The Culture Enthusiast

Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe

Books 8:22 AM

Source “Why has God done this to me? What have I done to be thus used?” Robinson Crusoe - Chapter 8 "The Journal"

Many people hated reading that dreadfully long story about a guy stuck in an island. But what Robinson Crusoe lacks in action, it makes up for in heroism.

Think: his ship sank, he is the only survivor. His reaction is to make a list of the bad aspects while rationalizing that those aren’t as bad as they could be. ““Evil: I am cast upon a horrible desolate island, void of all hope of recovery. Good:But I am alive, and not drowned, as all my ship’s company was.” (Chapter 6 "I build my fortress")

So, Crusoe actually teaches us how to go from despair and grief to gratitude and self-reliance.

The proof that what he teaches us is so essential is that his stoicism seems impossible to modern readers. On the IMDB forum for Castaway (the movie with Tom Hanks with a similar story) someone asked a curious question: “Why didn’t he act crazy when he got back?”*

Apparently, it was unrealistic for a person that lived for such a long time without any human contact or any sign of our modern civilization to come back “normal”. I guess with so many movies of people going crazy after traumatic situations, it is expected that people go crazy. If you don’t go crazy… now, that’s very strange.

Source “I might be more happy in this solitary condition than I should have been in a liberty of society.” Robinson Crusoe - Chapter 14

However, I don’t think it is unrealistic at all. It was the person’s ability to adapt to a new environment that made him survive in the first place. It is likely that this same ability will help him adapt to modern society as well.

I wonder what Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe’s author and a proponent of Realism, would say when accused of being unrealistic. Or what he would think if he knew that to us it is strange for a person not to go crazy.

How do you feel about Crusoe’s adventures – inspiring or boring? 

* The link for this comment no longer exists, because it's a couple of years old. I guess IMDB deletes older comments. However, on the current IMDB Castaway forum someone asks why he didn't commit suicide. This goes even further than the previous comment. It implies that it's impossible to bear being stranded on an island. But then again, Crusoe provides the answer: "O what ridiculous resolutions man take when possessed with fear! It deprives them of the use of those means which reasons offer for their relief." (Chapter 14 "I find the print of a man's naked foot")

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Arbitrary art

Art 8:33 AM

Hegel's Vacation - René Magritte

Source

"My latest picture began with the question: how to paint a picture with a glass of water as the subject? I drew a number of glasses of water, a line always appeared in these drawings. Then this line became deformed and took the form of an umbrella. Then this umbrella was put into the glass, and finally the umbrella opened up and was placed under the glass of water. Which I feel answers the initial question. The picture so conceived is called Les vacances de Hegel. I think Hegel would have liked this object that has two contrary functions: to repel and to contain water. Wouldn’t that have amused him as we are amused when on vacation?"

René Magritte in a letter to Maurice Rapin dated May 1958

Source: "Magritte: the true art of painting" by Harry Torczyner

Magritte’s letter proves rather useful to explain the intentions behind his painting “Hegel’s Vacation”. Before reading this letter, the painting was rather baffling to me. But his “explanation” makes the painting seems like a puzzle or a guessing game. The painting only makes sense after it is explained to us.

Besides, the motives sound random and subjective – only relevant and meaningful to the artist. I confess: I would never guess the intention was to paint a glass of water as a subject. Actually, I might haven’t guessed anything at all.

This feeling of “not getting it” is also there when we observe most of modern and contemporary art. Seriously, I feel like one of the judges from Project Runway asking the painter to give fewer explanations. “Let the painting speak for itself!”

How do you feel about the painting in question? Is it possible to like it without any explanation? 

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5 movies I'm embarrassed to like

Movies 6:14 PM

Let’s face it, we all have some movies that are so bad we are afraid to admit we love them. Here are the movies that I hope nobody finds on my Dvd shelf:

Super Mario Brothers

Imdb rating: 3.8

Even though many people played the classic video game, not that many people watched Mario portrayed by Bob Hoskins. I recently watched this with my sister and she was appalled at how bad it was. To me, some of the jokes are still funny, even though I can’t explain why, such as:

Brooklyn Girls: Who are you? 
Luigi: Luigi Mario. What, you got a problem with that? 

Big Trouble in Little China

Imdb rating: 7.1

Another movie from my childhood. I have seen it countless times and it never gets old. Whenever I go to Chinatown or Asian neighborhoods I keep thinking something like this will happen.

Alexander

Imdb rating: 5.4

I know, Colin Farrell… blond. I don’t mind it. I love the scene of the battle with the elephant. As a matter of fact I like most Colin Farrell movies. Strangely enough I have seen most of them at the movies: Heart’s War, Phone booth, Ask the dust, Cassandra’s Dream, The way back. I even like one of his first movies called Tigerland.

Hamlet 2000 and Romeo and Juliet

Imdb ratings: 6.0 and 6.8 respectively

During college, it was a big faux pas to admit you liked – or even wasted time watching – movie adaptations from Shakespeare, specially the modernized versions such as these two. Despite my preference for seeing the real play and reading it, I still like these two versions a lot. By the way, I like these just as much as the traditional versions, like all the Kenneth Branagh versions.

