SRSLY

Did someone mess with my computer??? A lot of words on my computer get the red squiggly underline with the American spelling but one I Britishize (or Britishise) them they are un-underlined. I swear I'm not being a pretentious Brit wannabe. I think someone is playing a joke on me =( Bloody computer.

Abigail Adams

Abigail Adams was born to a Puritan family in Weymouth, MA, just outside of Boston, on 11 November 1744. Abigail's father was a minister and the family was arguably well respected in the community. As a child Abigail was educated, but never attended school as it was customary for women to receive their education at home. The Adamses introduced their children to literature, history and foreign language. Edith B. Gelles, author of A Writing Life, writes that Abigail was a fan of Shakespeare but a critic of Moliere. Gelles also suggests that Abigail had an exceptional education for her time, but Abigail's letters are evidence of her informal education as they lack consistent grammar, spelling and punctuation. Letters to her husband are Abigail's legacy (women were not typically published in her time). While her husband, John Adams, was away in Philadelphia and abroad, they exchanged letters of love and politics. Abigail's letters show her "feminist" bent, as well as her concerns about slavery and religion. It is said that Abigail greatly influenced her husband's political career and was even regarded as "Mrs. President" while her husband was commander-in-chief. One of Abigail's sons was also president. Abigail Adams died 28 October, 1818 from typhoid fever.

Probably the most well-known letter that Abigail wrote to John is the one which reads "remember the ladies." In the letter, Abigail asks her husband to "remember the ladies" while he is in Philadelphia drafting the constitution. She writes of the differences in male and female education, efforts in the war, womens' subordination, and male titles of "master." Thomas Jefferson and Abigail Adams also conversed about the power differentials between men and women, and Jefferson responded that women actually hold more power over men than men do over women... Anyway... this is the last time any surviving correspondence between John and Abigail Adams contains the issue of women receiving governmental representation. The letter is related to issues of the time because it directly and indirectly addresses the issue of slavery and subjection to a master. It also addresses the issue of equality of individuals.

Gelles also makes an interesting point about the mode of communication that is letter writing. She describes the 18th century as "the golden age of letter writing." According to Gelles, letters are meant to create a certain intimacy between its writer and reader. One very important thing to note about letter writing is that it allowed the author to fully develop an idea or feeling that would be inhibited by conversation. Gelles says, "There are no discursive interruptions to writing, so a letter serves a mediative function in which ideas may grow and flourish creatively."

*The letters are not exclusive to her husband. Adams writes to friends and politicians as well (ones that would have been friends of the family, like Jefferson, for example).

If I applied to graduate school tomorrow...

Would you rather... apply to graduate school tomorrow or apply for a job tomorrow?

Both are equally terrifying.

Right now, I'm going to try to find a job. Edit that- I AM GOING TO FIND A JOB. A job that I love and I kick butt in at the same time.

To be a good sport, though, I'll play both cards of the game. If I had to apply to graduate school tomorrow I would either do public health or something in history or literature to further my Protestantism and the Scientific Revolution topic. Our research project for Colloquium has really piqued my interest. I think there is SO MUCH MORE to be done with the Protestant and scientific revolution thing. The intersection of religion and science (or religion and learning or religion and the world) is truly fascinating. I think that every religion and its position toward science and learning would be a very interesting relationship to study.

The research I have done on my chosen topic (Francis Bacon included), has been very enlightening. I have learned so much more about about history and literature. It's like eating the soup that Milo eats in The Phantom Tollbooth, when you eat the soup it makes you hungrier (some kind of fraction soup or maybe exponents or something). I think two of the most interesting things I have learned about are the boom in botany (English gardens in particular) and the religious fervour that drove science. I have also learned much more about theology than I ever desired. The whole research process has been exciting also. I honestly skipped down the aisles the in the Hesburgh library when I found some legitimate and helpful resources. It was not just exciting because I like my topic(s), but I was excited to find a few other people that had thought about the same thing I did. When I found books that encompassed the relationship between Protestantism and the Scientific Revolution I felt like I was validated, like I am onto something. It made me feel a little bit smart too. When I was with my family for Thanksgiving I stayed back at the house to read and write my annotations. My brother was studying too (gearing up for his clinicals and even giving me my Enbrel injection!) and I would pop into his room every half hour or so with another early modern english Baconian physico-teleological factoid that he really didn't care about but excited me. At least he shared in my humour when I laughed about the noble quality of gardening because plants were seen as "asexual" creatures that don't submit to their passions... (Harrison's "Adam in the Garden"). That was comical.

I wish I would have started this assignment last year. I went frequented a lot of Royal Botanic Gardens this summer and strutted past the Royal Society on the mall. Ah! I just breezed right by my "mecca" for this assignment without even batting an eye! I could spit on the roof of the British Library from my flat (which says a lot about the luxury quotient of my residence). At least I went to the Wellcome Center and saw their medical history exhibit. It would have been so exciting to discover the world of Bacon when I was in London. Let's all keep our fingers crossed that someone at S&S gets pregnant or fired so that a position opens up for me! Muahaha Okay I'm kidding about the pregnancy and firing (maybe just a little bit).

Anyway I have truly enjoyed working on my research project and think that it has been valuable. I wish I could really see my project come to fruition via a much more developed paper. That is why I say that if I had to go to apply to graduate school tomorrow I would apply to some history or literature program to really cultivate my project. I really believe that this topic has so much more potential to be realised.

PS If you are noticing that some of my words have an odd spelling it's because there must be some UK English setting on this thing. It underlined "realized" but leaves "realised" untouched. It also underlines "fervor" but thinks "fervour" is kosher. I don't remember checking any box for UK English but whatevs.

John Adams

My oldest brother graduated with a degree in History. I asked him what is his favorite time period to study, and he said that it was either WWII or the French Revolution. We got to talking about the French Revolution and then of course stumbled onto American soil. I told him about my biography project and he knew exactly who Abigail Adams is/was! I was so impressed. I am reading a biography of Mrs. Adams right now and it contains a large portion of her letters. Jeff continued to talk about the Adamses, he even owns the whole HBO series which I intend to steal sometime soon, and I got to thinking about what kinds of letters did not survive. Abigail concludes many letters with a 'burn after reading' type of comment. So what kinds of things did she think about and write about to her husband that we have no knowledge of now? There could have been something quite fascinating that disappeared. Isn't it interesting to think about all the documents that could piece together history of which we now have no trace? For example, if divers drafts of the constitution did not survive, we would not know that the abolition of slavery was initially considered. How would the discovery of a new letter or draft of the constitution or a diary or a treatise or a novel or a business transaction or whatever change the way we view history?

Othello

Has anyone ever heard of the board game 'Othello?' While we visiting family over Thanksgiving break we had a game night at a relative's house and I saw a board game that had to be purchased 2o years ago. It was called 'Othello' and was a game about black and white tiles, and I can't remember exactly what the tag-line was on the box but it said something like "black one minute... white the next..." and it takes a second to learn but "a lifetime to master."I can't find that old box online, but Amazon says "Othello is a game where not all is Black and White. The lead can change hands from play to play and strategy is everything. Play is simple. Players are represented by either Black or White discs on the board..."

