To celebrate the 100th Anniversary of The Great Gatsby, The Raven Book Society held a book club where they’ll talk about The Great Gatsby, but also about the club’s origins.
“The book club originally started to promote the Spanish Department at San Jac North. For the first semester of book club, the theme was Realismo Mágico (Magical Realism); students could read short stories in Spanish and English. Our first text was Gabriel García Márquez’s “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings”- one of Prof. Chadury’s favorite short stories. The following semester, based on a recommendation from Prof. Fenner, our first full length text was Cynthia Pelyao’s Loteria, a collection of short stories based on the classic game. As the club grew, it also adopted a unique name: The Raven Book Society, which is a nod to SJC’s new mascot and one of Prof. Baker’s favorite movies, Dead Poet’s Society. Since then, the club has grown to cover several different genres such as poetry, urban legends and mythology. Last spring, we had a wonderful time reading Madeline Miller’s Circe.” said the Professors of the Raven Book Society.
Along with the origins, the professors describe the Raven Book Society as a cozy place for ideas and for students to learn about themselves.
“In general, the book club has been a cozy place for students to read and share the joy of discussing thought-provoking ideas. By way of the literature, it is also a place where students understand themselves better.” said the Professors.
The Raven Book Society helps students learn about themselves, which is why they make time to do the book clubs because it is a treasured time to help students express themselves and learn about themselves.
“We make time. It is our experience that it is a treasured time for students to express themselves and enjoy the camaraderie of sharing ideas with their peers. The act of expression and sharing in a community is time well spent and needed for every human.” said the Professors.
On the topic of sharing ideas, the Professors of the Raven Book Society talk about why they chose The Great Gatsby as their choice. They talk about how times were back then and how society changed.
“The 1920s was a time of juxtaposition which makes it a highly interesting time period; there was a great divide between the haves and the have nots. In addition, there were a lot of restrictions, for example prohibition, that were being confronted by great excess and the challenging of societal norms (flappers, jazz, women’s suffrage etc.) The book provides a lens through which we can observe how we have changed as a society while at the same time have remained the same in our humanity.” said the Professors.
While discussing the 1920s and the Great Gatsby, they dove into the characters. While professors are still discussing their favorite characters, many of the book club members share ideas or emotions for the characters whether loved or despised.
“We do not have a favorite character yet. Usually in our discussion, book club members share a wide range of ideas and emotions for the characters. Some characters are loved, and others are despised. Intriguingly, discussions over characters and their development become springboards for us to explore our own interiority.” said the Professors.
Not only do the professors of the Raven Book Society have a book club; they also collaborated with the advisor of the film club, Dr. Slaven, to host a movie viewing party that’ll happen at North Campus on November 12th.
“After we decided to focus on The Great Gatsby in the book club, it was only natural to collaborate with Dr. Slaven and the film club to show one of the blockbuster film adaptations. In November, we will host a “party” for Gatsby that includes the film viewing and discussion. We welcome the entire campus to come and celebrate the “Great American Novel” with us! Jay Gatsby is rumored to be there!” said the Professors.
The Professors of the Raven Book Society are to continue after this society meeting, and the genre and hook are chosen by book club members by the end of the semester.
“In the spring, we will host book club again. The genre and book will be decided by the book club members at the end of this semester. Please be on the lookout for more from the Raven Book Society. Meetings are held in the Cade Varnado Space. (N8.219 Lobby). Meetings are open to all SJC faculty, staff, and students. The meetings are between 45 minutes to an hour.” said the Professors.
To contact the Raven Book Society, the advisors are Dr. Courtnee Fenner ([email protected]), Professor Sarah Chaudhary ([email protected]), and Professor Nikkol Brown ([email protected])
