, the director of Peeping Tom? In what ways? Use any or all of the following terms: doppelgänger, mannequin, monster, displacement, projection, self, other, observer, observed. 13. Kafka's Watchful Eye in the Sky Watching and being watched is no longer simply a literary tool, but a part of our everyday lives. According to the Association of Chief Police Officers, there are 1.85 million closed-circuit TV cameras in the United Kingdom. As of 2005, the New York Civil Liberties Union counted 4468 surveillance cameras in NYC. In what ways does being observed constrain Gregor Samsa? In what ways does it liberate him? Would his actions have been different if he were not being so closely observed? Use specific details from the text to support your claim. 14. Women on the Mind 1. Compare and contrast Frida Kahlo's treatment of/views on women with those to be found in the work of Sigmund Freud--you are not limited to Freud's writings in THE UNCANNY collection; you can also look up specific pieces on women in the Collected Works, edited by James Strachey. 2. Detail if and how Kafka's treatment of sexuality in the Metamorphoses differs from "normative" concepts of straight male sexuality today 15. Determining/Exploring Male Sexuality Detail if and how Franz Kafka's treatment of sexuality in "The Metamorphoses" differs from "normative" concepts of straight male sexuality today--you will want to research recent journal articles concerning the construction of male sexuality. 16. Roll your own... Develop and refine your OWN independent thesis; you MUST bring your proposal to me by Thursday, October 11nth, in class (typed, please). You are also welcome to run it by me in person during office hours or by appointment--ON or BEFORE Thursday, October 11, 2012. Have fun! Write unto others as you would have them write for thee!

Elegant, eclectic, and clever (not to mention an American original when it comes to writing), Gore Vidal reminds young writers that a peek into the fabulous history of the word essay, an etymological poke into the labyrinth of essay's past, reveals other words you might not have expected to run across: "trying," "testing," and "rehears[ing]." You see most people think of an essay as a finished product--a dull, lifeless, inert textual body with a static introduction, an "ABCD" body, and a clear lets-tie-up-all-the-pieces conclusion.

You will not write this kind of essay, opting instead to produce something that is less product and more process, less finished, museum-bound artifact, and more beautiful symphony. Allow the OED, the Oxford English Dictionary to show you the "guts," the DNA of the term "essay," with its Jeckyll/Hyde twin, "assay":

[a. OF. essai, essay: see ASSAY n. For several of the senses see also SAY.
In 18th c. the accent. was sometimes on the 2nd syll.]

    I. The action or process of trying or testing.

    1. A trial, testing, proof; experiment; = ASSAY n. 1, 3. Obs.

c1600 SHAKES. Sonn. cx, Worse essays proved thee my best of love. 1605 BACON Adv. Learn. II. vii. §7 Democritus..attributed the form thereof [of the ‘frame of things’] able to maintain itself to infinite essaies or proofs of nature. 1631 HEYLIN St. George 247, I will make bold to venture on it, by way of tryall and essay. 1648 Eikon Bas. 26 It was the first overt Essay to be made, how patiently I could bear the loss of my kingdoms. 1660 SHARROCK Vegetables Ep. Ded., You were pleased to judge me able, and..to propose..that I should make an essay of that ability. 1704 ADDISON Italy (1733) 195 After having made Essays into it, as they do for Coal in England. 1745 De Foe's Eng. Tradesman I. xii. 98 He has made an essay by which he knows what he can, and cannot do. 1812 J. HENRY Camp. agst. Quebec 28 From the essays made, it seemed to me that, etc.
    b. spec. The trial of metals; = ASSAY 6. Obs.

So, for the purposes of this writing/research challenge, I am asking for you to return to the origins of the essay. Your mandated task is to make a sincere attempt (a trying, a testing, a rehearsing) to produce a set of ordered reflections, a group of carefully arranged tasty words that respond in some way to the novels, films, art, cultural criticism, and lectures you have worked through and will continue to work through in the coming weeks.

Are you writing for your professor and your talented team of GTAs? In a way, of course you are. But in order to do well on this assignment, you must forget about your peculiar guide--the only people who count are the readers you write for: the audience for your paper.

They are impatient and easily bored. They like specific details; they love direct, succinct quotes woven carefully into the fabric of an essay. If you are going to write about an image, they want to see a xeroxed reproduction of that image properly captioned and carefully catalogued in your list of works cited. They hate misspellings and passive verbs. They like tangy language which is fresh and not filled with predictable clichés.

Your essays will run anywhere from 3 to 5 pages (tops). At the top of the first page, above your title, you will write out the prompt to which you are responding. Your essay will be cleverly titled, double-spaced, have 1-inch margins top and sides and be carefully proofread; additionally, it will be chock-full of active verbs and, in general, have syntactic variety so as to avoid the dangers of the IS VIRUS; use MLA or University of Chicago-style works cited pages. Your works of genius are due Thursday, October 18, 2012 in class--you will walk into class on time and drop your paper into the decorated receptacle that corresponds to your specific section (there will be one other bag with my name on it as well).