Which movies are you embarrassed of? 

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Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Books 10:24 AM

Everybody's first Austen book Source

I was at a book store the other day and I saw two different people holding copies of “Pride and Prejudice”.

Now that I consider myself an Austen reader (which, let’s face it, it’s no big deal, she only wrote six novels) I look down on people who only read "Pride and Prejudice". “They’re not real fans!” – my snobish look tells them.

But that’s just plain evil. "Pride and Prejudice" was in fact the first Austen book I read. Not because of the beautiful stylish covers they have now, but just because it was part of the assigned reading for a college class.

I remember buying it without any excitement or expectactions – I had never even seen the movie! Later on, I was so engrossed in the story that I couldn’t put it down. I read it in the bus during my morning and evening commute.

During one of these commuter readings, Mr. Darcy had just delivered a letter to Elizabeth before I got off the bus. I rushed home to read the letter but a neighbour saw me on the street and came to talk to me. I explained I needed to hurry (I just had to read Mr. Darcy’s letter!)

Another good memory is the excellent grade I got on the paper I wrote for college. Unfortunately, the paper got lost when I was changing computers and the professor never returned my hard copy. But my notes for the paper are all there written in pencil in my book.

Years later my grandmother was in the hospital and it was a pretty difficult time for our family. My aunt, who was staying in the hospital with my grandmama, mentioned she wanted to re-read “Pride and Prejudice”. I thought that was so appropriate. Not only does the book help you take your mind off things but it also gives you a portrayal of really controlled and wise ladies. (Maybe Elinor from "Sense and Sensiblity" would be a better role model – but then again "Sense and Sensibility" is not as funny.).

So, even though it saddens me to think those people who pick up “Pride and Prejudice” might never really read “Sense and Sensibility” or “Persuasion” I get some satisfaction on the fact that they might have a pretty good time with it and perhaps some fond memories too.

What's the first Austen book you read? 

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Cool facts about Turner

Art 2:29 PM

J. M. W. Turner was an English painter from the Romantic period. Here's some interesting information about him:

1) According to his will, he wished to be buried in his painting Dido building Carthage, considered by him his masterpiece.

Dido building Carthage - Turner Source 2) His body of work is huge: almost 1.000 oil paintings and about 10.000 drawings and watercolors. 3) To make a sketch of a painting that would be called Snow Storm, Steam Boat off a Harbour’s Mouth he tied himself to the main mast of a ship. He just faced the storm and kept drawing. 4) He worked all day long, every day. 5) When seeing Claude Lorrain’s Seaport with the Embarkation of the Queen of Sheba, Turner cried convinced he could never paint so well. SeaPort with the Embarkation of the Queen of Sheba - Claude Lorrain Source

Sources:
Facts 1 and 5:  National Gallery by Daniela Tarabara (collection about the great museums of the world available in Spanish)
Facts 2, 3 and 4: Creators by Paul Johnson

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The Shop Around the Corner

James Stewart 8:40 AM

The romantic comedy for those who hate romantic comedies

I never liked romantic comedies but “The Shop around the corner” is probably one of my favorite movies of all times. In case you also don’t like romantic comedies, try watching this one. I mean, it is so important to fall in love with the right type of movies. I know so many people who are in love with Quentin Tarantino movies and that just doesn’t seem right.

Anyway, the story is simple: Mr. Kralik (James Stewart) and Ms. Novak (Margaret Sullivan) work for Matuscheck and Company - a gift store in Budapest. They don’t particularly like each other and spend a lot of their work time bickering.

They have one thing in common, though. They are both in love with their secret pen pals.  What they don’t know is that they are actually writing letters to each other..

“- Hey, isn’t that the plot of You’ve got mail?” 

Actually, yes. The modernized version with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan was based on this movie, but the difference is that “The Shop Around the Corner” doesn’t suck.

Basically, the essential of “The Shop around the corner” is missing from “You’ve got mail”. Klara is always thrilled to receive a letter from her “Dear Friend”. Are we that enthusiastic about our inbox? We are addicted and obsessed by it – which is different.

Plus, everything about The Shop around the corner is charming. Matuscheck and Company, the suits, the matching vests, the pocket watches, the hats, Klara’s aunts, Klara’s voice, Pepe, Rudy. I mean, even the swindler is sophisticated. 

"Keep the change. Send your boys through college."

You can’t really go wrong when Jimmy Stewart is out to make you fall in love with him.

  

What’s your favorite line from the movie? I love the scenes when Klara and Mr. Kralic are having an argument but they can’t stay mad at each other because they express themselves so well. This is probably my favorite:

Mr. Kralik: There might be a lot we don't know about each other. You know, people seldom go to the trouble of scratching the surface of things to find the inner truth. 
Klara: Well I really wouldn't care to scratch your surface, Mr. Kralik, because I know exactly what I'd find. Instead of a heart, a hand-bag. Instead of a soul, a suitcase. And instead of an intellect, a cigarette lighter... which doesn't work. 

Mr. Kralic (smiling): Well, that’s nicely put. Comparing my intellect to a cigarette lighter that doesn’t work… That’s a very interesting mixture of poetry and meanness.

Tell me your favorite lines in the comments! 

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