February 2004 Archives
"The Creation of Adam" in context -- Sistine Chapel
In my Media Aesthetics course, we briefly discussed the Creation of Adam, which is one panel on a large ceiling display. The untility I've linked to above is a free tool that lets you add images, sort them around, and zoom in and out. Sort of like "Coloforms" or Sunday-school flannel boards.
Encyclopædia Britannica defines "aesthetic distance" as the following: “the frame of reference that an artist creates by the use of technical devices in and around the work of art to differentiate it psychologically from reality.” It is said more clearly on the Tri-County Community College Major English Writer’s page. A handout on aesthetic distance defines the term as, “the psychological and emotional distance between the text and the reader.”
Edward Bullough is the man who coined the term and in his “'Psychical Distance' as a Factor in Art and an Aesthetic Principle”, he states that this principle makes it possible for dangerous situations to be appreciated aesthetically. For example, an audience can enjoy a play based on Dante’s “Inferno” even though in reality, hell is a place of torture, a place where no one would send even their worst enemies. The audience can view the play objectively, appreciating the beauty of the play while staying a comfortable distance away from the real and proverbial flames.
Bullough uses a fog at sea as his example. Of course a fog at sea is a very disconcerting thing for sailors. Its presence leaves ships’ crews feel vulnerable to unseen elements such as icebergs and the chill it brings is most unpleasant. Yet, a fog at sea, depicted in the art form of the second dimension, gives a comfortable distance to the 3D reality from which it is viewed. Thus, a piece of art, even one which depicts a scene, which in real life, would bring out unwanted emotions, may be viewed as quite beautiful.
Aesthetic distance, says Bullough, is “the veil [which] surround[s] you with an opaqueness as of transparent milk, blurring the outline of things and distorting their shapes into weird grotesqueness.” What a great line! Anyway, another example he gave in his essay was that of one climbing a mountain for enjoyment. It fatigue’s the climber, but he doesn’t think of the pain, only the enjoyment of the climb.
It reminds me of Orwell’s 1984 “doublethink” concept, which Orwell describes as the "power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one's mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them." It allows a person to disregard thoughts which bring, if dwelled upon, confusion and discomfort, even though they are very real and true. So, people are trained from birth to brainwash themselves into believing what they are told, no matter how unrealistic it is. Bullough calls this concept “hypocritically denying” [the truth]. This denial of uncomfortable parts of reality naturally lends to deception, the essence of good fiction in my opinion.
I just posted an entry on my blog about Athletics at Seton Hill. Are we leaning too far? I would like comments.
Oh and have a good break.
A few people from Dr. Jerz's El150 class may come to the Setonian office Friday 2/20 at 4pm and pick up a copy of the Setonian to proofread over spring break. The proofed copy is due back in the Setonian office Monday 3/1 at 11:15am. Thanks!
My "Intro to Lit" class is reading Neal Stephenson's The Diamond Age; I recently asked them to write a mock news story based on a trial described in the novel. The evidence introduced included data and images from surveilence drones, as well as tiny devices that entered the suspect's bloodstream and permitted authorities to track him.
A version of O.J. Simpson's flight, filmed by news helicopters, was first imagined by Ray Bradbury in Farenheit 451. We have a long way to go until nanomachines in our bloodstream can track our whereabouts (so far as I know, anyway) but check out this news article:
Judge Allows GPS Data in Peterson CaseAnother notable feature of the world of The Diamond Age is paper that obeys voice commands. That's still a long way off, but see this article on flexible, paper-thin comptuer screens.A judge ruled that evidence police gathered using electronic devices to track Scott Peterson after his pregnant wife disappeared can be used in his murder trial, despite defense objections that the technology is unreliable. Because global positioning system technology has yet to be tested in state criminal court, prosecutors had to establish its reliability and demonstrate the technology was used correctly.
Not all anniversaries are happy ones; but they can be in the future.
Eye Contact Judging sessions for literature:
Tuesday, Jan. 17
8:30 p.m. in Admin 407
All are invited to judge. Don't be shy, it's tons of fun! Plus, you'll get your name in the magazine, a free copy, an activity to put on your resume...the benefits are endless.
See you there!
Yahoo! News - Students Pull All-Nighter for Shakespeare
[Wellesley College's] Shakespeare Society on Sunday began an attempt to read aloud all of William Shakespeare's works in a mere 24 hours. That's 39 unabridged plays, as well as the poetry and sonnets, that comprise the Bard's canon.
