Class Notes about Collage

Title: Our/Secret

inclusive/exclusive

could be "our secret get your own"

Methods:

Collage

Juxtapose

Opposition

Discourse

Comparing 2 unlike things with metaphors.

Secrets-->Nucleus (inside, protected)

Mixes academic writing with creativity

Scientific part of academy, scientific writing: Fact, objective

she signals a change in discourse with word "like" comparing two things, which is verboten in scientific writing. She uses a similie

uses emotive adjectives "precious" which is a value word

griffin as a writer is not only interested in combining different stories and facts, she also interested in combining different discourses (languages of the field)

Inclusive & Exclusive discourses

the allow some people in and exclude other people, this method of juxtaposing different discoures together becomes part of her subject matter.

Who are we? How would a psychologist answer, how would a historian answer? Using different discourses

How does this change the lens through which we look at the problem??

First paragraph

begins narrative

what they talk about is intimate but the set up tells us a good deal about the nature of their relationship, set up as an interview (certainly not a couple of friends talking about the past)

"Darkness" revealing her past, but doing it under the cover of darkness; Anonimity

"The space between us grows larger" the woman is no longer there, she's some place else (elsewhere) the idea of DISTANCE

"Outside, the sea has disappeared" -->Epistomology

i'm writing about her, and i'm thinking about her, but i'm also thinking about Epistomology: the study of knowledge (how do we know what we know)

Senses: if youre at the developmental stage where you have to see it touch it feel it, and the sea disappeares (it is actually gone) if you're at the next stage you know it exists because the world is now a place yyou know through your senses AND your experiences. Events that we can only know in a fragmentary way (the past) we can make sense of with our own experiences.

Himmler

an example of exploration of the past

Journal: even though its a diary it doesn't contain thoughts, feelings, secrets, emotions

as a historian she can reports what she finds, but she can't do much more so she switches discourses

What would a psychologist say?

what did he dad do? (fact or fiction--Fiction) invented by the writer to fill in the blanks to give shape to that darkness

First paragraph pg 303

verbs change from conditional: who, what, why?

As a writer she's trying to imagine that place herself, and then tries to PLACE the reader there.

As the paragraph moves forward it gets quicker more insistent.

The way thorough which we manipulate reality for representation is it positive or negative?

1st Missile paragraph

V-1 rocket in its attempt to be neutral it masks "Vengeance Weapon" it masks that science doesn't think about the consequences. The language makes us complicit with violence.

Threads:

What kind of damage is done through parenting, the relationship between parenting and upbringing

Google Project Entry 6--GWTW

I've been looking more closely at my Gone With the Wind case study, and, as i'm trying to focus on dialogue the research is a little harder than I anticipated. Here is a link that talks about obtaining the rights to the novel, the costuming/make up, and the search for Scarlett O'Hara Click

While that is a helpful site, it's not as helpful as I'd like. So, I am trying a different approach. I want to look at the script for the film and compare it with the books.

Script by Chapter

General Information

Novel plot summaries/chapter summaries

more trivia

interesting movie article

It's difficult because the more I discover about the movie, the more I want to just write about how this particular novel translated to film. Hmm, "I'll think of that tomorrow." (Scarlet O'Hara)

Google Project Entry 5

Notes from "The English Novel and the Movies" by Michael Klein and Gillian Parker

• See only if interested in specific instances where Dracula plots are mismatched between the first version of the movie and Stoker's story.

Notes from "The Art of Adaptation: Turning Fact and Fiction into Film" by Linda Seger

• "Dialogue becomes an exchange between the actor and the audience" (40)
• "In The Empty Space Peter Brooks says:

A word does not start as a word--it is an end product which begins

as an impulse, stimulated by attitude and behavior which dictate the

need for expression. ... Both may be only conscious of the words, but

both for the author and then for the actor the word is a small visible

portion of a gigantic unseen formation." (40)

• "When adapting dialogue, be aware of the actual words as well as the subtext of what's being said." (143)
• "Sometimes the dialogue can't be directly translated to film, but the subtext could be used as a guide for other dialogue." (143)

Google Project Entry 4

Notes from readings: (yes real books)

Note: focusing on Dialogue adaptation, not imagery because imagery always translates as setting, how accurate imagery is depends on the set designer.

Principles of Adaptation for Film and Television: Ben Brady

From chapter 8 "Dialogue" This chapter talks about dialogue as an element of film.

