This blog post is kicking my ass and I have yet to begun writing anything substantial. In my defense: I’m sleep deprived, I just received some big family news and I have a massive Halloween party that begins in a mere 19 hours so Ha Jin is not really on my list of priorities. But don’t get me wrong, I have thoroughly enjoyed the required readings and plan to read the entire collection when time allows.
So as for problems relating to writing in Chinese for the Chinese vs. writing in English the biggest issue Ha Jin seemed to run into is the censoring in China. After a little time spent with Google I came across a few articles in which Ha Jin describes working with Chinese publishers and separate departments that concentrate on monitoring artistic works. He never seemed to have much luck getting his work out to the Chinese audiences he was focused on. In an online article I stumbled upon he discusses the difficulty within the Chinese film industry:
“In the West, contemporary Chinese movies are quite popular, but not many of us know that the movies we can see are not always available to the Chinese. The list of banned movies is long: To Live, The Blue Kite, Farewell to My Concubine, Bitter Love, Devils on the Doorstep. Even Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain is classified as unsuitable for the general audience in China. His new film, Lust, Caution, has been criticized by some officials, but thanks to Ang Lee’s international reputation, few of them have condemned him publicly. Instead, Tang Wei, the leading actress in the movie, has been prohibited from making public appearances and from joining the casts of new movies. For filmmakers, a banned movie means a huge business loss and more difficulties in finding sponsorship for their next project. It would be suicidal to make two banned movies in a row, so filmmakers have to toe the line. This is the main reason most Chinese movies lack depth and complexity—they’re hamstrung at the outset by directors and producers having to worry about whether the final product will pass the censors.” (the entire article can be found at http://www.theamericanscholar.org/the-censor-in-the-mirror/)
He then goes on to stay that “the authorities are more subtle in controlling book publishing.” He illustrates with an example of the banning of Yan Lianke’s Serve the People! “The authorities criticized the novella as “vilifying Chairman Mao, the People’s Liberation Army, and the revolution through excessive sexual descriptions,” so “it confuses people’s minds and disseminates Western ideas.”
After these speed bumps in Ha Jin’s writing career in China it would only make sense that he would use the Western world as an outlet to get his works out there. Quite fortunately for us English speakers, we are introduced to his ways of thinking and expressing. I couldn’t help but notice the way his characters hit fairly close to home. The Tiger Fighter to me seemed like any of our reality tv stars that will do anything for their 15 minutes of fame. The employees of Cowboy Chicken weren’t too different from many over here, they wanted compensation for work they weren’t doing.
I feel that if both Conrad and Ha Jin had written in their native languages we wouldn’t have been exposed to them at all. At least not the way they were originally meant to have been presented. Take the Bible for instance, so much has been lost in translation that everyone has their own interpretation. But since Joseph Conrad and Ha Jin so kindly wrote for an English speaking audience we get a faint glimpse of the world they knew and those that take advantage of this privilege are all the wiser for it.
Now for some self indulgent advertising: Halloween Party/Charity Event takes place on October 30th at approximately 9:00 PM. Prizes for best costumes: male, female, duo and group. Loads of food and beverages all in the name of Charity. (Trick or Treat for UNICEF program) Should be fun. If anyone has interest in attending feel free to email me @ kristinadawn27@gmail.com
Friday, October 30, 2009
Halloween and Cowboy Chicken
This blog post is kicking my ass and I have yet to begun writing anything substantial. In my defense: I’m sleep deprived, I just received some big family news and I have a massive Halloween party that begins in a mere 19 hours so Ha Jin is not really on my list of priorities. But don’t get me wrong, I have thoroughly enjoyed the required readings and plan to read the entire collection when time allows.
