wootenjones's blog

I have to admit, I was a little skeptical. When I registered for "20th Century American Authors", I thought we would be reading Hemingway, Faulkner, Salinger and other "great" American authors. So when we came to class on the first day and Prof. Anderson told us we'd be concentrating not so much on novels and the like, but rather on what defines the literature genre, as well as how we can expand the definition of literature to our everyday lives, I thought he was off his nut.

"How can you have a literature class without novels and poems and old dead white guys?", I asked myself, "What is this new-age, 'I'm okay, You're okay' approach to writing and reading? Literature means paper and ink and words and paragraphs. Introduction, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution. That's what literature is, not some web diary, or whatever."

After reading "The Distant Moon", I had some questions about the speaker of the poem. Given the use of medical terms in the work, I assumed the speaker was a health care professional, and most likely Campo himself. The details seemed too real to be fabricated, and I am fairly convinced that the actions of this poem mirror a real life interaction Campo had with one of his patients. While trying to find more information on Campo, I came up with two good sites featuring some of Campo's work, as well as his thoughts on "American Poetry", that I'd like to share with everyone.

Rafael Campo's Personal Website

I have to admit, I was a little skeptical. When I registered for "20th Century American Authors", I thought we would be reading Hemingway, Faulkner, Salinger and other "great" American authors. So when we came to class on the first day and Prof. Anderson told us we'd be concentrating not so much on novels and the like, but rather on what defines the literature genre, as well as how we can expand the definition of literature to our everyday lives, I thought he was off his nut.

"How can you have a literature class without novels and poems and old dead white guys?", I asked myself, "What is this new-age, 'I'm okay, You're okay' approach to writing and reading? Literature means paper and ink and words and paragraphs. Introduction, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution. That's what literature is, not some web diary, or whatever."

Here's my revised and extended profile of Homer Wells, I think it still needs some work on the ending, tying everything together. Anyhow, please tell me how you think I should wrap it up.

Homer Wells is the protagonist of John Irving's Novel, "The Cider House Rules". My profile is in the form of a collegue of Dr. Larch's, interviewing Homer for a book about the History of St. Cloud's Orphanage. Homer reflects on his life at the orphanage, Dr. Larch, his current situation, and his internal confliuct caused by his love for an engaged woman.

Homer Wells is the main character of John Irving's "The Cider House Rules", a young man raised in an orphanage in Maine during the 1930's and 1940's. Homer has to deal with his search for identity, his love for a betrothed woman and his desire to make his mentor and father figure, Dr. Larch, proud of him.

Lyle Lovett - "Private Conversation"

Lyrics

"There was a lonely girl from nowhere
With a smile all sweet with pain