The Arrow

No, not that Arrow. 

Time's Arrow, by Martin Amis. The book we'll be discussing when we meet on Thursday, April 30th at 10:45am.

To that end, please take a look at the assignment options below and come prepared to weigh in.

We'll be discussing all of the assignment options, but everyone is expected to have completed at least one in order to be ready to offer some insight—or perhaps more questions, which could, in turn, lead to insight.

Ready? Set? Go!

(Or perhaps I should say "Go! Set? Ready?")

Assignment Options

Number 1
"Uncle Pepi" is Joseph Mengele, but who is Joseph Mengele? Do a little research and come prepared to enlighten us with what you find. Be thorough, please. Don't just tell us he was a Nazi doctor. Give us some information we couldn't necessarily glean from the text of Amis' novel—information that helps to explain references in the text; information that goes beyond what the text offers.

Number 2
Examine the structure of the novel. Obviously, Amis put a lot of thought into the organization of the story's details. Go beyond the idea of the "reverse narrative" and take a look at how the story is divided into chapters and parts. What information is covered in each chapter and part? Why do you think Amis divided the information in this way? And what do you make of the phrases used to title the various chapters? What purpose do they serve?

Number 3
We get a lot of things in reverse in this novel. Everything, really. Choose one particular event or action (the break-up of a relationship, courtship/dating, eating, domestic violence, aging, a city's economic development/regression, a taxicab ride, "doctoring," etc.) and explain what we learn by viewing this process in reverse.

Number 4
Examine one of the following symbols or motifs featured in the novel and try to figure out what it represents or what we can learn by examining its repetition.

• stars
• mirrors
• dreams
• fashion
• chess
• doctors
• time's arrow

Number 5
Delve into the issue of war crimes, particularly as it relates to Nazis and the Holocaust. How should perpetrators of war crimes be punished? Does the punishment change according to when the perpetrator is "brougth to justice"? For instance, were Tod Friendly convicted of a war crime at his advanced age, how should he be punished? Has he suffered, made amends, or been rehabilitated at all in the 50 years since the war? Does the time that has elapsed matter, or should a 95 year old, say, be put to death or sentenced to life in prison for crimes committed 65 years ago?

Number 6
As always, you are welcome to choose your own issue to explore in whatever way you so choose. Draw, write, paint, sculpt, question, answer, pull out a quote and analyze it. Anything.

A NEW APPROACH 

I'm going to try something a little different this month. Instead of giving you some background and then segueing into the assignments, I'm going to give you the background IN the assignments. Exciting, eh? (Try to contain yourselves.)

As you read each assignment, you'll be given a little information and something to think about with regard to this month's selection, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Then, after reading all of your assignment choices and considering them carefully (gleaning brilliant bits of insight all the while), you'll choose one assignment to prep for our meeting on April 9th.

Ready? Go!

THE ASSIGNMENTS

#1 - Cover Art 

What's up with that ghostly disembodied face floating over the city on the novel's cover? Believe it or not (your choice), this cover art has been praised for its artistic and symbolic qualities. Created for the original publication by Spanish artist Francis Cugat, those eyes—and that glowing city—have graced the majority of The Great Gatsby covers printed over the last 90 years. But... why? You tell us. Why is this cover so perfect for the novel? What are its artistic merits? In what ways it symbolic? Give us everything you've got: color theory, thematic analysis, a biography of Cugat—anything that explains why this cover is one of the most enduring and iconic book covers ever. Ev-er.

#2 - Living Will

Here's the situation. You're in the hospital. You have to undergo a procedure that may leave you unable to make your own medical decisions for a period of time, and you need to appoint someone else to make those decisions for you. For some inexplicable reason, your only choices to fill this role are the characters of The Great Gatsby: 

• Nick Carraway
• Jay Gatsby
• Daisy Buchanan
• Tom Buchanan
• Jordan Baker
• Myrtle Wilson
• George Wilson
• Owl Eyes
• Klipsringer 

For this one, you have to answer two questions: Who's your first choice, and who's your last choice? Back up each of your choices with specific evidence from the book. For instance, if you choose Nick because he's the most conscientious, find some evidence from the book that proves you're not just making things up. Not that you would. But still. Textual evidence, please.

#3 - The Great American Novel

Of course Gatsby is great, it's right there in the title. But what is it that makes Fitzgerald's book a contender for the title Great American Novel. Try to come up with more than reason to support your answer to this one. In fact, let's say three. And if you don't think it's particularly great or particularly American, you can come up with three reasons why Gatsby doesn't deserve the GAN title. 

Ooh! Here's a crazy thought—a third option for #3: Come up with another book that deserves the Great American Novel title more than Gatsby and explain your choice. (Wow. We're up to like, nine assignment choices now. Crazy.)

#4 - Autobiographical Nature of Book

You've probably heard the advice often offered to writers: write what you know. Whether it's good advice or not, it's pretty clear that Fitzgerald took it. There are several elements of The Great Gatsby that appear directly related to Fitzgerald's life experience. Do a little digging into F. Scott's biography and see what you can find in terms of characters, experiences, or events that may have gone directly from Fitzgerald's life to the page.

#5 - Poetry

One of the things I really enjoyed about reading Gatsby this time around was the language. Possibly because I already knew the story, I found myself highly focused on his writing style, his word choice, and—in particular—his very poetic descriptions. Scan through the text of The Great Gatsby and pick out words and phrases that you find particularly poetic. Once you have a good list going, start rearranging these words and phrases to create a Gatsby-inspired poem constructed from Fitzgerald's language. (You can insert a few word and phrases of your own if you like.) Give it a title and bring it to group to share. 

#6 - Something Clever of Your Own Invention

You're all brilliant and you know it, so feel free to create your own Gatsby inspired something-or-other and show it off when we meet on the 9th. 

Happy reading, everyone! I can't wait to see what you all come up with.