Hello all. Find immediately below a link to the sample Works Cited page that I distributed in class on April 28th.
Works Cited Handout
This Final Paper Rubric will be distributed in class tomorrow; but I have placed it here for convenience.
For journal #10, which is due on Monday 5/17 (our final meeting before the final paper/social meeting on the 26th), I would like you to write three things.
1.) One thing about Vathek that you find to be significant. Consider comparing or contrasting this to the other texts we have read in the class thus far.
2.) Name your least favorite text or class aspect from this semester and explain in a few sentences why this is so.
3.) Name your most favorite text or class aspect from this semester and explain in a few sentences why this is so.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
One thing that I find to be significant in Vathek is how much power he has over society. When an ugly merchant comes selling goods, Vathek buys his products and invites him over for company. When the merchant does not answer anything Vathek is asking him puts him into prison. I feel like that is a lot of power for one individual to have and we can compare Vathek to Satan in Paradise Lost. Satan like Vathek also has great power among society since he greatly contributes to the fall of human kind. Both of the characters have control over society and I find this to be significant.
ReplyDeleteMy least favorite text of the class was Dante's Inferno. I dont why I hated the book so much but I really had a hard time understanding it. In general I do not like reading Epic Poetry and maybe this was the case, not only did I not like it, but it was hard to read.
My most favorite text of the class was Shakespeare's The Tempest. I really enjoy reading Shakespeare and most of the plays I have read, I really liked. We also say the performance at BAM and I think that contributed to it as well. Overall I felt like we could have read another play like Shakespeare instead of The Inferno.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete1 - Vathek is by far an interesting read. As we had discussed class, the day I arrived late to class, was that Vathek wanted to learn more and more. He reminded of Dante's travels and how he had to go out into the "wild" and see for what the world had to offer. For Dante is innocent, Vathek has all these cruel intentions, trying to marry another man's woman and degrades people for his own pleasure.
ReplyDelete2 - I would have to agree with Anna. The Cantebury Tales was too old of text to really get into. I like, though, the imagery that Chaucer uses to describe the process of alchemy. Being a poet myself, I envy his marvelous tool to describe the process in such rich detail. The reason is also similar to Anna's and that being we had only read one tale. To be honest, it was very hard keeping awake while reading this book. Sorry.
3 - My favorite book is Vathek. Even though we have just started reading this book, I always had a bond with Gothic novels, from Frankenstein to The Monk by Monk Lewis (must read). Amazing. Another reason I like Vathek is because it's almost trashing philosophers in a way that the more you want to learn, the more damned you are going to hell for "gluttony" and wanting to have so much knowledge.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete1) An interesting thing from Vathek, which I saw a previous student mentioned as well, was his power. As evidenced by his encounter with the merchant, whom he invites over and later imprisons, the power Vathek displays is similar to that of Prospero from The Tempest. Prospero seemingly had limitless power and those whom did not agree with his demands would be punished, similar to the way Vathek imprisons the merchant.
ReplyDelete2) The text I least enjoyed was The Inferno. I found it to be very complex and even after reading and analyzing it in class, I still do not think I have a full grasp of the text.
3) The text I most enjoyed was The Canon Yeoman's Tale. I found it easier to follow than some of the other texts and enjoyed seeing the Yeoman display immense courage in finally standing up to the evil Canon.
The conventional moral framework which implies that the characters will either be rewarded for their goodness by living happily ever after, or be punished for their transgressions. Rather Beckford focuses on transgressive characters and there is no reward at the end for goodness because none has been displayed, the power and wealth that Vathek, Carathis and Nouronihar so craved are revealed as fleeting and ultimately illusory. But if the punishment they receive befits their transgressions it also means that there is no room for redemption just as there is no ‘hope’ for the doomed characters there is no hope for the moral framework, it has become so subverted it too falls victim to the powers of darkness. Personally as a western reader, I am not familiar with reading gothic readings, its very interesting and the fact I am able to grasp at least something important in the text.
ReplyDeleteMy least favorite text in this course was the paradise lost, it was way to intense for me and difficult to grasp because the text dealt with a lot of religious context. However, I enjoyed reading this text because there were many inspirational and powerful quotes in the text that caught my interest.
I have two favorite texts, which of course enjoyed reading which was The Tempest and Dante’s Inferno. I enjoyed these texts because I love books that deal with power, exile, and life experiences and authors that try to make their readers think outside the box so that they can be able to understand the text in a better way. I love these books!
1. Vathek's protagonist is not the usual sinner that I would've expected. The book describes his figure as "majestic" even though he is very gluttonous. One would believe that the author would describe him as obese or lardy. Compared to the alchemists in the Canterbury Tales, the physical description of Vathek in Vathek is compeltely opposite. The Alchemists in Canterbury Tales had a description that was fitting to them; pale faced and ragged clothing which implies that alchemists live poorly and are ostracized by society.
