magic, time, and other things

I have a lot of ideas about how to approach this book, thoughts on the differences between novels and other genres of fiction, arcane (?) thoughts of unusual ideas about gaming, about relationships, about linkages between science and magic and illusion, about the evocative power of language to transport the reader to a different time and place.

I'm not going to.

I will go so far as to say this is one of the most-beautifully written works I've ever read. Am I saying, "It's the best? the most intellegent? the most creative? the most thematically rich? the most experimental?" No. I'm sharing an impression. The opening makes me anticipate the opening of this mysterious circus that seems to have appeared as if by magic (and I do not even like circuses; of course most are long gone). The description of the workings of the clock is a precise and intricate as the clock itself; I do not understand the workings, but I see the clock/hear the clock.

Yes, the book is rich with intellegence and creativity and rich themes, and it is even somewhat experimental in its use of time and place. But this is also a very popular book. Some of you likely read it in a high school AP English class. Some of you know that all of things like theme and character are widely written about on all of the "cheat" sites: LitCharts, SparkNotes, GradeSaver, LitLovers, and on and on. I do not feel compelled to copy them. To do service the the Night Circus itself (the circus, not the novel), I'm going to do something a bit different here.

i'm going to talk about your final paper

In keeping with that, I am also talking a bit about this week's discussion, which is a pre-writing assignment for that last assignment.

Everyone is required to do the Discussion as well, and it's worth double points this week.

First, I need you all to look at that last paper assignment here: The Creative Paper.

yes, you have choices :)

I had a choice as well. I could have just stuck all of the information on that prompt page, but you would likely do two things that I just don't want you to do:

  1. wait until just before the assignment is due
  2. be overwhelmed with too much information on one page

Both would be bad. Besides, you need this information now to do your discussion this week.

So this is a creative project; it's actually a bit more than that, but you are going to invent something here, just as Erin Morgenstern (and all of the other writers we have been reading) created a fiction for us to wonder over. First, DON'T PANIC! (hehehe...do you notice how the block caps, exclamation mark, bold, italic text make you panic? :) This is going to be fun. At the very least, it will not be tha same old thing.

which is the right choice for you?

You can't expect me to answer that for you; I am not you. I don't know what you like, what you are best at, what you've always wanted to try. But I can help a little.

Your New Chapter of The Night Circus Where a Character Experiences a New Magical Tent

Of the three, this is the most imaginative; it's for the creative writers in the class. Morgenstern describes many different tents and the exhibitions or objects or acts within. She seems to have skipped at least one, and you will create it and write it as a short chapter to The Night Circus. Look at how she introduces (enters, has characters arrange themselves, and so on) the tent. She uses an incredible amount of exact detail (I recommend the ice sculpture tent and the "bottles" tent for you to review. Characters react to what they see, feel, hear, taste, smell. You are basically creating a tent of your own that fits in The Night Circus and presenting it as a short chapter.

I do not expect you to write exactly like or as well as Morgenstern. I do not write like or as well as Morgenstern. Besides, she had a great deal of tme to develop her work; you have just a few weeks. Do your best. The goal is to create a magical experience for your reader, something unique, out of the ordinary, a bit arcane or otherworldly even. It is just one tent, so one act or one experience. That's all. The finished paper (in MLA format OR presented in one of the alterntive methods) should be the equivalent of four-to-six MLA format pages (at least three full pages for any credit).

For this week's discussion, you will be doing a pitch for the presentation; more on the discussion, well, on the Discussion Question itself.

Your Exhibit for Chandresh's Lost Treasures / Lost Civilizations Museum

Of the three choices, this one is most-suited for those who like to do research, incorporate a lot of pictures (by the way, you can use pictures in any of the three topics), are interested in lost and mysterious and legendary things and places. At the end of the novel Chandresh is sharing his new idea; he is moving on from The Night Circus. He has information on lost treasures and civilizations, and he want's to explore them, bring back their trasures (pottery, weapons, valuables, artwork, other artifacts) and put them on display in a fantastic museum. If you select this topic, you will resarch JUST ONE of these "mysteries" and create a museum exhibit, complete with treasures and detailed information you researched on them. Some of the information will be guesswork, of course. Most (maybe all) of the images that you include to show what objects are IN your exhibit will be illustrations, sketches, imagined items, and so on.

This is a very visual project. You may be recreating a street from the lost city of Atlantis or Lemuria or Eldorado. It may be the treasures from the Lost Dutchman Mine or pre-Columbian artifacts in South American that suggest that Odysseus (Ulysses) was actually real and traveled across the Atlantic (really) to the new world. On Google search for things like Lost Treasures or Lost Civilizations or Mysterious Civilizations or Real Life Origins of Myths--things like that; one search should lead to another; that is how the internet works. This is a very visual project, so presenting this as a webpage is ideal. But if you would rather do it as a catalog (not a brochure) or even a paper with lots of exhibit items/pictures; that's fine. Regardless of presentation method, you will need lots of images and the equivalent of four-to-six MLA format pages (at least three full pages for any credit); don't forget a Works Cited page and some documented quotation along with your writing to describe interesting things about each item in the exhibit. This will NOT be in MLA format unless you are going to submit it as a paper with many picture.

For this week's discussion, you will be doing a pitch for the presentation; more on the discussion, well, on the Discussion Question itself.

Your Impressions as you (with Red Cloth in your Lapel) Tour the Circus When it Appears in _________.

This one is a bit between the other two. Frederick Thiessen has died, but the reveurs still follow the circus, and ond in particular, the grand niece or nephew (it's up to you) of Herr Thiessen, continues to follow the circus, luxuriate in it, and write about it, only in the 21st century, he composes online. This will be one Night's wanderings through the circus grounds, tents, stalls, wherever you happen to wander, and it will feature moments, tastes, sounds, events, magical acts and surprising things, foods, sounds, anything that you find fascinating. Like the first topic, this is fairly creative, and do feel free to include some sketches/illustrations, though not many. Unlike the first one, it is more a personal narrative, not an actual missing chapter from the book, so it's a bit more general, but do include concrete details throughout; make it wonderful for your reader.

The two ideal presentation methods that come to mind are to create a journal with entries or a blogsite with some blog entries. I can imagine an Instagram version or a YouTube walkthrough, but those would be much harder to do, especially with such limited time. But the choice is yours. Entries can be short of long or a mix. Include some sketches or images (not too many),and the text should be the equivalent of four-to-six MLA format pages (at least three full pages for any credit). This will likely NOT be in MLA format.

For this week's discussion, you will be doing a pitch for the presentation; more on the discussion, well, on the Discussion Question itself.