Please think about submitting something to this year’s departmental prizes and awards! Details below: whether it’s a critical or creative paper, all of you have something in your files that’s worthy of consideration:

English Department Prizes & Awards
DEADLINE: Friday, February 22, 2024 by 5:00PM

Every year the English Department offers a variety of prizes and awards for both undergraduate and graduate students. The prizes and awards program provides a wonderful opportunity for students to have their work recognized in the fields of literary analysis and criticism; linguistics and rhetoric; creative fiction, non-fiction, and poetry; personal essay; and drama. Winners are celebrated on our website, within the department, and at our Annual English Department Spring Celebration on May 22nd. In addition to recognition, many winners receive financial awards that contribute to continued academic study and travel abroad.

To apply, please see the Spring 2024 Prizes and Awards Submission Packet.
DEADLINE: Friday, February 22, 2024 by 5:00PM

In the literature The world of Wrestling and The Eiffel Tower. The signified attached to the signifier of the tower is shown in the reading in many different ways. On page (4) ” the symbol of Paris of modernity of communication of science or of the nineteenth century, rocket, stem, derrick, phallus, lightning rod or insect, confronting the greater itineraries of our dreams, it is the inevitable sign”. This quote examples how the Tower represent different things such as different phases people go through. This also represents an iconic symbol in both France and Paris and is the popular tourist attraction. This tower draws millions of people everyday to come admire the architectural beauty of the tower.

In the literature The World of Wrestling and The Eiffel tower also defines the meaning of RB and how the tower is based on structuralism. On page (9)  states ” We may recall certain admirable, moreover, promenades of Rousseau was to the midst of sensation to perceive only a kind of tidal wave of things, the bird’s eye view, on the contrary, represented by our romantic writers as if they had anticipated both the construction of the Tower and the birth of aviation, permits us to transcend sensation and to see things in their structure”. This quote explains how the tower can show a bird eye view and has a full romantic meaning.  This also tries to contrast two different perspectives on experiencing the world. This also shows the different perspectives of the tower from inside and outside.

Another quote stated in this paper is on page (9) ” losing anything of their materiality, a new category appears, that of concrete abstraction, this moreover is the meaning which we can give to the word structure: a corpus of intelligent forms”.  This quote describes the perspective on more abstract concept. This quote also talks about the structure and patters rather then just their physical appearances.  This quote also tries to show a deeper insight into the nature of reality. Last quote that is stated in this literature ” Tower makes structuralism without knowing it which does not keep prose and structure from existing all the same; in Paris spread out beneath him, he spontaneously distinguishes separate because known points and yet does not stop linking them, perceiving them within a great functional space; in short he separates and groups; Paris offers itself to him as an object virtually prepared, exposed the intelligence, but which he must himself construct by a final activity of the mind; nothing less passive than the overall view the Tower gives to Paris”. This quote explains that how the Tower is related to structuralism and how it emphasizes about human societies and cultures. This quote also describes the scene of Paris from the view of the city.  The author also tries to describe the familiar landmarks and the points of interest in Paris. Overall this quotes describes the different principles of structuralism and the different relationship within Paris.

In Conclusion this literature The World of Wrestling’s and the Eiffel Tower describes different things throughout the story. The differences of the input and output views of structuralism and what’s the symbolism of the Tower.

In Barthes, “Reality Effect”, he identifies how authors of realist fiction would tend to add details that seem to be really unnecessary or just too much. This mostly happens during descriptions of settings where some details just seem to not serve any purpose whatsoever. Barthes believes this might be aesthetic choice based on how such details are added to “excite the admiration of the audience,” (1273). This actually makes sense to much of creative writing because the writer enjoys giving description because it helps to pull the reader into the author’s world. Here, he gives the example of a barometer presence from Flaubert’s work where the instrument, unlike the piano or heaps of boxes in the setting, doesn’t give any meaning. It seems to serve no purpose but rather, is just there to further add details on the room itself like a decoration.

Barthes however, dives deeper into this and proves how this superfluous information actually serves for the sake of realism. He compares this with how historical texts are written. These types of texts have loads of detailed descriptions of every little thing that go on and on. If this was a literary text, to a reader it would be a nuisance, as Barthes feels it is. But as a historical text, it is necessary to write down what exactly happened, as much accurate as possible to remain true to the reality of what happened. The same goes for realistic fiction, the author tries their best to depict what is there, to get as close as possible to telling the truth of their narrative by showing what is really there; “the incessant need to authenticate the “real”,” (275). Then, those details that have no meaning serve the purpose more so on connecting the reader to the real world. Additionally, Barthes mentions how, ” ‘concrete reality’ becomes the sufficient justification for speaking,” (275). I was a bit confused what he meant from this but from what I understand, because literature is meant to be read, the author uses “superfluous notations” as much as necessary to be able to explain themselves as equally as if they were to say it in conversation. This goes back with the concept of realism. When we describe something in speech, we naturally like to give long details about everything about it. Detail is important to us in order to have others really understand, not for a specific reason, but just so they can be in the same page with you. The same thing is being done with all the “fluff” in these narratives becoming a function, that plot wise has no function, necessary to tell a truthful story.