Family

At some point in the reading last night, it dawned on me that Equiano spent most of his life as a lone drifter, a pseudo free-agent, without family. Reading his accounts of purchasing freedom, having it denied, being flogged unjustifiably, transferring jobs/masters, losing friends/masters, and finding his faith made me think about how dire situations make a person turn to their family for support. I thought about his separation from his sister... What would I possibly do if I was ripped from my family and never saw them again? Where would I turn if my money was stolen and I had nowhere to live? It is remarkable to me that Equiano and other slaves in his position were able to survive. I think his lack of a family unit was the catalyst for his faith journey. Equiano turned to religion when he had no one else. There were some people that he was close to and formed an attachment, but nothing that resembled a constant, unconditional familial bond.

The insane and the wicked

We have talked about the dangers of le theatre before, and and Francoise de Graffigny seems to find danger on the stage as well. In letter sixteen, she writes (or Zilia);
"They took me to a place where they enact, rather like in your palace, the actions of men who are no more, but with this difference: we evoke the memory of only the wisest and most virtuous, I think that here they celebrate only the insane and the wicked. Those who represent these figures rage and storm about like madmen; I have seen one take his fury so far that he killed himself."
My first reaction to this letter is - Did the actor really kill himself or was he such a good actor that he fooled Zilia. Then, I think about what kind of plays she might have seen, maybe some Moliere. If I had never seen a play or movie before, what kind of people and actions do I think should be represented and displayed for the public? Probably wise and virtuous ones to help spread wisdom and virtue. But, are comedies done so that the representations of vice lead men to their virtue (enlightenment reader?)? It makes me wonder what is worth celebrating via performance, and how does it vary from culture to culture?

Industry and the Way to Wealth, of Luxury

Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston. He worked as a printer for his brother's paper, taking over the publication after his brother was thrown in jail for criticizing Puritan preachers. He eventually fled to Philadelphia where he also worked as an apprentice printer. Franklin spent several years in England after embarking on a trip to get printing supplies. After returning from the 'Mother land,' Franklin set up a print shop and eventually a general store and bookstore. He produced one illegitimate child before marrying. Franklin bought and contributed to The Pennsylvania Gazette. He also wrote Poor Richard's Almanac under the pen-name Richard Saunders. The almanac is famous for witty phrases like, "The sleeping fox catches no poultry," "He that lives upon hope will die fasting," "A penny saved is a penny earned," "Plough deep while Sluggards sleep, and you shall have corn to sell and to keep." Many people know Franklin for his inventions and investigations like the creation of bi-focal lenses, experiments with electricity (the kite experiment), the creation of the first library in the U.S. and several hospitals among many other accomplishments. Benjamin Franklin is probably best known for his contribution to the Declaration of Independence. For a long time, Franklin was a proud Englishman, but corruption of officials in the colonies and and England drove Franklin to form a union of the colonies. Franklin also wrote treatise against slavery.

Industry and the Way to Wealth

Benjamin Franklin writes of industry as a "means of obtaining wealth and distinction." According to him, one must live a spotless life, as much as possible and work on eliminating bad habits and faults. This, he says, will make someone more successful in obtaining wealth and industry. Franklin named 13 virtues to be employed by someone seeking to be "diligent in [their] calling."

"1. temperance- eat not to dullness: drink not to elevation

2. silence- speak not but what may benefit others or yourself, avoid trifling conversation

3. order- let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time

4. resolution- resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve

5. frugality- make no expense but to do good to others or yourself, i.e., waste nothing

6. industry- lose no time; be always employed in something useful, cut off all unnecessary actions

7. sincerity- use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly

8. moderation- avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve

10. cleanliness- tolerate no uncleanliness in body, clothes, or habitation

11. tranquility- be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable

12. chastity- rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dullness, weakness, or the injury or your own or another's peace or reputation

13. humility- imitate Jesus and Socrates

Franlin gives an example of the order of his day, noting that not all of these virtues can be tended to at once.

5-6- the morning: rise, wash and address Powerful Goodness, contrive day's business, and take the resolution of the day; prosecute the present study, and breakfast. Question- What good shall I do this day?

7-11- work

12-1- read, or overlook my accounts, and dine

2-5- work

6-8- put things in their places. Supper. Music or diversions, or conversation. Examination fo the day. Question- What good have I done today?

10-4- night: sleep

It is clear that Franklin uses a methodical structure to organize his daily activities so that he is always productive, and focuses on doing good.

Franklin sees idleness as very problematic, for it produces no good. If you are not working (idle) you will be in want and will not always act honestly as, "it is hard for an empty sack to stand upright." The second passage of Franklin's section in the Enlightenment Reader discusses the heavy taxation at the time, but says, "We are taxed twice as much by our idleness, three times as much by our pride, and tour times as much by our folly... God help them that help themselves." The point is that industrious will be able to provide for themselves, but those that fall to idleness and folly create disease, starve and will remain in a state of want. Franklin's daily method is used to insure productivity, sufficiency and to ward off faults. The second excerpt is peppered with one-liners and proverbs taken from Poor Richard. I know I have given many quotes in this summary, but I think they are more potent that any regurgitation I might be able to give. The last quote I give is a great one to meditate on given everything we are/have been discussing in HUST 461 and 463

" If you were a servant, would you not be ashamed that a good Master should catch you idle? Are you then your own Master, be ashamed to catch yourself idle..."

Of Luxury
by David Hume

In this essay, Hume says that the age of the Enlightenment (not the term he used, of course) was one of great thinkers as well as commercial and skilled workers. He says that the two go 'hand in hand.' Hume argues that industry, knowledge and humanity are irrevocably linked. The demand for luxuries in a society make the people of that society labor for them, otherwise they would "sink into indolence, lose all enjoyment of life, and are useless to the public." Refinement of the arts enables other industries to prosper. Hume lists "laws, order, police, discipline" as things that would not operate perfectly if human reason has not been exercised. Refinements further civilizations from barbarity, and make people milder or less severe. Hume argues that "progress in the arts" is conducive to a free government. He says that "unpolished" lands focus on agricultural work and submit to slavery and subjection, while nations with luxury and commerce allow the poor to become rich and independent along with the benefits of the tradesman and merchants.
"Curiosity allures the wise, vanity the foolish, and pleasure both."

Discussion Questions:

Do Franklin's ideas about industry and the way to wealth reflect the Enlightenment attitudes we have discussed so far? How?

Do you think Franklin's location (America) effects his ideas about wealth and industry? How?

Do you agree with Hume that refinements in the arts remove communities farther from barbarianism?

Oroonoko

I'm still confused as to why Behn wrote this story. Like many other texts we have encountered, Behn assures the reader that she really was in locality described and talked to the characters about whom she writes. What I don't understand is her motivation. Why does she urge the reader to take her seriously because she was there, but then tell a story about a man that did not exist?

