MODernism!
this movement arises mainly from the disillusionment after world war one is over. it's a cry of the heart, and a striving to "make it new." it's a total break with the present, as writers, artists, playwrights, et cetera, attempt to use more avant-garde methods in their creations.
writers stretched the boundaries by exploring new methods of narrations:
multiple narrators
nonlinear narrators
biased/unreliable narrators
stream of conciousness
minor characters as narrators
(for instance, nick narrates the great gatsby rather than the title character)
surrealism is a facet of modernism.
it often relied on unexpected juxtaposition (ie elephants with TUUBA HEADS) or strange/unsettling imagery (anything by salvador dali?) to try and activate ones subconsious. the aim was so reveal truths, and join fantasy with reality.
then, post modernism, which obviously came after modernism. it's basically the same thing, but it asserts the fact that there are no universal truths, and it is rather ironic.
post-modernists believe that truth is LOCAL. they blended high and low culture, made self-references, and enjoyed many a simulacrum, (a flawed idea that has been reinforced into reality.... think that circle wagon cowboy indian drawing on the smartboard that one day...)
we read some modern and most modernist works...
the hollow men and the love song of j. alfred prufrock, both by t.s. eliot.
the former has many hints at sterility and despair, the lord's prayer could not be finished, alludes to guy fawkes- overall, a rather desolate poem.
the latter seems to want to make a point about something; the lower class wanting to make a point to the upper class. we spent many classes trying to figure this out.
incidentally, i greatly enjoy the quote "do i dare disturb the universe."
anyway, our j. alfred prufrock seems to be enthralled by women and the things that they represent. there are many sexual references... prostitution, eeerectile dysfunction?? and overall sexual frustration.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
outside reading xv
Outside Reading XV-
a personal essay
by Zadie Smith
Sweet Charity
14 March, 2011
a personal essay
by Zadie Smith
Sweet Charity
14 March, 2011
Sweet Charity is a little editorial about a young woman and her friend.
Smith uses diction to establish a very personal tone. She'll mimic the real way people talk, in order to create a realistic atmosphere and a specific instance. For example, instead of saying "I'm asking you a question" and perhaps describing the loud voice in which it was said, Smith types it out for us: "'BUT DID YOU WASH THEM DOUGH? OI I’M ARKSING YOU AQUESTION. OH MY DAYS SHE AIN’T EVEN WASHED THEM!'” This helps us hear the voice more clearly in our head.
Smith also uses imagery effectively in characterizing the two main characters. She describes their clothes: one girl wore "wasp-waisted Nigerian form neat in sensible skirt suits." while the other enjoyed "One red shoe, one white, a red shirt, a white skirt, and a red-and-white tartan beret." By choosing to describe their clothes, Smith shows that one girl is more reserved and proper, while the other may be more eccentric.
Smith also creates this personal tone by the details she includes in the essay- she recounts little stories and anecdotes that are very specific to the character. For instance, she describes the unfortunate instance of a too-large skirt falling down on the subway, and the summer spent smoking weed and practicing signatures. By adding these details that are unique to the character, she brings us into her personal and specific world.
This personal tone is very effective in this essay. It makes the reader more drawn in, and makes it very easy to connect to the character. However, I don't believe it to be suitable for an AP essay. It is interesting, but rather too informal.
Monday, March 7, 2011
outside reading xiv
Outside Reading XIV-
a book review
by David Kamp
The Hacker and the Hack
14 March, 2011
a book review
by David Kamp
The Hacker and the Hack
14 March, 2011
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest is the last novel in a trilogy by the Swedish author Stieg Larsson. David Kamp offers a brief review of each novel in his critique titled The Hacker and the Hack.
Kamp looks at these books from a few different criticisms, including
feminism- Kamp states that Larsson was a “self-proclaimed feminist,” and that “’this story is not primarily about spies and secret government agencies; it’s about violence against women, and the men who enable it’”. He also looks at the novels from a formalist’s point of view, as he comments on the literary and fundamental techniques of writing that Larsson uses. For instance, he critiques the second book in the series, The Girl Who Played With Fire, by deeming it “cartoonish,” and having to rely on “implausible villains, far-fetched coincidences, and unsurvivable-in-real-life episodes of violence.”Regarding language, Kamp is rather sarcastic. For instance he says, “Salander, in a climactic confrontation with Zalachenko and Niedermann, survives being shot and buried alive by them, then uses her cigarette case to claw out of her grave and then manages, despite having grievous physical injuries and a bullet lodged in her brain, to swing an ax into her father’s head — though he, too, somehow doesn’t die.” One can easily hear the sarcasm in this text, and it effectively conveys his displeasure with what he feels is an unrealistic plot.
