Brandon Dooley
English 305-60
Review
Extremely Brilliant and Incredibly Awesome
When I began to read “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” by Jonathan Foer, I thought that this particular author was ‘Extremely ADHD & Incredibly Challenged.’ The first page alone goes from talking about teakettles with mouths to talking anuses to tiny microphones to synchronized menstrual periods. From traditional novels, one would expect that the first words would pertain to something along the lines of ‘Once upon a time’ or a scene that the writer just jumps into, followed by descriptions of who, what, when, where, and why or some random fact or other means we as readers grew up upon, so right from the get-go the author is seemingly just ranting about literally nothing pertaining to an actual story line. Normally, I would’ve put the book down right there, but out of academic curiosity I continued further into the book. This is when I began to understand the brilliant mind that is Jonathan Foer.
This story is about a boy named Oskar Schell who searches for the lock to the key left by his father around New York City (where he lives), searching for someone with the name of “Black.” Throughout the story, we learn that his father, Thomas Schell, had died in the 9/11 attacks, from which during the chaos the father had attempted to contact someone at the house and received no answer despite Oskar being there. We also learn that Grandpa isn’t there and the reasons behind why that is (though he comes back in the end), what happened during the time before, during, and after Grandpa had left, what effects that had on Grandma, and why Grandpa is unable to speak. Foer utilizes such major events as the Dresden bombings and Hiroshima in order to invoke strong, disaster-related emotions and to point out some of the effects that they had on this particular family’s life.
The complexities Foer utilizes causes the reader at times to not know who is talking or what is being talked about, but further through the book everything seemingly falls into place, along who is talking, and what they’re talking about becomes more and more clear. It causes readers to almost have to read the book again in order to begin to understand what he is talking about, for many thoughts, emotions, and actions are hinted at between the lines of which he writes, which, with the variety of pictures placed specifically throughout the novel, and the little tidbits of words or mesh pools of illegible writing, speaks to something else outside the words described previously in the chapter it exists in, and speaks to another concept within a different chapter beforehand. Essentially, the author causes you to pay attention to what you’re reading. An example of this is when Grandpa leaves, is at the train station, and Grandma rushes to him begging him not to leave her. The way Foer indicates this at first is through the messages Grandpa wrote down, each phrase on a particular page. This is what it looked like:
Pg. 136 “I want to buy a ticket to Dresden.”
Pg. 137 “What are you doing here?”
Pg. 138 “You have to go home. You should be in bed.”
Pg. 139 “Let me take you home.”
Pg. 140 “You’re being crazy. You’re going to catch a cold.”
Pg. 141 “You’re going to catch a colder.”
Further in the book, Foer goes into an in-depth explanation through Grandma’s view of what happened around that entire scenario;Grandma decided to spy on him for a while before actually going up to him (among other things).
Besides hinting to various important parts throughout the book, Foer has different writing styles to indicate who is talking and when. He doesn’t actually say who is talking in each of the chapters; us as readers kind of have to guess who it is. When Oskar is speaking, it is written almost like a journal through his perspective, but coherently and almost novel-like, despite the random “Squirrel!” moments that he has while writing (and if you’ve seen the movie UP!, you’d get that joke). When Grandpa is writing, there is no break in between paragraphs or thought processes; the sentences are punctuated at the end of most sentences, but even then a lot of his writing is a continuous run-on sentence. Grandma’s writing is almost poetic. She speaks in short, brief, and sometimes compelling statements. Here’s an example:
Pg. 314 “It was late, and we were tired.
We assumed there would be other nights.
Anna’s breathing started to slow, but I still wanted to talk. She rolled onto her side.
I said, I want to tell you something.
She said, You can tell me tomorrow.
I had never told her how much I loved her.”
(This particular scene was about the last time that Grandma had been with her sister before the Dresden bombings.) Foer utilizes all three perspectives to build upon the present through the past of Grandpa and Grandma, resulting in effects on the third, Oskar, even if slightly, and, through utilizing the writing techniques that he does to portray each individual, causes us as readers to re-evaluate and pay attention to details within the writing that we may not have noticed otherwise.
One final point pertains to the effects that he may have on future writers. Most writers I’ve read stick with one particular writing style throughout the entire novel. This was seemingly the traditional methods of showing individuality in a work of art. Foer breaks that apart with this various writing styles mentioned earlier, but also with the incorporation of pictures and mesh as I mentioned earlier. So what does this do to future writers? To me, it seems that people who are interested in writing can learn about the methodology Foer utilizes: the organization and placement of key events and explanations, the utilization of simple or complex words in various places, and the fact that one is able to do this in whatever way seems fit, but also in a way that has to make sense to the readers. Foer is the example of risk-taking necessary in writing to become successful, incorporating innovating methods to tell stories; I feel that future writers will benefit from his stories.
Overall, Foer is a brilliant writer who deserves credit for his work of art. Some writers, such as a man named Harry Seigal from the NewYork Press, think that Foer was trying to use such major events mentioned earlier, especially 9/11, simply to throw them in the novel- “(and) the kitchen sink”- to make a quick buck. I like to believe that Foer used that particular incident in order to evoke strong emotions on top of the strong emotions hinted in the wording just so that each type of emotion would be affected all at once. The event of 9/11 affected a nation rather than just a few individuals- though individuals were affected at the same time- and most people I’ve spoken with remember what they were doing on that day, so it’s quite a memorable (even with 9 years gone by) as with the emotions of watching fellow Americans suffering and dying right before their/our eyes; I don’t think something like a fatal car crash or suicide would be as effective to the American population. But as for being able to write or organizing thoughts or utilizing imagery, many of those critics can’t say much of anything other than ad hominem arguments or just simple dislike of how Foer goes about presenting his story. For this reason, I say that Foer is a genius of writing, but if you don’t believe, I say make up your own mind about the book; read it, see if you like it, get what you can from it.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
"Mixed-Givings"
M A Miller
A review of Jonathan Safran Foer’s novel, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2005
It is entirely natural while reading Jonathan Safran Foer’s Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close fictional novel, to feel as if it should be tossed across the room in disgust--if only one could stop reading it long enough to do just that! Because human emotions of love and hate are closely linked by the same nervous circuits in the brain, (the “putamen” and the “insula”), it is possible to love and hate simultaneously. Journalists even created a portmanteau for the “love-hate” phenomenon called “frenemy"—“friend" combined with "enemy". But whatever the reason, Foer’s novel, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, is undeniably a source of both angst and great emotional joy. It is a book that simply cannot be tossed aside—no matter how infuriating it may be.
There are many who have given Foer’s novel, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, high accolades, including Salman Rushdie, a famous author. Rushdie stated in the book’s “acclaim section”, “Jonathan Safran Foer’s second novel is everything that one hoped it would be--ambitious, pyrotechnic, riddling . . . An exceptional achievement.” Foer’s first novel, Everything is Illuminated (2002), reached the New York Times bestseller list, and earned him several awards. However, there are others who have criticized his choice of using the 9/11 tragedy as a disrespectful backdrop for his second novel, and regarded his use of gadgetry writing deceptive. One such critic who lashed out with caustic fervor is Harry Siegel. Siegel, in his New York Press review dated April 20, 2005, entitled his review, “Extremely Cloying & Incredibly False--Why the Author of Everything Is Illuminated is a Fraud and a Hack.” Siegel states about Foer, “Why wait to have ideas worth writing when you can grab a big theme, throw in the kitchen sink, and wear your flip-flops all the way to the bank?”
Foer's novel, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, uses New York as the setting. It is a story of nine-year-old Oskar Schell, in which Oskar’s father, Thomas Schell, dies during the 9/11 terrorist attack. Oskar is an eclectic-eccentric boy who attempts to cope with his grief of losing his father (or, as Oskar says, "heavy boots"[2]) by inventing things (like “bird-seed shirts” that help people fly [2]), playing a tambourine, giving keys out to strangers (so Oskar will get all his packages), and giving himself bruises. Distressed by messages left on the answering-machine from his trapped and dying father, Oskar explores his father’s closet one night and discovers a blue vase. The vase contains an envelope marked with the word “Black” on it and a key in inside. Oskar decides the key must belong to a lock that contains something important about his father. And so begins his journey visiting all people with the last name “Black” (in alphabetical order) to find the lock and solve the mystery to “get closer to dad” (52). Oskar says, “I would spend my Saturdays and Sundays finding all of the people named Black . . . In a year and a half I would know everything” (51).
Early in the story, however, it begins to feel as if as if the reader is revisiting the 1956 film, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, whereas the townspeople are being replaced by giant plant-like pod duplicates. Only in this case, it is Oskar being replaced by a grown-up Foer who has invaded Oskar’s body and mind. In fact, in a Bookbrowse.com interview, Foer describes himself, “Like most children, I had a number of collections. . . . I sent my share of fan letters, suffered numerous failed attempts to kiss women my mother's age, and did work in the family jewelry business for a summer.” It feels as if grown-up Foer is masquerading as nine-year-old Oskar and as a result, Oskar quickly becomes an unbelievable character--a “frenemy" to the reader. What young boy converts his father’s last voice message into Morse code using different colored beads to make jewelry? What nine-year-old boy’s mother tucks him in at night and asks, “Do you want me to read something to you? We could go through the New York Times for mistakes” (168). But the reader cannot toss the book aside; he/she is entrapped in the web of emotions brought on by this faux-boy searching for the meaning of his father’s death. Who doesn’t yearn to make meaning out of senseless death—especially when it involves a current tragedy? The reader desperately wants Oskar Schell to find solace to this question. For this reason alone, Foer knows he has the reader hooked.
The book is bursting with photographs of doorknobs, birds flying, a person falling, blank pages, black pages, and other such ruses and curiosities. One is reminded of the “Three Wise Monkeys’” proverb, "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” when realizing Oskar’s grandma’s sight is poor; Mr. Black who lives upstairs is deaf; and Oskar’s grandfather is mute. Foer leaves “no ‘literary and visual gimmick’ stone unturned”. The book even concludes with a flipbook of a person falling “upward”. The distracted reader shrugs with frustration and says to him/herself “don’t bombard me with meaningless rubbish -- just tell me the truth about death!”
Despite the obvious manipulation of the reader, Foer atones for his misdeeds with the quirky characters of grandma and grandpa. Intertwining like threads in a tapestry within Oskar’s story is the story of his grandparents who are survivors of the WWII Dresden bombings, and how they came together. Their story is one of hope, despair, and love. The chapters entitled "My Feelings" are letters written to Oskar by his grandmother describing her life as a child and as an adult. Just as Oskar is seeking for the truth about the death of his father, grandma is searching for the truth about her own life, “When I was a girl, my life was music that was always getting louder . . . Every day I felt less. Is that growing old?” (180). And though Foer’s characters seem surreal, their sadness and regret for things lost, and their ability to love resonates with each reader. For this reason alone-- Foer has cast off his “frenemy” status and successfully written a book about the 9/11 tragedy in which “love conquers all.” This book needs to be read.
