First off, I would like to say that the first part of "Small World" reminded me a lot of "Brave New World" and "The Giver." I know that "Brave New World" and "The Giver" all took place in very unique societies, but I felt that they all had a common secret that they were all in on, and that they were all gathered together for. Starting off "Small World," it seemed as though all of these professors and teachers had gathered together for a specific reason beyond their training. They all had very prestigious degrees, and some came back to this "conference" even after they stopped teaching. It just reminded me a lot of these other two books.
4) Angelica is a very centered and interesting character in "Small World." She is the main interest for many of the men at the conference, and seems very out of place. She is younger than a lot of people at the conference and she is very flirtatious. I think that her character is supposed to be more of one for entertainment purposes, the main love interest. She specializes in romantic literature and it seems that if we compared her to a common medieval character, she would be the young maiden that those fawn after. Persse is taken to her because of her looks and supposed popularity at the conference. Originally, he knows nothing about her and only a day or so after meeting and talking to her, he proclaims that he is "in love" which is an overstatement to say the least.
5) I personally loved the characters of Morris Zapp and Philip Swallow. I thought that both characters were very animated and really served as a humerus part in the story. I loved the scene where Persse sees Angelica for the first time and he comments about how Swallow seemed to be looking at her breasts, when really he was looking at her name tag. Both characters seemed to be very engulfed in the image of sex, even as old men. Zapp's lecture, to be precise, was probably my favorite part of the reading. I will speak about that in the next question. But I just thought that Swallow and Zapp were very animated and characters that were meant to be taken seriously, but could be laughed at while reading.
6) This scene was my favorite part of the story. Zapp compared language and reading to strip teasing. While reading it, I actually understood and agreed with what he had to say. It says, "the attempt to peer into the very core of a text, to possess once and for all its meaning, is vain- it is only ourselves that we find there, not the work itself" (27). It talked about how the text tells us what we need to know, but will never say it blatantly and cannot be possessed. It is all like a strip tease. I thought that it really blatantly said what language and reading was like, and I think that a lot of people overreacted when hearing it.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Sunday, November 15, 2009
The Story of the Grail (Perceval) pgs 460-499
1) When Perceval is on a journey in the deserted area, he encounters three knights and ten maidens. This group reminded me a lot of the beginning of the story when the knight approaches Perceval and asks if he had seen five knights and three maidens. I think that this part in the story represents knighthood and how he is no longer in love with the thought of it. He is criticized for wearing armor on Good Friday. The group represents an image that he once respected, to one that has become a joke to him.
2) We see Perceval beginning to weep as he goes to repent to the Hermit because he is told about his mother's slow and painful death and how the only way that he could be forgiven for leaving her there is repentance. To this, Perceval agrees to take communion every day. He really looks at himself as guilty for his mother's death and takes full responsibility. He does not know how to fix what he did, and really, the whole search for the grail has been more of a self- exploration. It took him a story to realize how he took his mother and her words for granted.
2) We see Perceval beginning to weep as he goes to repent to the Hermit because he is told about his mother's slow and painful death and how the only way that he could be forgiven for leaving her there is repentance. To this, Perceval agrees to take communion every day. He really looks at himself as guilty for his mother's death and takes full responsibility. He does not know how to fix what he did, and really, the whole search for the grail has been more of a self- exploration. It took him a story to realize how he took his mother and her words for granted.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
The Story of the Grail (Perceval) pgs 419-460
1. I think the meaning of Blancheflor's name is actually quite interesting. The meaning, "White Flower" gives off vibes that she is very pure and innocent. The flower that comes to mind when I like of a "white flower," is the lily. Typically, in literature, the lily represents chastity, virtue, the Holy Trinity, faith, and beauty, to make a few. I thought that this description was very interesting and also very contradictory to the episode with Blancheflor. Blancheflor goes into Perceval's bedroom, while he is sleeping, and get into bed with him. She then stays the night with him, which is not innocent at all. Also, her weeping in the story portray her in a dainty way, weeping over a knight. She is what her name describes her as, a dainty flower.
