Of all the characters that Stephen interacts with in Portrait, Cranly is the most interesting. He also ends up having an importance influence on Stephen towards the end of the novel.
The first time we meet Cranly (other than the roll-call in the classroom), he is almost ironically acting the comic character, questioning and answering Stephen in Latin. Cranly never seemed to be the bubbling, bouncy, smiling character even when he had his funny moments (and is described as "brooding", "sour", "bitter", "watchful", etc. to give us this impression). Later we see that Cranly acts the complete opposite--when he overemphasizes his annoyance by shouting/screaming/shoving (Temple on multiple occasions and then the portly kid who farts on the steps). I don't think Cranly is actually that angry (his "victims" always seem to be in good humor, maybe he acts like that a lot and they know he isn't really all that angry). Which again, makes him an almost comical character.
The main impression I got from Cranly is that he was the most mature student at the college. He sort of has this attitude like "Cmon guys, seriously?" over a lot of things that he finds petty. For example when Maccan and Stephen are sparring over the Tsar's peace petition paper, Cranly is sort of like "Are you guys serious? Can't get go play handball? etc.". Later when Cranly and Stephen are talking, Cranly acts as the voice of maturity and reason when he calls Stephen out on his babyish behavior regarding Stephen serving in church service. Stephen doesn't want to out of principle or whatever, and Cranly again has that "C'mon, seriously?" vibe going on. "Just do it dude, it's a small act... it wont kill you, it will make your mom happy" etc.
In class it was briefly mentioned that Cranly served the purpose of trying to bring out a little humanity in Stephen, and I think that adding this element to his character really gives him a lot more depth.
"Have you ever loved anyone?"
"I ask if you even felt love towards anyone or anything".
"Your mother must have gone through a good deal of suffering. Would you not try to save her from suffering more even if... or would you?"
"Do as she wishes you to do. What is it for you?"
Cranley asks Stephen.
These sort of questions only act to reaffirm Cranly's maturity.
Friday, January 30, 2015
Sunday, January 25, 2015
A Simple Twist of Fate
Joyce quotes are italicized
Dylan quotes are bolded
So far we have seen Stephen's street ramblings change from a light, willful participation in a fantasy world (Blackrock) to a seemingly addictive, distorted, alien world (Dublin). The change can be "diagnosed" in part by more "tangible" causes--the lower social class, the increased sexual frustration, religious anxiety, etc. There may also be a more abstract element of "coming of age" that cannot be explained by events that effects the drastic difference in tone we see between the different ramblings.
The Blackrock fantasy was much more grounded in the Count of Monte Cristo. It was much less confusing, very sunny, etc.
There would come to his mind the bright picture of Marseille, of sunny trellises, and of Mercedes
The difference between the two is best shown in this passage: He returned to his wanderings. The veiled autumnal evenings led him from street to street as they had led him years before along the quiet avenues of Blackrock. But no vision of trim front gardens or of kindly lights in the windows poured a tender influence upon him now.
The appeal of a Mercedes comes from Stephens desire for an intimate relationship, and his inability to go about getting one (the tram scene is an example). He describes his Mercedes fantasy in the following passage...
He did not know where to seek it or how, but a premonition which led him on told him that this image would, without any overt act of his, encounter him. They would meet quietly as if they had known each other and had made their tryst, perhaps at one of the gates or in some more secret place. They would be alone, surrounded by darkness and silence: and in that moment of supreme tenderness he would be transfigured. He would fade into something impalpable under her eyes and then in a moment he would be transfigured. Weakness and timidity and inexperience would fall from him in that magic moment.
---
I think that the Bob Dylan song "Simple Twist of Fate", both musically and lyrically fits Stephen's street ramblings.
I'll start with some Dylan lines.
A saxophone someplace far off played
As she was walkin’ by the arcade
As the light bust through a beat-up shade where he was wakin’ up,
The imagery feels very similar. It's used to create a sense of loneliness surrounded by a bustling world. The protagonist in Dylan's song finds himself alone in the middle of the city of neon signs (neon always implies nightlife) and saxophones. There is this very real and very alive city that is completely separated from the protagonist.
