Imagination Challenge Numero Dos note new due date! Due Tuesday, April 15, 2014 in class, PG 153. All essays MUST incorporate research from at least TWO scholarly sources or they will not even be considered for an A-level grade!  (no, Wikipedia is NOT a “scholarly source”—nor is Spark Notes, for that matter) 1. Philip K. Dick and Haruki Murakami, discuss. 2. Dora and “Dora”! Find and read Sigmund Freud’s case history of Dora (Ida Bauer) and contrast it with the novelistic treatment we find in Lidia Yuknavitch’s novel.   3. Robotic EROTIC: explore the role of the almost human (facsimiles of the human) in Carlos Fuentes’ AURA and Rene Magritte’s paintings—do so with a focus on the erotic dimension of each artist’s work. 4. Murakami and Yuknavitch are trapped in an elevator.  What do they talk about? Incorporate research and direct quotes from KAFKA ON THE SHORE and DORA: A HEADCASE in your dialogue fantasy. 5. Alex Rivera’s SLEEP DEALER envisions a future dystopia—contrast Rivera’s vision of our imperfect future with that to be found in 'DO ANDROIDS... by Philip K. Dick or HER, by Spike Jonze. 6. Contrast Charles Dickens critique/depiction of education with that to be found in the pages of Haruki Murakami’s KAFKA ON THE SHORE. 7. Explore Murakami’s KAFKA ON THE SHORE deeply and author an essay that explores the connection between his novel and TWO of the classic works of literature he alludes to in the pages of his grand novel. 8. Both Haruki Murakami and Carlos Fuentes write fictions that explore the subterranean power of texts—of books, newspapers, poetry, and history.  Author a comparative essay focused on this aspect of the Japanese and Mexican writers’ works. 9. Film is Art; Art is Film: Author a study of the way that Rene Magritte and Alex Rivera play with POV and the frame in their painting and film. 10. Adapt the methodology found in TEX[T]-MEX to explore two works we have read this semester--one from before Spring Break, one from after. 11. Animals live at the heart of KAFKA ON THE SHORE and AURA, explore this choice by Murakami and Fuentes. 12. J.R. Isadore vs. Nakata—explore the role of ‘fools’ in contemporary fiction. 13. As a surrealist painter, Rene Magritte’s work is known for challenging pre-conditioned perceptions of reality. Often times, this surrealism branches into Magritte making metacommentary on the act of painting or the act of creating/viewing art. In a well-thought out essay, compare the meta elements of 1-3 Magritte paintings in Paquet’s book to the metafictive techniques from at least one other book/film from class. Below average essays will simply note the similarities and differences between the meta techniques, while above average essays will discuss the motivations and purposes behind them. 14. Design your own thesis incorporating at least ONE work that appears after Spring Break AND one other work you did NOT FOCUS ON in your first imagination challenge.  Proposals for this option must be typed and printed and brought to me to sign off on either before or after class, Tuesday, April 8, 2014—OR you can email it to me at any time at memo@sdsu.edu      Please make sure to author a well-crafted proposal that outlines the main focus of your proposed study.