“One could let all these facts and things lie alongside each other like laminations, not like growing cells. This laminated knowledge produced a powerful sense of freedom, truthfulness and even selflessness, [...] She sensed that the idea of lamination could provide both a model of conduct and an aesthetic that might suit herself and prove fruitful. It would, she decided, as in the event it did, take years to work out in the implications” (209-210).
A. S. Byatt, The Virgin in the Garden
"On matters of style, swim with the current, on matters of principle, stand like a rock." - Thomas Jefferson
This quote accompanies a really odd painting that I just had to find out more about: Five Women on the Street by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner. I was in the office today for some odd reason, well research related, and I went ahead and looked at the painting for today from A Year in Art. When I saw this painting, I could not for the life of me figure out what shouted out "March," but for some reason the editors thought to include this for the month.
Kirchner was a German expressionist painter from the earlier part of the last century, and he apparently did a number of painting of the Berlin streets and women, this painting being one of the more famous/important ones. This painting from 1913 was also labeled as one of the 100 Greatest Painting by a 1980 BBC series. According to online sources, his paintings contained "grotesque distortions [that] mock[ed] the mannered artificiality of Berlin society." And the short bio wrote that 600 of his painting were confiscated by Nazi officials before he committed suicide in 1938.
The women are supposed to represent Berlin street-walkers. For more information about the series, click here. According to artdaily, "With Five Women on the Street (1913), Kirchner has placed the prostitutes in a space that resembles a stage, relating them to dancers in a revue. Lined up rhythmically, these figures, in their proliferation, also reference the abundance of streetwalkers in Berlin at that time." In this way, his painting seems to relate to Picasso's Les Demoiselles d'Avignon in that both paintings are taking "prostitutes" and putting them in new settings to make us re-evaluate aesthetics of gender, body, and the "subject" of art. So, even though I never really heard about Kirchner, I am happy to know some info now.
Thank you Feministing for getting me more involved in my community. Now that I am in Oklahoma, one of the things I have been having to face is more people that are either unaware of different sexualities or unwilling to confront difference in its various forms.
One of the latest blog posts asks for readers to perform a simple favor -- to email the superintendent of an Oklahoma county about a former teacher, Debra Taylor. Taylor was suspended and put on paid leave when the county asked for her resignation, which the school board approved. Here's the rub. Taylor was reprimanded for teaching students about The Laramie Project.
Here's more from the feministing post: "This is outrageous. What's funny is that the district is saying that Taylor wasn't forced to resign because of the play. Attorney John Moyer (representing the district) says, "If someone is saying that adverse employment action is being taken against Ms. Taylor because of homosexuality, they're wrong." So why don't you shed light on exactly why Taylor was suspended the day after she held the mock funeral based on the play? William Smith, SIECUS Vice President says: "What happens when the next teacher tries to talk about intolerance and hatred and murdering people for that, and they get harassed and forced to resign? This is bigger than just what's happening to Debra Taylor. It's about the perpetuation of hatred and injustice in our society. The same sort of hatred and discrimination that led to Shepard's death leads to this teacher's firing. We can't allow that to stand."
SIECUS is asking all interested parties to email Superintendent Turlington (eturlington@grandfield.k12.ok.us) the following email if you so desire.
"Debra Taylor did not deserve this kind of treatment. Young people need dedicated teachers willing to confront issues of respect and acceptance for people of all sexual orientations. She should be commended for creating a safe space for all her students and should be reinstated immediately."
I have already sent it from my three email addresses. I hope you can spare some time to at least send it from one! Spread knowledge and understanding!
[I apologize in advance for the length of this post.]
I have been purchasing quite a bit of music lately. Some good stuff, I think. I rarely actually sit and listen to music, but I often listen to music when I am working at TSWL or walking across campus and what not. I especially like it when I go hiking at Turkey Mountain. Well, I was on iTunes when I noticed that they have "Celebrity Playlists," in which you can buy songs that famous people recommend. I thought I would give it a try. And considering that I love to make mix CDs for a lot of my friends, I tried to think about what I would put on a mix CD for myself. So, I stuck to 18 tracks, which is what usually fits on a CD.
