Zoom Meeting
Wednesdays at 3:00 PM
In Depth Doctorow
Writing is an exploration. You start from nothing and learn as you go." So, said E.L. Doctorow. Born in NY. Master of historical fiction or as David Ulin of the LA Times put it "Doctorow created fiction that existed at the intersection of American myth and hypocrisy." We look at 4 of his novels (all about NY), "The Waterworks", "Ragtime", "Billy Bathgate" and "The Book of Daniel". Some of the characters are real and some a little less than real. As the man said...we learn as we go...the mythical Billy Bathgate and the real Dutch Schultz, the real Evelyn Nesbitt and mythical Coal House Walker...join me for the ride....
Join us for 12 weeks, starting February 3 for a new Book Discussion Group:
In Depth E.L Doctorow books and movies.
Each book will be discussed for 3 weeks. You are welcome to read the book or watch the movie or both.
Ragtime Feb 24, March 3, 10
Billy Bathgate March 17, 24, 31
The Book of Daniel April 7,14,21
Book #2....
Ragtime
Published in 1975, Ragtime changed our very concept of what a novel could be. An extraordinary tapestry, Ragtime captures the spirit of America in the era between the turn of the century & the First World War. The story opens in 1906 in New Rochelle, NY, at the home of an affluent American family. One lazy Sunday afternoon, the famous escape artist Harry Houdini swerves his car into a telephone pole outside their house. Almost magically, the line between fantasy & historical fact, between real & imaginary characters, disappears. Henry Ford, Emma Goldman, J.P. Morgan, Evelyn Nesbit, Sigmund Freud & Emiliano Zapata slip in & out of the tale, crossing paths with Doctorow's imagined family & other fictional characters, including an immigrant peddler & a ragtime musician from Harlem whose insistence on a point of justice drives him to revolutionary violence.
Feb 24: We will be covering Section 1...pp. 3-105. Looking forward to seeing you.
This group will be led by Arlynn Brody, retired NYC principal, member of GNPS and member of Life Long Learners through CUNY Graduate Center. She teaches different courses in politics and literature for CUNY.
If you can, shop local.
Zoom meeting ID will be included in the confirmation email you receive
after you register. You will also receive 2 reminders with this information.
Same zoom information every week.
Please register for each week so the host knows who will attend.