This is the fifth sample article candidates of the ECPE examination (Examination for the Certificate of Proficiency in English of the University of Michigan) My first post to deal with articles , explains what needs to be present in this type of piece of writing. As stated, examiners are looking for articles that elaborate on ideas and have solid arguments; are well organized; make use of a wide lexical and grammatical range; have an original ring to them (in other words, readers are able to distinguish the author's unique "voice"). Before reading, take a look at the following post if you haven't already done so. It will help you focus on the vital aspects you need to be aware of while reading the article and what you should make sure to use when you write your own. The question appeared in Practice Tests for the ECPE Book 1 (revised 2021 version) and is accompanied by the following three writing prompts:
Or rather, you either are a Woody Allen fan or you have little sense of humor, don't see the value of sarcasm and satire or are too full of yourself to grasp how cathartic self-deprecation can be.
Woody Allen the Director has proffered a consistent outpouring of titles revolving around similar if not quasi-similar themes which time and again satisfy his fan base.
Woody Allen the Author of Short Stories has been upstaged by Woody Allen the Director, unfortunately eclipsed to a great extent by the public's preference for moving pictures over written texts, which is why I was much delighted to see his short story "The Kugelmass Episode" in a recent textbook assigned to 11th graders. Naturally, my next reaction was to lament those students who would read and not understand the references to Emma Bovary in the slightest, because let's face it, how many school curricula list Flaubert as compulsory reading?
But no more harping on this. Let's turn our sights on "The Kugelmass Episode" itself. Mr. Allen's work incorporates the absurd into reality, bringing the whole endeavor to a catastrophic end, leaving the reader with nothing but snippets of charred truths to ponder.
You can read the story here.
For students and teachers who want a brief overview of the story, I hope the following helps.
Woody
Allen - The Kugelmass Episode
- Life
- born 1935, American, Jewish
- films, stories, stand-up comedy, jazz musician
- Post-Modernist = reflection on art of writing/filming
- genre: magical realism (the supernatural + realistic events)
- story written in 1977
- plot
- Professor Kugelmass bored of life, wife, kids, alimony, child support, psychoanalysis
- wants an affair with a mysterious, appealing woman
- the Great Persky ⇨ Chinese cabinet, throw novel in, tap 3 times, you’re projected into novel
- Madame Bovary ⇨ Kugelmass pursues romance with Emma
- he draws Emma to 20th century, spends weekend with her at the Plaza Hotel
- problem = can’t send her back (cabinet malfunction)
- romance fades
- Persky fixes cabinet, sends Emma back
- Kugelmass says he’s learned his lesson, won’t cheat ever again
- returns after 3 weeks: wants affair with The Monkey from Portnoy’s Complaint by Philip Roth (1969 novel, explicit treatment of sex, main character talking to psychoanalyst, banned in Australia)
- problem with cabinet: Persky dies of a heart attack, cabinet + whole house goes up in flames, Kugelmass projected into a Remedial Spanish textbook, spider-like verb ‘tener’ (to have) chases him
- characters
- Prof. Sidney Kugelmass
- Jewish, unhappy, bored, divorced, remarried
- teaches humanities at City College, NY
- has 2 dull sons from 1st wife, Flo
- needs flirtation, romance, softness, love beauty (at start)
- wants sexually promiscuous woman by the end
- going through mid-life crisis (“I’m not getting younger …”)
- Dr Mandel (analyst)
- The Great Persky
- short, thin man, waxy-looking
- starts at $20, increases price to $25
- Emma Bovary
- wanted romance
- chases after fame, clothes, etc (becomes typical 20th century consumer)
- Daphne Kugelmass
- overweight
- has money
- also works at City College, NY
- setting
- NY, late 70’s (OJ Simpson not indicted, still respected NFL player, was in his peak in the 70’s, MVP 1973)
- themes
- mid-life crisis
- attempt to fuse real life with idealized life
- need to feel young, important, alive
- marriage and human relations
- loss of love, enthusiasm
- marriage of convenience
- normality, routine makes spontaneity/excitement disappear (wife’s family)
- who is to blame? Kugelmass tried to create better life for himself. Couldn’t he have done the same for his real life?
- parody of entertainment business / consumerism
- Emma reduced from a romantic heroine to a groupie (even her language suffers)
- What’s important for people = Tony Awards, clothes, chic hotels, discos, caviar and champagne ⇨ this is what romance adds up to
- immediate gratification = connected to consumerism
- Kugelmass prefers this rather than look within himself to find the real problem
- literature ⇨ what is involved in the creative process of writing + reading?
- inter-relationship between reader + writer ⇨ what conventions are involved?
- intertextuality: by reading this story we add meaning to Madame Bovary by Flaubert, just like Kugelmass creates new life for himself by inserting himself in Madame Bovary or involving Emma in contemporary reality and in Allen’s short story
- creative process of writing: spider on spindly legs chasing Kugelmass = words chasing writer
- “tener” = “to have”
- symbolic chase of what we have/possess in our lives
- we run after things in life to possess them (money, mistresses, adventure, experiences) ⇨ do things run after us in the end?
- role reversal
- relatedness between texts:
- Kugelmass ⇨ becomes a character in Flaubert’s book
- Emma ⇨ ‘real’ person in his life + fictional character in Woody Allen’s short story
- Persky’s magic where we choose which book to be projected into ⇨ book chooses us
- we chase words (when reading) ⇨ words chasing us
- romantic lovers ⇨ annoyed with each other (ie. Emma becomes another Daphne)
Click the picture for explanations of literary terms
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