A review of Jonathan Safran Foer’s novel, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2005
It is entirely natural while reading Jonathan Safran Foer’s Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close fictional novel, to feel as if it should be tossed across the room in disgust--if only one could stop reading it long enough to do just that! Because human emotions of love and hate are closely linked by the same nervous circuits in the brain, (the “putamen” and the “insula”), it is possible to love and hate simultaneously. Journalists even created a portmanteau for the “love-hate” phenomenon called “frenemy"—“friend" combined with "enemy". But whatever the reason, Foer’s novel, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, is undeniably a source of both angst and great emotional joy. It is a book that simply cannot be tossed aside—no matter how infuriating it may be.
There are many who have given Foer’s novel, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, high accolades, including Salman Rushdie, a famous author. Rushdie stated in the book’s “acclaim section”, “Jonathan Safran Foer’s second novel is everything that one hoped it would be--ambitious, pyrotechnic, riddling . . . An exceptional achievement.” Foer’s first novel, Everything is Illuminated (2002), reached the New York Times bestseller list, and earned him several awards. However, there are others who have criticized his choice of using the 9/11 tragedy as a disrespectful backdrop for his second novel, and regarded his use of gadgetry writing deceptive. One such critic who lashed out with caustic fervor is Harry Siegel. Siegel, in his New York Press review dated April 20, 2005, entitled his review, “Extremely Cloying & Incredibly False--Why the Author of Everything Is Illuminated is a Fraud and a Hack.” Siegel states about Foer, “Why wait to have ideas worth writing when you can grab a big theme, throw in the kitchen sink, and wear your flip-flops all the way to the bank?”
Foer's novel, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, uses New York as the setting. It is a story of nine-year-old Oskar Schell, in which Oskar’s father, Thomas Schell, dies during the 9/11 terrorist attack. Oskar is an eclectic-eccentric boy who attempts to cope with his grief of losing his father (or, as Oskar says, "heavy boots"[2]) by inventing things (like “bird-seed shirts” that help people fly [2]), playing a tambourine, giving keys out to strangers (so Oskar will get all his packages), and giving himself bruises. Distressed by messages left on the answering-machine from his trapped and dying father, Oskar explores his father’s closet one night and discovers a blue vase. The vase contains an envelope marked with the word “Black” on it and a key in inside. Oskar decides the key must belong to a lock that contains something important about his father. And so begins his journey visiting all people with the last name “Black” (in alphabetical order) to find the lock and solve the mystery to “get closer to dad” (52). Oskar says, “I would spend my Saturdays and Sundays finding all of the people named Black . . . In a year and a half I would know everything” (51).
Early in the story, however, it begins to feel as if as if the reader is revisiting the 1956 film, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, whereas the townspeople are being replaced by giant plant-like pod duplicates. Only in this case, it is Oskar being replaced by a grown-up Foer who has invaded Oskar’s body and mind. In fact, in a Bookbrowse.com interview, Foer describes himself, “Like most children, I had a number of collections. . . . I sent my share of fan letters, suffered numerous failed attempts to kiss women my mother's age, and did work in the family jewelry business for a summer.” It feels as if grown-up Foer is masquerading as nine-year-old Oskar and as a result, Oskar quickly becomes an unbelievable character--a “frenemy" to the reader. What young boy converts his father’s last voice message into Morse code using different colored beads to make jewelry? What nine-year-old boy’s mother tucks him in at night and asks, “Do you want me to read something to you? We could go through the New York Times for mistakes” (168). But the reader cannot toss the book aside; he/she is entrapped in the web of emotions brought on by this faux-boy searching for the meaning of his father’s death. Who doesn’t yearn to make meaning out of senseless death—especially when it involves a current tragedy? The reader desperately wants Oskar Schell to find solace to this question. For this reason alone, Foer knows he has the reader hooked.
The book is bursting with photographs of doorknobs, birds flying, a person falling, blank pages, black pages, and other such ruses and curiosities. One is reminded of the “Three Wise Monkeys’” proverb, "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” when realizing Oskar’s grandma’s sight is poor; Mr. Black who lives upstairs is deaf; and Oskar’s grandfather is mute. Foer leaves “no ‘literary and visual gimmick’ stone unturned”. The book even concludes with a flipbook of a person falling “upward”. The distracted reader shrugs with frustration and says to him/herself “don’t bombard me with meaningless rubbish -- just tell me the truth about death!”
Despite the obvious manipulation of the reader, Foer atones for his misdeeds with the quirky characters of grandma and grandpa. Intertwining like threads in a tapestry within Oskar’s story is the story of his grandparents who are survivors of the WWII Dresden bombings, and how they came together. Their story is one of hope, despair, and love. The chapters entitled "My Feelings" are letters written to Oskar by his grandmother describing her life as a child and as an adult. Just as Oskar is seeking for the truth about the death of his father, grandma is searching for the truth about her own life, “When I was a girl, my life was music that was always getting louder . . . Every day I felt less. Is that growing old?” (180). And though Foer’s characters seem surreal, their sadness and regret for things lost, and their ability to love resonates with each reader. For this reason alone-- Foer has cast off his “frenemy” status and successfully written a book about the 9/11 tragedy in which “love conquers all.” This book needs to be read.
A Review of Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
A Review of Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close:
By Jonathan Safran Foer
The second novel by the celebrated young author of “Everything is Illuminated”, hits the ground running, and pulls the reader along a twisting, enigmatic path from its first to final page. The novel is set in the aftermath of the 9/11 tragedy in New York and follows the quest of a little boy who lost his father on that infamous day. While this subject could gimmicky or sensational, Foer uses the event for setting and as launching point rather than a crutch to prop-up the story line. Instead, this novel is driven by captivating characters and an irresistible mystery.
Immediately, Foer introduces us to his young hero, Oskar Schell. We become chaperones for the precocious nine year old as we follow him on his surreal journey through the city’s boroughs to find the origin of a strange key he discovers in his dead father’s closet in an envelope simply titled “Black.” From the beginning we are intrigued by Oskar’s complex personality and the ambiguities developing around him and his family. With Oskar’s outlandish claims such as, “My most impressive song that I can play on my tambourine is ‘The flight of the Bumblebee.’” we’re not sure if we can even believe him. Foer’s character is at once unreliable, annoying, curious, yet vulnerable and endearing. He quickly captivates the audience and by the end of the chapter when Oskar recalls hearing the recording of his father’s desperate cell phone calls on the morning of the attack, we are hooked. We willingly to suspend our disbelief and surrender the keys to Oskar, letting him take the wheel on Foer’s multimedia ride.
The novel is well crafted holds the reader’s attention to spite it’s, at times, disorienting jigsaw construction. Each chapter seems to give us a new puzzle piece to the unfolding story and we are compelled to keep reading to see how it all fits together. The novel’s plot is strengthened by its unique characters, such as Oskar and his grandparents. They vacillate between unbelievably eccentric and transcendently real. I often found I missed them when I put the book down. Foer weaves a surprising amount of intricate detail into the plot of the book. Like Hansel and Gretel, he continuously drops the reader clues, like pebbles, to lead them along a storyline that is mysterious, heartbreaking and magical.
The most notable aspect of the novel is the visual imagery that proliferates the pages. The vivid graphics, allow the reader to interact with the text in a way I’ve never experience before in a novel. They begin even before the story itself with images of a door lock, birds in flight, and an apartment building which tantalize the reader upon opening the book. Extremely Loud’s visuals are a scrapbook for the novels characters. They allow the reader to enter their world and experience what they see, or what they want us to see, first-hand; like a portfolio. While it has been said that Foer’s use of visual images are indicative of lazy narration or a ploy, I think they speak to a new generation of readers. As Foer wrote this book, the world was experiencing a digital revolution. Life is now shaped multimedia experiences. Children are using computers before they read, adults and teens are downloading and uploading everything from photos, to videos, to news, and music, while grandparents are “skype-ing” their grandkids on the weekends. A novel which integrates images into its textual plot is simply speaking the language of its audience.
Yet, Foer’s novel isn’t just for the Blackberry generation. This is a book is cross- generational. I would recommend it as readily to my high school English students, as to my own parents. It has elements of both a coming of age novel and a narrative for the greatest generation. Foer explores many universal themes in Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close: the devastation of war, loss of innocence and love, the complexities of family and relationships. These ideas connect with readers of all ages and engage them in the experiences of the characters. While many of the characters could be described as lost misfits, Foer is still able to create an intimacy with them which allows us to identify with them and feel their love, their hurt, and their longing.
“I watched the bags go around the carousel, each held a person’s
belongings, I saw babies going around and around, possible lives
I followed the arrows for those with nothing to declare, and that
Made me want to laugh, but I was silent. One of the guards asked
me to come to the side, ‘That’s a lot of suitcases for someone with
nothing to declare,’ he said, I nodded, knowing that people with
nothing to declare carry the most.”
Through Oskar and his family, we achieve a catharsis. We learn that no one gets out of this life without pain, and the way we live with it is what make us who we are. Regardless of his youth, Foer is able to create these moments of human truth which elevate his novel from merely entertaining to enlightened and worth at least one read, if not two.
By Jonathan Safran Foer
The second novel by the celebrated young author of “Everything is Illuminated”, hits the ground running, and pulls the reader along a twisting, enigmatic path from its first to final page. The novel is set in the aftermath of the 9/11 tragedy in New York and follows the quest of a little boy who lost his father on that infamous day. While this subject could gimmicky or sensational, Foer uses the event for setting and as launching point rather than a crutch to prop-up the story line. Instead, this novel is driven by captivating characters and an irresistible mystery.
Immediately, Foer introduces us to his young hero, Oskar Schell. We become chaperones for the precocious nine year old as we follow him on his surreal journey through the city’s boroughs to find the origin of a strange key he discovers in his dead father’s closet in an envelope simply titled “Black.” From the beginning we are intrigued by Oskar’s complex personality and the ambiguities developing around him and his family. With Oskar’s outlandish claims such as, “My most impressive song that I can play on my tambourine is ‘The flight of the Bumblebee.’” we’re not sure if we can even believe him. Foer’s character is at once unreliable, annoying, curious, yet vulnerable and endearing. He quickly captivates the audience and by the end of the chapter when Oskar recalls hearing the recording of his father’s desperate cell phone calls on the morning of the attack, we are hooked. We willingly to suspend our disbelief and surrender the keys to Oskar, letting him take the wheel on Foer’s multimedia ride.
