Sunday, November 29, 2015

Week 14: Science Fiction Parody and Satire

     This week in class we watched "The Stepford Wives". I loved it and definitely want to finish it outside of class. Honestly, I've been enjoying parodies of genres a lot more than I've been enjoying the actual genres lately. I think I've been doing so much art lately that my IQ has gone down a little bit to the point where I can only really understand humor and nothing else (just joking). In all honesty though, I love a quality funny movie.  And most people do; why else would so many song and movie parodies posted on youtube and other social media sites get so many views?
     The list of recommended reads this week was interesting to say the least. Some of the titles actually had me laughing out loud! As I began looking up some of the books on the list and having shocking images pop up on the screen of my laptop, I quickly realized I *probably* shouldn't be looking around this genre while in public, but they were interesting nonetheless. After ruling out "The Haunted Vagina" and "Satan Burger", I decided to settle on "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy".
     I definitely did not get as far as I would have liked. I found Adams' humor hilarious and I want to continue reading (or listening to the radio drama version of it) over Christmas break. I also find it intriguing that if you dig deeper and look beneath all the jokes and irony, you'll find a complex social commentary by the author. Adams' can take humanity's problems and wrap them up in just a few seemingly humorous sentences, which occurs multiple times throughout the book. I can't wait to keep reading!
 

Week 13: Literary Speculation

     This week in class we read "The Aquatic Uncle". It was quite a strange little story, but I enjoyed reading it. There are just about a million symbols within this short tale but one of the most prominent ones is the land and water. The water, of course, represents the old ways and traditions of the creatures who live here. The uncle still lives in the water and, therefore, is still stuck in the past. Qfwfq and his family live on the land; this represents a new era of exploration and new ways of living. Qfwfq wants to move into the new age and begin a life with Lll. His uncle, still bogged down by the ways the old times, doesn't support this by any means. Lll is curious though and eventually begins to accept N'ba n'ga's wisdom and life lessons.
     N'ba n'ga's character reminds me of the elderly people of today. Many people dismiss what older people have to say because they "don't know what they're talking about" or they're "starting to lose it". This has always made me sort of sad. While it is true that elderly people may not be able to understand what goes on in today's modern world and adapt to it as deftly as a younger generation can, it in no way means that we should dismiss the things that they try to tell us. I work at a cookie shop in the mall so I see all kinds of people on a daily basis. I can't count the number of times I've seen a group of middle schoolers running around with the grandmother or grandfather that drove them to the mall. In most of these situations, every time the grandparents tries to speak up and join in on the conversation, the kids kind of roll their eyes and say something like "no, Grandma, that's not how it works anymore" or "you don't understand, Grandpa". Even my coworkers roll their eyes when an elderly man or woman comes to the counter and strikes up a conversation whilst paying ("I remember when . . . "). Although I do understand that these conversations can get boring after a while, there's still a lot of valuable life lessons we can learn talking with an older person; after all, it was a lot harder for people back then. If we just take a moment to listen to what someone's saying and have an open mind, like Lll did while listening to N'ba n'ga's rants ad stories, we could learn some pretty priceless things.

Week 11: Cyberpunk and Steam Punk

     To be honest, before this week I didn't know much about the actual literary/cinematic genre of steam punk. Of course, everybody knows the steam punk aesthetic; gears, clocks, Victorian style clothes. I had seen people dress like this, but I never knew what exactly it stemmed from. It was interesting to listen to the "cyberpunk/steam punk" genre described during class since I have never had any real exposure to it previously.
     I ended up watching "Tank Girl" over the weekend. It was quite an interesting film and I wasn't quite sure what to make of it. Although I personally found Tank Girl rather annoying, I did appreciate her obsession with weaponry. My favorite scene has to be the part where she discovers the tank and seems to fall in love. Our heroine, as I discussed last post, isn't helpless like many of the female characters in older movies. She has a strong personality; she's brave, independent, and ready to kick some butt. She knows what she wants. She fights and isn't afraid to take on enemies and situations that most would find quite dangerous.
     It's always refreshing to see a strong female heroine rather than a damsel in distress simply placed in a novel or movie as eye candy. Though this film isn't necessarily what I imagined steam punk to look like (i.e. her outfit . . . she almost appears to be more on the punk side of steam punk), it was still and interesting film to watch and a nice change from what I'm used to.


