Short Cuts

Well, I switched around about whether to describe this assignment as modeled for my current desires, future students, only our group, literature circles in general or other frames of reference; it is disjointed, even in my mind. So, I will write what I have done, what I was thinking at the time and how to apply it to our blog/future classrooms.

I wanted to make this prompt into an opportunity to have a reading group come together and discuss things in person. I suppose that could have been done based on any of the weekly readings we did, but it was never explicitly assigned. The five readings for this week were great and could have been discussed yet I wanted to add more to the mix. For that reason, I watched Short Cuts.

I thought of making the prompt to watch the movie and then meet to discuss it; that only adds to our work load though. You could make that assignment generic enough for any literature circle. For your future reference, Short Cuts costs twenty bucks on Amazon and is not streaming on Netflix so the best way to get it is through the queue on Netflix.

The movie is well done and has the same feel as Carver’s stories. It is based on nine of his stories and a poem, which I sort of knew about before watching the movie. Of the nine, we had only read two, yet Carver’s motifs which we have seen were abundant. Surprisingly, it is a little over three hours long. Rather than write anything about the movie, I will just tell you to see it if you can (I attempted to express that I merely had a positive experience with the movie without hyping or explaining it before you watch it).

I didn’t read closely about what the movie was based on until after finishing it. When I realized that I hadn’t read seven of the stories that I was based on, I read those too: “Neighbors,” “They’re Not Your Husband,” “Will You Be Quiet Please?”, “So Much Water So Close to Home,” “Jerry and Molly and Sam,” “Collectors,” and “Tell The Women We’re Going.”

Combining the movie and the stories was a solid experience. I liked knowing enough about Carver to enjoy the movie but at the same time I was in the dark on a majority of the plot line. After reading the other stories I have respect and admiration for the screen writer of Short Cuts.

So what was this as a prompt for me/grad students? I suppose it was to watch a movie based on the book used for the literature circle text and if necessary, further reading of the author.

How would I use it for our students? Have them watch the movie based on their book and discuss with group members in person.

It is great that students can collaborate online and create interactive media presentations, but I missed having a conversation in real time about an author I had never read and a style that I was intrigued by even when I found it jarring. Making the final assignment to meet and talk gives students the option of discussing the stories or the novel they read, along with the movie. I also feel like it would be a great capstone to reflect on the blog.

If I need to articulate or defend my point of view better, ask me in class. Also, if you want to know more about Short Cuts or the other Carver stories, definitely ask me. I struggled to hold back a bunch of things because I don’t want to influence your future readings or viewing.