I'm still an English professor. Shoot.

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > I'm still an English professor. Shoot.

ceaselessfuture: Apr 9, 2005; "I'm thirty," I said. "I'm five years too old to lie to myself and call it honor."

I recently saw a live performance of King Lear and I wasn't too impressed. Hamlet and Othello, for instance, are just so much better that I was actually somewhat surprised.

Anyway, my question is why is King Lear your least favourite play? I can imagine a few reasons, but I'd really like to hear your thoughts on it.

Also, what did you think of Kennith Brannaugh's Hamlet?

ceaselessfuture fucked around with this message at 22:19 on May 6, 2009

# ¿ May 6, 2009 22:14

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# ¿ Apr 25, 2024 11:44

ceaselessfuture: Apr 9, 2005; "I'm thirty," I said. "I'm five years too old to lie to myself and call it honor."

I believe you mentioned before your thoughts on Othello, specifically, the lack of motive for Iago. At the time you posted it, I thought you simply weren't giving the "he was a racist" hypothesis a chance, but after reading your discussion with Cemetry Gator, I'm having great doubts believing it myself.

So in that case, what do you believe Iago's motives were? I feel like I'm missing something monumental about this character now.

# ¿ Jun 12, 2009 21:14

ceaselessfuture: Apr 9, 2005; "I'm thirty," I said. "I'm five years too old to lie to myself and call it honor."

Let's say, for the sake of argument, that you wanted to be the next great writer in history. This century's James Joyce, if you will.

What books would you read for study/inspiration? Would you focus on any author in particular or would you take a broad swath of literature from different time periods?

Also, this thread is amazing. Thank you for making it!

# ¿ Jun 19, 2009 17:29

ceaselessfuture: Apr 9, 2005; "I'm thirty," I said. "I'm five years too old to lie to myself and call it honor."

Brainworm posted:

That's a great question. The more I think about it, the more I think that the issue isn't what an author reads, but how -- and, more important, the more I think that reading skills, rather than writing skills, are what separate great writers from the merely competent and successful.

Piggybacking off this, what do you think the best way to improve your reading skills would be? Obviously, to read more books I would assume, but what else?

Before you mentioned the books, How to Read a Book, How to Read and Why, and The Western Canon. Would anything else be beneficial to add to that pile?

Thanks again for your reply - it was very informative!

_{_{what are you talking about i dont want to be a writer}}

ceaselessfuture fucked around with this message at 15:46 on Jun 21, 2009

# ¿ Jun 21, 2009 15:44

ceaselessfuture: Apr 9, 2005; "I'm thirty," I said. "I'm five years too old to lie to myself and call it honor."

Defenestration posted:

Becoming a better reader is a fine goal, and so is becoming a better writer, but I sense something dangerous here. So I'm going to do for you what a very famous writer did for one of my professors (and thus saved his career)

Repeat after me:
I AM NOT JAMES JOYCE
I AM NOT JAMES JOYCE
I AM NOT JAMES JOYCE

Don't worry, I'm not nearly that egotistical or anything, I was seriously looking to keep my question purely hypothetical! I have no illusions of James Joyce or Best Writer Ever or anything. Just figured to give some direction to the question I guess.

quote:

Yeah -- I can see that I misread your original question a bit. So let me try to (re)answer both.

Actually, you gave me the exact answer I needed to know, but didn't realize yet. Thanks again for both replies; you've given me much to think on!

ceaselessfuture fucked around with this message at 18:36 on Jun 21, 2009

# ¿ Jun 21, 2009 18:29

ceaselessfuture: Apr 9, 2005; "I'm thirty," I said. "I'm five years too old to lie to myself and call it honor."

Just remembered a question that's been bugging me since High school:

Why the gently caress does the Mariner shoot the goddamn bird?

# ¿ Jul 3, 2009 11:50

ceaselessfuture: Apr 9, 2005; "I'm thirty," I said. "I'm five years too old to lie to myself and call it honor."

