Q: What would happen if The Waste Land and Waiting for Godot and Cy Twombly all got together in a fit of Postmodern passion and had a baby? What could possibly result from: the expectation that a reader of any text must have a good knowledge of world history, literature, culture and art in order to truly understand and create meaning from it, mixed with absurdist and biting dark comedy expressing deep questions about, What is does it mean to have meaning? and an ability to simultaneously show the pointlessness of producing that depth of meaning in a text in the first place, both added to an instinctual urge to express and create signs and text and meaning that leads one to such questions as a part of their creation.
A: One healthy baby. Screaming, pissing and pooping deconstruction all over the damn place.
Important points that will easily morph into paper topics or issues you might want to explore in the art project:
1.This novel questions and demonstrates what happens when a culture is so saturated with texts that communication is virtually impossible. This culture was the culture of the USA in the early 1960's. Of the Baby Boomers. Of the world that helped to shape the way your parents and grandparents thought. Of the world that gave us both Clinton and Bush. The world that our nation finally might be leaving behind.
2.This novel also examines what happens when an artist's deconstruction of the current paradigm is nearly impossible because the current paradigm accepts and expects such a deconstruction by including that deconstruction as part of itself. How can an artist offer an alternative world and way of seeing by questioning the current paradigm when the current paradigm already lives those same exact questions? Well, Pynchon tries by mocking the living hell out of it.
3. In many ways the crisis of meaning in the novel predicts what our world today is like. Think about how much “meaning” is thrown at you everyday. Think how many texts you have to interpret and re-interpret every single day, every hour, every minute. Think about how quickly signs and signifieds pop in and out of existence or mutate from moment to moment. What does it mean that so much communication in our culture is via methods that are so easily and quickly sent and received?
Monday, March 16, 2009
PAPER #1 RUBRIC AND CHECKLIST
2 points: clearly states a thesis statement that connects directly to assigned paper topics
3 points: body paragraphs clearly connect to and help to support/prove thesis statement
3 points: texts are cited directly and accurately in order to support/prove thesis statement
2 points: meets spelling, grammar conventions, MLA conventions
10 points total
Paper Check List:
______: paper topic is from assigned list or has been approved in advance of due date
______: you have a second copy of the paper that is stored (via hard copy and/or electronically) in a safe, secure place that you can access when you need to.
______: paper has been spell checked and edited for other basic spelling, grammar and usage errors BEFORE you have handed it in.
______: paper is correctly formatted according to MLA guidelines
______: paper is ready to be turned in AT THE START OF CLASS on the due date
3 points: body paragraphs clearly connect to and help to support/prove thesis statement
3 points: texts are cited directly and accurately in order to support/prove thesis statement
2 points: meets spelling, grammar conventions, MLA conventions
10 points total
Paper Check List:
______: paper topic is from assigned list or has been approved in advance of due date
______: you have a second copy of the paper that is stored (via hard copy and/or electronically) in a safe, secure place that you can access when you need to.
______: paper has been spell checked and edited for other basic spelling, grammar and usage errors BEFORE you have handed it in.
______: paper is correctly formatted according to MLA guidelines
______: paper is ready to be turned in AT THE START OF CLASS on the due date
Friday, March 6, 2009
ART PROJECT: DUE THURSDAY MAY 28TH, 2009
A Self-Deconstruction
Using yourself or aspect of yourself (personality, emotional state, family, physical body, hobby, etc.) as inspiration you will create three works of art that will serve as a Postmodern “deconstruction” series. Each work in this series must exemplify and/or question the Postmodern paradigm as we have discussed it in class.
1. For each of the three works that make up your series you must have a minor essay in paragraph form, explaining the subject matter, imagery, and WHAT IT IS AND HOW YOU ARE DECONSTRUCTING IT. Also explain what inspired you to create it, and your own opinion/judgment of the particular work.
2. One major essay in which you discuss at least ALL of the following in paragraph form:
What is your series questioning, explaining, presenting and how does your art question, explain, present.
How does each work connect to the other pieces and create a whole “text.”?
What do you feel are your strengths and weakness of your series as a whole?
What is your own creative process? What were your inspirations, false starts, problems, successes and struggles? Describe it in detail as best you can.
How would you describe your own artistic style?
Your Series MUST include the following pieces.
One poem of at least 50 words.
One piece of visual art. (painting, collage, drawing, photo, sculpture, etc.)
One “other” piece: This piece can be anything from a short film, original musical performance, interpretive dance to another poem or piece of visual art of a different style/type than the other part of your series.
In addition you must designate one piece as your “lead” piece. This piece should be BOTH your best/favorite artistic response to the assignment and have the best short essay explanation. The lead piece will be worth 15 points of your total 40 point Art Project.
