_The Unbearable Lightness of Being_Day Two: Soul and Body

In today's class, we explored the narrator's philosophical framing of the novel between Nietzsche, Parmenides, and Beethoven; chance, fate, and eternal recurrence; lightness and weight; emotional non-attachment and the ethical burden of the Other.

We also began to discuss eternal recurrence as a philosophical idea and as a structural principle of the novel...which brought us to the motif. Since tomorrow you'll be meeting for the first time in your motif groups, try creatively reappropriating tonight's blog entry to send messages to the other members of your "secret brotherhood" of the book (to borrow a turn-of-phrase from Kundera). Otherwise just use your question as usual.

Those of you who are doing a critical literature presentation or leading the class discussion are exempted from posting a regular discussion question tonight. If you can, please tell us what themes or passages to concentrate on for tomorrow's class conversation.

_The Unbearable Lightness of Being_

Milan Kundera's novel is self-consciously constructed according to the presence of motifs, so feel free to start tracking some of them in Book 1, as we will do in groups for the rest of the session. Otherwise post discussion questions as usual. This book is rich not just in motifs but in metaphors and literary allusions, as well as ideas about art, history, and life. Enjoy!

_Angels in America_ Day Two (Act Three)

Tomorrow we're going to turn back to the big questions with a special emphasis on History. Post your own big (or not-so-big) questions below.

_Angels in America_ Day One

In _Millenium Approaches_, the first half of his two-part dramatic epic _Angels in America_, Tony Kushner poses what Russian thinkers have called "the accursed questions"--those big philosophical questions about the role of the nation, man's place in society, the social function of art, and so on. We will consider these accursed questions and the others you pose below in Tuesday's class. Those of you who are doing a critical literature presentation or leading the class discussion are exempted from posting tonight.

Last Day of _The Bell Jar_

For the last day of _The Bell Jar_ , we will be taking up the themes of birth, rebirth and death, especially in light of "the baby" that appears on p. 3 only to disappear for the rest of the novel. We will ask about Joan, writing, and, finally, we will consider the question at the center of the novel: Is Esther "crazy"?

Post your discussion questions below.

Discussion Questions for Day Three of _The Bell Jar_

We'll be focusing on the theme of doubles tomorrow, both in terms of the Esther's internal doubling and the external doubles available to her as a Cold War woman.

Discussion Questions for Day Two of _The Bell Jar_

Let's keep today's guiding questions on Cold War womanhood in mind. Consider the life paths open to a young (white) woman in early-1950s America. What adult examples are available to Esther as she envisions (or is forced to envision) a future for herself? How do gendered expectations shape not just her personal plans but also her relationships with men (like Lenny, Buddy, her father, et al.)? Please post a question of your own to consider from tonight's reading.

Shout out to our resident expert on Soviet pseudo-cacti (Dennis Lui) for gently tugging my virtual sleeve to set up a posting spot for CWGH tonight. Rest assured, this means your papers are being carefully graded in a timely fashion in Internet-free undistractability.