Month: November 2017

Love, desire and impotence

Meng Zhao Leave a comment

The Disappointment

1
ONE Day the Amarous Lisander,
By an impatient Passion sway’d,
Surpris’d fair Cloris, that lov’d Maid,
Who cou’d defend her self no longer ;
All things did with his Love conspire,
The gilded Planet of the Day,
In his gay Chariot, drawn by Fire,
Was now descending to the Sea,
And left no Light to guide the World,
But what from Cloris brighter Eyes was hurl’d.
2
In alone Thicket, made for Love,
Silent as yielding Maids Consent,
She with a charming Languishment
Permits his force, yet gently strove ?
Her Hands his Bosom softly meet,
But not to put him back design’d,
Rather to draw him on inclin’d,
Whilst he lay trembling at her feet;
Resistance ’tis to late to shew,
She wants the pow’r to say — Ah!what do you do?
3
Her bright Eyes sweat, and yet Severe,
Where Love and Shame confus’dly strive,
Fresh Vigor to Lisander give :
And whispring softly in his Ear,
She Cry’d — Cease — cease — your vain desire,
Or I’ll call out — What wou’d you do ?
My dearer Honour, ev’n to you,
I cannot — must not give — retire,
Or take that Life whose chiefest part
I gave you with the Conquest of my Heart.
4
But he as much unus’d to fear,
As he was capable of Love,
The blessed Minutes to improve,
Kisses her Lips, her Neck, her Hair !
Each touch her new Desires alarms !
His burning trembling Hand he prest
Upon her melting Snowy Breast,
While she lay panting in his Arms !
All her unguarded Beauties lie
The Spoils and Trophies of the Enemy.
5
And now, without Respect or Fear,
He seeks the Objects of his Vows ;
His Love no Modesty allows :
By swift degrees advancing where
His daring Hand that Alter seiz’d,
Where Gods of Love do Sacrifice ;
That awful Throne, that Paradise,
Where Rage is tam’d, and Anger pleas’d ;
That Living Fountain, from whose Trills
The melted Soul in liquid Drops distils.
6
Her balmy Lips encountring his,
Their Bodies as their Souls are joyn’d,
Where both in Transports were confin’d,
Extend themselves upon the Moss.
Cloris half dead and breathless lay,
Her Eyes appear’d like humid Light,
Such as divides the Day and Night;
Or falling Stars, whose Fires decay ;
And now no signs of Life she shows,
But what in short-breath-sighs returns and goes.
7
He saw how at her length she lay,
He saw her rising Bosom bare,
Her loose thin Robes, through which appear
A Shape design’d for Love and Play;
Abandon’d by her Pride and Shame,
She do’s her softest Sweets dispence,
Offring her Virgin-Innocence
A Victim to Loves Sacred Flame ;
Whilst th’ or’e ravish’d Shepherd lies,
Unable to perform the Sacrifice.
8
Ready to taste a Thousand Joys,
Thee too transported hapless Swain,
Found the vast Pleasure turn’d to Pain :
Pleasure, which too much Love destroys !
The willing Garments by he laid,
And Heav’n all open to his view ;
Mad to possess, himself he threw
On the defenceless lovely Maid.
But oh ! what envious Gods conspire
To snatch his Pow’r, yet leave him the Desire !
9
Natures support, without whose Aid
She can no humane Being give,
It self now wants the Art to live,
Faintness it slacken’d Nerves invade :
In vain th’ enraged Youth assaid
To call his fleeting Vigour back,
No Motion ’twill from Motion take,
Excess of Love his Love betray’d ;
In vain he Toils, in vain Commands,
Th’ Insensible fell weeping in his Hands.
10
In this so Am’rous cruel strife,
Where Love and Fate were too severe,
The poor Lisander in Despair,
Renounc’d his Reason with his Life.
Now all the Brisk and Active Fire
That should the Nobler Part inflame,
Unactive Frigid, Dull became,
And left no Spark for new Desire ;
Not all her Naked Charms cou’d move,
Or calm that Rage that had debauch’d his Love.
11
Cloris returning from the Trance
Which Love and soft Desire had bred,
Her tim’rous Hand she gently laid,
Or guided by Design or Chance,
Upon that Fabulous Priapus,
That Potent God (as Poets feign.)
But never did young Shepherdess
(Gath’ring of Fern upon the Plain)
More nimbly draw her Fingers back,
Finding beneath the Verdant Leaves a Snake.
12
Then Cloris her fair Hand withdrew,
Finding that God of her Desires
Disarm’d of all his pow’rful Fires,
And cold as Flow’rs bath’d in the Morning-dew.
Who can the Nymphs Confusion guess ?
The Blood forsook the kinder place,
And strew’d with Blushes all her Face,
Which both Disdain and Shame express ;
And from Lisanders Arms she fled,
Leaving him fainting on the gloomy Bed.
13
Like Lightning through the Grove she hies,
Or Daphne from the Delphick God ;
No Print upon the Grassie Road
She leaves, t’ instruct pursuing Eyes.
The Wind that wanton’d in her Hair,
And with her ruffled Garments plaid,
Discover’d in the flying Maid
All that the Gods e’re made of Fair.
So Venus, when her Love was Slain,
With fear and haste flew o’re the fatal Plain.
14
The Nymphs resentments, none but I
Can well imagin, and Condole ;
But none can guess Lisander‘s Soul,
But those who sway’d his Destiny :
His silent Griefs, swell up to Storms,
And not one God, his Fury spares,
He Curst his Birth, his Fate, his Stars,
But more the Shepherdesses Charms ;
Whose soft bewitching influence,
Had Damn’d him to the Hell of Impotence.

