Sunday, May 3, 2009

New Class! ENG 371WR

Just in time to help us through these last weeks of the never-ending semester, McSweeney's offers a new course to consider.

Check it out.

It's bound to be popular.

ENG 371WR:
Writing for Nonreaders in the Postprint Era
M-W-F: 11:00 a.m.–12:15 p.m.
Instructor: Robert Lanham

Course Description
As print takes its place alongside smoke signals, cuneiform, and hollering, there has emerged a new literary age, one in which writers no longer need to feel encumbered by the paper cuts, reading, and excessive use of words traditionally associated with the writing trade. Writing for Nonreaders in the Postprint Era focuses on the creation of short-form prose that is not intended to be reproduced on pulp fibers.

Instant messaging. Twittering. Facebook updates. These 21st-century literary genres are defining a new "Lost Generation" of minimalists who would much rather watch Lost on their iPhones than toil over long-winded articles and short stories. Students will acquire the tools needed to make their tweets glimmer with a complete lack of forethought, their Facebook updates ring with self-importance, and their blog entries shimmer with literary pithiness. All without the restraints of writing in complete sentences. w00t! w00t! Throughout the course, a further paring down of the Hemingway/Stein school of minimalism will be emphasized, limiting the superfluous use of nouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives, conjunctions, gerunds, and other literary pitfalls.

Prerequisites

Students must have completed at least two of the following.

ENG: 232WR—Advanced Tweeting: The Elements of Droll
LIT: 223—Early-21st-Century Literature: 140 Characters or Less
ENG: 102—Staring Blankly at Handheld Devices While Others Are Talking
ENG: 301—Advanced Blog and Book Skimming
ENG: 231WR—Facebook Wall Alliteration and Assonance
LIT: 202—The Literary Merits of Lolcats
LIT: 209—Internet-Age Surrealistic Narcissism and Self-Absorption

Sample assignment:

Week 8: New Rules

Students will analyze the publishing industry and learn how to be more innovative than the bards of yesteryear. They'll be asked to consider, for instance, Thomas Pynchon. How much more successful would Gravity's Rainbow have been if it were two paragraphs long and posted on a blog beneath a picture of scantily clad coeds? And why not add a Google search box? Or what if Susan Sontag had friended 10 million people on Facebook and then published a shorter version of The Volcano Lover as a status update: "Susan thinks a volcano is a great metaphor for primal passion. Also, streak of my hair turning white—d'oh!"

To read more, click here.

More old Orange County pics

Santa Ana: c. 1930
(Click on the photos to enlarge)

I found these photos at two websites: City of Anaheim: historic Anaheim photos & Santa Ana History. Check' em out.

The above 1926 photo is explained as follows:
"Bernardo Antonio Yorba adobe residence, known as "San Antonio", built ca. 1834 on his Rancho Canon de Santa Ana in Santa Ana Canyon; two-story home had 30 rooms for the large Yorba family as well as many rancho workers... image shows ruins of two-story adobe building, several columns along street; two men [one possibly Samuel Kraemer?], standing behind an automobile parked on the street, are pointing to large portion of demolished wall; telephone poles and two oil drilling platforms visible in background; adobe demolished March 11, 1926 by Samuel Kraemer."

They demolished it? Of course they did.

Here's what the adobe looked like in 1881 and then in about 1920:

CLICK ON THE PICS!

Santa Ana, c. 1920

Anaheim, c. 1887. Description:
"View of West Center Street (later Lincoln Ave.); image shows Center Street looking west, a dirt street flanked with telephone poles and hitching posts; Metz Block building is visible to the left, and the Federman Block building, telegraph office, post office and Paul A. Derge drug store visible to the right; a horse-drawn carriage is on the right and a horse-drawn streetcar in the background; the Anaheim Streetcar Company, [Theodore Rimpau, president] operated from January, 1887, until the fall of 1899; the tracks were removed in 1901; signage on facade of building at far right reads "PAUL A. DERG[E] / MEDICAL HA [...]" above a sign that reads "[...illeg.] TELEPHONE"

1899:
"Anaheim City Hall and business block, Anaheim; image shows second City Hall, located on Center Street (later Lincoln Ave.), constructed in 1892, with tower in center of building; also housed the Anaheim police and fire departments; other buildings visible to the right of City Hall are identified as Anaheim Realty Co., Dr. W.H. Syer Physician, dentistry, and a hardware store; telephone pole visible at the right and horse-drawn carriage at far right; muddy road and sidewalk visible in foreground."


Anaheim, 1899:
"Metz Block building, built in 1889 and located at 106 S. Los Angeles St. (later Anaheim Blvd.); image shows two-story brick facade...; various store signage reads, from left to right "STAPLE HARDWARE CROCKERY GLASSWARE TINWARE AGATEWARE, ETC.", "L.E. MILLER HARDWARE" and "PACIFIC LODGING HOUSE"; visible at top of the building is "1889" and METZ BLOCK;" visible at extreme left is the Candy Kitchen, and at extreme right is C.H. Schaefer Cabinet Maker and the Anaheim Bakery."

Anaheim 4th of July parade, c. 1901

Roy's obituary in LA Times and Register: "we were lucky to have you while we did"

  This ran in the Sunday December 24, 2023 edition of the Los Angeles Times and the Orange County Register : July 14, 1955 - November 20, 2...