1. "Foolish Love" by Rufus Wainwright (Album: Rufus Wainwright, 1998). Rufus must be first on my list because he is my most immediate interest in music right now. I have slowly fallen in love with him since a friend of a friend copied my Rufus Does Judy. Ever since, I have slowly acquired his music, and I love his wonderful voice. For a while, I had very little interests in male singers, but now, I can assert that he is my favorite singer at present. This particular song is just one of many that I really like.
2. "Half-Life" by Duncan Sheik (Album: Daylight, 2002). Duncan Sheik is another late discovery in my life. While I've always loved "Barely Breathing," which has been on my iPod for quite some time, I only recently got into his music through Spring Awakening. Actually, I had mistaken one of his songs as a track by another artist and thankfully I was able to get more of Duncan Sheik's music. I love how his albums tell stories, and you can see this wonderful transition from his score writing to his own music with his latest debut, Whisper House.
3. "Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole" by Martha Wainwright (Album: Martha Wainwright, 2005). I first heard Martha Wainwright sing "Stormy Weather" on Rufus Does Judy. Thankfully, I have been able to explore some of her stuff. For more, see my previous post on her.
4. "Boys Don't Cry" by The Cure (Album: Boys Don't Cry, 1980). The Cure. Need I say more?
5. "Taking Chances" by Abra Moore (Album: No Fear, 2002). This is my track from Felicity, which has let me into quite a bit of music. I love this track just for its sheer uplifting feeling it gives me. Never before have I wanted to just go out and achieve something. I really needed this song to get through grad school, I think.
6. "I Know I Know I Know" by Tegan and Sara (Album: So Jealous, 2004). Following Felicity, this song comes from Veronica Mars, my second favorite show. These two sing like no one else, and I love the repetition they use in all of their songs (see "Monday Monday Monday"). Check out this YouTube video from an MTV live music session:
7. "Lucky" by Bif Naked (Album: I Bificus, 1998). My third, and final, song inspired from a TV show. Bif Naked actually performed this song on the fourth season of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer. Seen as the most turbulent and out of place seasons of the show's run, the episode in which this song appears, "The Harsh Light of Day," is not exemplary of the entire season, but it is one that provides a nice transition to the crossover with Angel.
8. "Because the Night" by 10,000 Maniacs (Album: MTV Unplugged: 10,000 Maniacs, 1993). I didn't realize that this song was actually a cover of a song by the Patti Smith Group. I love this particular band, and Natalie Merchant to be more specific. I think song highlights both the group and the individual's particular best qualities. I also included the video because it's great. On a personal note, I play a mean air violin to accompany the band, and I share many fond memories of singing this song in an incredibly loud voice while driving around Natchitoches.
9. "Caring is Creepy" by The Shins (Album: Oh, Inverted World, 2001). I have to thank my old roommate, Marli, for introducing me to this group. As for this particular song, it is my favorite on this album. I also love the rhythm of their songs.
10. "Permission" by Joseph Arthur (Album: Redemption's Son, 2002). While I do love this entire album, this particular song has always moved me the most. Maybe its the song's simplicity?
11. "1963" by Rachael Yamagata (Album: Happenstance, 2005). This is a delightful little song that I didn't have when I first downloaded some of Yamagata's music. However, it was the first song that I officially purchased from iTunes from my iPod. I think the video for the song is great, which is why I included it below. Hopefully, the lyrics and music are just as enjoyable.
12. "Head Over Feet" by Alanis Morrissette (Album: Jagged Little Pill, 1995). Greatest female artist ever? Quite possible. Alanis is amazing, and I have been blessed because I have managed to see her live twice. I would say this is my favorite track from her debut album.
13. "Finally" by The Frames (Album: Burn the Maps, 2005). Thank you Nick Reeves for letting some friends and I take some music from the Demon radio station. With that, I might not have discovered this wonderful band. This is the actual album I managed to get back in 2006. Since, The Frames have reached fame, or at least Glen Hansard has with his film, Once.
14. "Dreams" by The Cranberries (Album: Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We?, 1993). Beautiful. "Oh my life is changing everyday. Every possible way." Wonderful lyrics. And the vocal fluctuations that Dolores O'Riordan manages at the end of the song still gives me shivers to this day.