He hears the ticking of the clocks
And walks along with a parrot that talks
Hunts her down by the waterfront docks where the sailors all come in
Maybe she’ll pick him out again, how long must he wait
Once more for a simple twist of fate
Again, we have the lone soul walking among the bustling city docks. This time, he's hoping "she'll pick him out again" as he waits for a simple twist of fate.
In Portrait, we get very similar passages.
He passed unchallenged among the docks and along the quays wondering at the multitude of corks that lay bobbing on the surface of the water in a thick yellow scum, at the crowds of quay porters and the rumbling carts and the ill-dressed bearded policeman.
He had wandered into a maze of narrow and dirty streets. From the foul laneways he heard bursts of hoarse riot and wrangling and the drawling of drunken singers
By day and by night he moved among distorted images of the outer world. A figure that had seemed to him by day demure and innocent came towards him by night through the winding darkness of sleep, her face transfigured by a lecherous cunning, her eyes bright with brutish joy.
These are all images of someone who doesn't know what else to do than look for a simple twist of fate--his Mercedes to step out of the shadow... or to "pick him out again".
There are a lot more more parallels you could draw. The first passage in "Simple Twist of Fate" for example seems to fit Stephen's Tram Ride experience. Also the "she" in the song is widely considered to be a prostitute. Also the line "People tell me it’s a sin, to know and feel too much within" reminds me a lot of Stephen's religious anxiety.
In any case, I highly recommend giving Dylan's song a listen to get the full impact... the whole song sounds like a theme-track to Stephen's street ramblings.
Dylan quotes are bolded
So far we have seen Stephen's street ramblings change from a light, willful participation in a fantasy world (Blackrock) to a seemingly addictive, distorted, alien world (Dublin). The change can be "diagnosed" in part by more "tangible" causes--the lower social class, the increased sexual frustration, religious anxiety, etc. There may also be a more abstract element of "coming of age" that cannot be explained by events that effects the drastic difference in tone we see between the different ramblings.
The Blackrock fantasy was much more grounded in the Count of Monte Cristo. It was much less confusing, very sunny, etc.
There would come to his mind the bright picture of Marseille, of sunny trellises, and of Mercedes
The difference between the two is best shown in this passage: He returned to his wanderings. The veiled autumnal evenings led him from street to street as they had led him years before along the quiet avenues of Blackrock. But no vision of trim front gardens or of kindly lights in the windows poured a tender influence upon him now.
The appeal of a Mercedes comes from Stephens desire for an intimate relationship, and his inability to go about getting one (the tram scene is an example). He describes his Mercedes fantasy in the following passage...
He did not know where to seek it or how, but a premonition which led him on told him that this image would, without any overt act of his, encounter him. They would meet quietly as if they had known each other and had made their tryst, perhaps at one of the gates or in some more secret place. They would be alone, surrounded by darkness and silence: and in that moment of supreme tenderness he would be transfigured. He would fade into something impalpable under her eyes and then in a moment he would be transfigured. Weakness and timidity and inexperience would fall from him in that magic moment.
---
I think that the Bob Dylan song "Simple Twist of Fate", both musically and lyrically fits Stephen's street ramblings.
I'll start with some Dylan lines.
They walked along by the old canal
A little confused, I remember well
And stopped into a strange hotel with a neon burnin’ bright
He felt the heat of the night hit him like a freight train
Moving with a simple twist of fate
A little confused, I remember well
And stopped into a strange hotel with a neon burnin’ bright
He felt the heat of the night hit him like a freight train
Moving with a simple twist of fate
As she was walkin’ by the arcade
As the light bust through a beat-up shade where he was wakin’ up,
The imagery feels very similar. It's used to create a sense of loneliness surrounded by a bustling world. The protagonist in Dylan's song finds himself alone in the middle of the city of neon signs (neon always implies nightlife) and saxophones. There is this very real and very alive city that is completely separated from the protagonist.
