Introduction to Alex the English Major

Hi, everyone! My name is Alex Crayon, and I'm from Kansas City, Missouri, home of the best barbecue in the world. I'm an English Writing major with minors in Spanish and Classical Culture, and I hope to continue my education by getting a Master's degree from OU and then a PhD from wherever will take me. I aspire to be a college professor of English of some sort, and maybe, someday, a published author of fiction.

The best class I took last semester was World Literature 1700-Present, taught by Dr. Amit Baishya. This class was really interesting because it forced me to read outside my comfort zone and engage with texts written by authors from all over the world. The book I enjoyed reading the most in that class is The Mandala of Sherlock Holmes by Jamyang Norbu. It's basically glorified fanfiction, and thus incredible.

Though I can't pin down one book to call my favorite, there are a few that stand out (in no specific order):
1. Homer's Iliad
2. George Saunders' CivilWarLand in Bad Decline
3. Junot Díaz's The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
4. Chris Ware's Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth
5. B.S. Johnson's Christy Malry's Own Double Entry

I won't list descriptions here, but each is an incredibly unique, brilliantly written work of literature. Yes, even the comic book.

Jimmy is a very, very sad man. He just needs a hug. Source.

My favorite thing to cook from scratch is lasagne and meatballs. I know my great-grandmother's recipe which she brought with her to the United States from Andretta, a small town in Italy with a population of just under 2,000. It takes multiple days to let the sauce cook to perfection, but it's definitely worth it to see my friends and family devour a meal I made completely from scratch.

I'm really looking forward to two parts of this class, specifically: (1) the creative writing assignments and (2) reading the Mahabharata and Ramayana. Currently, I am taking Fiction Writing, a writing workshop with published author and OU professor Dr. Rilla Askew, and I think that the storybook assignment will allow me to expand my creative reach and try writing things that are outside of the scope of that class, which demands stark realism. Also, having just taken a class on ancient Greek and Roman epic poetry, I think that examining the ancient Indian epics will provide me an incredibly interesting comparison from which to contextualize the impact of epic poetry on modern-day society and culture. 

Basically, I'm here for the homework, and if that sounds weird to you, worry not. It sounds weird to me, too.

Comments

  1. Hey Alex! I think it's really awesome that you're excited for the homework of this class. It's really cool that you've found something you're so passionate about and so excited to do in the future. Your homemade lasagne and meatballs sounds absolutely amazing. I'm not the best cook and can't imagine spending multiple days letting a sauce cook but that's amazing that you are able to follow your great-grandmother's recipe.

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  2. Oh, English and Spanish and the Classics; this sounds great, Alex... to which you will now be adding a knowledge of the Indian Classics also. And the writing in this class will hopefully propel your career as a fiction writer. Who knows: you might come up with an idea for your project here that morphs into a novella or even a novel. Novels inspired by ancient mythology are SO POPULAR in India; you can't imagine... way more so than in the U.S. or Europe; just a few authors working with myth fiction whom I really like: Usha Narayanan, Chitra Divakaruni, Samhita Arni, Kavita Kane, Amish Tripathi, Anand Neelakantan... and that's just a few (all their books instantly available thanks to the magic of Amazon Kindle).
    And yeah, glorified fan fiction: that is a very good way to characterize this kind of writing, and I love it. This "The Mandala of Sherlock Holmes" looks fabulous (I've added it to my book list); here's a Sherlock Holmes Story book someone did for this class: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Missing River.
    So, I am really excited to see what you think of the Indian Epic traditions... and I am also very curious to hear what that course with Rilla Askew is like! I'm guessing there will be all kinds of great synergy between that class and this one, and we will all be the beneficiaries of your storytelling homework.
    And I'm definitely here for the storytelling homework too! :-)

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  3. Hi Alex, it is cool to know that you are fond of Homers Illiad and love Roman and Greek poetry as well because since 9th grade I took latin all years of my high school and one semester here at OU. Roman culture and their army order and discipline was picked up by many. I overall took 5 years of latin and it is mother of English, Spanish German and French and used often at churches and it is amazing to know you love to cook it definitely is a great past time hobby to do.

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  4. Hey Alex! Kansas City Barbecue is the best; I'm from southwest Iowa and drive through Kansas City at least twice a year and always make sure to stop for some barbecue. My favorite restaurant I have found in Kansas City has been Joe's Kansas City Barbecue. I wish I had read one of the books you mentioned as your favorites, but I am more of a nonfiction reader. However, I have read Homer's Odyssey and really enjoyed it. I have to assume the Iliad was good as well.

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  5. Hey Alex! Glad to find another Iliad fan here! It's such a beautiful piece of literature. I'll have to check out a few of the other books you've mentioned as well! "The Mandala of Sherlock Holmes" sounds so cool as well. We seem to have similar tastes in books. It's awesome that you're here for the homework. I can definitely relate to that too!

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  6. Hi Alex! That's really neat. I LOVE literature too, but I tend to go more for British Lit so I haven't read many on your list. I'll have to look into them. I LOVE Italian food. That would be so cool to have authentic recipes/dishes. I can definitely get behind you on stories, but I am not a writer at all. I find it amazing anyone likes to. That is awesome.

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  7. Hey Alex! I've met you through ultimate before I'm pretty sure (if you don't remember me no worries). It was cool to see some of your interests through this introduction, and I think it's cool how much background you're entering this course with (in terms of the courses you've taken and your major), and I'm excited to see how that perspective will manifest itself in your writing for this class. What genre do you most enjoy reading, and writing, if they're different?

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  8. Hi, Alex! That is so cool that you’re from Kansas City. My family and I went there for a family vacation last summer and you’re right, they do have some great barbecue. Our favorite place was Jack Stack! The burnt ends were delicious. My favorite thing though was the carrot cake! Amazing! That is so awesome that you know exactly what you want to do for your career. I can tell that you are very passionate about writing and I really enjoy your quirky and humorous writing style! I am sure that will translate very well with your students!!