3. In the episode where Perceval sees blood in the snow and it reminds him of Blancheflor, I thought that it related back to him taking her virginity. Having blood remind him of Blancheflor is a little creepy to begin with, and I am pretty sure that if he thought of her when he say it, he is thinking about the taking of her virginity, or her virginity.
3. In the episode where Perceval sees blood in the snow and it reminds him of Blancheflor, I thought that it related back to him taking her virginity. Having blood remind him of Blancheflor is a little creepy to begin with, and I am pretty sure that if he thought of her when he say it, he is thinking about the taking of her virginity, or her virginity.
Monday, November 9, 2009
The Story of the Grail (Perceval) pgs 381-419
1) "He who sows sparingly, reaps sparingly, but he who wishes to reap plentifully casts his seed on ground that will bear him fruit a hundredfold, for good seed withers and dies in worthless soil" (381). The opening prologue to "The Story of the Grail (Perceval)" is much like "Erec and Enide" in its foreshadowing. This prologue teaches many lessons, but the first one that they teach is that the effort that you put in is the outcome that you will receive. Like the first line, if you plant a seed in good soil, it will grow plentifully. But if you throw a seed on the ground in hopes that it will grow, it won't. The prologue then states about the Count Philip of Flanders and how he believes in true justice, loyalty, and the Holy Church. It also quotes the Gospel, "let not your left hand know the good your right hand is doing." Chretien is bringing up a lot of these themes about possibly a higher love where love conquers all, no matter what your brain tells you to do. The prologue states that God knows what our desire is in our hearts and what we really want and that even though the left hand might not approve of it, the right hand has to do what its heart desires. The prologue also speaks about charity and how "he consults no one except his noble honest heart, which urges him to do good" (381). I believe that the prologue wants us to believe the get from the story the belief that love conquers all.
2) I absolutely loved the first scene where Perceval encounters the knights in the Waste Forest. In the text, Chretien portrays Perceval as a very naive child who seems to me to be very ADHD. He is incapable of staying on one topic because he is so starstruck by the knights. The knights are portrayed as very standoffish people who only care about one thing; where the 5 knights and 3 maidens ran off to. Perceval looks at the knights as a being larger than God itself. When he is asked questions about where the knights and maidens ran off to, he focuses more on materialistic things and does not answer their questions. When Perceval finds out their title as knights, he says, "would that I were like you, so shining and so well formed" (383) and asks about the things that he is carrying like swords and shields. Perceval is enthralled and is very materialistic, only caring about the look of the knights. It is very interesting how quickly his perception of the knights changes from when he firsts sees them. At first he is terrified and frightened by them, but then becomes amazed by their shields and swords, making him blinded by the whole thing. Chretien does this to emphasize the naivete of Perceval and how something to eye catching and wonderful, like a sword, or the vision of a knight, can make him so easily persuaded.
3) I thought that it was very interesting that at first when Perceval confronts his mother about meeting the knights and wanting to join, she practically passes out. I wasn't sure if she was upset or happy about his choice. Later on, she was telling Perceval about her lineage of knighthood and how his father was a knight, but he died. I think that Perceval's mother didn't want Perceval to find out about their background in knighthood because she didn't want to loose another one of her loves. She has lost her other sons and husband to knighthood and she didn't want to loose Perceval. To this, Perceval, like another teenage boy, asks for food and dismisses her worries and tells her that he is going anyway. He is very naive and does not understand the consequences in his actions and leaves his mother. His mother also gives him one last advice, and says that if a maiden is in need of help, then he must help her, but if she gives him her ring, he must leave her. to this, Perceval is very confused and asks things such as "what is a chapel," and "what is a church." Perceval is not very knowledgeable and I think that before he left, he should have paid more attention to his mother and found out the different things that could go wrong with leaving and becoming a knight.
2) I absolutely loved the first scene where Perceval encounters the knights in the Waste Forest. In the text, Chretien portrays Perceval as a very naive child who seems to me to be very ADHD. He is incapable of staying on one topic because he is so starstruck by the knights. The knights are portrayed as very standoffish people who only care about one thing; where the 5 knights and 3 maidens ran off to. Perceval looks at the knights as a being larger than God itself. When he is asked questions about where the knights and maidens ran off to, he focuses more on materialistic things and does not answer their questions. When Perceval finds out their title as knights, he says, "would that I were like you, so shining and so well formed" (383) and asks about the things that he is carrying like swords and shields. Perceval is enthralled and is very materialistic, only caring about the look of the knights. It is very interesting how quickly his perception of the knights changes from when he firsts sees them. At first he is terrified and frightened by them, but then becomes amazed by their shields and swords, making him blinded by the whole thing. Chretien does this to emphasize the naivete of Perceval and how something to eye catching and wonderful, like a sword, or the vision of a knight, can make him so easily persuaded.