• "The principal aim of good dialogue is to convey clearly and succinctly the information that the audience must know in order to be continually involved in the story. But, far more important, these utterances must reveal the characters' feelings, both apparent and hidden."
• "Dialogue is genuine only when it grows out of the emotions of the situation itself. In short, dialogue should present not the situation itself, but rather the situation as it is felt by the characters who are experiencing it." (56)
• "Good dialogue must (A) sound conversational, (B) suit the characters, (C) reveal their values and traits, and (D) advance the plot...with the most economical, minimal choice of words." (57)
• "If a character's speech can be delivered by a character other than the one from whom it was was written, that dialogue is defective." (57)
• "Always exclude excessive words, phrases, and speeches that go beyond dramatic need (that is giving the play meaning)
• "Authors often attempt to indicate the pronunciation of dialects by spelling them out for the reader. In drama, such a procedure is more hurtful than helpful, because it makes the script arduous to read and difficult to understand The actor or actress who is chosen for the part will probably have an aptitude for dialect. If not, no amount of phoneticizing will help him or her to sound like the genuine article." (This means that casting is crucial in film adaptation)
• "Another grievance among actors is a writer who constantly describes the manner in which each speech is supposed to be spoken." (Necessary in literature because there are no actors, a PRO) "Only when the meaning of a speech i not clear int he normal reading of a line is it useful to include an instruction."
• "A speech should speak for itself. If a line that calls for anger or sadness is not provoked by the situation, look to the motivation rather than the speech description." (58)
• Curtain Lines and Tag Lines "Should gather all the emotional power of the scene or the act into a final focus." (Think of the lines used at the end of each "part" in GWTW versus the lines used at the ends of the scenes in the movie, the same, different? Impact same or different? is the movie divided as the book is?) (59)
• "the stage is a playground, not a pulpit; characters talk, they don't make speeches; a scene is a setting where commonplace words are used dexterously. Good dialogue states the facts with the most refreshing use of language and demands a sensitive grasp of the emotional significance of each sequence of action, which is consistent with the characters' values and traits."

Google Project blog 3

So, I've changed my mind.

Instead of simply exploring dialogue as an element of classical literature I am going to look at how dialogue and metaphor (being key elements of literature) translate into film.

I'm going to look at what is lost in film adaptations, and what is gained by having actors, and therefor facial expressions. I'm going to try and look at how several different directors approach dialogue (and facial expressions). I'll try to have several examples within my final project in the form of video clips and block quotations. I will use Gone With the Wind, as the dialogue in both the film and novel are exquisite. I will also look at the different directing styles of the film adaptation of Dracula, compared to the novel. And, as Gone With the Wind and Dracula are very different genres, but set in time period's very close to each other, I will TRY to look at the differences and similarities between American dialogue and British dialogue.

Main Idea:

• How do dialogue and imagery translate into film? (Film adaptation of classical literature)

Building ideas:

• What is lost? (In general) What is gained? (In general)

Case studies:

• Gone With the Wind: Margaret Mitchell set during the 1860's and pre/during/post civil war era
• Dracula: Bram Stoker set during the 1890's (turn of the century)
• Seek to compare and contrast case studies, as they take place 30 years apart. One being realistic romantic fiction, the other being gothic fiction, and both canonical pieces of classical literature.
• Film: Gone With the Wind released 1939 directed by Victor Flemmings
• 27 versions of dracula story see here for list

Google Project Entry 2

What is Dialogue?

Dialogue by definition is a "conversation between two or more people as a feature of a story." (dictionary) There are many questions one can ask about dialogue, is a conversation in a book just like a conversation between two friends? The answer is no, dialogue has several specific jobs in literature; "Dialogue must do one of the following:

• Establish the tone or mood
• Provide exposition or back story
• Reveal character and motivation
• Create immediacy and intimacy (build reader empathy)
• Move the plot forward and/or increase its pace
• Create or add to existing conflict
• Remind the reader of things they may have forgotten
• Foreshadow"

A good rule to live by is "The richer the Dialogue's meaning,the richer the story."

Dialogue is "a condensed, distilled version of real talk, thick on meaning, thin on chatter."

Be sure to "Use language particular to a character and organically reflective of their background and personality."

Google Project entry 1

I've been throwing around several ideas to work into an essay. So i'm going to outline everything I want to cover in each potential essay in this blog. These ideas are all questions i've been rolling around for a while, and all things i'm very interested in.

Ideas:

1. How dialogue and metaphor work in both classic literature and film adaptation, AKA how dialogue and imagery translate to new media.
2. May be a separate idea, or included in idea #1. The loss of dialogue and metaphor in film adaptation because of direction or acting style
3. How different directing styles effect film adaptation of classic literature
4. Dialogue (and surrounding elements) as an element of classic literature

Considering I'm currently fascinated with dialogue, i'll probably work on #4. So, i'm going to block in my outline, and give myself a few resources to use later.

