Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Faulkner

Lecture Details

Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Faulkner (AMST 246)Professor Wai Chee Dimock focuses her introductory lecture on Faulkners Light in August on the "pagan quality" of his protagonist Lena. She argues that Faulkner uses Lena to update the classic story of the unwed mother by fusing comedy with the epic road novel. In doing so, he also updates the Greek tradition of the kindness of strangers, drawing attention to it through certain stylistic markers, including the "switchability" between the protagonist and her supporting cast, the use of gerunds as a linguistic safe haven for Lena, and the allegorical naming of Byron and Burden as social types with scripted trajectories.0000 - Chapter 1. The Pagan Quality of Lena and Light in August 0810 - Chapter 2. Updating the Story of the Unwed Mother as Comedy 1617 - Chapter 3. Light in August as Faulkners Epic Road Novel 2112 - Chapter 4. The Kindness of Strangers3342 - Chapter 5. The Switchability of Lena as Protagonist and the Supporting Cast 3609 - Chapter 6. Switchability Between the Weighty and the Mundane3919 - Chapter 7. Faulkners Stylized Use of Gerunds4308 - Chapter 8. Allegorical Names and TypesComplete course materials are available at the Open Yale Courses website httpoyc.yale.eduThis course was recorded in Fall 2011.