No, I will not apologize for "Guts"

The other day, I assigned “Guts” by Chuck Palahniuk for my English 215 Short Story class. My reasons for assigning the story are wide and varied, but let it suffice to say that the story is not wholesome, not clean, is quite provocative, and should not be read by anyone with a weak stomach or delicate sensibilities or wishing access to 8th sphere of Heaven. Here is a link.

www.seizureandy.com/stuff/guts.html

I have always been hesitant about teaching 215 because I always asked myself, “Why me?” Because there are a plethora of other creative writers in the GA department who I feel are better writers and deserve a chance at a job I feel woefully unprepared for….So I have insecurities about the class. And that will be all personal Kevin stuff you get.

But moving on. I coupled the story with a noir piece I found and appreciated. Together, I used the two pieces as examples of vivid descriptions and details in use to convey imagery and tone. I was apprehensive about the piece because it had been several months since I had read the story. On a refresher read before class, I realized I had forgotten exactly how extreme the story is and a sudden and incomprehensible fear of undeniably offending a student swept over me. I was preparing my excuse for it to Dr. Blackmon before the class had even begun. There was even one student I expected to raise a qualm over the reading.

When we got to “Guts” I asked the class how many of them felt the story was mere exploitation and how many felt it was not exploitation. 11 for exploitation and 6 for not exploitation. Kind of one sided. We discussed the story and heard reasoning from both sides. I told them my feelings on it. I let them know that I originally was shocked by it and while not offended, I did feel it went over the top for pure exploitation and shock value. I had since changed my opinion and appreciated the story as an excellent piece of craft and post-modern work. Then, the student I expected to raise a qualm asked the question, “If it shocked and offended you when you read it, why did you assign it?” Ah, now the story begins.

I didn’t know what to answer. I truly did feel it was an excellent piece of writing and while I don’t feel everyone needs to read it, it certainly deserves respect. But even then, I may have forgotten how extreme it was, but I still knew it dealt with topics which may push someone a little too far. I told the class I wanted to see how they reacted to the story and its gruesomeness does not negate its status as “quality”. But even after the class, I kept wondering if I assigned it for the right reasons. I talked with some 203 instructors and they admitted to assigning a few poems so the students could be shocked. In a way, that certainly was one reason. I wanted to expand their view beyond this realm of modernist writing based in Hemingway, Joyce, and admitted dullness. I wanted to show them the extreme. Give them a little shock and awe. But how appropriate is it to assign something which you know has the strong possibility of going against your students moral foundation?...well….let’s just say aggressively challenges and possibly offending them versus going against moral foundations. I feel that challenging the students is the role of all teachers in any sort, but the possibility of offending them?..........

It is happening in one of my other classes, one I am taking; the professor deliberately stresses certain aspects which he knows will make us uncomfortable and challenges us. I am not entirely sure if I have resolved all the conflicts this brought up. I would still assign again, I would tell the students that it has a strong possibility of being offensive. But if you read my last post, this could really just be the first step to being the instructor I hate but respect….a much more timid version though…..ok…..maybe that is a little much.

Prescence of Others

I really do not have any deep attachment to Presence of Others. The essays and pieces of writing in it are not unpopular and can easily be found on the internet. Am I saying the students should be forced to find these articles? No. We can easily supply them with copies. I, for one, do not use nearly enough essays or pieces of writing out of the book for it to be worth the student’s money. I do appreciate the diversity academic pursuits that the book attempts to bring and I do believe it succeeds in stimulating the students in some form or another, but it has never really struck me as superior.

What would I recommend for an alternative…tricky question. I prefer to use contemporary articles from credible newspapers, magazines, internet sites, or other media venues. But these venues do not give access to academic works. It is in that sense that I find Presence of Others valuable because it gives us a direct source. While the articles can be found on the internet, we are not going to know where to directly go for them.

One criticism my students often complain about the book is that the articles in it are clearly not geared towards them, but more so towards an academic audience. As one student put it, “Does anything in this book have to do with anything that matters?” While I agree that we need to show them how these articles do apply, I still hold to the position that we need to take into account what will engage our students naturally and stimulate their interest without our prior aid.

I have to agree with what Charity about how to implement the text through course reserves or even going through blackboard. There is also the possible alternative of referencing many online materials which may aid the student in their development.