There isn't too much to say about what I am doing for my final project. All I am doing is basically just creating the program I designed as my midterm project. It is(hopefully will be) a game that has a CYOA narrative in which the game play is affected by your choices. If you make better/smarter choices your chance of survival is higher and so on...
As it is started so far I think I am in pretty good shape. At first it seemed really easy as I expected it to be because for me (and most programmers I know) I just steal code that I had previously written and modify it. Unfortunately that is becoming a very bad habbit because it took me forever to remember some of the simple concepts behind the code I copied. Anyways now getting into the detailed part of the programming is becoming very complicated, but it is something I enjoy doing so I feel that I will get it done (or at least far enough along that the entire concept will make sense).
Lastly I think that you had told us when the projects should be handed in by, but I must have wrote it down on my syllabus which I have lost. So if anyone knows the date the projects are due I think it would be helpful for me to know. Also if there is anything else you would like to add go for it, but I think I'm on my own now.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Gutter Phenomenon
Well. I finally managed to pull myself away from Mass Effect for five fucking minutes. That game is so good. And it picked such a bad time to come out, what with finals and projects and whatnot all rearing their ugly heads.
Anyway, I'm at a loss as per things to do for my final project. My initial disposition was to try to recreate the Five and a Half Minute Hallway, as I am a film major after all (which oddly enough wasn't one of the "nerdy" degrees according to Lance, so I guess I get the last laugh). Then I realized that I don't really have the money to go through the trouble of building a set, even if it is just 10 feet of hallway. Building is hard, too. So that one's out. Mine would have been better than that...thing Charlie found on Youtube, anyway.
My next idea was to rehash good old Choose Your Own Horrible Demise from the midterm project. Make it all full of new death and adventures. But I decided that I probably wouldn't get a very good grade o that, because it's not really a new project. You (usually) can't just turn in your midterm essay for your final essay and call it a day. So that's out, too.
That brings me to right now. I'm absolutely floundering to come up with some sort of project to do, and I've written enough papers this week to make me want to forget English, so I think my only option is to fall back on the idea I had before I decided to go the choose-your-own-adventure route.
My idea is a pretty even blend of narration and technology. I'd like to pen a little story (which is somehow different than writing a paper), and put it on the web. But it wouldn't just be a block of words on a webpage. It'd be broken up into pages, except you don't get to choose the way the story goes, only I do.
I'd like to throw in a bunch of neat little tidbits like maybe having hyperlinks on some of the relevant words that bring up a related picture (created by me). So for example, if you're reading my story and someone got a speeding ticket, you might click on the words "speeding ticket" and a new window opens with a photo of the ticket with the appropriate (in relation to the story) details on it. I could also make jumps off from there. Say a character in the story finds a book. Click on the word book and you get an excerpt from the book. Click on something from there, and it takes you to another section in the book. Like House of Leaves, the way you read it or the amount of work you do is up to you.
There's also the large amount of formatting and music I could use on the web that would make things cooler. I don't really have anything planned for that right at this moment, but I'll probably get some help there when my good friend Jack Daniels comes over later on in the week to visit and help me write. Think colors. Words in random places. Words in shapes. Words that disappear. All kinds of fancy stuff.
I think it should be (I hope it should be) pretty clear how my idea connects with the class. The narration, in its base form, is ultimately the same as in a printed medium, but with the use of technology, it allows the reader (should he or she choose to do such) to access the material in a wholly different manner than they are accustomed to. Footnotes? At the bottom of the page or in the back of the book. My idea? Opens in a new window right next to where you need it to!
One of the websites I was looking to for inspiration was the site for the film Donnie Darko. Yes, I know, Donnie Darko is a cliche film to bring up in college (but it's okay for me to talk about it, because I saw it before you'd ever heard of it, and no, it isn't as deep as your crackpot theories make it seem), but the website is fucking awesome. It won't make any sense if you haven't seen the film (nor will it really change anything if you have), but it's an awesome little bit of web design, and creepy as hell at night, to boot.
Check it out, http://www.donniedarkofilm.com.
One other thing: I'm sure we have some folk (Doctor Johns I'm looking at you, as you used to be a programmer) who know HTML around these parts. Anyone gonna be available for my incompetent ass to bounce questions off of? I know nothing about it.
Thanks.
-A
Anyway, I'm at a loss as per things to do for my final project. My initial disposition was to try to recreate the Five and a Half Minute Hallway, as I am a film major after all (which oddly enough wasn't one of the "nerdy" degrees according to Lance, so I guess I get the last laugh). Then I realized that I don't really have the money to go through the trouble of building a set, even if it is just 10 feet of hallway. Building is hard, too. So that one's out. Mine would have been better than that...thing Charlie found on Youtube, anyway.
My next idea was to rehash good old Choose Your Own Horrible Demise from the midterm project. Make it all full of new death and adventures. But I decided that I probably wouldn't get a very good grade o that, because it's not really a new project. You (usually) can't just turn in your midterm essay for your final essay and call it a day. So that's out, too.
That brings me to right now. I'm absolutely floundering to come up with some sort of project to do, and I've written enough papers this week to make me want to forget English, so I think my only option is to fall back on the idea I had before I decided to go the choose-your-own-adventure route.
My idea is a pretty even blend of narration and technology. I'd like to pen a little story (which is somehow different than writing a paper), and put it on the web. But it wouldn't just be a block of words on a webpage. It'd be broken up into pages, except you don't get to choose the way the story goes, only I do.
I'd like to throw in a bunch of neat little tidbits like maybe having hyperlinks on some of the relevant words that bring up a related picture (created by me). So for example, if you're reading my story and someone got a speeding ticket, you might click on the words "speeding ticket" and a new window opens with a photo of the ticket with the appropriate (in relation to the story) details on it. I could also make jumps off from there. Say a character in the story finds a book. Click on the word book and you get an excerpt from the book. Click on something from there, and it takes you to another section in the book. Like House of Leaves, the way you read it or the amount of work you do is up to you.
There's also the large amount of formatting and music I could use on the web that would make things cooler. I don't really have anything planned for that right at this moment, but I'll probably get some help there when my good friend Jack Daniels comes over later on in the week to visit and help me write. Think colors. Words in random places. Words in shapes. Words that disappear. All kinds of fancy stuff.
I think it should be (I hope it should be) pretty clear how my idea connects with the class. The narration, in its base form, is ultimately the same as in a printed medium, but with the use of technology, it allows the reader (should he or she choose to do such) to access the material in a wholly different manner than they are accustomed to. Footnotes? At the bottom of the page or in the back of the book. My idea? Opens in a new window right next to where you need it to!
One of the websites I was looking to for inspiration was the site for the film Donnie Darko. Yes, I know, Donnie Darko is a cliche film to bring up in college (but it's okay for me to talk about it, because I saw it before you'd ever heard of it, and no, it isn't as deep as your crackpot theories make it seem), but the website is fucking awesome. It won't make any sense if you haven't seen the film (nor will it really change anything if you have), but it's an awesome little bit of web design, and creepy as hell at night, to boot.
Check it out, http://www.donniedarkofilm.com.
One other thing: I'm sure we have some folk (Doctor Johns I'm looking at you, as you used to be a programmer) who know HTML around these parts. Anyone gonna be available for my incompetent ass to bounce questions off of? I know nothing about it.
Thanks.
-A
White Text on Black Screen
Whatever Yomi and/or Lance need from me, I'm more than willing to do.
Also.
In a nod to Zork (which I never played) and that whole MUD gaming genre, I'm going to try to write a narrative that has to do with my character's experience in the MUD I've been playing, Threshold. It's a roleplay-mandatory game, so the storyline is quite a bit more involved than with other MUDs, at least that's what I can assume.