The novel is well crafted holds the reader’s attention to spite it’s, at times, disorienting jigsaw construction. Each chapter seems to give us a new puzzle piece to the unfolding story and we are compelled to keep reading to see how it all fits together. The novel’s plot is strengthened by its unique characters, such as Oskar and his grandparents. They vacillate between unbelievably eccentric and transcendently real. I often found I missed them when I put the book down. Foer weaves a surprising amount of intricate detail into the plot of the book. Like Hansel and Gretel, he continuously drops the reader clues, like pebbles, to lead them along a storyline that is mysterious, heartbreaking and magical.
The most notable aspect of the novel is the visual imagery that proliferates the pages. The vivid graphics, allow the reader to interact with the text in a way I’ve never experience before in a novel. They begin even before the story itself with images of a door lock, birds in flight, and an apartment building which tantalize the reader upon opening the book. Extremely Loud’s visuals are a scrapbook for the novels characters. They allow the reader to enter their world and experience what they see, or what they want us to see, first-hand; like a portfolio. While it has been said that Foer’s use of visual images are indicative of lazy narration or a ploy, I think they speak to a new generation of readers. As Foer wrote this book, the world was experiencing a digital revolution. Life is now shaped multimedia experiences. Children are using computers before they read, adults and teens are downloading and uploading everything from photos, to videos, to news, and music, while grandparents are “skype-ing” their grandkids on the weekends. A novel which integrates images into its textual plot is simply speaking the language of its audience.
Yet, Foer’s novel isn’t just for the Blackberry generation. This is a book is cross- generational. I would recommend it as readily to my high school English students, as to my own parents. It has elements of both a coming of age novel and a narrative for the greatest generation. Foer explores many universal themes in Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close: the devastation of war, loss of innocence and love, the complexities of family and relationships. These ideas connect with readers of all ages and engage them in the experiences of the characters. While many of the characters could be described as lost misfits, Foer is still able to create an intimacy with them which allows us to identify with them and feel their love, their hurt, and their longing.
“I watched the bags go around the carousel, each held a person’s
belongings, I saw babies going around and around, possible lives
I followed the arrows for those with nothing to declare, and that
Made me want to laugh, but I was silent. One of the guards asked
me to come to the side, ‘That’s a lot of suitcases for someone with
nothing to declare,’ he said, I nodded, knowing that people with
nothing to declare carry the most.”
Through Oskar and his family, we achieve a catharsis. We learn that no one gets out of this life without pain, and the way we live with it is what make us who we are. Regardless of his youth, Foer is able to create these moments of human truth which elevate his novel from merely entertaining to enlightened and worth at least one read, if not two.
Book Review-Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Foer
The novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathon Foer is intriguing and well written. Some argue that it is Foer’s greatest work to date. Jonathon Foer was born in 1977 and has one other well known novel named "Everything Is Illuminated." I personally believe that Foer is a very talented writer who has a unique style to his work. I have not had the opportunity until now, to read a novel written in this style of writing before and don’t think that I will see many in the future with as much creativity as this piece possesses.
The novel is about a nine-year-old boy named Oskar who lost his father during the September 11th attacks. After two years have passed since his father’s death, Oskar is still having a hard time accepting it and letting his father go. One of the things making Oskar’s father’s death so hard to accept is that Oskar was the only one to listen to the five heart wrenching voicemails left by his father the day of the September 11th attacks. One of the voicemails states, “I’m OK. Everything. Is. Fine. When you get this, give Grandma a call. Let her know that I’m OK. I’ll call again in a few minutes. Hopefully the fireman will be. Up here by then. I’ll call.” Oskar could tell by the messages that something was terribly wrong and that his father was trying to be calm only for him.
Oskar has a grandmother that lives across the street from him who he is tremendously close to. His grandfather left his grandmother forty years ago when he found out that Oskar’s grandmother was pregnant with his father. Before Oskar’s grandfather married his grandmother, he was in love with his grandmother’s sister who was pregnant with his child when she died in the bombings of Dresden. When Oskar’s grandfather found out about his wife being pregnant with Oskar’s father, he forced himself to leave because he was scared to loose another person that he loved.
One night while Oskar is looking through his father’s things he drops a vase, which shatters and reveals an envelope labeled with the name Black on it holding a mysterious key inside. Oskar is determined to find what the key opens and why his father had it hidden in a vase. Oskar comes up with the idea to meet everyone by the name of Black to hopefully find someone with the answer. Oskar allows his imagination to take him on an unforgettable adventure allowing him to find acceptance of his father’s death.
Along the way, Oskar meets many amazing people; some of whom he learns from and others that learn from him. One of the Blacks turns out to be his neighbor and becomes a close friend to Oskar. Oskar’s neighbor assists him until Oskar’s grandfather reappears as his grandmother’s renter. Oskar then becomes friends with the man that he does not know is his grandfather to finish the journey together. Both Oskar and his grandfather find a way to accept the death of Oskar’s father and are able to live life a little happier.
Foer leaves many unanswered questions at the end of the novel, which I think that he did on purpose. I believe that he wanted the audience to have the ability to have their own interpretation and ending to the story. Many readers may not care for the puzzling ending while others may praise Foer for it. I honestly think that it all depends on the reader’s personal preference and how creative they are.
The novel does have a small amount of content not appropriate for teens and children however; I recommend this novel to every adult. This novel offers so many lessons and reminds those that need to be reminded about what really matters in life. Grandmother leaves a letter for Oskar explaining her point of everything and tells him “it is always necessary.” Therefore, the greatest lesson that I got out of the novel is that you should never wait to say “I love you” or let someone know how much you care about them because you never know when they will be taken from you; not allowing you to tell them what you wanted to.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, a book review by Márcio Padilha
In a very captivating way, Jonathan Safran Foer’s Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close tells the story of Oskar Schell, a nine-year-old boy who lost his father in the New York City 9/11 attacks. In this novel, Foer gives the narration a multiplicity of voices, allowing different characters to have interesting and different perspectives. Oskar, nonetheless, is the main narrator who, after having accidentally found a mysterious key that belonged to his father, sets out on the mission of finding the lock it opens. The only clue he has is the word “Black”, written in red on the envelope the key was in. Assuming it was a last name, Oskar is determined to contact all of the Blacks who live in the city and, in doing so, he realizes that “life is scarier than death” and wanders in “heavy boots” around New York City’s five boroughs in search of an answer.
Like any other, the Schells are a family who have their myriad of secrets, idiosyncrasies and weaknesses. Grandma and grandpa, who are German immigrants who survived the World War II Dresden Bombing, interestingly explore life in rather absolute terms of oblivion and awareness. Their parental involvement with Thomas, Oskar’s father, is existent to one and not to the other. Thomas’ paternal relationship with Oskar, on the other hand, was full, fun and loving whereas Oskar’s current relationship with his mom is difficult, yet one of love. Grandma’s relationship with her daughter-in-law is amicable, respectful and supportive. Everyone’s relationship with the renter is one which will captivate the reader’s mind wondering for some time.
The success of Foer’s previous work Everything is Illuminated created high expectations, which were not let down, for Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close. In this novel, Foer effectively addresses deep existential issues, sometimes unsettling and sometimes funny, by drawing parallels between the commonality of the other characters’ experiences and those of Oskar’s in light of tragedies of historical magnitude. His writing style is very engaging and thought-provoking in that it will cause the reader to wonder constantly as to where the fine line between denotation and connotation actually is.
In Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, Oskar Schell’s wild ADHD-like imagination will keep the reader’s interest and attention throughout the book. Despite maybe not being the most suitable choice for the weak at heart, reading this novel by Foer is a must.
Like any other, the Schells are a family who have their myriad of secrets, idiosyncrasies and weaknesses. Grandma and grandpa, who are German immigrants who survived the World War II Dresden Bombing, interestingly explore life in rather absolute terms of oblivion and awareness. Their parental involvement with Thomas, Oskar’s father, is existent to one and not to the other. Thomas’ paternal relationship with Oskar, on the other hand, was full, fun and loving whereas Oskar’s current relationship with his mom is difficult, yet one of love. Grandma’s relationship with her daughter-in-law is amicable, respectful and supportive. Everyone’s relationship with the renter is one which will captivate the reader’s mind wondering for some time.
The success of Foer’s previous work Everything is Illuminated created high expectations, which were not let down, for Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close. In this novel, Foer effectively addresses deep existential issues, sometimes unsettling and sometimes funny, by drawing parallels between the commonality of the other characters’ experiences and those of Oskar’s in light of tragedies of historical magnitude. His writing style is very engaging and thought-provoking in that it will cause the reader to wonder constantly as to where the fine line between denotation and connotation actually is.
In Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, Oskar Schell’s wild ADHD-like imagination will keep the reader’s interest and attention throughout the book. Despite maybe not being the most suitable choice for the weak at heart, reading this novel by Foer is a must.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Heavy Boots
Oskar Schell, the nine year old narrator of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, pulls a reader deep into an exploration of love, loss, and ways to cope with both. Thomas Schell, Oskar’s father, died in the tragedy of 9/11, leaving his wife, his mother, and his son Oskar, to cope with their grief in their own ways. Oskar finds a key in his dad’s closet, and spends the rest of the novel combing New York and questioning its inhabitants to see if they can help him discover the meaning behind the key. He refers to his grief as “heavy boots.” Grandma finds a “renter” to live with her, and increases the protection of her relationship with Oskar. Oskar’s mom finds a friend named Ron who also lost someone. Grandpa, a continent away in Dresden, returns to New York to reconnect with his wife, and find solace after losing a son he never had. To pile more grief and loss into the story, Grandma and Grandpa lost someone in the Dresden fire-bombings of WWII – Anna. Anna was pregnant with Grandpa’s baby, and was Grandma’s sister. Through the narratives we are given we see how these three very different people cope with their losses, and still continue to love the people they have left.
The novel is written by Jonathan Safran-Foer, an emerging writer who also wrote Everything is Illuminated, which was made into a major motion picture. His foray into the 9/11 tragedy with his most recent book received a variety of responses, some critical, some applauding, of his work. His style is unorthodox to say the least. Rather than straightforward text, Safran-Foer uses pictures, a flip book, letters, editorial red pen, blank pages, numbers, and text that blurs together until unreadable to make his point. I think these tactics are compelling. Foer presents readers with a new challenge, a different type of novel. Instead of being given what we, as readers, expect; we are given something wholly novel and illuminating. We are taken on a journey with Foer’s work, and not just a literary one. We have visuals at our disposal, we have confusion on the page and in the text, and we even have numbers to decipher into words if we can. Foer appears to be introducing readers to a new experience. In an interview with Powell’s Bookstore he said that “People seem to have two reactions to books. Either they describe what they’re about or they describe how the book made them feel. I’d much rather write the kind of book that inspires someone to describe the way it made them feel. When you’re talking about the book, you’re not referring to an object; you’re referring to an experience.” He wants his books to be remembered for how they make a reader feel, and how they create a specific experience.
