Frankenstein

So far I think the best part of what I have read has been the actual conversation between Frankenstein and the monster. I like the book so far but i don't really enjoy the moments between the action. After Justine is killed there is a lull where Frankenstein describes the surroundings and his despair. I never thought I would actually describe this as a lull, i just guess that this is because I am waiting for something exciting to happen. I have enjoyed Frankenstein thus far and I am eagerly awaiting to find out the rest of the story.

Approaches to "The Dead"

After having the presentations on the types of criticism to "The Dead," I can draw a couple conclusions. First I think that the Psychoanalytic criticism is a little too weird for me. I really can't imagine sexualizing all the text in the way it was presented. I would much rather leave that to some one else. I did however find the New Historicism interesting. It seemed like a way to really learn about the text in a way that explores the time period and the location where the story occured. That way you can understand what the footnotes are relating to without having to read them at all!
Since I had done a presentation on the Feminist criticism I don't think I would want to write a criticism based on that perspective either. It was also like the Pschoanalytic in a way, that minor details were construed in the most awful way possible. Reader response is the only critique I am still confused about. How would one write a reader response criticism without just writing their personal response to the story? I am not sure which I would use yet, but I can narrow it down with what I won't use!

The Dead: The Movie, Pretty Dead

So much to say about Houston's movie version of the most action packed book/short story ever created. Besides the drunked rambling of Freddy and the bewildered looks on the older crowd's faces the movie sunk for me. It was as painful as what Gretta felt at the end of The Dead, but worse for I had to watch the worst crying I had ever seen. It makes me wonder why Houston chose to make this film, or why he felt he had to subject his poor daughter to it.
On a positive note it did seem pretty true to the stroy line in the book, other than a few added extra delightful moments. The actors did a fine job of portraying Irish people with no accents. They were very British, and I couldn't help but wonder if they were all West Britans in thier hearts.
Speaking of I thought Ms. Ivors was portrayed as quite a horrid woman. The West Britan remark she uttered to Gabriel was almost a yell and almost seemed out of place with rest of the movies tone.
Overall I was not impressed and will not reccomend this movie to any movie lover. I do wonder what the 20 minute version entails however.

My Project

I love Joyce Carol Oates, I think that she has a wonderful style and narrative and I have always considered her to be one of my favorite authors. If I knew her and I had Alltel she would be one of my fav 5. That aside I want to do my final project on "A Garden Of Earthly Delights." I have read the book before and I really enjoyed it. If i do change my mind down the road I am pretty sure I am sticking with Oates...

Di Yanni: Rocking Out The Classics

I definitely think that variety is the spice of life. Cliche or not the phrase rings true to that of Critical Perspectives! (notice sarcasm here) Some of these perspectives I found intriguing and some I found pretty cooky. I draw to the whole idea of Reader Response because I feel that literature is something that is inherently liked with the reader. Without a reader, there is just no point. We need to look at the connection the works make with the reader, because I feel that is what is most important. On the other end of the broad spectrum, past the squished box filled with Marxists and Feminists fighting for their causes, there is the Psycological Approach. God Forbid if I ever publish something better than mediocre I hope that no members of this approach deem my work suitable for annalysis. I find it some what creepy that, as Di Yanni points out, that these people are digging through old diares and asking the author's parents what their kids were like. Stay out of my mind please and judge me based on skill, not my capibility of staying sane and quite boring.

Liberal Humanism: A New Kind Of Leftie??

I'll admit when I first heard the term "Liberal Humanism" I pictured a new wave hippie of some sorts just diggin' lit. Of course my presumption was wrong and I was introduced to the wonderful world of appreciating literature. The ideals seem to be pretty sound, and I can appreciate a good book without having to tear it down, but I wonder just how far can this approach take us. This approach is not new so I am sure that it has some credit, but what does it all mean? I find that the 10 tenants or whatever they may be seem to limit an approach that tries not to tie literature down with limits and boundaries. I may have read into LIb. Humanism wrong, but it seems old, dated, washed up. Every time I think of this ideal Liberal Humanist I can't get the image of Robin Williams tearing up books out of my head. Maybe that is the root of my dimay...

Introduction: a.m. lawver 101

I have a lot of interests and ambitions, none of which were to ever create a blog... but here I am. I am not one to share my inner feelings on the internet, so luckily I am only forced to write about English. But, I do have a love-hate relationship with English. I love to write, I hate grammar rules. I love reading, I hate analyzing. I may not be the best at analyzing, particularly any form of poetry, but I think that I can decent at creating. I was a biology major when I came to this college, and I changed to English and Communication because I realized that my real talents lay there. I have always loved reading, whether it be books or magazines (Elle actually, believe it or not, uses a vocabulary that is fit for higher than a 4th grader...) and I can attribute that to the penchant that my dad had for good books. I have always really enjoyed Kurt Vonnegut, after I had picked up Bagombo Snuff Box from a table in my living room when I was in middle school. Joyce Carol Oates is another author I have continued to read and was introduced to her work in my AP English course in High School. I have taken advanced English since 7th grade and consider it to be my forte, despite the reluctance I have to its more finicky aspects. Hopefully after college I will learn to transform my love-hate relationship to a relationship filled with purely love.