In “The Disappointment,” Aphra Behn explores an intimate encounter between  Cloris and Lysander. I chose this poem as it reminds me of Andrew Marvell’s poem “To His Coy Mistress”.  While Marvell uses love and desire as an expression of the theme ‘carpe diem’, Behn uses the term ‘love’ to help the readers compare and contrast ‘love’ with physical sensations.

the speaker describes Lysander as swayed “by an impatient passion” to initiate a sexual encounter with Cloris. we get the sense that Lysander’s desire lies on momentary desire. The term phrase “impatient passion” evokes an image of Lysander in desperation of sexual contact. Moreover. ‘impatient’ not only emphasizes Lysander’s lust but also the ingenuity of his love for Cloris. By describing Lysander as impatient, the speaker shows us that Lysander is far more interested in the physical dimensions of his relationship with Cloris than the emotional ones.

Behn’s usage of the word “love” throughout the poem is interesting. Behn uses this term when she describes Cloris’s eyes as a place “where love and shame confusedly strive”. The phrase shows the conflict between love and shame, and it shows that Cloris feels guilty over her relationship with Lysander.  The term ‘confusedly’ shows Cloris confusion insofar as how she feels about her encounter with Lysander, and more, it shows that Cloris and Lysander have not achieved a firm emotional understanding of their relationship. However, although Cloris is ;’confused’, she still chooses to pursue her desire without taking the time to  truly establish the kind of emotional intimacy that would likely eliminate her confusion. I think Cloris characterizations are in contrast with that of the mistress’s in Marvell’s “To His Coy Mistress’, as Cloris seems far more impatient and in want of sexual experience.

emphasis on physical intimacy appears again when Lysander regards Cloris’s body as a “shape designed for love and play”. The word ‘shape’ is a term more to describe an object than a person, thus it has a function of dehumanizing Cloris and classifying her as a sexual object. Consequently, the ‘love’ in the phrase refers to physical love and create a sense of irony. ‘love’ is usually used as a term to represent psychological and emotional intimacy. However, the word ‘shape’ immediately objectifies Cloris as an object, thereby contradicting with the word ‘love’ which has profound emotional implications.

Speaker then describes Lysander as having “Found the vast pleasure turned to pain;/ Pleasure which too much love destroys”.   Here the speaker implies “pleasure” destroys “love” , which immediately sets up an oppressive and dark  tone  to  the poem. thus, it is possible that the speaker is trying to imply the importance of emotional intimacy, as a relationship solely relies on ‘pleasure’ would make one to be impotent to maintain ‘love’. The speaker also sets up a distinction between ‘love’ and ‘pleasure’.

When Cloris finds “ the god of her desires/disarmed of all his awful fires,” she acknowledges that her entire relationship with Lysander was built upon his ability to give her physical pleasure.“god” and “awful fires” are imageries which create an image of Cloris loosing her innocence, and that Lysander has power over Cloris.  We begin to see the sexual encounter as destructive. Cloris was so entranced by her hope that Lysander could satisfy her desires that she was willing to allow him to sacrifice her “virgin innocence.”