This story is brilliantly told. Foer navigates sensitive issues that all people deal with surely and bares the emotions of all the characters for the readers to see. At every chapter I was connecting new dots, and questioning motivations of characters. Is Grandpa the “renter?” Does Mom really not care what Oskar is doing on the streets of New York every day? Why does Grandma keep saying she has “crummy eyes?” I would formulate answers to these questions and many others, only to receive new information, or make a new connection in the next section of reading and reformulate all over again. I loved this. Foer created real suspense this way I think. I appreciated the new way he told an old story of grief by including photos, drawings, letters, numbers, red pen marks, etc. I think these visuals fleshed out the novel, and gave us more information to use in our understanding, and to add to our book experience.
I would recommend this book to almost anyone. It was a great read, and worthy of the acclaim it received from many critics. There is sensitive material addressed, but I think this was necessary in order to fully appreciate the grief underwent by the Schell family, and other families after 9/11. If nothing else, read the book to gain some insight into love. As Grandma’s last sentiment reminds us – “Here is the point of everything I have been trying to tell you, Oskar. It’s always necessary [to say I love you to someone you love].” Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is a great story, told by a great author. Read, and enjoy!
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Audience Analysis
Audience Analysis: The Stranger
When I took my first look at the novel, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, I immediately read the reviews. I figure that these must be the most positive, insightful sentiments about the book or they wouldn’t have been selected by the publisher. There on the inside front, against a background of cinnabar with a black silhouette of a hand, were the comments of an old friend from Seattle, The Stranger. The review states, “Funny and extremely tender, and incredibly brave…Maybe this is a novel for young people. By that I mean people who think of the future as exciting…I read it in a daze of happiness.” I decided to visit the website www.thestranger.com seattle / /Content?oid=21080 and read the review, “Everything is Obliterated” by Christopher Frizzelle, in its entirety. What I realized, as I looked at the content of the site and thought about the readers of this publication, was that the audiences of The Stranger are the Oskar Schells of the world.
The Stranger’s readers are an eclectic mix of edgy, left wing, counter culture devotees and misfits. Think Harvey Milk’s activists, the cast from 90’s movies like Singles, and the students in the liberal arts schools of the University of Washington. Oskar’s vegan, white wearing, no public transportation, pacifist, atheist ideas would be very much in line with the pathos of the readership. The Stranger is not “in the closet,” if you pardon the expression, about their politics and point of view. You are immediately bombarded by ads for tattoo and piercing parlors, personal ads of every color and combination, promotions for cutting edge concerts, art exhibitions, and Indy films. The top story on the home page is “Tax the Filthy Rich!” accompanied by a picture of the nation’s capitol. Another lead story relays the fallout of a police officer killing a homeless, deaf, mentally ill man who was brandishing a knife. There is an obvious liberal bias to the articles, and that is to be expected. Someone easily offended by extreme liberal thought or alternative lifestyles would not be a likely reader, except to present the paper as evidence of the downfall of society.
Frizzelle’s review of Foer’s novel stays true to the message of the publication. Frizzelle is writing to a literate and receptive audience. Rather than looking critically at the novel, this review attacks Foer’s critics, as did some of the other reviews available to us. Fizzelle takes particular offense to comments made by Michiko Kakutani of The New York Times. He finds her comments pretentious and off base, especially those regarding Foer’s experimental style and the believability of Oskar as a character. The New York Times, being the gold standard for national newspapers is definitely aimed at wider audience. While Frizzelle’s audience tends to be educated, and culturally aware, his demographic has a lower income and is younger than that of The New York Times. Frizzelle is writing for people who know about the reputation of “Grey Lady” of news, and may even read it, but rebel against the establishment and see it as old fashioned. It’s as if Frizzelle’s readers are hipsters, laughing along with Foer at a joke the old school just doesn’t get. Frizzelle takes objection to the criticisms of famed author and reviewer, John Updike. Frizzelle aptly points out that this novel is written for a new generation of visually savvy readers who have been raised with T.V., the internet, and now I-Pods etc. “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close is set (and was written) in a time period of absolutely no silence whatsoever, a time period in which people, especially children, confront millions of messages and graphic apparatus everywhere.”
Frizzelle’s review, in contrast to the brief reviews provided by other booksellers, is lengthy (two pages) and very detailed regarding the plot of the book. My initial opinion is that Frizzelle is a frustrated novelist who wishes that he had penned this engaging story. The introduction reads like a 9/11 novel itself, and Frizzelle summarizes the book in such detail that the article is nearly a spoiler. I’m glad that I finished the majority of the book before reading the review or it wouldn’t have been nearly as exciting. Frizzelle doesn’t really get into critiquing the novel until well into the second page. His review gives away too much and gets a little academic. It reads like a paper for an English class rather than a quick down and dirty explanation of the novel, whether it was good, and if it’s worth reading. True to The Stranger’s target alternative audience, Frizzelle comments that, “Foer is clearly a paper fetishist.” Much like his characters, Foer, according to Frizzelle, obsessively collects letters and documents. Frizzelle appreciates Foer’s use of visuals and the purpose they serve in the novel. He praises Foer for his “naturalistic and modernist,” disorientation in the delivery of the plot and how there ended up being a surprising amount of, “narrative logic.”
Out of all the articles I read about Foer and Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close I enjoyed Frizzelle’s and the Powell’s pieces the most. Both articles originate in very progressive Northwest cities, Frizzelle’s from Seattle and the Powell’s article from Portland, and both articles appear to have a similar target audiences. Foer, like a grown-up Oskar, is the target audience for these publications. He is relatively young, intelligent and hip. He doesn’t want to read, or write, like authors of previous decades. We are in a new millennium. I also identify with the audience of both pieces. I’m a previous resident of Oregon and Seattle, a side-line fan of the counter culture, and a child of technology and information. While the novel appeals to many ages and demographics, I feel a connection with Foer and am glad I can still share Frizzelle’s “daze of happiness,” experiencing this novel.
When I took my first look at the novel, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, I immediately read the reviews. I figure that these must be the most positive, insightful sentiments about the book or they wouldn’t have been selected by the publisher. There on the inside front, against a background of cinnabar with a black silhouette of a hand, were the comments of an old friend from Seattle, The Stranger. The review states, “Funny and extremely tender, and incredibly brave…Maybe this is a novel for young people. By that I mean people who think of the future as exciting…I read it in a daze of happiness.” I decided to visit the website www.thestranger.com seattle / /Content?oid=21080 and read the review, “Everything is Obliterated” by Christopher Frizzelle, in its entirety. What I realized, as I looked at the content of the site and thought about the readers of this publication, was that the audiences of The Stranger are the Oskar Schells of the world.
The Stranger’s readers are an eclectic mix of edgy, left wing, counter culture devotees and misfits. Think Harvey Milk’s activists, the cast from 90’s movies like Singles, and the students in the liberal arts schools of the University of Washington. Oskar’s vegan, white wearing, no public transportation, pacifist, atheist ideas would be very much in line with the pathos of the readership. The Stranger is not “in the closet,” if you pardon the expression, about their politics and point of view. You are immediately bombarded by ads for tattoo and piercing parlors, personal ads of every color and combination, promotions for cutting edge concerts, art exhibitions, and Indy films. The top story on the home page is “Tax the Filthy Rich!” accompanied by a picture of the nation’s capitol. Another lead story relays the fallout of a police officer killing a homeless, deaf, mentally ill man who was brandishing a knife. There is an obvious liberal bias to the articles, and that is to be expected. Someone easily offended by extreme liberal thought or alternative lifestyles would not be a likely reader, except to present the paper as evidence of the downfall of society.
Frizzelle’s review of Foer’s novel stays true to the message of the publication. Frizzelle is writing to a literate and receptive audience. Rather than looking critically at the novel, this review attacks Foer’s critics, as did some of the other reviews available to us. Fizzelle takes particular offense to comments made by Michiko Kakutani of The New York Times. He finds her comments pretentious and off base, especially those regarding Foer’s experimental style and the believability of Oskar as a character. The New York Times, being the gold standard for national newspapers is definitely aimed at wider audience. While Frizzelle’s audience tends to be educated, and culturally aware, his demographic has a lower income and is younger than that of The New York Times. Frizzelle is writing for people who know about the reputation of “Grey Lady” of news, and may even read it, but rebel against the establishment and see it as old fashioned. It’s as if Frizzelle’s readers are hipsters, laughing along with Foer at a joke the old school just doesn’t get. Frizzelle takes objection to the criticisms of famed author and reviewer, John Updike. Frizzelle aptly points out that this novel is written for a new generation of visually savvy readers who have been raised with T.V., the internet, and now I-Pods etc. “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close is set (and was written) in a time period of absolutely no silence whatsoever, a time period in which people, especially children, confront millions of messages and graphic apparatus everywhere.”
Frizzelle’s review, in contrast to the brief reviews provided by other booksellers, is lengthy (two pages) and very detailed regarding the plot of the book. My initial opinion is that Frizzelle is a frustrated novelist who wishes that he had penned this engaging story. The introduction reads like a 9/11 novel itself, and Frizzelle summarizes the book in such detail that the article is nearly a spoiler. I’m glad that I finished the majority of the book before reading the review or it wouldn’t have been nearly as exciting. Frizzelle doesn’t really get into critiquing the novel until well into the second page. His review gives away too much and gets a little academic. It reads like a paper for an English class rather than a quick down and dirty explanation of the novel, whether it was good, and if it’s worth reading. True to The Stranger’s target alternative audience, Frizzelle comments that, “Foer is clearly a paper fetishist.” Much like his characters, Foer, according to Frizzelle, obsessively collects letters and documents. Frizzelle appreciates Foer’s use of visuals and the purpose they serve in the novel. He praises Foer for his “naturalistic and modernist,” disorientation in the delivery of the plot and how there ended up being a surprising amount of, “narrative logic.”
