Sunday, November 15th, 2009
|
|
1:52 pm - Shakespeare
|
manderleys
|
Hey everyone, I'm an English major in undergrad and I'd love some help explicating a piece as part of an assignment.
For my shakespeare course I need to respond to this quote as part of a term paper. I've followed along in class so I know the plays well enough, but I can't take a solid stance on this quote either way - we can choose to either refute, defend, or modify it in our thesis. I have plays and examples in mind to respond for each of the scenarios but I'm torn on which are the most solid... I'm basically just interested in how you understand the quote and if you have any suggestions on how to mold it. Thanks!
In “What is a Shakespearean Tragedy?” Tom McAlinden writes,
Shakespearean tragedy is centrally concerned with the destruction of human
greatness embodied in individuals endowed with ‘sovereignty of nature’ (Coriolanus
IV.7.35): men are instinctively referred to as ‘noble’ (in the moral or characterological
sense) by those who know them, even their enemies. However, what constitutes true nobility in action invariably proves problematic for the hero, especially when he becomes
entangled in the ethical contradictions associated with the notion of ‘honour’ . . . .
The hero’s fall involves a self-betrayal or loss of identity which constitutes a breakdown in the balance of a richly endowed nature, one in which feeling is so powerful that it is never far from the point of destructive excess. It is this nature which gives rise to the notion that what makes the tragic protagonists great is also what destroys them . . . .
|
|
(3 comments | comment on this)
|
|
Saturday, November 14th, 2009
|
|
5:15 pm - Issues....
|
funkyturtle
|
I really need to talk to someone who is at the level of around 4th year or masters or higher. I'm having trouble getting back into grad studies. My brain isn't on the right track right now and I'm not asking the right questions or having that sense of what a good thesis is.
I have to do a research paper. I don't even really remember what a research paper is with respect to other kinds of papers and my prof isn't being very much help. I'd like to bounce a few ideas off of someone who knows wtf they're doing and get suggestions on what to modify.
I'm not looking for people telling me things to look up or giving me specifics. Nor am I looking for someone to read a paper (paper's not written yet). I want to email people some ideas and then have them say things like "that's a good idea, but that's not a thesis" or "great, but what is your point?" only I'm already asking myself these questions. I need people to ask me the questions I'm not thinking of.
I also need to put together the framework of this paper in the next 2 days before I visit my prof on Monday, because when I visit him, I'm going to give him the outline of what I'm doing and then find out if I should be dropping the course (voluntary withdrawal date is Nov 18). So not only do I need someone to bounce ideas off of, I need them fast.
Anyone willing to lend me a hand?
My email is dreaded.night.turtle@gmail.com
|
|
(1 comment | comment on this)
|
|
Wednesday, November 11th, 2009
|
|
3:16 pm - Roadside Picnic Anyone?
|
funkyturtle
|
I'm doing a paper on Arkady and Boris Strugatsky's novella "Roadside Picnic" and I'd really like to talk with someone about the ending.
Has anyone on here read it? If so, email me: dreaded.night.turtle@gmail.com because I'd really like to pick your brain.
|
|
(comment on this)
|
|
|
4:04 pm - Women in 18th Century Comedy -- HELP!
|
colormeeggshell
|
So, I need some help. I'm currently taking a course in Restoration and 18th Century Literature, and have been assigned my final term paper. I would like to write about the portrayal of women in 18th century comedies (specifically in Sheridan's The School for Scandal and Wycherley's The Country Wife) and then compare it to the portrayal of women in Hannah Cowley's Belle's Stratagem.
Sounds fairly simple, right?
It would be, except I'm having a very difficult time finding good sources, you know, the good peer-reviewed scholarly stuff, to get started and to back some of my own thoughts on the subject.
Does anyone know of any good articles that they may have used in the past pertaining to gender and 18th century comedy? I met with my professor and she gave me some good tips about reading just about anything I can find, but the issue is finding it.
Any suggestions/helpful comments would be most appreciated!
Thanks so much!
|
|
(10 comments | comment on this)
|
|
Tuesday, November 10th, 2009
|
|
10:00 am
|
|
|
Monday, November 9th, 2009
|
|
9:47 pm - 'End of our world' Graeco-Roman literature?
|
karcy
|
This is not associated to anything I am studying, just one of the curious things I'm wondering about. This is not related to English; I'm asking just in case some of you might know something.
I read in Zondervan's A History of Christianity that at the rise of Christianity as a replacement of Roman culture, the Romans felt a sense that the world was old and at the end of its age, as the old gods were discarded for a newer one -- in other words, they had this sense that they were watching the end of their civilization.
