The technique of creating cut-up poems, much like those of William S. Burroughs, demonstrates the effect of taking phrases and placing them out of context. Dividing the text into sections and arranging it randomly often transforms the meaning of the work. In the excerpt from Naked Lunch he does not use cut-up poetry, but his paragraphs seem to be out of sequence and jump around in time. The Buyer is first described, possibly derived from Burroughs’s own experiences with pushers and junkies. The narrative then shifts to the interactions with the District Supervisor and then with the court Judge. Similar to cut-up poetry’s lack of flow, Burroughs’s writing in Naked Lunch shows the out-of-place and untraditional lifestyle of someone involved with drugs.
Burroughs was inspired by a variety of writers as well as by his own writing. He was well versed in science fiction, and the characteristics and situations given to his characters are often otherworldly as well as extremely descriptive to the point of disturbance. He said that all of his books are basically one book and they spill over into each other. Burroughs was true to his own writing and wouldn’t omit passages that he believed to be important to his story.
Burroughs seems to be an intelligent individual. He was vocal about his views and did not fall victim to conformity. He openly admits to being bored by politicians and lacking respect for certain poets. He stated that many poets are simply lazy prose writers. He exemplified this claim by creating poetry out of already existing material and showing how little criteria there is for a poem to be considered a poem.
Burroughs also understood that including his own life events can contribute to the honesty of his world. It is also more relatable and appealing to an audience if these situations are absurd yet familiar. Writers often write what they know and if something is truthful, it makes the diction all the more powerful.
It would be difficult to publish picaresque novels if a writer had no foundation. Burroughs borrowed from his cut-up poetry and personal experiences to create work that he claimed has no plot. His “series of incidents” are like memoirs that can depict the postmodern era with a high degree of truth. Picaresque novels are meant to have traits of humor and inappropriateness. He exaggerates to a certain extent, but this contributes to the “transgressive” quality of verbal innovation. The transgressive style is new and difficult for just any writer to follow. It requires a sense of humor and the ability to appreciate the underground grime.
Blogging for the blog-less
When are blog posts due? Blog posts are respons
Night before a class in which a reading is due. So
Tuesday before 9.
What do I say in all these blog posts?
Before you Assignment icon and the date the
And questions which should give you ideas abou
Novel or piece of criticism we are reading for th
Initiative to make your blog creative and explore
Other media. As a rule, I will as a specific quest
Open for the one due on Tuesday night. Feel free
If you like, respond to the readings with creative
Works in a way that contributed to your underst
What if I get behind on blog posts? Such lapses wi
Reading, you should do your post immediately a
Discussions or lectures if you aren’t up-to-date
You keep up. Your posts should show your kno
Do I have to read Robin’s blog? Yes, when you ch
I’ve soted. I’ll try to put in information that wi
“postmodern” British literary scene. Some links
All right! All right! What else do I have to write
Write a 12-15 page interpretive study of a single
Criticism form reputable sources (literary journ
Aspect of the book’s satirical intent, language,
The work… in other words, you need to find so
Ence from the book.
End of the semester, you will write a 15-20 page term
Ent generally. A peculiarity of this assignment is that
E class, plus one additional work, from the American
Some aspect of contemporary satire- some concern or
On. You may also r both papers, you should discuss your ideas and plans
Case of the first paper, you will have the opportunity
O late papers will be accepted except in the case of
rolling, I’ll post a list of presentation days and
st of doing a little research on a topic related to the
ssion leader. This is really a way to give class members
ke the stage a bit. Don’t sweat it: it’s meant to be
ASS
Sy to do well in this class: if you do all the reading on you’ll get a high grade. I want you to have the full
A community of fellow readers.
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