Humanities and the Snowy Day

Of course, the best part of a snow day is going outside. But eventually, you have to come back in, because nobody looks good with frostbite. So what's the next best thing once you're inside?

Nominate the best movie, book, or music for entertainment on a snowy day. What makes it so weather-appropriate?

Bonus points for figuring out the title reference.

Everybody's a Critic

E.L. Doctorow argued in the essay "Quick Cuts: The Novel Follows Film into a World of Fewer Words," that films can get by without all of the exposition and dialogue that is more essential to books, and that this trend is leading to the "delitera[tion]" of film. Thus, we are becoming a society that increasingly cannot express ourselves in language, and it's all movies' fault.

Discuss. Argue. Vent.
Have movies changed the way we read? Why (not)? How? Is this a good thing?

Can you think of a book or a film that shows an extreme example of the two beginnings Doctorow discusses, either the loooong exposition of setting and character or the sudden descent in medias res just after (or before) the title credits? Do certain genres work better with one opening rather than the other?

What is the most important element of the film, the visuals, the music, the dialogue, the plot, the characterization, etc.? Why?

Due Fri., 12/18

The Leader in the Band

As we near the end of the year, and the end of the decade, it seems inevitable that we too will give in to the compulsory list-making mania that hits the media around this time. Everyone makes their top-10 of the year, top-10 of the decade, and top-10 of the new millenia lists. I'll make it a little easier (or maybe harder?) on you: the top of the list, period.

If you had to choose the most important instrument for today's music (and you can use the term "instrument" loosely, if you like), what would it be, and why?

"Well we're all in the mood for a melody..."

We'll spend most of the time between now and winter break focused on music in one form or another. Thus, what kind of melody are you in the mood for?

What music do you listen do, what do you resolutely not listen to, and why? What attracts you to a new song or band? Lyrics, popularity, beat, instrumentals, bizarre band fashion sense? How do you know if the music is any good?

Also, how do you prefer to listen to music--alone, singing along with friends, on vinyl, subwoofers blaring, through earbuds? Why? What is it about that experience that makes the music better?

And if nobody gets the title reference, I may cry. Or give you extra homework. Not sure yet.

Free Week, Part Two

Ok, this is your chance to take over the blog (within reason; no proclaiming yourself benevolent dictator or anything--that's still my title). Use this week's post to review a movie, praise a band no one's heard of but should have, point out a news story about the art world (we're starting our music unit in the coming week--did you know what heavy metal does to plants?) or continue the debate about a previous topic, etc, etc, etc....

You have to keep it school-appropriate, avoid name-calling and room destruction, and talk about a medium of art. Other than that, you're on your own, kids!

The da Vinci Codex

A codex is a compilation of manuscripts, much like the journals that Leonardo da Vinci used to record his experiments, observations, and designs. And today, we could easily assemble a new codex of all the news stories, research, and (conspiracy) theories about Leonardo that have appeared in recent years.

Take a few minutes and visit the websites for Time Magazine, Smithsonian Magazine, the Discovery Channel, or How Stuff Works, and search for stories on da Vinci. What recent discoveries have been made? Is Dan Brown any good at art history? What was Leonardo's life story? Where might you be able to see exhibitions on Leonardo in a museum near you? Who stole the Mona Lisa?

Tell us about something you read, and how it compares to what you already know (or thought you knew) about this true Renaissance man. And finally, why are we still so interested in him?

This one's due Thursday, 11/5.

Invoking the Muses

The title of our blog, of course, comes from the Greek goddesses of artistic inspiration, the Muses. The ancient Greeks recognized nine sacred forms, or media, of art.

If you could be dazzlingly gifted in an art form, what would it be, and why? Do you have the soul of a poet? Do you think you can dance? Are you entranced by stage lights?

Also: we will begin our unit on artistic media with visual art. What do you know about art/art history? What types/genres/periods of visual art (painting and sculpture) and artists appeal to you?

A Good Woman?

This unit's theme is function in art, and we have studied everything from the most functional art form (architecture), to arguably the least: Oscar Wilde's aesthetic comedy of manners, Lady Windermere's Fan/A Good Woman. Wilde maintained, in critical essays like "The Decay of Lying," that art should be beautiful and purposeless; its only function to bring beauty and self-expression into the world. Yet, as Wilde says, "The well-bred contradict other people. The wise contradict themselves."

