Better than Bulwer-Lytton?

Despite the disappointment that some of you felt about your symbolism paper grade, I was impressed with the writing. Many of the essays were superbly written, even if they were a bit out-of-focus. Learning to focus, stay on topic, and stick to the prompt are all things you can learn, don't worry.

My own experience is that every time I write--which is a minimum of 500+ words a day--I learn something and become a better writer. Taking AP English is about more than passing a test or getting a grade. It is also about appreciating literature, learning from it, and honing your analytical skills. It's about being stretched. When what you read is good literature, there is the possibility of growing and becoming a better person as well. When you write, you also grow because you realize things you didn't see before.

I thought your papers rocked. Anyway, they were far superior to anything written for the Bulwer-Lytton Ficton Contest.

Every year San Jose State University sponsors a contest "to compose the opening sentence to the worst of all possible novels." It's called the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest, named for Edward Bulwer-Lytton, the man who penned the following (awful) lines:

"It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents--except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness." --Edward George Bulwer-Lytton, Paul Clifford (1830)

Here is a sampling of some of the winners of the 2009 contest: BAD FICTION OPENINGS!

Be encouraged.
--Mrs. S.

P.S. Some of you may be skeptical of the 10 minute "masked ball" we're going to do today, but that's ok. There IS a method to my madness. This is to make learning fun; it's a bit of sugar to make the medicine go down, so to speak. Fifteen years from now, I want you to remember studying Shakespeare as being a fun experience. No doubt you'll remember the blogging, the fencing, and the dancing more than you will remember archetypal criticism or chiasmus. (Well, maybe you'll remember the chiasmus sentences and commas. Who can say?) Hopefully, you'll also remember the Okies, courtly love, Tom Joad, Tybalt, Lancelot, and the turtle. Don't forget the turtle.

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photo: bulwer-lytton.org