Happy New Year, and thanks for visiting Much Madness is Divinest Sense.
Author Archive
I’m trying to decide whether or not to go with a bolder template I found. It reminded me instantly of Madama Butterfly, my favorite opera (but it isn’t as though I have been to lots).
I have created a test page for you to look at. It has my blog and sidebar as they would appear. I realize I need to make some tweaky changes (like fixing the search button). I also ditched the calendar function, so if you use that, it might be gone if I decide to go with the template.
View the test template, then come back and tell me what you think.
Category: Blogging, MT/WP
6 Comments
Do you know what a blog carnival is? Basically, it is kind of blogging “community” focused on a particular interest. For example, I read and sometimes participate in an education blog carnival usually hosted by the Education Wonks. I really enjoy it, and it has helped me discover lots of education blogs.
I was thinking of hosting a carnival here. Casting about for ideas, I decided to host a carnival about literature/books. I think that makes sense, as this blog is mainly about what I’m reading. I have concocted this edition of the Literature Carnival myself. As the carnival grows, I will accept submissions from other bloggers. Submissions can be book reviews, writing about writing, writing about authors — as long as it’s all about books. This isn’t the same think as Bookslut’s blog, which links websites and news stories about books. This is a collection of links to blogs about books.
Carnival of Literature, First Edition
When I was recently reading Lolita, I commented to my husband that it was a really good book — the prose is beautiful in some places. Obviously Humbert Humbert is loathsome, and I don’t believe the reader is actually meant to sympathize with him. He is the classical example of the unreliable narrator. Still, my husband refuses to read it, remarking that it is nothing more than a book about a pederast. Which begs the question — should one read an “immoral” book? Bookish answers.
Speaking of Lolita, Stephen Metcalf ponders whether or not it’s still shocking (OK, maybe Slate isn’t exactly a blog).
Booklust has some gorgeous images from a book of postcards entitled For the Love of Libraries: Photographs and Anecdotes. I like the one of the lovers in the stacks. Booklust’s quote from Larry Rubin is apt: “They kiss in cubicles; for all we know they breed down there in the twelfth century.” Perhaps I reveal too much about myself…
Until now, the publishing industry has been centered around authors. Jane Friedman envisions a future when it is centered around publishing companies. “Ms. Friedman made the comment last summer that she envisions a time when authors are secondary to the brand name imprint, that future book buyers will want to buy a book because Harper Collins is the publisher.” Booksquare examines the issue.
Chekhov’s Mistress considers collecting first edition books and gives some advice on how to find and care for rare books.
Syntax of Things discusses underrated writers. Perhaps you’d like to send along a submission?
Michelle Richmond has some advice for creative writers at Sans Serif.
Ghost Word ponders giving books for gifts. What are you giving? Recommendations?
Bill Benzon, guest writer for The Valve considers whether it’s necessary to read deeper than the surface level of texts. Makes me think of the old saw that English class kills our appreciation for literature.
That’s it for the first Literature Carnival. Let’s make this a regular venture. If you are interested in sharing your posts about literature, e-mail me at dana @ huffenglish.com with the subject line “Carnival” and a link to the post in the text of your e-mail. The deadline is Friday, December 30 at 10:00 P.M. Feel free to submit logos, too.
Category: Blogging, Literature
4 Comments
Perhaps not as weighty a consideration as that of the famed Prince of Denmark… at any rate, I’ve decided not to trackback. That is, I have disabled trackbacks for my system. I will still trackback others’ sites when I link them, but on this end, allowing trackbacks has proved to be rather fruitless. First of all, most people who link me don’t trackback. That’s fine; I don’t really mind. Second, for some reason, my spam filter blocks anyone who tracksback with a Blogspot blog on Blogger, even legitimate trackbacks. Perhaps this is due to the large number of splogs on Blogger. Finally, of the countless trackbacks I’ve received, maybe five — website wide, not just for this blog — have been legitimate. Considering that in some form or another, parts of this website have been live for a year and a half, that’s not a stellar record. My spam filter manages to block or moderate all of the trackback spam, but I do have to spend a few minutes each day deleting trackback spam from my junk folder. Considering how few benefits I get out of it, I decided it simply wasn’t worth it to continue accepting trackbacks. I doubt it will inconvenience anyone, but I thought I’d annouce the change anyway.