What is dialogue? (What are its functions?)

On dialogue

How does one write dialogue?

On writing dialogue

Does dialogue change with characterization?

On functions of dialogue and accent

How do different authors link dialogue with their characters?

Does this make the authors essentially actors, by which they play every character? (how does one incorporate accents?)

On characterization through dialogue

See book mentioned "you just don't understand" by Deborah Tannen

What is good dialogue?

Why is dialogue a key element in classic literature?

I'll probably edit this post a dozen times, at least. In my next post I'll actually start writing down some ideas in the form of paragraphs, working, of course, towards my complete project.

On Class Culture

I'm going to start with the end of Mr. Noonan's essay on class culture. He says, "So, what kind of culture promotes learning? For me, the answer is simple: All must be engaged. All must be active. All must contribute. The entire class—teacher and students alike—must cultivate a shared commitment to reaching for better (deeper, broader, richer, more nuanced) understanding. To begin to achieve this goal, the culture of the class needs to support a learning environment that places an emphasis on shared responsibility and respect.
And how, specifically, do we do this?-Maintaining classroom etiquette
-Contributing thoughtfully inside and outside of class
-Looking out for your fellow classmates."

It might be a little rude to say that I have a harder time relating to all the information prior to the above paragraph, but I do. One of the main reasons I transfered schools is because I wanted a change in student culture. I felt like the culture at my previous school was absolutely not engaged to a point that it was negatively effecting my learning, it was one devoid of goals and motivation, and where the professors catered to the students who were never interested in learning in the first place. So I completely agree, and am happy to see that Northeastern encourages its students to be "engaged, active, and contributive." I also think it is very important to be understanding and "supportive" of the other students in the class, but as dependent as class culture is on a sense of community, I think it also takes a certain level of independence. I think students need to be comfortable with themselves, and in their knowledge before they are able to accept another's. I think that "responsibility and respect," with the goal of being shared eventually, must first be developed by the individual. To develop responsibility and respect someone must be confident in their own will power, for I find that peer pressure undoubtably influences college students to think differently about their surroundings (including their classmates.)

Why can't I relate to the first few paragraphs of the essay?

As an older transfer student farther along in my college career than all of my other classmates, I do not consider myself part of the culture of my classes, or of Northeastern. I transferred from a very limited and specialized student culture at a music school, as much as I dislike it, I have to say that Berklee, having been the first place with which I became acclimated is the only school that I'll feel I belonged to the culture. I started classes with other freshman in the new world of college, and we went through all the same successes and failures together, just as Northeastern freshman are doing. I used to not think there was a major difference in the years because all academic levels were mixed at Berklee. So, I thought I would be able to easily migrate to a new culture and meld with the new student community, but I was wrong. I was wrong because the community I should be melding with, is unattainable at the level of classes I am having to take, and I find it overwhelmingly awkward to try and find my place among eager and green new Northeastern students. Not because I find them inferior in any way at all, but because I cannot relate with their new excitement, or much of anything they are interested in. However, I believe that everything said in the essay is true about class cultures, and I will always have the connections (with many lost opportunities) from my old school, as Northeastern students will have their connections and opportunities to take with them when they graduate. I only wish that I would have written this response before I transferred so that I would have been able to realize the amount of opportunities I would be losing by abandoning my community.

In that regard, I guess a few lessons can be learned from my plight. Communities work very very well if every member is functioning properly, and at the same level, but if a new member comes along at a different level either the community will shut them out (for fear of being disrupted) or absorb them and take the risk of being slightly disrupted and disjointed until the new member melds completely, or leaves. Second, the group that choses to absorb the new-comer will demonstrate that they are indeed a strong community full of self-actualized people ready to be respectful and responsible. The group that rejects the new member shows weakness and immaturity as exhibited by their lack of respect and acceptance.

Links for musical essay

Autumn Leaves Classical

Autumn Leaves Latin

Autumn Leaves Jazz

Blue Monk Swing

Blue Monk Ballad

"The Boxer"

"Flightless Bird American Mouth"

What is an Essay?

What are it's parts?

• "Topic, outline, introduction, thesis, body, and conclusion" visit

here to find out more about each part

What does "Essay" mean?

• "an analytic or interpretive literary composition"
• "often written from an author's personal point of view"
• "An Attempt; a try"
• "a short work of nonfiction that deals with a single subject"
• "expressing a personal view."

• Visit this site for sources and context.

How does an essay differ from other types of texts?

• look here!

Are there different types of essays?