Week 10: The Fiction of Ideas

     I think one of the coolest things about science fiction movies is the way they attempt to predict the future. If you take a look back at a lot of old science fiction movies from the 50's and 60's, many of them make predictions about things that could exist in the future; some are spot on and some are way off. For example, "The Jetsons" television series follows a family in the year 2000. In this futuristic world, everyone owns a flying car and employs a robot maid. Well, the year is now 2015 and this couldn't be further from the truth (although I do wish my car could fly; Sarasota drivers are incredibly slow . . . ). In contrast, Ray Bradbury imagines up a handful of inventions in "Fahrenheit 451", many of which have come to life in some form or another.
     When reading this novel back in the day, many people probably didn't think that many of Ray Bradbury's predictions would come true. For example, the "shells" and "thimble radios" that people use throughout the books to communicate sound eerily similar to the bluetooth headsets that people wear today. In addition to this, Ray talks about a gigantic, flat screen the size of a wall that people are obsessed with and can't stop watching; sounds an awful lot the huge flat screen televisions that we have today. He also discusses people communicating with each other through "the wall" which can be connected with social media websites such as Twitter, Facebook, Skype, etc. A few other topics Ray discusses are artificial intelligence (I can't count the number of times I've read about some sort of new form of AI, from robots to military drones), self-driving cars (which is currently being worked on . . . this idea terrifies me, and surveillance of the general public (you can't go anywhere without seeing  security camera staring you down).
     One of the most prevalent themes within "Fahrenheit 451" is the loneliness that comes from being obsessed with technology rather than spending time with the people you love. I can't go through a single day without seeing a person glued to their phone, blissfully unaware of their surroundings. I see students on campus almost run into each other or trip over something on a daily basis because they are so enveloped in their iPhones or iPads. This prediction is the most eerie and sad of them all.

Week 9: Space Opera


     Besides "Star Wars", I've never really been a fan of space-themed science fiction movies. Though some boast stunning visual effects while others present their audience with unbelievably intricate story lines, I've come to realize that I'm definitely more of a fantasy person. That being said, I'll never pass up the opportunity to watch a space film. But space opera is a little bit different from just the average science fiction movie. Wikipedia defines space opera as "a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes space warfare, melodramatic adventure, set mainly or entirely in outer space, and often risk-taking as well as chivalric; usually involving conflict between opponents possessing advanced abilities, futuristic weapons and other sophisticated technology." 

     Space Opera brings a whole new set of "issues" to the table. There is commonly a damsel in distress during wartime and an intergalactic hero sent to save her. One thing I love about “Star Wars” is the fact that Princess Leia isn’t just some wimpy princess who gets kidnapped and can’t fend for herself. Though she is kidnapped, she’s very “girl powery”, something that I always appreciate in a female character. Many of the women in several of the movies we viewed in class were sort of helpless. Their only purpose seemed to be acting as eye candy for the men both in the audience and on screen. For example, in the film “Forbidden Planet” that we viewed during class, the girl is only there to serve as a sexual object; she’s only a romantic target for the men in the film. The entire film she’s clad in tight-fitting or short clothes. She’s very innocent and doesn’t seem to know the power she has over the space men. Throughout the film, she doesn’t really do anything of much importance; she’s very dependent on the males in the movie. This is a stark contrast to Princess Leia, who grabs a weapon, gets out there, and fights in the battles right alongside the boys. She knows what she wants and she goes after it, a quality that used to be rare in female heroines. Anyhow, Princess Leia serves as an awesome role model as well as my favorite character in the series.  She’s really out of this world! :) 

