Midterm prep

  1. Terms and Definitions: Palimpsest, Cosmopolitanism, Associational Thought, Flaneur, Synesthesia, Unreliable Narrator, Elliptical Time. Definitions should extend beyond their meaning, to instead understand how they apply to Teju Cole’s works (Find concrete examples for each definition).

  2. Mediums: Consider how different mediums contribute to different ideas, for Cole, Stevens, and Porter. Identify specific examples to support your claims.

  3. Essay Response Questions: The essays will be a synthesis of the material listed above.  Finding examples from each text is required for the exam.  You will choose 2 of 3 Questions.

Exam Format: The Midterm has two sections. Section I will be definitions of terms. Section II will be a short essay response.

Mediums

Cole:

  • Blind Spot - Photo/text sets

  • Open City - stream-of-consciousness first-person narrative

Stevens: Poetry, without a set structure or rhyme scheme

  • TSM —> No plot, just imagery

  • TIoOAKW —> Chiasmus: the back-and-forth cadence of the text is reminiscent of the rocking of a boat

Porter: Short story

  • Open-ended, not much in the way of worldbuilding or backstory —> gives the author free rein to do fuck all about setting up the story, and allows them to jump straight into a horror story you’ll remember for years