[lit-ideas] Re: Eric Hobsbawm dies, aged 95
- From: David Ritchie <profdritchie@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 5 Oct 2012 22:23:46 -0700
I hope to add to this thread, but not yet. It has been a crazy week. In the
History of Privacy class I showed a movie--yes the whole thing; a rare
choice--that J. had recommended, "Forever." Really very good, at least that
was the class verdict. The reasons for watching the movie were, I'm guessing,
a severe test for most of those present. We were trying to escape the
narrative mode of watching and move towards analyzing by reference to metaphor
and category. The term "liminal" even crept in. But on a sunny day and with
an emotionally strong subject something must have been learned somewhere,
possibly somewhere beyond "outcomes" and all that. Chopin played (on the
piano) by a Japanese woman certainly moved people, me included, as did Maria
Callas.
Woke this morning at an unnecessarily early hour; our occasional cleaner had
managed to switch my alarm clock on. How she caught the really tiny switch at
the back of the Jeeves clock I can't imagine. Woke the second time to find Mac
looking guilty and wanting to go outside immediately. That, of course, can
only mean one thing. Fortunately he picked a good spot for his large and nasty
deposit. The only food he had yesterday was Costco's dried food. I walked him
at the park. Can't think what might have set him off.
During dinner this evening, with no one else in the house, I watched a weird
Greek movie, "Dogtooth." Here's the clue: John Waters says it's "the most
original film [he's] seen in a long time." It is certainly original and
watchable, but you've got to be ready for a nutty couple who want to "protect"
their children from the outside world in a cultish manner. There's incest.
When I switched the video off, PBS was showing "Call the Midwife," which I
thought good. The best part came, though, in the list of sponsors: some
under-water birthing center helped pay for this tale of how kids used to be
born in the poorest part of London.
Do carry on.
David Ritchie,
Portland,
Oregon------------------------------------------------------------------
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