15. "The Scientist" by Coldplay (Album: A Rush of Blood to the Head, 2002). This song supplies the ringtone to one of my favorite people ever, who happens to be a scientist. Or at least a student of the sciences. I actually think this is a beautiful love poem, but perhaps, I am wrong in my interpretation. Regardless, the song has always made me a little emotional. As I think it should.
16. "Downtown" by Petula Clark (Album: You'd Better Like Me, 1964). My favorite song from the 1960s. Also, this song has just provided me with a great bunch of pleasure.
17. "Paperback Writer" by The Beatles (Album: Hey Jude, 1970). It was so hard for me to pick a Beatles song for this list, but I chose this song because of its connection to my own interests in writing. No particular reason. I have always loved this group and a number of their songs could have found their way to this play list.
18. "Mad About You" by Belinda Carlisle (Album, Belinda, 1986). A recent discovery I made from the soundtrack of 13 Going On 30. Just cute and sentimental.
Bonus Track: "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" by The Shirelles (Scepter Single 1211, 1960). Another great classic that has found its way into a couple of my favorite movies, Dirty Dancing and Beautiful.
-- That's my list. It was neat for me trying to make this up, and I feel good sharing some of these songs. What would be on your list?
I nearly peed my pants just now when I saw the trailer to this new movie, Examined Life. [I'd like to thank Feministing for sharing this info on their Thank You Thursday.] Director Astra Taylor's new documentary features eight contemporary philosophers "in motion" as they discuss a number of concepts about life, thought, movement, etc. I really wish there was a theatre in Tulsa that was playing this film. I've read tons of Zizek and Butler, and it would be great to see them in action, philosophizing and discussing life, class, and gender. I would be there in several heartbeats. I love this vein of contemporary films that are intellectually stimulating while also having these interesting strains of narrative or documentation--like Waking Life, Derrida, or Before Sunrise.
I don't think of myself as an activist or very political, and sometimes I really wish that I was more into solving the world's wrongs. I feel so little sometimes that I simply don't always know where to start. Someone recently asked me in an interview, "If I had to kill someone, who would it be?" At the time, I was said someone who was attacking me, you know defending myself. But I think rapists would be right after that. I'm not saying I am going all vigilante like Jodie Foster, but it would be nice to see criminals get their just due sometimes.
So, where is this stemming from? Feministing just posted this blog about men in South Africa raping lesbians so that they will their sexual orientation will be "cured." I nearly barfed when reading this out of this weird mixture of fear, anger, and hate. The dark side. This "corrective rape" as it is called pisses me off, and I just can't wait until the day when EVERYONE IN THE WORLD realizes that there is nothing wrong with homosexuals, lesbians, intersex, or transgendered people. Spread the love. Befriend someone in the community--it's a place to start.
I have been researching character for my paper on E. M. Forster's A Room with a View, and I came across this awesome quote. Please enjoy all of my dear friends whom I talk about relationships with all the time.
"All history, all out experience, teaches us that no human relationship is constant, it is as unstable as the living beings who compose it, and they must balance like jugglers if it is to remain; if it is constant it is no longer a human relationship but a social habit, the emphasis in it has passed from love to marriage. All this we know, yet we cannot bear to apply our bitter knowledge to the future; the future is to be so different; the perfect person is to come along, or the person we know already is to become perfect. There are to be no changes, no necessity for alertness. We are to be happy or even miserable for ever and ever" (pg. 55, Aspects of the Novel).
This article I was editing for TSWL cites Susan Gubar's 2006 work, Rooms of Our Own, and I was so struck by the description of the book that I decided to take it home and read it. While I did have to go through the text really fast because it was on Interlibrary Loan, I would definitely like to check it out again since it sort of exemplifies this weird genre that I have been trying to conceptualize in my mind (and perhaps even write about in the near future). [Although at this point I should totally thank my friend Court for helping me think through some of these ideas and for even coming up with some impetus for me to pursue this idea.]
I think one of the best ways to classify this genre is creative criticism. Sort of like a variation on creative non-fiction. I have been finding some works that fit into the genre and was thankful to come across The Intimate Critique--a bright prospect for future reading!
