Author Archives: susan

LITERATURE: The Pleasure of the Text – Bliss

Listen to this, keeping in mind that Barthes, in speaking of pleasure, brings in the French jouissance encompassing the sensual, the orgiastic meaning.  He lists this thought under babel–the many different languages thought not separating but bringing people together: If … Continue reading Continue reading

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LITERATURE: On The Road – Dreams and Human Nature

Perhaps because it is based upon his own experiences, Kerouac has a very heartening way of presenting his narrator, Sal Paradise, that makes you both cheer for him and sigh in sympathy for the very realness of his nature: My … Continue reading Continue reading

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LITERATURE: On The Road – Tone

Kerouac is clearly conversational in this novel.  While I haven’t read much of it lately (I’m busy being Susie-Producer), I found myself falling right into the story despite it being told by a stranger who I’ve not yet come to … Continue reading Continue reading

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LITERATURE: Next Up – Kerouac’s On The Road

Goodness me, it was such fun to walk up to the new bookcases and crank my neck to read the titles (in alphabetical order by author) and browse for my next selection.  I’ve been curious about Kerouac, and decided to … Continue reading Continue reading

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LITERATURE: No Country for Old Men – Finale

Yesterday between the pies and turkey, I finished reading Cormac MacCarthy’s No Country.  And I’m still thinkin’ on it. Despite the action of the story, there is some depth of human nature here; as with most McCarthy, it dwells on … Continue reading Continue reading

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LITERATURE: No Country for Old Men – Plot Points

While I shouldn’t complain that McCarthy has decided to use plotting in its simplest form, I’ve got to say that the story the plots lead us through doesn’t quite sit right with me. Of course I’m used to McCarthy enough … Continue reading Continue reading

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LITERATURE: No Country for Old Men – Sparse Language

Does this look like Cormac McCarthy to you?  Forgive the fuzzy photo; I couldn’t click fast enough because the pages wouldn’t stay open. But the short sentences?  The loads of white space?  True, this is dialogue and Southwestern talk at … Continue reading

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LITERATURE: No Country for Old Men – Transitioning

Yes, I learned that term in new media I’m sure, and have come up against it again in movie-making.  It’s interesting how once you catch the meaning of a term, you begin to notice it all over the place–but in … Continue reading Continue reading

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LITERATURE: No Country for Old Men – UnMcCarthylike Structure

Not particularly taken with this novel, though the story works since it’s not all that strange.  A young man, Llewelyn Moss,  comes upon a drug deal gone bad, dead dealers and deader cars, but a stash of heroin and two … Continue reading Continue reading

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LITERATURE & NEW MEDIA: – A Clockwork Orange – Having Fun

Somewhere between the last few pages of the novel and the desire to see the movie I was struck with the brilliant idea of putting together a presentation of sorts for our writers group to illustrate the changes story can … Continue reading Continue reading

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LITERATURE & NEW MEDIA: A Clockwork Orange – Special Effects

Have you noticed that you can take a picture of your kitchen or whatever room when it’s in particularly bad shape–in the middle of pie-baking with flour dust everywhere, or like my living room with the book stacks–and yet it … Continue reading Continue reading

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LITERATURE & NEW MEDIA: A Clockwork Orange – Details

Watched a bit more of the film, and immediately felt better about something that had bothered me in the book–nitpicky close reader that I am (or, if I missed it, inept close reader, blah, blah). When Alex is in the … Continue reading Continue reading

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LITERATURE & NEW (?) MEDIA: A Clockwork Orange – The Movie

Finally got a chance to viddy the first half of Stanley Kubrick’s Clockwork Orange this afternoon.  Real horrorshow stuff.  I’m finding that I really don’t remember seeing it, and I’m wondering if I was spaced out back in ’71 because … Continue reading Continue reading

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LITERATURE: The Pleasure of the Text – Roland Barthes

While I haven’t given up on Barthes’ S/Z, I picked this second essay up to perhaps approach Barthes from a different angle.  Pleasure. Of course, Topic of Cancer was also in this package.  Do you think that maybe I’m having … Continue reading Continue reading

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LITERATURE: No Country – Setting

Where he reached the river it made a broad sweep out of a canyon and carried down past great stands of carrizo cane.  Downriver it washed up against a rock bluff and then bore away to the south.  Darkness deep … Continue reading Continue reading

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