Monthly Archives: October 2016

A Day for Witches — In the popular imagination, Halloween is often associated with witches, so I have decided to write a bit about witches in today’s Monday Missive.  Witches (and characters accused of being witches) have long played important roles in literature.   Some of these characters conform to the iconic image of the “wicked witch,” but in many cases, they don’t.  Often characters who are called “witches” are simply powerful or magical women, but they are not especially wicked.  Witch characters have attracted the attention of several members of our English Department.

In her latest blog for the Recipes Project, Jen Munroe discusses the three witches in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth.  As Jen explains in her blog post, these three witches have much in common with the women of the time who concocted medicines.  Jen shows that recipes and spells have much in common.  In her blog, she also discusses the role that these witches play in Macbeth. As she points out, these “witches are guilty of nothing more than ‘knowing’ (or foreknowing, since they merely predict his actions); they no more dictate Macbeth’s murderous ambitions than he can direct their appearances and disappearances.”  Here is the link to Jen’s blog: https://recipes.hypotheses.org/8612

In their co-authored Macbeth: A Novel, Andrew Hartley and David Henson have also turned their attention to the three witches.  As several reviewers have mentioned, the witches in this novelization of Shakespeare’s play are more fully developed than their counterparts in the play.  In Shakespeare’s original play, the three witches function much like the chorus in ancient Greek drama, but in Andrew and David’s novelization, the three witches are more complex characters.

Witches figure prominently in many famous works of children’s literature, including L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Madeline L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time, C.S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series.  All of us who teach children’s literature courses have included such books in our courses, and several of us have written about them in our scholarship.  Beth Gargano, for example, published an article titled “Broomsticks Flying in Circles:  Playing with Narrative in Eleanor Estes’s The Witch Family” in the American Journal of Play.

In my research on the censorship of children’s literature, I have often commented on the controversies that surround such books.  Children’s books that have characters who are labeled as witches are often often censored or challenged for various religious reasons.  Although I strongly support the free exercise of religion, I also believe children should have the right to read these books.

In my opinion, Halloween is a perfect day to read whichever witch book you wish to read.

Kudos — As you know, I like to use my Monday Missives to share news about recent accomplishments by members of our department.  Here is the latest news:

Matthew Osborn recently participated in the biannual Thomas R. Watson Conference at the University of Louisville where he gave a presentation simply titled “Surprise.” His presentation was part of a panel in which the speakers each took punctuation marks as metaphors for conceptual processes in writing and rhetoric.

Angie Williams recently returned from attending the 43rd Annual Administrative Professionals conference in Las Vegas, NV, where she participated in sessions on management practices.

Upcoming Events and Deadlines— Here is information about an upcoming event:

November 1 — Alan Rauch will deliver a presentation about his book titled Dolphin on Tuesday, November 1, at UNC Charlotte Center City.  His presentation will begin at 6:30.  A reception and book-signing will follow his presentation.  His presentation is part of the Personally Speaking Series, which is co-sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the J. Murrey Atkins Library with support from UNC Charlotte Center City.  The series is open to the public without charge, but attendees are expected to register in advance.  To register for Alan’s presentation, please click on the following link:http://clas.uncc.edu/engagement/personally-speaking/dolphin

November 2 — On November 2, the Interdisciplinary Strategies of Activism will facilitate a workshop featuring AFRS faculty and affiliates, along with library staff and special collections resources.  This workshop will take place Wed. Nov. 2 from 4-6 pm in Atkins 125 and Halton Reading Room. Info and free registration are at https://strategiesconversation.eventbrite.com

Quirky Quiz Question — One of my favorite witch characters is Elphaba Thropp.  Can you identify the work in which this character appears?

Last week’s answer: Edmund Spenser

When writing All the King’s Men, Robert Penn Warren drew inspiration from The Faerie Queen?  Who wrote The Faerie Queen?

Elections and Literature — With Secretary Hillary Clinton campaigning on our campus this past weekend and with the election just two weeks away, I’ve decided to devote this week’s Monday Missive to the connections between elections and American literature.  Over the years, many authors have written stories and novels that deal with the drama and tensions associated with elections.  For today’s Monday Missive, I will comment on two:  Grace for President, a children’s book written by Kelly DiPucchio, and All the King’s Men, a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Robert Penn Warren.