My simple conclusion is that she wanted to sell. She was capitalizing on current interests. Like the vampire craze we are seeing in contemporary times (yes, I did a lot of work on vampire books this summer), Behn was writing about something she knew was 'hot.' The discovery of new people and new worlds was probably something that interested most Western Europeans of colonizing nations. This wasn't just a descriptive account, however, she used the formula for success: powerful and attractive people + romance + deception + tragedy + action = readership from multiple audiences. Another reason I think she was itching to sell, or at least the publisher, was the printing job... We talked about the Improper Use Of Capital Letters and italics, suggesting that there was More of A Focus on getting it printed than Getting it Right.

I could totally be wrong, though.

Condillac and Cleland

Etienne Bonnot de Condillac was a French philosopher and abbe (member of clergy). He wrote the Treatise on the Sensations in 1784 , in line with Locke's idea that all of human experience and knowledge is based on sensation, or that "the processes of the mind could be broken down into original units of sensation." Unlike Locke, Condillac believed that all knowledge is "transformed sensation" and does not provide intuitive knowledge.

Condillac was ordained a Roman Catholic priest and was a member of the Parisian philosophical and intellectual communities, like the French Academy. Condillac also wrote "Essay on the Origin of Human Knowledge," "Treatise on Systems," "Commerce and Government Considered in Relation to One Another." He kept his religious fervor in through the Enlightenment.

Treatise on the Sensations

by Etienne Bonnot de Condillac

Condillac writes that all human cognitions stem from the senses, the primary being touch. He then states that from our sensations we get a feeling of pleasure or pain, creating an impression of our experiences. This impression or judgment is removed from the initial sensation, and makes life more varied. Each person, argues Condillac, has different judgments or impressions and therefore a different life experience. A person will acquire new experiences and sensations, they will find them either pleasurable or painful, and search for others. He says that we are thence the sum of our experiences.

An important piece of the Treatise regards the issue of pleasure or enjoyment. Condillac says "to live is to enjoy, and life is much longer for him who knows how to multiply the objects of his enjoyment." We will also find enjoyment through "memory, imagination, reflexion, passions and hope" in addition to the senses. This is related to the impression and judgment points and the desire to seek more pleasurable experiences.

Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure

by John Cleland

Although I argue that this excerpt is essentially a pornographic publication, I think it is included in the Enlightenment Reader because this fictitious account of a sexual conquest is all about sensations of pleasure and pain. It is related to the Enlightenment mode of the search for pleasure. What I think is interesting about this piece, is that it is written by a man, but from the viewpoint of a woman. It is obviously written from a male perspective though, as it is clear to see his desire for power- power over a woman, power to give her pleasure and pain, and concerned with issues of endowment which is the source of this power to give/receive pleasure and pain. I think it is also written from a female point of view to attribute base desires and the search for sexual pleasure to a woman.

I suggest you read this on your own, because I doubt that there is much need to cover it in class or a tactful way of doing it...

Discussion Questions
Is it surprising that Condillac says "for to live is to enjoy, and life is much longer for him who knows how to multiply the objects of his enjoyment" considering his role in the Church?

Does Condillac account for the reasons (or ways in which) why judgments and impressions are made, how or an experience is deciphered?

Why does Cleland write in the voice of a woman? What does it do for the text? for the reader? What does it say about Cleland?

To sin in private is not to sin at all

Tartuffe seems to be on par with the obsession with ocular proof we saw in Othello. For Tartuffe, it seems that it does not matter whether one sins or not, but whether or not the public sees it. This naturally leads into a discussion of masks and appearance and who he really is or who you really are.
Someone once told me that perception is reality. This person happened to be someone of prominent status in my hometown (I know, big freaking deal) and ended up needing to leave his job after certain revelations came about of his personal life... I never liked the man and knew that perception wasn't reality- his high profile and respected job didn't fool me, I knew the guy was shady. But for a long time, his mask worked. This also reminds me of Bernie Madoff, a man who wore the mask of successful and respectable and trustworthy businessman... And then I am flooded with numerous examples of the mask-wearers that populate our world. And then I wonder how many more are out there? I think we all wear masks, sometimes we might not even know it.
Is it always bad to wear a mask? What about when I have an interview and "sell myself" with my "confidence" and total assurance that I can definitely handle this job? Is that bad? Or when I put on a happy face for someone, when I really know that their situation is only headed for rock-bottom? That's a mask, but is it okay?
Tartuffe wears a mask that represents many people... Moliere's work is a critique of everyone- he makes fun of us all that wear masks, and when we are fooled by them...
Have I gotten too cynical?

All the cool kids are doing it.

Have you heard? The latest trend among our youth is staying in on Saturday nights to obsess over papers.

So what exactly do these students obsess over on the weekend? A select few wander around the internet to stumble upon fabulous websites, like BBC4 and drool over the network that did not set sail with the Puritans (okay, well maybe because televisions and radios were not yet in existence). Anyway, they find super cool spots like this one about Sir Francis Bacon and think that their friends might find sites like these an interesting supplement to the classroom.

Schweet
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/history/empire/episodes/episode_17.shtml

Sarah Gunn, a senior at Saint Mary's College in Notre Dame, Ind., said, "Fawesome. Look at the quiz on the side. It's mos def for HUSTlas."

Hopefully she'll take an English spelling and grammar class before graduation.

Interactive timeline- really cool, relates to cultural history very well http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/history/empire/map/

I am just falling in love with Bacon! Firstly, I like his scientific thought process. Secondly "In 1576 Bacon began reading law at Gray’s Inn." I like this because I worked at 222 GRAY'S INN ROAD LONDON WC1X 8HB. FIRST FLOOR. DIFFERENT CUBICLE EVERY DAY. That is an address I will never forget. Ironically, I do not eat bacon. Or any pig products.

Let's Play the Blame Game!

Pointing fingers is my favorite activity. Boy oh boy, do I love to judge!

Since we've got to attribute the fall to something and someone had to succumb to temptation, let's talk about Eve. She did eat the forbidden fruit because that sneaky little snake told her to... she did have that awful dream beforehand and Adam warned her and the angel (Raphael?) even told Adam that Eve was of a lower intellect and she was great for lookin' but he'd better step up his lovin' to a more spiritual level... so basically I think Milton is telling us that it's sort of Eve's fault.

Go back to book 8 round line 499- "And they shall be one flesh, one heart, one soul." Adam even watched with his 'internal eye' the creation of Eve from his own damn body. So since she came from him and is a piece and image of him who is the image of God and they are one flesh, heart and soul are they both to blame? Shouldn't Adam be equally at fault? Is her utter stupidity a reflection of his? Was the source of the problem in Adam? Or God who created them?

Oh Milton, you spin my head right round right round.

Pandemonium- (a.k.a. story of my life)

Okay I know that the modern definition of pandemonium is not the same as that of the Greek word and the name of the palace of the fallen angels in Paradise Lost, but I thought that was a funny and eye catching little title.



ANYHOOOO

After our discussion today in cultural history I was a little more attuned to the possible meaning of lines 670-700ish. The fallen angels decide to plunder a hill for its precious metals and minerals and build a giant palace-like structure. I was thinking that maybe this is referring to Spain's plunderous endeavours. We talked about Spain's mercantilistic thinking- they desired to attain as much of the $$metal$$ as po$$ible. Of course those wretched gold diggers were Catholic- which is not quite pleasing to our reformed Milton (just look at his portrait- he's not a label-lover by the way that he dresses, clearly reformed).