Well, what I want to share comes from Gubar's text. In her rift on Woolf's Chapter One and talking about first-wave feminism, Gubar writes:
"Still the poorer half of humanity, still woefully unrepresented in political circles, women have nevertheless begun to earn wages nearly equal to those of men. The Pill, birth control, abortion: did these trigger transmutations in sex (the biological manipulation of the body) and in gender (the societal manipulation of the roles of mother, caregiver, nurturer), or was the real basis for change economic, the opening up of virtually all professions to women for the first time in history? In any case, birth control and woman's greater employment had driven home and the real point behind Wollstonecraft's and Fuller's, Mill's and Schreiner's polemics, their attack on biological determinism, their resistance to the idea that anatomy is destiny, that biology justifies or dictates social norms." (pg. 32)
This particular question really got me thinking. Is one of the reasons that we have a shift in how we conceptualize gender today because of the technologies of birth? And how much does our understanding of genetics and hormones influence it? Gubar's question made me realize the significance that birth plays in how we think of gender. If woman uses the pill and aborts fetuses, is she not a woman? If a woman hates her offspring, is she a man? I had thought of these questions in some form or another before, but it was reading this that catalyzed these thoughts. And yet even if anatomy is not always destiny, it is important to remember that anatomy is important sometimes. So, I guess it is a good question. What causes a change in people's thinking, woman's control of their body or woman's ability to be equal in the social arena? And doesn't woman's ability to be equal socially (say in the workforce in particular) may entail a control and manipulation of their biology?
My friend's blog (To Someone Likeminded) featured a number of Walt Whitman snippets for some enjoyment in the last month, and I thought about giving to Whitman to my readers since I really liked having some shared with me. I found this really neat, short poem of his.
"A Noiseless Spider" by Whitman (from poetry.com)
A noiseless patient spider, I mark'd where on a little promontory it stood isolated, Mark'd how to explore the vacant vast surrounding, It launch'd forth filament, filament, filament, out of itself, Ever unreeling them, ever tirelessly speeding them.
And you O my soul where you stand, Surrounded, detached, in measureless oceans of space, Ceaselessly musing, venturing, throwing, seeking the spheres to connect them, Till the bridge you will need be form'd, till the ductile anchor hold, Till the gossamer thread you fling catch somewhere, O my soul.
I hope you enjoy!
[For some self-analysis, however, I must add that I really love the idea of a spider "tirelessly" sending out its spool of web--a part of its own being, a creation that it makes--and how the soul attempts to "connect" them. I have been thinking about "only connect" lately since I have been rereading Babel Tower for my Master's Project, and this little poem just fits so nice with that idea of lose fragments, floating free, waiting to be connected.]
My newfound love of all things Rufus Wainwright allowed me to make this new, brilliant discovery: his sister, Martha Wainwright.
For the little I have been able to devour about the Wainwright/McGarrigle clan, it seems that everyone is so musically and artistically inclined. Even though Martha Wainwright has several albums of her own, Martha sang "Stormy Weather" on her brothers album/concert, Rufus Does Judy, and before this, she had been featured on a number of McGarrigle albums.
I haven't had much time to listen to a number of songs, but one in particular that I have fallen in love with is "Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole." My own proclivity for cursing is not the only reason that I like the song. I love how her voice combines this weird conflation of Alanis Morissette and Dar Williams vibes. Thanks to YouTube, I can share this video of a live performance of the song:
While I hesitate to label the song as a feminist one, I do love how the speaker of the song asserts her own presence to forcefully. I mean the lyric "I will not pretend / I will not put on a smile for you" stands out so much on the song. Also, the lyric, "Oh I wish I were born a man," makes me recall Beyonce's latest single, "If I Were a Boy."
I hope you enjoy this song. I look forward to listening to more Martha Wainwright and hopefully sharing some more about her and her music, too.
