Style and Language Bombast: “Burn Man on a Texas Porch”

Mark Anthony Jarmanis causing a buzz in Canadian Literature….why?

… Mark Jarman's "Burn Man on a Texas Porch" is as close to poetry as prose gets in this anthology-or for that matter, in most books that aren't books of poetry. Savage, funny, sad, elliptical. Brilliant.

With characters ranging from the desperate to the obsessive to the wildly comic, Mark Anthony Jarman …employs dazzling linguistic verve and staggering metaphoric powers in every sentence. But Jarman doesn't just write about people, he puts us in their skin so that we feel their frailty and courage.
No other contemporary Canadian short-story writer slices up the imaginative excitement, cultural hybridity, and Joycean play of language …

Reading

  1. To attend to our “need to know,” and to alleviate the sense of disorientation many of you may feel, make a list of things you know about Burn Man.
  1. How would you characterize Jarman’s style? How would you describe how this story is told? (refer to the style sheet you’ve been given)
  1. Plot does not drive Jarman’s prose. One might argue that his work is experiential and sensory. You do not so much understand the story as you feel and experience it. Find examples of the following and discuss their effect on the reader. What/How is the reader made to feel or experience?
  1. SimilesExperience/Feeling
  1. MetaphorExperience/Feeling
  1. ImageryExperience/Feeling
  1. b) Tone: the tone (attitude of the narrator) is quickly established in the dramatic opening of this short story. How would you characterize how the narrator sees himself and his predicament?
  • Why does the protagonist refer to himself in the third person as “The Burn Man.” How is this connected to tone and theme?
  1. Searing imagery: pull out all the fire imagery from the text you can find(“flaming drinks” /“fried friends”)
  • What is its symbolic or metaphorical significance of Jarman’s reference to fire?
  • Is Jarman’s choice effective or ineffective?
  • How can fire be tied into the theme of this short story?

Su

Summative Assessment – Extend the SNAP strategy introduced to you last week to write a three-paragraph response (intro-body-conclusion) to ONE of the following questions.

  1. Discuss the character of Burn Man
  2. Discuss the effectiveness of Jarman’s use of fire and flame imagery
  3. Discuss Jarman’s literary style
  4. Discuss…(your own proposal….in consultation with Ms. Q)