Essay splurge

[minervasolo]

More mindsplurge on the Imagined Worlds essay. The Latin and the Culture ones are fine, but I still can't grasp this one.



why is duality linked with utopia in these texts?
Imagined self / imagined world

- authority of text (historical context)
- escapism and freedom (gender, political context)

close reading:
More
- word play
- communism

Cavendish
- anthropomorphism
- feminism


And suddeny, it looks like it's going somewhere. I have grasped something. That was surprisingly quick. Time to go and bug the tutor about it, I think. I still need an a-tob type argument, preferably someone to argue against. I guess what I have now is a question and answer, but that's still better than a floaty topic.


While I'm here:


Does the gender of the author affect the way the culture business responds to texts? (and our response to texts)

James Tiptree/Alice Sheldon/Racoona Sheldon

Biographical/review context

Genre/historical context

Close reading:
(especially Racoona v James)
- gendered language
- feminist content
- use of pseudonyms

Conclusion: Yes.



Was Virgil gay? (that's the glib title)

Virgil's depiction of women - critic claiming gay

Ecologues and Gerogics for evidence against

Close reading: examples of difference in depictions
Poetic genre
cf Horace

conc: definitely different cf other contemporary poets, but bring in discussion of roman sexuality

conclusion2: Virgil not gay, gay didn't exist. Other possible explanations.

Comments

[ultharkitty.livejournal.com]

Go you!

For the gender of the author thing, you might want to look at this article on Myslexia, it's really useful on gender disparity in reception and perception of authors.

[minervasolo.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I remember reading that a while back. That's a great article (and more than a little inspirational for the essay, though I'd actually forgotten about it). Thanks for the link!

[ohajiki.livejournal.com]

Ummm with the last one you may want to consider Historical Context.

Gay as a term is complex especially at homosexuality was accepted in Greece between boys and men, especially amongst scholars. It was fashionable to have Platonic relationships (which in Greek terms meant sex), so the argument is flawed as cahcnes are he had/was a catamite.

You could go for the misogynistic apporach instead.

With the Utopias one my suggestion is to go down a route of ethics and morals. Is More's/Cavendish's. Is More's an imagined world a projection of his ideal? There is an article in Moreana somewhere that says it is not the ideal. By the same token you could take the argument that the worlds created WERE the authors ideals because:

* More was generally ethical and righteous
* Cavendish was slightly tapped.

or not because

* Cavendish' world is more outlandish
* More wasn't that naive ("If my head woudl win him a castle in France then off it would go")