New Media Journalism @ Seton Hill University

SHU librarian Anthony McMullen was quoted in a Wall Street Journal article on a library that gave up the Dewey Decimal System in favor of sorting books the way they are sorted in a bookstore.

Discord Over Dewey - WSJ.com

Anthony McMullen, a librarian at Seton Hill University in Greensburg, Penn., said he's heard colleagues scoff at searches that result in millions of pages, which they think bewilder users, as well as searches that direct users to illegitimate sources of information.

But Mr. McMullen encourages keeping an open mind, noting that most users focus on the first 10 to 20 results and don't get overwhelmed. And the Internet doesn't have exclusive rights on inaccuracy, he added. "I could compile a lengthy bibliography of published books that support the notion that the Holocaust never occurred. This doesn't mean that we shouldn't use books."

Posted by jerz at 2:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's that time again! Get your art, photos, short stories, and poetry ready--Eye Contact is ready for YOU.

The deadline for the Fall 2006 issue is October 20th.

Visit our blog or click the "read more" link for full submission guidelines.

Continue reading "Call for Submissions: Fall Deadline October 20" »

Posted by Karissa at 10:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Journalism major Amanda Cochran, who's interning at the Tribune-Review this summer, wrote this entertaining and informative historical treatment of Ligonier Beach. Good work, Amanda!

Life's a beach - PittsburghLIVE.com

When 7-year-old Cono "Nick" Gallo sailed from Italy to America at the turn of the 20th century, he developed a love for water that stayed with him after he stepped onto America's Atlantic shore.

Later, after years working as a steel worker and barber in Western Pennsylvania, he finally returned to the shore -- one of his own making. On July 4, 1925, Gallo opened Ligonier Beach along Route 30, then touted as the largest swimming pool in Pennsylvania.

Posted by jerz at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

The Independent Online Edition >Shakespeare's Rose theatre to rise again after centuries under London silt

The Rose, the Elizabethan theatre immortalised in the Oscar-winning film Shakespeare in Love, is to be recovered from the London silt after being buried for centuries, and opened to the public.

Will Shakespeare's Rose immortalized by film?
Less famous than the Globe, that much is true.
But still, the Rose did not need Hollywood
To earn its honour'd spot in London's past.

Posted by jerz at 12:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

A literary magazine called the "Orphan Leaf Review" has posted a call for submissions. They are looking for one-line literary works, or one single page from an imaginary longer work. If you've dabbled with hypertext or interactive fiction authorship, you'll probably find this set of constraints equally stimulating,

the Orphan Leaf Review

orphan leaf n. a single page apparently torn from a book. The page exists, the rest of the book may not. Read to the end of the page. Let your imagination do the rest.

Posted by jerz at 10:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The Girl of the Golden West

When I looked into David Belasco's "The Girl of the Golden West", I saw that it had been regarded as a melodrama. So, when seeing this, I decided to look a little bit more into this.
Melodrama's were introduced and were a typical form of theatre in the ninteenth century. Melodrama is a term that comes from "music drama" where music was used to create and increase already existing emotions for people. Music was also used to signify characters throughout the play. Good and evil are two themes that are expressed throughout the plot and also typical of melodramas.
Other typical characteristics of a melodrama were that the story line possessed a villian, a hero, who had to overcome overwhelming and seemingly impossible odds, and a damsel in distress. There does, however, always seem to be a happy ending. Because this play "The Girl of the Golden West" takes place during the Gold Rush era, these character personalities go along perfectly. During this time, there were bandits, the good guy, the girl everyone's after, saloons, chases, gambling and drinking. All of these things added up, can heighten our interest because of the pure drama behind it all. It is said that melodrama is one of the most popular forms of playwrite to heighten our emotions. Can you think of any ways examples throughout the story that your emotions were peaked?

Posted by at 8:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Just a suggestion...

Since all of us in EL150 have blogging portfolios to do, and I realize that there is some pressure to have comments and whatnot, I suggest some sort of a blog rally to make sure we get decent feedback.

Rally:

My "American Lit" students are preparing for the "All-American Poetry Cover Slam" tonight. Students have chosen about 4-5 minutes worth of poetry, written by an American from 1915-present (the time period covered by the class). I have asked them to research the poem, mark up a copy to help them with pronunciation, pauses, breaths, etc. (so they don't robotically pause at the end of each line, for instance) and recite their chosen work during our evening class.

I just got this message from Seton Hill's library:

I wanted to let you know that we will be using poetry to celebrate National Library Week, April 18-24. We will have poetry readings in the library lounge during all library hours. It will be open and unstructured, with people coming and going as they please. They can read (aloud or silently) any poetry they want--their own or others', unheralded or published, sonnets, limericks, rap, etc. They may also turn in poetry to be posted.