Around line 690 we read that no one should "admire that riches grow in hell" and learn that "those who boast in mortal things" and some "greatest monuments of fame" are rejected by God. Is this an indirect slam at the Catholic Spain and its exploits?

As my good friend Rachel would say, "Humdinger."

Torture by Coffee Article

This article has been killing me by name-dropping different London neighborhoods- Westminster, Charing Cross, St. Paul's, Chancery, and best of all Covent Garden (delicious market). Of course I am reading it while downing my first Starbucks doubleshot of the day. I never knew that London "consumed more coffee than anywhere else on Earth" at one point in time. I thought that the coffee wave needed to crash on London, but apparently it did a long time ago. Gloomy and gray, London would be greatly enhanced by coffee I thought. To be honest, the coffee house I frequented most was Starbucks on the corner of Pentonville and Gray's Inn, or Clerkenwell, because there weren't too many places to get a decent cup besides Pret... The drink is now tea so obviously something has happened in the course of history where the market shifted from coffee to tea. I don't know for sure, but I bet it has something to do with the stretching of the British colonies to places like India and other tea infused territories. All I really know is that several times a day one of your coworkers will ask you if you fancy a cup of tea because no one else is keen to get an iced coffee- if they even know that exists.

ANYWAY, enough of my rattling on about how I obviously miss my time at S&S. The really juicy- or shall I say soberintoxicating- part of the article is about the function of coffee-houses. These "vibrant and often unreliable sources of information" served as discussion places where one could stay abreast of the most current developments in a wide range of fields. What's most interesting to me is that "in theory, coffeehouses were public places, open to any man (since women were excluded, at least in London)...Patrons were expected to respect certain rules that did not apply in the outside world. According to custom, social differences were to be left at the coffeehouse door; in the words of one contemporary rhyme, 'Gentry, tradesmen, all are welcome hither and may without affront sit down together.'
...
'Coffeehouses were centers of self-education, literary and philosophical speculation, commercial innovation, and, in some cases, political fermentation. But above all they were clearing houses for news and gossip, linked by the circulation of customers, publications, and information from one establishment to the next."

I guess what really gets my womanly emotions going into overdrive about this is that all were welcome and social differences were to be checked at the door. Clearly, this is not so. What's especially interesting is that these establishments were breeding centers for gossip- a hideously female act. Okay, so maybe the breakdown of social fences actually did happen, since gossiping must have made men degenerate and 'turn' and become effeminate. Oh yeah, this makes sense, women did spend time in coffeehouses because by all of the gossiping that the men did turned them into women... so it was open to all...

HUSTers on TV

I just thought I'd let you all know that there is a show on PBS tonight called "Killer Stress." Apparently, it is a documentary of Humanistic Studies majors at Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame, IN. I wish I could watch it, but I'm going to be stressing out about the Sun King instead. Someone fill me in about it.

celtic boston

I just had a little thought while I was reading about the beginnings of Boston and Cambridge. Does Boston have so much Irish pride because, like the Puritans, the Irish were escaping the wretched English and they sailed to the new world? Or is it coincidence? Because it could definitely be coincidental.

OH GEEEEEZ
And now we know who to thank for commencing the drudging of the east coast waterways. My brother will curse Dudley the next time he gives a marine bio lecture... Oh Dudley, what hath you done to ruin the natural life-cycles of veligers and filter feeders in the water column and encourage future invasive species...

John Smith seeing "stones" of oysters

No Nopey's allowed in HUST!

Does anyone remember how Gumby used to be able to ride his bike straight into the cover of a book and instantly be in the story? That's exactly what I wish I could do. Reading about the adventure of the Puritans sailing to what becomes the United States and Anne Bradstreet's experience, as awful as it may have been, makes me really really really wish I could see it and feel it. The most exciting part of reading a book is putting myself in it, and getting genuinely caught up in the story. I think that our readings are a Gumby-like experience, since we do have to put ourselves in the story to understand it, but I think it would be truly awesome to just jump right into the pages and live amongst its characters. One major positive effect of being able to jump into the story is that I would be able to form a new and different account of what happened- so that the story of the every day person, woman and child could be revealed...

I think what fascinates me most about the Anne Bradstreet reading is that it's completely different from what I previously knew about the Puritan conquest of the new world. I always thought that the Puritans came here in search of freedom when really they thought freedom was contrary to fulfilling God's will. There was no freedom to be anything other than a devout and pious Puritan. Besides learning about the actual Puritan mindset I am also excited to learn about the origins of my own country! It is interesting to think about the American idea of manifest destiny and conquering land and capitalism... and where these tendencies originated.

My fantasy, Gumby stuck on books...

On a completely different note- I saw an advert for the Joffrey Ballet performing Othello. I would be interested in seeing this if anyone else would be interested also.

Love at first word

From the first sentence of Bacon's essay on travel, I was hooked.

"Travel, in the younger sort, is a part of education; in the elder, a part of experience."

I could not agree with Bacon more on the importance of travel. Traveling is as beneficial to education as reading a book or taking a class. It teaches with lessons, takes us outside of our comfort zones, and forces us to think. In my travel experiences I have been forced to think about how history has shaped the world and still leaves an imprint. It forces me to think about how my life and the culture I grew up in are unique or connected in some ways to others. Traveling makes me realize how little I actually know, and how much I have yet to learn.

For Bacon, traveling is a part of a scientific theory. He sees travel as comprised of observation, interpretation and reflection. Even though his travels were fabricated, he used travel as a way to express his ideas about the world and the way it should be- or at least the way it could be. I also believe that the travel experience should include observation, interpretation and reflection... maybe not for the purpose of thinking about how the would should be, but how it is (outside of our own small parts of the world) and how we as people/students/women fit into it, AND how we can positively contribute to it...

Basically, I love travel, and I think it is one of the greatest ways to become a more well-rounded and conscious person. It has certainly added many great things to my life and enhanced my state of being (as well as brought HUST to life!)

Okay this was really cheesy. Choc it up to the 'roids for making me emotional.

Believe it or not

Google Sir Francis Bacon's death...

ORIGIN Middle English : via French from Latin locus 'place.'

lieu
in lieu
lieutenant

Lieu seems to occupy a special place in the heart of 17th century Europe. I have noticed the root lieu in several different places throughout our current readings. Iago was very concerned with the lieutenant position and several primary sources in the Military Life and Masculinity section stressed the important of the lieutenant's position. I realized the origin of the word after reading from our Othello book that the lieutenant fills in for the captain- does work in lieu of the captain. King James is also fond of the word when he says that the King is God's lieutenant...

