The Facade We Sometimes Wear

by Matthew Teutsch

As a student, I would always sit in class amazed when during a lecture professors would start to rattle off various authors and works that related in some way to the topic we were covering that particular day. I never thought I would be able to reach that same level of knowledge; however, I regularly catch myself in classes doing the same thing that … Read More The Facade We Sometimes Wear

May 2, 2017 + african american literature, american literature, caribbean literature, early american literature, elizabeth moss, gothic literature, irish literature, Literature, louise erdrich, louisiana literature, margaret atwood, mississippi literature, native american literature, recitiatif, richard spencer, southern literature, the haindmaiden's tale, the mary sue, the red convertible, toni morrison, Uncategorized

“Why can’t we read this story as a universal text?”: Questions from the Classroom

by Matthew Teutsch

Recently, I taught Louise Erdrich’s “The Red Convertible.” The story focuses on two Chippewa brothers, Henry and Lyman, and their relationship after Henry returns from the Vietnam War. During our discussion of the story in class, someone asked a question about the text and some of our previous readings that caused me to think well past the end of our session. The student posed … Read More “Why can’t we read this story as a universal text?”: Questions from the Classroom

April 27, 2017 + african american literature, american literature, dante, divine comedy, flannery o'connor, gothic literature, gwendolyn brooks, inferno, Literature, purgatorio, revelation, sepultura, southern literature, t.s. eliot, the love song of j alfred prufrock, the sundays of satin legs smith, Uncategorized

Dante in T.S. Eliot, Gwendolyn Brooks, and Flannery O’Connor

by Matthew Teutsch

Ten years ago, I participated in an NEH Summer Institute at Grambling State University on teaching the Western classics at HBCUs. There, I read, for the first time I might add, Homer’s Illiad and Odyssey, Dante’s Divine Comedy, Christine De Pazan, and others. During the institute, I learned about the connections between African American authors and some of the classics, specifically from Patrice Rankine, … Read More Dante in T.S. Eliot, Gwendolyn Brooks, and Flannery O’Connor

April 25, 2017 + #ncte, adidas, african american literature, american literature, dorothy allison, english, fsa, language, owi, recitiatif, river of names, russell lee, southern literature, toni morrison, Uncategorized

Language and Syntax in the Classroom

by Matthew Teutsch

The day after the 2017 Boston Marathon, the marathon’s sponsor, Adidas, sent an email to participants who completed the race. The subject line read, “Congrats, you survived the Boston Marathon.” On the surface, nothing appears wrong with this line; however, given the events at the marathon on April 15, 2013, when Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and Tamerlan Tsarnaev detonated two homemade bombs close to the finish line killing … Read More Language and Syntax in the Classroom

April 20, 2017 + american literature, bible, god, gothic literature, joyce carol oates, judges 19, Literature, the blood brothers, the salesman, denver max, Uncategorized, where are you going, where have you been?

Judges 19 and Arnold Friend’s Enigmatic Code

by Matthew Teutsch

On Tuesday, I wrote about the ways that The Blood Brothers’ “The Salesman, Denver Max” musically fits the tone—the ebbs and flows—of Joyce Carol Oates’ “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” I didn’t expect to add another blog post on this story, but after teaching it, I recalled how much the story warrants multiple examinations. With that in mind, I want to … Read More Judges 19 and Arnold Friend’s Enigmatic Code

Interminable Rambling

The Facade We Sometimes Wear

Category: american literature