Morton's theory of "beautiful soul syndrome" and his readings of ecological literature encourage us to embrace melancholy so that we can accept responMorton's theory of "beautiful soul syndrome" and his readings of ecological literature encourage us to embrace melancholy so that we can accept responsibility without regard to fault.
I applied dark ecology to my reading of Trouble on Triton by Sam Delany to elucidate the six elements of ambient poetics (rendering,tone, medial, aeolian, timbral, and the re-mark) essential to ecomimesis. Morton uses the word ecomimesis to describe nature writing, implying mimicry and Plato’s idea of the poet’s divine madness. Ecomimesis evokes a pervasive quietness (like a hush) that authenticates an atmosphere. The result of ecomimesis is a shared ambience called “nature�.
Instead of exclusive categories, these are intentionally vague and overlapping. As I went about identifying exemplars of these elements from Trouble on Triton, the ambivalence between categories revealed varying layers of significance and emphasized the foregrounding-backgrounding function.
Giorgio Agamben examines the place of art in the modern world and how it has evolved and changed through history. He asks if there is something about Giorgio Agamben examines the place of art in the modern world and how it has evolved and changed through history. He asks if there is something about the essence of art that is changing or has changed? When Plato said he would banish poetry from his city he was referring to something very different from what poetry and art mean to us today.
Why is it that as artists and writers we often find ourselves on the “other side� of art from our audience? Agamben argues that there is a split in art between the artist and the spectator, as well as between what we call genius and taste. This split in art has created a “self-annihilating nothing� of art. Agamben carefully considers Kant, Nietzsche, Hegel, Heidegger, and others to find out what art is today and how it has changed. He’s discussion of the ancient Greek terms of poiesis and praxis is very clear thinking that gets at the implications of creating or producing art, as well as the modern term work.
This is the story of a Dominican family that moves New Jersey and the fukú that follows them here. A fukú is a curse, passed down not just from generaThis is the story of a Dominican family that moves New Jersey and the fukú that follows them here. A fukú is a curse, passed down not just from generation to generation but from nation to nation. Diaz explains (in one of the novel’s many footnotes) how a fukú is responsible for the US’s war in Vietnam. It is also the story of Yunior, that narrator, trying to love.
There’s so much too this novel. It works in many different ways. One aspect which I particularly enjoyed was Diaz’s use of language.
There’s plenty of “colorful� Spanish phrases peppered throughout. I don’t understand Spanish and so most of those I didn’t get, but I could guess at the meaning based on context. And that seems to be intentional on the author’s part. We live in a diverse world and no one can totally understand everything, all the time. The main characters in this novel must learn how to function in a world they don’t completely understand. And Diaz invites the reader into the same experience.
But what if you can understand Spanish and are familiar with Dominican culture? Don’t worry, Diaz also saturates the text in “geek� language so that even the literary Spanish speakers will be able to enjoy the reading experience. He starts with a quote from Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. The books hero, Oscar, wants to be the “Dominican J. R. R. Tolkien�. Diaz himself is a comic book fan. He even name drops Gary Gygax!
It isn’t without a certain geek pride that I can say I “got� almost every single reference (which only adds to my appreciation of where I’m “in� and where I’m “out�).
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