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The moment everything went silent Doris the Dormouse became very nervous. Silence was a kind of void in which her thoughts became lost like wooden needles in a wooden haystack. It was only through hearing herself speak that she knew what she was thinking, and because she was so squirrely, even for a Dormouse, she nervously began to sing in a voice that was not unlike the sharp siren for a forest fire alarm.
Click on a title below for book recommendations; reading, writing, and art information and activities; and discussion questions. • An Annotated List of Suggested Read Alouds and Independent Reads An Annotated List of Suggested Read Alouds and Independent Reads Under Construction Musical and Literary Connections by Marilyn Ludolph, Ed.D, Dominican University School of Education There are references made in Episode 25 to a song and to pieces of literature. The title “Que Sera, Sera” originally appeared in Italian in Christopher Marlowe’s play Dr. Faustus (“Che Sera, Sera”). “Que Sera, Sera,” a 1956 academy award-winning song written in 1956 by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans (and the title is in ungrammatical Spanish), has over time become part of American pop culture. It is a song that has been used many times, for many different purposes (in movies, on record albums, and in commercials). “We live as we dream – alone.” (moaned and quoted by Joe in this episode) is a reference to text taken from the novella, Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. This literary work was written in 1902 as a story within a story. Understanding references to pieces of music, or art, or literature, when reading a literary piece enhances the understanding of what is being read. It also broadens and deepens one’s knowledge, allowing connections to be made. Other references have been made as the characters in the episodes have evolved. Go back into the text and reread previous episodes to see if you can identify references that have been made previously. Hint: What references can you find to nursery rhymes and to pieces of literature? Take one of the major characters in The Exquisite Corpse Adventure and write a short paragraph of your own, creating dialogue that includes a reference to a piece of literature, work of art, or piece of music of your own choice and then share your paragraph with a friend or member of your family. See if they can identify the reference, and test their knowledge to see what connections they can make! ©2010 Marilyn Ludolph Discussion Questions and Activities by Geri Zabela Eddins, NCBLA When Joe and Nancy ask Doris and Genius what they are singing about in the song “Que sera, sera,” Genius answers, “We are singing about fate … About not knowing what the future will be, yet having to accept without disappointment what the future will offer each one of us.” Are you familiar with the concept of “fate?” What do you think of Genius’ definition? Is there a difference between “fate,” “chance,” and “choice?” In the paragraphs in which the characters discuss “fate,” what do you think Genius is trying to communicate to Nancy and Joe? Do you think he is communicating something to the readers about the fate of Nancy and Joe within the story? At the heart of this episode is a dilemma. Nancy and Joe are confronted with a “terrible” choice—whether to open the door or seal it. Joe and Nancy desperately want to open it, but Genius insists that is the wrong move. Genius summarizes their choice by stating, “What would be worse? [Your parents] find you dead, or you find them dead?” Put yourself in the twin’s shoes: would you open the door or seal it? Why? Who ultimately makes the decision about how to proceed? How do they decide? Are you surprised? Have you ever been confronted with a seemingly impossible situation in which you were faced with two choices, neither of which seemed better than the other? How did you resolve the problem? Irony is “a contradiction or incongruity between appearance or expectation and reality.” Genius explains his intuitive knowledge regarding the substance coming through the mail slot in the door by stating, “Every pig has been taught from birth to know the smell of an egg means doom for our porcine breed.” This statement is followed by the four character’s collective thought, “How is it . . . that children learn their morals, ethics, and values from early children’s books populated with clever and cute animals which they, the readers, later learn how to eat?” Would you say this question presents an irony, a difference between what one would expect and the reality? How did you feel when you read this statement? Does it make you uncomfortable? Can you explain it? Can you cite other examples of irony in The Exquisite Corpse Adventure? Reference Murfin, Ross and Supryia M. Ray. (2003). The Bedford Glossary of Critical and Literary Terms. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s. ©2010 Geri Zabela Eddins
For Parents, Teachers, Librarians—Talk Art! Chris Van Dusen’s Illustration for Episode Twenty Five By Mary Brigid Barrett Under Construction
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The Exquisite Corpse Adventure is available in hardcover, paperback, and audio. Ask for it at your local library and bookstore! 