ReplyDelete2. My least favorite text is The Tempest. The story was a bore; there was nothing I considered climactic like other Shakespearean works. Everyone lived and there was no ugly betrayal that would have grabbed my attention.
The story itself was bland - The only way I got through this book was with the help of the play and sparknotes.
3. The best text that I've read in this course - that would be Canon's Yeoman's Tale. The tale gave me some insight to how interesting a life of an alchemist could have been and how much trickery was involved for monetary gain. The Yeoman's rebellion against his master was also something of interest to me because his ungratefulness was really something to behold; his master taught him alchemy and he publicly humiliated and destroyed his master's reputation.
What i found to be significant in Vathek is its somewhat simple in the sense of context and flow of narration as oppose to the other texts that we have read that were kind of difficult in the sense of laungage and the way the information was relayed to us. Also i like the humor that is clearly present in Vathek oppose to the hidden humor that was present in some of the other texts we have read.
ReplyDeleteThe least favorite text that i have read in this course would have to be Paradise Lost. I know it is deep and very intellectual but the hardship that i encountered from understanding the langauge conflicted with the joy that results from reading the text.
The best text that i have red in this class was The Tempest, I think my choice had alot to do with seeing the actual play which made understanding it way more easier and enjoyable over the other text that we have read.
1. One of many things that I found to be significant is when a hideous stranger arrives in town, claiming to be a merchant from India selling precious goods. Vathek buys glowing swords with letters on them from the merchant, and invites the merchant to dinner. When the merchant does not respond to Vathek's questions, Vathek looks at him with his "evil eye," but this has no effect, so Vathek imprisons him. This part reminds me of The Tempest when Prospero wanted power and control.
ReplyDelete2. My least favorite text would be The Canterbury Tales; Canon's Yeomean's Tale. It was short. I couldn't connect to the book.
3. These two books; Paradise Lost and The Inferno, I found to be very interesting. Both of them gave me a reason to think outside the box even more. John and Dante both have views about the after life and humanity they want to share with their readers.
1) I found it interesting how the book brings into play power and control. It is comparable to our previous readings like "The Tempest" and "Paradise Lost" when discussing power and control. The way Prospero had power with his magic and Satan seeked to gain power.
ReplyDelete2) My least favorite text would have to be "Paradise Lost" because it was difficult to read. It was very frustrating reading it sometimes because of the religious theme and also because of Milton's style of writing.
3)My favorite text was "The Tempest" because it had so many different stories going on. I enjoyed Shakespeare's writing and humor and also enjoyed the show at BAM which helped understand the text a little more.
One thing I find significant in Vathek, is that he needs a mentor to bring him to higher power. Vathek can be compared to Dante because both of them had someone guild to realize what they are really made of. A merchant arrives at Vathek’s door selling him swords. The merchant after starts playing mind games with Vathek leading him to go crazy. The merchant promises Vathek power is he does something he asks him to do. Vathek listens to him and does exactly what he asks of in order to receive power. This book also resembles Paradise Lost because Satan would have done anything/ killed anyone to have the higher power
ReplyDeleteMy least favorite book that we read this semester was Paradise Lost. It was long and confusing. It was very hard to under. The first seven books I had no clue of what was happening. After that I slowly started understating what was happening in the book. It turned out to be an interesting book only towards the end, but when I read books I like to understand them while I read the and not when I’m almost done with them.
My favorite book would have to be The Canterbury Tales. I like the way the process of alchemy was described. I also liked the determination and desire Canon had. The fact that the author wrote it in a poem was even better to read it. It was a nice text to read because it was short and easy flowing.
I found what jenny said to be interesting because that’s exactly what I found to be significant she said that “in Vathek, is that he needs a mentor to bring him to higher power.” I would relate that to Dante’s inferno because Dante’s mentor throughout the poem was Virgil in sense so he can guide him in the right direction.
ReplyDeleteMy least favorite text I would have to say is paradise lost. It was confusing for me because I couldn’t really understand what was going on and who was speaking while I was reading it. I only understood the text while discussing it in class.
My favorite text was The Tempest because it was a comedy not too dark and best of all I actually did not have a problem understanding the text because we got to see it live in a play so when or if I ever got stuck in the book ill just picture what I saw in the play and was able to finish it without any worries.
1. One thing about Vathek that I find significant is that Vathek descends into a hell ruled by the demon Eblis where he is doomed to wander endlessly and speechlessly.
ReplyDeleteEblis was modeled on Iblis or Azazel; Beckford derived the name from Milton's Paradise Lost.
2. My least favorite text from this semester is Milton's Paradise Lost. I did not like the whole idea of the war and the book being about Satan. It was hard to understand the text, which made it difficult to enjoy it.
