Woody Allen - The Kugelmass Episode (Overview)
Or rather, y'all either are a Woody Allen fan or y'all guide footling feel of humor, don't run into the value of sarcasm in addition to satire or are every bit good total of yourself to grasp how cathartic self-deprecation tin be.
Woody Allen the Director has proffered a consistent fountain of titles revolving unopen to similar if non quasi-similar themes which fourth dimension in addition to in 1 lawsuit to a greater extent than satisfy his fan base.
Woody Allen the Author of Short Stories has been upstaged past times Woody Allen the Director, unfortunately eclipsed to a groovy extent past times the public's preference for moving pictures over written texts, which is why I was much delighted to run into his brusk story "The Kugelmass Episode" inwards a recent textbook assigned to 11th graders. Naturally, my side past times side reaction was to lament those students who would read in addition to non sympathise the references to Emma Bovary inwards the slightest, because let's human face upward it, how many schoolhouse curricula listing Flaubert every bit compulsory reading?
But no to a greater extent than harping on this. Let's plow our sights on "The Kugelmass Episode" itself. Mr. Allen's piece of occupation incorporates the absurd into reality, bringing the whole endeavor to a catastrophic end, leaving the reader amongst zero but snippets of charred truths to ponder.
You tin read the story here.
For students in addition to teachers who desire a brief overview of the story, I promise the next helps.
Woody Allen - The Kugelmass Episode
- Life
- born 1935, American, Jewish
- films, stories, stand-up comedy, jazz musician
- Post-Modernist = reflection on fine art of writing/filming
- genre: magical realism (the supernatural + realistic events)
- story written inwards 1977
- plot
- Professor Kugelmass bored of life, wife, kids, alimony, fry support, psychoanalysis
- wants an matter amongst a mysterious, appealing woman
- the Great Persky ⇨ Chinese cabinet, throw novel in, tap iii times, you’re projected into novel
- Madame Bovary ⇨ Kugelmass pursues romance amongst Emma
- he draws Emma to 20th century, spends weekend amongst her at the Plaza Hotel
- problem = can’t post her dorsum (cabinet malfunction)
- romance fades
- Persky fixes cabinet, sends Emma back
- Kugelmass says he’s learned his lesson, won’t cheat e'er again
- returns afterward iii weeks: wants matter amongst The Monkey from Portnoy’s Complaint past times Philip Roth (1969 novel, explicit handling of sex, principal graphic symbol talking to psychoanalyst, banned inwards Australia)
- problem amongst cabinet: Persky dies of a pump attack, cabinet + whole solid goes upward inwards flames, Kugelmass projected into a Remedial Castilian textbook, spider-like verb ‘tener’ (to have) chases him
- characters
- Prof. Sidney Kugelmass
- Jewish, unhappy, bored, divorced, remarried
- teaches humanities at City College, NY
- has two tardily sons from 1st wife, Flo
- needs flirtation, romance, softness, honey beauty (at start)
- wants sexually promiscuous adult woman past times the end
- going through mid-life crisis (“I’m non getting younger …”)
- Dr Mandel (analyst)
- The Great Persky
- short, sparse man, waxy-looking
- starts at $20, increases toll to $25
- Emma Bovary
- wanted romance
- chases afterward fame, clothes, etc (becomes typical 20th century consumer)
- Daphne Kugelmass
- overweight
- has money
- also plant at City College, NY
- setting
- NY, belatedly 70’s (OJ Simpson non indicted, even in addition to then respected NFL player, was inwards his peak inwards the 70’s, MVP 1973)
- themes
- mid-life crisis
- attempt to fuse existent life amongst idealized life
- need to experience young, important, alive
- marriage in addition to human relations
- loss of love, enthusiasm
- marriage of convenience
- normality, routine makes spontaneity/excitement disappear (wife’s family)
- who is to blame? Kugelmass tried to create ameliorate life for himself. Couldn’t he guide done the same for his existent life?
- parody of amusement line of piece of occupation concern / consumerism
- Emma reduced from a romantic heroine to a groupie (even her linguistic communication suffers)
- What’s of import for people = Tony Awards, clothes, chic hotels, discos, caviar in addition to champagne ⇨ this is what romance adds upward to
- immediate gratification = connected to consumerism
- Kugelmass prefers this rather than hold back inside himself to uncovering the existent problem
- literature ⇨ what is involved inwards the creative procedure of writing + reading?
- inter-relationship betwixt reader + author ⇨ what conventions are involved?
- intertextuality: past times reading this story nosotros add together important to Madame Bovary past times Flaubert, merely similar Kugelmass creates novel life for himself past times inserting himself inwards Madame Bovary or involving Emma inwards contemporary reality in addition to inwards Allen’s brusk story
- creative procedure of writing: spider on spindly legs chasing Kugelmass = words chasing writer
- “tener” = “to have”
- symbolic chase of what nosotros have/possess inwards our lives
- we run afterward things inwards life to possess them (money, mistresses, adventure, experiences) ⇨ exercise things run afterward us inwards the end?
- role reversal
- relatedness betwixt texts:
- Kugelmass ⇨ becomes a graphic symbol inwards Flaubert’s volume
- Emma ⇨ ‘real’ somebody inwards his life + fictional graphic symbol inwards Woody Allen’s brusk story
- Persky’s magic where nosotros select which volume to move projected into ⇨ volume chooses us
- we chase words (when reading) ⇨ words chasing us
- romantic lovers ⇨ annoyed amongst each other (ie. Emma becomes some other Daphne)
Click the painting for explanations of literary terms
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