So what's this fixation of lieu all about? It must have something to do with place and filling in the gaps. It seems that there is a need to orientate everything and everyone with each-other. There must be order. There must be rank. There's an obsession with status and place. It is interesting to think about the order social stratosphere of England (and Europe, but mainly England) in the context of our readings and England today. Some of my summer reading discussed England's obsession with status, the country still idolizes the exclusive 2% of its population that fits into the category of noble lineage and inherited titles. Duke This Duchess That Earl of Here Princess of There Sir Him Lady That... and then there's everyone else who is from N7 SW19 went to this Public School (which is actually private over there) and sends their child to That Secondary School is a member of Club ABC. I guess the point that I'm trying to make is that there was a preoccupation with keeping everything organized and understandable. Everyone had to fit a label or remain in their place, I guess, for an ease of operation and understanding. Like this- I am 'A' and she is 'B' so I know how I am supposed to work with her to fulfill 'X.' So is this why they were so terrified of turning? Would the Turks disrupt there neatly arranged society and plans? Is this how they justified their conquering and turning of other lands? I'm not sure, but I think there's something going on with keeping everyone in their proper place.

I also find it curious that the English were terrified of having done unto them what they did unto others. Oh dear, the Turks are coming. What did the Scottish, Irish, and native Americans have to say?

Otto

No, I'm not cretin. I shouted out that Syracuse was related to Prince William of Orange for this very comical reason:

FINALLY I have been converted.

Black magic has been cast upon me, for I have fallen under the spell of Shakespeare. As you might recall (if you posses an eerily accurate memory) I blogged last semester about my ambivalence toward WilS. But oh how O changed all that.

I realized how densely each line is packed with hidden meaning and cleverly produced imagery/similes/descriptions/etc. While reading O with Meghan, I kept screeching about the dreadful Iago and his poor manipulated "friends." It was probably like watching a soap opera addict shout at the tv from his/her couch. It's not just WilS's flowery writing that caught me, but all of the plot and underlying themes (of which I was cognizant) that sucked me in. Why had I not succumbed to the greatness that is Shakespeare before?

It was during a discussion with my brother's girlfriend (a HUGE Shakespeare fan herself) that I had another epiphany. First of all, I had only read Shakespeare in high school and in Colloquium I. High school just doesn't count. In the case of Colloquium I, we read his sonnets... and here's where Katie helped me out. She said that she liked his plays better than his sonnets, and I realized that maybe I needed a longer version of a Shakespearian work to draw me in. Don't get me wrong, the sonnets are beautiful in their own right, but an entire play can really develop a storyline and characters with the effect of prolonging my interest and intrigue. So, maybe it was suspense I was lacking in the sonnets. Maybe I need to read more to be truly entertained. HA! Who'da thunk?

Now, I want to revisit the sonnets with my new eyeglasses crafted of Shakespearian lenses. This might seem trivial and base to some readers, but this is a big deal to me. I have encountered a major turning point in my literary life. It's as if I have discovered a new world and I cannot keep myself from exploring it and extracting its gems and jewels... oh how coincidental!

Their women toil incessantly.

I am not actually going to speak about anything related to my title of this post really, I just thought it was an interesting little line. An eye-catcher, if you will.

The thing I love about studying history and literature and the fabulous combination that makes hust HUST is trying to really get myself into the story or the time period. I love to imagine what the world of the author was really like. In the case of Relacion I thought about the men trudging around what is now Galveston, walking through swamps and sand, and feeling the burn of too many kisses from the sun. And then I thought about what that was really like. There weren't any condos or beach huts where the men could retire. They couldn't go to the local chemist (that's an internship in Britain for ya) to stock up on sunblock and aloe vera. There wasn't a Payless Shoes in sight. I then thought of Prof. Donahue's comment about being able to fly from one spot in the U.S. to another and still have many things in common with the people on the other coast, like the same language and tv shows. This was of course not at all true in the case of Nunez Cabeza de Vaca. Not only were the different "indigenous" tribes each unique, but even the Christianized Europeans were very different kinds of people (at least in this account). I'm not really sure where I'm going with this, other than saying that I really like trying to figure out what it was like to live in a world without the internet and television and magazines and newspapers and airplanes and interstates and starbucks and wal mart...

Just for fun
The term "indian" in the text reminded me of a very heated argument I had with my brother when I was still in the barbie phase. My brother and I got into a fight about whether my Pocahontus doll was Indian or Native American. It's a funny story, but it of course leads to a question. Why, after finding out that "indians" are not Indian, did the term stick for so long?

So basically

Y'all have been giving updates on your summers and I did not provide you the entertainment you so rightly deserve with stories of my summer. Here's what you need to know:

BEST time of my life working at Simon & Schuster. Best co-workers imaginable, lovely city, and truly good food (scratch what you heard, London and Britain do have tasty plates). I absolutely loved my workweeks at S&S and walking around the city after work. I also loved my weekends when I would hop a train to the countryside or a flight to the highlands (shout-out to the homeland) and spend hours wandering a city or a countryside with "trails"- which I found out were not trails at all but mere suggestions at some points in time...

WORST date of my life. His name was David and he was a cell-biologist from Kensington. I think that's sufficient.

LOVED pretty much everything about my experience in London except for my room that had absolutely no ventilation on the 16th floor. I also loved hanging out with Rachel Piontek, a poli-sci and religious studies major from SMC. I think we can both agree that our very long day at Wimbledon was the best day of our lives.

I have no way of summing up my experience on this blog and it's making me dizzy anyway so we'll talk later about my time in WC1X 8HB.
That's me in the editorial library at S&S. Photo credit- Rory Scarfe. All I have to say is that when he took my pictures he always said "ehh" and squished his face around. He was of course very kind when he said it wasn't that I took a bad picture, but that he is a bad photographer. Thanks, Rory, my self-esteem is sky high.

oh, and you can see my pics on facebook.

Across the pond!

Hello everyone...

I made it to the U.K last wednesday (barely- I was detained for about 30 minutes because of my visa).

I will start my travel blog now.

I am tired and showering and going to bed, then, when I settle in London I will actually write a travel blog. If you're lucky, it will be very Mandevellian =)

Cheeeeeeers!

study break and serious reflection

So right now I am blogging as a study break, but I was sparked to blog because my mind wandered to other things related to HUST and the summer ahead of me.

I found out a few days ago that I was placed at Simon & Schuster for my internship.

Here they are!

I will be involved in many aspects of the publishing process, from reviewing manuscripts to editing to publicity. The major requirement for interns is "a love of literature." I certainly have that, but what else can I bring to the table with my experience as a HUST major?

First of all, I have a little more to offer than being a spellchecker and grammar patroller (although I think I can still brush up in these are as). From our HUST courses, I inquire about the voice and narrative frame of a text. I think about what the style of the work means or says about the author. I read into the deeper messages an author is conveying (for example, a view of women!). I assess the influence of culture on a piece of work. I consider the effects of translation, ahhhhh... I don't take everything at face value, like an editors position or "factual evidence"- for example, Marty's explanation that Luther's surplus adipose tissue was because he was German... and drank brats and beer or whatever that lame-o argument was. In classic HUST fashion, I examine the little pieces to understand how they make the whole. Unlike my last sentence, I don't speak in generalizations bu t back myself up with specific facts. And most importantly, I'm not afraid of a challenge! We should all be paninis by now since we're grilled from top to bottom. Each day I come into class thinking I'm prepared, and then the professor asks something I hadn't yet though about. We're always put on the spot and forced to think on our feet. We can hold a profound conversation because we talk with lit and history geniuses every day.

