Born too late?

In E.A. Robinson's famous poem, "Miniver Cheevy," we meet a character who is convinced he was "born too late," that he was meant to live a far more romantic and exciting life than his "commonplace" world of "khaki suits."

It's one thing to wish you had been born in a different time, but it's quite something else to resent fate for bringing you into the world in the first place.  Miniver Cheevy doesn't live in the past--he romanticizes it, assuming that it must have been better than his present.

But where does that romantic sensibility get him?  Does it inspire him to take control of his own destiny, to make his present more like his fantasy of the past?  Not exactly.

What are we to make of Miniver Cheevy?  What might Robinson be showing us by presenting us a character who "wept that he was ever born"?

While you're contemplating that question, listen to this version of the poem put to music:

Isn't it Ironic?

Irony can take lots of different forms:  sarcasm, reversal of fortune, wearing white after Labor Day.  I love the Oatmeal's take on irony.

In that comic, Matt Inman mentions one of the most frustrating (and yet oh-so-catchy) takes on irony of the last 20 years or so:

In her video, Alanis Morissette alludes...sort of... to one kind of irony--cosmic irony, or what we might call "God's little joke."  When Morissette sings about "rain on your wedding day" or a "free ride when you've already paid," she's not exactly talking about irony as the destruction of expectations, as we've discussed in class. Instead, she's suggesting that sometimes, life is just a bummer, and fate (or the divine, or whatever higher power there might be) conspires against us.  Or maybe she ironically isn't actually talking about irony at all--as John Winokur suggests.

For this week's post--due Monday by class time--I'd like to hear your thoughts about  why Marge Piercy, in her poem "Barbie Doll," and Nadine Gordimer, in her short story, "Once Upon a Time," use irony in their respective texts.  Select ONE of the texts, preferably one you haven't already blogged about, and consider why the author chooses irony as a primary tool to get across her main idea, rather than, say, direct narration.  Using the Oatmeal's take on irony, as well as this definition of irony  identify the kind(s) of irony used in the text, and discuss why irony is such a useful tool in conveying the big-picture idea in this text.

I look forward to reading your posts!

First post of the 2013-14 year: Which text spoke to you the most?

For this first post, introduce yourself, your blog, and then write about the text you read this summer (one of the summer reading selections, please).  What struck you the most as you read this story or poem? Was it challenging?  Confusing?  Inspiring?  Horrifying?  Surprising?  Why?

Please also include your favorite passage from this text--the passage that made you stop and think, if only for a brief moment.

My favorite text from the summer is "Eveline" by James Joyce.  I love that every time I read this story, I don't know whether I should root for Eveline to leave Dublin with Frank or stay behind and honor her obligation to her family.  I particularly love the moment in the story when the narrator notes that despite Eveline's difficult life, "now that she was about to leave it she did not find it a wholly undesirable life." All too often we opt for the "devil we know" rather than the "devil we don't," because the fear of trying something new or taking a risk--even for a good reason--can overpower us.   And, like Eveline on the dock, sometimes we find ourselves paralyzed, incapable of choosing an unknown future over a known entity...