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Metaphor
From Spelling a poem by Margaret Atwood, found in The Norton Anthology of Literature by Women
"At the point where language falls away
from the hot bones, at the point
where the rock breaks open and darkness
flows out of it like blood, at
the melting point of granite
when the bones know
they are hollow & the word
splits & doubles & speaks
the truth & the body
itself becomes a mouth
This is metaphor."
(Highly recommend the rest of the poem but am reluctant to post it because doing so is an infringment of copyright law and I should know better. ; -) )
Been watching Farscape today - up to episode 3.2. And metaphor runs rampant in this brilliant dark fantasy/sci-fi epic. One episode discusses point of view in a new way - oh the bare bones of the tale was familar, but how they dealt with pov was different - if anything it reinforced what I saw in other series, such as BTVS. The plot was simple and fairly well known: a crime happened, each person was interviewed, each saw it a different way. What was different was the visuals - in this episode it made it clear that each time we were in a new pov, that person saw themselves as the leader, the star, the lead role. They stood front and center. They were the hero. In their head. The lovely thing about Farscape though, is we get to jump into more than one head. Most shows just let us stay in one. I like livejournal for the same reason I think - I get to jump into other people's heads and see what the world looks like through their eyes.
The series also does a really dark twist on A Clockwork Orange and mind-control. The best part about this - is how it delves into the concept of
duality or the dark impulses inside people. Which voice do we listen to inside us? Yes, Whedon played with the same concept, but Farscape takes it a step further than Whedon did, it's much darker, possibly because Farscape had more free reign? Reminded me of a new self-help book I'd heard reviewed on NY1 entitled Traveling Hopefully. Not overly fond of self-help books to be honest - but the concept the writer proposed was interesting. She states that we each have different voices in our heads that we listen to, and if we think about it, we spend most of our time speaking to ourselves, we choose which voice to listen to and that in many ways governs how we deal with our lives. In the episodes Lies, Guns, and Money through Season of Death on Farscape - John Crichton found himself literally at war with the voices in his head - which to choose. It was not unlike Spike in S7 BTVS with the First Evil/his demon, or for that matter Angel with his alter-ego Angelus. In each case the alter-ego is clearly not the hero, and yet he/it is, and they have to find a way to come to terms with it. The metaphor used in each case - is the negative self is a demon or arch-nemesis, something the hero wishes to destroy.
While it ironically saves the hero on several occassions, it at the same time is at constant war with the hero and wishes to take over or get out of him.
In each case - the hero resolves the issue the same way - he locks his demon up inside him. Chooses not to listen to it.
Books: Finished a short novel called "Like Water for Chocolat" which was the start of the 'Food Fiction' genre. Published in the '80s by Laura Esquirel.
It's a mixture of magic, home remedies, and recipes and story. I got for the recipes to be honest and my book club selected it. Quick read. Currently reading and almost done Bel Canto by Ann Patchett - about an opera singer and a bunch of dignitaries held hostage by terrorists in a small South American country. Very odd book - about music, love, chess, and not terrorism.
Hoping to start Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell soon - read twenty pages, but haven't had time to read more.
"At the point where language falls away
from the hot bones, at the point
where the rock breaks open and darkness
flows out of it like blood, at
the melting point of granite
when the bones know
they are hollow & the word
splits & doubles & speaks
the truth & the body
itself becomes a mouth
This is metaphor."
(Highly recommend the rest of the poem but am reluctant to post it because doing so is an infringment of copyright law and I should know better. ; -) )
Been watching Farscape today - up to episode 3.2. And metaphor runs rampant in this brilliant dark fantasy/sci-fi epic. One episode discusses point of view in a new way - oh the bare bones of the tale was familar, but how they dealt with pov was different - if anything it reinforced what I saw in other series, such as BTVS. The plot was simple and fairly well known: a crime happened, each person was interviewed, each saw it a different way. What was different was the visuals - in this episode it made it clear that each time we were in a new pov, that person saw themselves as the leader, the star, the lead role. They stood front and center. They were the hero. In their head. The lovely thing about Farscape though, is we get to jump into more than one head. Most shows just let us stay in one. I like livejournal for the same reason I think - I get to jump into other people's heads and see what the world looks like through their eyes.
The series also does a really dark twist on A Clockwork Orange and mind-control. The best part about this - is how it delves into the concept of
duality or the dark impulses inside people. Which voice do we listen to inside us? Yes, Whedon played with the same concept, but Farscape takes it a step further than Whedon did, it's much darker, possibly because Farscape had more free reign? Reminded me of a new self-help book I'd heard reviewed on NY1 entitled Traveling Hopefully. Not overly fond of self-help books to be honest - but the concept the writer proposed was interesting. She states that we each have different voices in our heads that we listen to, and if we think about it, we spend most of our time speaking to ourselves, we choose which voice to listen to and that in many ways governs how we deal with our lives. In the episodes Lies, Guns, and Money through Season of Death on Farscape - John Crichton found himself literally at war with the voices in his head - which to choose. It was not unlike Spike in S7 BTVS with the First Evil/his demon, or for that matter Angel with his alter-ego Angelus. In each case the alter-ego is clearly not the hero, and yet he/it is, and they have to find a way to come to terms with it. The metaphor used in each case - is the negative self is a demon or arch-nemesis, something the hero wishes to destroy.
While it ironically saves the hero on several occassions, it at the same time is at constant war with the hero and wishes to take over or get out of him.
In each case - the hero resolves the issue the same way - he locks his demon up inside him. Chooses not to listen to it.
Books: Finished a short novel called "Like Water for Chocolat" which was the start of the 'Food Fiction' genre. Published in the '80s by Laura Esquirel.
It's a mixture of magic, home remedies, and recipes and story. I got for the recipes to be honest and my book club selected it. Quick read. Currently reading and almost done Bel Canto by Ann Patchett - about an opera singer and a bunch of dignitaries held hostage by terrorists in a small South American country. Very odd book - about music, love, chess, and not terrorism.
Hoping to start Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell soon - read twenty pages, but haven't had time to read more.