While Marvell shows lovers’ pursue on physical intimacy is a means for them to take advantage of time and ‘carpe diem’, Behn reminds us that impatience to pursue sexual desires absence of love is in nature destructive and dehumanizing.  interesting!

Implications of Feminine and Masculine Rhyme Schemes

Meng Zhao Leave a comment
The Lady’s Dressing Room
Jonathan Swift
Five hours, (and who can do it less in?)
By haughty Celia spent in dressing;
The goddess from her chamber issues,
Arrayed in lace, brocades and tissues.
         Strephon, who found the room was void,
And Betty otherwise employed,
Stole in, and took a strict survey,
Of all the litter as it lay;
Whereof, to make the matter clear,
An inventory follows here.
         And first a dirty smock appeared,
Beneath the armpits well besmeared.
Strephon, the rogue, displayed it wide,
And turned it round on every side.
On such a point few words are best,
And Strephon bids us guess the rest,
But swears how damnably the men lie,
In calling Celia sweet and cleanly.
Now listen while he next produces
The various combs for various uses,
Filled up with dirt so closely fixt,
No brush could force a way betwixt.
A paste of composition rare,
Sweat, dandruff, powder, lead and hair;
A forehead cloth with oil upon’t
To smooth the wrinkles on her front;
Here alum flower to stop the steams,
Exhaled from sour unsavory streams,
There night-gloves made of Tripsy’s hide,
Bequeathed by Tripsy when she died,
With puppy water, beauty’s help
Distilled from Tripsy’s darling whelp;
Here gallypots and vials placed,
Some filled with washes, some with paste,
Some with pomatum, paints and slops,
And ointments good for scabby chops.
Hard by a filthy basin stands,
Fouled with the scouring of her hands;
The basin takes whatever comes
The scrapings of her teeth and gums,
A nasty compound of all hues,
For here she spits, and here she spews.
But oh! it turned poor Strephon’s bowels,
When he beheld and smelled the towels,
Begummed, bemattered, and beslimed
With dirt, and sweat, and earwax grimed.
No object Strephon’s eye escapes,
Here petticoats in frowzy heaps;
Nor be the handkerchiefs forgot
All varnished o’er with snuff and snot.
The stockings why should I expose,
Stained with the marks of stinking toes;
Or greasy coifs and pinners reeking,
Which Celia slept at least a week in?
A pair of tweezers next he found
To pluck her brows in arches round,
Or hairs that sink the forehead low,
Or on her chin like bristles grow.
         The virtues we must not let pass,
Of Celia’s magnifying glass.
When frightened Strephon cast his eye on’t
It showed visage of a giant.
A glass that can to sight disclose,
The smallest worm in Celia’s nose,
And faithfully direct her nail
To squeeze it out from head to tail;
For catch it nicely by the head,
It must come out alive or dead.
         Why Strephon will you tell the rest?
And must you needs describe the chest?
That careless wench! no creature warn her
To move it out from yonder corner;
But leave it standing full in sight
For you to exercise your spite.
In vain the workman showed his wit
With rings and hinges counterfeit
To make it seem in this disguise
A cabinet to vulgar eyes;
For Strephon ventured to look in,
Resolved to go through thick and thin;
He lifts the lid, there needs no more,
He smelled it all the time before.
As from within Pandora’s box,
When Epimetheus op’d the locks,
A sudden universal crew
Of human evils upwards flew;
He still was comforted to find
That Hope at last remained behind;
So Strephon lifting up the lid,
To view what in the chest was hid.
The vapors flew from out the vent,
But Strephon cautious never meant
The bottom of the pan to grope,
And foul his hands in search of Hope.
O never may such vile machine
Be once in Celia’s chamber seen!
O may she better learn to keep
Those “secrets of the hoary deep!”
         As mutton cutlets, prime of meat,
Which though with art you salt and beat
As laws of cookery require,
And toast them at the clearest fire;
If from adown the hopeful chops
The fat upon a cinder drops,
To stinking smoke it turns the flame
Pois’ning the flesh from whence it came,
And up exhales a greasy stench,
For which you curse the careless wench;
So things, which must not be expressed,
When plumped into the reeking chest,
Send up an excremental smell
To taint the parts from whence they fell.
The petticoats and gown perfume,
Which waft a stink round every room.
Thus finishing his grand survey,
Disgusted Strephon stole away
Repeating in his amorous fits,
Oh! Celia, Celia, Celia shits!
         But Vengeance, goddess never sleeping
Soon punished Strephon for his peeping;
His foul imagination links
Each Dame he sees with all her stinks:
And, if unsavory odors fly,
Conceives a lady standing by:
All women his description fits,
And both ideas jump like wits:
But vicious fancy coupled fast,
And still appearing in contrast.
I pity wretched Strephon blind
To all the charms of female kind;
Should I the queen of love refuse,
Because she rose from stinking ooze?
To him that looks behind the scene,
Satira’s but some pocky queen.
When Celia in her glory shows,
If Strephon would but stop his nose
(Who now so impiously blasphemes
Her ointments, daubs, and paints and creams,
Her washes, slops, and every clout,
With which he makes so foul a rout)
He soon would learn to think like me,
And bless his ravished sight to see
Such order from confusion sprung,
Such gaudy tulips raised from dung.