Note: This assignment combines the points from the original syllabus for the Art Project and the final exam. This project is EXTREMELY important and represents an entire 40% of your final grade. This absolutely must represent your best work. Late work, poor effort and poor writing will be penalized severely. I will read and help edit drafts of the minor and major essays for content and style only. DO NOT EXPECT ME TO EDIT YOUR WRITING FOR BASIC SPELLING AND GRAMMAR ERRORS. A complete grading rubric will be available after Spring Break.
Using yourself or aspect of yourself (personality, emotional state, family, physical body, hobby, etc.) as inspiration you will create three works of art that will serve as a Postmodern “deconstruction” series. Each work in this series must exemplify and/or question the Postmodern paradigm as we have discussed it in class.
1. For each of the three works that make up your series you must have a minor essay in paragraph form, explaining the subject matter, imagery, and WHAT IT IS AND HOW YOU ARE DECONSTRUCTING IT. Also explain what inspired you to create it, and your own opinion/judgment of the particular work.
2. One major essay in which you discuss at least ALL of the following in paragraph form:
What is your series questioning, explaining, presenting and how does your art question, explain, present.
How does each work connect to the other pieces and create a whole “text.”?
What do you feel are your strengths and weakness of your series as a whole?
What is your own creative process? What were your inspirations, false starts, problems, successes and struggles? Describe it in detail as best you can.
How would you describe your own artistic style?
Your Series MUST include the following pieces.
One poem of at least 50 words.
One piece of visual art. (painting, collage, drawing, photo, sculpture, etc.)
One “other” piece: This piece can be anything from a short film, original musical performance, interpretive dance to another poem or piece of visual art of a different style/type than the other part of your series.
In addition you must designate one piece as your “lead” piece. This piece should be BOTH your best/favorite artistic response to the assignment and have the best short essay explanation. The lead piece will be worth 15 points of your total 40 point Art Project.
Note: This assignment combines the points from the original syllabus for the Art Project and the final exam. This project is EXTREMELY important and represents an entire 40% of your final grade. This absolutely must represent your best work. Late work, poor effort and poor writing will be penalized severely. I will read and help edit drafts of the minor and major essays for content and style only. DO NOT EXPECT ME TO EDIT YOUR WRITING FOR BASIC SPELLING AND GRAMMAR ERRORS. A complete grading rubric will be available after Spring Break.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Understanding Cy Twombly's Pre-Linguistic Intent
Charles Olsen teacher/mentor/supporter of Twombly said that, in Western culture, the priority of two intellectual forces, abstraction and self-reflection, had led humans to become estranged from their own bodies and nature. Olson hoped to return unity and balance by placing humans among other objects in the roiling, curving, contingent reality described by modern physics and non-Euclidean geometry. Humans would exist fully contextualised, as sentient objects situated in the same space and time as the objects of their perception.
In 1951, Olson wrote: ‘what I like about Twombly is this sense one gets that his apprehension … is buried to the hips, to the neck, if you like’. This apprehension aligned with his vision of the artist whose ‘inner’ life and ‘outer’ life were enmeshed, whose body acted as a porous membrane, in which energy flowed in and out, part of an overall field of energy. In this field, all entities co-exist and ‘decide’ whether or not to take energy emanating from another entity. In this schema, everything is always in a process of self-formation, including the human subject who emerges from the facts and particularities of reality. More importantly, rationalised power structures are overthrown. Human balance and proportion are restored through a system of causal interrelationships, one object acting on another.
In this kinetic, interdependent universe, humans did, however, retain agency. They alone could move from a state of pre-cognitive apprehension of universal energy, to a coalescing of knowledge gleaned from immersion in that energy, to the construction of forms that are derived organically from and in balance with what is known. In a poem of 1950, ‘ABC’s (2)’, Olson described a course from the pre-cognitive state of apprehension, to a coalescing of knowledge, to acts of human agency that include making art:
of rhythm is image
of image is knowing
of knowing there is
a construct
To further harmonise man with nature, Olson advocated a return to ‘mythic consciousness’, the state before logos and the human urge to dominate became the rule. To locate it, Olson envisioned a new archaeology in which past, present and future history penetrate one another, in paratactic arrangement, to reveal and create metaphors and narratives useful to modern life.
Two alternatives: make your own story – fiction, or history: when you are up against it, to equal what went on. One can know what one oneself makes, but to know what happened, even to oneself? … It isn’t a question of fiction versus knowing. ‘Lies’ are necessary in both – that is the HIMagination. At no point outside a fiction can one be sure. What did happen? Two alternatives: make it up; or try to find out. Both are necessary.