Week 8: Mythic Fiction and Contemporary Urban Fantasy


     Urban fantasy and mythic fiction are subgenres of fantasy, but equally as immersive and entertaining. In my last blog post, I talked about how easy it was to be pulled into a fantasy story; the author’s world quickly becomes our world. Unlike many fantasy books, urban fantasy is a bit more “realistic”. I mean, not that any fantasy story is necessarily realistic by any means, but urban fantasy makes the ideas within the story seem more tangible; it’s almost as if something like this could happen to you or me. These stories take ordinary people in ordinary places and throw them into extraordinary situations. The stories slowly begin to grow into something fantastic and almost dreamlike.
      Though I never really got far into the book series, I did very much enjoy the “Percy Jackson” series. This example of mythic fiction presented us with lovable characters thrown into fantastic situations. Percy was an easy character to connect with since he’s just a normal kid like I was. He seems confused in the beginning and unsure of himself and his purpose throughout the story, which makes him an easy character to connect with. The moment you open a “Percy Jackson” novel, you just get sucked right in; before you know it, hours have passed. This is what makes these books so popular among young adults. It’s easy to escape from this, at times, rather dreary world we live in and enter a magical world where almost anything is possible, especially when it’s common for the impossible to happen to normal people.  Take, for example, Harry Potter (who just so happens to be the main character of my all time favorite book series): he’s an average boy with a drab life whose life is flipped upside down on his eleventh birthday when he discovers his lineage (“yer a wizard, ‘arry”).  It would be a lie to say that you never secretly looked forward to  receiving a letter from the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry on your eleventh birthday, your name written in Dumbledore’s whimsical handwriting. Urban fantasy stories are all part of a complete childhood; without them, I don’t know if I’d be the same person and have the same interests that I do today.

Friday, November 27, 2015

Week 7: The Novel of Spiritual Education

     This week was most definitely my favorite. The fantasy genre has always been an interest of mine from a young age. I can recall many snowy winter days curled up in a blanket beside the window, watching the snowflakes and reading "Chronicles of Narnia" or breezy summer nights spent outside reading "Harry Potter" using the moon as my only source of light. Fantasy novels hold the most pleasant of childhood memories when compared to other books. They transport you to amazing places that inspire you to create fantastical places of your own. In fact, the fantasy genre has influenced a lot when it comes to my writing style and my artwork; the books I've read throughout my childhood make me think in whole new ways.
     I can still remember the days before I became a fan of the fantasy genre (what dark days those were). Every time a trailer for a new "Harry Potter" movie would pop up during a commercial break, I would openly mock the wizards in a high pitched voice. Coming from a small, Christian school, not many of my classmates and friends were allowed to read "Harry Potter" since it involved sorcery which apparently may "put dangerous thoughts in the children's heads" (ha). I was surprised when my mother came home from the library one day and put "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" down in front of me. I can clearly remember asking "are you serious? These books are so stupid" so she put it back beside her purse to take back to the library the following day. Curiosity eventually took over and I grabbed the book and began reading. One sentence in, I was hooked and as I turned the last page of the book, I realized I had been reading all day.
     I think that's what's so impressive about the fantasy genre; people yearn to get away from day-to-day life so that moment something unusual is presented to them, they let themselves become immersed into it. Why else would all these giant fantasy novel fan bases exist? These stories also leave a lot up to interpretation when it comes to meaning which makes them easily applicable to anyone reading. Fantasy stories are timeless and will continue to entertain masses of people for generations to come.

Monday, November 9, 2015

Week 12: Bloodchild

1.) Are there any prominent symbols in the story? If so, what are they and how are they used?

- One of the symbols within Octavia Butler's "Bloodchild" is the Terrans (or humans) themselves. The humans in this novel seem to have lost their humanity. They are used as animals; their only purpose is to serve the Tlic. In this story, humans are nothing more than a host for the parasites belonging to whichever Tlic they are linked to. Their job is to give birth, nothing more. This symbol comes to light during Bram Lomas's birth scene. This scene illustrates the dehumanization of the Terrans during this time. In addition to the fact that he appears to be nothing more than a larva vessel for the Tlic, Bram Lomas also seems to have lost some of his human qualities.

2.) What connections did you make with the story? Discuss the elements of the work with which you were able to connect.

- I can't say that I was necessarily able to connect personally to any of the characters. I can say though that I was able to connect on an emotional level with Gan as he watched the birth of the larva from Bram's body. Though I have no idea what it would be like to find myself in a situation where I was forced to host parasites within my body, I can definitely connect with Gan's disgust for the birth process. I guess the biggest connection I can make to this story is being forced to watch a birth in my high school anatomy class and dreading the day that I have to go through that myself. While watching the birth of the larva, Gan was kind of watching the pain he'd have to go through in the future, much like women watching births and knowing they may have to go through that pain if they decide to have children.

