tagged w/ narrative
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Another bugaboo of mine – and it’s a related issue – is that of narrative. Many contemporary writers these days are deeply invested in the storytelling potential of verse, and as a result we see a lot of poems that are, in my view, way too concerned with the “what happened.” Some do it well. Most, though, do little more than prove my point, which is that if you want to tell a story, prose is the tool that was built specifically for that purpose. Using poetry to tell stories is like using a clarinet to dig postholes. You can probably make it work, sorta, but what really is the point?Another bugaboo of mine – and it’s a related issue – is that of... more
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The Real Difference Between 'Republican' TV and 'Democratic' Shows? How They Portray Identity
You don't move to a new town, take a new job, or make a new friend to stay the same. But you don't want to lose your soul, either. The human psyche lives between those two contradictory drives: be constant and be flexible. That's mirrored in the aesthetics of our stories, where plots fall on a spectrum from, say, Mad Men (where identity is flexible, and characters change in response to their profession, which is always what it is) to Modern Family (where identity is constant, and life's demands change for the characters, who are always what they are). If you generally prefer stories in which the hero has a true self (main challenge: finding a place in the world), you may be deeply and temperamentally different from someone who leans toward the other kind of story—the one where self changes under pressure (main challenge: making a place in the world). For instance, according to a study released last week, "true self" television appeals more to Republicans, while "flexible self" shows lure Democrats.
Those aren't the categories used by the researchers at Experian Simmons (the firm's John Fetto thinks Democrats just like "shows about damaged people," as he told Hollywood Reporter). But I think different instincts about identity are the real divide between the top Republican-favored programs (which included "Modern Family," "V," and "Lie to Me") and those with more Democratic fans ("Mad Men," "30 Rock," "The Good Wife"). To see "Democrat" protagonists as "damaged," you have to imagine that they have some unchanging essence that they failed to protect. But Liz Lemon's story isn't about her resisting "the suits"; it's about how she changes in response to them.
A couple of caveats: No show is purely one type or the other, because all stories mix the two sensibilities. And plenty of Democrats like shows on the Republican list. The difference, though, is that Republicans like those shows more, and they shun the ones that appeal most to the Democrats.
Still, that's a real contrast, which may mean that Experian Simmons' findings should be added to the burgeoning list of studies that are finding links between temperament and political ideology.The Real Difference Between 'Republican' TV and 'Democratic'... more
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A review of the narrative devices used in games like Alan Wake, and how they often enhance (and hamper) the overall experience.A review of the narrative devices used in games like Alan Wake, and how they often... more
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I find myself switching positions on "cute videos." Sometimes I think they're a great part of the internet, other times I'll suggest that they are a waste of time for our stupid culture. It's probably dependent on my mood. Right now I feel like lauding internet cuteness.
We've previously discussed our inherent mammalian appreciation for cute things. Today I'd like to talk about the narrative function of a very cute video.
Urlesque found "baby stuck behind couch."
The video instinctually draws us in with its cuteness. We are at first curious: Why is there a kid stuck behind a couch? His initial "I don't want to tell you" draws us into the story. Almost like that confrontation scene in Chinatown, the audience is confused and compelled to solve this mystery.
The parents eventually proclaim an ultimatum: "you have to tell me if you want to get out." This eventually convinces the toddler to go into a roundabout diatribe on the events leading to his entrapment. The parents continue to interrogate with questions they already know the answers to.
"Well how'd the police cars get back there?"
Matter-of-factly, realizing he has no other options the baby admits: "I throw them back there." The mother mildly reprimands the boy.
He thinks for an extended moment, then resorts back to the whimper of urgency: "I want to get out of here." The inquisition continues, then the child begins to cry. It is with this rhetorical technique that the baby is able to trick his parents into extracting him.
"You promise not to go behind the couch anymore." Even though the mother recognizes his "mmhmm" is insincere, she sends the father to facilitate the release. The mother notes "I'm a horrible mother to be laughing." But the baby is freed unscathed. He finally remarks "thanks for saving me, now can you get the police car out."
This is real life playing out like a sitcom. It's not the real life of reality television, mediated through multiple cameras, story editors, and executive producers. This is a glimpse into the tiny narratives we live everyday. Like television, this video was created for public consumption. This story becomes more meaningful, because more people share this experience. This shared experience make things feel more real.
I'd like to believe that this video makes others appreciate the small narratives in their own lives. Owning meaning, empowers people.I find myself switching positions on "cute videos." Sometimes I think... more
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Friends of Lulu is a national nonprofit organization whose purpose is to promote and encourage female readership and participation in the comic book industry. We visit the 2008 Friends of Lulu awards in New York, NY, and meet the organization's president, Valerie D'Orazio, who's blog "Occasional Superheroine" has been a long-time champion of de-marginalizing women in the comic industry. We also meet first-time graphic novelist Jennifer Crute as she endeavors to get her first book published.Friends of Lulu is a national nonprofit organization whose purpose is to promote and... more
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“The Year of the Flood’’
starts off at a pitch of sensory intensity that hooks the reader immediately. It’s just after a catastrophe called the Waterless Flood has devastated the earth, sometime in the near future noted only as “Year Twenty-Five.’’ Toby, one of two women who at first appear to be the only survivors, is watching the sunrise from her rooftop refuge. “As the first heat hits, mist rises from among the swath of trees between her and the derelict city. The air smells faintly of burning, a smell of caramel and tar and rancid barbecues, and the ashy but greasy smell of a garbage-dump fire after it’s been raining. The abandoned towers in the distance are like the coral of an ancient reef - bleached and colourless, devoid of life. . . . The sun brightens in the east, reddening the blue-grey haze that marks the distant ocean. The vultures roosting on hydro poles fan out their wings to dry them, opening themselves like black umbrellas.’’
If “The Year of the Flood’’ had continued at this level of sensory immersion, the post-apocalyptic world Atwood creates could have been as vividly and deeply experienced as the battle scenes in “War and Peace.’’ But Atwood has a different agenda. The novel is divided into 14 sections, each introduced by a hymn from a religious cult called God’s Gardeners and a sermon by the sect’s leader, Adam One. The hymns read like secular versions of actual religious songs - a kind of High Doggerel - and the sermons ape with stunning accuracy the ponderous, snooze-inducing rhetoric of actual sermons. This reader’s temptation - as strong as in real life - to skip both hymns and sermons testifies to Atwood’s skill as a parodist. Within its sections the novel alternates point of view between two survivors - Toby, a middle-aged herbal healer, and Ren, a young erotic dancer. Each of the women’s stories shuttles between past (pre-Flood) and present (post-Flood).
http://www.boston.com/ae/books/articles/2009/12/06/the_way_we_live_now/“The Year of the Flood’’
starts off at a pitch of sensory... more
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Four Eyed Monsters (2005) is a truly original and artistic narrative film; part drama, part documentary. As part of the project there are also thirteen webisodes that make this experience more than a movie. It is a story of a relationship at its core but turned into so much more. The title refers to a couple, the oneness of two people, and how that oneness can often turn into a monster.
Full review: http://www.dainsmoviereviews.com/2009/12/four-eyed-monsters-movie-review.htmlFour Eyed Monsters (2005) is a truly original and artistic narrative film; part drama,... more
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dbin78
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added this
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2 years ago
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These letters are a completely honest, sometimes painful, narrative of the events that have taken and are taking place in my son's life. This is the first of what I hope to be many letters to my son, Geddy.These letters are a completely honest, sometimes painful, narrative of the events that... more
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