Chapter 5: Potentially very offensive...(that applies to the whole book, but especially to Chapter 5)
Chapter 6: A lesson in business, actually. Still the raunchy comedy that Tucker Max promised, but this story takes place at a work function, when Max was a summer associate at a law firm called Fenwick & West, between his second and third years of law school at Duke.
Chapter 7: Pornographic.
Chapter 8: A prime example of Tucker Max story. A Tucker Max story includes one of, usually most of, if not all of the following elements: women, alcohol, bad decisions, incredible luck, odd circumstances, more women, and more alcohol.
Chapter 9: Definitely emphasized the fact that this book should not be handed to anyone under the age of... at least 17, and that's pushing it, because I'm only 18, and naturally I think I'm mature and shpould be allowed to read such inappropriate literature.
Chapter 10: Pretty funny! A play-by-play style of narration, for example:
11:00pm: We are eating Mexican food and drinking beer. GoldenBoy regales us with wistful tales of Foxfield. He describes a weekend of virtually unlimited alcohol, raucous drinking, food spreads to rival great medieval halls, and girls in sundresses with negotiable morals.
11:15: Hate and I ask him why we aren't going. He doesn't have a satisfactory answer. We demand to leave immediately. He balks. We call him out. Doubt his manhood. Inquire as to his sexual preference and conjecture that he is of bastard French origin.ETCETERA.
So, here's my question. What's important about this book and its writing? I guess I'm having trouble getting a sense of the development of narrative, the characters or the conflicts. Can you discuss some of those parts of the text. Rather than going play by play for the chapters, spend some time telling me about your response as a reader to these questions.
ReplyDeleteThere is no developing narrative... the characters are confusing (as I mentioned, mainly based on their odd names), and the conflicts are frequent but minor. The book is a series of short stories, out of order, some written immediately after the events they concern, and some written years later. It's frustrating reading this book sometimes, because as much as I'd really like the stories (and I know I'd enjoy it if I was reading on my own time), the reality is I DO have to finish it in a timely fashion, but the setup of the book doesn't REALLY motivate me to get to the end of the book.
ReplyDeleteThis is interesting Anna, Even though it's a book you've chosen, you're feeling a level of compulsion to finish it in a way that's not comfortable. I'm curious why you didn't drop it and pick up something else a few weeks ago. Then you could have had the enjoyment you're talking about. The idea that a text can be "motivating" by its structure and character development is important too. Perhaps that's a realization you can take with you into the classroom as a teacher as you select or share books with your students.
ReplyDeleteWell I definitely enjoy it, but I felt I was too far into it to drop it and pick up a new book. Maybe I'll read two at once.
ReplyDelete