Also, his oversimplification in the quote above demonstrates what he did there with imagery. Kamp leaves out important details in scenes to oversimplify them and make them seem silly. Larsson’s writing probably made this passage seem exciting and plausible, but Kamp’s oversimplification of the setting and events just made it seem too over the top.
As for diction, Kamp uses rather childish words to reflect what he believes to be a rather childish plot. For instance, he calls a character a "big galoot" rather than a more sophisticated term, "villain" perhaps, or "antagonist."
Sunday, March 6, 2011
outside reading xiii
Outside Reading XIII-
an editorial
by Anonymous
Reconsidering the Robin
18 March 2011
18 March 2011
"Reconsidering the Robin" is a short editorial about the coming of spring, and the robins that represent it. Our author establishes a very gossamer tone, while simultaneously making her point that people seem to take the beauty of nature for granted.
Beginning with just the title, this is established as a poetic piece of writing, due to the language used. The alliteration gives it a sort of flowy feeling that sets up the rest of the editorial well. Then, throughout the piece, the author uses very elevated language to keep it classy. She offers words that are used less colloquially, like "surreptitiously" instead of "sneakily", or "winter aconites" instead of "flowers." In simply doing this, she just gives the whole piece a sort of more important aura. Additionally, by using more beautiful and less ubiquitous language, she effectively reflects the beauty and originality she sees in nature.
Also, through detail, a sense of poetry is established. She alludes to Emily Dickinson: "Emily Dickinson may have 'dreaded that first robin so,' but she speaks for herself alone." Upon reading Emily Dickinson's name, readers are of course reminded of the famous poet often remembered for her writings of flowers and gardens, which is a nice segue into our author's writings of springtime.
Finally, the author's use of imagery is very effective to establish this ethereal tone. Poems often detail the wonders of nature, and while reading this editorial, one may forget that it is in fact an editorial; one may start to think it just a comment on the beauty of spring. Beautiful metaphors and dramatic comparisons are made, for example, "The snow withdraws, and returning robins follow it across newly open ground like shorebirds tracing a falling tide.", or "Give it a breast as vivid as the shoulder patches on a red-winged blackbird and the robin would never seem to recede the way it does as spring rushes onward, out-colored and out-sung by the birds of summer. " Though these words are not harsh and opinionated (as editorials often are), the beauty of the words are effective in conveying the beauty of nature, which may prove helpful to our author as she urges people not to take it for granted.
If this piece were an AP Essay, I think it'd have a nice tone. It's very formal, and its extremely poetic approach is unique for an editorial.
Beginning with just the title, this is established as a poetic piece of writing, due to the language used. The alliteration gives it a sort of flowy feeling that sets up the rest of the editorial well. Then, throughout the piece, the author uses very elevated language to keep it classy. She offers words that are used less colloquially, like "surreptitiously" instead of "sneakily", or "winter aconites" instead of "flowers." In simply doing this, she just gives the whole piece a sort of more important aura. Additionally, by using more beautiful and less ubiquitous language, she effectively reflects the beauty and originality she sees in nature.
Also, through detail, a sense of poetry is established. She alludes to Emily Dickinson: "Emily Dickinson may have 'dreaded that first robin so,' but she speaks for herself alone." Upon reading Emily Dickinson's name, readers are of course reminded of the famous poet often remembered for her writings of flowers and gardens, which is a nice segue into our author's writings of springtime.
Finally, the author's use of imagery is very effective to establish this ethereal tone. Poems often detail the wonders of nature, and while reading this editorial, one may forget that it is in fact an editorial; one may start to think it just a comment on the beauty of spring. Beautiful metaphors and dramatic comparisons are made, for example, "The snow withdraws, and returning robins follow it across newly open ground like shorebirds tracing a falling tide.", or "Give it a breast as vivid as the shoulder patches on a red-winged blackbird and the robin would never seem to recede the way it does as spring rushes onward, out-colored and out-sung by the birds of summer. " Though these words are not harsh and opinionated (as editorials often are), the beauty of the words are effective in conveying the beauty of nature, which may prove helpful to our author as she urges people not to take it for granted.
If this piece were an AP Essay, I think it'd have a nice tone. It's very formal, and its extremely poetic approach is unique for an editorial.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
class notes (02.21-03.04)
comedies. ok.
there are several different types of comedies, including
high- serious, witty comedy that appeals to intellect
low- comedy that lacks substance and/or seriousness
farces- silly/improbable plots, exaggerations and distorions
lampoons- broad satirical pieces
slapsticks- characterized by tripping, collisions, crude humor; i.e. the three stooOOOoges
four theories of comedy include:
superiority: other people's failures = YAY
incongruity: we enjoy things that go against the societal norm
relief: a break from conformist society is refreshing
ambivalence: attractive repulsion
COMEDIES MUST ALSO:::
appeal to intellect over emotion, be mechanical, inherently human, one must know the set of established societal norms, the situation must then be inconsistent with these norms, yet the misfortune must not be too harsh- i.e. falling out of a bucket while stomping grapes might be funny, but not if she's actualllyyy hurt there.
PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
society at this time is placing importance on affluence and societal upbringing.
this provides opportunity to make comedy- misses bennet and miss jane bennet are rigid and mechanical, establishing them as comedic characters. elizabeth is not as comical, because she is dynamic and intellectual.
we also watched BRIDE and PREJUDICE. pretty much the best movie ever. i think the best moment was when the scene cut and we saw mister darcy in all his glory, standing there wearing those flower leis and banging that bongo drum.
just sayin.
there are several different types of comedies, including
high- serious, witty comedy that appeals to intellect
low- comedy that lacks substance and/or seriousness
farces- silly/improbable plots, exaggerations and distorions
lampoons- broad satirical pieces
slapsticks- characterized by tripping, collisions, crude humor; i.e. the three stooOOOoges
four theories of comedy include:
superiority: other people's failures = YAY
incongruity: we enjoy things that go against the societal norm
relief: a break from conformist society is refreshing
ambivalence: attractive repulsion
COMEDIES MUST ALSO:::
appeal to intellect over emotion, be mechanical, inherently human, one must know the set of established societal norms, the situation must then be inconsistent with these norms, yet the misfortune must not be too harsh- i.e. falling out of a bucket while stomping grapes might be funny, but not if she's actualllyyy hurt there.
PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
society at this time is placing importance on affluence and societal upbringing.
this provides opportunity to make comedy- misses bennet and miss jane bennet are rigid and mechanical, establishing them as comedic characters. elizabeth is not as comical, because she is dynamic and intellectual.
we also watched BRIDE and PREJUDICE. pretty much the best movie ever. i think the best moment was when the scene cut and we saw mister darcy in all his glory, standing there wearing those flower leis and banging that bongo drum.
just sayin.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
class notes (02.07-02.17)
more heart of darknessssssssssssssssssssssss...
heart of darkness alludes to dante's inferno and the garden of eden in many ways, like the geography in literature- the system of symbols will piece together and form a map, and the map will provide meaning.
eden and hell simultaneously make for the congo.
conrad shifts his language when finally reaching the land.
rivers, ports, the jungle, et cetera, gets meaning from the language connected to it.
and what of the women in heart of darkness?
there are three phases:
maiden (the intended)
the mother figure (the aunt)
the crones/fates (knitters)
incidentally, the knitters are using black African hair wool (?) that shows how the company is prospering from the congo.
another very female figure is the AFRICAN WOMAN. she represents the
anima- the female embodiment of the land. kurtz may be attracted to her because
she is the congo in human form.
also, the frame narrative
sets a background or introduction to the "real" story, which is under the
narration of marlow. we entertained the possibility that this could be a way in
which conrad attempts to distance himself from the thoughts and views of Marlow,
by essentially making himself removed a layer. (connection could be The
Canterbury Tales, i think the only other frame story i've ever read. but yeah.)
we also spent many a day viewing apocalypse now, with martin sheen. and a young harrison ford! it took place in vietnam during the war, but otherwise was quite reflective of the novella heart of darkness.
heart of darkness alludes to dante's inferno and the garden of eden in many ways, like the geography in literature- the system of symbols will piece together and form a map, and the map will provide meaning.
eden and hell simultaneously make for the congo.
conrad shifts his language when finally reaching the land.
rivers, ports, the jungle, et cetera, gets meaning from the language connected to it.
and what of the women in heart of darkness?
there are three phases:
maiden (the intended)
the mother figure (the aunt)
the crones/fates (knitters)
incidentally, the knitters are using black African hair wool (?) that shows how the company is prospering from the congo.
another very female figure is the AFRICAN WOMAN. she represents the
anima- the female embodiment of the land. kurtz may be attracted to her because
she is the congo in human form.
also, the frame narrative
sets a background or introduction to the "real" story, which is under the
narration of marlow. we entertained the possibility that this could be a way in
which conrad attempts to distance himself from the thoughts and views of Marlow,
by essentially making himself removed a layer. (connection could be The
Canterbury Tales, i think the only other frame story i've ever read. but yeah.)
we also spent many a day viewing apocalypse now, with martin sheen. and a young harrison ford! it took place in vietnam during the war, but otherwise was quite reflective of the novella heart of darkness.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
class notes (01.31-02.04)
MEDIEVAL LITERATURE.
this literature was, obviously, written during the medieval ages. (500-1500 AD)
a lot of this literature had to do with issues concerning the church vs. the state.
allegories were used quite prevalently ::
these are a type of extended metaphor in which objects, characters, places, et cetera, directly respond to larger ideas and meanings outside the text.