3.) What changes would you make to adapt this story into another medium? What medium would you use? What changes would you make?

- If I were to adapt this story into another medium, I would probably make it into some sort of video game. The imagery within this story just strikes me more as a video game rather than a film. I think it's a little too disturbing to make into a film and just sit there and watch this creature inserting eggs into someone, so I think it would have to be something more interactive where you have the ability to fight back. I feel like video games kind of give us an excuse to view disturbing or violent things because we're not just sitting there and watching it, we're fighting against it or interacting with it as well. If I were to adapt this to a video game, I would probably end the story with an open-ended question or have something go terribly wrong so that "Bloodchild" could open up and become a bigger story. Something with the larva could go horribly wrong and the premise of the game could be that Gan has to find a cure, or T'Gatoi could go crazy and try to kill people and Gan has to fight against her; the options are endless.

Sunday, October 4, 2015

Week 6: A Rich Fantasy Life

     I'm so excited to be starting the fantasy portion of our class. These next few weeks will prove to be very intriguing since fantasy is one of my favorite genres. I've been reading fantasy fiction since I was young and I've enjoyed every second of it. In fact, I think most students can say the same. As kids, it's almost mandatory that we watch fantasy films or read fairytales. Take the animated Disney classics for example; what child didn't watch every Disney film that ever hit the screen? After we "grew out" of our animated Disney classics phase (unless you go to art school :) ), we were greeted by "Harry Potter", "Chronicles of Narnia", and "Lord of the Rings".
     I think the fantasy genre strikes a special chord with people of all ages and cultures. It allows us to escape from the dreary reality of our world and transports us into a fantasy land where our worries don't exist anymore. I can't tell you the number of times I've picked up a fantasy book or flipped on the television to watch a fantasy film in order to reduce stress. The moment my eyes hit the page, my worries seem to melt away.
     I think this is why so many adults shamelessly admit to loving fantasy series geared towards a younger audience. I know that my mother, for example, is a massive "Harry Potter" fan. After I had finished the series, I lent her my books and she loved them. I found myself calling through the house trying to find her, only to stumble upon her totally engrossed in a "Harry Potter" book, not even aware that I needed her for something. As an accountant, even she was shocked at the way the series drew her in; she had previously been reading non-fiction or serious fiction books. Ever since she began the "Harry Potter" series though, it seems that everything she reads has a hint of fantasy at the very least. I never understand why some people give each other a hard time for liking books such as "Harry Potter" or "Lord of the Rings". Who wouldn't want to experience the joys of a made-up place?
     I also think it's much easier for readers to connect to fantasy characters than it is for us to connect to characters from more serious pieces of literature. Since the characters are part of a fantasy world, it's much easier for us to believe things about them that we may not believe about normal, every day characters. We are much less critical when it comes to these characters, especially since they tend to face much stranger and more difficult hardships than characters from "normal" fiction.
     I can't wait to see what's in store for our class these next few weeks. Fantasy is definitely one of the most emotionally stimulating genres out there.