We will have various poetry displays, and we are going to try some experiments with poetry. There will also be a poetry prize drawing on Saturday, April 24.

We welcome your participation. Please tell your classes about it, too.

Thanks,
Marcy

Marcia Pietrala
Reference and Public Services
Reeves Memorial Library
Seton Hill University

Posted by jerz at 10:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

EL 150 students, we'll be starting another short poetry unit next week. For Tuesday, this is the only poem you need to look at in advance. I'd like a half-page written reponse (feel free to blog it, but don't feel obligated, either; and if you do blog it, please hand me a prinout in class on Tuesday so I don't miss your work).

Feel free to find out what you can about Donne and this poem in particular on the Internet -- but don't quote slavishly from off-site soures. I'm interested in your own original response.

If you have good questions you'd like to post here, feel free to do so.

Herbert J.C. Grierson, ed. (1886–1960). Metaphysical Lyrics & Poems of the 17th C. 1921.

John Donne

72. "Death be not proud, though some have called thee"

DEATH be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadfull, for, thou art not so,
For, those, whom thou think'st, thou dost overthrow,
Die not, poore death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleepe, which but thy pictures bee, 5
Much pleasure, then from thee, much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee doe goe,
Rest of their bones, and soules deliverie.
Thou art slave to Fate, Chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poyson, warre, and sicknesse dwell, 10
And poppie, or charmes can make us sleepe as well,
And better then thy stroake; why swell'st thou then;
One short sleepe past, wee wake eternally,
And death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die.

http://www.bartleby.com/105/72.html

Posted by jerz at 2:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

I had to post a blog entry about the book we read in class, Machinal. This was one of the best plays that I have ever read. It was simple, easy, and straight to the point. This type of book is predictable, but still exciting, it kept me off my seat. In the future I would like to read up on some other plays from Sophie Treadwell.

A typical woman in a machine-like world (Machinal French for Machine), which has a normal life as a worker in the office. She is pressured from her mother to marry her boss because of his money, to support her mother. She is not in love with this man and I think this is the main part that starts the conflict in her life. After having an unwanted child with a man who she is not in love with, she has an affair with a man she meets in a bar. After this man tells her the key points on how he murders people (a glass bottle filled with stones), she falls in love with this man. The scene jumps to the courtroom where she is questioned if she killed her husband. After specific details are asked to her, she gave in and admitted that she did indeed kill him. Sophie Treadwell (author) makes us think her death is not going to be painful, but in the end the young woman suffers greatly.

Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot. I would like to see a play or movie on it. One point I want to say is that I tried to mention about the murder scene in class, I think I was just confused. I think to make some episodes in this play more interesting if one episode would be the murder of her husband. The description and details to lead us on to the courtroom scene. Most of predicted what was going to happen at the end of the play, so why not add this scene in.

Here is my review on Barnes and Noble

...Stefanie, a freshman at Seton Hill University, March 10, 2004,
Machinal....an outstanding piece of literature.
In my English college course, we were assigned to read Sophie Treadwell's play, 'Machinal.' This play is amazing. Its simple, sweet, and gets straight to the point. It does not lead you confused at the end (I like those kind of books). This play is very predictable, but that is what makes it exciting. I sat on the edge of my seat while reading this because it jumps from episode to episode and every time it jumps, it gets more interesting. In a machine-like world, the young woman is pressured to marry a man who she is not even in love with. Also, is pressured to have a child, which she does not want, and pressured by her work force and machine-like society that she lives in. Every little part of this book surprised me sometimes, on some parts, but I will leave it for you to find out yourself how good this play is.

Posted by at 10:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

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 Case

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.

Posted by jerz at 12:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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.

Posted by jerz at 12:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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.

Posted by jerz at 11:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

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!!!

Posted by Amanda at 5:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Blogging for EL 150: Introduction to Literary Study:

• Amy Blake
  
• Tiffany Brattina
  
• Gina Burgese
  
• Amanda Cochran
  
• Paul Crossman
  
• Michael Diezmos
  
• Johanna Dreyfuss
  
• Tina Dunham
  
• Diana Geleskie
  
• Nicole Giannilli
  
• CarlaRae Jackson
  
• Karissa Kilgore
  
• Hui Lin
  
• Tammy Moon
  
• Sue Myers
  
• Stephan Puff
  
• Jason Pugh
  
• Stefanie Robb
  
• Lori Rupert
  
• Sherry Spataro
  
• Leslie Stevens
  

Posted by jerz at 5:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)