He hears the ticking of the clocks
And walks along with a parrot that talks
Hunts her down by the waterfront docks where the sailors all come in
Maybe she’ll pick him out again, how long must he wait
Once more for a simple twist of fate
Again, we have the lone soul walking among the bustling city docks. This time, he's hoping "she'll pick him out again" as he waits for a simple twist of fate.
In Portrait, we get very similar passages.
He passed unchallenged among the docks and along the quays wondering at the multitude of corks that lay bobbing on the surface of the water in a thick yellow scum, at the crowds of quay porters and the rumbling carts and the ill-dressed bearded policeman.
He had wandered into a maze of narrow and dirty streets. From the foul laneways he heard bursts of hoarse riot and wrangling and the drawling of drunken singers
By day and by night he moved among distorted images of the outer world. A figure that had seemed to him by day demure and innocent came towards him by night through the winding darkness of sleep, her face transfigured by a lecherous cunning, her eyes bright with brutish joy.
These are all images of someone who doesn't know what else to do than look for a simple twist of fate--his Mercedes to step out of the shadow... or to "pick him out again".
There are a lot more more parallels you could draw. The first passage in "Simple Twist of Fate" for example seems to fit Stephen's Tram Ride experience. Also the "she" in the song is widely considered to be a prostitute. Also the line "People tell me it’s a sin, to know and feel too much within" reminds me a lot of Stephen's religious anxiety.
In any case, I highly recommend giving Dylan's song a listen to get the full impact... the whole song sounds like a theme-track to Stephen's street ramblings.
Sunday, December 14, 2014
The Jungle
At the end of the first chapter in part 2 (my edition doesn't have chapter markings?!?) Stamp Paid has a pretty pseudo-philosophical segment on the dehumanization of slavery to blacks and whites alike. This reminded me of similar statements expressed by... I think it was Fredrick Douglas? We talked about it in history class. The basic idea is that by subjugating blacks ("the jungle whitefolks planted in them"), the whites became afraid. Stamp Paid says that "scared were they of the jungle they had made". In this context, was schoolteachers calculated and scientific method of treating his slaves an expression of his fear? Perhaps he thought that if he could completely understood everything about his slaves then he could protect himself from "the jungle". And what is the jungle? Ingrained resentment on an extreme magnitude? Barbarism? The description that Stamp Paid gives of the jungle: "swift unnavigable rivers, swinging screaming baboons, sleeping snakes, red gums ready for their sweet white blood" has a very "Heart of Darkness" feel to it.
Amy
Amy is a really frickin cool character. I'm talking about in the literary sense. One of the things that I disliked about Their Eyes Were Watching God was the Tolkien-esque feel of all the characters. There were the good guys and the bad guys and everything they did and everything they said supported their status as a good person or a bad person.
The book Beloved is much more George RR Martin-esque, as there are characters that I either don't know how to feel about (Beloved) or characters who I both love and am annoyed by at the same time (Amy and Denver).
Amy is a really cool character because she's not the knight in shining armor coming to save Sethe. She sort of stumbles onto Sethe, calls her a "nigger woman" or something like that, and keeps rambling on about her pipe dream of buying velvet in Boston (.... okay?). But the more I read her story the more I liked her.
She made it seem like she really didn't want to help Sethe and wanted to move on towards Boston, but as readers we were kind of made to feel that deep down she really did want to help Sethe. When he eventually sticks with Sethe for a few days and saves her from frostbite, our hopes are confirmed.
All in all Amy is a really well written and interesting character. She's written as if a bunch of strings were pulling her in all different directions.
The book Beloved is much more George RR Martin-esque, as there are characters that I either don't know how to feel about (Beloved) or characters who I both love and am annoyed by at the same time (Amy and Denver).
