Follow the Money

Cotton Comes to Harlem got me thinking about the trajectory of money. Think about the Greenleaf money. It starts with an old-time bourgeois who actually builds things and has a hands-on involvement with his business. Then it goes toward a cheerful idler with no interest in such things. Then it ends up in the hands of a psychopath who has better tastes than the cheerful idler and whose remunerative labor is basically personality-work: he runs on charisma and performances. Do any aspects of this trajectory remind you of other texts?

The "Irony" Article

Get a load of this! Christy Wampole, part of whose article on irony we dissected in class, has a band! Also, a Drexel professor gave a big wtf to her article too.

Cotton Comes to Harlem

I must admit, this was my least favorite book that we've read so far.  I felt like it wasn't so much about the mystery, but more about racial differences.  There were also too many sexual undertones for my liking.  In fact, some of the novel had blatantly sexual comments from the women, which led me to feel disgusted.  I'm not sure if Chester Himes was purposely playing this up to exaggerate the differences between the races or social classes, but I found it tasteless.  From the start of the novel, I figured that the stolen money had been stashed in the bale of cotton, so it didn't seem like much of a mystery.  In the other noir novels we've read, the characters haven't been as in your face with their sexuality.  In general, this was a difficult novel for me to get through.  Did anyone else have that same reaction?  I felt as if Himes were shoving racial inequality and class differences down my throat.  I understand that during the time period there was racial unrest, but in my opinion, this was a poorly concealed race plot hidden within a somewhat noir plot.

Also, on another note.  I found an amusing article about Patricia Highsmith http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jesse-kornbluth/the-talented-miss-highsmi_b_382551.html

What's the Deal Aunt Dot?!

In The Talented Mr. Ripley, I believe Highsmith was very effective in constructing fascinating characters, in addition to Tom Ripley, that one feels compelled to psychoanalyze. While reading the novel and writing my paper, I found myself really trying to understand what Aunt Dottie's deal was.  Is she really just some cold-hearted, bitter woman who targets her anger on her innocent, young nephew? Consequently, does she resent having to care for Tom? Is the portrayal of Aunt Dottie biased, given that you only really learn about her during Tom's reflections upon the past?

It could very well be possible that Tom only ruminates on the times when Aunt Dottie was cruel to him, and does not give her credit for the good that she has done for him. Tom has such a passionate hatred for Aunt Dottie, but it can also be argued that has a completely unjustified hatred for Dickie as well. Are these two different kinds of hatred? One might even conclude that Highsmith doesn't provide enough information concerning Aunt Dottie to make any solid inferences. Regardless, I feel as though it is worthwhile to put some thought into the mentality of not only Tom, but also Aunt Dottie, given that she played a significant role in Tom's upbringing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k29jna3p1gE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k29jna3p1gE

"Trying to Get It Funny": Humor in Chester Himes

I've suggested that Himes conveys a grim worldview, one in which oppression messes people up all around. But if the Harlem novels work as satirical, it's gotta be in part 'cause they're funny. What did you find memorably amusing in Cotton Comes to Harlem?