Assignments—Bridges to Theory Review Essay 2014

On this date on Round and Square's History 

14 October 2013—China's Lunar Calendar 2013 10-14

14 October 2013—Assignments: Bridges to Theory 2013 Midterm

14 October 2012—Rural Religion in China (22)

14 October 2011—Asian Miscellany: Housing in Modern China

Click here for the introduction to the Round and Square series "Assignments"

[a] A Bridge(d) RF

The midterm assignment in all of my classes (usually scheduled for the week after spring break) is pivotal in several senses of the term. Of course, the first thing students realize is that it is important—pivotal.  A solid chunk of the grade turns (pivots) on it. The next sense is even more significant, though. The midterm assignment is designed to encourage students to consider all of the work they have done in the first half of the course and to put it together in a midterm assignment that helps them to pivot to the second half of the course. The results of this assignment are especially enjoyable for me to read, since students have engaged the fascinating and surprisingly complex novels Mrs. Bridge (1959) and Mr. Bridge (1969). These were written by the extraordinarily versatile writer Evan S. Connell, and told in a "polished fieldnote" sort of vignette style that works beautifully in a social and cultural theory course.

Social and Cultural Theory
Anthropology 206
Midterm Assignment—“Bridges to Theory” 

[b] Too-too RF

The Basics 

Review Mrs. Bridge and Mr. Bridge, then watch the film in class on October 21. Write a review essay of at least 3,000 words (about ten pages) commenting upon some of the many themes found in Evan Connell’s vignettes on the Bridges (noting the assignment title above) and showing their connections to the materials we have studied up to this point in the course. Because it is a review essay, you will be evaluating the examples in both the film and the two novels.

 Preparation
Although this assignment is deliberately open-ended (allowing you to use any number of interpretive strategies), do not forget its role as a “pivot” in our course.  Your work should engage, on some level, the full range of our materials from the first seven weeks of the course (your class notes, reading notes, abstracts, and even quizzes will be useful as you proceed).  If you take the assignment seriously, it will give you a solid foundation—and significant momentum—for the second half of the course. 

[c] Ostentation RF

Review Essay 
A good way to approach the assignment is to write a “review essay.” You have been reading good review essays from the New York Review of Books for several weeks. Now is the time to write one that has a distinctly “theoretical” focus. 

The basic idea, though, is as follows. A good review essay has a two-pronged approach. It is, on the one hand, a “review” of the books and the film. By this, I mean that you need to engage examples from the lives of the Bridges. This should not be at all difficult, given the immediacy of much of the material. In the “rest” of the essay you should show how the themes in the novels can be seen in the wider perspective of social and cultural theory. In other words, how might the essays and lectures we have read in Anthropology and Theory and Outline of a Theory of Practice connect to the specific issues in the novels you have read (or, from another perspective, the pile of “fieldnotes” you have been studying)? To be sure, you will blend these approaches, but how you do so will be part of your writing strategy. We’ll discuss this in class.

[d] Pineapple Bread RF

Additional Notes 
This assignment asks you to engage your two novels and to review all of the work you have done thus far in the course.  It does not require you to do “research,” and substantial outside work will almost certainly be counter-productive. For example, spending two or three pages on the history of 1930s Kansas City will be far less productive than spending those pages examining the world of the Bridges or theoretical perspectives that might help us understand them better. Background information is occasionally useful (and you may possibly have some from previous reading or coursework), but do not make the mistake of providing so much “background” that you don’t deal fully with the assignment itself. Again, with novels as “up front” as these, this should not be a problem.

[e] Tower RF

The greater challenge is to “use” our theoretical materials well. Plot out some of the themes (or scenes) in the novels and take notes to make sure you have dealt with the full range of possibilities in the theoretical materials. Your skills in spotting themes in the Moore, Bourdieu, and Moberg books will pay off a great deal in this assignment, as will the general contextual and theoretical knowledge you have gained in our discussions. You have all of Week 9 to pursue this project, and you should use it to review all of the readings and class discussions (not to mention themes) that we have studied thus far in the semester.

Reminders 
1.   This assignment is meant to “tie together” much of the work you have done this semester. Just as on weekly quizzes, be sure to use the full range of your “sources” in your interpretations—classroom analyses, Moore, Bourdieu, and Moberg.  As you know, the theoretical essays in Moore and the close reading of Bourdieu are the heart of the class, and I would like to see connections to them in your essays.

[f] Tarquin Plan RF

2.   Don’t forget that I will be evaluating this assignment with the assumption that you are trying to explain these matters to “intelligent non-specialists.” That means that I do not want you to “skip” those portions that you know I know.  I want you to explain them. I want you to be the expert who is explaining these matters to someone who does not know much about cultural anthropology, but is certainly able to follow a complex argument. Imagine, for example, that you are writing for your FYI professor and those you have in other classes this term, with moi looking over her shoulder. Keep your letter reader in mind, too. It will serve you well.