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  9. Hi Alex, nice to meet you! That's really cool that you're from Kansas City, MO. I consider myself from Oklahoma now, but I was born in Cape Girardeau and lived around Sikeston for a few years after. We left when I was little. That's a really cool major, I technically declared a minor in Spanish too but I'm not going to be able to finish the requirements before I graduate in December (long story). Classics too? That's really cool! Freshman year I took Classical Mythology, we talked a lot about the Greek and Roman mythology as well as a few other things. I LOVED it, espically since I've been fascinated with Greek and Roman myth since I read the Percy Jackson series. That's cool that you want to write Fiction! Fiction tends to be what I gravitate towards when I read. I love getting lost in new worlds. Do you know what kind of fiction you want to write?

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  10. Hi Alex! I hope your eventual writing career takes off! Creative writing is such a fun yet challenging activity and it's really impressive when someone's good at it! I know I wanted to take a creative writing course with Dr. Rilla but couldn't find one this semester, so let me know if you have any comments about her! The Jimmy Corrigan comic book looks incredibly interesting and I think I'm going to check it out. Did you have to read it for a class or did you just stumble upon it? And I suppose you're not letting that sauce recipe slip out anytime soon right?

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  11. Hi Alex! Crazy you mention your great-grandmother’s lasagna recipe; I’m actually eating lasagna right now! But it’s frozen lasagna so I’m sure it’s not even comparable to her recipe. It seems like this class is perfect for you and will help you in your future creative writing endeavors. You have so much experience with writing and literature so I’m really excited to read your stories!

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  12. Hello Alex, I am interested to know why you think Missouri has the best barbeque in the world! What is your favorite barbeque? For me I prefer pulled pork sandwiches. I think I may have to look into the class you suggested. I love reading new things and testing what it is I actually like. Just reading about the sauce you describe makes me hungry! I can’t wait to read some of your works this semester!

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  13. Hi Alex! I had to come say hi after we talked in Professor Keresztesi's Capstone about how we're both enrolled in this class. I had no idea you're from Missouri! I have family there, it's just a hop and a skip away. Also, If you're into American style barbecue, I recommend you try Head Country. As far as I'm aware, it's pretty popular among Oklahoman's since it originated in our state. I feel like this class really suits your interest in what you call "glorified fanfiction," I bet you can draw on inspiration from "The Mandala of Sherlock Holmes" in your writing both in this class and in your writing endeavors beyond! I bet you've noticed by now some of the extra credit readings include comic books, I wonder what you'd think of them in comparison to your favorites? Anyways, I look forward seeing your fiction writing skills in action very soon!

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  14. Hi Alex!

    Loved when I read you are here for the homework haha. It sounds like you really get enjoyment out of this class and all of the creative writing. I admit I've never been a writer and this class is pushing my usual boundaries. I think that in the end I will feel very accomplished for taking a class like this that is very different from anything I have ever taken. That lasagna sounds delicious! Any homemade Italian food is always delicious. I spent some time in Italy and I've never eaten so much pasta, bread and wine in my life. I was living it up and eating all the carbs. I could tell from your story that you are a seasoned writer! Cant wait to read more in the future!

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  15. Hello Alex,
    Cooking from scratch is my type of thing! I love Italian food, you literally cannot go wrong with Italian food! I can not say that I have read any of those books but I think I might add one or two to my to read list. I have also taken a Greek mythology class and I do see some similarities between stories but I also am a person that can find the smallest details and relate them to other things.

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  16. Hi Alex! That's an impressive list of favorite books. Admittedly I'm only familiar with one of them (the Iliad) but I'm also not that well read (beyond some fantasy, science fiction, and comic books). Speaking of comics, if you haven't already, you should take The Graphic Novel with Dr. James Zeigler. I'm taking it right now and it is a great class for those who might not think comics are legitimate literature. Ironically, I'm the pleb in the class that just wants to talk about Supermen and Wonder Woman and find some of the other aspects a bit snooty. The Greek and Roman epic poetry class that you were in previously, was that God and Heroes of Ancient Epic with Dr. Craig Russell? I was in that class last semester and loved it (though it, like most of my classes, often made me feel real dumb).

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  17. Hi Alex the English Major! I really liked getting to know you through your introduction post and even through your title. I love lasagna so the part about you cooking it inspired me to do the same some time this week. I am also excited for this class because I think it is a great outlet for being creative and writing fun stories. It was nice meeting you!

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  18. Hi Alex!
    Great introduction. It’s short and sweet and to the point. However, at the end of it, I feel like I know all the important stuff. It sounds like you have a great plan for your education and have some good goals to work towards. I am in awe of your love for the English language. The one thing that intimidates me about this class is the writing part. I’m an accounting major so words are scary! The food you like to cook sounds amazing. Italian food is where it’s at. My parents are both from Malta and have taught me similar recipes. You’re right, when friends and family enjoy the meal you cooked, it’s worth all the time it takes to make it. It was nice to “meet you”. I hope you have a great semester and good luck!

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  19. Hi Alex! I really enjoy reading fiction hopefully I will end up getting to read one of your books someday. I loved reading about your Italian heritage. I bet that lasagna is out of this world. I am hoping one day I will get to travel to Italy and try some of that homemade Italian cuisine. I hope you have a great semester!

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  20. Hey Alex!

    I love fiction, and that is basically all I read. Though I have not read any of the books that you mentioned. I may have to check some of those out. I am currently reading Dune, but it has been awhile since I have picked it up because of midterms. I have read some of your stories and they are great so I hope it works out for you!

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