Special K

So How Sweet is Lit Crit?

Seriously- how sweet can lit crit be, if used creatively? Pretty amazing, it turns out. Our presentations last week were a testament to what can be done with a clever mind, technology, and a tool kit full of literary critique methods.

First there was the presentation by Karissa and Jay which was, if I may, amazing. The duo translated various scenes from Tennesse William's "A Streetcar Named Desire" into AIM chat- you know, the "u want 2 meet b4 class? brb k" speak. Not only was the presentation hilarious, but it was also really informative as to how this form is rapidly becoming a way of writing all its own (sadly. Personally, I never use AIM speak when chatting but then again, I'd fear I was a failure to my major if I did). The presentation sparked a good discussion on whether or not AIM speak is helpful or harmful for the younger generation- something I've debated myself. I'm a summer camp counselor for girls 11-14 and I can see the AIM speak trickling into the notes they write and worry the rules of grammar and spelling might soon be lost on this generation. However, if it's getting them reading and writing, how bad can it be?

Next we had the pleasure of watching the presentation with Tiffany and Valerie on the different literary interpretations of the Harry Potter books. It was a really informative presentation, even if I didn't really understand much of it since I have yet to read a Harry Potter book. Regardless, it was fun to see how literary criticism can be applied to all sorts of literature.

Erin had a really fun presentation incorporating SNL's "Lazy Sunday" skit that mirrors a typical rap song except using The Chronical's of Narnia as the subject instead. Who knew the SNL writers were all about intertextuality? The song alone was funny and then Erin presented it so well that the examples of intertextuality practically jumped out. Also, the cupcakes didn't hurt...

And then onto Mitchell and Gina's presentation about who are really the implied audience in children's programing. Gina and I talked briefly about this topic before she presented and it's really an interesting idea- even though the shows are for "children" then why all the adult material in them? Some of the ideas and themes seem to be more there for the adults instead of the kids who might not get them anyway.

Ooo, then it was the presentation by Diana and I (Diana and me? Diana and myself? Oh whatever- I can't be good at everything)! Our project focused on applying literary criticism (formalism and historicism) to our favorite Disney movie- Sleeping Beauty. We hoped (and I think accomplished) to show that everything can be looked at through the literary criticism eyeglasses, even Disney movies. The highlight of the project, other than our amazing insights, was the awesome (and extremely well documented) website.

Next our boys Ebony and Ivory created a very detailed website that looked at several different forms of media (music and movies) through the eyes of literary criticism. Another fine example of how lit crit can be applied to, well, life.

Now Dave and the wonderful world of lit crit and Bono. I have always liked the idea of reading song lyrics as literature because, as Dave showed, they really are. Just because it is being sung doesn't mean there isn't a message behind it.

Finally we conclude with a very original presentation by Lorin and Denamarie on the relationship between "The Yellow Wallpaper" and a favorite movie of mine, Garden State (mmm Zack Braff...oh, um, never mind). No lie, I was a little mad as I watched the presentation because I wish I had thought of it first! They did such a good job making parallels between the story and the movie and I was dually impressed and informed. I love it when things just "synch" like that.

So that's the summary of our presentations. All different, all informative, and all using the skills we've learned in lit crit this semester.

Posted by VanessaKolberg at April 29, 2007 9:44 PM | TrackBack