Sketch-notes for English majors on Stephen Dixon's I.

Things that are I. (also known as, several reasons why the book I. is more fascinating than it may seem at first glance):

• The title of the book I., a novel by Stephen Dixon


• Stephen Dixon, who the reader is implicitly (intimate nature of the novel) and/or directly (through external readings--interviews, etc--in which facts of story correlate with facts of Stephen Dixon's real life) invited to compare main character of book I. with


• I. as initial of the main character's name from book I., only given name/only provided identity for character throughout entire book


• I. as the shape of the open hole in the cover of the book, through which we "see" (note I./eye homonym) Stephen Dixon/I.; title of book as literal absence from book--I. is "literally" not in the "literature"; I. as literal hand-hold on the story (fingers slip through cover while holding book open on lap)


• I. as the open hole in the cover of the book, through which the image of Stephen Dixon "sees" us, as readers, and comments directly on our relationship to literature as literature (see also, breaking through the fourth wall, exemplified by brief flirtation with first person viewpoint beginning on page 101, followed by later (p. 123) blurring of line between first person and third person in introduction of "I." as name of main character, who had previously only been referred to as "he")