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Class Ground Rules
Read all the assignments before class.
Keep yourself on mute unless called on.
Raise your hands electronically.
Focus your comments only on the question at hand rather than straying to other parts of the story.
Refrain from offering a review of the whole story or jumping to the end.
Discuss the author's story, not your own story.
Try to support your comments by referring to details from the text.
Listen to and respond to others with respect.
"I think that the most challenging story for me was Act III. I wanted it to feel like we were moving from the chaos of reality to an attempted control as my character, Vera, tries to sum up her life and children. I wanted to get as close to strong opinions about these children as I could take her without losing her deep love for them. I wanted the stages of her own life—her childhood memory/her children’s childhoods/the current secret she holds—to carry equal weight. I wanted to evoke grief and joy—bringing the sensations as close together as was possible.” — Jill McCorkle
READ (at least twice): Jill McCorkle – “Act III" pp. 183-213.
Vera arranges a family reunion of her children and grandchildren at a mountain lake resort she visited 20 years ago.
Think About:
Vera is the central character in the story. What do we know about her? Why is this reunion so important to her?
Vera reflects on her life as a series of roles. How does this perspective shape her understanding of her family and her own identity?
What role does Vera's husband Glen seem to play in the story and the family?
Characterize the three children -- William, Suzanne, and Rosie -- and their place in the family and in Vera's affection.
Analyze the family dynamics.
The role of humor in the story.
How does the story use the metaphor of a play or performance to explore the themes of life, identity, and family?
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