Grace for President came out in 2008, and it deals with a third-grade girl named Grace who asks her teacher why the United States has never had a female president.  Grace decides to campaign for the role of president in the school’s mock election, and in the process she and her classmates learn a great deal about America’s electoral college system.  What makes this book stand out, however, is not the lessons it teaches about our system of electing presidents.  Rather, what makes this book appealing to me is the central character.  Grace is strong, funny and inspiring.  Grace for President has a special connection to Charlotte, for the Children’s Theatre of Charlotte is currently performing a musical based on this story.  This musical had its world premier here in Charlotte on October 21, and there are performances scheduled through November 6, 2016.

All the King’s Men originally came out in 1946, and it is partially inspired by the political career of Huey P. Long, a former Governor of Louisiana.  In Warren’s novel, however, the character is named Willie Stark.  In writing this novel, Robert Penn Warren reflects on the messiness of American elections.  In many ways, Stark is a cynical and manipulative politician, but he is not a two-dimensional villain.  Warren uses the backdrop of an election to reflect on philosophical and even theological concerns.  Warren shows how elections can draw out some of the underlying conflicts that shape American culture and discourse.  In 1949, the novel was made into a film, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture.

My guess is that I am the first person to pair up Grace for President and All the King’s Men,but as I see it both books move well beyond the nuts-and-bolts aspects of elections.  Although intended for completely different audiences, these books both explore the human side of elections, and both are great books to read during this election season.

Kudos — As you know, I like to use my Monday Missives to share news about recent accomplishments by members of our department.  Here is the latest news:

Paula Eckard recently presented a paper titled “Mountaintop Removal, Methamphetamine, and Appalachian Homeland Insecurities in The Evening Hour” at the Canadian Association for American Studies Conference in Fredericton, New Brunswick.  Matthew Rowney recently presented a paper titled “De Quincey’s Stairs” at the International Conference on Romanticism in Colorado Springs.

Lara Vetter‘s edition of H.D.’s By Avon River (2014) received a very positive review inAmerican Literary Scholarship.

Upcoming Events and Deadlines— Here is information about two upcoming events:

October 28 —  The English Department meeting will take place on Friday, October 28, from11:00 to 12:30 in the English Department Conference Room.  The English Learning Community will have a faculty meet and greet in the faculty/staff lounge following the department meeting.

October 28 — The UNC Charlotte University Writing Program’s Fall Conference will take place on October 28, 2016. Here is the link to register: https://pages.charlotte.edu/uwpconference/registration-2016/

Quirky Quiz Question — When writing All the King’s Men, Robert Penn Warren drew inspiration from The Faerie Queen?  Who wrote The Faerie Queen?

Last week’s answer: Robert Zimmerman

Most people have heard of Bob Dylan, but this is not his original name.  Does anybody know Dylan’s original name?

Recollections and Reflections on Bob Dylan —  I do not usually get early morning emails from Daniel Shealy, but last Thursday I received a cryptic email from Daniel expressing his excitement about the “cool” news regarding the latest winner of the Nobel Prize in literature.  However, he didn’t tell me what the news was.  I looked it up and discovered that this year’s winner is Bob Dylan.  Well, for those of you who don’t know, Daniel is a devoted Dylan fan, so I didn’t need a weather man to know why Daniel was so excited.

Like Daniel, I grew up listening to Dylan albums, all of which I still own.  When I was in high school, my parents bought a new stereo set.  Back in those days, stereo sets were pieces of furniture.  I asked my parents for their old stereo set, and they let me move the hulking object into my bedroom.  It had a loose wire, but I discovered that if I jiggled the wire around, I could get the stereo to work most of the time.  One day I put on Dylan’s Nashville Skyline, and I reached under the turntable to jiggle the wire.  The next thing I knew I was knocked over on the floor with my arm tingling from a powerful shock.  The electric light still struck like arrows, but I managed to stand upright and be strong.  Now, you would think that after I got an electric shock from my stereo, I would have seen it from a different point of view and just turned on my radio.  But all I really wanted to do was hear my Dylan album, so I jiggled the wire again and this time it worked.   This convinced me that I could have my cake and eat it too.