This is a poem I read for my other English class. Although this poem is written by writer during the 18th century, it relates to our class as due to its employment of rhyme schemes. In “The Lady’s Dressing Room,” Swift chronicles the misadventure of Strephon as he explores the filth in his mistress dressing room. The poem is usually perceived as  a misogynist satire and Swift’s attack on women. However, by looking at shift from feminine rhyme scheme  to masculine rhyme scheme in the beginning of the poem, I argue that Swift’s aim to undermine his hostility towards female population.

The opening of the poem introduces a structural shift of the rhyme scheme, which implicitly signals a thematic shift of the poem from feminity to  universality. As evident in the opening couplets ‘Five Hours, (and who can do it less in?)/By haughty Celia spent in Dressing’, the two lines end with two unstressed syllables ‘in’ and ‘dressing,’ which signify a feminine rhyme scheme. (feminine rhyme schemes refer to rhyme between stressed syllables followed by an unstressed syllables .). In English literature, feminine rhymes are not only rare but also generally perceived as softer, less forceful and more pliable poetic technique. Especially during the 18th century, poets usually write poems in masculine rhyme scheme or in free verse. The feminine rhyming couplets, which introduce the setting of the poem as a lady’s dressing room, particularly emphasize the womanist feature of the dressing room. However, the feminine rhyme scheme changes to masculine rhyme scheme right after the first stanza, as the first line in the second stanza ends with a stressed syllable ‘void.’ The masculine rhyme symbolizes a universal poetic form that is more impersonal and unrelenting. It is no accident that the speaker chooses to finish the rest of poem with the masculine rhyme scheme. The content of the poem targets on the speaker’s descriptions of the lady’s dressing room, which is always associated with female sexuality and artifice in 18th century England. The fact that the feminine implications of the dressing room is strictly related to female sexuality almost seemingly suggests the poem targets on denouncing female population. However, the speaker creates a sudden shift from feminine rhyme to masculine rhyme, which is an indication that the poem itself is not entirely about female body, sexuality or artifice, but deals with the universal, as reflected in the impersonal and unrelenting features of masculine rhyme scheme.

 

A Small “Deal”

Wade Marshall Leave a comment

I investigated “The Neal Cassady Parole Letters” case. The exhibit is a large, glass case filled with a plaque detailing the context in which the documents were written, a list of the contents with a short description of each—almost like a table of contents, a summary of the case against Cassady, and then the four letters themselves. The letters consist of his literary peers vouching for his value to the community, and recommending his parole. Cassady was serving a two year sentence for trying to sell a small amount of cannabis to an undercover agent. I was drawn to this case due to the clear influence Cassady’s work had on his peers, many of whom didn’t know him personally but were still willing to fight for his parole.  

I chose this display because it encompasses three ideas which we have discussed in class and I find fascinating: the profound effect that works of literature can have, collaboration (something which will be very important to my final project), and relative morality. Cassady, while he broke the law, committed a non-violent, victimless crime and his peers, who all saw his literary value outside of prison, chose their own beliefs on what was wrong and right over the prescribed values of the law, petitioning for his parole. For my own project, I would like to adapt the “table of contents” for Barrigan’s collaborations, giving them a name and a short description of their importance.

From this exhibit, I would be curious about Cassady’s contributions upon release from prison. To have an idea of his value, I would need to research his publications post-prison, check his collaborations as well as determine what his peers and critics thought of his publications. This type of questioning would likely require archival research, as well as some general searches.