So as for problems relating to writing in Chinese for the Chinese vs. writing in English the biggest issue Ha Jin seemed to run into is the censoring in China. After a little time spent with Google I came across a few articles in which Ha Jin describes working with Chinese publishers and separate departments that concentrate on monitoring artistic works. He never seemed to have much luck getting his work out to the Chinese audiences he was focused on. In an online article I stumbled upon he discusses the difficulty within the Chinese film industry:
“In the West, contemporary Chinese movies are quite popular, but not many of us know that the movies we can see are not always available to the Chinese. The list of banned movies is long: To Live, The Blue Kite, Farewell to My Concubine, Bitter Love, Devils on the Doorstep. Even Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain is classified as unsuitable for the general audience in China. His new film, Lust, Caution, has been criticized by some officials, but thanks to Ang Lee’s international reputation, few of them have condemned him publicly. Instead, Tang Wei, the leading actress in the movie, has been prohibited from making public appearances and from joining the casts of new movies. For filmmakers, a banned movie means a huge business loss and more difficulties in finding sponsorship for their next project. It would be suicidal to make two banned movies in a row, so filmmakers have to toe the line. This is the main reason most Chinese movies lack depth and complexity—they’re hamstrung at the outset by directors and producers having to worry about whether the final product will pass the censors.” (the entire article can be found at http://www.theamericanscholar.org/the-censor-in-the-mirror/)
He then goes on to stay that “the authorities are more subtle in controlling book publishing.” He illustrates with an example of the banning of Yan Lianke’s Serve the People! “The authorities criticized the novella as “vilifying Chairman Mao, the People’s Liberation Army, and the revolution through excessive sexual descriptions,” so “it confuses people’s minds and disseminates Western ideas.”
After these speed bumps in Ha Jin’s writing career in China it would only make sense that he would use the Western world as an outlet to get his works out there. Quite fortunately for us English speakers, we are introduced to his ways of thinking and expressing. I couldn’t help but notice the way his characters hit fairly close to home. The Tiger Fighter to me seemed like any of our reality tv stars that will do anything for their 15 minutes of fame. The employees of Cowboy Chicken weren’t too different from many over here, they wanted compensation for work they weren’t doing.
I feel that if both Conrad and Ha Jin had written in their native languages we wouldn’t have been exposed to them at all. At least not the way they were originally meant to have been presented. Take the Bible for instance, so much has been lost in translation that everyone has their own interpretation. But since Joseph Conrad and Ha Jin so kindly wrote for an English speaking audience we get a faint glimpse of the world they knew and those that take advantage of this privilege are all the wiser for it.
Now for some self indulgent advertising: Halloween Party/Charity Event takes place on October 30th at approximately 9:00 PM. Prizes for best costumes: male, female, duo and group. Loads of food and beverages all in the name of Charity. (Trick or Treat for UNICEF program) Should be fun. If anyone has interest in attending feel free to email me @ kristinadawn27@gmail.com
So as for problems relating to writing in Chinese for the Chinese vs. writing in English the biggest issue Ha Jin seemed to run into is the censoring in China. After a little time spent with Google I came across a few articles in which Ha Jin describes working with Chinese publishers and separate departments that concentrate on monitoring artistic works. He never seemed to have much luck getting his work out to the Chinese audiences he was focused on. In an online article I stumbled upon he discusses the difficulty within the Chinese film industry:
“In the West, contemporary Chinese movies are quite popular, but not many of us know that the movies we can see are not always available to the Chinese. The list of banned movies is long: To Live, The Blue Kite, Farewell to My Concubine, Bitter Love, Devils on the Doorstep. Even Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain is classified as unsuitable for the general audience in China. His new film, Lust, Caution, has been criticized by some officials, but thanks to Ang Lee’s international reputation, few of them have condemned him publicly. Instead, Tang Wei, the leading actress in the movie, has been prohibited from making public appearances and from joining the casts of new movies. For filmmakers, a banned movie means a huge business loss and more difficulties in finding sponsorship for their next project. It would be suicidal to make two banned movies in a row, so filmmakers have to toe the line. This is the main reason most Chinese movies lack depth and complexity—they’re hamstrung at the outset by directors and producers having to worry about whether the final product will pass the censors.” (the entire article can be found at http://www.theamericanscholar.org/the-censor-in-the-mirror/)
He then goes on to stay that “the authorities are more subtle in controlling book publishing.” He illustrates with an example of the banning of Yan Lianke’s Serve the People! “The authorities criticized the novella as “vilifying Chairman Mao, the People’s Liberation Army, and the revolution through excessive sexual descriptions,” so “it confuses people’s minds and disseminates Western ideas.”