Out of all the articles I read about Foer and Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close I enjoyed Frizzelle’s and the Powell’s pieces the most. Both articles originate in very progressive Northwest cities, Frizzelle’s from Seattle and the Powell’s article from Portland, and both articles appear to have a similar target audiences. Foer, like a grown-up Oskar, is the target audience for these publications. He is relatively young, intelligent and hip. He doesn’t want to read, or write, like authors of previous decades. We are in a new millennium. I also identify with the audience of both pieces. I’m a previous resident of Oregon and Seattle, a side-line fan of the counter culture, and a child of technology and information. While the novel appeals to many ages and demographics, I feel a connection with Foer and am glad I can still share Frizzelle’s “daze of happiness,” experiencing this novel.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Audience analysis
I’m not big on reading book reviews. I’m one of those people who will pick a book up off of the shelf, read the back cover and decide if it is something that I would like. As I was looking at the reviews for this assignment, I was bored. That is until I read the one written by Nina McLaughlin for the Boston Phoenix. This one sparked my interest. It is more of a review of a review. I found it very interesting and funny.
I think I should point out that I am not so fresh and young anymore. That being said, it does not necessarily mean that I can’t appreciate a writing style that fresh and young. The Boston Phoenix seems to be a fresh, young, and edgy publication. It is aimed at the under thirty, educated, open minded crowd. If you look at the different blogs on the website, you see blogs on politics, Laser orgy (for video gamers), outside the frame (about foreign films) and something called phlog (which is entertainment related. I have to admit, there were many things on those blogs that I had no clue about. Perusing the website before reading the review would have made me choose another review. Fortunately, I did not judge “the book by its cover”. Yes, the slideshow about the Boston Tattoo Convention may have made me think twice!
But wait a minute! I have tattoos, could I really be that different from their audience? Maybe not so much. McLaughlin starts the review with a disclosure about not going to hear a reading by John Updike at a Unitarian Church. She talks about how she doesn’t really like him, but her friend does and she respects her opinion. She refers to him as being old. He was born in 1932, so I guess that would be old, even by my standards.
McLaughlin refers to her dislike being in part because she is not a 53 old divorcee from Concord. I took that to mean that she felt that Updike only appealed to that demographic. This furthered my opinion that she was young, and this was meant to be read by young readers. She refers to Updike’s story “A&P”. I found this interesting since I first read this last semester in Literature class. (Okay, I know, I am a non-traditional student. McLaughlin probably read in frosh lit class as well .) She rather liked “A&P” and the subtle sexual overtone. (She did however, say that it reminded her of her parents, and thought it was an old man reimagining his high school lustings.) For this reason she could not understand why Updike trashed Foer. She said his review was self serving and outdated because Updike felt that a 9 year old was not sexually mature enough to be a protagonist in a novel. That points to a generational difference in morality, and McLaughlin acknowledges this. Apparently the maturity level of kids is viewed differently these days, and her targeted audience would know this without saying!
The words and writing style point to the more casual style that would appeal to a younger audience. She uses some phrases that I found entertaining, such as referring to Foer as “Saffy-fo". She writes in a style that is meant to edgy, and she succeeds. She is an intelligent writer, who uses decisive language.
I am fairly certain that the target audience would not contain many Republicans, or members of the religious right wing. The slideshow “Boston League of Women Wrestlers” gave me my first clue! I am sure that there are folks that may find some of the content of the websites offensive. I guess if that is the case, they should probably go to a different website.
I can admit that there are many things that “kids” are into that I just don’t understand. I am of a different generation. I have kids older than some of the students in my classes! Though I may not understand it all, that does not mean my mind is not open. I think that if one takes the time to read between the lines, and look beyond the cover we can find things that we can really enjoy.
I think I should point out that I am not so fresh and young anymore. That being said, it does not necessarily mean that I can’t appreciate a writing style that fresh and young. The Boston Phoenix seems to be a fresh, young, and edgy publication. It is aimed at the under thirty, educated, open minded crowd. If you look at the different blogs on the website, you see blogs on politics, Laser orgy (for video gamers), outside the frame (about foreign films) and something called phlog (which is entertainment related. I have to admit, there were many things on those blogs that I had no clue about. Perusing the website before reading the review would have made me choose another review. Fortunately, I did not judge “the book by its cover”. Yes, the slideshow about the Boston Tattoo Convention may have made me think twice!
But wait a minute! I have tattoos, could I really be that different from their audience? Maybe not so much. McLaughlin starts the review with a disclosure about not going to hear a reading by John Updike at a Unitarian Church. She talks about how she doesn’t really like him, but her friend does and she respects her opinion. She refers to him as being old. He was born in 1932, so I guess that would be old, even by my standards.
McLaughlin refers to her dislike being in part because she is not a 53 old divorcee from Concord. I took that to mean that she felt that Updike only appealed to that demographic. This furthered my opinion that she was young, and this was meant to be read by young readers. She refers to Updike’s story “A&P”. I found this interesting since I first read this last semester in Literature class. (Okay, I know, I am a non-traditional student. McLaughlin probably read in frosh lit class as well .) She rather liked “A&P” and the subtle sexual overtone. (She did however, say that it reminded her of her parents, and thought it was an old man reimagining his high school lustings.) For this reason she could not understand why Updike trashed Foer. She said his review was self serving and outdated because Updike felt that a 9 year old was not sexually mature enough to be a protagonist in a novel. That points to a generational difference in morality, and McLaughlin acknowledges this. Apparently the maturity level of kids is viewed differently these days, and her targeted audience would know this without saying!
The words and writing style point to the more casual style that would appeal to a younger audience. She uses some phrases that I found entertaining, such as referring to Foer as “Saffy-fo". She writes in a style that is meant to edgy, and she succeeds. She is an intelligent writer, who uses decisive language.
I am fairly certain that the target audience would not contain many Republicans, or members of the religious right wing. The slideshow “Boston League of Women Wrestlers” gave me my first clue! I am sure that there are folks that may find some of the content of the websites offensive. I guess if that is the case, they should probably go to a different website.
I can admit that there are many things that “kids” are into that I just don’t understand. I am of a different generation. I have kids older than some of the students in my classes! Though I may not understand it all, that does not mean my mind is not open. I think that if one takes the time to read between the lines, and look beyond the cover we can find things that we can really enjoy.
audience analysis paper
Cloying and false. Fraud and hack. These are emotionally charged words used by Harry Siegel in his review of Jonathan Safran Foer’s book Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close. Siegel’s New York Press [NYP] review dated April 20, 2005, is entitled “Extremely Cloying & Incredibly False--why the author of Everything Is Illuminated is a fraud and a hack.” One look at NYP’s “about us” section in the website http://www.nypress.com/, confirmed the identity of Siegel’s audience immediately. (.Com shows commercial intent.) NYP’s subscribers are an average age of 39.7 with an average income of $130,000. They are intelligent, hardworking, and well-read people wanting quality journalism about New York’s cultural issues--controversial “edgy topics.”
But make no mistake--Harry Siegel is not a flashy and trendy writer grabbing at a glimpse of fame. He is an experienced and well-known lifelong Brooklynite writer who has spent most of his life writing about and working in politics. His experiences include editing positions for several important newspapers, and he also worked for political consultant Hank Sheinkopf and New York state gubernatorial candidate Tom Suozzi. Add to this list of impressive accomplishments a book he co-authored with his father Fred Siegel, The Prince of the City: Giuliani, New York and the Genius of American Life, many well-known TV appearances, and numerous published articles.
With that said, an important point must be raised; Harry Siegel wrote this review with the NYP’s “paying” subscribers in mind. The words cloying, false, fraud, and hack in the title of Siegel’s review certainly cater to the subscribers’ expectation for controversy. But for audiences outside of the NYP readership, his review may appear quite hostile. Foer’s book never had a chance of a glowing review by Seigel! What is interesting to note, however, is both Siegel and Foer were born in 1977, both Jewish (though Seigel refers to Foer in the article as a Jewish atheist), and both currently live in Brooklyn, New York. Wouldn’t it be ironic if they were actually friends laughing all the way to the bank together? Or as Siegel refers to Foer in his review “...wear your flip-flops all the way to the bank.”
But it isn’t just Siegel’s review that caters to the needs of the NYP subscribers--it is also the website itself. The purpose of this website is multifaceted: to entertain, to inform, to give an opinion, to give personal confirmation to the NYP subscriber, and most importantly to sell subscriptions! The advertising, the design, the photos and pictures, and the tone all send the discerning NYP subscriber a subtle message. That message is the feeling they “belong” to a group of people who have the same virtuous standards and ideas about life. It is a ploy at getting the reader to buy into the image of what a NYP subscriber should and can be-- educated, hip, well-off financially, cultured, and special.
Supporting the target audience age of 39.7, at the very top of the website, is the advertisement “Eldersexual—over 25% of people ages 57 to 85 still have sex--and are at still at risk for HIV.” Though demure in appearance the words send a racy message. Next to this ad is the Forex Club ad letting the reader know they can have financial freedom because Ben Franklin says so, and below that William Shatner suddenly pops up letting the reader know it is his “full-time job to shop around for inexpensive priceline.com” flights for them. All ads are geared toward both male and female NYP subscribers who have “disposable income to enjoy the city and all it has to offer.” The rest of the site looks like a typical newspaper website with its name in large letters at the top left side by the logo and all the different columns directly underneath-- just like the sections of a paper newspaper.
This was also not a review written about some obscure author whose book no one recognized. It is the type of book that the typical NYP subscriber would know about—written by one of their own local starlets and more importantly about their neighborhood tragedy of 9/11. As Siegel states in his review, “… he snatches 9/11 to invest his conceit with gravitas, thus crossing the line that separates the risible from the villainous... which Foer tosses in just to make sure we understand what a big and important book we're dealing with.”
Who reads the book isn’t necessarily important to NYP, but who reads the review is important. Siegel doesn’t necessarily want people to stop buying Foer’s book; he just wants to keep the number of NYP’s subscriptions increasing. For those readers who have not read the book, Siegel provides supportive information, though biased as it may seem. He knows his audience is very literate and able to connect to other authors’ works. For instance, he alludes to Foer’s borrowing of other authors’ ideas and techniques by referencing them to the reader, “Foer is indeed a sampler, throwing in … Calvino (a tale about the sixth borough that floated off, ripped off wholesale from Cosmicomics), …Night of the Hunter (the grandfather has Yes and No tattooed on his hands) and damn near every other author, technique, reference and symbol he can lay his hands on, as though referencing were the same as meaning.”
Siegel’s tone and diction used in the review also incorporates NYP’s philosophy of a commitment “to the cause of narrative journalism at its best.” Because of the readers’ higher level of education they expect the use of words such as: admixture, gravitas, paean, precocious, banal, epistolary saga, and syllogisms. Siegel even creates words to keep his readers satisfied such as: Oprah-etic, writerliness, brain-gurble, and nafs. He sets the tone of the review by using negative descriptive words such as “ hater” in his introduction , “Call me a hater, then” in reference to Foer’s own words “Why do people wonder what's "OK" to make art about…Too many people hate art.”
