Some things I thought while reading the Grammar article by Hartwell:
1.) People have been arguing that "they're not teaching grammar in
schools!" since the 1950s? Someone needs to tell that to my 10th grade
English teacher, Ms. Chassin. We even diagrammed sentences, for God's sake.
2.) There seems to be an enormous white elephant in the room throughout
Hartwell's article (and Marijel alluded to this as well...). It seems to
me that the article ignores the fact of how schools have evolved (or
devolved) into developing every single student for "college readiness"
vs. career readiness. Of course the literacy levels and grammar levels
will go down, as more and more students are forced into molds for which
they may never fit and/or qualify.
3.) Additionally, I think it's worth noting that Microsoft Word (and
other typing programs) all underline any potential mistakes students
make so that they immediately question themselves and their writing.
That sort of forced metacognition might be more helpful than any
lectures I can give on grammar. Damn it.
4.) Sentence fragments are fragments only if you aren't "hyperliterate"
enough to recognize it as a purposeful fragment.
5.) I just wish my students would read their papers out loud--and I
think that's part of Hartwell's point. We recognize proper grammar in
speech, largely, as Hartwell asserts. It makes me wonder how much my
English learner students actually learn just through talking to me vs.
what I try to teach them.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Sunday, October 25, 2009
On the Sublime and Sonic Youth
Longinus, in his “On the Sublime,” sets up basic criteria for examining the sublimity of ancient Greek writings. His criteria includes: confidence in speaking (which is presumed), strong and inspired emotion, certain kinds of figures (which I interpret to mean metaphors), noble diction and, finally, dignified and elevated word arrangement (Longinus, 350). Applied to contemporary studies of the aesthetic merit of popular music, the majority of these criteria hold true. However, this criterion lacks three important notions regarding the sublimity of contemporary music. The first posits that music, as well as any notable artistic pieces, cannot reach the level of the sublime without achieving some form of historical notoriety or import through some form of political motivations behind the music (the music, after all, must be remembered). These political motivations do not need to enter into the governmental realm; social or cultural politics may prove to be more important to the discussion of sublimity in music. Secondly, a musical artist must show some form of mutability or growth from album to album in order to qualify for the contemporary sublime. Lastly, and most importantly, the music considered must challenge either existing notions of what music “is” or challenge inexperienced ears and take them to another realm of understanding of what music can be. As such, this is not a study of one-hit wonders or a single album. It is a discussion of the sustainability of artistry over time. That is not to say that a one-hit wonder or a hipster delight cannot reach sublimity for a single document. That is simply not the ideal, and thereby not wholly sublime.For this study, I chose the band Sonic Youth to serve as the vanguard of music for a number of reasons. The first emerged as I thought about what band had the most difficult music to access in contrast with their popularity. (In fact, when I first attempted to listen to them, I did not have the musical grammar yet established to understand what they were doing. Their music alienated me because of this.) The second reason I chose Sonic Youth is because of their intimate ties to the visual art world and composers such as Glenn Branca. Thirdly, Sonic Youth essentially has become a historical document, releasing albums consistently from 1982 to the present (16 proper studio albums in total). Lastly, I chose Sonic Youth because they, like their heroes The Beatles before them, transform and mutate with each album—even occasionally dabbling in “noise” compositions versus pop music. As the band does have 16 proper releases, most of them deserving of their own discussion, I’ve chosen to discuss three of the band’s landmark albums as evidence of their sublimity. These albums, "Daydream Nation,"(to be determined)and "Rather Ripped," each represent certain epochs within the Sonic Youth canon, as described not only by me, but by other rock music critics.
For evidence, I’ve chosen a number of texts to aide my discussion, including pieces on poetry by the likes of Matthew Arnold, pieces on the question of “What is Art?,” a historical documentation of Sonic Youth by noted music journalist Michael Azerrad and contemporary critical discussions of Sonic Youth’s music by online journalists. Through these, I hope to prove the following:
• Sonic Youth’s music is a form of art worthy of this discussion.
• Sonic Youth’s music can set out a template for the contemporary sublime vis a vis music.
• A good majority of Longinus’s basic structure for the sublime still holds true.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Annotated Bibliography
Arnold, Matthew. “The Study of Poetry.” Criticism: Major Statements. 4th ed. Ed. Charles
Kaplan and William Davis Anderson. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2000. 333-353. Print. In this essay, Arnold writes a defense of poetry. It responds to previous works by Shelley and Sidney, and as such gives a closer to contemporary look at the import of poetry relevant to my discussion. Most important to my study is his argument that poetry has taken the place of religion in his society. I plan to use his argument to bolster my discussion of the sublimity of Sonic Youth’s music—in essence arguing that their music can function as a “religious” experience.
