AP Literature: Everything is Illuminated discussion

I believe that the style the author uses to write the book creates an effect in the reader that is totally different from other books I have read.Its evident that the book uses a style of writing were the author combines tree stories. The fist one is the one about Alex , the second one is the story about "the hero's" family , and finally the last one is a letter Alex sends to the hero were they talk about each others books that are the first and second store.This creates a really interesting effect because it gives the reader hints about what might happen later on , what happened in the past and what is happening in the present. We get a hint about what is happening in the past because of the second story were we get inside about the heroes grandmother and about were he comes from . We can also see the environment in which I suppose the hero lived and how different his culture is from that of Alex. We can get an inside about what is going to happen in the future because of the third stories were the main stories that for me would be the first one has already happened . With the letter we can predicts some of the events that will happen in our first story which just get the reader more interested in going more into the book. Finally the present we can see it on the first story were the hero and Alex meet. I also believe that the structure of this book is really interesting because with every stories we can hear a different characters voice , we can see how the tone changes and how the characters evolve. For instance we can see that the tone of the first stories is completely different from that of the second story . we can also see that in the first story Alex seems much more immature and inexperience than in the third store because of the syntax used and because of the more formal tone . I really have never experienced a book like this one and I have liked it a lot because the way the author makes the story come to life gives it a special different twist.
att :This is DANIELA ARANGO

I think that the style reflects the overall structure of the book. They go by hand in hand and one is reflected on the other. The book manages diferent styles of writing depending on the different stories we are in. When alex is talking we experience a whole different scenery than when Jonathan his book. He adds humour to his stories which is why i think i love it so much and my favorite character is Alex because i feel very identified with him and his translations. The style of the characters each vary and as the reader goes through the adventure of reading the book, they encounter different perspectives and different ways to see what is going on. However many changes there might be in the book and however complicated it might become, the author´s style of playing with the audience, making the stories all different but fun to interpret and watching how young alex grows gives me chills. i love the book and the author´s style.

APB3- Manuela Restrepo

The unique style of this book is what makes so fun to read. Every time I open the book I get really excited because the way the author introduces the characters, how he plays with them, with the language, the letters and "the book inside the book", is a totally innovative way of writing. I had never read a book like that, but in my perspective the way he shifts characters and settings in the book reflects his passion for trying new things, I think the author is a very nomadic person that only conforms when change is in his life, also he seems like a person who likes to understand people and their feelings, for he portrays the lives of different persons, telling us their story but connecting them also to his life by naming two of the characters by his name. Do you think the way the book is written and the style JSF uses will be important in understanding key aspects in the book? Why?

I think the author manages a different style to write by naming himself like the protagonist of the novel. I think this book have 3 stories in one while the protagonist write another novel in the same novel. Also the language this book manages is kind of difficult and confusing but this help us to understand in a better way. Alex uses names like bitch for the dog because he believes a girl name for a female dog could be name like that and that is kind of confusing but interesting at the same time.

I really like the story behind the world war II because is a really impacting story that many innocent people died. Well the use of this story in this novel make me want to read it because it talks about his grandfather being saved in the world war II. It is really interesting how Jonathan went back to this town and tried to reach all the past stories. He searches for those around him which is really interesting an the reader want to keep knowing what is coming up in the story.

The style of the book amazes me because it makes me laugh a lot and therefore enjoy the reading although it is challenging. At first, I was not sure of which book to read, but after I read the first pages of "Everything is Illuminated" realized that I would read it because of it's style - which few books have. I love how the author manages to make the book challenging while writing in an informal and funny way. I find it extraordinary how he writes when Alex is talking, I love that when Alex is talking or thinking Jonathan Safran Foer is able to actually make it look as how someone whose English is not his/her first-language may talk when speaking English. I laughed so much when I realized why Alex calls Sammy Davis, Junior, Junior is a bitch. (In order to realize this I had to google who she was. Then I figured out that when translating female dog from other languages to English the translation is "bitch": such as when translating "perra" - female dog in Spanish - to something in English the translation could seem to be "bitch" of one doesn't dominate English - just like Alex translated it). Anyway, this was just an example to explain how much I enjoy the style of the book because it allows me to laugh as I find such things accomplished with the informal, funny style of the book so comical.
-APB3 Camila Vasquez

Mariana wrote: "The unique style of this book is what makes so fun to read. Every time I open the book I get really excited because the way the author introduces the characters, how he plays with them, with the la..."

