And then there was snow!

This morning the snow began! From now on, school bags will be added to winter jackets, boots, and lots of layers, Christmas decorations may have to trump Halloween and thoughts of waking up to cinnamon buns are starting to fill my head.
Oh, does this mean that Starbucks is going to bring back the dark cherry mocha? What better way to enjoy an article on French feminism than with a big mug of dark cherry mocha!

But seriously... what a week coming up! Last week to work on my play plus the last week to come up with my outlines for two huge papers, one of which is my thesis proposal. It's going to need hard work, dedication, will power, and maybe some baths! Wish me luck.

...and also do this... by next week.

So, here I am stressing out about my life on a daily basis because of all the work that I have to do. Hour long presentations, essays, 40 page minimum new play written in 12 days, dramaturge a new piece for a play festival, meet with the artistic director of a pretty happening theatre company and a playwright to help them dramaturge a new piece, and let's not forget all that critical theory, the 8 separate articles for each week that I have to do subsequent readings for because I can't make heads or tails out of any of them. Now, I have a teacher who... well, let's just say has done very well for himself in the writing community and who is also rather older than most people should be when they teach a class. Here was my Tuesday morning at 9 am (without coffee, because he doesn't allow food or drink in the classroom - the school does, you can have a buffet in that room if you want as far as the school is concerned).
I want you to:
1) make a production book for both of the plays we've just read - with a bio of the author, your comments on the play, read other plays by the same author, find a painter that has the same feel as the piece, come up with a design idea and include your artwork for the set and costumes - use watercolours, if you don't have some go buy some - find actors you think would be good for the parts, find a composer whose music would work with the play. So, have that to me by next week.
2) We are going to put on a production of this play. You can memorize this in a couple weeks right? And you (me) will direct it.
3) And how are those 3 act plays coming? (to which we all replied that he decided to not have us write a 3 act play because it would be impossible for us to get it in - to which he replied he was still on the fence about that)
This being said, he also completely forgot about another assignment he gave us and this Tuesday told us not to do it. Which means, I'm really not sure how much of all this I should actually start, will it all be retracted next week?
He is, however, a clearly brilliant man with impossible large dreams for us all.

Coming Up This Week

Well, this weekend has been a bit stressful preparing a presentation on Derrida and his extremely ridiculous theories. I am looking forward to Tuesday evening, after the presentation, after the long and bizarre writing class and 6 hours of continuous class. Then I'm on to writing, reading and peer reviewing papers for my Friday class and hopefully getting some serious writing done on this play (first draft - 40 pg. min. - due in about 2 weeks!). I hope that this week will allow me a bit of relaxing once the stressful Tuesday passes by and I can actually feel the freedom to focus my attention on my other classes and work, mainly writing that play! Fringe applications are coming up too!

Tuesday night may need to involve a long, steamy bubble bath and a movie break!

Critical Theory 2 - The Bumbling Student 2

"Critical Theory Today: The User Friendly Guide" by Lois Tyson.

All I can say Lois Tyson is, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!

The most helpful book in the world. Derrida, Deconstruction, Differance (with an A!) no problem! 

Not only does this book explain things clearly, but it gives both very simple examples (colours of the rainbow) and also very complex examples (deconstructing "The Great Gatsby"). So before you get to Fitzgerald you understand the concept with colours first. It's so much easier to deconstruct Gatsby when I understand how to deconstruct the colour red. - Red is red because we know it's not blue or green or yellow or any other colour, because we know what it's not we know what it is, this is the difference, the delay in our understanding of the colour red as we process in our mind all the colours it is not, is the deferment of understanding. Combine those two process and you get Differance (with an A!). Then think of all the concepts that red makes you think of (blood, stop, revenge, etc) and that is part of the never ending meaning that the colour red can have. The binary opposites (red compared to green for example) can show the ideology of the text by showing which one is privileged. With the simple concepts of red and green as stop and go, if red is given more importance in a text than the act of stopping, halting, hesitating is the dominant ideology. 

Now, apply that to Gatsby, a play, Marxist theory, etc. and you are doing very complex deconstruction!!! Piece of cake! 

???

Critical Theory 2 - The Bumbling Student 1

HEY!! Finally had a good critical theory class! I understood it... for the most part and actually enjoyed the class!

What the present???

I found this one sentence particularly troubling and a perfect example of what it is that I am supposed to understand.

"We can expose only what, at a certain moment, can become present, manifest; what can be shown, presented as a present, a being-present in its truth, the truth of a present of the presence of a present." (Derrida)

Yup, that's seven (7!!!) times he uses the word 'present' and the vastly different 'presence' in one sentence! I won't even begin to quote the way he tries to describe the difference of the terms 'difference' and 'differance' by using only derivatives of the word 'difference'.

Critical Theory 2 - The Bumbling Student 0

Well Marxism, I thought I had you. Turns out I didn't. Gosh darn it, how do I beat you critical theory?

It's About Time...!

Last night I finally got to read a play! The first and only that I have to read for this term as a drama graduate student. Let me tell you, it was so refreshing to read dialogue and not a long over winded monologue by some French philosopher who has a theory on a theory which in itself is a theory on a theory.And to top it off, it's a play I don't think I've ever read, Uncle Vanya by Chekov!! I know I've  read his other plays, but not that one. It's just so lovely.

And... I finally got to read some critical theory that made sense. Thank goodness for Marx!

Marxism and me, we'll be friends for the next few weeks!