1. 3.5.08 | Danielewski [day3] Business Procedure Small Groups Debrief HW – More questions – Keep reading. – Papers Friday.

2. PROCEDURE We will walk up to the café upstairs. I will put a question on 6 tables. Sit at one of the tables. 5 people MAX for any question. Discuss the question for 7 mins. After 7 mins, I’ll ask you to write a paragraph summary of your discussion to leave for the next group. Switch tables. Repeat. 2x At 2:10 we will retreat back to the usual classroom to debrief.

3. Labyrinth The idea of a labyrinth is a recurring theme throughout House of Leaves. Navidson physically enters a labyrinth as he explores the shifting walls of his house, a labyrinth of authorship is created as the story is filtered and refiltered through different authors and editors, and there is even a picture of a labyrinth on the cover of the novel. What is the purpose of this theme and what effect does it have on the story and the reader?

4. The Primary Narrator Many readers debate about who the primary narrator of the storyteller is, and who is ultimately in control the story being told. Many wonder if Truant controls the story, if the editors do, etc. In retrospect, does the debate of who the primary storyteller is really have relevance to the story as a whole? sHould we not focus instead on what each "storyteller" has to contribute to the text, instead of who is dominant?

5. Academia What do you think House of Leaves says about academic writing and academia in general? If the Navidson Record actually existed do you think Zampano's book about it would be worthwhile i.e. have any meaningful stakes?

6. Navidson v. Truant Throughout House of Leaves one may perceive striking similarities between Navidson's problems of interpretation with his house and Truant's problems of interpretation concerning The Navidson Record. What purpose do these similarities serve?

7. Everyday Belief All of the information that we are given in the book is filtered through many sources, each of whom disagrees with the other, and none can be considered truly reliable. But this is what we face everyday in real life - from the media, teachers, parents, etc. - and yet we are still able to believe in much of what we hear and read. The ultimate question of House of Leaves is how do we form beliefs with imperfect information? The only account that we are given second-hand is Truant's narration of his own life, and so does this make Truant's life more believable than the other events of the story? Why or why not? Much of Zampano's work on The Navidson Record is delivered in the style of an academic paper, with footnotes, citations, and an overly academic tone. However, with all of the contradicting footnotes added by Truant and the Editors, we are lead to believe most of Zampano's "scholarly" work is simply false. If one were to translate this to some broader meaning for the readership, are we being warned to withhold absolute trust from all forms of media, no matter how sincere or knowledgable? Furthermore, is any reading into finding some broader meaning just a feeble attempt on the part of the reader to ground this "story" in some semblance of reality, when this text does nothing if not warp the term "real?"

8. The Letters After Truant's epic fall in the tattoo shop (72), an odd footnote is left by the Editors to advise the reader to examine the letters written to Truant by his institutionalized mother. Here, much of Truant's tumultuous childhood is exposed as well as his experience with abandonment, violence, and abuse. The peculiar nature of his relationship with his mother is also revealed through the development of their written exchanges. The dark stories of Truant's past add another dimension to his persona, elaborating upon the idea of a troubled childhood. In the footnote, the reader is given the option to disregard the obscure letters and interpret Truant's character in his or her own way. How do these letters affect the reader's perception of Truant? How does this differ from the reader's impression without knowledge of the letters? And why do the Editors offer this choice rather than placing the letters within the novel itself?

9. Meaning and Reality Much of Zampano's work on The Navidson Record is delivered in the style of an academic paper, with footnotes, citations, and an overly academic tone. However, with all of the contradicting footnotes added by Truant and the Editors, we are lead to believe most of Zampano's "scholarly" work is simply false. If one were to translate this to some broader meaning for the readership, are we being warned to withhold absolute trust from all forms of media, no matter how sincere or knowledgable? Furthermore, is any reading into finding some broader meaning just a feeble attempt on the part of the reader to ground this "story" in some semblance of reality, when this text does nothing if not warp the term "real?"

10. Truant’s Role and Influence The purpose of Truant's character in House of Leaves seems to be to provide an individual's interpretation of the novel for us to in turn interpret and contribute to its layering. Is Truant just a random character whose sad and dark background we are provided with simply to create interest and attachment to him or is Danielewski trying to point out something about a specific kind of reader? Could the 'novel' have had a completely different interpretation if a very different person's interpretation/footnotes was included in the text? Or would it have been read and understood in the same way regardless of whether an interpretation was provided or whose it was?

11. Hallway as Metaphor How is the Hallway an interpretation of the rest of the text, and a reader's approach to a text? Is that what is important about the hallway?

12. The Reader’s Role What is the role of the reader in this book? Basically, does Danielewski intend for readers to get something out of this book/does he want them to accomplish something? If so, what? Otherwise, why not? How does the form of the writing impact this role? And finally, who is the intended audience?