Transformation stories . . .

Our culture is rife with stories of transformation and metamorphosis, like but also unlike Kafka's story. Why are we fascinated with these kinds of stories? How does Kafka's Metamorphosis both repeat these stories and revise them?

For our next class - - Thurs., April 26 - - read Ovid's account of the transformation of Arachne. How does the transformation in this story resemble and differ from Gregor's transformation?

Kafka, Metamorphosis

For Thursday, April 19, you'll want to read at least halfway into Kafka's novella, The Metamorphosis. (For those of you who started Sundiata, no worry. I'll give you a short assignment today so that you can earn some credit for reading this great Malian epic.)

The Tempest Performed . . .

It took me a while (technical obstacles) - - but here at last are your renditions of The Tempest, Act III, Scene i and Scene ii. They're very impressive. With a little more practice, I think we'd be ready to put the whole thing on stage! (Click on the links below and the file will load in a player window.)


Act III, Scene ii

Cashme, Atira, and Kiron

Carmine, Sherifa, Danyel

Act III, Scene i

Enkela, Lester, and X

Anne, Christine, Frederick and Peng

Jacqueline, Eleanor, and Maria

(Some of you may be represented by ann "X" now - - only because I lost track of the group members. I'll correct this after class on Thursday.)