I am glad to report that the Black History Month Presentation entitled "On Being Black, sponsored by the NAACP, was a total success. I want to take this moment and Thank everyone who came to the show and supported us. I want to give a special thanks to Liberation for coming and delivering a great show and and even better message.
Now Let me get to the point of this posting.
Remember to turn in your submissions for Eye Contact today!
Eye Contact
The Literary/Art Magazine of Seton Hill University
Special Theme Issue – TRAGEDY
Submission guidelines
Eye Contact invites submissions from students, faculty, and staff of area colleges. A blind judging process is used to evaluate works. Submissions must be previously unpublished, and Eye Contact reserves all publication rights for the issue in question. Attach this information separately: title of work, your full name (no pseudonyms, please), current address, email, telephone number, college, and a one-line biographical statement.
THEME: Tragedy. Inspire fear and pity in your audience. Provide them with catharsis. Make the audience weep or laugh (and then make them feel bad about laughing). Blocked? Consider this: Betrayal. Reversal. Recognition. Fault. Fortune. Curse. Love. Family. War. Death. Feeling tragic yet?
DEADLINE: Friday, Feb. 13, 2004. Mail submissions to Eye Contact, c/o Seton Hill University, Box 246, Greensburg, PA 15601 or Email literature as a rich text file to eyecontact@setonhill.edu
LITERATURE: Individual poems are limited to two pages and prose should not exceed ten pages in length. Entries must be typed (double-spaced), with the title included in the right hand corner of each page. Include a SASE if you want your manuscript to be returned.
ART/PHOTOGRAPHY: Black and white entries are preferred; however, color art is accepted for the cover. Artwork will be returned by mail only if accompanied by appropriate postage. Eye Contact does not accept responsibility for work damaged in the mail.
To blog this unfamiliar way is strange.
I write, I read, delete, and write again.
My thoughts run far ahead of what I type.
It maketh writing labored, slow, and spare.
In tight embrace of words my thoughts are pack'd.
My blogging friends, I hear your pain -- and sigh.
You swim a lap or lift a weight or sprint
but not because the pain that comes is fun.
A runner stopped her feet, strap'd weights around,
and thencefrom bounded slower, being bound.
When blank verse day is done, we'll all be train'd.
We'll write more freely, having been constrain'd.
A scheduled quiz on As You Like It sprang
And caught some students unprepar'd today.
Soft-hearted me! I bargained with them thus:
They'll blog in verse (as Shakespeare would have done),
And I will grant them an exten-si-on.
To post a link to mine on NMJ,
Might bring me bloggers in a vast array...
'Tis what I hope you'll find within your heart
I blogg'd a poem to spite pattern tart.
I don't like Shakespeare with a passion hot;
I hope my writing has not been for naught.
Awh, just go read about it in my blog.
It's titl'd "Paired Five" and it's not too long...
: )
Some people enjoy writing densely linked blog entries, but personally I like to be able to read something without having to do an insane amount of background research on the subject in order to understand it. Plus, this excercise takes forever.
Wake Up and Put on your Shoes
Go Outside and Sing the Blues
Today's too Nice to sit Inside
Go outdoors and Let Out a Sigh!
It's Sunny and the Day is New
Don't Regret what you Could Do
Let Down Your Hair
And Take a Ride because
You never want this Day to Die
When the Sun goes Down
Get in Your Car
Turn Up the Music
You're Finally Free
Filled With nothing but Glee
Go Home and Dream
Smile to Yourself
And Be Proud!
February is Black History Month. Throughout this month various activities and programs are done to help make people aware and proud of the history of the African culture. This year, the Seton Hill Branch of the NAACP is putting on big presentation in light of Black History Month. It is Entitled "On Being Black". The show will include theatrical performances from members of the NAACP as well as dance and a special musical guest "Liberation". We will take you on a cultural journey from Slavery, to the Civil Rights Movement and on to Today.
The NAACP has been working extremely hard to make sure that representation for Black History Month is educational as well as entertaining. We are encouraging everyone to try to attend. This event promises to be a cultural experiece you will never forget.
The date of the show is Friday February 13, 2004 in Cecelian Hall at 7:00. $5 admission ($3 with college I.D.).
Please come and show some support. Remember, this isnt just for one kind of person, but for the benefit of everyone and we will be honored to have your presence at the show. Thank you.
Did anyone know that all of Emily Dickinson's poems can be sung to "The Yellow Rose of Texas"? (thanks Dr. Jerz)
hehe
All together now!!!