Mr. Spooky posted:

Isn't it obvious that the whole point of the poem is that he's justly punished for his lack of respect for nature? The Albatross is hung around the mariner's neck as a symbol of his transgression.

Mind, the poem's about lots of other things, too.

The bird stays hangs around the crew long enough for it to do obvious good, then he all of a sudden kills it. If it was just a lack of respect for nature, he probably would have shot it sooner.

# ¿ Jul 4, 2009 12:18

ceaselessfuture: Apr 9, 2005; "I'm thirty," I said. "I'm five years too old to lie to myself and call it honor."

Between making impromptu songs and dissecting LOTR this thread continues to earn its 5.

To contribute: I finished reading Harold Bloom's How to Read and Why and the guy really hates Poe apparently.

What are your thoughts on Poe and why do you think Bloom hates him so much?

# ¿ Jul 18, 2009 04:04

ceaselessfuture: Apr 9, 2005; "I'm thirty," I said. "I'm five years too old to lie to myself and call it honor."

What is your opinion on the "Philoso-literists" such as Nietzsche, Camus and Sartre? Do they fit at all inside the western canon or are they more a part of the western Philosophy canon?

# ¿ Aug 17, 2009 21:45

ceaselessfuture: Apr 9, 2005; "I'm thirty," I said. "I'm five years too old to lie to myself and call it honor."

Trakke posted:

Alright I'm loving lost here. I need to create a story with a PURPOSE...can that purpose be to entertain or is my teacher looking for something like loving coming-of-age novel about childhood values transitioning into adulthood values hiding behind a metaphor of a loving race? I can't think of ANYTHING; I'm staring at a blank sheet of paper with NO ideas. Help me here.

Why does he need to help you with your homework? He's not your personal idea-factory, and he's already given you a lot of help.

Presumably, your teacher sounds like she wants a story that isn't just "What I Did Last Summer." Take something that's real and run with it. Write a character modeled after a friend you know who almost committed suicide or something. Experiment.

# ¿ Sep 10, 2009 20:32

ceaselessfuture: Apr 9, 2005; "I'm thirty," I said. "I'm five years too old to lie to myself and call it honor."

Brainworm, what are your thoughts/insights on Love's Labor's Won and Cardenio?

Also, just because I don't comment on your blog doesn't mean I don't read it! Keep writing your entries!

# ¿ Nov 10, 2009 02:37

ceaselessfuture: Apr 9, 2005; "I'm thirty," I said. "I'm five years too old to lie to myself and call it honor."

Just chiming in with the crowd about how thankful I am that this thread is still alive.

Brainworm posted:

what most people talk about when they talk about literary theory,

Speaking of this sentence construction, I would be interested to hear your thoughts on Raymond Carver!

I've started reading him on the recommendation of Roberto Bolano (who, to paraphrase, calls him and Poe the most important short story writers in recent memory) and I can't get enough of him. What We Talk About when We Talk About Love is so good it's crippling.

If you have time, I would also love to hear your thoughts on the short story genre, however you choose to answer. I have a long-time love of short fiction and I think its a vastly underrated medium. What, to you, makes a good short story, for instance?

Sorry for the ranty questions, but thanks for any reply!

# ¿ Feb 17, 2013 19:43

ceaselessfuture: Apr 9, 2005; "I'm thirty," I said. "I'm five years too old to lie to myself and call it honor."

Great thread, Brainworm!

I was wondering what you think makes a great short story? If you have a few authors you could name whose short fiction you really appreciate, I would love to hear that as well.

# ¿ Jun 5, 2013 21:39

ceaselessfuture: Apr 9, 2005; "I'm thirty," I said. "I'm five years too old to lie to myself and call it honor."

Brainworm posted:

Awesome short story post.

Jesus, thank you so much!

If you feel like returning to the topic, what are your opinions on some of the 'masters' of the form? I'm thinking about Hemmingway, Borges, O'Connor, Poe, Carver, Munro, etc. How do they fit into your observations?