Category: Blogging, IT, MT/WP
One Comment
If you didn’t catch the SNL video (like me), but wondered what all the folks at the water cooler (or in my case, students at lunch) were laughing about, never fear. You too can follow Andy Samberg and Chris Parnell on their quest to see The Chronic WHAT! cles of Narnia.
Hat tip to Jonathan Coulton.
Update: I mistakenly referred to Andy Samberg as “Adam.” Sorry for any confusion.
Category: This and That
2 Comments
I spent a large portion of my early afternoon on Nick Jr.’s website with Maggie and Dylan. If you have small children, I wanted to make you aware that there are several videos available at the site, including full episodes of Blue’s Clues. Click the “Play Now” button the the box labeled “Nick Jr. Playtime” for access to the high quality video; the videos on the individual show pages are often lower quality and don’t include links to the whole episodes, either. The screen is small — 5X4; my kids didn’t seem to care. There are, of course, lots of other things to do and see there, including games and stories. If you’re looking for things to do with your toddler or preschooler online, that’s a pretty good website to go to.
Also, in my travels on the web today, I became aware of something you bloggers who find commenting trolls tiresome might value: You Read It Right: Complete Blog Commenting Guidelines (via The Dawn Patrol). The creators invite bloggers to link to the guidelines, which are much more comprehensive than the guidelines I already had up, so I believe I’ll be replacing my rather weak attempt at thinking of everything with theirs. The only thing I might add is that if your comments are often longer than the entries upon which you comment, then you should consider getting your own blog — you obviously have a lot to say. Then again, I guess that should not be a hard and fast rule so much as a suggestion. I think these guidelines, similar to those of Read Me: A Blogger Disclaimer can help newbies to blogging (as well as some of the “oldbies”). I realize that introducing “standards of conduct” may seem galling to some, but those who are offended or don’t like it for some reason are free not to use it on their own blogs or not to comment or read the blogs of those who use them.
So those are my two PSA’s for today, most decidedly aimed, I suppose, at mommy bloggers.
I classified this as a rant, but as rants go, it’s not really that vehement. It’s more like old Andy Rooney’s, “You know what I don’t like?” Armchair psychoanalysis. I have been given a couple of doses of it recently by people who don’t know me all that well, nor do they know much about the situation they seek to advise me about. Even more interesting, however, has been the wealth of opinion on the subject of mandatory reporting of abuse over at Steve’s site. Heck, I understand what they’re trying to say, but most of them were looking at what they thought was best instead of what was actually legal. Sometimes, indeed, those two things aren’t the same. In this case, I’m not convinced that’s true, however. I just find it a bit alarming that so many people seem to think they have the ability to psychoanalyze others to the degree that they do. I suppose a site like Steve’s invites it. I guess I don’t wax controversial too much over here, and that’s fine with me.
Truth be told, my husband is one of the worst as far as armchair psychoanalysis goes. I think he’s aware of it, and I think he actually enjoys it. I don’t think it even bothers him so much when someone else does it to him. However, I admit to becoming if not angry, then certainly peeved when some schmoe who doesn’t know his or her ass from her armpit tells me what’s wrong with me and how I can fix it. There was a famous rabbi once who said, “physican, heal thyself.” If it’s annoying coming from Steve, then you can bet it’s incredibly irritating coming from a stranger. Especially a stranger who appears to be mentally unbalanced in his or her own right. I think the best thing a friend can do when someone close to them is going through something painful is to be there and listen. On the other hand, I think if you don’t really know the person all that well, perhaps you ought to bite your tongue — there are just so many layers to people, and you probably don’t have all the facts. No matter how much you think you know or want to help, you just wind up being a nuisance — sort of this “I know what your problem is, here’s what you need to do.” If done in the wrong way, I think it can be harmful, and I shouldn’t wonder if real mental health officials don’t get extremely upset over this issue.