So, while I'm definitely nervous and anxious about being an exceptional intern this summer, I know I'm prepared and that HUST has given me an excellent foundation to go off into the professional world. God, I'm so cheesy, but I'm being honest!

And I'm excited, for 2 months I have my dream job =) As long as I'm not a bloody imbecile and pull a Bridget Jones too often. This summer is going to be brilliant =) =) =)

Also, I think the fact that St. Mary's alumna Adriana Trigiani will have an "Author's Appearance", as she is one of S&S's best selling writers, is a good omen. How awesome would it be if I'm able to work in that publicity event. O-M-G!!!

Did you notice that we even have the same hair?!?!


Okay, I'll stop stalking her now and being a total creep.

Whatcha talkin bout Shakespeare?

I guess the reason I have never been swept up in Shakespeare is because I don't understand him. While reading his sonnets, I was constantly asking "what is he talking about?" The structure of his phrases is of course confusing, but I want to know, is he talking about
a woman
a friend
a season
a flower
is he serious
is this sarcastic
is this honest
is the subject real
is this a code word for something else
a specific incident
his imagination

Sonnet 116 caught my attention. For all of the unstable ground I tripped on while reading his sonnets, his point seemed clear to me in this one. Love cannot be altered or changed - it is what it is. "Love's not time's fool..." I guess I would have to fall truly in love to find out if what he's saying is true. Do you believe that love is not time's fool? And if love is so stable, the ever fixed mark, why are relationships so frustrating? Is he saying that we are lost without love? Maybe, a frustrating relationship is devoid of real love...

IDK. I'll let you know if/when I find out.

straight up trippin

I have gone over my artistic statement about 68435687635739157 times trying to make sure I did it correctly. I think the more I went over it, the more I ruined it. I became so concerned with covering the points in our handout and not just expressing my purpose... It doesn't help to constantly stare at the computer screen, I think that melts my brain even more.

What is it about the artistic statement that has me straight trippin? (haha ok I know that's not how I talk but that's how I feel right now, reduced to base language) I think it's because I've only done several artistic statements before, and they have only been about one page in length. I also think I'm tripped up over the statement because the more I read through my work and review it, the less objective I become. It's like the paper lives in my mind, and I know exactly what I am trying to say, and it makes perfect sense to me, but I can't see it as it is written in black and white. It's like my brain auto-corrects what's on paper, and I can't objectively look at my it. This is why you always need a second set of eyes for editing, because they look at the paper exactly as it is written.

On a different note, when I was googling artistic statements, I came across a website that gave artists the objectives of an artistic statement. The usual suspects ensued..... what do I want to say? How is this different from other works of art? Why is this important? Why did I do this? But the really interesting part of the website was a quote that reads as follows

"Too much self-analysis lets the air out of your creative balloon." Edward Betts

Now, if that's not ironic because of the use of balloons, I don't know what is (remember I talked about a balloon theory in my presentation). And, it's interesting because it goes back to conversations we've had about expressing yourself in a dignified manner and not giving away too much information. I think the statement also touches on the fact that too much of anything, self-analysis in particular, can send you on a head trip. I found this quote on Nita's art blog.

Surprise Surprise!

For my second paper I am working with Cereta, which is shocking, I know. I am conversing with her as Petrarch did with Augustine in My Secret.

Thinking about the questions for her to ask me, and thinking about my responses has been quite a trip. It really requires a lot of self exploration, and not just pondering, but reeeaaallly questioning myself.

I find myself being quite self-conscious because I still want to present myself honorably, but I want to be truthful. I'm also trying to emulate Cereta's pretty style. I can't think of another word to describe her style, it just seems pretty to me. So this style-quest in a trip of it's own. I don't think Petrarch necessarily nailed Augustine's style or personality so I feel relieved thinking about that. Anyway, it's like going to psychotherapy because I'm thinking about my answers and then rethinking them and thinking is this really me or will this read well or is this right or is this how I want to sound and then of course just trying to put the right words in Cereta's mouth is arduous too.

In the name of self-analysis, I took a quiz on my level of confidence. My result is as follows

"YOUR RESULT: You are the queen of confidence.

You wrote the book on how to be confident. You are full speed ahead into your life quest, but just be sure it doesn't become over-confidence, which can be a turn-off."

hmm. Okay.

At any rate, I'm enjoying the assignment!

And on another note- I think I have the totally wrong Utopia book. Not that you can really have the wrong one, I mean there's probably only one Utopia written by a Thomas More, but mine is not the edition listed in the syllabus. My freaking fabulous seller never got the book to me and we conversed/argued back and forth and they ended up saying it was "lost or damaged during delivery." So I never got the right book and I bought the most readily available one and of course the page numbers don't match up, I don't know if the letters are the same, and Book I is twice as long as the amount of pages on the syllabus... Plus there are still a lot of middle English words and phrases that are quite distracting. It's not totally translated. But can I complain for buying a $5.95 paperback edition? I guess I just did.

woooww Luther wow

So much for that "encyclopedic" style of writing.  Chapter 3 offers a lot of details about Luther's sex life that I'm not quite sure would have made it into an encyclopedia... 

I find it interesting that Luther thinks that the act of making love is fulfilling God's wishes by procreating.  I am wondering if he decided that having sex with your spouse (or someone else's if yours is impotent) was a good thing to do because he was human and had the urge.  So many religious-focused people we have read about before have emphasized restraining physical desires while Luther is saying the opposite.  

This bio has taken a turn!  I can't say now that I'm attached, but it has definitely caught my attention and made me crinkle my face a time or two.  I never knew who the Lutheran church came from and this book is telling me things about the man that I would have never thought.  But I can't say it's a bad thing, it's important to know that people are human and have hemorrhoids and nocturnal emissions!  Seriously!

...okay I'm done I can't talk about that anymore eww...

Boring Bio!

This biography of Martin Luther virtually puts me to sleep.  I think it is the most effective sleep aid I've ever used.  I was at first excited to read a biography.  Normally I find them exciting and illuminating, but this one does not fit into that exciting bio category.  It makes me wonder, what makes a biography a good read?  And in this case, what makes a biography a bad read?

I think a good biography has its own style.  The kind of biographies I like put me in the story somehow- they  make me feel the weather, smell what's in the air, go back to a certain time period etc.  A good biography really makes me tap into the subject's thoughts and emotions.  It gets me caught up in what he/she's thinking and doing.  There are moments of intensity and suspense, but many moments describing how and why the subject was going through a given experience.  It tells more than who and when.  It tells how and why and offers more to the story than an outline of events or a plain description, but really answers the question of why something happened b exploring many elements.  

Marty's biography just sort of seems to ramble on.  The first page or so, describing the birth day of Luther was appealing to me, but then I was totally detached.  I feel like Marty could describe the most horrid of horrible things or the greatest of great things or the saddest of sad or whatever and my eyes will just gloss over it.  I feel like it could be a really long encyclopedia article because it gives a good description, but doesn't really get me emotionally involved.  I am not plugged into this bio, I want something else.