Tu 11/28; Th 11/30; & Tu 12/5 Virtual Exhibit Presentations

Marlo Starr Leave a comment

Virtual Exhibit Presentations: Email your Powerpoint to me before the start of class. I’ll download all presentations before class begins. Presentations will be back-to-back, leaving 10–15 minutes for discussion and questions at the end of class.

Also, be sure to check out guidelines for the Schuchard Prize. (Site still says 2017 but will likely be updated by the beginning of next semester.)

Tuesday, 11/28
Course Evaluations, followed by student presentations:

Katie Flaherty
Claudia Tung
Simon Brooke
Daniel Bujnowski

Thursday, 11/30
Laura Santangelo
Ryland Marcus
Meng Zhao
Qinyan Shi
Colleen Su

Tuesday, 12/5
Wade Marshall
Justin Moore
Navneeth Perumal
Devon Bombassei
Eric Leng

The rebellious generation–Eric Leng

Eric Leng Leave a comment

 

The Beats Exhibit on the third floor of the Robert Woodruff Library shows the Emory Community the influence of the Beats Generation, which is a literary movement that greatly influenced the post-WWII US society. Three of the most significant examples of The Beat Generation are Allen Ginsberg, William S. Buroughs and Jack Korouac. The exhibit displays many objects, such as photographs, letters, books, and magazines, that represent the special movement and era.

 

There are three screens, on the left-hand side of the exhibit, playing the videos and playing the audio recording of Allen Ginsberg’s well-known poem, “Howl”, which perfectly represent the recalcitrant sentiment of the Beat Generation. The middle screen is playing the text of Howl that is being read, and the two screens on the sides are playing the videos of the 50s and 60s. Such combination with textual, visual, auditory influence gives the audience a well-rounded perception of this marginalized minority group who were both not respected and accepted in the United States in 1950.

 

The other part of the exhibit that interests me the most is “The San Francisco Renaissance” and the “Protest in Print.” After the Second World War, the younger generation of the poets gathered together at the Bay area, and ultimately became the San Francisco Renaissance. It is obvious that California has become the emblem of the liberal movement since then. The displayed poems all have creative sketch as their covers, which quickly draw my attention. These young poets obviously have a more creative mind and like to express their feelings in the more unrestrictive way. Such modern movement led the anti-mainstream culture of the group of poets in the new era and, in some ways, established the foundation of the later anti-Vietnam war sentiment. The Anti-Vietnam War movement is displayed in the “Protest in Print” section of the exhibit. The displayed works, such as Viet Nam Poems, War Poems, and Where is Vietnam?, along with the big pictures of anti-war protest photos on the wall, give the visitor a vivid impression of the intensity of the movement in the 1960s.

 

 

 

“Under The Influence” – Navneeth Perumal

Navneeth Perumal Leave a comment

I was interested in multiple exhibits, but after todays discussion in class I chose to focus on the installation “Under the Influence” by Williams Burroughs.  The installation contains many unique findings. Inside there is a quote by Burroughs. It states,“Language is a virus from outer space.” I thought this quote was particularly pertinent to our class discussion today on the subject of the impact of language.  We discussed the ever changing nature of the language and how it can impact us when we see it used in an unexpected manner. I believe this was in part what Burroughs was trying to do in the exhibit.  An envelope in the constellation has a random pieces of paper with text on them. These texts have no cohesive meaning, they seem nonsensical. This was very similar to the methods discussed in class.. The contrast in form from what we usually see makes us pause and question its purpose. The use of language engenders a feeling of confusion, which could be the author’s goal. The idea that the form in which words are presented matters just as much as the content is an idea I will try to put into my presentation. I will try to structure visuals in a way that they can create a feeling just as much  as any words can. A further question this raises is in regards to the title’s origins. Under the influence implies that the author is acting as a result of another’s agency. I wonder who or what this force could be.  Additionally, it calls into question how close the author believes what he has created and how much of it was not of his own will. In terms of additional research, I would further need to dig into the origins of the work. Additionally, I would have to research the authors past to see what influence it might of had.