Update: My fault for not being clear, but I had reasons. If you think this applies to you, ask me first before you assume.
Category: Rants
3 Comments
I do indeed think that the idea that our whole city might participate in a book club is really cool. Honest. But they chose the book that was on the bottom of my list! I really don’t want to read it. And despite what I said about participating no matter which book was chosen, I have decided I’m just going to read by myself. I saw October Sky, and I even liked it, but I really don’t want to read Rocket Boys right now. Rocket Boys? Out of the list of books, the city chose Rocket Boys? I’m still scratching my head over that one.
I have three more days until my vacations. I need a vacation. I’m so tired. Teaching the research paper stresses me out.
My car is doing that weird shift thing again. Of course it wasn’t fixed. I hoped.
Category: Literature
2 Comments
by Susan Vreeland
Inside my copy of Susan Vreeland’s Life Studies there is an inscription which reads, “Dana, Warmly, Susan Vreeland.” Nearly a year ago, I drove to the library in Decatur, which usually only takes about 30 minutes, but actually took an hour in the downpour and the dark. Susan Vreeland is an engaging reader. Perhaps that comes with 30 years of teaching high school English. I found myself wishing I’d been in her class. She must have been something.
I truly enjoyed Girl in Hyacinth Blue, which can also be viewed as a collection of short stories, except each story is about the same painting. The ownership of the painting is traced back from the present to its creation. To each owner it means something else, and each owner has his or her own story.
Life Studies is also about the stories behind art, but it is different from Girl in Hyacinth Blue. Clearly, Vreeland has a penchant for nineteenth century art, especially Impressionism. I read this book in pieces, picking up a story here and there over the course of the last year. I found something to enjoy in each, and I appreciated the fact that Vreeland put the art mentioned in the book up at her website. Each story is unique and has its charms. The first half of the book is devoted more to the actual artists. We learn of their lives either through them directly or through those they have touched — lovers, servants, neighbors, and children. The second half is devoted to ordinary people and their reactions to and affections for art.
Of the stories, I think my favorite was “In the Absence of Memory,” which was about the daughter of Amadeo Modigliani. I knew nothing of Modigliani before I read this story, but his story was very interesting. Of the stories, I shouldn’t wonder if this one was the one Vreeland researched the most, as I discovered Modigliani’s daughter Jeanne did indeed write Modigliani: Man and Myth (out of print), for which Vreeland expresses “gratitude” to Jeanne Modigliani’s “forthrightness.”
Second perhaps to “In the Absence Memory,” perhaps was “Crayon, 1955.” Vreeland states that it is semiautobiographical, and it reminded me a little bit of To Kill a Mockingbird. The young protagonist gets a chance to “walk around” in her neighbor’s “skin” when she is asked to take care of her plants while the intrepid neighbor is in Guatamala on an archaeological dig. What she learns fascinates her.
As a teacher, I enjoyed “At Least Five Hundred Words.” If you’ve ever been made to write a punitive essay or do lines, you’ll appreciate the humor and poignancy of that story. However, “Their Lady Tristeza,” which documents the miraculous appearance of a nude Virgin in the form of Matisse’s Nu Bleu on a classroom whiteboard fell flat for me. Something just didn’t quite gel.
I think art-lovers in particular would enjoy this book, but there is a little something for everyone to relate to in Life Studies; all of us have experienced loss, pain, wonder, joy, and curiosity, whether through art or just the art of living.
Category: Literature
One Comment
For those of you who like to wallow in depression during this cheery season, I bring you some of my favorite breakup songs. I hope you enjoy, and you can leave comments about the songs on this entry.
Category: Music
2 Comments