Was there any art or literature produced during this period? Not Christian ones; that I'm fairly familiar with.
|
|
(2 comments | comment on this)
|
|
Thursday, November 5th, 2009
|
|
2:25 pm - YOU ARE HERE:Finding the Life You Want In The City You Live
|
metrogq
|
Over the next few weeks, You Are Here will explore the proto-typical urban center of the US. These articles will relate strategies and constants that are discovered and developed through surveys, interviews and experiments in the Columbus area, a noted test market. Topics will range from how to become a coffee shop regular in 2 weeks, to karaoke-ing with gusto, and plenty in between. Drawing on expertise and opinions from professionals and layman alike, You Are Here will give So and So a better understanding of how to find a better understanding of his city. READ MORE HERE.
|
|
(5 comments | comment on this)
|
|
Wednesday, November 4th, 2009
|
|
10:04 am - Margaret Atwood
|
flamingcarrot
|
Has anyone read "Year of the Flood"? I am on the fence about taking the time from my regular school work to read it and I am a big fan of her work.
|
|
(4 comments | comment on this)
|
|
Saturday, October 31st, 2009
|
|
8:41 pm - Kundera quote
|
tatianalarina
|
Can anyone remember where Kundera says, "Every Frenchman is different, all actors are the same," and goes on to describe fame and compare the popularity of a doctor with that of an actor?
Which books is it??
Thanks! x
|
|
(4 comments | comment on this)
|
|
Friday, October 30th, 2009
|
|
10:02 am - Leaving a Paper Trail: Greeting Cards For All Occassions
|
metrogq
|
A lot of people believe that Sweetest Day is merely an invention by greeting card companies to try and capitalize on those poor schnooks whose girlfriends can’t make it until next February. And this of course comes before the barrage of end of year holidays in which we become so bogged down by goodwill and cheer that it becomes less, well, cheerful a time. Luckily, the brunt of minor holiday worries are over, and you are left unscathed. That doesn’t, however, mean the rest of the year is a snap. On the contrary, there’s inevitably that one gal in the office that insists on getting everyone a card for every minute holiday, from Arbor Day to National Talk Like a Pirate Day. So should you feel like a schmuck for not returning the gesture? Not necessarily. But with the plethora of greeting card options available from purveyors like Hallmark, there’s not always an easy way to tell when to card, when to send an email blast with some holiday-specific witticisms, and when to do nothing at all. READ MORE.
|
|
(7 comments | comment on this)
|
|
Wednesday, October 28th, 2009
|
|
1:56 am - "Seed" for Sale
|
|
|
|
12:26 am - Looking for a source
|
smithkingsley
|
When I was doing my MA a decade ago, I'm certain I saw a reference by Michael Ondaatje to the 'sense of unbelonging'. I can't for the life of me locate the source now, and I need it for a dissertation. If anyone remembers where Ondaatje mentioned it, I'd really be grateful for the help.
|
|
(comment on this)
|
|
Tuesday, October 20th, 2009
|
|
5:32 pm - LifeEpicurean.com's Fall TV Preview: What to Watch
|
metrogq
|
Though summer is the most cherished of seasons, it’s also a time for a pop culture phenomenon known as television limbo. In summer, syndication is king, and reality shows sadly take up precious primetime slots. But once the weather takes a jolly stroll down the thermometer, it’s time to return once more to your old boxy friend. A slew of shows are popping up on the radar this season, some good, some mindless slot-fillers. Get the dirt on some of this year’s new shows, along with a few returning favorites.
READ MORE HERE.
|
|
(2 comments | comment on this)
|
|
|
5:15 pm - The Literary Essentials: Evelyn Waugh
|
metrogq
|
If you’ve heard of Evelyn Waugh, it’s probably because your film buff friend dragged you to see Brideshead Revisited. But aside from his Hollywood reincarnation, there is no one who better sums up the image of the epicurean than the writer who lived through one of the most flamboyant periods in history. Arthur Evelyn St. John, better known just as Evelyn Waugh, may have been highly satirical of the Roaring Twenties and interwar period, but he understood and wrote about it better than most. READ MORE HERE.
|
|
(2 comments | comment on this)
|
|
Saturday, October 17th, 2009
|
|
3:24 pm - Voice
|
heart_over_head
|
What would you recommend doing to improve your "voice?" I have heard that showing your voice is very important, especially for college applications. I would like to be able to show my voice in my writing, not just for college applications but also for personal improvement.
|
|
(15 comments | comment on this)
|
|
Friday, October 16th, 2009
|
|
11:37 pm - confused
|
burningone
|
so, im really unsure of what to expect out of an english major? forgive me if i sound naive, but i'm unsure of what to expect or even where to begin looking. i love reading and writing, and always have, and i would really love to further my education in english.
originally i had gone to school as a business major, and hated it. i went to community college for a semester and finished up my gen eds that i hadnt completed from first year at school. i keep taking time off to figure out what to do, but im just so overwhelmed bu the whole process, and a bit apprehensive since i had THOUGHT the first time around i had found the school of my dreams. now, i know tons of people are unhappy with their schools and transfer, but i still feel very alone on all of this. what can i expect from an english major? and also my parents keep stressing that it is a foolish major to choose because it has a struggling job market. is this true?