Late papers will not be accepted. Early papers, in most cases, will be cherished lovingly.

All A-level critical speculations will integrate carefully selected direct quotations from the primary texts and will avoid ALL of the quicksand-like bad habits noted here on the gradesheet to your right--click it to make it readable. gradesheet. High A-level works will makes use of secondary research discovered either by prowling the stacks, the shelves of books that fill Love Library, aka the Library of Love, or that you can gather off of JSTOR or PROJECT MUSE--be sure to CITE THESE WORKS CAREFULLY...

One last bit of advice, do NOT plagiarize ANY material from the internet; unCITED material = PLAGIARISM; also, if you are going to "quote" a passage from an illustrated text, go to the bother of xeroxing the image and incorporating it INTO your essay.

Last hint? Have a blast with this paper! Try things you have NEVER tried before! Test the limits of your imagination! Especially for graduating seniors: put everything you know on and between the lines of your big scary imagination blow-out! Good luck: with your talents, you may not need it!

Both Frida Kahlo and Michael Powell break conventions to create their art. Would either of these artists have been as remarkable if they had not deviated from the standard? Explore particular aspects each of these artists employed that either worked especially well in the creation of an amazing end product or hindered readers/viewers' larger appreciation of their work.

What is the function of alienation in art? To what extent do Franz Kafka and Orson Welles alienate their audiences, and for what purpose? Examine the technical strategies both artists use and note the similarities/differences in their approach.

Adapt ideas from the TOUCH OF EVIL chapter of Tex[t]-Mex but apply them NOT to Orson Welles's TOUCH OF EVIL, but to Michael Powell's PEEPING TOM

Take any essay from the Freud collection, THE UNCANNY, and use his work as a tool to decipher the complexities of Kafka and Orson Welles.

Contrast the psychological narrative techniques of Kafka and Hoffman in "The Metamorphosis" and "The Sand-Man." Be sure to incorporate at least one piece of literary criticism as a resource for each of the works. There are great FREE resources online provided by the SDSU Library: PROJECT MUSE and JSTOR.

Using specific references to film techniques used in TOUCH OF EVIL and PEEPING TOM, discuss how Michael Powell and Orson Welles would differ in adapting Kafka's "The Metamorphosis."

Read the first three Freud essays included in the collection THE UNCANNY--adapt Freudian theoretical moves as you execute close analyses of at least three of Frida Kahlo's paintings.

Both THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY and PEEPING TOM can be thought of as nuanced meditations on the relationship between psychology and representation, the psyche and narcissism; in a nuanced, carefully crafted essay, explore the overlaps and conflicts between the writing of Wilde and the cinema of Powell.

Using the writings of John Berger et al, (see assignment for October 4, 2012 in you day to day calendar), contrast the strategies of Oscar Zarate and Robert Crumb when it comes to adapting Freud/Kafka

Establish a connection between the fiction of Franz Kafka and Oscar Wilde and explore these links in a cogent, well-crafted essay.

While "The Naked Eye/I" is a catchy enough name for our English 220 seminar, a careful reading of the texts we have surveyed in class thus far this semester would be equally well-served if we had entitled this class _______________________. Write an essay using close reading and specific examples (word and image) to make the case for a different way of thematically organizing this class.

Choose a still image from Peeping Tom and compare / contrast it with Kahlo's "A Few Small Nips." Which murder scene is more horrifying to you, and why (note that A-level essays will include sources/research that speak to the compexities of murder and its representation)? Is Kahlo's proto-self-mutilation via canvas easier or more difficult to accept than Mark Lewis' mutilation of others? Is Kahlo more similar to Mark Lewis or to Michael Powell, the director of Peeping Tom? In what ways? Use any or all of the following terms: doppelgänger, mannequin, monster, displacement, projection, self, other, observer, observed.

Watching and being watched is no longer simply a literary tool, but a part of our everyday lives. According to the Association of Chief Police Officers, there are 1.85 million closed-circuit TV cameras in the United Kingdom.
As of 2005, the New York Civil Liberties Union counted 4468 surveillance cameras in NYC. In what ways does being observed constrain Gregor Samsa? In what ways does it liberate him? Would his actions have been different if he were not being so closely observed? Use specific details from the text to support your claim.

1. Compare and contrast Frida Kahlo's treatment of/views on women with those to be found in the work of Sigmund Freud--you are not limited to Freud's writings in THE UNCANNY collection; you can also look up specific pieces on women in the Collected Works, edited by James Strachey.
2. Detail if and how Kafka's treatment of sexuality in the Metamorphoses differs from "normative" concepts of straight male sexuality today

Detail if and how Franz Kafka's treatment of sexuality in "The Metamorphoses" differs from "normative" concepts of straight male sexuality today--you will want to research recent journal articles concerning the construction of male sexuality.

Develop and refine your OWN independent thesis; you MUST bring your proposal to me by Thursday, October 11nth, in class (typed, please). You are also welcome to run it by me in person during office hours or by appointment--ON or BEFORE Thursday, October 11, 2012.