When it comes to biography vs. autobiography, I think I favor the autos.  I'm just thinking in my head of what I like, and one of my favorite books is Jeanette Walls's The Glass Castle.  I think an autobiography is more appealing to me because it can offer a lot of emotion and perhaps more flavor to the story, although this isn't always the case.  

bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla

image of fetuses in the womb, medieval/renaissance

image of medieval female anatomy

p. 217

"Nature always plans and aims at absolute perfection she would, if possible, constantly bring forth men; and when a woman is born this is a mistake or defect, and contrary to nature's wishes. This is also the case when someone is blind, or lame, or with some other defect, as again with trees, when so many fruits fail to ripen. Nevertheless, since the blame for the defects must be attributed to nature, who has made them what they are, we ought not to despise them or to fail to give them respect which is their due. But to esteem them to be more than they are seems to me to be manifestly wrong."

Interesting that Nature is considered a feminine force, and this feminine force makes mistakes by making women.

Really interesting that it is manifestly wrong to give women more esteem than they deserve because they are just blatant mistakes, when what seems to me to be real effin manifestly wrong is that women are mistakenly created and nature would like to constantly bring forth men. Okay, so nature wants to constantly bring forth men eh? I guess this would happen by men impregnating each-other right? Of course we all know that men have wombs and ovaries and are TOTALLY capable of reproducing all by themselves. YES, SINCE THIS IS POSSIBLE, IT WOULD SEEM THAT WOMEN ARE TOTAL MISTAKES AND HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO PURPOSE ON EARTH, NO PURPOSE WHATSOEVER IN THE BIOLOGICAL REASON FOR LIFE WHICH IS PROCREATION!

I just can't understand this justification. Just can't understand it. I want to go back in time and slap all of these "manifestly wrong" men with a biology book- or wait, no- plain common sense. It would behoove them to use (at the very basic level) their eyes and brain. Maybe, men in this time period were mistakenly born with partial eyes and partial brains. Perhaps they had a lot of neuron misfires making thoughts unable to cross the synaptic cleft rendering this whole reason and logic movement stagnant and useless. And their eyes were unable to transmit images to the corresponding lobes of the brain, so they were immediately faced with a problem on their views...

BUT what the hell would I know??? I'm just an effin mistake.

Cereta...

I like her style. I will openly admit that I am attracted to style, whether it's on a garment, in a movie, or written by the pen, I like things with style (sometimes too much for my wallet's good). I really like Cereta's writing style because like she says time is a necklace, I think her letters are necklaces. She strings her words together, like beads, in a way that all of the pieces make an elegant and artfully tasteful piece. It doesn't just hang there, but can be enjoyed and aesthetically appealing.

I don't know how I feel about her disdain for women who concern themselves with fashion. I can see how she would need to fight the mindless consumption of trends and over intensity in the quest for beauty, but I think fashion is another art (think of line, silhouette, color, tonality, emotion, flow, feeling, etc.). I think that an artist (which I consider Cereta to be) should appreciate fashion. Trends and mindless fashion (for example, Louis Vuitton, Uggs)* do not inherently contain pieces of art and must be carefully inspected. I understand Cereta's anger at women who are entirely consumed by looks and perceptions, but please, accept fashion as an art. It seems to me that she was quite proud of the garments she produced- why else would she give the reader such a detailed account of her work?

*there are worthwhile pieces from these labels, just scarce in number... don't hate me please...


(disclaimer, this is from not a renaissance viewpoint)
a little blend of art and fashion

Galliano in galleries?

fashion fight!

how convenient for our class, florence and the f-word

I'll be back!

Okay Petrarch isn't so crazy

As I'm studying for the mid-term I came across Petrarch's sonnet ending with
"The wound remains, although the bow is gone."

The only thing crazy about this is that it's crazy good.

Looking Ahead at Shakespeare

So I was enjoying food, drink, and conversation with my brother's girlfriend, who happens to be a genius. She was an English major at the University of Illinois- her worst collegiate grade as an A-, yes she is bronzed in their library. Anyhoo, as I maintained my bumbling idiot charisma, the conversation shifted to Shakespeare. Her mother has committed Macbeth to memory and Katie grew up with her mother spewing Shakespearian lines around the house. (Our Shakespeare conversation actually started with a line about pomegranates from Macbeth, because her mother would say pomEEEgranate, and we had just ordered pometinis, naturally). She says she has grown to like Shakespeare. I have never been a fan of Shakespeare. Maybe because I had to make a modern Romeo and Juliet rap when I was a freshman in high school. Maybe because his every other word is invented. Maybe it's because he's so popular. Maybe because I hate the most well-known portrait of him (yes, I'm shallow and I care about looks bla bla bla), he just looks gross... Or maybe I've never been mature enough to receive Shakespeare. I don't know, but I certainly hope that I'm ready for Shakespeare in a few weeks.

I'm just not captivated by Shakespeare! Does that make me less of a HUSTie? Somehow my mind needs to make a paradigm shift by the time we start reading Shakespeare so that my class contribution and papers aren't epic failures. Plus, if I'm spending my summer interning at a publishing house in London, I think some knowledge of Shakespeare is umm slightly necessary. Guess this little Juliet needs to get her butt in gear.

It is interesting, that as a child and even now, my most absolute best premier number one all time favoritest movie was/is West Side Story. Rumor has it that I was dancing and singing all the numbers before I could actually walk and talk. And don't even get started on my "Maria dress," you know the white one with the red sash that she wears when she meets Tony at the dance!!! AAAHHHH love it forever. Oh yes, I need to get back on track. Anyway it's ironic that I love that movie so much since it's based off of Romeo and Juliet and I have most often held Shakespeare in disdain. Iron.y.

So to get myself in a more Shakespearian mood, some current music is in store. I leave you with the lyrics of Taylor Swift:

"Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone...

la la la la

It's a love story baby just say YES. Oh. Oh."

Okay so I don't actually know the words at all really...

the end

The famous "Maria dress."

Oh Franklin

I must admit that the Franklin's tale was a bit of a surprise for me.  I was definitely expecting Dorigen to stray from her husband when he had sailed away.  I thought something would go wrong from the very beginning where their relationship was described to be equal and that they would obey each-other and be humble towards one another... we would not know about this if it didn't cause problems in the end.  

But I was wrong!  The problem was different and Dorigen was tortured by "honor" and so was Arveragus and they did something totally unexpected.  I wasn't expected after Arveragus's release of his wife for Aurelius to feel the way he did and let Dorigen go also.

I won't lie - I wasn't captivated by the story.  It was not my style, so unrealistic.  But I still want to know how the magician/scholar made the rocks disappear.  Maybe I'm not remembering it correctly but what exactly did he do?

Someone else put a little more thought into the tale than I did.  Read a little bit (or maybe a lot) about someone's theory on the tale and the correlating style of medieval English writers at In The Middle.

Another thing about the Franklin's Tale that is of interest to me is the whole concept of marriage.  Averagus and Dorigen's intent for the marriage was supposed to give Dorigen more power.  Or was it?  I don't think that Dorigen really had much power at all.  She ended up being stuck at home and whining about how much her life sucked after Averagus left.  I think she was hopeless and powerless.   

The Franklin's Tale has multiple themes.  Some of these themes are honor, marriage, and power.  I found an interesting article about Chaucer's intended message about marriage in the Franklin's Tale with Chaucer's Real Response to Marriage.