Really though, that was an invaluable post

ceaselessfuture fucked around with this message at 20:47 on Jul 11, 2013

# ¿ Jul 11, 2013 19:53

ceaselessfuture: Apr 9, 2005; "I'm thirty," I said. "I'm five years too old to lie to myself and call it honor."

Dear Brainworm,

I just finished reading The Importance of Being Earnest, and honestly, I didn't get much out of it. I'm curious as to why this is a classic, both popularly and critically.

I'm not saying it was bad, just that I don't understand the praise, I guess. I would love to hear what you think about the play, so I could get a larger picture of it.

# ¿ Aug 20, 2013 19:39

ceaselessfuture: Apr 9, 2005; "I'm thirty," I said. "I'm five years too old to lie to myself and call it honor."

Awesome, thanks a lot guys! The reassessment helped. I have problems connecting with the Victorian era in general, but I think I'm getting the hang of it.

# ¿ Aug 29, 2013 07:39

ceaselessfuture: Apr 9, 2005; "I'm thirty," I said. "I'm five years too old to lie to myself and call it honor."

Good God, please do that.

# ¿ May 12, 2014 05:26

ceaselessfuture: Apr 9, 2005; "I'm thirty," I said. "I'm five years too old to lie to myself and call it honor."

Dear Brainworm,

I recently read and watched the Hollow Crown version of Richard II. It is now probably one of my favourite plays, and I'm continually amazed at how (seemingly) under-appreciated it is.

I don't have any specific questions about it, but I would love to hear any insights you have gained, or basically any random blatherings about it at all.

# ¿ Apr 1, 2015 13:31

ceaselessfuture: Apr 9, 2005; "I'm thirty," I said. "I'm five years too old to lie to myself and call it honor."

So, I guess this is a thing:

http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/10/entertainment/shakespeare-play-double-falsehood-feat/

CNN posted:

New research indicates that "Double Falsehood," a play first published in 1728 by Lewis Theobald, was actually written more than a century earlier by Shakespeare himself with help from his friend John Fletcher. The findings were published this week by two scholars who used computer software to analyze the writings of the three men and compare it with the language of the "newer" play.

...

"Double Falsehood," also known as "The Distressed Lovers," is based on the "Cardenio" section of Don Quixote, the classic 17th-century novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Set in Spain, the play revolves around the romantic entanglements of two brothers: one virtuous, one sinful.

ceaselessfuture fucked around with this message at 04:34 on Apr 14, 2015

# ¿ Apr 14, 2015 04:31

ceaselessfuture: Apr 9, 2005; "I'm thirty," I said. "I'm five years too old to lie to myself and call it honor."

Hey Brainworm,

I recently read Howl and loved it completely, so then I listened to a recording of Ginsberg reading it and thought that his reading was...well, terrible. How do you think poems should be read, stylistically? I feel that Howl is a fierce, passionate poem and when Ginsberg monotones the whole thing (like a traditional beat poet, I guess, or like a slam poet nowadays) I really thought it took away from it.

Also, general observations and thoughts on Howl would be greatly interesting to read!

# ¿ Feb 17, 2016 00:29

ceaselessfuture: Apr 9, 2005; "I'm thirty," I said. "I'm five years too old to lie to myself and call it honor."

So hey, let's keep talking about lit!

I recently got sent this video from a friend:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVLpdzhcU0g

and I would like to hear your thoughts on his "Criteria for a Classic" segment (starts at ~9:30), Brainworm!

Do you agree or disagree with his criteria, and what, if anything, do you have to add to the conversation about Classics (the reading of them, the classification of them, etc)?

# ¿ Apr 26, 2016 21:06

ceaselessfuture: Apr 9, 2005; "I'm thirty," I said. "I'm five years too old to lie to myself and call it honor."

When you can, Brainworm, I'd love your reactions and thoughts to Wallace Stevens in general -- I'm finding him fantastic reading lately.

If you'd rather a specific direction, I'm really into The Auroras of Autumn and Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird right now.

# ¿ Jun 10, 2016 02:21

ceaselessfuture: Apr 9, 2005; "I'm thirty," I said. "I'm five years too old to lie to myself and call it honor."