Is Wilde's play really purely aesthetic art? Does it have a function, and if so, what? Why? And, since we're on the subject, what makes A Good Woman, according to Wilde? Do you agree?


Warning to those not yet finished the movie: possible spoilers ahead! Cover your eyes if you don't want to know!!!

Free Week

Ok, this is your chance to hijack the blog (within reason; no demanding a Leer Jet to the Bahamas for ransom or anything). Use this week's post to review a movie, praise a band no one's heard of but should have, point out a news story about the art world (did anyone hear about the huge discovery of Anglo-Saxon treasure last week?), or continue the debate about a previous topic, etc, etc, etc....

You have to keep it school-appropriate, avoid name-calling and furniture-throwing, and talk about a medium of art. Other than that, you're on your own, kids!

"Disney Gave Me Unrealistic Expectations of Love"

Many people anticipated this week's question when they responded to last week's discussion of "Cinderella Stories." It seems most people, while they like the idea of a happily-ever-after, have made their peace with the realization that a fairytale ending is just that--for fairy tales.

I'm thrilled to have such well-adjusted classes; however, judging from bumper stickers like the one quoted as the title (and my favorite variation, "Disney gave me unrealistic expectations of hair"), some people are slightly more traumatized when awakened to the real world. Is there harm in "believing" in fairy tales? Do they promote values you would want to pass on to your children, or values you wouldn't? And before you label me a dream-killing ogre, think: how did you feel when you first found out the culture was conspiring to lie to you about Santa Claus? Why did they do it?

Cinderella Story

This week we embark on a study of the archetypal patterns and cultural values of fairytales.

One of the most common fairytales, found in ancient Egypt and China, and nearly every culture since, is Cinderella. It is also one of the most reinterpreted tales (Disney just titled their umpteenth variation on the theme "Another Cinderella Story"), and is frequently referenced in pop culture and news profiles of successful figures. Why does it hold such seemingly universal appeal?

What is it about fairytales, especially Cinderella, that continues to speak to us? Do you aspire to some sort of Cinderella story with a happily-ever-after? What does that even really mean?

Artistic License

If you haven't posted a response to the previous question, do that first. For those who have...

Read through your packet on classical drama theory. Number 14 or so is labeled "Tradition and the Individual Talent," and raises some good questions about the liberties that can be taken when you are an artist working with someone else's original material. If you are doing a 'remake' or 'reinterpretation,' what CAN'T you change?

Several years ago, Gus Van Sant made a shot-for-shot remake of Alfred Hitchcock's classic film Psycho. Critics panned it as an unnecessary, slavish copy of a masterpiece. But remakes are equally likely to get abuse for being too different. It's generally accepted that 'the movie is never as good as the book,' even if the film version works well on its own merits. There are many good reasons why you can't capture everything from one format or version exactly when translating to another. The question is, what MUST an update or adaptation treat as sacred?

Give us a hypothetical, or better yet, a real example of an adaption and tell us what worked and what didn't. Were there vital parts of the book that were left out of the movie? Did they desecrate the memory of your favorite movie when they turned it into a tv show, or vice versa? Did the director of a remake get it right for once?

And why, for Pete's sake, is someone remaking Halloween II?

My personal opinion - I would not read the world's longest poem on twitter, but i would read literature broken up into 140 characters. The reason for this is it would be easier to consume tweets of 140 characters at a time while taking notes in between rather than a poem that is really long. A poem that goes on forever would make me loose interest, and make it hard for me to comprehend. Overall I believe the world's longest poem should be broken up into tweets of 140 characters.

An Epic Tweet

Greetings and salutations!

Head over to time.com and search 'epic twitter,' or check out the article "Tweeting the World's Longest Poem" on the Word in the Street board in class. More and more, authors are using Twitter as another medium for their work. Would you read literature 140 characters at a time? Is what they're doing even "literature?" (And why do you say that?)

As your introductory post, discuss: Twitter Literature. What forms/genres might work? Why? What advantages as a publishing medium or tool does something like Twitter have? What are the possible downsides? What would an author have to do well? And would you be willing to read the world's longest poem this way?