3.   Follow standard Chicago Manual of Style citation form, and use my style sheet as you proceed. This is a “formal” review essay, and the style sheet’s guidelines should be followed closely.  

4.   There should be a short bibliography of sources (class books and any outside materials that you have consulted) at the end of your document.

5.   Be sure that you fill out a “paper checklist” and attach it to your essay. This checklist will be sent to you as an attachment.

6.  Good luck. There is more than enough material to write any number of essays. Choose several good points, scenes, or themes. Then write an essay. 

Due by 10:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 26.  (Put a hard copy outside my door).

Use the word count feature of your software and put the word total at the bottom of the essay, e.g. “3,062 words."

[g] India Louvre(s) Paris RF

Endings (7)—Mr. Bridge

Click here for an introduction to the Round and Square series "Endings."  

[a] Monsieur Bridge

I have already written on Round and Square about the exquisite pair of novels by the literary craftsman Evan Connell, Mrs. Bridge (1959) and Mr. Bridge (1969). In my determination not to "spoil" endings for readers who might be intrigued by these postings, I have chosen carefully which conclusions to highlight. In this case, the final vignette in Mr. Bridge should only pique your curiosity about a character so stiff, so buttoned-down, so de rigueur that he reflects with mild disdain on things such as communal harmony and joy. The cover illustration from one version of the book will show you every bit as much (above).

[b] Bridges too far

I should not have to point this out, but shall do so anyway. Lest this be interpreted as a kind of "attack" on religion, think again. Please. Rather, notice the mastery with which the author weaves a concluding portrayal of Mr. Bridge both acceding to and fighting the expectations of society. And notice his disdain for others—most others. The confines of church and social expectations are not the subject, but rather the field within which Evan Connell spins his witheringly evocative portrait of Walter Bridge.

By the way, I will say clearly here that the only way to enjoy the conclusion to Mrs. Bridge is to read from the beginning all of the way to the end.  That is a perfect ending that I would not think to spoil. Just read the whole book.

[c] Herr/Frau

So, spoiler alerts aside (no worries), let's have a look at the finely crafted conclusion of Mr. Bridge. It is one of those exquisite pieces of writing in which the conclusion makes the reader want to start right over again and plumb further the depths of Mr. Bridge's character. Let me add that Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward produced such fine Bridges in the 1991 film (Mr. and Mrs. Bridge) that it forms, to my mind, a crowning punctuation to their distinguished careers.

[d] Panama style

Evan S. Connell, Mr. Bridge

141   Joy to the World

Every few months, acceding to the wishes of his wife, he found himself in church. Usually he agreed to go on Easter because that day seemed appropriate, once around Christmas, and once or twice more during the year whenever she became insistent. In church he behaved nearly as she hoped he would. He waited inexpressively through the sermon, held the hymnal, and more or less pretended to sing along with her, contributed a dollar when the plate came down the pew, and lowered his head enough to remain inconspicuous when Dr. Foster summoned the congregation to prayer—although he refused to shut his eyes. And he often consulted his watch, as though by this he could bring forth the welcome notes of the recessional.

He attended church on these occasions partly because he had no wish to attract attention by abstaining completely, but principally because she wanted him to. She needed him there not merely to demonstrate for the benefit of the neighborhood that her husband was not atheistic, but as actual bodily insurance against possible recriminations by God for such sins as he may have committed. In her heart she did believe God existed—He was a bit larger than a normal man, perhaps seven feet tall with a shaggy white beard untainted by cigar smoke, who dressed in a sort of nightgown similar to the one He wore on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

So it was that on a crisp, snowy, Sunday morning just before Christmas they were lodged in the front row of the balcony of the tidy little Congregational Church. Dr. Foster was hard at work and Mrs. Bridge listened attentively. Mr. Bridge was thinking about other things while he waited for the end of the service. The air in the balcony was stale and his head felt congested, but he did not like to sit on the main floor where he was obliged to look up at the minister. He scratched his ankle and thought of how much he would rather be at home in front of the fireplace with the Sunday paper.

He sighted, louder than he intended. He blinked, yawned, and looked around. There was not much to look at. Everything about the church was passionless. He remembered Chartres—the chill, somberly echoing nave, the stone effigies, the ominous shadows and crude colored-glass windows. The Congregational Church was bland, as innocuous as the man in the pulpit. This was a different kind of religion. It was more comfortable, and the minister's sermon was no doubt more comforting than the stark admonition of the Middle Ages. Here on never heard a warning from the man in the black robe. Here was no funereal sculpture in the niches, no blood-red windows. It was all quite pleasant.

