Re: JCO: Discussion Question

Hi Randy,

I appreciate your intervention as moderator of this list. Too many times
discussion on this list has been stopped short by more experienced JCO
list members who respond rather too quickly with sarcasm to a new
member's post. It is very hard to speak up for the first time on a group
mailing list such as this; a sarcastic response to one's initial post
can feel like a slap in the face. Perhaps we should remember to review
our responses before presssing <Send> to remove sarcasm, which can sound
like a personal insult even it the remarks were not meant as such.

I agree that the initial request might have been worded differently, but
it seemed to me like a genuine attempt to start a conversation.
Conversations on this list have been very sparse lately, and I for one
welcome a discussion of any of Ms Oates' work.

I also appreciate Rfoley's and Eric's responses, which might provide an
opening for a discussion of this short novel. Because I am one of the
group members who read JCO strictly for pleasure, I have never been one
to look for metaphor's in her work. However, I do appreciate it when
more literary minded members point to the possibility of a larger
meaning. This book, with it poetical rhythm, is ripe with such
possibilities.

Thanks again, Randy, for being such a polite and sensitive moderator and
for encouraging further discussion rather than allowing it to be cut
short.

Jane

----- Original Message -----
From: "Randy Souther" <tinmachine@earthlink.net>
To: <jco@usfca.edu>
Sent: Thursday, January 19, 2006 10:55 AM
Subject: Re: JCO: Discussion Question

>I think treating the request seriously was the right thing to do. Our
>new member got off to a bad start not knowing how to begin a discussion
>in this type of forum, but she's paid for it dealing with a great deal
>of sarcasm.
>
> Eric suggests the incident could be a metaphor for society's behavior,
> but I'll throw the question back to Katie on a more literal level: do
> you think it is reasonable to say that Kelly is complicit in her own
> fate, or is saying that too much of "blaming the victim?"
>
> Randy
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