The Roots and Soot of Time in Tanja Maljartschuk’s “Forgottenness”

Category: ernest j gaines

In the previous post, I started examining some of the themes in Tanja Maljartschuk’s Forgottenness. Today, I want to continue that exploration by looking at two specific passages in the novel that detail the passage of time and why we need to think about history and the ways it impacts our present. One of these moments occurs when Lypynskyi decides to give a history lecture in … Read More The Roots and Soot of Time in Tanja Maljartschuk’s “Forgottenness”

April 16, 2024 + african american literature, american literature, ernest j gaines, gothic literature, louisiana literature, of love and dust, southern literature

The Most Important Twentieth-Century American Novel

by Matthew Teutsch

Whenever I look I look at a list of the most important twentieth century American novels and novelists, the same names pop up again and again: William Faulkner, Harper Lee, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Edith Wharton, Toni Morrison, Ralph Ellison. While each of these authors and their works are important, for various reasons, I do not see any of them as penning the quintessential twentieth … Read More The Most Important Twentieth-Century American Novel

February 22, 2024 + ernest j gaines, lillian e smith, strange fruit, the autobiography of miss jane pittman

Southern Connections Between Lillian Smith & Ernest Gaines

by Matthew Teutsch

Early in my career, I became immersed in the work of Ernest Gaines because I worked at the Ernest J. Gaines Center at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. This position allowed me to dig deep into Gaines’ work, utilizing the archives at the center as well as Gaines himself. I had the opportunity to sit down with Gaines, multiple times, and just talk. … Read More Southern Connections Between Lillian Smith & Ernest Gaines

February 13, 2024 + african american literature, all the sinners bleed, american literature, ernest j gaines, Literature, s.a. cosby, southern literature, the autobiography of miss jane pittman

Literary Influences in S.A. Cosby’s “All the Sinners Bleed”

by Matthew Teutsch

Recently, I wrote about some of the ways that S.A. Cosby addresses religion and faith in his recent novel All the Sinners Bleed. Today, I want to look at another aspect of his novel that stood out to me, namely the ways that he examines the roots of enslavement and racism buried deep within the soil of Charon, the South, and the nation. He does this … Read More Literary Influences in S.A. Cosby’s “All the Sinners Bleed”

February 6, 2024 + ernest j gaines, pauli murray, writing

Six Words to Be a Better Writer

by Matthew Teutsch

Every semester I tell my students how Ernest Gaines would respond when someone asked him how to become a better writer. Gaines would look at the questioner and say, “There are six words to make you a better writer. Read. Read. Read. Write. Write. Write.” During my own educational journey I had teachers tell me that in order to be a better writer I … Read More Six Words to Be a Better Writer

Interminable Rambling

The Roots and Soot of Time in Tanja Maljartschuk’s “Forgottenness”

Category: ernest j gaines