The point of my final project would be to cut out the assuming. I'll research early MUD history and how involved the games have become or whether or not they've gone downhill since the creation of games with awesome graphics. I found a couple articles on the psychology of MUDding and whatnot. The point of the narrative would be to follow the story and to explain the technical, psychological and... other... stuff that's involved in playing this particular MUD. There would be a set of footnotes that would be technical, historical stuff (some stuff I'd probably make up, too) and then another set that would be me, as the player, commenting on the things that happen (like my character "going to visit her father" for a month because someone had pissed me off out of character).
This is another shot at proving that something is interactive narration. I would probably even include some things from the actual logs (yeah, I save the logs, shut up, Lance was right when he said we're geeky) and blah blah blah.
The idea fits together a lot better in my head.
Questions? Concerns? Ideas?
Also.
In a nod to Zork (which I never played) and that whole MUD gaming genre, I'm going to try to write a narrative that has to do with my character's experience in the MUD I've been playing, Threshold. It's a roleplay-mandatory game, so the storyline is quite a bit more involved than with other MUDs, at least that's what I can assume.
The point of my final project would be to cut out the assuming. I'll research early MUD history and how involved the games have become or whether or not they've gone downhill since the creation of games with awesome graphics. I found a couple articles on the psychology of MUDding and whatnot. The point of the narrative would be to follow the story and to explain the technical, psychological and... other... stuff that's involved in playing this particular MUD. There would be a set of footnotes that would be technical, historical stuff (some stuff I'd probably make up, too) and then another set that would be me, as the player, commenting on the things that happen (like my character "going to visit her father" for a month because someone had pissed me off out of character).
This is another shot at proving that something is interactive narration. I would probably even include some things from the actual logs (yeah, I save the logs, shut up, Lance was right when he said we're geeky) and blah blah blah.
The idea fits together a lot better in my head.
Questions? Concerns? Ideas?
Fan Fiction, Original Fiction, and RPG Boards
I thought I might be doing a service to someone if I posted a link or two regarding places to experience/view meta-fiction and/or original fiction.
For anyone who is a fan of any sort of novel, anime, cartoon, TV series, etc. who wants a place to post (and copyright) their pieces of fanfiction/meta-fiction and receive reviews on their work, I'd highly suggest that you visit FanFiction.com.
Anyone who wants a place to post ORIGINAL fiction, and receive reviews on your work, I would suggest the website FictionPress.com
Finally, if someone is interested in forum based role-playing games, I would suggest inputting " RPG" (without commas) at EzBoard or Invision.
If someone might be interested in being part of the meta-fiction project that I'll be doing with Nik and wishes to join in or just find a place to write in a universe based on their favorite anime/tv series/movies and wants some extra help/direction, IM me at SoccerRenegade20 on AIM.
For anyone who is a fan of any sort of novel, anime, cartoon, TV series, etc. who wants a place to post (and copyright) their pieces of fanfiction/meta-fiction and receive reviews on their work, I'd highly suggest that you visit FanFiction.com.
Anyone who wants a place to post ORIGINAL fiction, and receive reviews on your work, I would suggest the website FictionPress.com
Finally, if someone is interested in forum based role-playing games, I would suggest inputting "
If someone might be interested in being part of the meta-fiction project that I'll be doing with Nik and wishes to join in or just find a place to write in a universe based on their favorite anime/tv series/movies and wants some extra help/direction, IM me at SoccerRenegade20 on AIM.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Meta-Fiction & Soundtracks Proposals!
SO,
I have zwei Idee (two ideas) for my final.... heeerrreeee gooooessss:
1st Idea:
As many of you probably do not know at all, Nik and I enjoy all forms of fanfiction and such... which Adam and Nik will call "Meta-fiction" to look cooler. In any case, Nik and I have both created characters in an X-Men universe themed RPG board (yes, we are nerds, but if you're a programmer, pharmacist, engineer, or business major and laughing.... well, I mean, look at your majors! HA HA HA) and I thought it would be cool to produce a short story through the interaction of these two characters. In which case, Nik and I would both be contributing and writing a story by constantly switching the point of view of our characters....
The point is that fanfiction/roleplaying is a viable source of literature.... merely in a collaborative form. I know I did swear off collaborating again with anyone, but given that I could contribute a ridiculous amount of wordage to this idea and I have past experience in it (and Nik is doing an independent study on it...) I think we could probably put together something substantial. Besides the character bios that we've written (which are, at the very least, probably 2,000+ words each), Nik and I would have the short story, which between the two of us could be an effective 20-30 pager. The goal would be to produce an original work of fiction that is based loosely off of a set literary universe. Thus, proving my point that meta-fiction is just as much a source of literature as a solely written novel.
2nd Idea:
Plentious are the chapters in House of Leaves. Poe made a mediocre album that is supposed to be played along with the book. My proposition is that I believe I can find tracks that would more appropriately fit the mold of each chapter. After coming up with a soundtrack for the book (and crediting all bands/musicians I use) I would write an essay where I would list each track and then underneath it devote a pragraph or two explaining why the song choice and how it corresponds with the story in each chapter. Straightforward, but it's a lot more writing than it sounds, and requires quite a bit of research into the realm of music as well as a reread of most of the book.
I have zwei Idee (two ideas) for my final.... heeerrreeee gooooessss:
1st Idea:
As many of you probably do not know at all, Nik and I enjoy all forms of fanfiction and such... which Adam and Nik will call "Meta-fiction" to look cooler. In any case, Nik and I have both created characters in an X-Men universe themed RPG board (yes, we are nerds, but if you're a programmer, pharmacist, engineer, or business major and laughing.... well, I mean, look at your majors! HA HA HA) and I thought it would be cool to produce a short story through the interaction of these two characters. In which case, Nik and I would both be contributing and writing a story by constantly switching the point of view of our characters....
The point is that fanfiction/roleplaying is a viable source of literature.... merely in a collaborative form. I know I did swear off collaborating again with anyone, but given that I could contribute a ridiculous amount of wordage to this idea and I have past experience in it (and Nik is doing an independent study on it...) I think we could probably put together something substantial. Besides the character bios that we've written (which are, at the very least, probably 2,000+ words each), Nik and I would have the short story, which between the two of us could be an effective 20-30 pager. The goal would be to produce an original work of fiction that is based loosely off of a set literary universe. Thus, proving my point that meta-fiction is just as much a source of literature as a solely written novel.
2nd Idea:
Plentious are the chapters in House of Leaves. Poe made a mediocre album that is supposed to be played along with the book. My proposition is that I believe I can find tracks that would more appropriately fit the mold of each chapter. After coming up with a soundtrack for the book (and crediting all bands/musicians I use) I would write an essay where I would list each track and then underneath it devote a pragraph or two explaining why the song choice and how it corresponds with the story in each chapter. Straightforward, but it's a lot more writing than it sounds, and requires quite a bit of research into the realm of music as well as a reread of most of the book.
I think I may get myself in over my head with this idea...
Okay, so...
Something in class today lead me to this brilliant idea which isn't that brilliant and is definitely something that I will most likely not be able to accomplish. Anyways, here is the idea I came up with:
So, earlier in the reading of House of Leaves, Adam mentioned the album ("Haunted" - Poe) produced by Danielewski's sister which can be considered a counterpart to the novel. I was thinking that maybe I could do a continuation of my original project (the awful CYOA) by somehow creating a soundtrack to the story. For each different page of the story, I would have a track that somehow enhanced or furthered the mood or idea of that page.
The only problem is that my musical background consists of two years of cello and three or four years of trumpet. I can play all of NOTHING on the cello. As for the trumpet, I think I could produce something close to a normal scale. I guess I wouldn't have to know how to play the instrument I used, as long as whatever I played went along with the story in some way.
If I chose to do this, I would further screw myself by figuring out what instrument to use, and how to get it from the instrument, to my computer and on to a CD. It seems like this idea pretty much isn't going to work.