(ook i know we don't have to do links anymore, but this is just too much of a gem not to share with the world: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiB4dMwDFtg JEKYLL JEKYLL HYDE JEKYLL HYDE HYDE JEKYLL, JEKYLL JEKYLL HYDE JEKYLL HYDEEeelkefjhkdsjg)
anyway, medieval allegories tended to concern themselves with the meanings of life, and death, salvation and damnation, the usual.
DANTE-
and epic poem written by dante alighieri between 1308 & 1321.
it was an allegory reflecting the view of the christian afterlife, i.e. the layers of hell, purgatory, heaven. dante's an everyman- a character made to represent all of mankind. here's a lil preview of the poem-
-- three divisions of hell, to represent the gravity of sin
-- seven terraces in purgatory to symbolize the seven deadly sins
-- nine spheres of heaven to provide for paradise
yeahhhhh.
the circle thing
so the circle dealy we did illustrates a facet of archetypal and mythological criticism, specifically that there is one main story that is essentially just repeated over & over & over.
ROMANCES are at the top, a hero starts out strong, experiences a low point, but rises up in the end. a hero is the embodiment of society's most well-regarded values.
TRADGEDIES start at the top as well, but they usually experience a fall from grace and don't quite make it back up there again. BELLY OF THE WHALE.
IRONIES are at the bottom and trick you a little. life will get better for me? NO jk lol.
COMEDIES start out at the bottom, a down-on-his-luck friend then works his way up to the top and gets to end up enjoying the niceties of sex and money.
HEART OF....darkness
this is a novella. that basically means that it's written in prose, not as long as a novel, but it's not a poem or anything either. (i think we all effectively experienced this length when we figured that heart of darkness was short enough to annotate in one night, but long enough to keep you up until 3am doing so)
but yeah. basically it's a frame story, a guy talking about random stuff he did. personally i thought it was kind of boring and zoned out a great deal while reading; i'm definitely going to need the discussion in class to gain a better understanding/any understanding. but from what little i gathered, there's a lot of symbolism concerning the duality of human nature (light vs. dark, black vs. white, sunrise vs. sunset) and there seemed to be elements of naturalism and post-colonialism at work? i actually don't really know. i should probably end these notes here before i start to sound completely clueless.
uhhhh....
this literature was, obviously, written during the medieval ages. (500-1500 AD)
a lot of this literature had to do with issues concerning the church vs. the state.
allegories were used quite prevalently ::
these are a type of extended metaphor in which objects, characters, places, et cetera, directly respond to larger ideas and meanings outside the text.
(ook i know we don't have to do links anymore, but this is just too much of a gem not to share with the world: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiB4dMwDFtg JEKYLL JEKYLL HYDE JEKYLL HYDE HYDE JEKYLL, JEKYLL JEKYLL HYDE JEKYLL HYDEEeelkefjhkdsjg)
anyway, medieval allegories tended to concern themselves with the meanings of life, and death, salvation and damnation, the usual.
DANTE-
and epic poem written by dante alighieri between 1308 & 1321.
it was an allegory reflecting the view of the christian afterlife, i.e. the layers of hell, purgatory, heaven. dante's an everyman- a character made to represent all of mankind. here's a lil preview of the poem-
-- three divisions of hell, to represent the gravity of sin
-- seven terraces in purgatory to symbolize the seven deadly sins
-- nine spheres of heaven to provide for paradise
yeahhhhh.
the circle thing
so the circle dealy we did illustrates a facet of archetypal and mythological criticism, specifically that there is one main story that is essentially just repeated over & over & over.
ROMANCES are at the top, a hero starts out strong, experiences a low point, but rises up in the end. a hero is the embodiment of society's most well-regarded values.
TRADGEDIES start at the top as well, but they usually experience a fall from grace and don't quite make it back up there again. BELLY OF THE WHALE.
IRONIES are at the bottom and trick you a little. life will get better for me? NO jk lol.
COMEDIES start out at the bottom, a down-on-his-luck friend then works his way up to the top and gets to end up enjoying the niceties of sex and money.
HEART OF....darkness
this is a novella. that basically means that it's written in prose, not as long as a novel, but it's not a poem or anything either. (i think we all effectively experienced this length when we figured that heart of darkness was short enough to annotate in one night, but long enough to keep you up until 3am doing so)
but yeah. basically it's a frame story, a guy talking about random stuff he did. personally i thought it was kind of boring and zoned out a great deal while reading; i'm definitely going to need the discussion in class to gain a better understanding/any understanding. but from what little i gathered, there's a lot of symbolism concerning the duality of human nature (light vs. dark, black vs. white, sunrise vs. sunset) and there seemed to be elements of naturalism and post-colonialism at work? i actually don't really know. i should probably end these notes here before i start to sound completely clueless.
uhhhh....
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