One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest By Ken
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest By Ken Kesey
Postmodernism refresher! l l l Began in the 1940’s and still going Hard to define and highly debatable In fiction there is a total breakdown of perspective and structure It is a reaction against the traditional master narratives that projected an orderly and coherent universe Postmodern writers choose narrative openness over closure, fiction over truth, and fragmentation over unity and coherence
Postmodernism l Untrustworthy narrator – – Did you trust Chief Bromden? Why or why not? How does this affect your perception of the novel?
Theme? l l l l What are some potential themes in Cuckoo’s Nest? Rebellion Against Authority and Conformism Physical and moral courage Morality - good over evil What is insanity? Power Sacrifice
Formalist Criticism l The main conflict in One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest can be described at least three different ways: – – – l sane individual vs. a crazy institution man vs. machine natural masculinity vs. asexual women, institutions, and society that want to tame it Discuss how these themes differ from one another. Choose theme that you think most accurately describes the conflict in the book and explain why.
Formalist Criticism l “Her nostrils flare open, and every breath she draws she gets bigger. . She works the hinges in her elbows and fingers. I hear a small squeak. She starts moving, and I get back against the wall, and when she rumbles past she's already big as a truck, trailing that wicker bag behind in her exhaust like a semi behind a Jimmy Diesel. Her lips are parted, and her smile's going out before her like a radiator grill. I can smell the hot oil and magneto spark when she goes past, and every step hits the floor she blows up a size bigger, blowing and puffing, roll down anything in her path!” (p. 87) l What is this an example of? Find at least two other examples of metaphors in this novel and two similies l
Formalist Criticism - Irony l l l Kesey engages in a sense of bleak irony at the end of the novel After Billy commits suicide, Nurse Ratched chastises Mc. Murphy for playing God and causing the deaths of Cheswick and Billy Bibbit (p. 266) However, it is her policies that drove them to their respective deaths. All of her criticisms of Mc. Murphy can be better applied to Nurse Ratched, who has placed herself as a vengeful god over the ward. Can you think of another example of irony?
Formalist Criticism - Irony l l l Before the men leave for the fishing trip, Nurse Ratched exposes Mc. Murphy for his selfinterested actions and manipulation Nurse Ratched implies that Mc. Murphy is a manipulative con man (p. 198) The irony of this situation is that Nurse Ratched herself is manipulating the patients, while Mc. Murphy has remained honest about his intentions and his “entrepreneurial” spirit
Climax l l What is the climax? (keep in mind that it is when the conflict comes to its highest point) When Mc. Murphy attacks Nurse Ratched.
Your Task: – Write five thesis’s on the five of the six methods of literary criticism
Las Meninas (1656) – Diego Velázquez l l l We look at a painting of a painter looking at us The real subjects of the work being painted (rather than being viewed by us) are the king and the queen situated in our position but perceived by us only in the background mirror In gazing into this picture we become the subject
Meta-fiction l l l Las Meninas is an example of meta-painting – a painting about painting Meta-fiction is writing about writing, and reading about reading It is fictional writing that draws attention to its status as an artifact in order to pose questions about the relationship between fiction and reality
Meta-Fiction continued… l l l Meta-Fiction examines the fundamental structures of narrative fiction, and explores the possible fictionality of the world outside of the literary fictional text There is an emphasis on self-reflexivity Reality is no longer understandable History is fiction or constructions There can be a juxtaposition of historical characters with fictional ones
Meta-Fiction and Postmodernism l l Not all postmodernist novels will contain meta-fiction Postmodernism gives up on or rejects any attempt at creating a coherent world view, whereas such attempts had been typical of the master narratives of traditional science, philosophy or ideology Postmodernist novels also can contain a breakdown of perspective This brings into question the validity of truth
Postmodernism l l How can we trust Chief Bromden? “It is truth, even if it didn’t happen. ” pg 13 Are there any other examples of where we can see a breakdown of perspective and construction of truth? Is it important that we know the truth?
Theme? l l l l What are some potential themes in Cuckoo’s Nest? Rebellion Against Authority and Conformism Physical and moral courage Morality - good over evil What is insanity? Power Sacrifice
Formalist Criticism l The main conflict in One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest can be described at least three different ways: – – – l sane individual vs. a crazy institution man vs. machine natural masculinity vs. asexual women, institutions, and society that want to tame it Discuss how these themes differ from one another. Choose theme that you think most accurately describes the conflict in the book and explain why.
Formalist Criticism l “Her nostrils flare open, and every breath she draws she gets bigger. . She works the hinges in her elbows and fingers. I hear a small squeak. She starts moving, and I get back against the wall, and when she rumbles past she's already big as a truck, trailing that wicker bag behind in her exhaust like a semi behind a Jimmy Diesel. Her lips are parted, and her smile's going out before her like a radiator grill. I can smell the hot oil and magneto spark when she goes past, and every step hits the floor she blows up a size bigger, blowing and puffing, roll down anything in her path!” (p. 87) l What is this an example of? Find at least two other examples of metaphors in this novel and two similies l
Formalist Criticism - Irony l l l Kesey engages in a sense of bleak irony at the end of the novel After Billy commits suicide, Nurse Ratched chastises Mc. Murphy for playing God and causing the deaths of Cheswick and Billy Bibbit (p. 266) However, it is her policies that drove them to their respective deaths. All of her criticisms of Mc. Murphy can be better applied to Nurse Ratched, who has placed herself as a vengeful god over the ward. Can you think of another example of irony?
Formalist Criticism - Irony l l l Before the men leave for the fishing trip, Nurse Ratched exposes Mc. Murphy for his selfinterested actions and manipulation Nurse Ratched implies that Mc. Murphy is a manipulative con man (p. 198) The irony of this situation is that Nurse Ratched herself is manipulating the patients, while Mc. Murphy has remained honest about his intentions and his “entrepreneurial” spirit
Climax l l What is the climax? (keep in mind that it is when the conflict comes to its highest point) When Mc. Murphy attacks Nurse Ratched.
Your Task: – Write five thesis’s on the five of the six methods of literary criticism
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