Week 5: Witches

     I continue to be amazed by the dozens of different ways witches are characterized in modern literature and film nowadays. When beginning to read a book about witches or after flipping on the television to be greeted by a movie about witches, I never know what to expect. I feel as though many creatures and people who were previously considered to be monsters and villains years ago are being given a "second chance" by authors and directors today. From zombies, to vampires, to this week's theme - witches - audiences are slowly beginning to develop sympathy for these types of characters. Entertainers and writers are telling us that these figures are simply "misunderstood". Take the "Twilight" series, for example; since when were blood-sucking vampires a nice thing? Somehow the author of the books has managed to persuade her audiences into loving the characters, so much so that the Twilight series now has a major fanbase.
     The same is true of witches. These creatures have been evolving a lot over the years. Comparing the Wicked Witch of the West in "The Wizard of Oz", the teenage girl in "Sabrina the Teenage Witch", and the young witch in "Kiki's Delivery Service", it's easy to see how drastically different all three of these characters are.
     I've been following the television series "American Horror Story" for a while now. Season three followed a witch coven. When I first heard about the concept, I was a bit disappointed to be honest; I couldn't imagine the different ways the writers could mix up the character stereotypes in order to make the series interesting. It turns out that I was pleasantly surprised! Through each character, the writers revealed several different views on witches. Some were genuinely good, some were very evil, and others were just straight up crazy. Because of the many different takes on witches, the season stayed very interesting throughout its fourteen episodes.
     I also loved watching "Kiki's Delivery Service" during class. I haven't seen many of Miyazaki's films and this movie made me fall in love. I found it interesting how, as an audience, we found ourselves rooting for Kiki the witch rather than her human counterparts. In fact, at many points throughout the movie, Kiki appeared much more likable than the villagers. I also found it interesting that many of the main characters were women, demonstrating how feminine heroines are becoming more and more popular.

Week Four: The New Weird

     Seeing China Miéville's name under the recommended reading list for this week was quite a pleasant surprise. I first discovered the author about two years ago. I had just finished reading "The Book Thief" (one of my all time favorites) and was looking for something different this time, but equally rich in content. Somehow, I stumbled upon China's name. I spent a half an hour scrolling through his list of works and reading excerpts of each book one by one. I ended up choosing to read "Railsea".
    China Miéville's writing style caught my attention immediately. From the moment my eyes skimmed the first sentence, I was hooked. The way China describes settings and characters paints a realistic and detailed image before your eyes. I feel as though China could even cause self-proclaimed "unimaginative" readers to see beautiful visions of his stories. Another thing that I appreciate about China Miéville's works is the way he throws in little hints of style that most writers don't use, just to remind you that it's his book you're reading, such as the way he uses an ampersand instead of actually spelling out the word "and". Although this is a rather small and perhaps meaningless detail, it still contributes to the overall feel and style of Miéville's works.
     The book, "Railsea", was what inspired me to begin developing a unique and more descriptive writing style of my own. In fact, it was this single sentence that threw me into the world of descriptive writing: "He stared at little rock islands furred in huddled birds plumping their oily feathers & shuffling together for comfort & warmth". I don't know why, but for some reason, this is the sentence that made me think, "I want to write more beautifully". When asked what inspires me to write, I'll always answer with "the penguin sentence".
     I think this genre will slowly become more and more popular as the years go on. Through recent years, people have become obsessed with expressing themselves uniquely, whether that be through style of dress, visual art, music, or literature. In addition to this, people today tend to gravitate towards darker subjects rather than light, cheerful ones. The combination of these two things makes for a culture ready to embrace the concept of "The New Weird" and help it thrive.

Sunday, September 13, 2015

Week Three: Asian Horror: Vengeful Spirits

     Looking back at the different types of horror we've studied over the past three weeks, I think Asian horror is easily the scariest. Though the monster and vampire films we watched in class could get pretty spooky, this unit was the only one that's actually creeped me out thus far. Asian horror plays on something that frightens me: ghosts and spirits. Though I don't believe in ghosts, they still give me the creeps. Something about the mysterious, the unknown, something that cannot be easily explained is extremely unsettling. I've noticed that even back in the earlier days of filmmaking, Asian cinema played on the subtler side of scary, whereas western culture went all out. While the west was busy building giant, spooky castles filled with cobwebs and disfigured creatures (which just scream "WE'RE TRYING TO CREEP YOU OUT"), Asia played things cool and kept their stories just unsettling enough to get under your skin.
     In fact, while watching "Pulse" during class, I actually had the urge to turn away at certain points. Not because I was scared of monsters or gore (we can all handle a little blood and guts), but because the way the film was shot left the audience just waiting to be spooked. The director did an awesome job of keeping us in suspense. Sometimes he would build the tension and keep building it, but never give us a jump scare to release the suspense. This just made the few jump scares that did appear in the film, much much scarier. For example, the scene in which the main character is asleep and his computer powers on by itself and a pixelated image of a figure sitting with a bag over his head appears, leaves us sitting there thinking WHAT. Even the first film we viewed, "Kwaidan", gave us glimpses into the unsettling subtlety of Asian horror. Sometimes strange can be much scarier than scary. 
     Asian horror also had a slightly different view on good versus evil when compared to that of western cinema's. While western horror made it very clear who was good and who was evil, Asian horror left us wondering "is this person really evil or is it just the situation life has placed them in? Is this just the way they are?" For example, in "Kwaidan", we aren't really sure if the female spirit is evil or good. These questions are what keep the audience coming back for more.