In conclusion, it is difficult to take this entertaining review seriously once realizing Siegel wrote it for NYP’s subscribing audience. Siegel’s comment at the very onset of his review “Foer isn't just a bad author, he's a vile one,” immediately notifies the reader of suspicious dramatic pomp. In fact, Siegel becomes what he admonishes Foer for being, “Foer, squeezing his brass ring…threw in 9/11 to make things important, to get paid…How could someone so willfully young be so unambitious?” Doesn’t it sound as if Siegel is talking about himself?
But make no mistake--Harry Siegel is not a flashy and trendy writer grabbing at a glimpse of fame. He is an experienced and well-known lifelong Brooklynite writer who has spent most of his life writing about and working in politics. His experiences include editing positions for several important newspapers, and he also worked for political consultant Hank Sheinkopf and New York state gubernatorial candidate Tom Suozzi. Add to this list of impressive accomplishments a book he co-authored with his father Fred Siegel, The Prince of the City: Giuliani, New York and the Genius of American Life, many well-known TV appearances, and numerous published articles.
With that said, an important point must be raised; Harry Siegel wrote this review with the NYP’s “paying” subscribers in mind. The words cloying, false, fraud, and hack in the title of Siegel’s review certainly cater to the subscribers’ expectation for controversy. But for audiences outside of the NYP readership, his review may appear quite hostile. Foer’s book never had a chance of a glowing review by Seigel! What is interesting to note, however, is both Siegel and Foer were born in 1977, both Jewish (though Seigel refers to Foer in the article as a Jewish atheist), and both currently live in Brooklyn, New York. Wouldn’t it be ironic if they were actually friends laughing all the way to the bank together? Or as Siegel refers to Foer in his review “...wear your flip-flops all the way to the bank.”
But it isn’t just Siegel’s review that caters to the needs of the NYP subscribers--it is also the website itself. The purpose of this website is multifaceted: to entertain, to inform, to give an opinion, to give personal confirmation to the NYP subscriber, and most importantly to sell subscriptions! The advertising, the design, the photos and pictures, and the tone all send the discerning NYP subscriber a subtle message. That message is the feeling they “belong” to a group of people who have the same virtuous standards and ideas about life. It is a ploy at getting the reader to buy into the image of what a NYP subscriber should and can be-- educated, hip, well-off financially, cultured, and special.
Supporting the target audience age of 39.7, at the very top of the website, is the advertisement “Eldersexual—over 25% of people ages 57 to 85 still have sex--and are at still at risk for HIV.” Though demure in appearance the words send a racy message. Next to this ad is the Forex Club ad letting the reader know they can have financial freedom because Ben Franklin says so, and below that William Shatner suddenly pops up letting the reader know it is his “full-time job to shop around for inexpensive priceline.com” flights for them. All ads are geared toward both male and female NYP subscribers who have “disposable income to enjoy the city and all it has to offer.” The rest of the site looks like a typical newspaper website with its name in large letters at the top left side by the logo and all the different columns directly underneath-- just like the sections of a paper newspaper.
This was also not a review written about some obscure author whose book no one recognized. It is the type of book that the typical NYP subscriber would know about—written by one of their own local starlets and more importantly about their neighborhood tragedy of 9/11. As Siegel states in his review, “… he snatches 9/11 to invest his conceit with gravitas, thus crossing the line that separates the risible from the villainous... which Foer tosses in just to make sure we understand what a big and important book we're dealing with.”
Who reads the book isn’t necessarily important to NYP, but who reads the review is important. Siegel doesn’t necessarily want people to stop buying Foer’s book; he just wants to keep the number of NYP’s subscriptions increasing. For those readers who have not read the book, Siegel provides supportive information, though biased as it may seem. He knows his audience is very literate and able to connect to other authors’ works. For instance, he alludes to Foer’s borrowing of other authors’ ideas and techniques by referencing them to the reader, “Foer is indeed a sampler, throwing in … Calvino (a tale about the sixth borough that floated off, ripped off wholesale from Cosmicomics), …Night of the Hunter (the grandfather has Yes and No tattooed on his hands) and damn near every other author, technique, reference and symbol he can lay his hands on, as though referencing were the same as meaning.”
Siegel’s tone and diction used in the review also incorporates NYP’s philosophy of a commitment “to the cause of narrative journalism at its best.” Because of the readers’ higher level of education they expect the use of words such as: admixture, gravitas, paean, precocious, banal, epistolary saga, and syllogisms. Siegel even creates words to keep his readers satisfied such as: Oprah-etic, writerliness, brain-gurble, and nafs. He sets the tone of the review by using negative descriptive words such as “ hater” in his introduction , “Call me a hater, then” in reference to Foer’s own words “Why do people wonder what's "OK" to make art about…Too many people hate art.”
In conclusion, it is difficult to take this entertaining review seriously once realizing Siegel wrote it for NYP’s subscribing audience. Siegel’s comment at the very onset of his review “Foer isn't just a bad author, he's a vile one,” immediately notifies the reader of suspicious dramatic pomp. In fact, Siegel becomes what he admonishes Foer for being, “Foer, squeezing his brass ring…threw in 9/11 to make things important, to get paid…How could someone so willfully young be so unambitious?” Doesn’t it sound as if Siegel is talking about himself?
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Analysis of a Blog on a Review of a Novel ...
WordUp (found at http://thephoenix.com/blogs/wordup/) is a blog written by various contributors to Phoenix Network, which is an “alternative newsweekly.” The blog is typically written by Deirdre Fulton, a staff writer from the Portland Phoenix. Fulton writes on everything from politics to books to food. Her typical fodder in WordUp involves literary critiques or interviews with authors. Occasionally Fulton has guest bloggers create postings. One such posting came from Nina MacLaughlin, the assistant web editor for the Boston Phoenix. MacLaughlin has her own blog; Word Riot is subtitled “good writing. no remorse.” MacLaughlin’s posting was a retort to Updike’s review of Jonathan Safran-Foer’s Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.
Fulton and MacLaughlin both aim their writings toward a moderately literate audience. Despite the tendency toward complex sentences, most concepts are still kept simple and to the point. The diction is familiar and the vocabulary is main-stream, but a few references are made in MacLaughlin’s piece specifically about Updike’s literary contributions. For example the readers are given the first sentence of Updike's A&P as if they are already familiar with it. These references imply that the blogger assumes they are common knowledge and need not be further explained to her readers. There is a link within MacLaughlin’s post to Updike’s review of Safran-Foer, so curious and computer-savvy readers can at least be aware of the review that MacLaughlin is commenting on. There are also allusions made to a woman named Sharon. We, as readers, are given no relational context for who this woman may be. I assumed it was a friend of MacLaughlin, but the casual mention of her implies she is a regular character in MacLaughlin’s postings, and does not need to be explained because her subscribers would be familiar with her already.
The website itself is fairly straightforward and without much outside advertising. There is one large ad on the top of the page next to The Boston Phoenix logo, and two smaller ads on the about halfway down the page, one on either side of the posting. There is also a large ad the entire width of the screen which reads: Student Survival Guide. This is placed directly above the image and title of the blog WordUp, and suggests a reader population of students. The image that WordUp uses for its title is a young woman (guesstimated 25-35 years of age) leaning back against a black leather chair reading a book. The words WordUp are written in block text above the woman’s feet. WordUp does have slideshow links on the right side of the main feature, as well as links to other Phoenix blogs and other stories by MacLaughlin on the left below the advertisement.
Based on the three slideshows to the left hand side of the main blog I would propose that the intended audience has a liberal background. The three slideshows are titled: (1) Boston League of Women Wrestlers, (2) Mellow Bravo at Middle East Downstairs, and (3) Boston Tattoo Convention. Women wrestling leagues are less than main-stream as an American sport. Mellow Bravo is a young roadhouse rock ‘n’ roll band from Boston who played at the Middle East Downstairs – a typical joint for the alternative indie-rock music scene. The Boston Tattoo Convention Slideshow link takes you to a series of photos taken at the convention at the Sheraton Hotel. Tattoos are not normally connected with the conservative-minded.
It also seems that the education level of readers is college-level. This hypothesis is based on the topical matter addressed in the blog. A usual blog topic for Fulton is some facet of literary culture. Fulton and MacLaughlin both assume their readers possess some familiarity with literary culture when blogging. However, the blog by MacLaughlin also describes her dislike for Updike being related to the fact that she is not a “53 year old divorcee.” Updike is old, and MacLaughlin is implying that older generations are Updike followers. The reference to a generational gap implies that MacLaughlin’s audience is younger than 53 at least. This, along with the WordUp main image on the top of the blog sets the target demographic between 20 and 35 in my mind.
While Nina MacLaughlin does not seem concerned about the opinions of others, she does focus on making an argument. It doesn’t appear that she expects hostility from her readers, but she does make an effort to make a point and support it rather than just observing events around her. Fulton, the main blogger behind WordUp, seems to have the same avenue of approach. An argument or strong opinion is essential to her writing as well, but most of her posts are her musings on items of the literary world; a new book, an emerging author, a controversial review or an update on a book tour. MacLaughlin’s post fits into Fulton’s series because it deals with Updike’s review on Jonathan Safran-Foer. Debate and discussion regarding any postings on the blog is not actively encouraged or discouraged. There is a comment section on the main page of WordUp titled Latest Comments, but it is located far left midway down the page and is not prominently highlighted.
Considering the overall site layout and content, not only MacLaughlin’s posting on Updike and Foer, it seems that the target audience for WordUp would be literate, college-educated, liberal people. Her audience has knowledge about the literary world, and is somewhat familiar with authors, novels, pieces, and literary criticisms. WordUp is written in familiar diction and resists a professional, condescending tone. Often the blogs sound like reports on events with an opinion on the happening highlighted by the blogger. The blog offers opinions, but does not force them down people’s throats with adamant, exclusive language. For an audience interested in upcoming literary events, and authors, WordUp is an informative and interesting website.
Audience Analysis
Lisa Nagrone
09/12/2010
Assignment #1 Audience Analysis- http://wetasphalt.com
After reading the review on the novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, by Tom Bissel, I thought long and hard about the target audience and what emotions the author was trying to create with his audience. I found the review to be quite interesting and found that it inspired me to want to read the novel by Jonathon Foer even more than I had before.
I found advertisements on the site that I went to from both Google and Amazon. There were two Google advertisements, one on how to make money writing and one on how to get published. There were also two Amazon advertisements, one to purchase the novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, by Jonathon Foer and one to purchase The Father of All things, by Tom Bissel. I think that it is funny that the author of the review was advertising his book on the same website. However, I have to say that the advertizing was kept at a minimum not like other websites that have pop ups popping out from all over the place.