Those who read "Bernice Bobs Her Hair" may find this book review interesting...
Unlike our other physical characteristics, most of which we can alter only through surgery, hair is a malleable feature. A woman can exert a certain power over her life by taking control of her hair. She can manipulate her appearance with hot comb and chemicals, ponytail or purple mohawk, in some cases to call attention to herself as a rebel, outside the mainstream. Or she may wish to be seen as belonging to a certain social class or cultural group. She may want others to see her as docile and well-bred or as a sensual vixen, flipping her long, tousled mane around those she wishes to entice. Hair comes into play in the corporate boardroom, where a power haircut may make a difference as far as promotions are concerned, but if it's too gorgeous it may also attract unwanted attention from male co-workers.
(Note that if you want to use this material in a paper, the book that is the subject of the review is the primary source. You wouldn't cite the review by itself -- though you could read the book, cite the book directly, and ALSO cite criticism voiced by the author of the review.)
Flashback to highschool and try to remember one of the literary masterpieces that you studied...
The answer to this question no! N-O with a capital N!
I just got done reading the Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald and I have to say that that was one of the best books that I have ever ready. I has all of the elements that a good story should have which are, comedy, tragedya nd the element of surprise. It just further advocates that idea that readers and people in our world today feed off drama, controversy and other people's problems. I have discussed this book with alot of me peers and they have said to me that despite the fact that it was written back back back in the day and some of the grammar is bit unfamiliar that book was "the bomb," meaning good.
If any of you haven't read T.S. Elliot's: The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock then i highly suggest you do. It's a wonderful poem with a lot of symbolism. Here's your chance to read it if you haven't already....
The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
In my opinion, this man is in a room looking for love. He watches the "women come and go talking of michelangelo." This man goes unnoticed by the women he is trying to get attention from. He feels very alone, and its making him numb and he wants to feel love. He wants to ask a woman to marry him, but he is afraid of being rejected. He is self concious of his baldness " with a bald spot in the middle of my hair -" By stating an insecurity, he shows that he fears rejection.
He has "measured out his life with coffee spoons;" I think this means that he spends his day contemplating what to do with his lonely life. He seems to be in conflict with time, and the last of his days because he's worried that a woman will not want him and he'll have to spend the rest of his life alone.
"Sprawling on a pin" I think is the same pin on his tie. He's stuck to his life like a fly would on fly paper. If he's not too careful he could get pricked.
Now, i know i usually have some kind of question after each of my entry, but after reading or experiencing something...how can i not?? haha, well anyway here's today's question(s). Why are men so afraid of rejection when it comes to women. The only way i can see that particular point of view is if the girl and guy have been friends for an extensive amount of time. In this case, i understand that friendship could be lost..but if this isn't the case, then what do you have to lose?
How does this apply to bernice bobs her hair? Was Warren afraid of losing the friendship between himself and marjorie? I think he felt that if he did everything that she asked him to, then she would see how much he cared for her...and then in turn fall madly in love with him. WHich is not the case, if a guy does this, it shows that the woman has power over the man. THe man in this sense is weak. I think marj used warren because she knew that she had power over him. In my opinion, the best thing to do is to talk about it, be upfront, and my reactions, mentally and physcially you should be able to tell the truth. Unless they are so unbelievably blind that... well it would be a lost cause.
Why is Gatsby so GREAT? Unfortunately, I think that Gatsby has more characteristics of a not so great person. When we were discussing our definitions of a great person, honest, loyal, successful, honorable, and understanding are the qualities that come to mind. Gatsby displays nothing but dishonesty, stalker qualtities, and fake identity. Although, he had his good points, they didn't stand out as much as the bad. Then again, it is always easier to pick out some ones bad qualities and focus on them, before noticing the good. Now what I want to ask is, why was Gatsby noticed as being the GREAT one, when Nick was one of the most honest characters (as Emily stated in class)?? Nick was a strong character, but didn't really have much going for himself, besides living through Gatsby. He stood there for Gatsby when he was yearning for his late love of Daisy, and stood by him when she hit Myrtle with the car, and stood through his death. Now that is a GREAT PERSON. My question is, did Nick gain something from learning the truth from Gatsby's past, and if so, what was it?
