Reading Response #4

This response will be due Thursday,  October 1, 2015.  It'll be the last one of the quarter.  Make it a good one...and since the quarter is ending, some of you might need some extra credit so check out the extra credit option. 

Prompt #4: Research the author of the book you are reading.  Here are some possible questions to ask (The blank space will be where you would insert the author of your book):

·         Type in Google: _____________ interview.  Read one. 

·         Type is YouTube: ______________ interview.  Sit back.  Relax.  Watch.  Think.

·         How much many has _______________ made last year? 

·         Something interesting about ______________?

·         Who is ______________ influenced by?

·         What was ____________ like as a young writer?

·         Is ______________ in the news ever?

·         If I read ______________’s Wikipedia page, can I find something that I can further research?

·         How many books has _____________ published?  What are the other books about?

·         Where is ________________ from?  Where do they live now? 

·         What does ____________ care about?  Why? 

·         What college did ______________ attend? 

·         Does _____________ hang out with any other “writer friends?”

·         Does _______________ have a social media page I can stalk follow?

·         Where does __________________ get his/her ideas from? 

·         Yeah, of course.  Find out something you’re wondering about.  Make it personal. Care about what you research. 

Once you have found something you’d like to write about that is hopefully interesting and not boring you to death and will not bore me to death, then write the answer to the question (or whatever) in paragraph form with the website cited after any quotes.  Yes, you must use at least one quote. 

The “Prompt” section should be three paragraphs long (use two questions from above if you want) plus the answer to this question: Would it be cool to hang out with the author?  Why or why not?  If so, what would you do. 

***An easy way to earn full credit (or extra credit): contact an author via social media and have them retweet (or whatever) something you say to them. If you can get the author to come to this class and teach some creative writing lessons than you will earn an A for the year if you do your work too.  

Corey Ryan

Reading Response #4: Conflict

Period 8

September 23, 2015

Background

I am currently on page 224 of Jonathan Franzen’s Freedom.  The book is about a married couple named Walter and Patty Berglund.  Most of the book so far has been dedicated to Patty’s life before she met Walter.  Patty was a college basketball “star” until she broke her ankle falling on some ice during a walk home one evening.  Patty is also a survivor of rape.  Patty is now the mother of two kids, one who moved out into her neighbor’s house (a neighbor she hates) and a daughter (who she really doesn’t connect with) attending college. Patty has also recently (in the book) began an affair with Walter’s best friend, Richard.  Richard Katz is an old punk rocker who never sold any records until recently.  He is old, but he went a new direction with his band Walnut Surprise and ended up selling millions of records.  Richard is not comfortable about this new found fame and has yet to record a follow up album.  Meanwhile, Walter, unaware of the affair, continues to be a great husband, a great worker, a great father and a great friend. 

  

The Standards/The Prompt

According to http://www.theguardian.com/books/2010/sep/25/jonathan-franzen-interview, Jonathan Franzen sold “nearly 3m copies and established Franzen as one of the leading literary voices of his generation, but, thanks to his perceived snub to Winfrey, it also established his reputation as, variously, an "ego-blinded snob" (Boston Globe), a "pompous prick" (Newsweek) and a "spoiled, whiny little brat" (Chicago Tribune).”  I have heard about this before while I was working as a bookseller at Barnes & Noble (on 16^th Street Mall) during college.  Everyone (those who read about books and authors) was talking about how he rejected Oprah’s stamp of approval.  Having Oprah endorse your book would guarantee a best seller and I’m sure, but don’t quote me, a very nice income.  But any press is good press right?  He also eventually apologized to Oprah and even went on her show for an interview. 

One funny thing I learned about Jonathan Franzen lately from a Huffington Post article titled “Jonathan Franzen Demonstrates His Spirit Animal Is Lucille Bluth” is that Franzen “once considered adopting an Iraqi war orphan to help him understand young people better, but was persuaded against it by his editor.”  That is so funny!  Why?  Because it makes total sense as being a good idea and a horrible idea.  Franzen writes with a style that makes you completely, 100% know his characters, like he truly studied someone and wrote about them.  I’ve never read anyone who went so deep into the actions and psyche of a character as Franzen does.  Of course, adopting a child for the sake of art is a little ridiculous and completely wrong, like being a psychologist and having kids just to experiment with throughout their lives.  I just think he should take a job as a high school English teacher at Central High School and he will have plenty to write about, right? 

I would definitely hang out with Jonathan Franzen.  I’d like to talk about his process of reading and just exactly how he goes about “learning” about his characters.  Plus, I read that it took him 9 years to write his latest book, Purity, so I’m wondering what that nine years was like.  I’d go nuts working on a book for nine years.  I would probably have him take me shopping to the book store and buy me his favorite books and then we’d sit there and drink a million espressos until our hearts exploded and we each had to go home and lay down.   Then I’d say, “Thank you” and “Goodbye.” 

My Thinking

Jonathan Franzen seems a bit eccentric, but wouldn’t you have to be to spend 9 years working on a single piece of “art?”  Just think of how much an athlete makes for playing for nine years!  I wonder if his family is annoyed with him because he is always spending time alone writing or if they just accept that he needs to be alone because he’s making a million dollars by being alone.  You get what I’m saying.  I also wonder if he could come into this school and teach some students about writing or would he flip out, throw a book at you and walk away. 

Anything To Add (not required)

Jonathan Franzen (famously) doesn’t have a Twitter or use any social media.  If he did, I’d follow him.  I feel stupid writing to people. I don’t know why that is.  Sorry.