Lyrics: Poetry is no place for a heart that's a whore And I'm young & I'm strong But I feel old & tired Overfired And I've been poked & stoked It's all smoke, there's no more fire Only desire For you, whoever you are For you, whoever you are You say my time here has been some sort of joke That I've been messing around Some sort of incubating period For when I really come around I'm cracking up And you have no idea No idea how it feels to be on your own In your own homewith the fucking phone And the mother of gloom In your bedroom Standing over your head With her hand in your head With her hand in your head I will not pretend I will not put on a smile I will not say I'm all right for you When all I wanted was to be good To do everything in truth To do everything in truth Oh I wish I wish I wish I was born a man So I could learn how to stand up for myself Like those guys with guitars I've been watching in bars Who've been stamping their feet to a different beat To a different beat To a different beat I will not pretend I will not put on a smile I will not say I'm all right for you When all I wanted was to be good To do everything in truth To do everything in truth You bloody mother fucking asshole Oh you bloody mother fucking asshole Oh you bloody mother fucking asshole Oh you bloody mother fucking asshole Oh you bloody mother fucking asshole Oh you bloody... I will not pretend I will not put on a smile I will not say I'm all right for you For you, whoever you are For you, whoever you are For you, whoever you are
Although this crevasse is not in the Patagonian glacier, I have to admit it is pretty amazing, visually that is. [Sorry for that lame inside joke, but for those of you that know it, I hope you take some pleasure at others' expense.]
Check out this awesome 3-D street art I found in TSWL yesterday when I was "working." This particular piece is by Edward Muller and was a part of the "Festival of World Culture" in August of 2008.
I came across The Mismeasure of Man by Stephen Jay Gould recently when I was reading some essays by Barbara Kingsolver. I don't have much to say about it except that it was a really interesting read. I wanted to share this particular section about female brains/skulls because I just thought it was too interesting not to.
Gustave Le Bon was a follower of Broca's school of thought in the field of craniometry. In La psychologie des foules (published 1895), Le Bon wrote:
"In the most intelligent races, as among the Parisians, there are a large number of women whose brains are closer in size to those of gorillas than to the most developed male brains. This inferiority is so obvious that no one can contest it for a moment; only its degree is worth discussion. All psychologists who have studies the intelligence of women, as well as poets and novelists, recognize today that they represent the most inferior forms of human evolution and that they are closer to children and savages than to an adult, civilized man. They excel in fickleness, inconstancy, absence of thought and logic, and incapacity to reason. Without doubt there exist some distinguished women, very superior to the average man, but they are as exceptional as the birth of any monstrosity, as, for example, of a gorilla with two heads; consequently, we may neglect them entirely. [....] A desire to give them the same education, and, as a consequence, to propose the same goals for them, is a dangerous chimera....The day when, misunderstanding the inferior occupations which nature has given her, women, leave the home and take part in our battles; on this day a social revolution will begin, and everything that maintains the sacred ties of the family will disappear" (pg 104-105 of Gould)
To think, to give woman the same goals as man would mean the ruination of family! I guess you could see why I went, "Oh My!," when reading this. Of course, there was a bit of giggling at 3 am when I read this, but I still think it is important to discuss things like this. Undoubtedly, someone in America, or even the world, still thinks like this.
Now, I have something to look forward to after the new Byatt is published in May. Margaret Atwood's new book is coming out in September (unless they move the publication date).
"An epic of biblical proportions, The Year of the Flood is a feast of imagination and a journey to the end of the world. Adam One is the leader of the God's Gardeners, a religious group devoted to living under the command of the natural world. They wear beige cloth-sacks, cultivate mushrooms, harvest honey and curse each other by shouting: Pig-Eater! Their community is only tolerated by the CorpSeCorps, the ruling power, because they are not perceived as threatening. But, this is a world where gene-splicing is the norm; where lions and lambs have become Liobams and pigs have human DNA. The times, and species, are changing at a rapid rate, and with loyalites as thin as environmental stability, the future is a dangerous place. And, if the Waterless Flood does indeed arrive, as predicted by the Gardeners, will there even be a future to contemplate? Ren is a trapeze dancer at Scales and Tails, and can work a plank just as well. After a rip in her biofilm she is placed in solitary confinement until they can guarantee she is without disease. Her story is one part of our gateway into this uniquely constructed world. The other is Toby, an ex-counter-girl at SecretBurger ('Because we all love a Secret'), a natural cynic and source of extensive homeopathic knowledge; she knows her aminatas from her puffballs. Their stories weave beneath the holy teachings and saintly-songs of Adam One to create a truly apocalyptic vision, a world that harnesses Atwood's wit, dystopic imagination and sharp insight. The result is a collective blast of a novel and one that will remain with you until the Waterless Flood comes." I love Atwood's novel. If you haven't read anything by her, I would recommend starting with The Handmaid's Tale or Oryx and Crake. Check her out when you get some time.