Week Two: Vampire: Love and Pain

     I can still remember the first time I was introduced to vampires. My family sat huddled around the television in our living room one night once the trick or treaters had gone, watching some sort of black and white Halloween special. A man with slick black hair, fangs, and a cape slowly rose from a coffin and said "I vant to suck your blooooood" in some sort of funky Transylvanian accent. It didn't faze me then as a four-year-old, nor does it faze me now. I've never truly understood why vampires are considered to be within the horror genre. This could be due to how the interests of the modern audience evolve. Though the vision of a bloodsucking vampire may have spooked audiences then, it barely affects people now. I've never met anybody with a fear of vampires. Though these creatures may not horrify modern day audiences, people's interest in vampires has peaked.
     Vampires have seemed to change drastically as the years have gone by. When vampires first came to light, they seemed to be nothing more than bloodsucking monsters. It was difficult for audiences to sympathize with these characters since they seemed to have no emotion besides bloodlust. As years have passed though, writers and filmmakers have decided to view vampires from a new angle; they want us to love them and empathize with them . . . almost pity them in a way. Vampires have transformed from monsters into people who were born this way and can't help it; it's not their fault that they were born with a hunger for blood. This empathy has gone so far that it's gotten to the point of strange fetishes. I can't tell you the number of teenage girls I've encountered who rave about wishing they had a vampire boyfriend. While at work, I overhear plenty of conversations about this subject matter. These discussions can range anywhere from the innocent middle schooler wishing Edward Cullen was in love with her, to things far more sexually explicit. Whoa.
     After "Twilight" became wildly popular, everything seemed to become vampire themed. From t-shirts, to books, to television shows, to movies, I couldn't go anywhere without coming face to face with a pair of fangs or a pale, smoldering teenage boy with swoopy hair. Frankly, I'm glad the age of the vampire is coming to an end . . . it was really beginning to suck the life out of me :)



Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Week One: Frankenstein

I didn’t grow up watching horror movies, nor did I really develop an interest in exploring the genre until just recently (about two or three years ago). With a younger sister in the house, the scary movies were few and far between; Harry Potter was as spooky as it got. Though I’m no expert when it comes to Gothicism, I have most definitely seen enough to recognize the clichés sprinkled throughout each film. In fact, before even taking this class, I had begun to grow tired of the reoccurring elements that we find in horror films time and time again. Once you begin to recognize the commonalities in the gothic genre, your reactions to the “scary stuff” goes from this:


to this: 




As we discussed in class, every horror movie seems to have a similar plot. While the classic black and white horror films rely on monsters, mad scientists, and castles full of cobwebs to spook their audiences, modern movies seem to rely purely on jump scares and attractive actors screaming. Though separate in scaring tactics, all horror movies seem to feature a common thing to some degree: a gothic heroine.

Even if this heroine appears to be nothing but a ditzy damsel in distress at first glance, eventually she begins to think and fight for herself and others. As women became more well read, they began to feel the need for a heroine that they could relate to, someone they could root for. In fact, Gothicism may very well be the main reason why we see so many female heroines today. You see, in horror films, women are forced to stand up for themselves; it’s life or death. In other genres such as fantasy or science fiction, the need for self-protection may not be there. On the other hand, in horror movies, everyone (including the damsels) tend to end up being forced to fend for him or herself. Thus, the gothic heroine was born.


This feminine hero has grown more and more common as the years have passed. With the rise of feminism in this day and age, the ratio of female protagonists almost seems to outweigh the number of male protagonists. Such characters include Tris from the “Divergent” series, Katniss from “The Hunger Games”, and – although she’s not the lead character – Hermione becomes quite the heroine in the “Harry Potter” series. These female protagonists can thank the gothic heroine for their rise to fame.