Read "My Life as a Bat" by Margaret Atwood
WRITING PROMPT
Why does the narrator think being reincarnated as a bat would be the ideal reincarnation? If you were to be reincarnated as an animal, what animal would it be? Write a monologue or short piece from the point of view of this animal.
ALSO: Please respond in a posted comment here to Thursday's workshop with Debra Dean (for credit).
What did you think of the workshop with Debra Dean? What did you learn from the writing prompts she offered?
And of course, since you have read the book, what did or did not impress you about the narrative style, characters, plot, etc.? Please respond "talking literature"---in other words, like a literary reviewer, refering to specifics in the novel and discussing them using literary terminology.
Finally, continue to work on your "Palm-of-the Hand" stories for a group workshop on Wednesday.
Honestly, going into the workshop I thought I was going to be bored and have to just sit there for an hour listening to Debra Dean read, however; it didn't quite work out that way. She started the writing prompt and I automatically thought "Oh my God, she has me writing. I'd rather be in class". I loved how her only rule to the excercise was that you couldn't take the pen off the paper even if all you had to say was "I don't feel like writing. I don't feel like writing..." At first that's all I wanted to write but suddenly my pen started to create different words and at the end of the prompt excercise I finished with the start of a really good story.
ReplyDeleteFrom reading some of The Madonnas of Lenningrad I sensed an overwhelming amount of imagery and characterization. The prompt excercise she used in the workshop I'm pretty sure she used while writing the novel. You get a clear insight of each character without having to second guess their essential role in the book.
Did you finish reading the book? If not, why did you stop reading?
DeleteNo I did not finish the book.
DeleteI thought the workshop was pretty cool, I liked Debra Dean's energy. She seemed like a very interesting person, and not at all what I imagined her based off of the text. Her writing prompts were nice, I was able to just create narrative without giving it too much thought.
ReplyDeleteThe novel itself was pretty good, if not a bit slow. The writing was interesting. She made good use of blending past and present, and her characters felt full enough. On one front, however, it felt empty in regards to its portrayal of Russia. Like the city of Leningrad was like a normal American city, except people said "comrade," and it was firebombed by Germany. The creativity with which she portrayed dementia was also well-done, along with the hallucinations and allusions she employed. All in all, though it felt at times like an amateur's foray into a world unknown, and though it was a bit slow, it was a good read.
thank you for your participation in the workshop. Your fascination with Soviet Russia proved to be an interesting question posed to her portrayal of the Siege of Leningrad. I hope you enjoyed the book.
DeleteBefore attending the Debra Dean workshop, I expected it to be a typical dreadful workshop where the author went on and on about their book. I thought she was going to read long excerpts of her book but instead she caught me by surprise and didn't bore me to death! She genuinely seemed like she wanted to be there which made me want to take the time to listen to what she had to say. First impressions mean a lot to me and Debra Dean came right on stage and her enthusiasm seemed to light up the room. One thing I learned from her workshop is that if you follow her rule of not putting the pen down, you'll find out a lot of things about your character. By just writing, you'll be surprised by what you will find out. Things that you wouldn't even imagine about yout character will just pop up on the paper.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that I didn't like about The Madonna's of Lenningrad is the fact that she wrote it in a way where the reader would also feel like he/she had alzheimer's. During the workshop Dean admitted to doing that on purpose--and although it gave me a realistic persepective of Marina's ailment...it made the book much more confusing for me. It was hard to keep track.
Interesting comment, Brianna, about feeling like you're experiencing alzheimer's while reading parts of the book. Isn't that what a writer wants the reader to feel? to empathize with the character?
DeleteI thought that the workshop with Debra Dean was interesting. I really like the writing prompts that she gave us because there are many times when I feel that my character is stuck or becomes too cliche. So the interview prompt really helped me think of all aspects of my character and allowed their personality to develop. It was also nice to hear her read her own story because when we read the story for ourselves we dont know how the author actually intends for it to be read.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that i didnt like about the way the book was written was the back and forth trip to the present and the past. It made the narrator seem untrustworthy because we had to question what was being said . But Debra Dean explained her purpose, she was trying to allow the reader to enter the world of a woman with alzheimers.
Yes...and remember that she had to write in 3rd person because writing in first person would have been even more unreliable!