A lonely man looking for love and affection from a mystery woman... is my view on the poem "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" by T.S. Elliot. The cutting words of Elliot describes any relationship. There are no perfect relationships but no relationship at all. There is alwaysa a conflict and disagreement in all relationships no matter how serious. When we talked in class we came up with the man talkin about many women " in the room women come and go talking of Michelangelo." Also, we mentioned that this symbolized the woman's higher class. I believe that it symbolized her clas status. With other cases this adds up to me. Simply the man being nervous to pop the question, the cheap hotels, and reference to Prince Hamlet are some of those clues. I feel that Elliot is talking about a lower class man attemption to talk to a higher class woman that he has fallen for but can't because of fear of rejection. Its such an appropriate time for this poem, considering Valentine's Day. How Ironic, HA!
"To Bernice the next week was a relevation. With the feeling that people really enjoyed loking at her and listening to her became the foundation of self confidence (Fitzgerald, 11)." Why is it that we rely on others opinions to feel self confident? In today's society we stress so much on being independant and original, but we contradict this by our own self esteem and confidence. It's crazy to say you don't care about what other think of you. You would be lieing- to a certain extent. Basing your whole life on what others think would lead you down the exact same path as the person beside you. America is the land of freedom and choice. Choose to be your own person!
With Bernice and Marjorie, Bernice being her own person wasn't good enough. She didn't fit the expectations of her selfish cousin, Marjorie. Therefore without Marjorie's approval, Bernice lacked confidence in herself. I believe that confidence comes from within. Your deepest desires drive you to reach toward your dreams. One small step toward each goal shows your confidence. You have to have confidence in yourself to get anwhere in life. Outside sources, life friends and family help to boost your confidence and encouragement but, by no means should they be the "foundation" of your confidence. Being your own person is stronger than what other people want you to be- so be true and be you!
Some of you out there in the blogging community told me today that I was sad for commenting on people's blogs as much as I do and I think that you are all just sad for not commenting. I love the feeling of recieving a comment from someone. It makes me feel as if I have made a difference and people actually enjoy coming to hear what I have to say. I like to return the feeling. By commenting on other people's blogs I have in a sense given them some feedback on what I have read of theirs.
Commenting is also the only way for people to know the views of others who may not have time or want a face to face conversation about a topic in today's culture. So you know what, I don't care if you have a problem with me commenting all the time in blogs. It's just what I do, as well as, a way for me to pass time in a lonely computer lab during work. If you have a problem with me commenting on people's blogs, fine, but that isn't going to stop me from leaving comments and it is certainly not going to make me lower the number of comments I make on people's blogs. Hey! Maybe I'll just comment more. How bout them apples?
Tiffany
After about 24 hours, it looks like the blogs are back online.
By the way, a couple days ago, I added a new page that lists the 50 most recent comments made on all the blogs on the whole system (although that page only updates when somebody posts or edits something on the NMJ site -- I'm still trying to figure out how to force an update every 15 minutes or so).
I just got an e-mail that said Tiffany Brattina and Stefanie Robb are among the four winners of the Habitat for Humanity raffle. The others are Julia Ecklar and Jamie Fogel.
Here is the definition Dr. Jerz was so kind to send me.
When I volunteered to do this presentation I was expecting to find it a little bit more information when I entered “Reception Theory” into the box on Google’s site. Then I read one very confusing article on it. It deals with the finding of the practice of reception theory and the men who were responsible. Hans Robert Jauss, with his University of Constance colleagues Manfred Fuhrmann and Wolfgang Iser. html I think it was confusing for me because of the sprinkling of a few German words to explain the theory. Since I am unfamiliar with German, than this article left me in a bit of a bind.
I tweaked my search a little bit to include reader response and reception theory and I happened upon a clear cut easy to understand “English for Dummies” blatant article. Basically the article found on the Arts and Culture network website tells us how that it is the readers job to interpret the text. That without the reader the text is nothing. Sort of similar to Brendan’s presentation on Monday.
All of us come from different backgrounds so therefore our interpretations of a text should be different. And it is because of Reception theory that allows us to do so. It is basically like our favorite teacher growing up as a child that coddled us and told us there are never any wrong answers.
It is this type of way of approaching texts that allows authors such as Shakespeare and Chaucer to be so relevant to today. If we didn’t try and tweak and fit a text to fit our needs the text would probably be stale and be left in the dust forever.
Reception theory as whole puts a subjective slant on an objective text. By being subjective the reader colors the text to fit their expectations. The text becomes like an inkblot in their mind’s eye. They will see the text one way because they believe they want to see it that one way and no way else.
To be slightly off topic it is sort of how urban legends are born. For example everyone probably has heard about the “hanging munchin/electrician” in Wizard of Oz. We look for it and the minute we see something that may resemble it than our mind fills in the blanks for us and we believe it to be true. Another example is from the Lion King, when Simba lays down on the cliff and seeds and grass float into the air and supposedly spell out the word SEX. We have been told over and over how it is “supposed” to mean.