3. My favorite text from this semester is Dante's Inferno. It was interesting to read a poem such as Dante's because it was different from anything I read before.
1. My favorite part of Vathek, are the temeples for the senses. This man has these temples to please him at anytime he wishes. The way they are descirbed are amazing.
ReplyDelete2. My favorite text was The Tempest. It was written well and has a nice flow to it. The BAM performace,brought all the lose ends together and brought the text to life.
3. My least favorite text was Paradise Lost. I felt it just went on about nothing. It was a pain to read because I lost interest after Book I.
Vathek was one of the easier reads this semester. I enjoyed reading prose as opposed to poetry. I wish that we read more books that were written in this style. My favorite aspect of Vathek was the way that Vathek was characterized. I like the whole evil character. I have to agree with other peoples opinions when they compared the character to Prospero. Bother Prospero and Vathek hold control over their land and use a harsh hand to rule.
ReplyDeleteThe Tempest was my favorite text during the semester. William Shakespeare is always a favorite of mine because I have been forced to read his work since high school so I have grown accustomed to his writing style. The fact that we got to see the play in BAM really helped with understanding the plot and themes within the text. Contradictory to other peoples opinions I liked seeing the difference in this play in comparison to Shakespeare's other plays. It shows the change within Shakespeare with age and is a good way to end a writing career.
Paradise Lost was my least favorite text. I am the furthest thing from a religious person and never read any religious texts. Due to this I had a hard time following the story line and did not understand all the references. I feel like it was a very difficult text to understand due to the language as well.
One thing I found significant about this text is that Vathek is addicted to power just like Satan from Paradise Lost. Satan did not want to accept the fact that God was the almighty ruler and tried to fight in any way possible. Similar to Vathek because he imprisoned the merchant for failing to answer his questions. They are both intensely thirsty for power and control over their surroundings.
ReplyDeleteMy least favorite text this semester was The Tempest. Unlike Shakespeare's other books that I've read in previous classes it almost didn't seem like the same poet. It was very dry and boring. No one in the text died or nothing exciting happened. Overall it was a pretty tedious read.
My favorite book this semester was Dante's Inferno. I found it very interesting because it dealt with hell's environment. I loved learning about the 9 circles of hell and how different sins are classified. It wasn't an easy book to read but it was defiantly the most interesting.
1)Vathek is a funny read. Beckford's use of hyperbola in writing about the majesty and qualities of Vathek are funny at times, though seemingly significant in expounding upon the insanity of his psyche. Vathek's infatuation with the ever changing sword writings create an interesting and mysterious story filled with philosophical and theological undertones. Given Beckford's time period, I can understand the mysteries that surrounded the orientals.
ReplyDelete2)I loved all the texts, but The Tempest, which I have yet to finish, was perhaps the most boring. I find plays to be very difficult to read, especially when attempting to decipher meanings and literary significance.
3)I loved Paradise Lost! Putting Milton's poetic discourse aside, which is literally impossible, the text was filled with so many philosophical/theological implications that I couldn't stop interpreting and expounding upon Milton's analyses. His depiction of Satan has changed my outlook on life, and has left me with even more unresolved questions regarding the wonders of our reality.
1)A significant point of notice in Vathek is his emotions. He is does not seem to have a he is described as an angry person, but he is also affectionate. In today's society this could be considered "creepy," but this provides further insight to what Beckford tries to convey. As was mentioned in class today, Vathek could have been bisexual. My comparison of George W. Bush and the Saudi Arabian prince Abdulla shows that the line between normal male affection, or"homo social" (as prof. D mentioned) and actual inappropriate behavior is somewhat unclear when considering Vathek and the more recent instance of W. Bush and Abdulla
ReplyDelete2) My least favorite text was The Canon Yeomans Tale. It was frustrating because we did not read the whole book; just a piece of the bigger picture. Moreover, I got confused in the beginning of the semester, and I spent time reading parts of the book that I did not have to read. It was pretty good story in the sense that it gave me an idea of what it was like to be an alchemist at that time, but overall, I think I would have enjoyed it better if we read the whole book.
3) Since its hard for me to choose between writing about my favorite book OR aspect of the class (and cuz I feel like it...it beats studying) ill just write about both. My favorite book that we read is Paradise Lost. It really is an insightful book that I think everyone can benefit from. Even if you did not read the entire book, just getting to know the impact that Milon had on society by writing this book is something that is highly beneficial. Even though Milon was Catholic, he had many ideas that challenged his faith.
My favorite aspect of the class was the blog. Its a great teaching tool and it made me learn a lot. Also, i feel like it made the class more fun. Even though some of my postings were late, I loved expressing my ideas via the computer. Overall this was a great semester!