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ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the workshop. It's always nice to know that successful writers are realistic people, a tangiible being that I can actually imagine being a normal person with friends at some point. it gives me hope. Also, I'm definintely going to utilize that prompt in the future. Overall, I enjoyed being in the presence of another interesting personality.
ReplyDeleteI think what I enjoyed the most about The Madonnas of Lenningrad was the structure of the novel. The melding of past and present through the use of flashbacks at patterned intervals was intresting to me. It came off as a fresh literary approach.
Debra Dean controls the narrative flow of past and present quite well. Thanks for noticing that.
DeleteI read the entire Madonnas of Leningrad and I really didn't enjoy it that much. I thought the main character Marina really wasn't that well developed which is one of my biggest annoyances. When she is in her younger days I think the story line is more about the events that happened to her rather than who she is or her opinions. And in the present day the writing seems to be more about how the desease affected others around her. So in both time frames I never really knew who she was as a person or how she grew. I felt like by the end of the book I knew more about who Helena was as a person than Marina.
ReplyDeleteAs for the workshop I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I liked that Debra Dean answered my question and complimented me on asking a question that no one had ever asked before. I felt special :) I didn't really like the writing excercises because I didn't have a character to work on so I had to make one up on the spot. But I do tink the character interviews would have been helpful if I had an actual character. I also think Debra Dean was very nice.
Ledibel Rivera
ReplyDeleteI wish that i could have attended the workshop on account of i really enjoyed reading the book. The book to me was a very easy read and i read it in a couple of days. The thing that interested me the most about this novel was the way that the author chose to wite the novel jumping back and forth showing the peraspectives of different characters. Although the novel was very confusing and i had to refresh my memory and read some of the passages twice in order for me to understand the book i really quite enjoyed it.
The novel to me was really beautiful i really enjoyed the way that the author jumped into the minds of the characters through a very painful time period. The way that the author described the artwork in the Hermitage Museum was so beautiful that i almost felt as if i was there taking a tour of the Hermiatge myself. My favorite part of the novel was when Marina was walking back home and she was debating on whether or not to eat the chocolate bar or to give it to her dying Uncle who needed it desperately.While walking back homke Marina almost steps on top of a woman that is lying on the floor. The woman begs for help and Marina out of kindness took the bar of chocolate, broke a piece off, and placed it on the womans tounge. This little act of kindness was something that made me a little bit emotional while reading the novel.
I loved the ending of the book. The way that the author described the little old woman trying to point to the objects and show the construction worker how beautiful everything was reminded me of my grandmothers sister that had lost her memory while she was dying with cancer. I honestly see why you enjoy this book so much also. It is beautiful and paints vivid images of the pieces of artwork in my head almost as if i am viewing them in person.
I thought the workshop was good. It wasn't particularly a lasting experience for me, nor was it bad, it was just more of a "oh hey this is happening it is okay" experience for me. I thought that the prompt was interesting, although it didn't help me too much as I found myself many times just writing a stream of consciousness that didn't really reveal anything about my character in question. However, somehow it revealed a bit about other characters who were in the same story, so woot serendipity.
ReplyDeleteOn the novel itself, it did end up reminding me of Anne Micheals (it was just lacking the sibling crush and the slight pedophilic undertones). The writing was very figurative, especially during the sections in which Marina had an impromptu switch of perspective. I agree with Brianna's point that it did feel as though I had Alzheimer's while reading the story. Additionally, I think that the third person limited worked very well here since it created an out of body type experience in a way, which complimented the inclusion of Alzheimer's well.
Also, i am curious who had raped her during the Siege. I am assuming it was another survivor that was intentionally left unnamed, since it added to the crushing reality that there were people who died there that were/are not remembered, which also works well with the theme of memory in the book.
oh god i am a broken record
DeleteI enjoyed the workshop and found it refreshing as I had expected more of a typical reading as opposed to the billed "master class." The exercises she gave us were helpful, but only when I stopped running around in circles with my characters, and using the time to reinforce existing character traits. Once I broke with my mold and started imagining my characters complexly, I made some progress and the discoveries I made (One character was a hunter another secretly kept in contact with his estranged brother)will probably find their way into later drafts of my story.
ReplyDeleteI personally enjoyed the book. The dreamy ethereal passages taking place in the heritage were beautiful. The misty magical realism, almost made the scenes feel like paintings themselves. Even the passages of horror, of the whittling away of humanity were striking and hauntingly beautiful, like a medieval painting of the Danse Macabre.
