Two great developments: Chapters and the introduction of a male protagonist! (The Man of Feeling)

First of all I just want to say, Hooray for chapters…..oh how I have longed for thee! Perhaps I am of the simple minded variety, but I must say, chapters do make a world of difference when reading something. I guess it is because it allows you to stop and reflect a bit (that, and as previously noted, it allows a pause for other necessary things). I must say, I was quite pleased to finally read about a man in this class….this is not to say that I an some sort of woman hating fiend , but rather that I’ve been wondering when we were going to get a different perspective. Although this story was pretty tricky to wade through (a very good sleep aid as it induces drowsiness upon the turn of a page), I actually enjoyed it quite a bit. I consider myself a fairly sensitive dude; I’m in tune with my surroundings, you know, the whole deal, so I found this topic very fascinating.  That was until I read the book…..wow, I’ve realized that I am nearly not sensitive enough. From this point on, I vow to weep like no one’s wept before….a great deal of it will probably be over tomorrow’s exam… Forget Al Gore and all of his Kooky schemes to save the world, forget Mr. Bush and the terrorists, everyone just needs to cry together and then our problems will be solved! Ha ha ha! My goodness, I believe all of this weeping has gone to my head….Although this was a lovely little story, I found it a bit too over the top (I understand that this was the purpose, but still!)….the only action that ever seemed to take place was this guy crying about stuff…a lot of stuff….all the time….even if something else did happen, I can’t even remember it because I can’t stop thinking about all that crying!!! AHHHHH!

Fantomina

Oky Doky, so Fantomina…….this is perhaps one of the craziest stories in the course for sure. There has been a great debate over whether she is a powerful figure or simply a whore and I’ve decided to throw my hat in with the whore side of things. Although she is definitely a powerful feminine figure with all the using sex to her advantage stuff, it still kind of sends the wrong message when you get to the heart of it. I enjoyed Hazel’s comment about how Beauplasir is a bit simple in the sense that he didn’t realize that he was, shall we say “getting jiggy” with the same girl…..I mean, really….wouldn’t you kinda notice this sort of thing….especially since he was cheating on her with someone completely different….but maybe that’s what did it….perhaps he has so many mistresses that he can’t tell one from the other…So, Fantomina is kinda powerful I guess in the sense that she uses what she has….she’s pretty stealthy using all of those identities, we must give her that….but I just have a difficult time with how she was essentially a prostitute…Any real evidence of her feminine dominance, however, goes out the window just because of the royal douchebag (pardon my french) that she is trying so hard to get….I mean, if he was a decent guy who was stable and treated her well, yea maybe I could see where she is coming from….but this is just not the case. Perhaps, in the end, they deserve each other though….they both really seem to enjoy deception….who says that isn’t a foundation for a healthy relationship?

The Gothic….

The Gothic movement has been something which I have been very interested in throughout my career as an English student. After all of the other stuff we’ve read, when I noticed that we were going to be reading some Gothic stuff, I was quite excited. I was very surprised to find out, however, how similar the gothic movement is to the literature that has dominated this course. I enjoyed doing our presentation because it allowed me to discover this link that I would never have acknowledged otherwise. When I pictured traditional 18th Century prose, I typically imagined texts which were haughty and a bit bland,but it was a pleasant surprise to find out that these author often enjoyed pushing the boundaries of social convention. Gothicism, in this respect, merely takes what these folks were doing and expands on it. I did not think that the Gothic was so intertwined within this culture, but rather I imagined it as somewhat of a blip on the radar. Perhaps my favorite part about delving into the Gothic imagination once again was getting the opportunity to revisit Matthew Lewis and his novel, The Monk. I must say that, upon reading it again, it remains my favorite book. It has everything: great dialogue, themes of deception, religious infallibility, gender bending, devil worship…the list could go on forever. I guess what has intrigued me the most about The Monk is the fact that Lewis was actually a member of the government. He was attacking the institution from the inside. This sort of act takes a great deal of courage because by placing a work like this into the public sphere, he is putting his entire well being on the line. Very powerful stuff.

Hopefully, everyone enjoyed our little presentation and we will be placing it on the blogs as soon as we get a chance.

Moll Flanders

Now, this may come as a shock, but I was very hesitant to start reading this novel. As soon as I picked it up at the bookstore, a strange chill of dread ran down my spine, warning me to just put it back and walk away. I fought through this dread, however, and attempted to dive head first into the text, placing all of my judgements aside. Now, I convinced myself that, where this was a newgate novel, I might find some enjoyment in it because the newgate stuff is so darn interesting! I began my reading quest and was, at first, pleasantly surprised. I was intrigued by the notion of false identity that Moll explains to us. It made me want to know more about her life and how she came to deciding to resort to using this false identity. I soon realized that, although this was very neat, it seemed to drag on forever. The dialogue was a bit tricky to wade through because I found it difficult to know who was saying what about whom. Also, and this is purely out of my own ignorance, I found the whole lack of chapters thing really strange and difficult as well. Now, it is foolish to be angry with Defoe for not including chapters because I’m sure it was just his way of doing things, but I never knew when I could stop reading I would read page after page after page and then become hungry, but I couldn’t eat because the book didn’t tell me that I could take a break! After finally succumbing to the growling of my stomach, I just had to put the book down. It was tough, but I did it. Now, on a completely unrelated note, I really liked Annie’s “Maud Flanders” reference! I found myself doing the same thing and thinking about how opposite, but at the same time similar these two characters were. I wonder if the writers of The Simpsons really are that brilliant….I’ve also thought so, but just not in this way….Anyways, Moll Flanders was definetely not my favorite novel, but I do feel a sense of pride in that I can say I actually finished it  

Newgate Nursery Rhymes

Hi everyone,

 So I’m just scanning through the Newgate prison stuff for today’s class and was fascinated by the fact that these stories were read to children. From what I gather, they tend to be rather gruesome so to be viewed as important in a child’s moral development is both perplexing and a little scary. Although i understand the purpose of these tales, it is amazing to think about the nightmares that may have been conjured because of them. I was especially intrigued by the image of the “devoted mother” handing the child the stories while pointing towards the prisoner hanging from a gibbet. As I was reading this (and as I have stated, I merely scanned everything so excuse me if it has been referenced within the text), I wondered whether or not girls had access to this literature as well?

         Part of the reason for why I enjoy literature is that it gives you a more flavorful view of what it was like to live in a different era. I find these Newgate stories to be fascinating on a number of levels, but mostly because it is a brilliant insight into how the justice system was run during this time period. All of the writing is so descriptive, which really allows us to grasp the harsh realities of the time.

That’s about all I have to say right now. I wish I could say more, but I am in the process of slowly dying from this horrible flu   I look forward to writing more next time.

P.S: Awesome job with the rally to all who attended. I have never been more proud to be a student of this school. If we continue to shout, eventually our voices will be heard!

Keep fighting the good fight.

cheers,

Mike

Hello world!

Hey Folks,

 Just wanted to fire off a quick introduction….My name is Mike and I am in my 5th (yes…fifth…) and final year of my BA/Bed program. I am looking forward to meeting all of you.

 Happy Trails,

Mike