• yes, check it out: click me

Reflections on the Syllabus

“The teaching-learning relationship must be totally open and constantly reversible.” (Beuys)

• The way I see it, people are people, and everyone can teach someone something. In this case, every person is, essentially, a teacher AND a learner at any given time. So, I like to think that Beuys is encouraging people to be open minded about learning and teaching. A teacher can always learn from others, which means that the traditional class room model (A teacher and his students) disagrees with Beuys statement. It disagrees because in a learning environment Beuys argues that every one is there to teach and to learn from each other, it may be that the designated teacher has more expertise in the field, but it does not mean that a student cannot learn from his or her peers, or that a teacher cannot learn from his students. The roles of teacher and student are "constantly reversible."

“A sense of emptiness always precedes creation.” ( Griffin )

• From experience and observation in a community possessed by music and constantly obsessed with creation I can agree with Griffin, "emptiness always precedes creation." Ask any songwriter how they came up with lyrics, ask them what time they were working on them. They will almost always respond "I don't work on them over a period of time, they just come to me." Others may respond that they are most creative in their sleep; "I don't know man, it just came to me in a dream," that's why most songwriters sleep with a pad of paper and a pen on their night stand. I don't really know how any one else feels about this matter, but it seems to me that if one were to feel most empty, it would be during sleep, therefore, emptiness must precede creation. It works the same with visual art; I used to do lots of work with charcoal and photography. When I do a photo shoot, there is no period of emptiness before I start snapping pictures, or creating prints. This must be because I am not exactly creating, i'm reproducing, but when I'm working on a drawing I have to sit for at least an hour and listen to music or just do nothing, until a subject comes to me, then I can create.

“A text is made up of multiple writings, drawn from many cultures and entering into mutual relations of dialogue, parody, contestation.” (Barthes)

• This reminds me of a conversation that was had during class today. I agree with my classmate and with Barthes, that all text is an amalgamation of, a parody of, or an argument against parts from other texts and cultures. It's like what Bartholomae and Petrosky encourage their readers to do, they encourage readers to extract the relationship between the author and one's self, this quote seems to be encouraging writers to create that conversation for readers, make it easier for them the relate to the text.

“If there’s a lesson here it’s: get busy copying. That’s not a popular notion today, not when we are all instructed to find our own way, admonished to be original and find our own voice at all cost! But it’s sound advice. Traveling the paths of greatness, even in someone else’s footprints, is a vital means to acquiring skill.” (Tharp)

• Instruction today is based a lot on the americanization of western culture, that is, teaching today is all about enforcing hyper-individualization. "Unusual" teaching, as Bartholomae and Petrosky would say, is trying to re-condition learners by encouraging them to be inspired by or borrow pieces from others. It is okay to "travel in the [same] paths... even in someone else's footprints," because at least you know they lead to "greatness." Imitation is a way to learn.

“A teacher is someone who makes himself progressively unnecessary.” (Carruthers)

• This is a wonderful quotation. I think it should be the goal of every teacher to wean his students off of his instruction. I always thought the goal of teaching was to guide others on a path of learning that would eventually lead to discovery and independence, to create a community of educated people conversant and stand-alone in their knowledge. The goal of teaching should be to create a community of peers, and if this is the goal then Carruthers quote would be the foundation of all pedagogy.

"Emphasizing concept and process over end product, collage has brought the incongruous into meaningful congress with the ordinary. With its capacity for change, speed, immediacy, and ephemerality, collage is ideally suited to the demands of this and the prior century. It is a medium of materiality, a record of our civilization, a document of the timely and the transitory. It is no wonder that today’s artists continue to use collage as a way of giving expression to the unorthodox, both in art and life." (Waldman)


“We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.” (Eliot)

• I see this from a very artistic point of view. Let's go back to my charcoal drawing I mentioned earlier; we are looking at a blank canvas, and we have one of two choices. Choice number one would be the Griffin route; we can sit for an hour rolling around inspiration until we find a subject, and then through careful planning execute our drawing, probably having blocked out the drawing with an end product in mind. Choice number two is the Eliot route, and the Jackson Pollock route, let's just start. Start drawing lines and exploring the negative space of the paper, explore the spaces created by new lines, keep exploring... eventually, we will finish, and stop. Once we have stopped, we'll step back and admire out creation for the first time, even though it is the same piece of paper with which we started. It works the same with music, you have the same two choices Griffin's piece probably comes out as a complicated and complex fugue, Eliot's piece end up like an Uri Cane avant garde concerto. And, you guessed it! It works the same with writing, a writer can either plan an end product and work towards that product, or focus more on the processes and eventually create an end product that they will see for the first time when they have completed its parts.