Another thing I appreciated was how much of the book was centered around complex female characters, Marina in the parallel hardships of the Siege, with Russia being shelled and the present, with her mind being shelled. Helen, and the estrangement she feels from her own mother. Anya, a withered old woman is able to survive the siege. Olga, while not fully developed is a strong tertiary character. The women in this book are hardy and outlive many of he men like weeds. Although the beauty of the book is universal, and the crippling estrangement of losing a relative to Alzheimer's this is very much a woman's book. I appreciate that.
Miss Dean tried to incorporate some of her life experience and research in the workshop. At this stage of my life the range of my environment and cultural understanding beyond some reading research left me feeling limited in the commentary or questions I wanted to add to her responses to other students. Traveling to different sections of the world and making connections as artist and writer might help me to appreciate and relate to other adults in the same field when I’m older.
ReplyDeleteThe one question I did manage to run by Miss Dean was “Was Marina’s encounter with Zeus on the roof a hallucination, a one nightstand? Was she raped by an unidentified rogue or soldier?” This of course was a question that many people wondered. Dean replied that she wanted to leave that part of the story open-ended for the reader to draw their own conclusions.
One thing I try to study in the books we’re assigned to read is signature character traits especially ones that repeat. What I’ve noticed is the character(s) approach to the truth, how well they handle their situation throughout the novel. Marina’s family especially the kids, Andrei, Naureen, and Elena are slow to realize the depth of the deterioration of their mother’s memory and her increasing feeble nature. Her husband Dmitri has trouble dealing with the fact that his love is leaving him and there’s nothing he can do about it. It’s sad but also reality; dealing with losing a loved one is hard and I’ve haven’t experienced it to judge the pain and reactions that come with it.
The sequences of Marina’s thought and memory were intricate throughout the novel. Appreciating the simplicity of the little things she was able to identify with her fading senses. The sound of her urinating was like a symphony which as I reflect is something we take for granted (in terms of what we as individuals are able to do for ourselves). The older, engrained memories were already apart of who Marina was the only thing she had to hold onto, her initial identity. The newer, fresher memories couldn’t stick…maybe there was no more room. That could symbolize that Marina had lived enough life and she had reached her peak.
ladylolita61194 is Jenee Skinner
DeleteReply to My Life as a Bat
DeleteThe author believed that being reincarnated as a bat is the ideal reincarnation because they are immune from pity. They can kill without mercy and without hate. They can kill without thinking twice whether its right or wrong. Bats were very deadly and beautiful. If I was to be reincarnated I would be a Tiger. Tigers are very beautiful and very powerful. Tigers are very famous. They live in zoos so people can go see them, images of tigers can be found on coat arms and also are used for mascots of sschools.Tigers can kill mostg of the animals that live in the wild like sloth bears, deer, aligators , and pythons. I want to be the animal that is the most feared and powerful.
I thought the workshop with Debra Dean was very helpful and also very interesting .The exercises that she gave our class made it easier for me to write. I learned from the prompts is to never put your pen down. Honestly I didn’t read the book as I was supposed to. During the workshop I kind of got some thought about what the book was about but not really clear because I didn’t read it myself. The book tied into having amnesia forgetting what you read. Besides me not reading the workshop I found really nice. The prompts were really helpful and really easy to understanding. Learned to feel free to write whatever it was that came to mind. Keep writing even if there isn’t nothing left, keep your pen or pencil moving and to ALWAYS be specific on the topic that you have chosen.
ReplyDeletemarissa santana
ReplyDeletethis workshop with Debra Dean was very interesting. the activites that she had us do were very useful. many times when i am writing a story i dont know where to go with the characters. many times the character is your typical girl or boy, where we really don't know who they are or what they do exactlly. the questions that she asked us helped me to open up and really just let my hand do the writing and not focus on what should happen next. there are many times where my characters become stuck or they are too sterotypical.
the thing that i think that i enjoyed the most was that even though it can be confusing i felt like i had the sickness of alzheimers. just to think about what they really happens when someone has this. going day to day not remebering what i did the day before or if i ever really ate. over all the workshop was very helpful and i think that when i am creating a new story and new characters i will be sure to interview them like she did with her characters.