She then generates a list of “sugges- tions,” which consists of changes, additions, and cuts she might make.
This is an intriguing form of workshop. For those not confident in their work, I could see this being quite helpful. Sometimes it's hard to come up with suggestions for a piece of work when you haven't authored it, so this can be a helpful way to get others' opinions on your direction.
Questions in this kind of workshop require a lot of prepa- ration, so that workshoppers understand and believe in the kind of questions that do not couch opinion.
I can see this being quite difficult, especially in the beginning. I don't think I would personally find this entirely helpful, because while I can answer a question, it only gives me a glimpse into one's interpretation.
tended audience, and any craft decisions she made while writing and revising the manuscript.
My initial reaction to this, after seeing the next point, is that the workshop might be "biased" in a sense from knowing the intentions. I can see it being helpful on a contextual basis, of course, being able to tell them where they do certain things well for the intended goals. But on the other hand, is the intention in the end to be able to convey these things without needed the author's intentions to begin with?
bservations (what Lerman calls “Statements of Meaning”)
I can see this being quite helpful. The value of workshops comes from the multiple prospective analyzing your work, and to see how people interpreted your work is vital in understanding if you're getting what you want.
turns herself to object most often when speaking of her- self as a girl but
I can see this from a sociological standpoint as well, in the concept of "doing gender". This idea is that we take certain actions to fit into our conception of "doing our gender". When I read that, it made me think of that. That it would not make her look weirdly dressed, but rather the role she is playing.
Why not wander a bit, look about, pause —plenty of time to carry on.
It's like savoring food, in a sense. There is deliberate enjoyment in the process itself, not the ending.
Less far-flung: songlines, stories told by Aboriginal people walk- ing their country, stories rooted in landscape. The beats of poetic meter were first the beats of feet, the link between cho- rus and choreography.
This makes me think of how verbally transmitted stories change over time. The form is inherently meandering in nature, as the memory fades, or interpretation molds into something new.
Then there’s her father’s name, Holland—unusual in those parts, we’re told so that we’ll pay attention. Holland is another name for the Netherlands,
I adore the usage of names as literary devices, dropping brief hints to their purpose. It makes me wonder if all of their names are touched on in the way the wanderer touches on the names of the eucalyptus.
It was only after hed woken up and lain in bed awhile, wondering whether he’d look out the window or instead ignore the world outside and step into the closet, that he finally decided to get up. I
As someone who took German, I can attest to how seriously complicated this sentence would be in German. His next point about German sentences being like this is entirely true. For example: Ich will rot blumen gegeben. Or, I want to be given red flowers. If translated as literally as possible, this would read as "I want red flowers to be given."
Well. Is this how I experience sex? It is not. The critic Susan Winnett says, “Meanings generated through dynamic relations of beginnings, middles, and ends in traditional narrative and traditional narratology never seem to accrue directly to the account of the woman.”
This is a strikingly good point. The climax of a story is traditionally seen as the "solution" to whatever problem or situation has set action in motion. To liken this to sexual pleasure is to completely ignore that sex is not experienced the same by everyone, and disproportionately ignores the reality of women (in which there are studies that have found a majority of heterosexual women do not "climax" during sex). What happens to the narrative if it is a woman, in this sense?
e might develop another layer of vision, too, growing aware of elements that give the story structure: a late scene might mirror an earlier one, creating a sense of symmetry,
Not only through the present narrative, but as you read more, you can find patterns between other books, media, and even real life. Not too long ago, I finished reading Animal Farm. A few days after which, I heard someone on the news saying how a government official was telling citizens to "not believe what they see or hear", similar to how they do in Animal Farm. This is part of what makes literature so powerful.
Looking closely, we see each word as a picture: the part of our brain that recog- nizes words has a twin that recognizes faces, and if we never learned to read, both parts would focus on faces.
This is a good point to begin with. For my Women's Literature class, I recently was assigned to read an essay that I only barely grasped. My head hurt from trying to piece together what the incredibly intellectual author was saying. There were several passages I had to reread out loud. Which brings up the point of how interesting it is that rereading something, especially out loud, can help us "see" what the author wants us to see, or at least our interpretation of it.
The publication informa-tion tells you when the selection was published and in what book ormagazine it appeared. This information gives you insights about theintended audience and the historical context
I think assessment of the reputation of the publisher is vital here as well, not just with the author. This can provide context on what kinds of work the publisher typically endorses.
you’ll find out something about his or her reputation and au-thority to write on the subject of the piece
This is crucial and aids in the idea of developing critical thinking skills. It's something a lot of people forget when it comes to research articles, but it's relevant to. Being able to thoroughly assess the position of an author and any conflicts of interests they may have that might influence said opinion important when weighing their thoughts,
t’s helpful, forexample, to get a context for the reading:
I can certainly attest to this. I'm currently in Intro to Women's Literature, and we read a sample of poems from different points and places in history. When reading them, I was completely lost at points, as valuable context about what environment the authors lived in was largely missing. When the authors referred to names and locations, I had no idea what it was supposed to mean, as I had no context.
sharpen your criti-cal thinking skills
This is a valuable point to add. Writing is built on logic and validity, whether it be grammatical correctness (according to whatever dominant idea of language there is), the structure of an essay, or the way you introduce arguments.
There are three ways you can connect with a Consultant: Online (a real-time,video conversation), eTutoring (email feedback), and in person. To learn more
I had no idea that they offered online and email feedback! This was genuinely helpful information, as I've always felt somewhat nervous to go to the writing center. Thank you for including this!
Instructor John
Would you prefer that we refer to you as Instructor John, or is this just used as an example?
This includes writing generated using AI,including ChatGPT, Claude, Grammarly, Prezi, or any other “artificialintelligence” platform or LLM.
It saddens me that this is something that has to be stated, in a writing class of all things. I can understand the reasoning and rationalization some would use, but in a course like this, it only hinders you to use AI. It's also disrespectful to your professor and peers.
As long as work has been submi[ed that fulfills all of the requirements of the assignment, workwill receive at least a B grade. Work which demonstrates higher quality and/or demonstratesrisk-taking in considering or implemen4ng new ideas will be awarded an A.
Honestly, I really appreciate this set of expectations being laid out to begin. Some of my professors have been quite vague in their grading policy, or refuse to give anyone a 100% because "nobody can be perfect." In an English class of all things, when it's such an subjective territory, this is very considerate of you.