Monthly Archives: January 2013

Little Nate-o in Chabon Land

Posted on January 30, 2013 by nathanielwms

Thoughts on teaching The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, at three-quarters of the way through: As friend and fellow CSSF Writers Workshop alumnus Mark Silcox put it “I don’t think there’s another writer alive one could learn more from … Continue reading →

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Ragtime

Posted on January 23, 2013 by nathanielwms

Fredric Jameson’s famous essay “Postmodernism, or the Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism” singles out E. L. Doctorow’s Ragtime as a text that touches postmodern nostalgia, yet retains its allegiance to some cultural norm and progressive political agenda.  As such, it … Continue reading →

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A Kansas City Labrick in California, Part 2 (Sci-Fi edition)

Posted on January 18, 2013 by nathanielwms

Two days after teaching Tom Sawyer (see Part 1), I find myself writing a grant proposal to visit libraries with Twain collections.  So, I’m thinking about him in the scope of my research, not just as a fan or a … Continue reading →

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A Kansas City Labrick in California*

Posted on January 15, 2013 by nathanielwms

I’m teaching The Adventures of Tom Sawyer in my Topics in the Novel: Nostalgia/Desiderium class today. Rather than wax on Twain’s approach to nostalgia, I want to wax on my nostalgia for Twain—or lack thereof. See, I grew up in … Continue reading →

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Why I’m OK with “Sci-Fi”

Posted on January 12, 2013 by nathanielwms

Exhibit A in the ways pop culture nostalgia affects my work with speculative literature: I’m OK with the term “Sci-Fi.” A lot of folks working in SF hate the label. They see it as a dismissive term, used by those … Continue reading →

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