The Liverpool Hope University is now offering a Master's Degree in "The Beatles, Popular Music, and Society."
This is quite possibly one of the neatest things ever and, of course, yet another reason why the liberal arts rock (and roll)! Literally.
More from the article: "There have been over 8,000 books about the Beatles but there has never been serious academic study and that is what we are going to address," said Mike Brocken, who is directing the program at the university, which is in the band's hometown in northwestern England. Brocken said students would be expected to study the Beatles' songs, stardom, hometown and cultural impact through four 12-week courses and a dissertation. Brocken said studying the band was really a way of examining society as a whole. "If popular music is about anything, it's about people," he said. "If we look at popular culture, it simply provides us with a very complex mirror of ourselves."
I came across this article on the NYTimes about a new exhibition entitled, "Endless Forms: Charles Darwin, Natural Science, and Art." Now, I really wish fly to Yale to see these paintings. The impact Darwin had/has on literature is one of those small pockets of literary study that fascinate me. I like this passage in the article, which sort of succinctly summarizes Darwin's impact:
"The show claims to be exploring, for the first time, the impact of Darwin’s theories on the visual arts. With a few deft selections and explanations, French Impressionism is shown to have been under the influence. (Degas was fascinated by Darwin’s study comparing facial expressions of animals and humans.) So, too, were the aesthetic movements of the late 19th century, with their visions of feminine beauty. (Sexual selection was one of the themes Darwin turned to in exploring the power of plumage.)"
One particular artist I like who I would also like to think was impact by Darwin is Max Ernst. Surely Darwin's theory of evolution and animal life influenced some of Ernst's painting, which feature animals prominently.
For instance, "The Robing of the Bride" featured below. It is hard to see in the painting where animal begins and where human begins. The creatures/bodies/entities in the painting seem to be part animal and part human, suggesting some confluence between how we understand the different species. Now, I am not an art scholar by any means, but just viewing this painting makes think that Ernst is trying to point out some uncanny connection to birds and humans and its mythic overtones, especially since this painting has some sort of magisterial quality with the courtly imagery and title.
This other painting I found some time ago, and I have always tried to look at it because of my initial reaction, which was a cross between, "What is that?", and, "Amazing!" Entitled "Men Shall Know Nothing of This," this painting below makes me think of the relationship between living and non-living. With the machine images on top of the elephant-like creature and then the statue in the foreground, it seems like Ernst is suggesting that these non-living objects can be a burden to us. They can lay on top of us and in our path obstructing our movements. Regardless of whether Ernst was really influenced by Darwin, I thought it would be interesting to share these paintings. I hope you enjoyed them!
Continuing with the flower poetry posts, I thought I would share this little snippet of a poem by Dickinson. Now, I am not sure if this is the actual title of the poem, or it was left unnamed, which is most likely the case, but I found it on poetry.com like this.
"With a Flower" by Emily Dickinson
I hide myself within my flower,
That wearing on your breast,
You, unsuspecting, wear me too --
And angels know the rest.
I hide myself within my flower,
That, fading from your vase,
You, unsuspecting, feel for me
Almost a loneliness.
I really like that this poem talks about hiding places in a sense. I have been reading Bachelard's A Poetics of Space off and on for a couple weeks, and his book is all about how we perceive and experience intimate space. He also is talking about poetry to a great extent, and this poems by Dickinson seems to fit into his analysis quite well. I think it's great that Dickinson imagines a flower as an enclosure of some kind. Bachelard writes to great extent about shells as homes, and to think of something as natural as a flower as a home is awesome.
I guess I am just anticipating Spring a little early, but I just can't wait until winter goes away. It seems to have lasted really long here in Tulsa, and I am in dire need of some sunlight that is yellow-ish and not that white, hazy overcast sun that hovers around in Winter.
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