Percy-L: Literary, Religious, Scientific, and Philosophical Discussion of Walker Percy

[Jim Wesson <gypsyjimmy1 AT yahoo.com>]

wonderful,
the only thing that could beter this,is that you were
an elem.ed. major,a thankless job if there ever was
one.
peace,
jim

--- "Karl M. Terrell" <kterrell AT sheastokes.com> wrote:

> * * This communication is CONFIDENTIAL * * 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I took an American literature intro class at your
> university/my alma
> mater, UNC-CH, in the late 70s (I was not an English
> major), and it was
> then and there that I was introduced to Percy.  We
> read the Moviegoer.
> I've been under his spell ever since, having read
> everything he has
> written, solely for pleasure.  
> 
> I don't pretend to know why I got turned on to this
> particular writer;
> I'm not the literary type, and don't analyze such
> things.  I just
> appreciate good writing, by a writer who has
> something to say, and
> peppers it along with wonderful observations about
> the planet and the
> people around us. 
> 
> Karl
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: mitchdl AT email.unc.edu
> [mailto:mitchdl AT email.unc.edu] 
> Sent: Thursday, May 11, 2006 10:43 AM
> To: percy-l AT lists.ibiblio.org
> Subject: Re: [percy-l] The Moviegoer
> 
> I just finished teaching The Moviegoer at the end of
> a Southern Lit
> class and was surprised at how well the students
> responded.  Granted,
> this was an upper-level course composed of English
> majors (and one
> sociology major!), so it's a different bag from an
> intro course.
> 
> I think there's less of a problem with TMG seeming
> dated now than there
> would have been in the eighties/nineties, for the
> simple reason that the
> references are absolutely meaningless to students
> now (William
> Holden??).  They take them purely as fictional names
> and judge the
> meaning by the context, instead of partially
> recognizing and depositing
> them in the 'fogey' bin.
> 
> The predicament, of course, is unchanged and worse
> now than ever.
> 
> Most surprising, though, was the response to Kate. 
> If any character
> might be said to be a bit overdrawn, it's Kate, but
> the students (all
> female) immediately recognized a familiar type. 
> This, I would say, is
> one path into TMG with these students.  It helps
> that mine tend to be
> notably less ideologically driven readers, so they
> don't get distracted
> with the "She's dependent on a man!" business.  They
> understand more
> about desperate times and desperate measures.
> 
> Since this is an intro class, however, TMG will
> leave many students
> flat.  So my recommendation would be to divide the
> class as the world is
> divided:  those who love Percy (TWLP) and those who
> hate Percy (TWHP),
> or sheep and goats. Take the class outside and let
> the TWHPers loll
> about on the grass with their Ipods while the TWLPs
> palpitate their
> frontal lobes and gaze ironically at the former
> group.
> 
> All the best,
> 
> Doug
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Quoting "Beck,  David A" <dabeck AT iupui.edu>:
> 
> > Friends,
> > A few weeks (months?) ago, someone posted a
> message about the success 
> > of teaching The Moviegoer to a high school class.
> (I'm thinking it was
> > Rhonda.) But the email encouraged me to try it
> once again, in my Intro
> 
> > to Lit class this summer. Most of the class will
> be bright-faced, 
> > eager to learn, college freshman--well, college
> freshman anyway.
> > The Moviegoer is one of my favorites, but it's
> also one that I've 
> > never taught successfully. Most thought it was too
> weird (I 
> > interpreted that as being too dated--replace Tony
> Curtis with Tom 
> > Cruise, etc.) But if high schoolers got it, then
> maybe it is the way
> I've been teaching it.
> > Lancelot has always gone over well in my 200-level
> lit classes. And 
> > Love in the Ruins also works pretty well, though
> it's a little too 
> > long. But TMG is such a great book that I thought
> I needed to give it 
> > one more try. I'm re-reading it now and am really
> enjoying it again.
> > So my question is (to the list and to Rhonda, if
> she is the one who 
> > posted the email): What is a good way of
> presenting this novel that is
> 
> > dated (in its references) but is as timely now (if
> not more so) than 
> > ever to college freshman?
> > Any help will be much appreciated. The class
> doesn't begin until 6/26.
> > Thanks.
> > -David
> >
> >
> > --
> > An archive of all list discussion is available at 
> > https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/percy-l/
> >
> > Visit the Walker Percy Project at
> http://www.ibiblio.org/wpercy
> >
> 
> 
> --
> An archive of all list discussion is available at
> https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/percy-l/
> 
> Visit the Walker Percy Project at
> http://www.ibiblio.org/wpercy
>  
>  
>
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> An archive of all list discussion is available at
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> 
> Visit the Walker Percy Project at
> http://www.ibiblio.org/wpercy
> 


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