He considered Dr. Foster discoursing on biblical events and wondered how a man could retain such innocence through the vicissitudes of life. It was as though the minister never worried or doubted. He resembled a stout, pompous little druggist, the sixty-year-old face as vacant as a melon—a trifle sleek and epicine, almost shiny. Time was not darkening or blemishing the surface of the man, nor had years disturbed the liquid flow of his faith. Imperturbably he stood in his pulpit and perpetuated a vision suitable for children. He stood so securely and lectured with such powerless conviction because he knew nothing else. He was truly a virtuous man, if not truly good.

It was time once again to sing.

Mr. Bridge go to his feel reluctantly. He opened the book and held it for his wife, who sang in a pure, slender tone. The congregation sang "Joy to the World," and he sang a few phrases because he enjoyed the Christmas carols.

Yet while he was singing he reflected on the word "joy"—the archaic sound of this odd word, and its meaning. He reflected that he had occasionally heard people use this word. Evidently they had experienced joy, or believed that they had experienced it. He asked himself if he ever had known it. If so, he could not remember. But he thought he must have known it because he understood the connotation, which would be impossible without having experienced it. However, if he had once known joy it must have been a long time ago. Satisfaction, yes, and pleasure of several sorts, and pride, and possibly a feeling which might be called "rejoicing" after some serious worry or problem had been resolved. There are many such feelings, but none of them should be called "joy." He remembered enthusiasm, hope, and a kind of jubilation or exultation. Cheerfulness, yes, and joviality, and the brief gratification of sex. Gladness, too, fullness of heart, appreciation, and many other emotions. But not joy. No, that belonged to simpler minds.

Beginnings (3)—Mrs. Bridge

Click here for an introduction to the Round and Square series "Beginnings."


Evan Connell, Mrs. Bridge 

But where is what I started for so long ago?

And why is it yet unfound?

                                         —Walt Whitman

1 Love and Marriage

Her first name was India—she was never able to get used to it. It seemed to her that her parents must have been thinking of someone else when they named her. Or were they hoping for another sort of daughter? As a child, she was often on the point of inquiring, but time passed, and she never did.

Joanne Woodward as India Bridge. [a]

Now and then while growing up the idea came to her that she could get along very nicely without a husband, and, to the distress of her mother and father, this idea prevailed for a number of years after her education had been completed. But there came a summer evening and a young lawyer named Walter Bridge: very tall and dignified, red haired, with a grimly determined, intelligent face, and rather stoop-shouldered so that even when he stood erect his coat hung lower in the front than in the back. She had known him for several years without finding him remarkable in any way, but on this summer evening, on the front porch of her parents’ home, she toyed with a sprig of mint and looked at him attentively while pretending to listen to what he said. He was telling her that he intended to become rich and successful, and that one day he would take his wife—“whenever I finally decide to marry” he said, for he was not yet ready to commit himself—one day he would take his wife on a tour of Europe. He spoke of Ruskin and of Robert Ingersoll, and he read to her that evening on the porch, later, some verses from The Rubáiyát while her parents were preparing for bed, and the locusts sang in the elm trees all around.

India Bridge. [b]

A few months after her father died she married Walter Bridge and moved with him to Kansas City, where he had decided to establish his practice.

Mr. and Mrs. Bridge (Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward). [c]

All seemed well. The days passed, and the weeks, and the months, more swiftly than in childhood, and she felt no trepidation, except for certain moments in the depth of the night when, as she and her new husband lay drowsily clutching each other for reassurance, and anticipating the dawn of the day, and another night which might prove them both immortal, Mrs. Bridge found herself wide awake. During these moments, resting in her husband’s arms, she would stare at the ceiling, or at his face, which sleep robbed of strength, with an uneasy expression, as though she saw or heard some intimation of the great years ahead.

She was not certain what she wanted from life, or what to expect from it, for she had seen so little of it, but she was sure that in some way—because she willed it to be so—her wants and her expectations were the same.

The Bridges in Europe. [d]

Mrs. Bridge and her daughter, Carolyn. [e]

For a while after their marriage she was in such demand that it was not unpleasant when he fell asleep. Presently, however, he began sleeping all night, and it was then she awoke more frequently, and looked into the darkness, wondering about the nature of men, doubtful of the future, until at last there came a night when she shook her husband awake and spoke of her own desire. Affably he placed one of his long white arms around her waist; she turned to him then, contentedly, expectantly, and secure. However nothing else occurred, and in a few minutes he had gone back to sleep.

This was the night Mrs. Bridge concluded that while marriage might be an equitable affair, love itself was not.[1]

http://www.amazon.com/Mrs-Bridge-Evan-S-Connell/dp/0865470561

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120500589

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100200/

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[1] Evan Connell, Mrs. Bridge (New York: Viking Press, Inc., 1959), 1-2.


Images [a] Joanne Woodward as India Bridge.
[b] India Bridge.
[c] Mr. and Mrs. Bridge (Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward).
[d] The Bridges in Europe.
[e] Mrs. Bridge and her daughter, Caroline.