Nearly all of the above from: http://www.tate.org.uk/research/tateresearch/tatepapers/08autumn/carol-a-nigro.shtm
Image list:
1. The Age of Alexander 1959-60 paint, pencil on canvass
2. Tiznit, 1953 White lead, house paint, crayon, and pencil on canvas
3. Free Wheeler 1955, house paint, crayon, pencil, and pastel on canvas
4. Poems to the Sea, 1959
5. The Four Seasons: Summer 1994, paint,mpencil, crayon on canvass
In 1951, Olson wrote: ‘what I like about Twombly is this sense one gets that his apprehension … is buried to the hips, to the neck, if you like’. This apprehension aligned with his vision of the artist whose ‘inner’ life and ‘outer’ life were enmeshed, whose body acted as a porous membrane, in which energy flowed in and out, part of an overall field of energy. In this field, all entities co-exist and ‘decide’ whether or not to take energy emanating from another entity. In this schema, everything is always in a process of self-formation, including the human subject who emerges from the facts and particularities of reality. More importantly, rationalised power structures are overthrown. Human balance and proportion are restored through a system of causal interrelationships, one object acting on another.
In this kinetic, interdependent universe, humans did, however, retain agency. They alone could move from a state of pre-cognitive apprehension of universal energy, to a coalescing of knowledge gleaned from immersion in that energy, to the construction of forms that are derived organically from and in balance with what is known. In a poem of 1950, ‘ABC’s (2)’, Olson described a course from the pre-cognitive state of apprehension, to a coalescing of knowledge, to acts of human agency that include making art:
of rhythm is image
of image is knowing
of knowing there is
a construct
To further harmonise man with nature, Olson advocated a return to ‘mythic consciousness’, the state before logos and the human urge to dominate became the rule. To locate it, Olson envisioned a new archaeology in which past, present and future history penetrate one another, in paratactic arrangement, to reveal and create metaphors and narratives useful to modern life.
Two alternatives: make your own story – fiction, or history: when you are up against it, to equal what went on. One can know what one oneself makes, but to know what happened, even to oneself? … It isn’t a question of fiction versus knowing. ‘Lies’ are necessary in both – that is the HIMagination. At no point outside a fiction can one be sure. What did happen? Two alternatives: make it up; or try to find out. Both are necessary.
Nearly all of the above from: http://www.tate.org.uk/research/tateresearch/tatepapers/08autumn/carol-a-nigro.shtm
Image list:
1. The Age of Alexander 1959-60 paint, pencil on canvass
2. Tiznit, 1953 White lead, house paint, crayon, and pencil on canvas
3. Free Wheeler 1955, house paint, crayon, pencil, and pastel on canvas
4. Poems to the Sea, 1959
5. The Four Seasons: Summer 1994, paint,mpencil, crayon on canvass
Monday, March 2, 2009
POMO Paper #1
PAPER #1 DUE THURSDAY MARCH 19th.
1. A topic of your choice that you have had approved IN ADVANCE of the due date, by me. For approval you must present a written thesis statement.
2. What is memory's role in “The Waste Land” and Waiting for Godot? How does each artist use references to it, lack of it, mistakes from it, etc. to help him make a point? Discuss: Similarities, differences, EXAMPLES.
3. Explain how “The Waste Land” and Waiting for Godot both could be considered to be “hopeful” texts.
4. Explain how “The Waste Land” and Waiting for Godot each approach the issue of deconstruction of their texts differently. One seems to require it, the other seems immune to it. Why? What larger point is each artist trying to say about the world, knowledge in general, the specific work of art?
Important Info:
I will suggest stylistic and subject matter changes, improvements, etc. for your rewrites but I WILL NOT CHECK PAPERS FOR GRAMMAR AND SPELLING ERRORS. As a member of an advanced, college prep literature class it is simply your responsibility to have yourself or someone else edit those problems. If you hand in a paper with too many of these errors, I will hand it back without comment except to say to find and fix those errors before handing it in again.
From the Syllabus:
All papers must be typed, using standard margins and fonts and meet MLA formatting and style guidelines.... Always print up two copies: one for me and one for you to have just in case. Always make sure to save a copy of your paper to a disc, back up hard drive or even something like Google Docs. All papers turned in after the due date will be penalized with 10% off the final grade for each school day they are late. All papers are due at the START of the class on the day they are due. The instructor reserves the right to suggest or REQUIRE A RE-WRITE. If a re-write is assigned the student and instructor will agree upon a new due date with the same late penalties as before. Suggested or required re-writes will earn new (usually better!) grades if the work improves.
PLAGIARIZED PAPERS WILL RESULT IN A ZERO WITH NO CHANCE FOR A RE-WRITE.
1. A topic of your choice that you have had approved IN ADVANCE of the due date, by me. For approval you must present a written thesis statement.
2. What is memory's role in “The Waste Land” and Waiting for Godot? How does each artist use references to it, lack of it, mistakes from it, etc. to help him make a point? Discuss: Similarities, differences, EXAMPLES.