Amy is a really cool character because she's not the knight in shining armor coming to save Sethe. She sort of stumbles onto Sethe, calls her a "nigger woman" or something like that, and keeps rambling on about her pipe dream of buying velvet in Boston (.... okay?). But the more I read her story the more I liked her.
She made it seem like she really didn't want to help Sethe and wanted to move on towards Boston, but as readers we were kind of made to feel that deep down she really did want to help Sethe. When he eventually sticks with Sethe for a few days and saves her from frostbite, our hopes are confirmed.
All in all Amy is a really well written and interesting character. She's written as if a bunch of strings were pulling her in all different directions.
White Boy Shuffle
The suicide dynamic in the White Boy Shuffle is one that is rather rare and was somewhat confusing to me upon initially reading the book.
Gunnar's and Scobies thoughts on suicide stem from a self-consciousness that Gunnar describes when he says the following to Psycho Loco:
"Might as well kill myself, right? Why give you the satisfaction. The trippy part is that when you think about it, me and America aren’t even enemies. I’m the horse pulling the stagecoach, the donkey in the levee who’s stumbled in the mud and come up lame. You may love me, but I’m tired of thrashing around in the muck and not getting anywhere, so put a nigger out his misery” (226).
Gunnar's and Scobies thoughts on suicide stem from a self-consciousness that Gunnar describes when he says the following to Psycho Loco:
"Might as well kill myself, right? Why give you the satisfaction. The trippy part is that when you think about it, me and America aren’t even enemies. I’m the horse pulling the stagecoach, the donkey in the levee who’s stumbled in the mud and come up lame. You may love me, but I’m tired of thrashing around in the muck and not getting anywhere, so put a nigger out his misery” (226).
Why does everything seem to turn downhill in Boston? I think it's the awareness that the boys have of the underlying racist tendencies that even exists among the backdrop of multiculturalism found in Boston (contrasted sharply with the single cultured settings earlier in the book). Scoby goes ahead and kills himself, leaving Gunner to play the part of Osamu Dezai, "the heavy hearted writer who wandered the back roads of Japan struggling to raise the nerve to commit suicide in the Tamagawa River" (190).
The nihilism in the book seems to peak during the scene when Scoby is asking Gunnar about the height of various buildings in Boston... obviously planning his suicide. Gunnar knows Scoby is going to kill himself. I think he doesn't stop him because Gunnar feels just like Scoby does, the only difference is that--like Osamu Dezai--Gunnar is still gathering the courage needed to kill himself.
Friday, November 14, 2014
Love and Theft
Bob Dylan's "Love and Theft"--his 31st studio album and the second album in his late 90's/early 2000's comeback (Time Out of Mind, Love and Theft, Modern Times)--is an essential album for anyone looking to sample "American Music", and is a highly recommended album for anyone regardless.
The album achieves such an accurate representation of what “America” is with what David Mcnair calls a “complete artistic synthesis. On "Love and Theft,"country, blues, folk, swing, and rock all converge with Dylan's husky growl into a form of music that he has himself described as "all mashed up." Throw in some F Scott Fitzgerald quotes, pecan pies, and a wide cast of jokers, gamblers and other operators of the iconic neon midnight big city american scene… put that over Dylan’s growling voice that sounds like it’s been soaked in Wild Turkey and left in a smokehouse for a decade, and you have pure extracted AMERICA in music. It’s something that very few can get close to pulling off (maybe Tom Waits, Bob Dylan, and Johnny Cash?).
The title of the album, “Love and Theft”, is based on the same titled book by Eric Lott which describes the history of minstrelsy in America.
Dylan’s song is greatly influenced by the negro blues. To quote Eric Lott, "High Water" sounds the most like actual minstrel show music from the 19th century, which is interesting not only since it's dedicated specifically to black blues singer (donor?) Charley Patton but also because it's a song of high seriousness, as though ultimate truths are rooted in cultural plunder.”