After these speed bumps in Ha Jin’s writing career in China it would only make sense that he would use the Western world as an outlet to get his works out there. Quite fortunately for us English speakers, we are introduced to his ways of thinking and expressing. I couldn’t help but notice the way his characters hit fairly close to home. The Tiger Fighter to me seemed like any of our reality tv stars that will do anything for their 15 minutes of fame. The employees of Cowboy Chicken weren’t too different from many over here, they wanted compensation for work they weren’t doing.
I feel that if both Conrad and Ha Jin had written in their native languages we wouldn’t have been exposed to them at all. At least not the way they were originally meant to have been presented. Take the Bible for instance, so much has been lost in translation that everyone has their own interpretation. But since Joseph Conrad and Ha Jin so kindly wrote for an English speaking audience we get a faint glimpse of the world they knew and those that take advantage of this privilege are all the wiser for it.
Now for some self indulgent advertising: Halloween Party/Charity Event takes place on October 30th at approximately 9:00 PM. Prizes for best costumes: male, female, duo and group. Loads of food and beverages all in the name of Charity. (Trick or Treat for UNICEF program) Should be fun. If anyone has interest in attending feel free to email me @ kristinadawn27@gmail.com
Thursday, October 8, 2009
My sympathy towards Rochester, the animal.
Perhaps it’s the masochist in me, but I find the withholding assholes in literature quite fascinating. The unnamed male narrator/Rochester in Jean Rhys’ Wide Sargasso Sea is no exception. I agree wholeheartedly that he is in fact a “douche” as we discussed in class. But at the same time, I kind of want to get to know him. The last time I was this intrigued with a male character written by a female author was Howard Roark in Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead, also a bit withholding and opportunistic.
Spivak suggests that “Bertha’s function in Jane Eyre is to render indeterminate the boundary between human and animal.” (WSS 241) I actually find both Rochester and Roark’s characters balancing between the idea of man and animal in these two pieces of fiction. Spivak states that “Critics have remarked that Wide Sargasso Sea treats the Rochester character with understanding and sympathy.” (WSS 243) Perhaps it’s due to the animal personification that these critics, as well as myself, find their actions to be excusable.
I have been exposed to a fascinating article written by Donald Pizer entitled ‘Frank Norris’s McTeague: Naturalism as Popular Myth.” He discusses Norris’s portrayal of his protagonist, McTeague, as a human beast and explains that it was a folk-based “fear of the presence of the animal in man” (Pizer) that led to Naturalistic literature. He touches on four main principles imbedded in naturalistic writings: “the fear of the animal in man because of its destructive force, the fear of sex in its uncontrollable and unselective animalistic form because it drives individuals into harmful relationships, the fear of greed because its mix of animality and sexuality results in uncontrollable obsessions, and the fear of the outsider that leads the animal to protect its turf.” (Pizer) Not all of these principles can be applied to Roark, but I feel that Rochester’s behavior throughout WSS can be linked to all four.
I’ll begin with the idea of the fear of animal in man because of its destructive force. Rochester is opportunistic and he’s on survival mode. He has the idea that marrying a woman with wealth will increase his comforts, not dissimilar to nesting before hibernation. This marriage was also a way to separate himself from, pardon this terrible metaphor, the pack. Obviously, this was not a healthy relationship for Rochester or Antoinette, and I feel comfortable defining it as “destructive.”
Next, the fear of sex in its uncontrollable and unselective animalistic form because it drives individuals into harmful relationships is certainly present.
