(The) Writer's Mind: "Recent" narratives:
Observing and collecting data for recent narratives
...[we must] attempt to regain the unimpaired strength of language and words; for words and language are not wrappings in which things are packed for the commerce of those who write and speak. It is in words and language that things first come into being and are. For this reason the misuse of language in idle talk, in slogans and phrases, destroys our authentic relation to things. (Heidegger, An Introduction to Metaphysics 13-14)
A beginning premise of this assignment is that we live life, for the most part, "in the stands." That is, when dealing with everyday life, we interact with our interpretations (our hopes, expectations, theories, opinions, judgments, beliefs--idle talk, slogans, and phrases) rather than "actual" experience, the things themselves as "what happens." Perhaps we live life avoiding and resisting our experiences, which may very well be the source of our complaints that endlessly recur.
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What if we let ourselves fully experience what we would normally resist or avoid? |
This assignment is then to be an experiment in letting yourself experience an event you normally would not let yourself experience in order to observe the experience in all its richness, including your normal habits of interpretation, but perhaps also moving beyond. From this observation you will collect data that will allow you to develop at least two distinct "recent" narratives.
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The Assignment
You are to write at least one narrative of your having taken a specific action or series of actions outside the spectrum of activities and practices you are likely to do in your everyday life, wherein you engage in substantive interaction and dialogue with others.
The 2nd recent narrative will come from developing one of the 5 sketches you've written of a recent moment. Each of these narratives will be at least 2 pages (300-600 words). One of these may become the frame for your Lyric essay (together with one or more cause narratives and one or more success narratives) that will be the aim of the Memento project for you to produce.
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Procedure
Step 1:
Step 2:
Step 3:
Step 4:
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Suggestions based on candidates for observations past students selected:
participating in an unfamiliar social event (a church, a club, line dancing, a political rally);
taking part in a set of practices foreign to you (being a "level 5" Vegan for a weekend, taking a vow of silence for a weekend, dressing in clothes you would never wear, and going about your weekend, etc.); riding the bus (or some other unfamiliar form of public transit) around town for a few hours--maybe even take the bus into Philadelphia, explore Center City, and then bus back; going to a gym and working out; or going to a restaurant that serves dishes you would never eat in a million years--for some, going to a restaurant alone is enough. One student went to a local diner in her prom dress and ate alone. Yeah, it was awesome. engaging in some kind of speech act (with one or more people) that is outside the range of speech acts you would normally enact with those people (initiating a conversation with someone you have been reluctant to have; or perhaps apologizing to someone for making them wrong and for dominating and/or manipulating them--in other words, sharing yourself in a way that is generous, as all of us are already quite practiced at being stingy; or making unreasonable requests of everyone throughout a single day, etc). Bonus: be unreasonable in keeping your word the entire weekend, to whomever you ever gave your word. There are many possibilities. If you are having trouble, write me with some ideas and I'll brainstorm with you. |
The Conditions
It must be something you would not normally do, that is, something clearly outside the predictable range of activities for you (if you've just turned 21 and you are about to embark on becomming a bar-hopping fool anyway, make sure you pick something else);
It ought to involve you interacting with others in ways other than you normally do; It need not cost any money, though that does limit your options; Most importantly: It must not be anything that harms anyone or that is illegal (this is NOT "Fight Club," so don't pick fights: be more inventive than that). In other words, do not put anyone--including yourself--in any kind of physical or legal or social or economic jeopardy. I had a student who did not listen to this condition and had the brilliant idea to observe himself act like a jerk with his girlfriend (it was questionable as to whether this was outside his normal way of being), with highly predictable results. If you have any questions about this, write me immediately and I'll confer with you. |
Here you will find a theoretical discussion of the rationale for this assignment.