Here's the questions we generated during yesterday's class, to give us some starting points when discussing The Mezzanine. As you're reading, let me know if there are additions (or subtractions) to this group? Do some chapters suggest only one approach for us in our discussions? How is time explored in the book? Is the narrator recognizing a generation gap; is he aware of a "timelessness" to the objects and experiences, and how does he experience their disappearance? Are these anachronisms?
How is regionalism addressed? Is the book written in a dialect or with a certain inflection? Are there scenarios that only happen in certain areas of the country?
How difficult is the reading, and does the (your) level of engagement change throughout your reading of the text?
How transparent are the author's intentions? Where is he going with this?
How is The Mezzanine informing your own research and writing practices?
How are the experiences derived from childhood? Does he suggest that the past is better?
What were his major advances (into adulthood), and what are your major advances? Are they mirroring one another or separating?
When does the writing occur? Is this memoir or fiction? How is trust built with a narrator?
Here is an interview with Baker that addresses some of the topics we described.
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