 

The Proletariats’ Satire—Daniel Bujnowski

Daniel Bujnowski Leave a comment

I examined the case containing the “Abomunist Manifesto” and “What to do with the Boston Newsletter” by Bob Kaufman and Jack Spicer, respectively. I was initially drawn to the case simply due to the humor of the “Abomunist Manifesto.” I thought it was ridiculous that this completely sarcastic article, which appeared to be written as a joke, was now on display as a facet of history, so I took pictures out of sheer amusement. Upon revisiting these pictures at home, I realized how clever many of these commentaries were. One that stood out to me was “by biting their own hands after feeding themselves.” Many of these quotes were ambiguous enough to relate them to several instances in my daily life. This combined with the lighthearted tone made the article entertaining and original (I didn’t think anyone else would write about this case), which ultimately inspired me to write this blog post on it. Jack Spicer’s article was not as humorous to me and much less interesting so I focused primarily on the “Abomunist Manifesto.”

This case relates to Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 130” where he jokes about the features of his mistress until the couplet, where he affirms his love for her despite these imperfections. The tone of this sonnet is very similar to the “Abomunist Manifesto” in which Bob Kaufman writes that “Abomunism’s main function is to unite the soul with oatmeal cookies.” Instead of joking about a person like in Shakespeare’s sonnet, the “Abomunist Manifesto” jokes about contemporary objects, ideals, and customs.

The Beats exhibit certainly gave me an idea of how to structure my virtual exhibit. The red plaques next to each case are great examples of how to introduce an artifact. One theme I noticed was that the descriptions on these plaques did not explicitly describe the artifact but explained the relevant context behind its creation. For example, the case I explained above had a plaque describing the themes that Bob Kaufman valued during his writing career which he incorporated into the “Abomunist Manifesto.” In this way, the descriptions indirectly describe some of the intentions behind the artifacts but allow the viewer to create his own interpretation.

I was most curious about whether Kaufman employed a universal theme in the Manifesto apart from satire. I considered the possibility of him forming a political statement with this article since he did title it the “Abomunist Manifesto” which poked fun at the Communist Manifesto. I ultimately did notice a few political commentaries; however, they weren’t conjoined with a purpose other than to mock contemporary customs. I did a brief internet search to try and answer this but was unsuccessful, so I think a next step would be to do a more extensive search and probably email or call an expert on the Beats Revolution.

Power of Language

Meng Zhao Leave a comment

Power of language

My  experience visiting the Beat Exhibit is intriguing. Among all the artifacts in the exhibit, two of the artifacts are particularly interesting to me. One is the propaganda ‘Black People Boycott’ and the other is a letter. Although the two artifacts display different focuses of the Beat generation, they are similar because both employ the power of language.

I will start with discussing the propaganda. The aim of the propaganda ‘Black People Boycott’ is to convince and urge the government to enrich the African-American population by providing them more education opportunities. The opening of the propaganda ‘Now Now Now’ immediately builds up a tone not only authoritatively didactic, but also an immediate urgency. The author then makes a juxtaposition between ‘Christmas and ‘Thanksgiving buying’ among American middle/high class society and ‘food and medicine’ in Philadelphia or suburbs. Christmas and Thanksgiving shopping represents American consumerism and capitalism—they are leisure activities which people do during holiday seasons. On the contrary, ‘food’ and ‘medicine’ are necessities for living. By indicating a ’No’ in front of holiday shopping, the author effectively denounces government’s ignorance, as it only cares to promote unnecessary bourgeois shopping but forgets what really matters: survival of low-class society. The action oriented verb ‘hit’ at the beginning of the last line parallels with the word ‘hurts’ in the end, which again effectively indicates the problem among black population: insufficient funds for education. I find this propaganda really effective in terms of promoting government action. Moreover, the use of word ‘hurts’ and the juxtaposition between the lives of middle to high class Americans and the black population consequently evoke a feeling of guilt/shame. Overall, the author’s usage of language and literary technique are really effective and powerful in promoting actions.