3. Explain how “The Waste Land” and Waiting for Godot both could be considered to be “hopeful” texts.
4. Explain how “The Waste Land” and Waiting for Godot each approach the issue of deconstruction of their texts differently. One seems to require it, the other seems immune to it. Why? What larger point is each artist trying to say about the world, knowledge in general, the specific work of art?
Important Info:
I will suggest stylistic and subject matter changes, improvements, etc. for your rewrites but I WILL NOT CHECK PAPERS FOR GRAMMAR AND SPELLING ERRORS. As a member of an advanced, college prep literature class it is simply your responsibility to have yourself or someone else edit those problems. If you hand in a paper with too many of these errors, I will hand it back without comment except to say to find and fix those errors before handing it in again.
From the Syllabus:
All papers must be typed, using standard margins and fonts and meet MLA formatting and style guidelines.... Always print up two copies: one for me and one for you to have just in case. Always make sure to save a copy of your paper to a disc, back up hard drive or even something like Google Docs. All papers turned in after the due date will be penalized with 10% off the final grade for each school day they are late. All papers are due at the START of the class on the day they are due. The instructor reserves the right to suggest or REQUIRE A RE-WRITE. If a re-write is assigned the student and instructor will agree upon a new due date with the same late penalties as before. Suggested or required re-writes will earn new (usually better!) grades if the work improves.
PLAGIARIZED PAPERS WILL RESULT IN A ZERO WITH NO CHANCE FOR A RE-WRITE.
Kurt's Guide to “Waiting For Godot”
As you read the play remember to view it completely from the lens of Post Modernism as we have discussed it in class.
1. The play IS NOT ABOUT NOTHING! Nor is it about how everything has meaning so therefore nothing has special meaning. Don't even go there. This might or might not keep you sane.
2. In relation to the first point, this play is definitely also not about the loss/death of God. That would imply that at one time we “had” God (something absolutely true that we could express through signs) in our lives in the first place.
3. The constant repetition in the play is to draw attention to the performance like aspects of what we call reality and how we rely on those to make and sustain meaning. Think of all the “constructed” things you do because of cultural/social/family/etc. Norms. If nothing were ever trepeated to us there would be no verbal or written language possible...or texts...or meta-narratives...or belief systems. So, that repetition is necessary for our survival, but it traps us and keeps us lost in the world of signs.
4. There is no resolution, no definition, but there IS something.
5. Always remember that Beckett said his favorite word was “perhaps.”
1. The play IS NOT ABOUT NOTHING! Nor is it about how everything has meaning so therefore nothing has special meaning. Don't even go there. This might or might not keep you sane.
2. In relation to the first point, this play is definitely also not about the loss/death of God. That would imply that at one time we “had” God (something absolutely true that we could express through signs) in our lives in the first place.
3. The constant repetition in the play is to draw attention to the performance like aspects of what we call reality and how we rely on those to make and sustain meaning. Think of all the “constructed” things you do because of cultural/social/family/etc. Norms. If nothing were ever trepeated to us there would be no verbal or written language possible...or texts...or meta-narratives...or belief systems. So, that repetition is necessary for our survival, but it traps us and keeps us lost in the world of signs.
4. There is no resolution, no definition, but there IS something.
5. Always remember that Beckett said his favorite word was “perhaps.”
Waiting for Godot Questions
1. If it were true that nothing or less than nothing happens in Waiting for Godot, how is it that we manage to be entertained as the audience/reader?
2. Do you think the play would function differently if the characters were all female instead of male? How?
3. If Waiting for Godot is moralistic in nature, what is the moral? How does the play instruct us to lead our lives? Are these lessons subjective and personal for each viewer, or objective and universal?
4. Take a position and explain your reasoning for EACH of the following statements:
Lucky’s position is the most enviable in Waiting for Godot since he has the security of being told what to do.
Vladimir and Estragon are slaves to their concept of Godot just as Lucky is a slave to Pozzo.
The barren setting of Waiting for Godot is proof that Vladimir and Estragon will never be able to break their cycle of inactive waiting; it negates the possibility of life or creation.
Estragon and Vladimir put the label of "waiting for Godot" on what is really just a systematic waiting for death.
2. Do you think the play would function differently if the characters were all female instead of male? How?
3. If Waiting for Godot is moralistic in nature, what is the moral? How does the play instruct us to lead our lives? Are these lessons subjective and personal for each viewer, or objective and universal?
4. Take a position and explain your reasoning for EACH of the following statements:
Lucky’s position is the most enviable in Waiting for Godot since he has the security of being told what to do.
Vladimir and Estragon are slaves to their concept of Godot just as Lucky is a slave to Pozzo.
The barren setting of Waiting for Godot is proof that Vladimir and Estragon will never be able to break their cycle of inactive waiting; it negates the possibility of life or creation.
Estragon and Vladimir put the label of "waiting for Godot" on what is really just a systematic waiting for death.
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