Which Mariana?

n regards to J. Safran Foer's style I think that it is as unique as Joseph Heller's. I like both a lot and they are actually similar in some ways, for example the various stories included in one, even though Heller's shifts are a lot more frequent and spontaneous. JSF is less satirical but when Alex is speaking he is like ten times funnier. I like his style in particular because he is one of the few authors who's ever made me actually laugh out loud. The play with what's real and what Alex makes up to help his reputation makes an incredible parody of people who are routinely trying to be what they're not as to find acceptance. As there are changes in the book's storyline and narrators, the style changes tremendously as well and in my opinion that just makes it a lot more engaging. In Alex's letters the wording is very straightforward and mechanical, proving that Alex is making an effort to write in his second language. For example when he says, "I will be in suspense for your next letter" I feel like suspense seems a bit out of context even if he might be saying it correctly and I understand what he means. When we are told the Legend of Brod, there is a LOT of vocabulary words that are too complex for me. Still, the author keeps something constant and it is the way of introducing character's names as if they were already acquainted to the reader. "Yankel" and "Augustine" are clear examples of this. Additionally, (And I'm not sure if this is style- related) but I feel it is crucial to mention the fact that Jonathan Safran Foer himself is the main character of his own book. This pointedly messes with my understanding of literature, and makes me wonder how much of this story is true, since we can be positive that at least half of what Alex says isn't. I have found the book extraordinary (In the true meaning of this word) and positively fascinating. Can't wait to read more of it :)
-Manuela Navarro APB1

Mr the comment was from me, mariana velasquez toro.. Sorry I forgot to write my name at the end

I believe that the book’s style is completely attached with the structure of it. First of all, the style of a book is the way the author writes it and mainly the attitude and the usage of certain words that he uses in the text. I believe that the way that the author introduces to the readers 3 completely different stories and manage them to fit properly to make only one story is unique and entertaining. At the beginning of the book, the author starts with Alex’s story and his journey in which he meets Jonathan and helps him find Augustine. In this part of the book, readers can notice that it’s written by a person who doesn’t speak English as first language, that’s why some worlds are misspelled and some situations are difficult to understand. The purpose of the author was to make the reader involved in the reading and making us feel like if we were in Ukraine talking to Alex and experiencing the things that he is going through. I think that fact of portraying a foreigner, specially a person with Alex’s personality, makes his story fun to read and interesting for the reader. Then the author recounts the story of Jonathan’s family and his ancestors, like Brod and his grandfather. I believe that this part of the story is really important because it makes the readers picture Jonathan’s family tree and the place where he comes from. Even though this part is the most difficult to understand, it gives a deep analysis of his origins and mainly gives an importance to the search of his grandfather’s acquaintance, Augustine, and her roll saving Jonathan’s grandfather in WWII. The last parts are Alex letters, which personally, are my favorites. This letters are written after Jonathan’s visit to Ukraine. Alex writes him letters and sends them to the USA. This letters recount Alex’s life after Jonathan left, narrating his desire to go to the USA and living there with his little brother. “I am being a cautious person, because I desire to be cocksure that I have enough for a luxurious apartment in Times Square, vast enough for both me and Little Igor. We will have a large-screen television to watch basketball, a Jacuzzi, and a hi-fi to write home about, although we will already be home (Safran 101). I believe that the author’s style is unique and his purpose of joining 3 different stories in one was to entertain the readers and to make them feel delighted with Alex. Even though the story might have been boring, recalling that have to do with WWII, in the contrary, the author makes readers enthusiastic to keep reading and finding Augustine.

Valentina Balcazar APB2

The style the author has is unique and authentic. Like comments before mine have said, his way of writing is entretaining and also fun to read. I like Alex the most because I feel like he is already part of me. He has deepened into my life and i adore him in na peculiar way. Jonathan has a style of his own that jumps out of the book at frist sight. Once you begin reading Everything is Illuminated, you wont stop. I think that Alex adds a lot to the story and it is an important contrast between the book that is being written and the letters that Alex sends. Its as if I were reading three whole different stories at once which all connect. The difference is that there is a much tighter connection in "Everything is Illuminated". I think that in order to write such a complicated novel the writer must have a strong and unique language and style. I think the author is able to make the reader understand everything thanks to this aspect: his style. However i think that the style in each of the mini stories involved in the novel all change according to the character. That is what I like the most because it adds 3D to the novel.