“’You are safe,’ I’d say. She’d liked that-to be told ’you are safe.” Or I’d touch her face gently and touch tears. Tears-nothing! Words-less than nothing. As for the happiness I gave her, that was worse than nothing. I did not love her. I was thirsty for her, but that is not love. I felt very little tenderness for her, she was a stranger to me, a stranger who did not think or feel as I did.” (WSS 55)
This is a perfect example of a harmful sexual relationship. Later on, Rochester’s physical relationship with Amelie is nothing but animalistic. He refers to her as “another complication” and even displays some thoughts of his disgust (and racism if you ask me) when he says “her skin was darker, her lips thicker than I had thought.” (WSS 84)
The fear of greed and the fear of the outsider are both prominent. Rochester can’t divorce his wife, regardless of her mental state, because it would damage his reputation and he wants her family money. He also fears the islands and the inhabitants. He doesn’t understand his current surroundings and constantly is ready to fight for what he feels is rightfully his. Spivaks reference to Christophine’s interaction with Rochester describes it as an “analysis..powerful enough for the white man to be afraid: “I no longer felt dazed, tired, half hypnotized, but alert and war, ready to defend myself” (WSS 95, 245).
Maybe I’m working too hard to disregard the cruelty in Rochester because of my slight crush on him, but regardless, the naturalistic elements stood out to me so I thought I’d write about them.
Spivak suggests that “Bertha’s function in Jane Eyre is to render indeterminate the boundary between human and animal.” (WSS 241) I actually find both Rochester and Roark’s characters balancing between the idea of man and animal in these two pieces of fiction. Spivak states that “Critics have remarked that Wide Sargasso Sea treats the Rochester character with understanding and sympathy.” (WSS 243) Perhaps it’s due to the animal personification that these critics, as well as myself, find their actions to be excusable.
I have been exposed to a fascinating article written by Donald Pizer entitled ‘Frank Norris’s McTeague: Naturalism as Popular Myth.” He discusses Norris’s portrayal of his protagonist, McTeague, as a human beast and explains that it was a folk-based “fear of the presence of the animal in man” (Pizer) that led to Naturalistic literature. He touches on four main principles imbedded in naturalistic writings: “the fear of the animal in man because of its destructive force, the fear of sex in its uncontrollable and unselective animalistic form because it drives individuals into harmful relationships, the fear of greed because its mix of animality and sexuality results in uncontrollable obsessions, and the fear of the outsider that leads the animal to protect its turf.” (Pizer) Not all of these principles can be applied to Roark, but I feel that Rochester’s behavior throughout WSS can be linked to all four.
I’ll begin with the idea of the fear of animal in man because of its destructive force. Rochester is opportunistic and he’s on survival mode. He has the idea that marrying a woman with wealth will increase his comforts, not dissimilar to nesting before hibernation. This marriage was also a way to separate himself from, pardon this terrible metaphor, the pack. Obviously, this was not a healthy relationship for Rochester or Antoinette, and I feel comfortable defining it as “destructive.”
Next, the fear of sex in its uncontrollable and unselective animalistic form because it drives individuals into harmful relationships is certainly present.
“’You are safe,’ I’d say. She’d liked that-to be told ’you are safe.” Or I’d touch her face gently and touch tears. Tears-nothing! Words-less than nothing. As for the happiness I gave her, that was worse than nothing. I did not love her. I was thirsty for her, but that is not love. I felt very little tenderness for her, she was a stranger to me, a stranger who did not think or feel as I did.” (WSS 55)
This is a perfect example of a harmful sexual relationship. Later on, Rochester’s physical relationship with Amelie is nothing but animalistic. He refers to her as “another complication” and even displays some thoughts of his disgust (and racism if you ask me) when he says “her skin was darker, her lips thicker than I had thought.” (WSS 84)
The fear of greed and the fear of the outsider are both prominent. Rochester can’t divorce his wife, regardless of her mental state, because it would damage his reputation and he wants her family money. He also fears the islands and the inhabitants. He doesn’t understand his current surroundings and constantly is ready to fight for what he feels is rightfully his. Spivaks reference to Christophine’s interaction with Rochester describes it as an “analysis..powerful enough for the white man to be afraid: “I no longer felt dazed, tired, half hypnotized, but alert and war, ready to defend myself” (WSS 95, 245).
