Re: Re: intelligence of the author vs. intelligence of the characters

John, Have you ever been enrolled in an MFA program? I doubt your
your claims about the process of obtaining an MFA. I'm sorry, but it
sounds to me like you really don't know what you are talking about.
Sure there are lots of great writers who didn't use an MFA program
and there are lots who did. Like most degrees, MFA's are meaningless,
but what one learns in the process may be important. I agree with
Jim's point about learning about writing time may be one of the most
valuable learning outcomes of an MFA program. In my own case, the MFA
experience increased my opportunities to know other poets. Richard
Hugo was my thesis director and became my second father. I wouldn't
have met him otherwise (He ran the MFA program at the U of Montana in
the 70's and 80's.) I can't explain how knowing Hugo and his poetry
and his talent with teaching writing has made my own life better in
a short post, b ut I can at least testify to the fact that our
friendship was begun as a result of the MFA program and it is one of
the few great things in my life. Again,

I will also take exception with John about his criticism of using SAI
instead of Trstam Shandy to show writers about story writing within a
story. Again, I wonder about the experience John has with the process
of teaching creative writing. Personally, I don't use whole novels
because they consume more learning and reading space in a writing
workshop as literature and I prefer to use short published pieces and
focus most on student writing. Maybe Tristam Shandy is a great read
for students today, but I haven't noticed it on any syllabi for
creative classes and I've been interested in teaching creative
writing since being trained to teach creative writers by Richard Hugo
in l974-6.

Bring it on, will

-- 
	Will Hochman
Associate Professor of English
Southern Connecticut State University
501 Crescent St, New Haven, CT 06515
203 392 5024
http://www.southernct.edu/~hochman/willz.html
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