By now I hope everyone finished House or nearly finished it. Ready or not, we have to plow ahead and extract some ideas from Kidder's monograph. Remember that this book is not a novel. Call it a study, a monograph, an extended essay. Call it Literary Journalism as does the American Journalism Review, or call it just plain old book.
What I want to do today is begin with a general overview about the Souweines and their aspirations, and the question of how they came to the decision to build a house. I want to also consider aspects of the style of house they chose to build. Recall what we've said about how styles are constructed, and what we say they represent. What makes Greek Revival a logical choice for this particular couple.?
For Monday, April 30
We finish up the discussion on style and substance we began on Thursday last. The Souweine house is in the Greek Revival Style--a style very popular in the United States from about 1810 to 1850. Bristol has a small heap of Greek Revival Houses, ranging from the grandiose to the humble. One of the virtues of the style is that it worked well for both brand houses and not-so-grand houses, and at a time when an inclusive Democracy was at the center of the American Dream, a style which worked at nearly all status levels was a style perfect for the times. Of course, no Greek lived in a house which looked like these...the temples were the houses of Gods, not men.
The House built for Jonathan and Judith Souweine. The American Journalism Review lists Tracy Kidder's book as one of the Twelve Best Examples of Literary Journalism, saying "In 1982, a middle-class couple named Judith and Jonathan Souweine set out to build their dream house in Amherst, Massachusetts. Plans get made, walls go up, tempers flare. Architects, builders, carpenters and painters appear. Kidder sits on the sideline and turns the domestic drama into a Melville-sized metaphor for America."
For Thursday, May 3
Two interior views of the Souweine House. The living/dining room area above, and the kitchen breakfast nook to the fright.
We'll spend part of our time discussing elements of Kidder's book, House, including some considerations of the house's organization. The wall of windows which the book mentions is featured below. Can you imagine what living in this house would be like? Maybe you can, if you try. We'll try to get a handle on the characters of some of the characters in the book, as well.
I will also introduce and talk a bit about the Final Exam--a take-home. The page is up and ready for you to take a gander at.