3) I thought that it was very interesting that at first when Perceval confronts his mother about meeting the knights and wanting to join, she practically passes out. I wasn't sure if she was upset or happy about his choice. Later on, she was telling Perceval about her lineage of knighthood and how his father was a knight, but he died. I think that Perceval's mother didn't want Perceval to find out about their background in knighthood because she didn't want to loose another one of her loves. She has lost her other sons and husband to knighthood and she didn't want to loose Perceval. To this, Perceval, like another teenage boy, asks for food and dismisses her worries and tells her that he is going anyway. He is very naive and does not understand the consequences in his actions and leaves his mother. His mother also gives him one last advice, and says that if a maiden is in need of help, then he must help her, but if she gives him her ring, he must leave her. to this, Perceval is very confused and asks things such as "what is a chapel," and "what is a church." Perceval is not very knowledgeable and I think that before he left, he should have paid more attention to his mother and found out the different things that could go wrong with leaving and becoming a knight.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Buñuel's "That Obscure Object of Desire"
3. As first, I was very confused as to why Bunuel had two actresses playing Conchita. I tried to look deeper into the attitudes and behaviors of each of the Conchitas and see if each of them was one specific trait that Matthieu was interested in, but in each scene, the Conchitas were unpredictable. One moment, they longed for his love and the next moment they were pushing him away. I began to think about the possibility of Conchita having multiple personality disorder, but that was a little far fetched. The two actresses playing Conchita represented the two things that Matthieu desired within them. Although Matthieu wanted to have sex with Conchita, he also wanted her to remain pure and wholesome, the way that she represented herself. He wanted those two things at the same time that were virtually unobtainable. This is the same because like the two Conchitas, you cannot have the two actresses on screen at the same time. The more conservative version of Conchita was the first one that we see in the movie. She is wise and not as free willing as the other Conchita. For instance, when Matthieu tries to have sex with her and she keeps her underwear fastened on, it seems as if she does this because she legitimately is trying to keep herself from having sex with him. On the other hand, the other Conchita is very passionate and tricky to figure out. She seems to be in a lot more scene where she is trying to make a scene. For instance, when she has sex with another man infront of Matthieu, she is very instinctual.
5. I think that Matthieu is the narrator in the film because he is the one that witnesses her bipolar behavior and no one else. He has to inform the audience what he saw through his eyes so that they can interpret it and give him advice. Matthieu has seen all of the sides of Conchita, but every time he experiences one of her extreme behaviors, he does not know how to react. I think that he tells it in the past tense and in flashbacks to add the other's reactions on the train. At first when we first see him pouring the bucket of water on Conchita, we see him as more of an evil character. He has to gain back the respect by telling the back story as to why he did this. I thought that it was very interesting that all of the people in the train car were all connected in some way and I did not know exactly what to think of the psychologist who was a midget. I wasn't quite sure what to think about that...
5. I think that Matthieu is the narrator in the film because he is the one that witnesses her bipolar behavior and no one else. He has to inform the audience what he saw through his eyes so that they can interpret it and give him advice. Matthieu has seen all of the sides of Conchita, but every time he experiences one of her extreme behaviors, he does not know how to react. I think that he tells it in the past tense and in flashbacks to add the other's reactions on the train. At first when we first see him pouring the bucket of water on Conchita, we see him as more of an evil character. He has to gain back the respect by telling the back story as to why he did this. I thought that it was very interesting that all of the people in the train car were all connected in some way and I did not know exactly what to think of the psychologist who was a midget. I wasn't quite sure what to think about that...
