8/10/2019 A presentation teaching the American Novel to Undergrads

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Week 7:Writing Essays, Sleeping Big, and

Eyeing Blues1) Questions from lecture?

2) Passive Voice

3) Essay Writing Questions?

4) The Big Sleep Responses

5) The Bluest Eye

8/10/2019 A presentation teaching the American Novel to Undergrads

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In critical readings of The Big Sleep , Phillip Marlowe can be seen as a

hardboiled figure, because of how he is disconnected from his very maleemotions , and is responding by hiding this emotions. He is distanced from theemotional impact of the very shocking events that are occurring in the novel and isdisplayed as having disproportionately unemotional reactions to the majorlyemotional events that occur in the novel. As Marlowe is operating as thehardboiled masculine figure, then he is paired with Carmen, who is a typical femalecharacter. While Marlowe is typically masculine, Carmine is depicted as typicallyfeminine. She is provided with an excess of emotions. Yet it is not that Carmen is ahysteric while Marlowe is a figure for reason. Rather, it is that Marlowe isprojecting his emotions on to the landscape, onto the environment, onto the

atmosphere, and also on to other characters. In this way, Marlowe and Carmenare compliments of one another. We are given the narrative throughMarlowes eyes, it is not that Carmen is less emotional than Marlowe but that sheis being depicted that way The novel shows that male emotions and thoughts areexternalized and that they are shifted onto the environment and objects, ratherthan occuring within the interior of the selfbelonging to men, women are seen ashaving irrational feelings and acting on them, and the novel condemns them forthat.. I am arguing that The Big Sleep is systematically categorizingwomens decisions as demonic because they are based on emotions and feelings,while it is authorizing male decisions that are based on the same things. In thisway, a asymmetry between the condemnation of feelins is being set up, along thelines of gender. Thus, women are systematically prohibited from being allowed toauthor their actions based on a form of reason that men are praised for.

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Close reading: Moving fromobservation Interpretation ClaimBut was it really like that? As painful as I remember? Only

mildly. Or rather, it was a productive and fructifying pain.Love, thick and dark as Alaga syrup, eased up into thatcracked window. I could smell it taste it sweet, musty,with an edge of wintergreen in its base everywhere inthat house. It stuck, along with my tongue, to the frostedwindowpanes. It coated by chest, along with the salve, andwhen the flannel came undone in my sleep, the clear, sharpcurves of air outlined its presence on my throat. And in thenight, when my coughing was dry and tough, feet paddedinto the room, hands repinned the flannel, readjusted thequilt, and rested a moment on my forehead. So when Ithink of autumn, I think of somebody with hands who doesnot want me to die (12).

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