{"id":24,"date":"2019-12-12T00:21:47","date_gmt":"2019-12-12T00:21:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-jefferson-english102\/chapter\/experiencing-literature-american-literature-i\/"},"modified":"2019-12-13T16:34:56","modified_gmt":"2019-12-13T16:34:56","slug":"experiencing-literature-american-literature-i","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-jefferson-english102\/chapter\/experiencing-literature-american-literature-i\/","title":{"raw":"Experiencing Literature","rendered":"Experiencing Literature"},"content":{"raw":"
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Terms and Concepts<\/b><\/h3>\r\n

Students of literature read and notice things.\u00a0 They also need a working vocabulary of literary terms. Luckily (for me), you already know a few dozen literary terms. I\u2019ll expect you to use these. In addition, I want to introduce you to a few less- familiar topics (e.g., subversion, irony, and stereotyping). You can find out about these terms\u2013and more\u2013in the following lectures.<\/p>\r\n

As we go on, you\u2019ll become more familiar with how different authors use irony, subversion, etc., in order to achieve certain effects.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Paradox<\/b><\/h3>\r\n

No, it\u2019s not a pair of ducks! Paradox is a seeming contradiction. It is an intricate device that gets readers to think. Paradox is often linked with irony.<\/p>\r\n

Native American authors often deal with the paradoxes of white treatment of Indians. There\u2019s a lot of history there. What I want you to do is to notice when paradoxes appear, and alert us to them. We can interpret them after the class notices them. Check out the list below for just some of the paradoxical issues in Native American writers treat:<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Binaries<\/b><\/h3>\r\n

Binaries are pairs of choices, like the \u201cones\u201d and \u201czeros\u201d making up the information on cds. They offer a way of reducing things. Think about the either\/or choices consumers are faced with. Authors can\u2019t leave these binaries alone. . . they like to play with easy choices, showing how artificial they are. As I\u2019ll say elsewhere, we don\u2019t live in a simple world. It\u2019s not all \u201cPepsi or Coke,\u201d and authors like to challenge binaries.<\/p>\r\n

Think about other examples of paradox you encounter. Be willing to share these.<\/p>\r\n

General Stuff<\/b><\/p>\r\n

If you get stuck interpreting, look for setting and conflict. You can always talk about those, and then get into more complex areas of the piece from these.<\/p>\r\n

Binaries (otherwise known as polar oppositions or polar opposites) can be found in Native American literature. Here are some that I thought of quickly. What ones can you find?<\/p>\r\n\r\n

vs.<\/b><\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Past<\/td>\r\nPresent<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Victimization<\/td>\r\nTriumph<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Richness (spiritual, physical)<\/td>\r\nPoverty<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Being \u201ca Mohawk,\u201d \u201ca Paiute,\u201d \u201ca Lakota,\u201d etc.<\/td>\r\n\u201cIndian\u201d in general<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n

Paradoxical Binaries Treated by Native American Authors <\/b><\/p>\r\nNow look at what some Native authors do with seemingly simple binaries. You might find stories in which characters are:<\/b>\r\n