Sunday, February 14, 2021

Discussion Questions: Sharing Thoughts

1. Murakami's A Wild Sheep Chase and Chandler's The Long Goodbye show aspects of 
similarities in setting. There is a general theme of mystery behind each setting, and the 
setting seems to change frequently throughout the story. In both novels, the protagonists 
are on a journey to uncover a hidden truth. Neither are extraordinarily special individuals, 
nor do they know exactly what this hidden truth may be, but there is something within them 
that seems to drive them. These protagonists also seem to be indifferent individuals who only
 act according to their duties and seem to express little emotion. Given that both books include
 a lot of the protagonist’s thoughts, the reader can get a better sense of who they are as people. 
I take Murakami to be a spontaneous, yet thoughtful writer. He takes an ordinary individual 
and forces him into extraordinary circumstances.


2. There was an example in the intertextuality article of an Absolut Vodka advertisement from 

London of a Queen’sGuard soldier standing in front of a door shaped like a vodka bottle. With 

nothing but the company name on the advertisement, they are effectively saying that their product

 is so exceptional that there is no need for further explanation. The subtle way of advertising is 

also a great way to make the consumer feel like they are a part of a special “club”, in that they

 recognize the bottle when others might not. I think this method of advertising is a very 

strategic way of marketing as though it is already a successful product.


3. Memes have changed the way many people (particularly the younger generation) perceive 

images. There is more of a focus on using one’s own imagination and creativity to determine 

the meaning behind an image. Some memes may even assume the viewers to have prior knowledge

 that allows them to properly decipher the message that the creator was trying to convey. The use of

 memes has given creative power to the people producing them and allows viewers to interpret them 

the way they choose.


4. Of the five subtypes listed by Gerard Genette, hypotextuality and metatextuality are most reflected

 in Murakami’sA Wild Sheep Chase. This novel shows elements of detective-style writing throughout, 

which is similar to Chandler’s The Long Goodbye hard-boiled detective style narrative. In terms of

 character development, the protagonist in The Wild Sheep Chase resembles an ordinary man that 

encounters extraordinary situations, who seems to always adhere to this good judgement. This is 

similar to detective Phillip Marlowe in The Long Goodbye, who seems to be an ordinary detective

 that is constantly making decisions based on what he thinks is right. Lastly, there is a heavy use of 

monologue from the protagonists in both novels to give the reader a better understanding of who they

 are as people and how they rationalize their actions.


5. I think it is most fair to give credit to the author for any original ideas. I believe authors should focus 

on creating their own original style without basing it on ideas adopted from others. However, it is also

sometimes useful to adopt ideas from other writers if it enhances the narrative.

 

Boston



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