Lott goes on to defend Dylan (not that there’s really any criticisms) by saying “He's one of those rare people, like Michelle Shocked, in fact, for whom cultural miscegenation is a spur to cultural newness and uniqueness. Dylan goes his own way”. Basically, Dylan’s not playing the part of mistral in the creation of this album, but is still acknowledging his negro folk blues influences with the title “Love and Theft”.
Don’t expect the album to be a “Blonde on Blonde” and you would be crazy to expect something on the level of “Blood on the Tracks”, but this is still a very good Dylan album and is another testament to his status of one of the greatest artists of all time (seriously, who comes out with one of the best albums of the decade--check out the reviews--as their 31st studio album?!?).
Best songs: “Mississippi” and “Summer Days”. Look them up on spotify or something cause they aren’t on youtube (Dylan’s stingy about his copyright).
I'm a get up in the morning, I believe I'll dust my blog
The blues has been a significant aspect of African American culture, influencing many writers such as Zora Neale Hurston and most significantly Richard Wright. In his essay "Richard Wright's Blues", Ellison defines the blues as the following:
"The blues is an impulse to keep the painful details and episodes of a brutal experience alive in one's aching consciousness, to finger it's jagged grain, and to transcend it, not by the consolation of philosophy but by squeezing from it a near-tragic, near-comic lyricism."
Buddy Guy (a blues guitarist) reflects this sentiment quite well in his song "All that makes me happy is the blues"
Generally, blues does not take the shape of an extremely in-the-moment pain infused expression (like a Nine Inch Nails album might). Instead, it's more of a communal head-nodding understanding between those who have had the blues (And, as Albert King said in his song Blues Power, "Everybody understands the blues. Everybody from one day or another have the blues"). This is partly what Ellison means when he calls the blues a "near-tragic, near-comic lyricism".
Ellison goes on to call the blues "an autobiographical chronicle of personal catastrophe expressed lyrically". We can see how this could parallel certain ways that authors may draft their stories. The example Ellison uses is Richard Wright's Black Boy, which is an autobiographical novel that echoes the blues expression.Right underwent the "personal catastrophes" in his early life: His father left his family when he was a baby, he was later lodged in an orphan asylum, he was constantly hungry, he became a drunk as a young boy, etc. Wright expresses that "near-tragic, near comic lyricism" when he writes the seemingly paradoxical image of a protagonist who "sings lustily as he probes his own grievous wounds".
Singing lustily as you probe your own grievous wounds? Sounds just like the blues.
While the blues as a musical form was developed by blacks in the south (early 20th century), the blues as way to "keep the painful details and episodes of a brutal experience alive in one's aching consciousness, to finger it's jagged grain, and to transcend it, not by the consolation of philosophy but by squeezing from it a near-tragic, near-comic lyricism." did not develop with the rise of black literature. Joyce, Nehru, Dostoievsky, and countless other authors have expressed catastrophic personal events through near tragic, near comic lyricism in their writings.
Some blues songs to check out:
1. Albert King: I'll play the blues for you
This is pretty smooth, sounds very 70s. It was hard to pick a single Albert King song to put on this list. I highly recommend his 67' album "Born Under a Bad Sign" for some real blues revival.
4. He's better than BB King. He's better than Buddy Guy. He's way better than Clapton. SRV is the master of the blues. The way he controlled the guitar tops even Hendrix's control. Evidence? Listen to any damn Stevie Ray Vaughan song.
Here's my favorite... first of all it's live and sounds 2000% better than the studio version (that's already an accomplishment). He also brings on Johnny Copeland which is a really nice addition.
I present, SRV's live "Tin Pan Alley"
"The blues is an impulse to keep the painful details and episodes of a brutal experience alive in one's aching consciousness, to finger it's jagged grain, and to transcend it, not by the consolation of philosophy but by squeezing from it a near-tragic, near-comic lyricism."
