literally backing up a bit in a quest for the truth

These are some class notes from November 16th - our last class meeting before we began the group presentations. I can't get as detailed as I usually do b/c this was 2 weeks ago and some of my notations "literally" no longer make sense.

Frye Chapter 24 -

P 244 - from the descriptive intention the truth emerges
Harvey (one of my personal faves) and Alice in Wonderland have a change of verbal structure (talking to rabbits) but the truth emerges

Nabokov first translated "Alice" into Russian - he also invented the first crossword puzzle

Aritstotle said that poets are always telling The Truth; historians tell the truth, which led to John's observation that the poet Richard Hugo (Degrees of Gray in Philipsburg) said, "academic writers want to be right; poets want to be honest."

Frye 245 - story and history were the same word, but they split into "fancy" and "truth" "Literacy" is a sensitivity to the meanings and usage of language. Frye says that the Bible is "literally true" but every sentence has been redacted/edited and he (Frye) doesn't agree with Bloom that the Bible has a distinct voice. The Bible literally means just what it says, and a "literal" reading of the Bible is to take it at face value.

I have to laugh at the use of the word "literal" - I remember at the beginning of the semester Dr. Sexson warned us against using the term, ie "I literally died when he said that." Now, here we are at the near end of the semester, and it's peppering our lecture and my blog. So, English 211, like the Bible, has a U shape and we have been "literally" restored.

Pictures from Group #4

Here's a couple of pics from Group #4's Book of Ruth presentation. I took more pics, including Group 6, but they didn't come out. I was nervous about our presentation and I think my shaky fingers were hitting the wrong buttons, but these 2 are precious . . . in my humble opinion.

Test #2

Hope this helps everyone. Some of these won't make much sense if you weren't in class, but I hope you'll get the gist.

Hagiography - holy writing, those writings about someone that only reveal their saintly nature and leave out everything else

Kairos (similar to epiphany) - decisive moment of time that obliterates time (Frye)

Kerygma - proclamation of what one must do to be saved - every single sentence in the NT is kerygmatic in relation to the other sentences (it's all a matter of context)

Frye- the sermon on the mount is a positive version of the Decalogue - 10 Commandments

In the Book of Job, Satan is the accuser within a judicial process, rather than the judge/devil

An attack on the structures of your expectations is a parable

Job is not being punished; he is being tested

Sexson says that the 3 greatest tragedies are Brothers K, King Lear and Job because they all contain theodicy - the questioning of the justice of God

God's reply to Job? He doesn't reply - he demonstrates his power & asks Job, "Who are you?"

Define epiphany - sudden manifestation of God - God's appearing to Moses (burning bush) and Job (whirlwind) are both epiphanies

Define sublime - a mixture of the awesome and awful, that which is terrifying (or horrifying) and beautiful - the Grand Canyon is a good example

Enthusiasm - entheos - possessed by the gods

Opening of Ecclesiastes? "Vanity of vanities . . . all is vanity"

Hebel: translation of word vanity - vapor, mist or fog - prevents you from seeing

T/F Jesus individualizes the book of Exodus - TRUE - the story of Jesus is standing for the book of Exodus

Fill in blank - The Lord (giveth) and the Lord (taketh away)

T/F (in this class) Job is a model of patience FALSE - look at main body of story, NOT prologue and epilogue

Apocalypse - the removal of the veil so one may see

Frye's stages of the Bible - refer to first test

There will be a question re. parataxsis (breathless way of connecting events using "and")

(Slave) What is Wanda's name changed to? Sarah Why? all converts to Judaism are named Sarah - daughter of Abraham

Moses, David and Jesus are archetypal heroes

A couple of questions re. mystery religions - event in Mark 14 suggests Christianity was originally a mystery religion and Demeter and Persephone were central figures in Eleusinian mystery religion

Eschatology - doctrine of the last things, the end of the world - this issue underwrites nearly every chapter of the NT

Biographies - (Frye) question related to Gospels

Maria was born in Whitefish, MT, November 17, 1981 to Robert and Nancy - this is part of her archetype. An archetype is the transcendent meaning and a signature is the specific historical example, so Maria is the signature - Tat tvam asi "that thou art" - you're it

Taking the ordinary and making it into a holy history is heilsgeschichte

Which book does "fool" come from? Book of Proverbs

According to Erica, according to Bloom, who is J's last great character? Moses

Which natural image occurs @ the beginning and the end of the Bible? water