However, if I were somehow able to figure that all out, I would also write some sort of an essay to explain why I chose to do this and what the soundtrack does for the original story. The only problem with that is that I don't see much more than a two or three page essay coming out of that, and I'm not quite sure that is what Adam is looking for.
Anyways, that is my idea. I would greatly appreciate it if anyone was able to offer any suggestions or ideas as to how I could get it started. Thanks guys.
Something in class today lead me to this brilliant idea which isn't that brilliant and is definitely something that I will most likely not be able to accomplish. Anyways, here is the idea I came up with:
So, earlier in the reading of House of Leaves, Adam mentioned the album ("Haunted" - Poe) produced by Danielewski's sister which can be considered a counterpart to the novel. I was thinking that maybe I could do a continuation of my original project (the awful CYOA) by somehow creating a soundtrack to the story. For each different page of the story, I would have a track that somehow enhanced or furthered the mood or idea of that page.
The only problem is that my musical background consists of two years of cello and three or four years of trumpet. I can play all of NOTHING on the cello. As for the trumpet, I think I could produce something close to a normal scale. I guess I wouldn't have to know how to play the instrument I used, as long as whatever I played went along with the story in some way.
If I chose to do this, I would further screw myself by figuring out what instrument to use, and how to get it from the instrument, to my computer and on to a CD. It seems like this idea pretty much isn't going to work.
However, if I were somehow able to figure that all out, I would also write some sort of an essay to explain why I chose to do this and what the soundtrack does for the original story. The only problem with that is that I don't see much more than a two or three page essay coming out of that, and I'm not quite sure that is what Adam is looking for.
Anyways, that is my idea. I would greatly appreciate it if anyone was able to offer any suggestions or ideas as to how I could get it started. Thanks guys.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
The Longest
The longest non-technical word in the Oxford English Dictionary is:
FLOCCINAUCINIHILIPILIFICATION.
What does it mean? Nothing.
–noun Rare. the estimation of something as valueless
I thought that was AWESOME in context with House of Leaves.
FLOCCINAUCINIHILIPILIFICATION.
What does it mean? Nothing.
–noun Rare. the estimation of something as valueless
I thought that was AWESOME in context with House of Leaves.
Regarding Final Projects and Blogs
I hope everybody got a little rest over Thanksgiving. I got some, but I'm losing my mind trying to catch up now.
Here's what I'm looking for from you for the rest of the semester.
1) This week (by Friday) I want to see some kind of project proposal, hopefully one containing either a thesis (and a bibliography) or a clear statement of your artistic goals, as well as an attempt to explain how your project connects with the class as a whole. Mike's post below this one works. Everybody must do this this week (as an ungraded blog entry), or have your class participation grade grotesquely mangled (don't ask for details).
2) Next week (by Friday) I want to see a rough draft, posted on the blog (as a link, if you think that's preferable). I hope to see 4+ pages for most of you. This will count as a graded blog entry (your last one).
3) Everybody _must_ offer a detailed set of comments on someone's draft, or have their final project grade penalized by 5 points.
4) If you've got questions, blog about them (best), ask about them in class (also fine), or email them to me (fine too, but if the questions might be relevant to others, please ask them where others can see/hear the answers.
Here's what I'm looking for from you for the rest of the semester.
1) This week (by Friday) I want to see some kind of project proposal, hopefully one containing either a thesis (and a bibliography) or a clear statement of your artistic goals, as well as an attempt to explain how your project connects with the class as a whole. Mike's post below this one works. Everybody must do this this week (as an ungraded blog entry), or have your class participation grade grotesquely mangled (don't ask for details).
2) Next week (by Friday) I want to see a rough draft, posted on the blog (as a link, if you think that's preferable). I hope to see 4+ pages for most of you. This will count as a graded blog entry (your last one).
3) Everybody _must_ offer a detailed set of comments on someone's draft, or have their final project grade penalized by 5 points.
4) If you've got questions, blog about them (best), ask about them in class (also fine), or email them to me (fine too, but if the questions might be relevant to others, please ask them where others can see/hear the answers.
Friday, November 23, 2007
Final project
I mentioned this in class, but perhaps I can extend it here. I'm thinking I could do a narrative of the video game Scratches. It seems to fit with our House of Leaves theme. I want to do a paper with a thesis like
"House of Leaves uses technology in unusual ways to create a feeling of fear/intrigue. Can the same be done using a computer? Can people use computer games to invoke a primal, strong feeling like fear? Can they draw us in, making a digital page-turner?"
I don't know if I want to write it as if I'm playing a game, or if I'm the main character. The former will let me jump out of character and comment on how the game is making me feel. The latter will make that harder, but I can still do it with comments like "This house is really creepy." The former would be more to-the-point, but the latter would be more fun to write (and read).
Thoughts/suggestions?
"House of Leaves uses technology in unusual ways to create a feeling of fear/intrigue. Can the same be done using a computer? Can people use computer games to invoke a primal, strong feeling like fear? Can they draw us in, making a digital page-turner?"
I don't know if I want to write it as if I'm playing a game, or if I'm the main character. The former will let me jump out of character and comment on how the game is making me feel. The latter will make that harder, but I can still do it with comments like "This house is really creepy." The former would be more to-the-point, but the latter would be more fun to write (and read).
Thoughts/suggestions?
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
This Is a Horrible Post
So, I had a rather large post that had culminated over a five day period where I made all sorts of conjectures and other remarkable sounding theories that linked Woodring's "The Frank Book," "From Hell," and "House of Leaves" together but apparently my "securityToken" expired and even once I copied all the information... my internet explorer went all retarded on me and froze up.
I even lost my FRANK GRAPHICS DAMN YOUUUUUU.
So, now I'm going to make a quick bulletin list of some of the things I may have said-- for I surely do not recall half of what I wrote half as much as I should due to an all-nighter and 3 Expresso and Cream double shots courtesy of Starbucks. I'm also listening to Beethoven's 9th Symphony and Mozart's 4th in a vague stab at keeping my sanity. We on the same page?
Good.
The Frank Book relates to House of Leaves in that TFB is a surrealistic piece of work in the artistic sense whereas I believe HOL to be a surreal piece in the written narrative sense. I'd say just about every drawing in TFB is up to interpretation. Why? Well besides the fact that nothing in the book concretely resembles anything we know (Manhog is a mix between a guy and a... hog. Frank is an anthropormorphic beaver cat, etc) there is virtually no written words. Everything is pantomimed. It sort of reminds me of this Finnish band (whose name eludes me at the moment) that sings in a made-up language and whose CD case has a packet where all the songs are blank lines... you fill in whatever you think the lyrics should be. I like to think this somehow relates to HOL because the House's dark caverns really are nothing but representations of the internal strife within the individuals within its halls. For example, Holloway goes batshit because his fear is that he won't gain any recognition from finding just a bunch of rooms underneath the house. He has to find SOMETHING... and so the house gives him the impression that a beast is lurking about. Gandalf fears the Balrog in the Mines of Moria and ends up battling with the other Maiar until he dies and is sent back by Illuvatar to fulfill his job on Middle Earth. Lord of the Rings really does have its parallels with HOL in that, the characters in both stories are fighting the darkness within themselves. The only difference between HOL and LotR is that LotR's fears inside the main characters manifest in the shape of ephemeral ghouls of past kings and a giant Red Eye. HOL has a pissed off house.
From Hell is ridiculous in general and no one should read it. That being said, I find an interesting contrast between HOL and From Hell in that, whenever Jack the Ripper gets inside somebody (and not in the cool way) he has delusions where light is escaping from these bedraggled prostitutes. This is entirely contrary to the bowels of the house-- an entity that makes us believe that there is only darkness within each and every one of us. Perhaps whereas the house focuses on the internal strife within our minds, Jack's snickersnack treatment of the prostitutes focuses on the departure of the soul. I also think that while HOL is defined much like a labrynth in ancient Greek mythology... it somehow resembles at least some layer of Hell to me. I'm a little rusty on my ancient Italian philosphers, but if I can recall correctly the most agonizing punishment of being in Hell is one's lack of connection with G-d. In From Hell we really see no development of true friendship throughout the book... people may help one another but most of it has an ulterior motive attached. The same goes with The Frank Book. In HOL, when Jed, Wax, and Holloway descend into the house's bowels there is a distinct lack of comraderie. Though Tom is only down the hallway from the entrance, he feels completely isolated and alone.