Mandeville's Traveling Mind

After finishing Mandeville I'm not quite sure why this book is so popular.  I can see how it is interesting in the sense that it is an insight into 14th century thoughts of the possible traveler, but it was a little frustrating to read.  I felt at times that it was like a stream of consciousness, or like his mind just kept traveling and wandering.  I tried to trace his travels in my mind, and they made a figure 8 at first, but then I had no idea where he was.  I wonder if the compilers of the book actually traveled or not, because I do not know of much biological/anthropological/archaeological evidence for many creatures and peoples he talked about.  Or maybe, because he was the first to see these foreign things, the only way he could interpret them was in a skewed perception.  Many times I wondered if he was describing animals instead of people, or if he was attributing tribal dress/attire as bodily features.  

The whole thing was incoherent for me.  It's definitely not a Conde Nast or National Geographic Adventure, but how could I dare to compare "the first" travel narrative to a modern magazine anyway.

iDecameron

So I have been reading some of the Decameron on DecameronWeb, translated by a British man in the early 20th century. It is quite different than the version we read in class, and I'm glad we did not read J. M Rigg's translation from the early 1900's. It peppered with "th's" and seems almost medieval to me. To be honest, it's much more boring to read. It might be a more sophisticated way of writing but it's not as free flowing as our classroom version. And now, I could go off into another direction about the effects of translation, but I'll save you my inner turmoil.

Another reason I'm glad we didn't read this version (at least online) - I CAN'T LOOK AT A COMPUTER SCREEN FOR MORE THAN 2 MINUTES BEFORE MY EYES TWITCH AND MY BRAIN RUNS AND HIDES AT THE BACK OF MY OCCIPITAL LOBE. Seriously, I have had professors assign Greek Literature from online sources... think about it, The Odyssey and the Iliad all online... What do I remember from those readings? Checking the sidebar to see how much further I had to go, and some stuff about wars and Greek men of course, but more than that just being annoyed at staring into a gazillion little brightly lit pixels.

Needless to say I can't get too far with Decameron Web before I'm wandering to Facebook and GMail to get some instant gratification. When I'm online I want to find things instantly, the information needs to be short and sweet, and quickly available. If it's time to get my read on, I fancy me an old fashioned paper smellin' book.

Translation Paper

I am feeling considerably challenged as I dive into our short paper on translation.  I am still confused...  How do you make an argument about two translations without using something as a base?  I really want to use art, since I am writing on the Inferno and it's such a visual text, and my natural inclination is that I need to look at two different works of art and compare/contrast them in order to make an argument about translation using the poem as a foundation.  I know if we choose the art option it needs to be alongside the text, so I'm struggling to find and argument using just those two.  With some of the images  I have found that correlate to specific cantos, I am thinking I can talk about the different moods and spirits each emotes, but then again I'm still stuck with the translation bit because I feel like I have to say that each is a translation of the original...  Thus, I have ended up being lost in translation, and maybe you can find me in either the Hesburgh or Cushwa library.

Is anybody else feeling confused?

In the past section of reading for the Decameron, I noticed that when someone was getting caught doing something wrong, or typically "caught in the act", the person doing the catching remained silent.  This person would sometimes be infused with rage, but always decided to prolong retribution or action.  They decided to plot out their next course of action instead of doing something in the heat of the moment.  Normally a high energy confrontation would occur at 'the catching' but it didn't in these stories.  Well, at least I would expect an immediate confrontation, so that's why this all seemed interesting to me.

Failing Attempt at Sonnetry

A Petrarchan Sonnet is a poem with a specific composition of an octet and sestet, and specific rhyme scheme.  The first 8 lines makes the octet.  The last 6 lines makes the sestet.  The octet and sestet may be talking about the same subject, but in a different sense.  For example the octet may be foreshadowing the subject, while the sestet reveals the subject, or the octet deals with physical nature of the subject, while the sestet deals with its spiritual nature and so on and so on.........

rhyme scheme is as follows:

a b b a a b b a c d c d c d *

*the sestet has a variety of rhyme schemes, check out the form here at Basic Sonnet Forms.

So here is my first sonnet!

To others you must seem aloof

And many a time I've called you crazy

As very often you are lazy

And even though you are a goof

I cannot offer much more proof

The evidence of my love for you is hazy

But you're sweet and innocent like daisies

So down to your level I will stoop

To pet my silly furry cat

No matter how you annoy me so

And even though you've gotten fat

I let your roam to and fro

I hate when you claw on this and that

But I will never let you go.

Dedicated to my somewhat unintelligent, but ever endearing cat, Lucy.

Petrarch is like literally a creeper! So random!

From reading about Petrarch in handouts given by Drs. Hicks and Williamson-Ambrose, I have come to the conclusion that Petrarch is so creeperish.  

First of all, do we even know if Laura was real?  My bet is that she's a total fake.  Well at least I like to think so because that makes Petrarch more deranged (in my opinion) and definitely more juicy!  Even if she was real, I think he attached himself to her because she was so unattainable.  It's like if you know you can't have something, you become fixated on the greatest of that something, because you know you will never actually be able to get that something, and it becomes a silly little mind game or show to put on.  Or maybe he really did lust for Laura and as he is clearly socially awkward, never knew how to act.  I think he was too interested in Cicero and other things that to really act on his love for her, even though his poetry is centered on her, I think maybe he was more in love with the thought of her and writing about her rather than really loving her.  This thinking is what Dr. Shinners would attribute to my "soap opera" thinking, even though I have never watched a soap opera in my life!  He thinks I'm too dramatic.

He's also leaning off-center when he talked about Cicero and friends enjoying their country stay together.  Think about it, if one of your friends took a book along a plane ride and when you asked, how was your flight, he replied "It was great.  Will [Shakespeare] and I had a really long conversation.  He's a bit longwinded and I don't understand like 30% of the words he uses, but he's still a great conversationalist.  He gave me his bag of peanuts, which I think was really nice.  Have you met Will before?  He's pretty cool."  How would you react?

I don't want to completely slight dear old P. Arch.  I think he has some great work and I really meditated on one line from his sonnets.  The first sonnet on our handout has an ending line reading "That what pleases on Earth is a swift dream." I think it is true that so many pleasures are fleeting- and yet we still strive for these little flash in the pan moments of happiness.  Depending on how you view life on earth, our earthly lives could be a flash in the pan anyway if our soul lives for eternity.  I interpreted this line in multiple fashions.  Those moments of pleasure on Earth are short lived and hardly deep, and a pleasurable life can be swift.  

But concerning love, is it a swift dream?  Should love be everlasting?  I have come accustomed to think that your soulmate provides a love that is everlasting and unconditional, anything but a swift dream.  I certainly don't have the answer... yet.

I'm still soaking in the sonnets, and trying to come out on solid ground.  

My first-ever- blog

Look how cool you are, checking out my weblog!  Thanks for the attention, I always enjoy sharing my thoughts.  

This was all the thinking I had for my first blog, but I have a feeling my next post will concern Petrarch's sonnets.  Don't ask me how I know, I'm just prophesi-zing (did I make that word up?) that I'll blog about Petrarch.