[And silliness]
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Because we're all wading throught he quagmire of life right now...
...here's a little [emphasis on little] motivation...
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
*knocks some cobwebs from the corners*
Okay folks, I think it is time to make a few things very clear. Two things, in particular, need addressing. One is that this poor blog is in desperate need of company [it is no good to ignore such a handy device of communication]. The second is that we have also been ignoring an up and coming piece of media that, perhaps, we all should be paying close attention to.
This piece of media is the newest adaptation of Beowulf.
Now, if you're sitting there with your mouth slightly agape and scratching your head saying, "they made another one?" I will inform you, sadly, yes. They have made yet another Beowulf film, one that chills me to my core. To glean more on the subject, here is a trailer link: http://video.uk.msn.com/v/en-gb/v.htm
[Edit to include movie site which now has many clips to watch: http://www.beowulfmovie.com/]
Go. Watch. Maybe try and find some of the other trailers on Youtube. Then, my friends...then we shall talk.
This piece of media is the newest adaptation of Beowulf.
Now, if you're sitting there with your mouth slightly agape and scratching your head saying, "they made another one?" I will inform you, sadly, yes. They have made yet another Beowulf film, one that chills me to my core. To glean more on the subject, here is a trailer link: http://video.uk.msn.com/v/en-gb/v.htm
[Edit to include movie site which now has many clips to watch: http://www.beowulfmovie.com/]
Go. Watch. Maybe try and find some of the other trailers on Youtube. Then, my friends...then we shall talk.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Curiousity Assuaged
Catalog copy (Oxford University Press, no less) for a new book by Richard North on the origins of Beowulf caught my eye. The review of the book by Michael Lapidge (http://www.history.ac.uk/reviews/paper/lapidge.html) satisfied my curiousity (and saved me the price of the book). Caveat lector.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Titles I left behind
The kids and I have just returned from over a month in England, and in cramming our belongings and acquisitions into our semi-expandable luggage, some things had to be left. Among them were a few books--left only because some future occupants of the HC flats may pick them up and read them. I'll mention two of them here in case they are of interest to you.
1. Dissolution by C.J. Sansom.
This is a novel set at the time of the dissolution of monasteries (1538 or so) by Henry VIII (boo hiss); the central character is a hunchbacked lawyer named Matthew Shardlake who is sent to investigate the sudden execution-like death of another 'commissioner' sent to prod the abbot of a south-coast monastery into voluntarily surrendering to the crown. It's a mediocre novel, but pretty good social history. It's interesting too in that the author tries to present the very real tensions between the shortcomings of the existing, exhausted monasticism, and the excesses of the emerging, brutal reformist impulses. For those interested in a creative interpretation of social history, I recommend the title, and will probably read at least one more in what appears will be a series.
2. Without roots: the west, relativism, Christianity, Islam by Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict) and Marcello Pera, an Italian philosopher turned politician.
In this volume, two lectures (one by each author) are published along with letters between the two. The topic is the role that Christianity has played in the development of European culture and the difficulties that contemporary European politicians are having in understanding and framing that role (particularly in the language of legal frameworks for the EU). I valued the insight it gave me into the current occupant of the Holy See; also, as the other author is an agnostic academic, it was interesting to see the similarities in their arguments that contemporary Europe must acknowledge and re-embrace it's Christian heritage. Both point out, for example, that the heritage of tolerance that allows Islamic intolerance (not that all Muslims are intolerant, but that strain is of particular concern) is a Christian heritage, and that the tension between accepting difference but insisting on reciprocity will require difficulty confrontations. I recommend it.
Sorry this is slim on details, but it's time for the sweet corn to go in the pot! (There are a FEW things that Western NY has that England has not :-)
1. Dissolution by C.J. Sansom.
This is a novel set at the time of the dissolution of monasteries (1538 or so) by Henry VIII (boo hiss); the central character is a hunchbacked lawyer named Matthew Shardlake who is sent to investigate the sudden execution-like death of another 'commissioner' sent to prod the abbot of a south-coast monastery into voluntarily surrendering to the crown. It's a mediocre novel, but pretty good social history. It's interesting too in that the author tries to present the very real tensions between the shortcomings of the existing, exhausted monasticism, and the excesses of the emerging, brutal reformist impulses. For those interested in a creative interpretation of social history, I recommend the title, and will probably read at least one more in what appears will be a series.
2. Without roots: the west, relativism, Christianity, Islam by Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict) and Marcello Pera, an Italian philosopher turned politician.
