My head hurts. I blame poetry. Three word sentences. Describe philosophic poems. What is purpose? What is beauty? The point is?
Ok, I will stop. Pardon me if I feel the least bit frustrated after analyzing "Ode to a Nightingale" (Keats) and "Hymn to Intellectual Beauty" (Shelley). Either these guys were geniuses or they were smoking something that probably wasn't so illegal back in their day. Probably the former. Anyway. Both of these poems posed serious questions that no one should have to think about at 10 pm. Which poses another question altogether: why did I wait until 10 pm to read them? Ugh. Too much to think about.
Keats addresses the meaning of life, death -and quite possibly taxes- as he ponders his own purpose and why anything really matters at all. After reading it, I could not help but reflect on my own purpose (currently to get an important piece of paper called a degree) which made me want to find my secret stash of hemlock and put myself out of misery (and doing the taxes).
Shelley brings up beauty. And, as I somehow understand? it, beauty is subjective. As is poetry. As is life. As is humor. I find lots of things beautiful that could be considered ugly. I also find (usually the same "ugly" things) lots to be humorous that are typically depressing. Life is funny that way. Of course, that is my own subjective view.
Speaking of subjective beauty (and speaking to my love of the cinema), go see Children of Men. Not only does it star Clive Owen (yum), but it is probably the most beautiful thing you will see all year. And if you disagree, I want to know why.
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Make Up Your Own Mind!: Reader Bias, Interpretation and Expectations
I think it is important to address the argument of authorial intent. Being an English major, I am ashamed to admit that at one time I thought that some of the "classics" we read today were simply written to put bread on the table. I was that close-minded. I refused to believe that there was anything truly existential about Camus or that Beowulf was anything more than some warped historical record.
Of course, this was before I had a professor who could actually teach literature the right way. Once I did, I saw EVERYTHING in a new light. I had to re-evaluate all forms of text. Movies I once hated (Citizen Kane and Garden State to name two drastic examples) became some of my most cherished. Books I once loved started to collect dust because they weren't really trying to say anything. And the more I began to submerge myself in the art of text, the more I began to understand that it is just that-art. There is an artist (or artists) who has/have the ability to craft every angle of the story.
I now enjoy poetry, short stories and alot of other texts that I used to find pointless. This begs the question, how much do our expectations affect our overall interpretation of a certain work?
To use this week's assignments as an example: I was able to more fully comprehend Lord Byron's "When We Two Parted" opposed to Coleridge's "Rime," simply because my mind saw how many words were in each. Going into Coleridge's poem, I was looking for Christian symbolism and elements of the supernatural simply because Dr. Hochenauer told us to. Whereas, in Lord Byron's work, my interpretation was based on what I knew of heartache.
And now for a broader example: Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn recently starred in the film "The Break Up." This movie did not do well, but is actually a very good film (I think). It didn't do well because Jennifer Aniston is associated with chick flicks (or romantic comedies to be PC) and Vince Vaughn does (with the exception of the Psycho remake) screwball comedy. The film was marketed as a chick flick, thereby setting the audience up with the expectation that in the end the guy would get the girl and life would be beautiful. Instead, the film is a closer look at a dying relationship-which can also be beautiful. Audience expection was built up by the trailer ads and was not fulfilled with the actual film.
Of course, I didn't know that at the time I saw the film and I (originally) hated it as much as anyone else.
Back to the literature aspect of things. I believe for every ten authors who try to make a grand statement on life or morals or religion, there is one that is not. But even if that is not their intent, they somehow will address something of importance. It is up to our interpretation to determine what.
Of course, this was before I had a professor who could actually teach literature the right way. Once I did, I saw EVERYTHING in a new light. I had to re-evaluate all forms of text. Movies I once hated (Citizen Kane and Garden State to name two drastic examples) became some of my most cherished. Books I once loved started to collect dust because they weren't really trying to say anything. And the more I began to submerge myself in the art of text, the more I began to understand that it is just that-art. There is an artist (or artists) who has/have the ability to craft every angle of the story.
I now enjoy poetry, short stories and alot of other texts that I used to find pointless. This begs the question, how much do our expectations affect our overall interpretation of a certain work?
To use this week's assignments as an example: I was able to more fully comprehend Lord Byron's "When We Two Parted" opposed to Coleridge's "Rime," simply because my mind saw how many words were in each. Going into Coleridge's poem, I was looking for Christian symbolism and elements of the supernatural simply because Dr. Hochenauer told us to. Whereas, in Lord Byron's work, my interpretation was based on what I knew of heartache.
And now for a broader example: Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn recently starred in the film "The Break Up." This movie did not do well, but is actually a very good film (I think). It didn't do well because Jennifer Aniston is associated with chick flicks (or romantic comedies to be PC) and Vince Vaughn does (with the exception of the Psycho remake) screwball comedy. The film was marketed as a chick flick, thereby setting the audience up with the expectation that in the end the guy would get the girl and life would be beautiful. Instead, the film is a closer look at a dying relationship-which can also be beautiful. Audience expection was built up by the trailer ads and was not fulfilled with the actual film.
Of course, I didn't know that at the time I saw the film and I (originally) hated it as much as anyone else.
Back to the literature aspect of things. I believe for every ten authors who try to make a grand statement on life or morals or religion, there is one that is not. But even if that is not their intent, they somehow will address something of importance. It is up to our interpretation to determine what.
Monday, January 8, 2007
English Lit Since 1800
So this is my blog for EngLit. I have no idea what we are going to do with them, only that they are required (or so I have deduced). Because my previous track record with blogs shows a tremendous gap in between postings, I am somewhat excited to have an excuse to post stuff with content.
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