I believe that the author’s level of diction is moderate. It was easy to understand the review however; there were a few phrases and words that seemed out of place compared to the rest of the writing. In the writing the author stated, “Everything Is Illuminated was one of the most mature and fully realized books ever published by someone comparably young, which places Foer among the ranks of Carson McCullers, Truman Capote, Martin Amis, and John Updike.” The author of the review did not talk about the other authors that he compared Foer to and just expected the audience to know all of them; I personally had never heard of any of them before.
In my opinion, the author wrote as though he expected the audience to have a low level of familiarity with the novel. The writer lightly explained what the novel was about to the audience and what style of writing Foer used in the novel. The author did not give the ending of the novel, which I was thankful for since I haven’t finished reading yet. The author was very informative in his review and gave both credit and criticism to Foer for his writing style. For Example, the author stated in his review “This is a good novel. It is not nearly good enough.”
I don’t believe that the author expected a hostile audience or that he tried to create a hostile audience. I feel that the author was trying to be nothing but informative in his review and that he did not try to convince the audience to think one way or the other. To me, the goal of the author was to put the information out there allowing the audience to interpret the information anyway they chose. The background that I believe the writer expected the audience to share is a strong sadness for those that lost loved ones or were affected in some way by the 9/11 attacks. The author of the review understood that many people would have mixed emotions about the novel and that many people would be interested in it enough to read it.
Looking at the review, I believe the target audience to be open-minded, college level people or just simply open-minded adults. The audience would have to have an understanding of literature and maybe even knowledge of the different authors that Bissel expected the audience to know about; such as the ones I listed earlier. This audience would not be the typical audience that you see at www.seventeen.com or www.nationalenquire.com but maybe the same audience that you would see at www.nytimes.com. The web site does allow for comments that show up on the bottom right column. I read through a few of them and found that the topics off comments were way of course from the review topic. All in all, I was pleased with the site.
I would recommend this review to anyone that is going to read “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close,” by Jonathon Foer to get a better understanding about what the novel is about and then actually read the novel to determine what they agree and disagree with Bissel about. From my own experience, you should never let a review turn you away from a novel that you are interested in, just go for it!
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close Audience Analysis
Audience Analysis
Kelly Wolfinger
Powell’s Books, www.polwells.com, is a site that buys and sells used books, identifies and discuses bestsellers, and hosts many author interviews, essays, and blogs. To better understand various author’s motives, world views, and aims, Dave, a Powell’s Books employee, invites them into conversation and encourages the authors to divulge to answers to many lingering questions their readers across the world may have. In this two-way, often informal interview setting, Dave is able to approach authors on multiple levels to engage them in conversations about the writing, home lives, both past and present, and inquire about their thoughts on current global and local issues that affect society and their writing. Dave proves his credibility to readers and authors alike as he is able to discuss and correlate different works that have overlapping themes and present alternate view points to the discussion his is participating in. His understanding of what he is relaying to his audience aid them in accepting his message and later further ponder the ideas he and the authors discuss.
Kelly Wolfinger
Powell’s Books, www.polwells.com, is a site that buys and sells used books, identifies and discuses bestsellers, and hosts many author interviews, essays, and blogs. To better understand various author’s motives, world views, and aims, Dave, a Powell’s Books employee, invites them into conversation and encourages the authors to divulge to answers to many lingering questions their readers across the world may have. In this two-way, often informal interview setting, Dave is able to approach authors on multiple levels to engage them in conversations about the writing, home lives, both past and present, and inquire about their thoughts on current global and local issues that affect society and their writing. Dave proves his credibility to readers and authors alike as he is able to discuss and correlate different works that have overlapping themes and present alternate view points to the discussion his is participating in. His understanding of what he is relaying to his audience aid them in accepting his message and later further ponder the ideas he and the authors discuss.
The tone of the interviews and level of formality are geared toward a multi educational and socioeconomic standing group of individuals. Although the interviewer and author assumes that the readers understand common literary terms and current events that can be related to the topics discussed. They also include multiple comparisons in their discussions, in doing so readers with limited experience or subject knowledge may not get what is being alluded to or inferred by these comparisons. The causal air present within the interviews gives readers the distinct impression that the overall messages will be easy to digest and promote differing thought and attitudes from people of vastly different backgrounds. In an interview with Jonathan Safran Foer, Dave uses common language to describe his ideas and information and pose his questions in an understandable way.
While Dave does enlist Foer’s opinion on a few topics, he does not seem to be excepting a lengthy rebuttal or controversial answer, but rather would like to see Foer further explain the puzzling questions for his readers and provide example and feedback from his perspective. For example, Dave, asks Foer of his opinion of the practice of adding multiple visual elements into writing, one in which Foer is known for. He is then able to express his reasoning for doing so and the importance in his mind for including them, especially in his appeals toward a younger generation who is accustomed to receiving multiple stimuli and messages concurrently.
The majority of the interview centers around the topics of reading and writing, Foer’s stories in particular, it does open itself up for various related topics such as the introduction and influence of other media, namely music, on writing and the changing ways individuals, especially those for a younger generation, seek out and intake the information around them.
There are minimal advertisement on Powell’s site, especially few scattered about though the available interviews. Although there are few, the advertisements that are present aid the readers in discovering a target audience as the vast majority of these ads are for subscriptions to other literary review and information sites or are sites that sell books for discounted prices.
Considering the overall organization of the site, present advertisements, and written dialogue, it seems that the target audience for this site it literate, educational seeking, individuals with at least a high school level of education or above. This type of site and it’s target audience differs greatly from those who seek their information on sites such as ESPN or Facebook. Although Dave writes an in informal manner, he expects his readers to have a background in what is being discussed, however, his writing is worth perusing if you would like to gain another opinion about various topics or gain information by reading about various authors in a more casual setting.
Paper 1
Brandon Dooley
ENGL-305-60
Paper 1: Extremely Loud
& Incredibly Close
09/08/2010
Review of Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
There have been many reviews shown to us as students of this particular course for this particular book and author. Some of the reviews through these blog/newspaper sites have found favor and like of the book and author, while others have scorned the very core and concepts to which this book brings to life, thus posing both sides of the argument of whether this book was worth writing and publishing or not. In my own personal opinion, I believe the book was worth writing; the various complexities within the insanity of the lives depicted within the story, though abstractially presented, speak volumes of real-life truths not spoken directly most of the time throughout the book. It was challenging for me, then, to look at the other side of this spectrum, to which some have chosen to believe, and find who, as an audience, would support the dislike of the book, what the reasons behind that decision were, and what indications existed on the site(s) as to whom the article(s) was/were targeting. Because of this challenge, I chose to review an article wrote by a man named Harry Siegel, cleverly titled “Extremely Cloying & Incredibly False: Why the author of Everything Is Illuminated is a fraud and a hack,” for which supports the opposite of my views on the book.
Now, the difficulty was: who would support this view? For this answer, I had to examine what other content besides the writing itself indicated who would be interested in hearing this side of the story. This particular article is wrote on the NewYork Press website, so that limited my guess down to that particular region in the United States. At the top of the page, next to the NewYork Press logo, is an advertisement reading: “eldersex: over 25% of people ages 57 to 85 still have sex- and are still at risk for HIV.’ It then references a support site for HIV by the name of GMHC. This further narrowed my guess down to people in New York who are between the ages of 57 and 85, and who are potentially sexually active. As I scroll through the page, I also see a Karaoke add on the right side, which indicates that the people who view this site might also be actively participating in activities within the community and be interested in doing that particular activity. Other activity ads listed include kayaking tour of the Hudson, taking a random survey for the NewYork Press to win random prizes, ability to submit events of the persons’ choosing, signing up for the NewYork Press weekly event information, actively following the NY Press on Facebook and Twitter, and the CityArt cultural review of NewYork. What this all indicates to me is that the target audience are people from New York or people planning to go to New York who are of the older generation that don’t mind ‘getting out there’ and taking risks while also enjoying themselves, but who are also rigid in culture and activities such as going to the bar to karaoke or have a few drinks, or exploring the city for cultural familiarity to look at differences from their own practices (this last part, though, seems to be directed towards intellectual critics of this particular article, not towards the main intended audience). Expressionism and the changes indicated by the actions of expressionistic persons (such as the case with Foer and his difficult writing style he utilizes to express abstractly truths and ideas) would seemingly be rejected by these type of people, thus making these type of people easily susceptible to agree with Siegel about the negative aspects of the writer and his book. This determination is simply through the ads on the page, but was something that helped narrow my view down a bit so that when I began to read what this article was about, the rest of the pieces simply fell into place. One other aspect I noticed about the piece is that the writer is rather sarcastic in his writing, which makes me assume that he thinks the audience will like that sarcasm.
One of the main themes I found in this article pertained to the ad hominem reasoning, meaning that Siegel was simply bashing on Foer based on his conduction and methodology for expressing his art of writing. I also find that many of the paragraphs tend to go on tangents that really don’t pertain to anything specifically designated towards his works of art. For example, in the fifth paragraph, he states that, “Foer, I should note, is a Jewish atheist, wrote letters to Susan Sontag when he was nine, and otherwise sounds like he'd make unbearable company, though perhaps not as much as the obnoxiously precocious, overeducated brat Schell. If Foer is beginning to sound like a minor Saul Bellow character (think the masturbating uncle in Mr. Sammler's Planet), he has only himself to blame.” (1), which, in my eyes, shows nothing towards anything pertaining to actual artistic capability or lack there off; when I think of artistic criticism, I would imagine sentence structure, ability to articulate thoughts and ideas, amount of messages hinted from the text, plot structure, and other writing-related concerns being discussed. Hence, the audience personality type directed towards equivocates to extremely pissed off people who are ignorant to or blinded from the artistic value within the piece or works of art in general, who’s ignorance causes hate towards the person who created the object rather than the specifics of the object itself, with presumably sound reasoning coercing their decisions.
The paradoxical perspective also indicates that people of decent to high quality education reviewing the particular article would also be interested to shut down the content in the article immediately, particularly indicated by the ad relaying the culture center (which, in my assumption, interests people of questioning and analytical minds like the decent to high quality educated persons). The fact that these type of people are inclusive is rather hinted in the article, but existent nonetheless. I mean, for someone who is writing for a major paper within the region, you almost have to go all out on one side of the argument so that both sides argue inclusively or disclusively, but argue just the same, read just the same, so in fair recognition of the fact that critics on both side exist and that some will read arguments against their belief shows that the writer isn’t completely unaware of his potential audience. But, the audience that he’s mainly targeting are the type that will follow fallacies very closely simply for differences from the regular, or rather expected, tendencies for a particular matter (such as how to write a novel).