This past weekend I played all of my old Dylan albums, and while I was listening to them, I thought about the significance of Dylan winning the Nobel Prize for literature.  By bestowing this award on Dylan, the selection committee helped expand out definition of literature to include song lyrics.  This development is in keeping with the expanding and evolving world of English studies.  Through our course offerings and our research, we cover topics that were not included in the English Departments of yesteryear.  These new topics include video games, reality television programs, scientific documents, road signs, board games, apps, websites, and recipe books.  I am sure there are some traditionalists who respond to these changes by attempting to seek shelter from the storm, but as I see it, we are making the right move by acknowledging that the times, they are a-changin’.

Kudos — As you know, I like to use my Monday Missives to share news about recent accomplishments by members of our department.  Here is the latest news:

Bryn Chancellor was an invited author at the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville, TN, this past weekend. She gave a reading and answered questions as part of the panel “The Rural, the Urban and the Search for Home: Navigating Landscapes in Short Stories.”

Allison Hutchcraft recently visited The Writing School at Kingston University, London, where she taught a graduate-level poetry workshop and gave a reading of her work.

Janaka Lewis recently learned that she has been nominated of a 2016 Bookie Award.  These awards recognize “extraordinary literacy and educational work being done in the Charlotte community.”

Emma Parrish, one of our new M.A. students, recently presented a paper titled “Allow it to Occur to You: Invention versus Reality in Roald Dahl” at a conference on Literature of the Hidden and Fantastic at the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith.

Alan Rauch recently presented a paper titled “Novel Highways & Information Turnpikes” at the Victorians Institute Conference.

Bonnie Shishko, one of our part-time faculty members, has a successfully defended her dissertation titled “Epistemologies of the Kitchen: Art, Science, and Nineteenth-Century British Culinary Writing.”  Her defense took place on October 10, 2016, and she will be formally awarded her Ph.D. in December.  However, as far as I am concerned, she is now Dr. Bonnie Shishko.  Congratulations, Bonnie.

Lara Vetter‘s monograph, Modernist Writings and Religio-scientific Discourse (2010), is now available in paperback.

Upcoming Events and Deadlines— Here is information about two upcoming events:

October 19 — Dean Nancy Gutierrez and I invite everyone in the English Department to attend a formal announcement of an important and very positive development related to our department.  This announcement will take place next Wednesday, October 19, at 10:00 a.m. in the English Department Conference Room (Fretwell 280C).  Please come if you possibly can.

October 28 — The UNC Charlotte University Writing Program’s Fall Conference will take place on October 28, 2016.  October 20 is the registration deadline. Registration is $45. Late registration will be open until the day of the conference at an increased rate of $55.  Here is the link to register: https://pages.charlotte.edu/uwpconference/registration-2016/

Quirky Quiz Question — Most people have heard of Bob Dylan, but this is not his original name.  Does anybody know Dylan’s original name?

Last week’s answer: Flipper

In Dolphin, Alan Rauch writes about the depiction of dolphins in popular culture, including a hit television series from the mid-1960s that features a bottlenose dolphin. Does anybody remember the name of this television show? 

Check Out Frankenstein at the Public Library — The Charlotte Mecklenburg Library is celebrating Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein during the month of October.  This celebration is tied to the library’s Community Read Program, and it includes a wide variety of events and activities, including a presentation by our own Matthew Rowney.  Matt will give a talk titled “Frankenstein: The Making of a Novel in the Year Without a Summer” this comingSaturday, October 8th, at 2 pm at the Main Library.  He will give the talk again onSaturday, October 29, at 2 pm at the Myers Park Branch of the library.

As part of the Community Read Program, Sam Shapiro (a part-time faculty member in our department) has organized a Frankenstein Film Series.  One of the films that he will be showing is Mel Brooks’ comedy Young Frankenstein.  This film will be shown onSunday, October 16, at 2 pm at the Main Library.  For more information about this film series, please click on the following link:  https://www.cmlibrary.org/blog/frankenstein-film-series-october

Kudos — As you know, I like to use my Monday Missives to share news about recent accomplishments by members of our department.  Here is the latest news:

Boyd Davis‘s “virtual poster” titled “More Than a Story: Narrative Formats in Alzheimer’s Conversation” is on display at the Aging in Society 2016 Conference in Linkoping, Sweden.