And that's all I got. Timmy's cell phone is playing "MakeDamnSure" so that means I gotta go. Maybe I'll post more when I've had more time to collect my thoughts!
I even lost my FRANK GRAPHICS DAMN YOUUUUUU.
So, now I'm going to make a quick bulletin list of some of the things I may have said-- for I surely do not recall half of what I wrote half as much as I should due to an all-nighter and 3 Expresso and Cream double shots courtesy of Starbucks. I'm also listening to Beethoven's 9th Symphony and Mozart's 4th in a vague stab at keeping my sanity. We on the same page?
Good.
The Frank Book relates to House of Leaves in that TFB is a surrealistic piece of work in the artistic sense whereas I believe HOL to be a surreal piece in the written narrative sense. I'd say just about every drawing in TFB is up to interpretation. Why? Well besides the fact that nothing in the book concretely resembles anything we know (Manhog is a mix between a guy and a... hog. Frank is an anthropormorphic beaver cat, etc) there is virtually no written words. Everything is pantomimed. It sort of reminds me of this Finnish band (whose name eludes me at the moment) that sings in a made-up language and whose CD case has a packet where all the songs are blank lines... you fill in whatever you think the lyrics should be. I like to think this somehow relates to HOL because the House's dark caverns really are nothing but representations of the internal strife within the individuals within its halls. For example, Holloway goes batshit because his fear is that he won't gain any recognition from finding just a bunch of rooms underneath the house. He has to find SOMETHING... and so the house gives him the impression that a beast is lurking about. Gandalf fears the Balrog in the Mines of Moria and ends up battling with the other Maiar until he dies and is sent back by Illuvatar to fulfill his job on Middle Earth. Lord of the Rings really does have its parallels with HOL in that, the characters in both stories are fighting the darkness within themselves. The only difference between HOL and LotR is that LotR's fears inside the main characters manifest in the shape of ephemeral ghouls of past kings and a giant Red Eye. HOL has a pissed off house.
From Hell is ridiculous in general and no one should read it. That being said, I find an interesting contrast between HOL and From Hell in that, whenever Jack the Ripper gets inside somebody (and not in the cool way) he has delusions where light is escaping from these bedraggled prostitutes. This is entirely contrary to the bowels of the house-- an entity that makes us believe that there is only darkness within each and every one of us. Perhaps whereas the house focuses on the internal strife within our minds, Jack's snickersnack treatment of the prostitutes focuses on the departure of the soul. I also think that while HOL is defined much like a labrynth in ancient Greek mythology... it somehow resembles at least some layer of Hell to me. I'm a little rusty on my ancient Italian philosphers, but if I can recall correctly the most agonizing punishment of being in Hell is one's lack of connection with G-d. In From Hell we really see no development of true friendship throughout the book... people may help one another but most of it has an ulterior motive attached. The same goes with The Frank Book. In HOL, when Jed, Wax, and Holloway descend into the house's bowels there is a distinct lack of comraderie. Though Tom is only down the hallway from the entrance, he feels completely isolated and alone.
And that's all I got. Timmy's cell phone is playing "MakeDamnSure" so that means I gotta go. Maybe I'll post more when I've had more time to collect my thoughts!
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Writer's Strike
I'm not sure how I can relate this to Narrative and Technology, but the argument I just had with my friend Luke kind of reminded me of "Life in the Iron Mills" and... something else that would have to do with this class. Maybe.
I don't know anything about the writer's strike other than that there is one, and because of it they might be cutting the second season of "Heroes" in half. Unacceptable.
My friend Luke, a criminal justice major who is too late in his college career to change his major to what he really wants to do (which is write) asked me if they might hire "writing scabs" to fill in while the writers are on strike. I'm not sure how I feel about this concept.
Luke is from Kentucky. He explained that these writers are people who are getting paid to do what he only wishes he could do, and if they can't appreciate what they've got then of course he should be able to come in and take their places. He also emphasized that in Kentucky when the coal mining union went on strike and scabs were brought in, those scabs didn't have anything against the union. They were scabs because they needed to survive.
My argument is that writing is a lot different from coal mining. I'm not saying that just anyone can mine for coal. But in the case of being a writing scab, you're coming into an already established piece of work and riffing off of it for pay. That's someone else's intellectual property and you're coming in at the middle of the game and almost… stealing it. It's not for survival, it's not so you can feed your children who are starving. For Luke, at least, he feels like as a writing scab, (hypothetically) it might throw him into the writing career that he always dreamed of but could never have. But would you really want to make the start of your creative career using someone else's work?
This also kind of ties into a question that I had meant to raise with my mid-term project but never really got around to. The project involved online roleplaying forums that were based in an already established universe (X-men specifically). Is using already-created characters and concepts equivalent to plagiarism if you're only using them as a basis for your own creative outlet? I think in a forum-based roleplay community, no. If you're getting paid for it, though? It's still not plagiarism per say, but still not something I'd respect.
I dunno. It's almost like… as a writing scab, you'd be cheapening the profession as a whole. It'd be saying "writers come a dime a dozen and I'm going to prove it by replacing you for less pay and less appreciation," which I think is the real issue. It kind of reminds me, in a roundabout way, of that episode of Friends where Joey is on Days of Our Lives and says in an interview that he writes most of his lines (which was untrue). As payback for being underappreciated, the writers kill him off the show. Instead of just killing off a character, though, it looks like these writers are killing off the actual show with their strike. Which, again, is unacceptable to me, since I'm a creature of addiction and "Heroes" is on my (long, long) list of entertainment-related obsessions.
As someone who means to eventually make money off my writing (maybe), I think if I was writing for a television show, I'd be pissed at anyone who scabbed if I decided to strike because I was underappreciated.
Am I wrong? What do you think? And does this, in fact, have anything to do with narrative or technology?
I don't know anything about the writer's strike other than that there is one, and because of it they might be cutting the second season of "Heroes" in half. Unacceptable.
My friend Luke, a criminal justice major who is too late in his college career to change his major to what he really wants to do (which is write) asked me if they might hire "writing scabs" to fill in while the writers are on strike. I'm not sure how I feel about this concept.
Luke is from Kentucky. He explained that these writers are people who are getting paid to do what he only wishes he could do, and if they can't appreciate what they've got then of course he should be able to come in and take their places. He also emphasized that in Kentucky when the coal mining union went on strike and scabs were brought in, those scabs didn't have anything against the union. They were scabs because they needed to survive.
My argument is that writing is a lot different from coal mining. I'm not saying that just anyone can mine for coal. But in the case of being a writing scab, you're coming into an already established piece of work and riffing off of it for pay. That's someone else's intellectual property and you're coming in at the middle of the game and almost… stealing it. It's not for survival, it's not so you can feed your children who are starving. For Luke, at least, he feels like as a writing scab, (hypothetically) it might throw him into the writing career that he always dreamed of but could never have. But would you really want to make the start of your creative career using someone else's work?
This also kind of ties into a question that I had meant to raise with my mid-term project but never really got around to. The project involved online roleplaying forums that were based in an already established universe (X-men specifically). Is using already-created characters and concepts equivalent to plagiarism if you're only using them as a basis for your own creative outlet? I think in a forum-based roleplay community, no. If you're getting paid for it, though? It's still not plagiarism per say, but still not something I'd respect.
