![]() In our conversation about “Systems,” Yu argued that “misinformation is possibly a bigger threat than the coronavirus itself. Yu also described his distinguished career as an essayist, novelist, and writer for such television shows as HBO’s “Westworld.” He was a gracious and thoughtful guest. Yu discussed “Systems” in granular detail, providing students with a close look at his process as a writer and his thinking about this particular piece. The event was made possible by the generosity of the Chilton Fund for Creative Writing.Īuthor Charles Yu spoke with Peddie regarding his piece "Systems" which was an all-school read this past summer. On Monday, September 14, Peddie welcomed Charles Yu to our (virtual) campus for a live Zoom Webinar with me and Diku Rogers, Peddie’s Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Community is how it ends.” Yu speaks with Peddie students Students even debated the meaning of the ending Yu’s text ends ambiguously, but perhaps hopefully: The story depicts the problems that the pandemic has compounded, and Peddie classes noted how Yu expands the definition of a “virus” to include both “misinformation” and racism. Students were struck by the way that Yu slowly but precisely shows the progression of COVID-19 in our collective consciousness through a catalog of imagined Google searches (“NFC Playoff Picture” “Harry and Meghan” “What is coronavirus?”), as well as a detached, inhuman point of view. ![]() Peddie students noted a sense of innocence that borders on ominousness, as if the country collectively went for a pleasant walk at the beginning of a horror film. “Systems,” which was published this summer in the “New York Times Magazine,” begins with a portrait of Americans in December and January. English teacher Kurt Bennett first read and suggested the story, and the entire English Department collaborated on the process of teaching it to each grade level. Students read and analyzed the story in each of their English classes to start the year, examining the multitude of references, arguments, and complexities that Yu explores. This year’s Peddie all-school read, “Systems,” by Charles Yu, is a nourishing and stark encapsulation of these times. It’s often useful to turn to fiction for a clearer sense of how we feel and think. Like most such problems, they are overwhelming and hard to articulate precisely. These reactions are at once personal and expansive. How could this pandemic have happened? Why did this happen to us? And how much longer can it possibly go? ![]() #CHARLES YU SERIES#Yu is a New York Times Notable Book author and writer for the HBO series Westworld.Īs we take stock of the past six months and try to peek into the future, it can be hard to resist a sense of regret, a sense of despair, a sense of fear. Here he writes about author Charles Yu’s virtual visit to Peddie. Matt Roach is the chair of the English department at Peddie. ![]()
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