Another artifact is Richardson’s let to Laura Ulewicz. this is a letter about Ulewicz work being included in Penguin poetry anthology. However, Laura Ulewiz’s work did not make to publication because the editors concluded that a volume featuring female writers would not be sufficiently profitable. An offensive rejection to the female writers, it must be hard for Richardson to tell Laura Ulewicz that the rejection of her writings was merely because of her gender. However, Richardson still manages to deliver his implicit message considerably yet effectively to Laura without sounding offensive. The letter begins with using a numerical hyperbole ‘thirty million apologies’ which quantifies his feeling of guilt and apology for failing to respond her question within suitable time frame. The hyperbole effectively conveys Richardson’s guilt, and displays his full respect to Ulewicz. Richardson then states that he has to reject Ulewiz writing, but tried his best to accommodate the language so it sounds less offensive. He first generalizes the rejection, indicating that ‘all female volume has collapsed’, implying that it is not due to Ulewiz poor personal performance. He then indicates that he has to think in ‘mixed terms’, which involves a ‘larger’ number of male writers in the Penguine series. The words ‘mix’ and ‘larger’ are all terms which show some degree of inclusiveness. ‘Mix’ suggests a diverse state which involves two genders: although the proportions of male and female writers was not stated, he does imply that the writers they selected were a mixture of both genders. Similarly, the word ‘larger’ also indicates that he does not completely ignore them, thereby showing his respect to women and his efforts of being inclusive. What I want to argue is, although the basis of the rejection is offensive to female gender, Richardson makes the rejection sounds much less offensive and acceptable by his employment of language.

The two artifacts make me in awe of how powerful language could be. From the propaganda ‘Black People Boycott’, we get a glimpse of how language is a powerful tool in exposing the ugliness and ignorance and cruelty of inequality.  Yet, from the letter, we sense that language is equally powerful in disguising/undermining the potential discomforts fostered by inequality.

 

What a Rucksack Contains—Qinyan Shi

Qinyan Shi Leave a comment

Jack Kerouac is among the most famous Beat poets and his work On the Road is considered a defining work of Beat literature. Before my visit of The Dream Machine exhibit, items and objects of Kerouac are what I most want to see and know about.

Coincidentally, among all the books, paperwork and installations, the one came into my sight is a rucksack. It was an old military green rucksack belonged to Jack Kerouac. On the rucksack, “US” is printed on the folding flap. Compared with other paperwork arranged in order, the rucksack was presented in the clear glass alone. I chose it because it is a real object other than words, lines, and paragraphs which can be abstract; it evoked more genuine feeling when I looked at it and tried to understand its meaning in this exhibit. It seemed to be empty because it is still flat even with the support installation. But it is also not empty, it contains full of the beat generation spirits. This single item is titled with a great name “Rucksack revolution.”

This rucksack is an evidence of Kerouac’s travel, as it is introduced there was a note in the pocket of the rucksack that described a bad trip. But no matter how the trip is, to travel means to escape from their society of Beat poets and to explore other culture. The freedom that Beat poets perused seemed to all converge on this rucksack. This inspired me that not only words can be evidence, everything belonged to the poet can mean something and therefore can help explain poems and construct deeper understanding  of the poet.

Question left: Is the meaning of travel to Kerouac only about escaping and freedom? How is On the Road related to this rucksack? How to relate comment of critics of the beat generation to this rucksack?

I would read more of Jack Kerouac’s work and other beat poets who were close to Kerouac. Especially I will pay more attention to poem written during the period of his travel and his friends network.

Etching New Horizons: Williams Burroughs and the “Cut-Up” Technique

Justin Moore Leave a comment
  1. The installation that I chose to examine is the “Under the Influence” installation by Williams Burroughs. Some of its key features include an envelope addressed to someone named Miles. The envelope contains several cut-up pieces of paper that have random texts. Another key feature of this installation is the quote by William Burroughs that states, “Language is a virus from outer space.” There are also three short paragraphs that discuss Burroughs interest in finding and discovering “new ways of thinking, living, writing, and being.” What drew me to this installation is the emphasis on language and the role it plays in society’s understandings of humanity and cultural expression. It appears that Burroughs plays with language to somewhat deconstruct and create new interpretations of the texts that he utilizes. What is also important to note is the emphasis on experimentation during the Beats period; there seemed to be a direct move against convention and tradition.
  2. The installation relates to the theme that we discuss regarding the cultural significance of language, and how artists manipulate language to foster newer, and more nuanced perceptions. This installation reminds me of Marlene Nourbese Philip’s piece, “Discourse on the Logic of Language” and McGuckian’s “Gigot Sleeves.” McGuckian similarly fuses various texts together to create her own poetry. Whereas Phillip revises the archive of language to, in part, trace historical origins and the gendered understandings of culture.
  3. Some of the questions that this installation poses for me is how much of these texts does Burroughs feel is his own creation? “Under the Influence” often refers to drinking or alcohol. How might title relate to the effect of Burroughs’ work? The way I would go about finding some of the answers to these questions would be to go into some of Burroughs’ personal diaries and collections. I would like to trace his inspiration or motivation for this type of work, or “Cut-Ups.”