So when it comes time for us to interpret it for ourselves we stumble over our feet. We get lost and confused. But the important thing to remember is, if you do stumble, you have to get up, dust yourself off and try again.
One of the classics- THe GREAT GATSPY!!! Wow, I just finished the book for the first time, one that I actually liked. Unlike everyone else, I was neglected and didn't get to read the book through highschool. Therefore the past two nights of my life, I've been furiously reading to get it finished for our class on Thursday and TEST! I found the part at the end was built up throughout the book so much, and very mysterious, so I think it was expected. I found the book rather easy to read in the aspects of interest. Other than interest, Fitzgerald has a funny way of writing. He beats around the bush and isn't straight to the point. I'm the kind of person that needs the facts and then alittle fancy on the edges. Basically just give me the meat and forget the potatoes. Straight to the point, is my way to go, and Fitzgerald has other plans for the readers. Although, I enjoyed the book, with my first experience of it, and I'm sure I will read it again in the future.
IS there a such thing as a perfect marriage-UTOPIA? In my personal experiences throughtout my family, I don't really agree that there is a perfect couple, or commitment. Don't get me wrong there are people who can make things work and everything seems so perfect at one moment in time. The difficult part is to find that mate to connect with.
Here's a good link to interlinear translations of some of the Canterbury Tales. Wife of Bath is definitely on here...these are handy because you can read the Middle English and then look down a line when you don't get it. Or, Middle English speakers can look up when they don't understand...
Aesthetic Distance is a literary term that I had never heard of until now. When I looked it up I found a very complicated definition of it here. I had to reread this definition a few times before I understood what it meant. In a nut shell what its saying is that it’s the desired distance between the reader’s perspective and the reality of the piece of literature or artwork that they are interacting with. You see when we look at artwork, read, or watch a play we know it’s not real, but we can’t help but feel drawn into it the reality of the piece of artwork. The reason we must have this distance is so that we as the audience can have an objective response to something that is subjective. If you still are lost go here to a site I found most helpful. Also click here to see how Aesthetics relates to the theater and why it’s so important. Both sites helped me to understand the term and come up with the definition I summarized here.
From Aesthetic Distance we can move on to a form of literary criticism connected to it called “New Criticism” (yes I know, it’s not a very creative name is it). What’s the connection you ask? Well “New Criticism” (NC) treats a piece of literature as its own unique reality or a self contained, self- referential object. Instead of thinking about what the author intended or how the historical context relates to the meaning, these critics closely read, concentrating on the relationships within the text that give it its own distinctive character or form. New Critics emphasize that the structure of a work should not be divorced from meaning, viewing the two as constituting a quasi-organic unity (two living beings or entities). Special attention is paid to repetition, particularly of images or symbols, but also of sound effects and rhythms in poetry. (I pulled this from here and the site has a much longer definition of this criticism if you want to take a look). So now we begin to see how NC connects to Aesthetic Distance. Literary these critics are taking a literary term and using it as a base for a new form of literary criticism. NC rejects any intentions the author had and looks just at the literature an entity with a purpose or specific design. Check out this link to get all the basics of NC as well as some history about how it came about.
New Critics coined a term I came across as I was reading up on this form of criticism called “Intentional Fallcy”. Basically the term describes the problem of judging a work upon the attentions of the artist who created it. Meaning should be determined from close reading of text, careful viewing of a piece of art, or critically analyzing a play you’re watching; it should not be determined by the intentions of the artist who put together the piece of artwork. In other words we see all art as having “dead artists.” New Critics Wimsatt and Beardsley were the ones who created this term. In short the text means what it says, bottom line. For an extended analysis of this literary term check out this piece of writing here.
So I bet many of you artists out there are feeling kind of low now, huh? To think that you are unimportant in the mind of your audience is kind of an ego crusher. But don’t fret because it is your creations that give audiences something to interpret, without artists people would have nothing to interpret. So don’t feel down about yourself (Because I know I do). Those pompous know nothing critics wouldn’t have anything to argue about if you didn’t express your creative imagination through your art. It’s the artists’ job to create and the audiences’ job to interpret.
There was one other term I found in surfing, but I couldn’t find enough information on it except a weblog. If you want to learn about “Willing Suspension of Disbelief” check out a blog done by cjed. That should give you a good starting point for this term.