i live in pa, and don't really have the money to afford a private school, even with various loans and/or scholarships. ive been seriously looking into temple universitys english program, and it seems like a solid choice for me, as well as affordable.
anyone know of any other affordable and noteworthy schools for english majors near pa and the tri state area? or any with particular emphasis on creative writing? i knowi love writing and aways have, and i really believe the best success comes from doing what you love! i know i still have a ways to go into researching schools and programs, but i barely have my foot in the door with all this and i guess i'm just looking to be pointed in the right direction. thank you all!
|
|
(12 comments | comment on this)
|
|
Saturday, October 10th, 2009
|
|
2:23 pm - Formatting question
|
babydolleyez
|
So, here's a question about my least favorite part of being an English major- formatting. I'm doing a paper on the Canterbury Tale, and I don't know how to cite in text quotations. All my professor has said is "use MLA format" but for this case I am not sure how. I am using two seperate Tales.
|
|
(6 comments | comment on this)
|
|
Monday, September 21st, 2009
|
|
8:30 pm - Teaching the Bible in Texas Public Schools
|
conrad_zaar
|
I have posted here twice before about the Texas legislature's decision to make it mandatory for the public schools to teach the Bible as literature. About a year ago I said that the author of the bill, Rep. Warren Chisum, seemed ignorant and confused about literary studies, and that his agenda seemed to me transparently evangelical. Then about a month ago I said that "most of the people commenting on the subject are revealing their deep confusion about literature, education, religion, and the First Amendment" and that although it was possible that Texas teachers and administrators might resist the temptation to proselytize, I didn't have particularly high hopes. Well it turns out that the situation for local school boards was worse than I realized:
[T]he law provides no specific guidelines, funding for materials or teacher training. So high schools are left scrambling to figure out what to teach and how to teach it. A handful of North Texas districts are offering an elective class, but most are choosing instead to embed Old and New Testament teachings into current classes.
[...]
"Asking a school district to teach a course or include material in a course without providing them any guidance or resources is like sending a teacher into a minefield without a map," said Mark Chancey, an associate professor of religious studies at Southern Methodist University and author of the report "Teaching the Bible in Texas Public Schools."
The University of Texas at Austin held a Bible study training workshop over the summer, but unfortunately only 19 teachers attended. Teaching the Bible in public schools already promised to be a tricky proposition; teaching the Bible in public schools without proper training and clear guidelines for teachers is a recipe for disaster. A civil liberties group called the Texas Freedom Network has already commissioned a study, and the results are about what you would expect. The study, entitled "Reading, Writing and Religion: Teaching the Bible in Texas Public Schools," reveals that "most of the elective Bible courses currently offered in 25 Texas school districts are taught as 'religious and devotional classes that promote one faith perspective over all others.'" It gets worse:
Most of the classes are taught by teachers with no academic training in religious or biblical studies and most present only a fundamentalist Protestant view of the Bible. In some districts, local clergy teach the course. Many of the teachers use instructional materials recommended by the Bible council, including videos that teach “creation science.”
Some of the Texas districts go so far as to teach students that the Bible is divinely inspired and “anyone who reads the Bible with open mind and heart is convinced that the Bible is God’s word to man” to quote a workbook used in one district. This is faith formation — the responsibility of families and religious communities. It has no place in a public school.
So the whole thing is a shameful disaster all around. I haven't heard about any lawsuits yet, but I can only assume they're coming.
|
|
(3 comments | comment on this)
|
|
Sunday, September 20th, 2009
|
|
11:09 pm
|
mercymyqueen
|
I'm asking a stupid simple punctuation-related question. (I apologize.) Commas make me dizzy.
I know I'm supposed to put a semicolon in here somewhere. I think it comes after Cottonball because that's the only comma that comes after a word that isn't in a grouping.
Here's the sentence:
She’d like to thank her teachers—especially Ms. Fingerdoodle, Mrs. Twingershmidtt. and Mr. Cottonball, her family, Antsy, Nancy and Prancy.
Sorry for being a twit. >
|
|
(8 comments | comment on this)
|
|
Wednesday, September 16th, 2009
|
|
3:56 pm - Willy
|
kitchit
|
So, I am writing an essay on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory for a Fantasy narratives subject I am doing as part of my English Major. I have been asked to answer the question:
" Is Charlie and the chocolate factory a utopic vision of chocolate and sweet consumption or a dystopic nightmare?"
I have already written most of the essay so I am not asking for help but I was wondering what your answer to this question would be.
So is Dahl's world of chocolate a utopia or a dystopia?
|
|
(6 comments | comment on this)
|
|
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif){kind=small}
english_majors