Laura Agudelo

Answering Camila´s Question i think that style is a key element in understanding the book because it does two important things. The frist thing is that it separates all of the stories and the second thing is that it connects them as well. The stories are separated by the writing the author employs in each sub division of the whole book. According to Wikipedia, the style is the attitude and the language an author uses to describe a certain situation. It is clear in the novel which part we are talking about and who is talking, weather its Jonathan, or Alex because the author does an excellent job in identifying them and adding to each one their own styles. It is important for the book to have its characteristic style because if it weren´t so clear and distinct the author would not know where one story ends and the next one begins. Its also important because it unifies the sub-stories. The fact that Alex is writing letters to Jonathan and that he later calls himself Jonathan as well in honor of "the hero" are important for the unification of the story as a whole. These are all key aspects in understanding the book.

APB3-Manuela Restrepo

More so than 'a style', I think JSF has techniques to radically change his way of writing as he shifts narrators. One of the mot prominent ones is the retrogressive language used by Alex, which is in turn saturated with implicit messages and innuendos. I'm not sure if it's just me but I feel like the text is full of critiques it often alludes to controversial topics such as religion or sex in a most unconcerned manner. My favorite part is when all of the people in the town start arguing about the accident and how they should deal with it. I enjoyed it because I like being able to picture or recreate in my mind the tone of voice the characters are using (something that is not that simple in other books). By being able to do so, I feel like I am more aware of sarcasm and mood shift in the characters, which allows me to have a deeper understanding of their personalities and therefore their behaviors. JSF accomplishes this by using different types of fonts in the dialogues. I also enjoyed it because it mixed several unrealistic ideas and situations to a story that was supposed to be from reality. By merging and mingling with fantasy and reality, for instance when including himself as a character of his book and having a baby being born in the deepness of a river in the middle of a tragic accident, the author creates an engaging scenario and successfully attracts the attention of the reader. Finally, in reference to style I think that vocabulary plays an extremely important role in this novel. Words such as "bitch" or "spleen" and phrases like "My girls" and "do not dub me that", which are repeated constantly throughout (at least) the first chapters, are another technique used by JSF to relate to the reader and grab his attention. There's many of these phrase that I find comical and can relate to but others that I don't understand (and try to ignore but) they are so recurring that I have to look them up. Either way the author creates more involvement of the reader into the story.
Malena APB1

Malena wrote: "More so than 'a style', I think JSF has techniques to radically change his way of writing as he shifts narrators. One of the mot prominent ones is the retrogressive language used by Alex, which is ..."

I'm glad you mentioned fonts(I think you're the first). It introduces a strange visual that we're not used to discussing. Why would he choose specific fonts? What does does the look of a font convey? Much of Alex's dialogue relies on our understanding of English to understand what he is saying. Someon above mentioned the line "It would be something to write home about." This line works because of the English expression "nothing to write home about". Obviously Alex has seen this expression, but not understood it outside the literal, and thus thinks the opposite can be stated, which ends up sounding silly and adorably naive. Spleen is a great word for "irritate". DFW uses it all the time too. I love it, but fear using it in public lest I come off as pretentious. But you guys should try to work it into conversation.

JSF has a really interesting style to write well at the beginning of the book it was really hard to understand the style used by JSF. also is really interesting how JSF has another character that is Alex and has the same age. i have never seen this type of style in others books. one part of the book i found really weird and interesting the the incident of Trachimbrod and how they convert in a festivity, i cant believe this really happens in real life because incidents are supposedly to be tragic and sad and convert it into something as a party is really weird and crazy. This kind of events are the ones that change the style of the book and that make it more interesting to read.

Now that I have finished reading the book I can understand its style more thoroughly. When I first started reading it was confusing to me why the author had chosen to write in a manner that there where several stories within the one book. It was also a mystery to me why he had chosen to name the mane character like himself. This just seemed to me to be extreamly egosentric of his part. But like I said before, I have now understood what all this things ment. The stories which seemed to have no link to each other turn out to be the same story in the end and so it adds to the feeling the author was trying to creat. A feeling of founding something, eather the truth, or who jonathan is, or who Alex is, or who we are. The fact that the stories connect just gives the idea that a cicle ended and so does the name of the author being the same as the name of the mane character. Because the ending is so ambigous and we dont really know what happened to the characters we atleast know jonathan became a published author so things must be alright for him.
Maria Luisa Angel