In this volume, two lectures (one by each author) are published along with letters between the two. The topic is the role that Christianity has played in the development of European culture and the difficulties that contemporary European politicians are having in understanding and framing that role (particularly in the language of legal frameworks for the EU). I valued the insight it gave me into the current occupant of the Holy See; also, as the other author is an agnostic academic, it was interesting to see the similarities in their arguments that contemporary Europe must acknowledge and re-embrace it's Christian heritage. Both point out, for example, that the heritage of tolerance that allows Islamic intolerance (not that all Muslims are intolerant, but that strain is of particular concern) is a Christian heritage, and that the tension between accepting difference but insisting on reciprocity will require difficulty confrontations. I recommend it.
Sorry this is slim on details, but it's time for the sweet corn to go in the pot! (There are a FEW things that Western NY has that England has not :-)
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Anglo-Saxons in Music...
I recently (re)found and (re)started listening to a band that I've listened to on and off for a while now, known as The Mountain Goats, and in doing so I got a few more of their albums. On the albums, I found a few songs that may be of interest, titled "The Anglo-Saxons" and "Grendel's Mother." While I was listening and thinking about the intersection of medieval and our contemporary music, I also remembered that in the Anglo-Saxon course with MLP he compared a song by Bob Dylan to the Old English poem "The Wanderer"--mostly for some of their similarities in elegiac style and thematic elements.
I'm posting the lyrics to the songs by The Mountain Goats (below), but I also want to ask a few questions and get some reactions and ruminations:
What are your reactions to these songs, especially in their content and connection to the Anglo-Saxons and their culture, as well as Beowulf (in the case of "Grendel's Mother")?
Where else are their connections and intersections of the medieval and popular music--a la Bob Dylan, etc.--that we can point to and discuss? Any thoughts on these intersections? I would hazard a guess that this whole idea connects to our discussions of neomedievalism (such as medieval concepts in postmodern popular literature and movies), but what other reactions and thoughts might you have about these? Furthermore, what sort of concepts do these musical connections to the Middle Ages present about oral transmission, oral art, and poetry in culture? Any thoughts are welcome!
Here are the lyrics by The Mountain Goats:
The Anglo-Saxons
I'm posting the lyrics to the songs by The Mountain Goats (below), but I also want to ask a few questions and get some reactions and ruminations:
What are your reactions to these songs, especially in their content and connection to the Anglo-Saxons and their culture, as well as Beowulf (in the case of "Grendel's Mother")?
Where else are their connections and intersections of the medieval and popular music--a la Bob Dylan, etc.--that we can point to and discuss? Any thoughts on these intersections? I would hazard a guess that this whole idea connects to our discussions of neomedievalism (such as medieval concepts in postmodern popular literature and movies), but what other reactions and thoughts might you have about these? Furthermore, what sort of concepts do these musical connections to the Middle Ages present about oral transmission, oral art, and poetry in culture? Any thoughts are welcome!
Here are the lyrics by The Mountain Goats:
The Anglo-Saxons
[Spoken:] "We'd like to dedicate this song to our friends, the former inhabitants of the British isles!"Grendel's Mother
[Sung:] They used to paint their bodies blue,
A couple of them might be distantly related to you.
According to Caesar they shaved their entire bodies,
Except for the upper lip and the head.
Yeah, the Anglo-Saxons!
Yeah, the Anglo-Saxons!
A sub-literate bunch of guys,
Though some sources say otherwise.
Yeah, the Anglo-Saxons!
Yeah, they were men on a mission,
Preserving their poetry by oral tradition.
Yeah, oral tradition is all you get
Until Saint Augustine brought in the alphabet.
Yeah, the Anglo-Saxons!
Yeah, the Anglo-Saxons!
In 1065 they were ragin',
But 1066 brought the Norman Invasion.
Yeah, the Anglo-Saxons!
The cave mouth shines
By pure force of will.
I look down on the world
From the top of this lonesome hill.
And you can run, and run some more
From here all the way to Singapore,
But I will carry you home in my teeth.
In the great hall you drink red wine,
You chew meat off the bone.
I beat down the new path to the castle,
I come naked and alone.
I laid my son on the bier; I burned the wreath,
Fire overhead, water underneath.
You can stand up, or you can run,
You and I both know what you've done,
And I will carry you home.
I will carry you home.
I will carry you home in my teeth.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Redirection to Medieval Sheep...
Several months ago, I mentioned Michael Drout's research in comparing the DNA of medieval ms vellum, which he talked about over at Wormtalk and Slugspeak. In his latest post, he's expounded a few more details and given an update on how the research is going so far. It's fascinating, and looks to lend quite an innovative aspect to interdisciplinary work and the field of medieval studies. Go check out the post for more information.
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