I dunno. It's almost like… as a writing scab, you'd be cheapening the profession as a whole. It'd be saying "writers come a dime a dozen and I'm going to prove it by replacing you for less pay and less appreciation," which I think is the real issue. It kind of reminds me, in a roundabout way, of that episode of Friends where Joey is on Days of Our Lives and says in an interview that he writes most of his lines (which was untrue). As payback for being underappreciated, the writers kill him off the show. Instead of just killing off a character, though, it looks like these writers are killing off the actual show with their strike. Which, again, is unacceptable to me, since I'm a creature of addiction and "Heroes" is on my (long, long) list of entertainment-related obsessions.
As someone who means to eventually make money off my writing (maybe), I think if I was writing for a television show, I'd be pissed at anyone who scabbed if I decided to strike because I was underappreciated.
Am I wrong? What do you think? And does this, in fact, have anything to do with narrative or technology?
Friday, November 16, 2007
a little help please...
Hey guys,
So I didn't make it to class today because I was invited to attend a luncheon to meet with BioE Dean's from other colleges. Thus, I was wondering if anyone would be nice enough and tell me what we discussed in class today.
I'll give you a gold star... or a cookie if you prefer :)
Thanks!
So I didn't make it to class today because I was invited to attend a luncheon to meet with BioE Dean's from other colleges. Thus, I was wondering if anyone would be nice enough and tell me what we discussed in class today.
I'll give you a gold star... or a cookie if you prefer :)
Thanks!
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Understanding the change - Graded blog
First off I don’t know how I’m supposed to come up with an argument to make others understand a book that I don’t understand myself. So this probably won’t make any sense itself. The passage I chose is on page 141, the bottom left square.
This passage talks about the future and how readers will take different views about newspapers and magazines than they do right now. It talks about this because the readers will no longer be able to tell the difference between real pictures with one that has been changed in some way. Then it goes on to say even if editors refuse to go along with the temptations of manipulating the photographs, that their integrity will still be less valuable than before.
My interpretation of this is that you can replace the word photograph with the word book. So my understanding is that readers will have different ways to view the book than they did before because the new technology allows for things that couldn’t be done before. That is exactly how I feel about this book. Danielewski is changing the way things are done to make something that is not real, seem real. And it actually does. This book can almost be passed off as a true story.
One way this book has been modified is that he uses false footnotes. They seem real enough, but very few, if any of them are actually sources. They were created to make the readers believe something that isn’t true. That is just like the passage that talks about creating pictures to make the viewers believe something that never happened.
Another way the book is different than a normal book is its form. The way paragraphs go all over the place and how it goes back and forth between Johnny and Zampano. It was also manipulated to make you think it is real, but as the passage on 141 says, even though things will seem more real, people won’t view them in that way because of the new technology which allows for the reader to be deceived.
So I believe this passage will help you understand the book better by not trying to figure out what is really going on. Just go with what the story is trying to show you and enjoy it rather than to look hard into it. Even though it will not seem real as it once did, you may be able to understand it better now.
This passage talks about the future and how readers will take different views about newspapers and magazines than they do right now. It talks about this because the readers will no longer be able to tell the difference between real pictures with one that has been changed in some way. Then it goes on to say even if editors refuse to go along with the temptations of manipulating the photographs, that their integrity will still be less valuable than before.
My interpretation of this is that you can replace the word photograph with the word book. So my understanding is that readers will have different ways to view the book than they did before because the new technology allows for things that couldn’t be done before. That is exactly how I feel about this book. Danielewski is changing the way things are done to make something that is not real, seem real. And it actually does. This book can almost be passed off as a true story.
One way this book has been modified is that he uses false footnotes. They seem real enough, but very few, if any of them are actually sources. They were created to make the readers believe something that isn’t true. That is just like the passage that talks about creating pictures to make the viewers believe something that never happened.
Another way the book is different than a normal book is its form. The way paragraphs go all over the place and how it goes back and forth between Johnny and Zampano. It was also manipulated to make you think it is real, but as the passage on 141 says, even though things will seem more real, people won’t view them in that way because of the new technology which allows for the reader to be deceived.
So I believe this passage will help you understand the book better by not trying to figure out what is really going on. Just go with what the story is trying to show you and enjoy it rather than to look hard into it. Even though it will not seem real as it once did, you may be able to understand it better now.
This book continues to disturb and amaze me. graded blog
On Page 258 Day 2 16:01 Tom tells a story that I think speaks volumes about the adventure into the house. As we are informed previously, Tom is the brother who can be called “flighty” when we look at the biblical comparison to Esau and his brother I could do nothing more than to laugh. In my opinion Tom can not be compared to any one of the brothers. This flighty ness is paralleled with something else though, and for this blog I will attempt to articulate my thoughts of him, jumbled as they may be, in reference to the entire “discovery mission”
Although I do feel sorry for Tom in a way, I mostly just find his life funny. He smokes pot, makes corny Sunday School jokes, eats himself senseless, does disgusting thing like “shit in the monster’s corner” and all the while keep a certain humor about himself. Then all of a sudden he gives us the “parable” about the rich man trying to do something good. Who is he to teach us a lession?
All the characters in this book are longing for some sense of fulfillment. Traunt presently gets satisfaction for putting Zampano’s “lost” book in order. Karen drivers herself sick with worry about Navidson, and distracts herself with fung-seu and childrearing. Will participates in this absurd journey, and Tom tries to fit himself into his brothers life by assuming the position of the child in the relationship between Karen and Will. Though these objectives are strange and seemingly unconnected, I think that the deeper meaning is that they want to do “something good” with maybe themselves, society, or whatever and whomever they think they might owe something to.
This rich man comes off the an ass hole because his way of “doo-gooding” is senseless, and ultimately leads to the demise of this poor man, who until he messed with him was surviving reasonably fine. Maybe this connection can be mad with all these characters trying to make sense of their complication, and ultimately will only result in their demise, or unhappiness. As Karen threatened to do, when she said that she was leaving and taking the kids with her. These characters are trying to change the direction or eliminate their misfortunes and are just ultimately making their lives worse.
Another example of this is Johnny’s encounter with the big tit, too much eye liner, alleged porn star at the Opium Den. When they arrived at his house, he took pitty on her, and didn’t ask her to come him. It was my assumption that despite what he said about something being “wrong” about her, he felt like he was doing her a favor by not treating her cheaply. As we later see, she drives off and throws the poor dog out of the car window. Who is to know the fortune of that poor dog, if he had just asked her to come in, and had sex with her, as was the pattern of his life. If these people all have underlining motives of their own, wouldn’t it be considered selfish of them to think that they deserve more than the hell that they all live in, and shouldn’t they be punished for their______( I can’t think of the word..but hopefully you understand what I am trying to say) Tom is currently the only who brings this concept to light. He know people try to do good but he also recognizes the bad that can come of it. ( very funny to me)
Anyway, this passage to me is foreshadowing the fate of the characters. It says that they will all ultimately be doomed, because they are trying too hard to escape life.
Although I do feel sorry for Tom in a way, I mostly just find his life funny. He smokes pot, makes corny Sunday School jokes, eats himself senseless, does disgusting thing like “shit in the monster’s corner” and all the while keep a certain humor about himself. Then all of a sudden he gives us the “parable” about the rich man trying to do something good. Who is he to teach us a lession?
All the characters in this book are longing for some sense of fulfillment. Traunt presently gets satisfaction for putting Zampano’s “lost” book in order. Karen drivers herself sick with worry about Navidson, and distracts herself with fung-seu and childrearing. Will participates in this absurd journey, and Tom tries to fit himself into his brothers life by assuming the position of the child in the relationship between Karen and Will. Though these objectives are strange and seemingly unconnected, I think that the deeper meaning is that they want to do “something good” with maybe themselves, society, or whatever and whomever they think they might owe something to.
