Blog Prompt #11

I have improved significantly in English through this course because it has pushed me to dedicate quite a bit of time in reading literature, both classic and modern. Reading classic literature has improved the way that I read by forcing me to look up words, phrases, and references that I did not previously understand. It has also helped me to adapt to different styles of writing. I have improved as a student because I began to enjoy the class and I realized that if I can find something fun and interesting in my other classes, then they might be enjoyable as well. I find that I perform better in classes that I enjoy, so this has been important for me to realize and act on. I set myself a goal that I was going to complete every reading, come to class every time, and do all of the assigned blog prompts and I successfully completed my goals. I still need to work on my time management, because I sometimes found myself stressed out on time for readings, essays, etc. Although I occasionally struggled with time management, the course helped me improve due to the constant reminders of due dates and the adequate time allotted for assignments. The most helpful aspects of this course for me were mainly the class discussions. Although I love reading, I discovered that it is even better when there is an entire classroom of students engaging in the same story as you. The discussions often enhanced my thought process because others generally thought of ideas, reasoning, or themes that I had not thought of myself. There wasn’t anything in the course that I did not find helpful.

Blog Prompt #10- Eyre Affair

In the novel The Eyre Affair, monsters are perceived differently than in the other novels we have read this semester. This story is set in a 1980’s alternate universe where literature is extremely valued and impossible ideas such as time travel are existent. Although society is similar in that it fears, rejects, and punishes criminals/monsters, it is different in that it “looks up to” these monsters in a way. A particularly interesting anomaly found in this story is that people in reality and characters in literature can cross over into the over universes. Because of this fine line between fiction and reality, we must consider whether monsters and monstrous qualities in real life versus fiction are portrayed/viewed the same or not. Personally, I find that instead of fearing and hating the villains in novels I read, I am intrigued by them. Perhaps one of the reasons that some people view villains differently is because they are intrigued by them similarly to how they might approach a theoretical villain in literature. Another possibility is that the general nature of the villainous acts are quite different than in our world, thus altering the meaning and perception of them. One of the major monstrous acts in this novel occurs when Acheron Hades steals an original manuscript of a novel and alters its plot by extorting characters and so forth. Because literature is highly valued in this society, perhaps people are impressed with Hades because he has taken a considerably valuable object. In our world, we would probably not care, or even be aware of the fact that a novel was stolen. These reasons lead to the idea that societal values alter perception, which then attempts to define “monster” or “monstrous acts”.