The Culture Enthusiast

I have some poetry books lying around which I just can't finish reading. I usually put novels on a deadline: x number of pages per day. I can't do that with poetry. Or can I? (cue evil smile and raised brow) No, I can't. We can't read poetry as we read prose.

So, I set the poetry aside and began reading Practical Criticism by I. A. Richards instead. It has been an enormous help. Richards is considered the father of New Criticism, so his book is all about close reading.

He begins the book as an experiment. He gave his students a poem without any further information - they didn't know the author, the date, nothing. This meant the poem could have been written by Shakespeare or by a four year old. 

He took students' analysis and used it to help us effectively analyse a poem. In case you are wondering, the major difficulties he pinpoints are:

1) The meaning of the poem

2) The sounds and rhythm of the poem

3) The images that are (or that are not) in the poem

4) Your own personal experiences - they cannot determine if a poem is good or not

5) Stock responses

6) Sentimentality

7) Inhibition

8) Doctrinal adhesion

9) Paying  too much attention to technical details

10) Prior demands made upon poetry as a result of theories on criticism

Keeping all of these items in mind seems like a good way to start tackling poetry. However, I don't see myself finishing all those poetry books any time soon. No wonder poetry books are not usually best sellers.

Image via My Imaginary Brooklyn

How do you read poetry? Can you finish a whole book on poetry or you concentrate only in a few poems at a time?

Leave it to Matchbook to be inspirational and useful. In their July issue they have an amazing article on how to start collecting art (pages 50 - 59).

This came at the right moment because I've been reading about Peggy Guggenheim lately and totally wanting to be her. Who knows? Maybe I could take some steps towards it (collecting art, not being Peggy Gugghenheim - though having three pups wouldn't hurt).

Their advice on visiting galleries regurlarly made sense to me and one I plan to put into practice asap. Despite being a museum buff I've never been to an art gallery.

This is why Matchbook is one of my favorite (online) magazines. Oh, how I wish they offered print issues!

Image via Matchbook 

Would you like to collect art? Which type (sculptures, paintings, photographs)? If by any chance you already collect art, kudos to you - you're my new hero.

In an episode of Seinfeld, Elaine tells Jerry: "It is so sad. All your knowledge of high culture comes from Bugs Bunny cartoons." 

What's even sadder is that all my knowledge of high culture comes from pop culture, from Tv shows just like Seinfeld.

For some years I've been trying to listen to classical music. It has been somewhat difficult to appreciate it, you know, after years of exposure to every new pop band and song that ever existed. (Yes, this means I know What makes you beautiful by heart. Please don't judge me, it's an addiction.)

Anyway, one of the issues of beginning to listen classical music is exactly what happened with Seinfeld. You already know some of the songs, so you feel happy because hey, suddenly I'm not so dumb, but them it's like yeah, this is from Tom and Jerry.

Here's some pieces that made me happy to recognize them only to realize it was from a movie. See if you can guess from which movie they are (answers in the end):

1) Mozart: The Marriage of Figaro

2) Bocherinni: String Quintet in E, Op. 11 No. 5 

3) Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1st and 2nd movement

4) Poulenc: Mouvements Perpétuels No. 1

5) Listz: Liebesträume, S 541 

From the movies:

1) Trading Places (opening scene).

2) Ferris Bueller's Day Off (I'm Abbey Froman scene). 

3) The Truman Show (I never stopped believing scene).

4) Rope (Philip plays it in the piano). 

5) All about Eve (it's the only song Margo wants to listen at her party).

Do you remember any other movies that used classical music?

I just remembered I never got around to writing about Persuasion by Jane Austen. I recently finished reading all her books and that makes me happy and sad at the same time. Happy because they are all amazing books and sad because there are no more Austen novels to read. Maybe it's time to start re-reading them.

I recommend reading Persuasion after Sense and Sensibility since they're a bit similar in tone. The plot is Austean, as always: pride - not individual pride as personified by Mr. Darcy, but family pride - is again a key element of the plot. As I've mentioned before, Mr. Darcy's pride in Pride and Prejudice is of a palatable kind (Lizzy and us learn to love and forgive him). The pride showed in Persuasion is much more realistic, ugly and unpleasant.

Funny how many people say they dislike Mr. Darcy in the beginning of the book. Wait till you get to know Anne's family.

Her father and two sisters are utterly despicable. Her father's vanity and superficiality at an old age are just pathetic and sad. I visualize Sir Walter as the precursor of our metrosexuals, which means that, in my head, he looked like George Clooney.

Anne's family, people full of themselves, convinced her not to marry the man she loves, Frederick Wentworth, because he is poor and a nobody. Fast forward eight years, Anne is an old maid at twenty seven and Frederik is the successful and wealthy Captain Wentworth. And he is back in town, willing to marry. That is, to marry anyone who is not Anne.

There's not one Jane Austen novel who is not incredibly practical and educational. For those who didn't like Mansfield Park's heroin, Fanny Price, you will find Anne just as virtuous but much more heroic and stronger.

What Persuasion taught me is that virtue prevails. Anne has always been a virtuous and cautious person and this is more important than being vain or proud. Mrs. Smith, Anne's old friend, moved me so much. She wasn't always virtuous, she was a bit shallow and careless in the past (her husband managed to impoverish them both). Now, despite being old, crippled, poor and with no connections she is still joyful and she helps others who are poorer than her.

Moreover, in Persuasion you can see the difference between Austen novels and our modern romantic comedies. Most romantic comedies act as escapism for women. 

Austen novels, though they can be used as escapism if you want to, always teach you something through the characters and their actions. As a matter of fact, they teach you a lot about extremely important things. Rom-coms, on the other hand, don't.

Take Bridget Jones's Diary, for example. This movie is loosely based in Pride and Prejudice. But Bridget is neither smart not virtuous. She is - something Lizzy or any other Austen heroin is not - neurotic. See how Lizzy or Elinor never lose control of the situation. And notice how in almost every scene Bridget does - much to our amusement.

My point is: Austen tells us "take it easy, think it through and this will repay you." Bridget says: "sleep with a cute scumbag and act crazy 24/7 - you will be irresistible even to women!"

I made this comparison (Austen novels X modern rom-coms) when talking about Persuasion because it offers a device which has been explored ad nauseam by romantic comedies: the idea that "he will come back".

The difference is that Persuasion talks about the importance of making our own choices and, especially, making wise choices. Otherwise, learn how to live with the choices you made.

Anne didn't spend the past eight years living across the hall from Wentworth jeopardizing his relationships. She didn't have the certainty that, just like that, he would come crawling back to her. Many movies and Tv shows give this idea to women and not only is this escapism but it also makes them live in another reality. Unlike Anne, they won't move on.

I was tagged in the Liebster blog award by the lovely Rie from Rie Reviews. Thanks so much, Rie! The rules to receive this award are:

(Before I begin I'd just like to say I was extremely shocked by the news of what happened in Aurora, CO. To everyone involved: my deepest sympathies, we're praying for you all.)

I wrote a rather lengthy post on The Dark Knight Rises but I felt it was difficult to talk about it without giving away the end. Therefore, I made a video about it! This way nobody can arrive at the post because of a Google Images search and read the ending. So, just to make sure: spoilers ahead.

This is my first video post ever, I had a lot of fun doing it, hope you enjoy it! Please forgive my English and my poor video making skills...

Let me know what you think!