Monday, November 2, 2009
Celestina Acts 18-21
1. Melibea and Calisto both meet usually in the dead of night and in the darkness. This says a lot about the nature of their desire for one another and the things that they truly want from each other. The nighttime is a time where things out of the ordinary happen. The fact that Melibea and Calisto meet during the night proposes that their love is not true. They only desire the idea of each other, and the dark of the night does not make them look at each other's faces to realize that. They love the thought of being in love, and they also get together to have sex. This is an obvious reason for them always meeting at night. Their love lies in lust and in their false belief in love.
2. I do not believe that Melibea and Calisto were actually ever in love. I think that in "Celestina," the word love it thrown around a lot, and used falsely. No character ever loved truly; they lust one another. I believe that all of the characters do not know what love really is and in order to just name how they feel about the person, they call it love. I think that Melibea does committ suicide because of the death of her "lover," but I think that she does realize that her love was not true. I think that she knows that she did not love him, but lusted him, for which she feels guilty and commits suicide. Love is fake in "Celestina." Every character falls in love with the image of their partner and does not end up finding true love within them.
6. Melibea is fighting between the matriarchal and the patriarchal society throughout the whole story. She was constantly trying to maintain her position as an innocent virgin woman, but could not fight off Calisto as her lover. This says that society is not very accepting of different standards and ways in which women have the right to live their lives. Melibea was not allowed to live in the world that she wanted because she was constantly fighting the double standard in society.
2. I do not believe that Melibea and Calisto were actually ever in love. I think that in "Celestina," the word love it thrown around a lot, and used falsely. No character ever loved truly; they lust one another. I believe that all of the characters do not know what love really is and in order to just name how they feel about the person, they call it love. I think that Melibea does committ suicide because of the death of her "lover," but I think that she does realize that her love was not true. I think that she knows that she did not love him, but lusted him, for which she feels guilty and commits suicide. Love is fake in "Celestina." Every character falls in love with the image of their partner and does not end up finding true love within them.
6. Melibea is fighting between the matriarchal and the patriarchal society throughout the whole story. She was constantly trying to maintain her position as an innocent virgin woman, but could not fight off Calisto as her lover. This says that society is not very accepting of different standards and ways in which women have the right to live their lives. Melibea was not allowed to live in the world that she wanted because she was constantly fighting the double standard in society.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Celestina Act 12-17
MELIBEA: "No animal is so tame that it doesn't turn fierce when its young are threatened. What would they have done if they'd known I had gone out?"
I thought that this quote by Melibea was very interesting. It is a little bit of the teenage angst and need to rebel against her family. In this short passage, she has to pretend that she is Lucrecia in order to hide from her parents and sleeping with Calisto. I thought that this was a very interesting and "teen-like" quote where she is rebelling against her parents and wonders what they would do if they knew what she was really up to. It is a common case of a teen rebelling against their parents and wondering what the consequences would be if they actually found out what they were doing behind their backs. This quote portrays Melibea in a very interesting and juvenile light where she is tricking her parents to sleep with Calisto. It tells a lot of about her naive character and what she would do in order to have sex with her "true love."
1. In Calisto's soliloquy in Act XIV reflects his happiness of having sex with Melibea. Although he may be ashamed of how happy he is that he had sex with Melibea, he does not scold himself for it. His desire if completely in lust and not in love, but I believe that he understands that. He is disillusioned by the sex that he wants from Melibea.
I thought that this quote by Melibea was very interesting. It is a little bit of the teenage angst and need to rebel against her family. In this short passage, she has to pretend that she is Lucrecia in order to hide from her parents and sleeping with Calisto. I thought that this was a very interesting and "teen-like" quote where she is rebelling against her parents and wonders what they would do if they knew what she was really up to. It is a common case of a teen rebelling against their parents and wondering what the consequences would be if they actually found out what they were doing behind their backs. This quote portrays Melibea in a very interesting and juvenile light where she is tricking her parents to sleep with Calisto. It tells a lot of about her naive character and what she would do in order to have sex with her "true love."
1. In Calisto's soliloquy in Act XIV reflects his happiness of having sex with Melibea. Although he may be ashamed of how happy he is that he had sex with Melibea, he does not scold himself for it. His desire if completely in lust and not in love, but I believe that he understands that. He is disillusioned by the sex that he wants from Melibea.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)