Maybe I’m working too hard to disregard the cruelty in Rochester because of my slight crush on him, but regardless, the naturalistic elements stood out to me so I thought I’d write about them.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Zombies in the Caribbean
Another free-for-all blog means I’m going to exploit this opportunity and make it as much fun for me as I can. While reading Wide Sargasso Sea I was extra intrigued with the idea of Annette being characterized as a zombie. With Halloween right around the corner and with my extreme love of the holiday as well as that of the supernatural, I’ve decided to research some of the ideas of voodoo, black magic and zombies.
Voodoo was a religion that was brought to the Caribbean around the 16th century by West African slaves. Not able to openly practice their beliefs due to the French Catholic inhabitants of the islands, Haiti in particular, made it necessary for the slaves to hide their religion. To this day, voodoo is considered to be a dark and mysterious practice that concentrates on spirits of ancestors and animal worship. Although the white settlers of the islands tried to suppress the Africans ceremonies and traditions, the slaves relied on them heavily to deal with the terrible transition into slavery. The religion has been greatly diluted due to the adaptation of other religions and beliefs such as Catholicism, Christianity and Native American traditions.
The exact date of origin is unknown but Voodoo is considered to be one of the oldest religions. The word voodoo comes from the African word “vodun” meaning “spirit.” Despite the negative connotations that are associated with voodoo, it’s actually a religion concentrated on healing, be it the one who practices, their relationships, their family members or even their relationship with God.
The concentration of evil and spirits was most likely brought on by the stresses of slavery. The idea of zombies is directly related to that of slavery. Zombies were considered to be soulless creatures that could be controlled by the sorcerer that created the zombie. Not dissimilar to being controlled by the slave master.
Real zombies were actual products of practicing sorcerers through medicinal and chemical potions and poisons that created extreme brain damage. This brings us back to Annette and her disturbing and destructive behavior. It really makes sense of her madness.
“Here endeth the lesson.” (Another Buffy reference for you Teacher)
PS-I heard some Billy Ocean today, it felt appropriate.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkXV5O5GfJ8
Voodoo was a religion that was brought to the Caribbean around the 16th century by West African slaves. Not able to openly practice their beliefs due to the French Catholic inhabitants of the islands, Haiti in particular, made it necessary for the slaves to hide their religion. To this day, voodoo is considered to be a dark and mysterious practice that concentrates on spirits of ancestors and animal worship. Although the white settlers of the islands tried to suppress the Africans ceremonies and traditions, the slaves relied on them heavily to deal with the terrible transition into slavery. The religion has been greatly diluted due to the adaptation of other religions and beliefs such as Catholicism, Christianity and Native American traditions.
The exact date of origin is unknown but Voodoo is considered to be one of the oldest religions. The word voodoo comes from the African word “vodun” meaning “spirit.” Despite the negative connotations that are associated with voodoo, it’s actually a religion concentrated on healing, be it the one who practices, their relationships, their family members or even their relationship with God.
The concentration of evil and spirits was most likely brought on by the stresses of slavery. The idea of zombies is directly related to that of slavery. Zombies were considered to be soulless creatures that could be controlled by the sorcerer that created the zombie. Not dissimilar to being controlled by the slave master.
Real zombies were actual products of practicing sorcerers through medicinal and chemical potions and poisons that created extreme brain damage. This brings us back to Annette and her disturbing and destructive behavior. It really makes sense of her madness.
“Here endeth the lesson.” (Another Buffy reference for you Teacher)
PS-I heard some Billy Ocean today, it felt appropriate.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkXV5O5GfJ8
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