Its 'chapters' were originally medium- to long-format essays that appeared in the pages of Vogue and other magazines. As Didion herself notes in her Preface, the essays don't all necessarily speak to the central theme, but that what she writes reflects what she feels. Now, in retrospect, they also seem a sort of time capsule of the moment; some subjects glitter like coins or gemstones, while others, like the small slips of paper and notes that are also often parts of such capsules, testify only to a minor moment or a single individual.
For our purposes, we'll want to start with "Some Dreamers of the Golden Dream" -- it's classic Didion, a tale of love and death and dentistry among Seventh-Day Adventists living in the San Bernardino Valley of California. Next, we'll pause at the title essay, "Slouching Towards Bethlehem, which explicitly addresses its theme as it takes us to the famed Haight & Ashbury district of San Francisco at the moment of the so-called "Summer of Love." Finally, we'll touch on some of the shorter thematic essays at the end of the volume: "One Keeping a Notebook," "On Self-Respect," "On Morality," and "On Going Home."
In your responses, choose just one of these essays, and think of it not simply in terms of its subject, but its style. What sense do you get of its writer? Does the essay have a certain shape or feel? And how does Didion get the effects she does? Take a close look at her language, and include a short quote in your comments as well.
After reading "Some Dreamers of the Golden Dream", I felt as if Didion was very descriptive when setting up the story. It seemed like every small detail whether it was a date, a time, or an object was important when explaining something or introducing a character in the story. One of the paragraphs began with this: "
ReplyDeleteBanyan Street was the route Lucille Miller took home from the twenty-four hour Mayfair Market on the night of October 7, 1969, a night when the moon was dark and the wind was blowing and she was out of milk, and Banyan Street was where, at about 12:30 A.M., her 1964 Volkswagen came to a sudden stop, caught fire, and began to burn."
I feel as if this part of the story was when I really began to notice Didion's detailed descriptions, and it appeared that she wanted the reader to know that these details were important to what was about to be said.
I enjoyed the parts of "Some Dreamers of the Golden Dream" in which the crime was being investigated, but I did not like the ending. The sense I got of the writer was that they are a realist and somewhat of a cynic. The essay felt at first optimistic, but then it gradually became depressing. I think that Didion gets the effects by describing settings so that the reader can have an understanding of where a scene takes place, and by describing the reactions of the characters, such as Sandy Slagle when Lucille Miller was declared guilty, after this Sandy collapsed in her seat and screamed twice, the second time saying "You're murderers. . . . Every last one of you is a murderer." which shows how upset she was about the verdict.
ReplyDelete-Ethan Opoku
I really enjoyed Joan Didions Essays. The one that interested me the most was “Some Dreamers of the Golden Dream. It describes a lot of things that happened before in California but still happening nowadays. It is funny how this was written many years ago but still kind of tells us the story of how it actually is to live in some places from California. The writer is telling us how he feels through stories rather than telling us what was actually happening.
ReplyDelete-Victor h Valenzuela
I liked the fact that the Joan Didions essays is in the modern and late language like this piece:
ReplyDeleteIf there’s hope
Please write me a note
If he’s still there
Tell him how much I care
Where he’s at I need to know
For I really love him so!
Deeply,
Marla
-Raymond Soulard, Jr.
& Kassandra Soulard
Because of pieces like this, I enjoyed reading the essays more, for me I feel is more entertaining to read, I usually like the audio versions, so this makes it fun.
It is clear while reading this book the author has a different tone and way of writing than I have seen before , for example one of my favorite things the author wrote was in the “ On Self-Respect” section and a lot of what she wrote is so relatable, she had wrote” To do without self-respect, on the other hand, is to be an unwilling audience of one to an interminable documentary that details one’s failings, both real and imagined, with fresh footage”. This is so true and the way she's able to compare concepts to real life things, makes it mean even more and helps explain what she is trying to get across. This book would have to be my favorite one we have read.
ReplyDeleteDidion's style of writing is definitely different from anything i've ever read. I feel like she goes into great detail when talking about scenery. A quote that I liked was "the hills gets steeper and the road climbs and even the bungalows are few, and here desolate, roughly surfaced, lined with eucalyptus and lemon groves is Banyan street."
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI Loved Slouching Toward Bethlehem. The writer describes what it was like back in the 60’s with all the psychedelic awakening that was happening during that time. The way she tells the story is very unusual since she gives out examples of real names and people that were experiencing these moments. I love the artistic way she used to represent these stories.
ReplyDelete-Victor H Valenzuela
I enjoyed reading “Some Dreamers of the Golden Dream ''. This short story made me feel like I was watching a Lifetime movie in my living room. At the beginning of the story I was in shock because I thought that just the car was on fire and she just couldn’t find help, but then the author says “...for her husband had been asleep in the Volkswagen” (pg 6). She searched for help for over an hour, and I knew right away that this wasn’t an accident. If someone was just asleep and a fire breaks out I’m almost certain that you will be awakened at some point.
ReplyDeleteAlexis Manning
Daniel Aldana
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed "Some Dreamers of the Golden Dream". I always enjoy whether it be shows or books that make the smallest details have a big effect in the story. I feel as if the was a depressing tone throughout the whole essay which made it feel a little dark which i enjoy. I was a little confused in some parts but after rereading them i understood them.
I like how there are different sections that all describe her own personal experiences. There are many details in her writing, which allow me to understand a better picture. I find it easier to understand the readings when there is a great amount of detail rather than vague descriptions.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading this book, we get a sense of what it was like in the 1960s. Her style and choice of words are quite interesting. It is like you are there along with the writer experiencing it too with her immense description. The essay that I thought was the most bizarre was the one named, “Slouching Towards Bethlehem,” as if feels as if we are reading the personal diary of someone from Didion’s time showing the hippies that occupied a San Francisco neighborhood – of which some parents would give LSD to their preschoolers.
ReplyDelete-Tiffany Bouley