Buddy Guy (a blues guitarist) reflects this sentiment quite well in his song "All that makes me happy is the blues"
i've been .. so bad, since she's been gone
i've tried to take comfort
in some old sad song
cause i feel a little better
knowing someone hurts the way i do
yeah! when i'm this far down
all that makes me happy is the blues
i've tried to take comfort
in some old sad song
cause i feel a little better
knowing someone hurts the way i do
yeah! when i'm this far down
all that makes me happy is the blues
all the talk on TV
shouting about something
nobody listening
nobody saying nothing
seem like my old guitar
is the only place i find the truth (yeah)
this whole world is gone crazy,
all that makes me happy is the blues
shouting about something
nobody listening
nobody saying nothing
seem like my old guitar
is the only place i find the truth (yeah)
this whole world is gone crazy,
all that makes me happy is the blues
i'd love to hear that sweet Memphis soul
and that good old funky rock n roll
oh but when i need some healing
there's only one thing i turn to
and that good old funky rock n roll
oh but when i need some healing
there's only one thing i turn to
when I'm this far down
all that makes me happy is the BLUES
all that makes me happy is the BLUES
Generally, blues does not take the shape of an extremely in-the-moment pain infused expression (like a Nine Inch Nails album might). Instead, it's more of a communal head-nodding understanding between those who have had the blues (And, as Albert King said in his song Blues Power, "Everybody understands the blues. Everybody from one day or another have the blues"). This is partly what Ellison means when he calls the blues a "near-tragic, near-comic lyricism".
Ellison goes on to call the blues "an autobiographical chronicle of personal catastrophe expressed lyrically". We can see how this could parallel certain ways that authors may draft their stories. The example Ellison uses is Richard Wright's Black Boy, which is an autobiographical novel that echoes the blues expression.Right underwent the "personal catastrophes" in his early life: His father left his family when he was a baby, he was later lodged in an orphan asylum, he was constantly hungry, he became a drunk as a young boy, etc. Wright expresses that "near-tragic, near comic lyricism" when he writes the seemingly paradoxical image of a protagonist who "sings lustily as he probes his own grievous wounds".
Singing lustily as you probe your own grievous wounds? Sounds just like the blues.
While the blues as a musical form was developed by blacks in the south (early 20th century), the blues as way to "keep the painful details and episodes of a brutal experience alive in one's aching consciousness, to finger it's jagged grain, and to transcend it, not by the consolation of philosophy but by squeezing from it a near-tragic, near-comic lyricism." did not develop with the rise of black literature. Joyce, Nehru, Dostoievsky, and countless other authors have expressed catastrophic personal events through near tragic, near comic lyricism in their writings.
Some blues songs to check out:
1. Albert King: I'll play the blues for you
This is pretty smooth, sounds very 70s. It was hard to pick a single Albert King song to put on this list. I highly recommend his 67' album "Born Under a Bad Sign" for some real blues revival.
2. John Bonamassa: Sloe Gin
This is an extreme exception to the near-comic head nodding of the blues. This is one of the most emotional songs I know (up there with NIN's "Hurt"). The "I'm so damn lonely, I aint even high" line is killer. The guitar playing creates a mood much better than most blues songs... this is because John doesn't base his blues on traditional american blues but on a sort of english/irish fusion blues. I wanted to include an exception to the "Near comic near tragic lyricism"... this is it.
3. Robert Johnson 32-20 blues
This is in my opinion the most listenable Robert Johnson song. Y'all should read about Robert Johnson, he's one of the pillars of blues history. His music is so old that it's not super listenable, even though Clapton and Keith Richards will blow steam up his ass all day.
Here's my favorite... first of all it's live and sounds 2000% better than the studio version (that's already an accomplishment). He also brings on Johnny Copeland which is a really nice addition.
I present, SRV's live "Tin Pan Alley"
If you like this stuff, other artists to check out are Freddie King, BB King, Buddy Guy, Albert Collins, Robert Cray. I'm not a huge Howlin Wolf/Muddy Waters fan, but if you liked the Robert Johnson delta blues stuff you might be into that pre-blues revival acoustic based stuff.
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