This rich man comes off the an ass hole because his way of “doo-gooding” is senseless, and ultimately leads to the demise of this poor man, who until he messed with him was surviving reasonably fine. Maybe this connection can be mad with all these characters trying to make sense of their complication, and ultimately will only result in their demise, or unhappiness. As Karen threatened to do, when she said that she was leaving and taking the kids with her. These characters are trying to change the direction or eliminate their misfortunes and are just ultimately making their lives worse.
Another example of this is Johnny’s encounter with the big tit, too much eye liner, alleged porn star at the Opium Den. When they arrived at his house, he took pitty on her, and didn’t ask her to come him. It was my assumption that despite what he said about something being “wrong” about her, he felt like he was doing her a favor by not treating her cheaply. As we later see, she drives off and throws the poor dog out of the car window. Who is to know the fortune of that poor dog, if he had just asked her to come in, and had sex with her, as was the pattern of his life. If these people all have underlining motives of their own, wouldn’t it be considered selfish of them to think that they deserve more than the hell that they all live in, and shouldn’t they be punished for their______( I can’t think of the word..but hopefully you understand what I am trying to say) Tom is currently the only who brings this concept to light. He know people try to do good but he also recognizes the bad that can come of it. ( very funny to me)
Anyway, this passage to me is foreshadowing the fate of the characters. It says that they will all ultimately be doomed, because they are trying too hard to escape life.
My life is a maze... graded blog
Not gonna lie… I’ve been having trouble putting this book together. My friends that have read it are telling me its one of their favorite books ever but telling me to never read it in a small room. Yet, here I am struggling to read and understand the ‘plot’ of the book. Thankfully, everything is slowly starting to fall into place after tonight’s readings. I am actually learning to piece this book together. Now I might not look so dumbfounded in class… yippy!
Throughout House of Leaves, Danielewski consistently transforms paragraphs and/or sentences into different shapes to represent the story. Making the paragraph convert into different silhouettes allows the reader to be more captivated into the story. This particular representation of the nature of these paragraphs and sentences can be seen through Chapter X.
Danielewski starts off Chapter X with a quote about the architectural design of a house as a path. As the chapter begins, there is only one paragraph per a page that can be found either at the top or bottom of the page. This set up allows for the reader to navigate through the book simultaneously as Navidson and Reston navigate through the labyrinth of the house; thus, displaying an interaction for the reader.
Moreover, in one instance, Danielewski uses one word per a page to represent the story. Starting on page 216, Navidson and Reston hear doors slamming. As the slamming of the doors continue, so does the one word per a page. When reading this, I actually heard and saw the doors slamming as I turned the page. Each page to me, represented a door which was then about to be slammed ‘behind’ me.
Furthermore, Danielewski also uses another form of sentence construction to symbolize the current events of the story. As bullets are being fire towards Navidson and Reston, the words of the sentence take the form of the bullet themselves. For example, on page 233, the round of bullets are said to only splinter the panel of the door. While reading this sentence, we can also see that each word represents a bullet hitting the door (page) since they are scattered throughout the page.
Therefore, in a round about way, I feel Danielewski is allowing the reader to interact with the book. Even though Danielewski chooses our adventure for us, the way he presents the text allows the reader to be a part of the adventure and suspense that happens throughout the book. The reader must navigate through the labyrinth of the house, and listen/watch doors slam behind them in order to experience the full effects of the book.
Throughout House of Leaves, Danielewski consistently transforms paragraphs and/or sentences into different shapes to represent the story. Making the paragraph convert into different silhouettes allows the reader to be more captivated into the story. This particular representation of the nature of these paragraphs and sentences can be seen through Chapter X.
Danielewski starts off Chapter X with a quote about the architectural design of a house as a path. As the chapter begins, there is only one paragraph per a page that can be found either at the top or bottom of the page. This set up allows for the reader to navigate through the book simultaneously as Navidson and Reston navigate through the labyrinth of the house; thus, displaying an interaction for the reader.
Moreover, in one instance, Danielewski uses one word per a page to represent the story. Starting on page 216, Navidson and Reston hear doors slamming. As the slamming of the doors continue, so does the one word per a page. When reading this, I actually heard and saw the doors slamming as I turned the page. Each page to me, represented a door which was then about to be slammed ‘behind’ me.
Furthermore, Danielewski also uses another form of sentence construction to symbolize the current events of the story. As bullets are being fire towards Navidson and Reston, the words of the sentence take the form of the bullet themselves. For example, on page 233, the round of bullets are said to only splinter the panel of the door. While reading this sentence, we can also see that each word represents a bullet hitting the door (page) since they are scattered throughout the page.
Therefore, in a round about way, I feel Danielewski is allowing the reader to interact with the book. Even though Danielewski chooses our adventure for us, the way he presents the text allows the reader to be a part of the adventure and suspense that happens throughout the book. The reader must navigate through the labyrinth of the house, and listen/watch doors slam behind them in order to experience the full effects of the book.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Sometimes, they think the owl is saying "who?" (graded blog)
So let's talk about animals. Danielewski does. A lot.
On page 87, there's a quote in German that ends up leading Johnny on this whole big tangent about Kyrie and this awesome car and this great sex that ends in Kyrie crying:
"aber da, an diesem schwarzen Felle/ wird dein starkstes Schauen aufgelost."
Eventually the Editors give us the English translation:
"But here within this thick black pelt, your strongest gaze will be absorbed and utterly disappear."
This is part of the poem by Rainer Marie Rilke called "Black Cat."
A ghost, though invisible, still is like a place
your sight can knock on, echoing; but here
within this thick black pelt, your strongest gaze
will be absorbed and utterly disappear:
just as a raving madman, when nothing else
can ease him, charges into his dark night
howling, pounds on the padded wall, and feels
the rage being taken in and pacified.
She seems to hide all looks that have ever fallen
into her, so that, like an audience,
she can look them over, menacing and sullen,
and curl to sleep with them. But all at once
as if awakened, she turns her face to yours;
and with a shock, you see yourself, tiny,
inside the golden amber of her eyeballs
suspended, like a prehistoric fly.
It is my humble (and most likely crazy) opinion that this poem combined with the various animal references are a summary of the book. It's interesting that it begins with ghosts. This is sort of a ghost story, if only in the way that the guy who wrote half of it was found dead at the beginning of the book. Zampano's "ghost" is telling half of the story, but we know that we're only getting the parts of the story Zampano wrote through Johnny. Johnny's narrative is an echo to Zampano's, because in spite of whatever randomness it reads like, he's saying almost the exact same things that Zampano is saying, only… crazy…er. Maybe that's a stretch. But wait, there's more! There always is.
The difference between Zampano's exploration of the house through Navidson and Johnny's exploration of the house through Zampano is that they both had filters by which to experience the house. Sure, it made them nuts, but that's nothing compared to what Navidson is experiencing, which is this thick black pelt, in which "[his] strongest gaze [is] absorbed." Navidson is that strongest gaze. He is a photojournalist and huge parts of the book emphasize how every shot he takes is perfection. He can make anything look good, but that's just the thing. There's nothing in the house, he can't take a picture of it, can't make a video of it, there's nothing. This black cat is the house.
That being said…
It's ironic that there's a chapter about how animals aren't affected by the house. The simple explanation then, is that the house itself is an animal. Chapter Six (pg. 74) explains that animals are simply themselves, bereft of thought or wonder or anything. Everything they do is instinctual. Becker says they don't fear death, and then Norberg-Schulz talks about man's necessity for "orientation" in order to act. Man needs direction, animals don't. Another reason, perhaps, that the house is directionless. There is no north. If the house was a man, then of course there would be a north.
Once Chapter Six brought up the concept of animals, I began to notice a ton of animal imagery to describe the darkness inside the house. The sounds Navidson registers as growls may just be the house shifting, "the darkness instantly slaughters every smile and glance" (82), "the darkness just swallowed the flares right up" (85). Men are referred to as monsters as opposed to animals. Johnny must refer to every guy he meets except for Lude as a monster, even himself. Raymond, especially, is given claws and teeth wet with meet and a musky scent.