Azerrad, Michael. Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground
1981-1991. New York: Little, Brown and Co., 2001. Print. This book tells the story of 13 bands from the 1980s, including Sonic Youth. The book details the band’s respective histories while tying them into cultural and artistic movements of the eras in which they first started making music. The author, Michael Azerrad, is a noted music journalist as well as a music critic. I chose this book because it not only discusses Sonic Youth, the band I’m writing about, but also because it discusses them critically. The book presents the band as an artifact, which can be proven as a sublime entity.
Longinus. “On the Sublime.” Criticism: Major Statements. 4th ed. Ed. Charles Kaplan and
William Davis Anderson. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2000. 47-83. Print. In this writing, Longinus sets up criteria for what can be considered sublime. This will probably be the integral text to my discussion as I will use his criteria as a basis for my own discussion of the sublime.
Pitchfork. Ryan Schrieber, 1995. Web. 24 October 2009. This music Web site functions as a
tastemaker site for many contemporary music fans, otherwise known as hipsters. They update daily with highly academic and controversial album reviews and interviews. I plan to use the Web site and their opinions of Sonic Youth’s music to show what contemporary music critics think of their music and their place in history. Additionally, I plan on engaging in some form of dialogue with these critics.
Tolstoy, Leo. “What is art?” Criticism: Major Statements. 4th ed. Ed. Charles Kaplan and
William Davis Anderson. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2000. 382-393. Print. In this article, Tolstoy firmly asserts that good art must be an instrument of progress and change. I’m using this text to help set up a criteria for which to judge the progressiveness and change agency presented to the world by Sonic Youth’s music. Further, I hope incorporate the ideas of progressiveness and change into my own definition of the Sublime, building on Longinus’s definition.
Kaplan and William Davis Anderson. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2000. 333-353. Print. In this essay, Arnold writes a defense of poetry. It responds to previous works by Shelley and Sidney, and as such gives a closer to contemporary look at the import of poetry relevant to my discussion. Most important to my study is his argument that poetry has taken the place of religion in his society. I plan to use his argument to bolster my discussion of the sublimity of Sonic Youth’s music—in essence arguing that their music can function as a “religious” experience.
Azerrad, Michael. Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground
1981-1991. New York: Little, Brown and Co., 2001. Print. This book tells the story of 13 bands from the 1980s, including Sonic Youth. The book details the band’s respective histories while tying them into cultural and artistic movements of the eras in which they first started making music. The author, Michael Azerrad, is a noted music journalist as well as a music critic. I chose this book because it not only discusses Sonic Youth, the band I’m writing about, but also because it discusses them critically. The book presents the band as an artifact, which can be proven as a sublime entity.
Longinus. “On the Sublime.” Criticism: Major Statements. 4th ed. Ed. Charles Kaplan and
William Davis Anderson. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2000. 47-83. Print. In this writing, Longinus sets up criteria for what can be considered sublime. This will probably be the integral text to my discussion as I will use his criteria as a basis for my own discussion of the sublime.
Pitchfork. Ryan Schrieber, 1995. Web. 24 October 2009. This music Web site functions as a
tastemaker site for many contemporary music fans, otherwise known as hipsters. They update daily with highly academic and controversial album reviews and interviews. I plan to use the Web site and their opinions of Sonic Youth’s music to show what contemporary music critics think of their music and their place in history. Additionally, I plan on engaging in some form of dialogue with these critics.
Tolstoy, Leo. “What is art?” Criticism: Major Statements. 4th ed. Ed. Charles Kaplan and
William Davis Anderson. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2000. 382-393. Print. In this article, Tolstoy firmly asserts that good art must be an instrument of progress and change. I’m using this text to help set up a criteria for which to judge the progressiveness and change agency presented to the world by Sonic Youth’s music. Further, I hope incorporate the ideas of progressiveness and change into my own definition of the Sublime, building on Longinus’s definition.
on the sublime
I'm considering writing my seminar paper on the contemporary Sublime, basing my assertions about the Sublime on Longinus's writings. A few days ago I posted some songs that I feel fit my contemporary notions of the Sublime.
Unfortunately, what I really wanted to post--a video by Sonic Youth--was blocked from embedding. To me, they embody the contemporary Sublime, which I plan on arguing encompasses the Longinus "rules," but also incorporate political implications as well as aesthetic.
Unfortunately, what I really wanted to post--a video by Sonic Youth--was blocked from embedding. To me, they embody the contemporary Sublime, which I plan on arguing encompasses the Longinus "rules," but also incorporate political implications as well as aesthetic.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
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