There is one final hint I wish to point out in this article. Through about three quarters of the way into the article, he actual starts to make sound arguments against the actual content of the piece. Here’s what I mean:
“Foer is indeed a sampler, throwing in Sebald (the illustrations and Dresden), Borges (the grandparents divide their apartment into something and nothing), Calvino (a tale about the sixth borough that floated off, ripped off wholesale from Cosmicomics), Auster (in the whole city-of- symbols shtick), Night of the Hunter (the grandfather has Yes and No tattooed on his hands) and damn near every other author, technique, reference and symbol he can lay his hands on, as though referencing were the same as meaning.” (1)
Within this description, he is actually utilizes some previous styles and story contents as a comparison or similarity between Foer’s book and those pieces. This actually shows some intellectual argument rather than ranting and raving like the beginning and end of the piece. What this tells me as a reader is that he does care about the intellectual individual paying attention to his piece as the secondary target audience, cause he doesn’t care to give these types of arguments in the beginning, but he hints is then exemplifies further throughout the piece. So I know that he wants them as an audience as well, but doesn’t want to appear that way in the beginning; he knows that the main target audience won’t give him the time of day unless the article explains from the beginning what his position is, why it is, and what exactly he’s positioning against, so quick arguments, whether intellectual or not, are his aim in the beginning. Then, for those that stick around and continue to read through the article, he does pose some decent arguments. Not something I necessarily agree with, but is something evident in the piece.
Now, all this information tells me that there are two particular types of audiences this writer is wishing to target. The first one is the older generation who like to get out and do things, doesn’t have time to sit and read, who wants the facts quick and easy, not caring about the full argument being pose, just caring enough to get a fair determination through small bits of information whether or not it’s worth their while to care. They really don’t even necessarily care who’s writing it; they know its from a major paper and that what they’re told must be true and accurate, even if perspectual. Also, these people would be from the New York area because the personality type requires them to be from the area that the piece was written in (cause who, of these type of people, would sit down, go look at a different city’s major paper just for an article about a book they never heard of or even care to hear of?). The second type of audience is us, the students, the minds at work craving to learn more about the world. We like the valid arguments and hate the stupidity within, but the nice part is we’re smart enough to recognize the difference, so it peaks our interests to write about our opinions on the matter from our intellectually sound perspectives. Also, people who are just generally interested in knowing the world, they would be likely to drop by on occasion and would be a potential audience. These types can pertain to anyone, really, who has a computer and searches around the internet looking up random information. These two types of audiences are what I understand as being the target of this piece.
Bibliography:
1. Siegel, Harry. “Extremely Cloying & Incredibly False: Why the author of Everything Is Illuminated is a fraud and a hack.” NewYork Press. New York. Posted: Wednesday, April 20, 2005. http://www.nypress.com/article-11418-extremely-cloying-incredibly-false.html
ENGL-305-60
Paper 1: Extremely Loud
& Incredibly Close
09/08/2010
Review of Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
There have been many reviews shown to us as students of this particular course for this particular book and author. Some of the reviews through these blog/newspaper sites have found favor and like of the book and author, while others have scorned the very core and concepts to which this book brings to life, thus posing both sides of the argument of whether this book was worth writing and publishing or not. In my own personal opinion, I believe the book was worth writing; the various complexities within the insanity of the lives depicted within the story, though abstractially presented, speak volumes of real-life truths not spoken directly most of the time throughout the book. It was challenging for me, then, to look at the other side of this spectrum, to which some have chosen to believe, and find who, as an audience, would support the dislike of the book, what the reasons behind that decision were, and what indications existed on the site(s) as to whom the article(s) was/were targeting. Because of this challenge, I chose to review an article wrote by a man named Harry Siegel, cleverly titled “Extremely Cloying & Incredibly False: Why the author of Everything Is Illuminated is a fraud and a hack,” for which supports the opposite of my views on the book.
Now, the difficulty was: who would support this view? For this answer, I had to examine what other content besides the writing itself indicated who would be interested in hearing this side of the story. This particular article is wrote on the NewYork Press website, so that limited my guess down to that particular region in the United States. At the top of the page, next to the NewYork Press logo, is an advertisement reading: “eldersex: over 25% of people ages 57 to 85 still have sex- and are still at risk for HIV.’ It then references a support site for HIV by the name of GMHC. This further narrowed my guess down to people in New York who are between the ages of 57 and 85, and who are potentially sexually active. As I scroll through the page, I also see a Karaoke add on the right side, which indicates that the people who view this site might also be actively participating in activities within the community and be interested in doing that particular activity. Other activity ads listed include kayaking tour of the Hudson, taking a random survey for the NewYork Press to win random prizes, ability to submit events of the persons’ choosing, signing up for the NewYork Press weekly event information, actively following the NY Press on Facebook and Twitter, and the CityArt cultural review of NewYork. What this all indicates to me is that the target audience are people from New York or people planning to go to New York who are of the older generation that don’t mind ‘getting out there’ and taking risks while also enjoying themselves, but who are also rigid in culture and activities such as going to the bar to karaoke or have a few drinks, or exploring the city for cultural familiarity to look at differences from their own practices (this last part, though, seems to be directed towards intellectual critics of this particular article, not towards the main intended audience). Expressionism and the changes indicated by the actions of expressionistic persons (such as the case with Foer and his difficult writing style he utilizes to express abstractly truths and ideas) would seemingly be rejected by these type of people, thus making these type of people easily susceptible to agree with Siegel about the negative aspects of the writer and his book. This determination is simply through the ads on the page, but was something that helped narrow my view down a bit so that when I began to read what this article was about, the rest of the pieces simply fell into place. One other aspect I noticed about the piece is that the writer is rather sarcastic in his writing, which makes me assume that he thinks the audience will like that sarcasm.
One of the main themes I found in this article pertained to the ad hominem reasoning, meaning that Siegel was simply bashing on Foer based on his conduction and methodology for expressing his art of writing. I also find that many of the paragraphs tend to go on tangents that really don’t pertain to anything specifically designated towards his works of art. For example, in the fifth paragraph, he states that, “Foer, I should note, is a Jewish atheist, wrote letters to Susan Sontag when he was nine, and otherwise sounds like he'd make unbearable company, though perhaps not as much as the obnoxiously precocious, overeducated brat Schell. If Foer is beginning to sound like a minor Saul Bellow character (think the masturbating uncle in Mr. Sammler's Planet), he has only himself to blame.” (1), which, in my eyes, shows nothing towards anything pertaining to actual artistic capability or lack there off; when I think of artistic criticism, I would imagine sentence structure, ability to articulate thoughts and ideas, amount of messages hinted from the text, plot structure, and other writing-related concerns being discussed. Hence, the audience personality type directed towards equivocates to extremely pissed off people who are ignorant to or blinded from the artistic value within the piece or works of art in general, who’s ignorance causes hate towards the person who created the object rather than the specifics of the object itself, with presumably sound reasoning coercing their decisions.
The paradoxical perspective also indicates that people of decent to high quality education reviewing the particular article would also be interested to shut down the content in the article immediately, particularly indicated by the ad relaying the culture center (which, in my assumption, interests people of questioning and analytical minds like the decent to high quality educated persons). The fact that these type of people are inclusive is rather hinted in the article, but existent nonetheless. I mean, for someone who is writing for a major paper within the region, you almost have to go all out on one side of the argument so that both sides argue inclusively or disclusively, but argue just the same, read just the same, so in fair recognition of the fact that critics on both side exist and that some will read arguments against their belief shows that the writer isn’t completely unaware of his potential audience. But, the audience that he’s mainly targeting are the type that will follow fallacies very closely simply for differences from the regular, or rather expected, tendencies for a particular matter (such as how to write a novel).
There is one final hint I wish to point out in this article. Through about three quarters of the way into the article, he actual starts to make sound arguments against the actual content of the piece. Here’s what I mean:
“Foer is indeed a sampler, throwing in Sebald (the illustrations and Dresden), Borges (the grandparents divide their apartment into something and nothing), Calvino (a tale about the sixth borough that floated off, ripped off wholesale from Cosmicomics), Auster (in the whole city-of- symbols shtick), Night of the Hunter (the grandfather has Yes and No tattooed on his hands) and damn near every other author, technique, reference and symbol he can lay his hands on, as though referencing were the same as meaning.” (1)
Within this description, he is actually utilizes some previous styles and story contents as a comparison or similarity between Foer’s book and those pieces. This actually shows some intellectual argument rather than ranting and raving like the beginning and end of the piece. What this tells me as a reader is that he does care about the intellectual individual paying attention to his piece as the secondary target audience, cause he doesn’t care to give these types of arguments in the beginning, but he hints is then exemplifies further throughout the piece. So I know that he wants them as an audience as well, but doesn’t want to appear that way in the beginning; he knows that the main target audience won’t give him the time of day unless the article explains from the beginning what his position is, why it is, and what exactly he’s positioning against, so quick arguments, whether intellectual or not, are his aim in the beginning. Then, for those that stick around and continue to read through the article, he does pose some decent arguments. Not something I necessarily agree with, but is something evident in the piece.
Now, all this information tells me that there are two particular types of audiences this writer is wishing to target. The first one is the older generation who like to get out and do things, doesn’t have time to sit and read, who wants the facts quick and easy, not caring about the full argument being pose, just caring enough to get a fair determination through small bits of information whether or not it’s worth their while to care. They really don’t even necessarily care who’s writing it; they know its from a major paper and that what they’re told must be true and accurate, even if perspectual. Also, these people would be from the New York area because the personality type requires them to be from the area that the piece was written in (cause who, of these type of people, would sit down, go look at a different city’s major paper just for an article about a book they never heard of or even care to hear of?). The second type of audience is us, the students, the minds at work craving to learn more about the world. We like the valid arguments and hate the stupidity within, but the nice part is we’re smart enough to recognize the difference, so it peaks our interests to write about our opinions on the matter from our intellectually sound perspectives. Also, people who are just generally interested in knowing the world, they would be likely to drop by on occasion and would be a potential audience. These types can pertain to anyone, really, who has a computer and searches around the internet looking up random information. These two types of audiences are what I understand as being the target of this piece.
Bibliography:
1. Siegel, Harry. “Extremely Cloying & Incredibly False: Why the author of Everything Is Illuminated is a fraud and a hack.” NewYork Press. New York. Posted: Wednesday, April 20, 2005. http://www.nypress.com/article-11418-extremely-cloying-incredibly-false.html
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