The Minotaur theory, the key, is that the monster at the center of the labyrinth is us. I said that in class already, but in the context of special relations. I guess the thing that ties this all together for me is that Rilke is referenced a lot earlier in the book. On page 28, the first question raised about the house is Wer? That's "who" in German. That word is referenced to footnote number 34, where Johnny said he found the translation of the word in a poem called "Orpheus, Eurydice, Hermes*," by Rilke. It can't be random that the question of "Who?" would be answered by Rilke, who wrote the Black Cat, which I believe is a metaphor for the entire book.
*Orpheus travels to the Underworld to gather his wife Eurydice to died on their wedding. The deal he strikes with Hades is that Orpheus will lead his wife out of the Underworld, but only if he does not look behind him. If he does so before reaching topside, he'll lose her forever. In the poem, when Orpheus looks back too soon (idiot) and Eurydice is immediately back in the Underworld, Hermes tries to explain what happened to her. He says (and I'm summarizing here) "Orpheus came to free you." Her response: "Who?" The darkness of the Underworld takes away your memory. In the house, things that go forgotten actually disappear. Shoelaces.
On page 87, there's a quote in German that ends up leading Johnny on this whole big tangent about Kyrie and this awesome car and this great sex that ends in Kyrie crying:
"aber da, an diesem schwarzen Felle/ wird dein starkstes Schauen aufgelost."
Eventually the Editors give us the English translation:
"But here within this thick black pelt, your strongest gaze will be absorbed and utterly disappear."
This is part of the poem by Rainer Marie Rilke called "Black Cat."
A ghost, though invisible, still is like a place
your sight can knock on, echoing; but here
within this thick black pelt, your strongest gaze
will be absorbed and utterly disappear:
just as a raving madman, when nothing else
can ease him, charges into his dark night
howling, pounds on the padded wall, and feels
the rage being taken in and pacified.
She seems to hide all looks that have ever fallen
into her, so that, like an audience,
she can look them over, menacing and sullen,
and curl to sleep with them. But all at once
as if awakened, she turns her face to yours;
and with a shock, you see yourself, tiny,
inside the golden amber of her eyeballs
suspended, like a prehistoric fly.
It is my humble (and most likely crazy) opinion that this poem combined with the various animal references are a summary of the book. It's interesting that it begins with ghosts. This is sort of a ghost story, if only in the way that the guy who wrote half of it was found dead at the beginning of the book. Zampano's "ghost" is telling half of the story, but we know that we're only getting the parts of the story Zampano wrote through Johnny. Johnny's narrative is an echo to Zampano's, because in spite of whatever randomness it reads like, he's saying almost the exact same things that Zampano is saying, only… crazy…er. Maybe that's a stretch. But wait, there's more! There always is.
The difference between Zampano's exploration of the house through Navidson and Johnny's exploration of the house through Zampano is that they both had filters by which to experience the house. Sure, it made them nuts, but that's nothing compared to what Navidson is experiencing, which is this thick black pelt, in which "[his] strongest gaze [is] absorbed." Navidson is that strongest gaze. He is a photojournalist and huge parts of the book emphasize how every shot he takes is perfection. He can make anything look good, but that's just the thing. There's nothing in the house, he can't take a picture of it, can't make a video of it, there's nothing. This black cat is the house.
That being said…
It's ironic that there's a chapter about how animals aren't affected by the house. The simple explanation then, is that the house itself is an animal. Chapter Six (pg. 74) explains that animals are simply themselves, bereft of thought or wonder or anything. Everything they do is instinctual. Becker says they don't fear death, and then Norberg-Schulz talks about man's necessity for "orientation" in order to act. Man needs direction, animals don't. Another reason, perhaps, that the house is directionless. There is no north. If the house was a man, then of course there would be a north.
Once Chapter Six brought up the concept of animals, I began to notice a ton of animal imagery to describe the darkness inside the house. The sounds Navidson registers as growls may just be the house shifting, "the darkness instantly slaughters every smile and glance" (82), "the darkness just swallowed the flares right up" (85). Men are referred to as monsters as opposed to animals. Johnny must refer to every guy he meets except for Lude as a monster, even himself. Raymond, especially, is given claws and teeth wet with meet and a musky scent.
The Minotaur theory, the key, is that the monster at the center of the labyrinth is us. I said that in class already, but in the context of special relations. I guess the thing that ties this all together for me is that Rilke is referenced a lot earlier in the book. On page 28, the first question raised about the house is Wer? That's "who" in German. That word is referenced to footnote number 34, where Johnny said he found the translation of the word in a poem called "Orpheus, Eurydice, Hermes*," by Rilke. It can't be random that the question of "Who?" would be answered by Rilke, who wrote the Black Cat, which I believe is a metaphor for the entire book.
*Orpheus travels to the Underworld to gather his wife Eurydice to died on their wedding. The deal he strikes with Hades is that Orpheus will lead his wife out of the Underworld, but only if he does not look behind him. If he does so before reaching topside, he'll lose her forever. In the poem, when Orpheus looks back too soon (idiot) and Eurydice is immediately back in the Underworld, Hermes tries to explain what happened to her. He says (and I'm summarizing here) "Orpheus came to free you." Her response: "Who?" The darkness of the Underworld takes away your memory. In the house, things that go forgotten actually disappear. Shoelaces.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Next Blog Assignment
Take some small fragment of Danielewski's text -- a paragraph at most. It should be something we have not discussed in class, _or_ you should have a completely different take on it. It must be a passage which has some larger significance, hopefully one not immediately noticed or understood. Follow that passage (or shape, or symbol, or whatever) in detail, using it to formulate an argument that _just_ looking at that passage, we can/should understand the book as a whole in at least a subtly different way.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Penny Arcade
In case you have all yet to live a full life:
Penny Arcade Comic Strip
I think the only person who might appreciate the humor here is Yomi.
Penny Arcade Comic Strip
I think the only person who might appreciate the humor here is Yomi.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Seamless - Graded Blog Entry
Melodramatic bullshit only makes me angry. I take no solace in depressed music, or "deep" writing. That aside, I'd like to talk about Chris Ware’s Jimmy Corrigan and Mark Danielewski’s House of Leaves (HOL). Despite the difference in their form and content (melodramatic comic vs non-conventional fictional novel), I can’t help but notice (like every one else has) the striking similarity between the two lie in their complex usage of the conceptualization of Time.
The use of Time in Jimmy Corrigan reminds me of an MMO I used to play. The world was massive but small at the same time because you could move from one area to the next seamlessly. Characters, events, battles all occurred simultaneously in a sort of collective conscious, placed only into context by individual conceptualizations of the occurrences. This concept of seamless movement applies directly to Jimmy Corrigan. In Lance’s blog, he argues that Jimmy Corrigan is not one story, claiming it involves the cyclicization of Time around the Corrigan family’s experience; Jimmy, his father, grandfather, and great Grandfather are a sort of collective protagonist. I agree with the idea of the collective protagonist, but I think Jimmy Corrigan IS one story and the use of Time seamlessly links the experiences of Jimmy and the other members of his family tree to tell the story of the collective protagonist. The transition from each members story to the next is placed into historical context by Ware’s juxtaposition of significant historical moments [Chicago exposition, Battle of Shiloh, The Fair (Hey Jimmy lets go Snipe hunt…LOL)] but the stream of consciousness that pervades the narrative makes it difficult to pinpoint and distinguish any of the Corrigan’s at a place in time. The classic moment when Jimmy is with his father, his grandfather, and Amy (a product of his great grandfather) is analogous to multiple sine waves intersecting and represents one of those rare moments where Time almost seems to exist as one moment.
