Rhoda Janzen: Difference between revisions
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In addition to her memoir, Janzen is the author of ''Babel's Stair'', a collection of poetry.<ref>[http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/rhoda-janzen The Poetry Foundation]</ref> |
In addition to her memoir, Janzen is the author of ''Babel's Stair'', a collection of poetry.<ref>[http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/rhoda-janzen The Poetry Foundation]</ref> |
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===Critical reception=== |
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Janzen's first memoir, ''Mennonite in a Little Black Dress'' has received acclaim for its comedic elements and was a finalist for the [[Thurber Prize for American Humor]]. The response from the Mennonite community that it satirizes has been mixed. |
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Mennonite poet and scholar [[Di Brandt]] found the memoir enjoyable and humorous but criticized the tone as "consistently flippant, breezy, and almost relentlessly 'upbeat,'" for a book about what in Brandt's opinions is about the very serious topics of self-identity and midlife crisis. <ref> {{cite journal| url=https://jms.uwinnipeg.ca/index.php/jms/article/view/1379/1370|title= Rhoda Janzen. Mennonite in a Little Black Dress: A Memoir of Going Home. New York: Henry Holt, 2009. Pp. 256. Hardcover, $14.00 (U.S.)|last1= Brandt |first1= Di |journal= Journal of Mennonite Studies|volume= 28|date =2010|access-date=22 October 2021}}</ref> |
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In 2015, [[Goshen College]] professor, Ervin Beck, listed ''Mennonite in a Little Black Dress'' among what he labeled along with ''[[Peace Shall Destroy Many]]'' and others as the "canon of seven literary works by Mennonite authors writing about Mennonites have been regarded by many Mennonite readers as offensive" Beck claimed that these works were often dismissed by critics as "transgressive" or purposefully shocking in order to gain popularity, but that this "transgressive canon" still serves as an important work within the wider [[Mennonite literature]] movement. <ref>{{cite journal |last1= Beck |first1= Ervin |date=April 2015 |title=Mennonite transgressive literature |url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A413743901/AONE?u=anon~76987908&sid=googleScholar&xid=4f2af796|journal= Mennonite Quarterly Review |volume= 89 |issue= 2|pages=299+ |doi= |access-date=22 October 2021}}</ref> |
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==Bibliography== |
==Bibliography== |
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Revision as of 17:04, 22 October 2021
Rhoda Burton | |
|---|---|
| Born | Rhoda Marie Janzen 1963-1964 |
| Occupation | Poet · Author · Professor |
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater |
|
| Thesis | Fair Deceivers: The Art of the Lie in Henry James [1] (2002) |
| Doctoral advisor | Stephen Yenser |
| Influences | Henry James[2] |
Rhoda Marie Janzen Burton née Rhoda Marie Janzen is an American poet, academic and memoirist, best known for her memoir Mennonite in a Little Black Dress which was a finalist for a Thurber Prize for American Humor in 2010.
Early life and education
Janzen grew up in a Mennonite household in North Dakota as the daughter of a Mennonite pastor.[3] In 1984 she graduated from Fresno Pacific University with a bachelors in English literature. Following this she earned a Masters of Fine Arts in creative writing from the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. She went on to earn an MA and a Ph.D. from UCLA where she wrote her dissertation on American-British author Henry James.[4] She currently teaches at Hope College in Holland, Michigan.[5]
Memoirs
In 2006, Janzen’s husband of 15 years left her for a man and a few days later she suffered serious injuries in a car accident.[6] While on sabbatical from her teaching position,[7] she went home to her Mennonite family in Fresno, California to heal from these crises.[8] These experiences are recounted in her memoir Mennonite in a Little Black Dress.[9]
Her second memoir, Mennonite Meets Mr. Right, tells the story of her experiences surviving breast cancer, becoming a stepmom,[10] and attending her new husband’s Pentecostal church.[11]
In addition to her memoir, Janzen is the author of Babel's Stair, a collection of poetry.[12]
Critical reception
Janzen's first memoir, Mennonite in a Little Black Dress has received acclaim for its comedic elements and was a finalist for the Thurber Prize for American Humor. The response from the Mennonite community that it satirizes has been mixed.
Mennonite poet and scholar Di Brandt found the memoir enjoyable and humorous but criticized the tone as "consistently flippant, breezy, and almost relentlessly 'upbeat,'" for a book about what in Brandt's opinions is about the very serious topics of self-identity and midlife crisis. [13]
In 2015, Goshen College professor, Ervin Beck, listed Mennonite in a Little Black Dress among what he labeled along with Peace Shall Destroy Many and others as the "canon of seven literary works by Mennonite authors writing about Mennonites have been regarded by many Mennonite readers as offensive" Beck claimed that these works were often dismissed by critics as "transgressive" or purposefully shocking in order to gain popularity, but that this "transgressive canon" still serves as an important work within the wider Mennonite literature movement. [14]
Bibliography
- Babel’s Stair, Word Press, 2006
- Mennonite in a Little Black Dress, Henry Holt and Co., 2009
- Mennonite Meets Mr. Right, 2012
References
- ^ Rhoda Jenzen (2002). "UCLA Theses". Fair Deceivers: The Art of the Lie in Henry James.
- ^ "Rhoda Janzen". Macmillan Publishers.
- ^ “Interview: Rhoda Janzen, author of Mennonite in a Little Black Dress”, Laurel Rhame, Smith, April 22, 2010.
- ^ “Rhoda Janzen: From Modern to Mennonite”, Andrea Sachs, Time, October 20, 2009.
- ^ Hope College
- ^ “Rhoda Janzen: From Modern to Mennonite”, Andrea Sachs, Time, October 20, 2009.
- ^ “Mennonite in a Little Black Dress”, Jason Zasky, Failure Magazine.
- ^ “The Simple Life Comes With Complications”, Cathy Horyn, The New York Times, December 2, 2009.
- ^ “She Did Go Home Again”, Kate Christensen, The New York Times, November 5, 2009.
- ^ “New Voices: Rhoda Janzen”, Carol Memmott, USA Today, 10/21/2009.
- ^ “Interview: Rhoda Janzen, author of Mennonite in a Little Black Dress”, Laurel Rhame, Smith, April 22, 2010.
- ^ The Poetry Foundation
- ^ Brandt, Di (2010). "Rhoda Janzen. Mennonite in a Little Black Dress: A Memoir of Going Home. New York: Henry Holt, 2009. Pp. 256. Hardcover, $14.00 (U.S.)". Journal of Mennonite Studies. 28. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
- ^ Beck, Ervin (April 2015). "Mennonite transgressive literature". Mennonite Quarterly Review. 89 (2): 299+. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
External links
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