Great post, thanks

It actually got me thinking about another question: how relevant (to criticism or to a general understanding of a writer's work) is knowing their personal life? I always figured what is on the page is most important, but your post about Stevens made me reconsider a bit.

# ¿ Aug 1, 2016 07:05

ceaselessfuture: Apr 9, 2005; "I'm thirty," I said. "I'm five years too old to lie to myself and call it honor."

Let's talk Coriolanus!

I really like this play, but some of the criticism I've seen leaves me scratching my head. Most critics seem to portray Coriolanus as a petulant Roman manchild who's butthurt about not getting a position, but I don't really see that at all. It more seems like the guy has (literal!) Asperger's, or some such, and he really and truly just doesn't relate with most people on a personal level like everyone wants him to. In fact, reading this play (and watching the pretty decent Ralph Feinnes version) solidifies my bias against some critics interpreting characters too much through their own lens and being unable to empathize with someone who is very different than they are. Bleh. I'm probably just Eng 101 rambling at this point.

Basically, I was wondering your thoughts on this awesome play! I haven't read you gloss on Shakespeare in a while and I don't want this thread to die :v:

# ¿ Sep 11, 2017 03:41

ceaselessfuture: Apr 9, 2005; "I'm thirty," I said. "I'm five years too old to lie to myself and call it honor."

Awesome writeup! I like the notion that he's so concerned with duty that nothing else matter much to him.

Can you comment on the relationship he has with his mother? She's an interesting figure and probably one of the coldest Shakespearean women I think. How is she so easily able to manipulate her son?

In terms of secondary sources, I've been listening to a great Teaching Company course on Shakespeare and it had three episodes on Coriolanus. Brainworm would obviously know better though.

PS- how's the new position treating you?

# ¿ Sep 13, 2017 02:56

ceaselessfuture: Apr 9, 2005; "I'm thirty," I said. "I'm five years too old to lie to myself and call it honor."

What are your opinions on Kipling? People only ever talk about Jungle Book so I'm wondering if he's aged well.

# ¿ Dec 22, 2017 09:41

ceaselessfuture: Apr 9, 2005; "I'm thirty," I said. "I'm five years too old to lie to myself and call it honor."

That post is cool and good, and makes me want to ask a follow-up question:

Where do you believe Literature is headed in terms of themes/philosophies/form/however you want to answer this? What about Art as a whole?

# ¿ Apr 8, 2018 04:01

ceaselessfuture: Apr 9, 2005; "I'm thirty," I said. "I'm five years too old to lie to myself and call it honor."

So I was talking to my girlfriend about how much I loved Milton. She asked me about how long I've been a fan and I said "Oh I dunno, probably a decade or so." Then I realized that this thread's been around for that long too and I started reading it when you posted it, so uh thanks for making me love Milton I guess.

On that note, have there been any poets, say, in the past 200 years or so who try to compose in a similar (content/form/precision/genius/etc) mode? It seems that the only thing that scratches the Milton itch is Milton, but I guess that only makes sense.

Also I remember you talking about Lycidas ten years ago. Any fresh thoughts on the world's best poem from an aged Brainworm?

# ¿ Apr 15, 2018 05:14

ceaselessfuture: Apr 9, 2005; "I'm thirty," I said. "I'm five years too old to lie to myself and call it honor."

A few more for you, Brainworm:

With all the variety in critical analysis techniques, what would you say are the techniques that most inform your personal insights?

To rephrase: what process(es) (if any) do you use to analyze a text?

What are your opinions on contemporary literary criticism?

# ¿ May 17, 2018 06:19

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# ¿ Apr 25, 2024 11:44

ceaselessfuture: Apr 9, 2005; "I'm thirty," I said. "I'm five years too old to lie to myself and call it honor."

As easily one of the most literary episodes, what is your deep-dive opinion of Star Trek: TNG's Darmok?

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x494zi5

# ¿ Jun 26, 2018 11:30

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > I'm still an English professor. Shoot.