The notion of Time, as presented in Jimmy Corrigan, can be linked to George Herriman’s famous comic series Krazy Kat. It is no surprise then that Chris Ware has the oldest, pristine collection of these comics, but Krazy Kats influence extends beyond Chris Ware’s fanaticism; Krazy Kats tradition also extends to “The Simpson’s” more violent integrated TV series “Itchy and Scratchy”. If you’ll recall the specific issue of Krazy Kat we looked at in class where at the center there was the unframed image of the clock; the clock represented the pervasive seamless concept of Time. Here in lies the link between Jimmy Corrigan and HOL.
On page xxi Johnny says “[…] the kind who makes Itchy and Scratchy look like Calvin and Hobbes.” I might have over complicated the link between Jimmy Corrigan and HOL but consider it an aphorism to my premise. HoL is a multi-layered (Editors --> Johnny Truant --> Zampano --> The Navidson Record) cluster-fuck of a narrative, encapsulating the non-existent film The Navidson Record. Truant’s experiences in discovering Zapano’s “reams and reams” of work are relayed to us in a sort of stream of consciousness similar to moments in Jimmy Corrigan, so as we are discovering things about Johnny Truant we are also discovering what is going on when Zampano was producing his blind(lol) documentary. This intermixing and overlapping of each individual experience produces the seamless notion of Time and its convergence. The German passage Lance refers to where Johnny’s experience with the text seams to overlap/converge with Zapano’s and Heidigger’s experience is analogous to the analogy in the second paragraph about the sine waves intersecting; the multiple realities converge.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
The genius of xkcd...graded blog, option 1
www.xkcd.com
Ok, so I don't know what the initials stand for, but it's a pretty cool comic. It's perfect for this class because, as the title states, it's a webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language. Here's how it relates to Jimmy Corrigan:
1) The repetitive elements of the strip. In Jimmy Corrigan, certain themes would show up again and again. The crutch, the bird, the red hats. Chris Ware used this to tie previous things to the current events. xkcd uses the recurring "My hobby" jokes, hilarious in themselves, to keep up an idea of the characters' personalities. Hobby Photoshops Effect an Effect Iambic Pentameter Curse Levels That's what SHE said. Chris Ware ties one scene to another in this way, and so does xkcd.
2) Time. Both stories deal with time. Jimmy Corrigan covers two parallel lives and switches back and forth between them liberally. xkcd frequently has the main character travelling through time. Read all of the the Choices series, for example. There are plenty more but this is the most direct example. Why does Chris Ware do this? Well, for one, it lets the reader draw on themes instead of specific events. It also allows Ware to show how he thinks the experiences of childhood shape the adult (Surgery? heh). He probably intended both and many more. xkcd does it to show the interesting points of math and reality, but mostly just to write funny comics. Hey, it's his job and a man's gotta eat.
3) Artistic scenes. Sometimes Ware does architectural drawings for the aesthetics of it, to set a scene, or both. xkcd does sort of the same thing. It's less frequent now than it was in the past. Trees and the next two are good examples. I have no idea why xkcd does this, other than to show off his talent (or boredom?).
4) Imaginative scenes. Jimmy Corrigan holds many instances where an idea or event is imagined but shown as literally happening. One example is when Jimmy goes to his father's apartment. He imagined being stabbed in the throat/face by his father. Naturally we don't assume this happens in the story, knowing its imagined. xkcd plays around with this idea of imagination in real life. Reference
5) Both artists make use of the classic box-by-box comics style to parody. Jimmy Corrigan has the opening chart and periodic updates showing different story lines "pulled out" of the central picture. Here's an example of xkcd using the classic frame to be funny. Fall Apart
6) Real life remarks. Jimmy Corrigan references common life events...birth, death, crying, joy, lonliness. His "death of a hero" idea in Superman's suicide is a feeling we've all felt once before. Most of us have had Santa Claus 'disappear' from our list of people to look up to when we found out he wasn't real. Ware hits this idea in a real way. xkcd takes this from a comic angle. He lists things we all do at some point, in some form, that are funny to consider. Paths Velociraptors Balloon Turn Signals.
As for Chris Ware's unnatural and irregular style of comics-writing, xkcd says this: Garfield
Try as I might, I have nothing to say about the superiority/inferiority of the the internet as a medium. It's like commenting on air being a medium for heat. It's sort of irrelevant what you think of it, and there's not much to say anyway. The only argument that I can make is that comic artists take their work seriously. They comment on the things we all know and love. There's humor/pain out there in our lives, surrounding us (refer to point 6 if you don't understand this yet), and the best comics are the ones that fish it out of the cacophony of it all, and present it to you in bite-size portions. Ware and xkcd are excellent examples of artists with this gift.
Just some funny ones for kicks: Snakes on a Plane MC Hammer Baring my Heart
Ok, so I don't know what the initials stand for, but it's a pretty cool comic. It's perfect for this class because, as the title states, it's a webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language. Here's how it relates to Jimmy Corrigan:
1) The repetitive elements of the strip. In Jimmy Corrigan, certain themes would show up again and again. The crutch, the bird, the red hats. Chris Ware used this to tie previous things to the current events. xkcd uses the recurring "My hobby" jokes, hilarious in themselves, to keep up an idea of the characters' personalities. Hobby Photoshops Effect an Effect Iambic Pentameter Curse Levels That's what SHE said. Chris Ware ties one scene to another in this way, and so does xkcd.
2) Time. Both stories deal with time. Jimmy Corrigan covers two parallel lives and switches back and forth between them liberally. xkcd frequently has the main character travelling through time. Read all of the the Choices series, for example. There are plenty more but this is the most direct example. Why does Chris Ware do this? Well, for one, it lets the reader draw on themes instead of specific events. It also allows Ware to show how he thinks the experiences of childhood shape the adult (Surgery? heh). He probably intended both and many more. xkcd does it to show the interesting points of math and reality, but mostly just to write funny comics. Hey, it's his job and a man's gotta eat.
3) Artistic scenes. Sometimes Ware does architectural drawings for the aesthetics of it, to set a scene, or both. xkcd does sort of the same thing. It's less frequent now than it was in the past. Trees and the next two are good examples. I have no idea why xkcd does this, other than to show off his talent (or boredom?).
4) Imaginative scenes. Jimmy Corrigan holds many instances where an idea or event is imagined but shown as literally happening. One example is when Jimmy goes to his father's apartment. He imagined being stabbed in the throat/face by his father. Naturally we don't assume this happens in the story, knowing its imagined. xkcd plays around with this idea of imagination in real life. Reference
5) Both artists make use of the classic box-by-box comics style to parody. Jimmy Corrigan has the opening chart and periodic updates showing different story lines "pulled out" of the central picture. Here's an example of xkcd using the classic frame to be funny. Fall Apart
6) Real life remarks. Jimmy Corrigan references common life events...birth, death, crying, joy, lonliness. His "death of a hero" idea in Superman's suicide is a feeling we've all felt once before. Most of us have had Santa Claus 'disappear' from our list of people to look up to when we found out he wasn't real. Ware hits this idea in a real way. xkcd takes this from a comic angle. He lists things we all do at some point, in some form, that are funny to consider. Paths Velociraptors Balloon Turn Signals.
As for Chris Ware's unnatural and irregular style of comics-writing, xkcd says this: Garfield
Try as I might, I have nothing to say about the superiority/inferiority of the the internet as a medium. It's like commenting on air being a medium for heat. It's sort of irrelevant what you think of it, and there's not much to say anyway. The only argument that I can make is that comic artists take their work seriously. They comment on the things we all know and love. There's humor/pain out there in our lives, surrounding us (refer to point 6 if you don't understand this yet), and the best comics are the ones that fish it out of the cacophony of it all, and present it to you in bite-size portions. Ware and xkcd are excellent examples of artists with this gift.
Just some funny ones for kicks: Snakes on a Plane MC Hammer Baring my Heart
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