“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 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

April 18, 2017 + american literature, arnold friend, bob dylan, gothic literature, joyce carol oates, Literature, music, research, the salesman denver max, Uncategorized, where are you going, where have you been?

The Blood Brothers’ “The Salesman, Denver Max” and Joyce Carol Oates

by Matthew Teutsch

From the very beginning, Joyce Carol Oates brings music to the forefront of her widely anthologized short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” with the dedication that simply reads, “For Bob Dylan” (1003). Other people have written on the ways that Dylan’s “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” and “Mr. Tambourine Man” from Bringing It All Back Home (1965) work in … Read More The Blood Brothers’ “The Salesman, Denver Max” and Joyce Carol Oates

April 11, 2017 + african american literature, american literature, caribbean literature, cla, claude mckay, early american literature, elizabeth nunez, jesmyn ward, kayne west, Literature, louisiana literature, mississippi literature, southern literature, toni morrison, Uncategorized

Some Reflections on CLA 2017

by Matthew Teutsch

Over that past 14-15 years, I have attended numerous academic conferences, typically 1-2 per year. That means I have gone to about 28-30 during that time span. Initially, when I would go to a conference, even one with hundreds of people, I would feel alone and somewhat isolated because, as a graduate student and instructor, I did not necessarily know how to take full … Read More Some Reflections on CLA 2017

Interminable Rambling

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

Category: Literature