tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193874178413560524.post39089791969937384..comments2013-01-28T11:00:50.935-08:00Comments on Never a letter, always an ambiguous hieroglyph...: Loving Slumdog. From afar.-n.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12075888663853544054noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193874178413560524.post-73146248954797876752009-02-20T08:56:00.000-08:002009-02-20T08:56:00.000-08:00I believe you're right, about the fact that not on...I believe you're right, about the fact that not only literature, but art in general, has always made a living out of romanticizing poverty and suffering. The image of Balzac is a favourite of mine, as is, in a very different way, Van Gogh, towards the end of his life (which was most productive artistically), sitting in his room in the asylum, looking out at the stars. <BR/><BR/>There must be several reasons why this appeals to human nature, I can think of two up front. Firstly, I think it lends a sense or heroicism that is missing from our lives on an everyday basis. Even in my relatively privileged setting, I find it so difficult to be able to churn out a piece of work, even if mediocre. And then when I think of, well, Balzac, I see a heroism there that is inspirational. <BR/>Secondly - and this is where the problem lies, because this happens mostly with narratives of the Third World - there is a process of distancing oneself from such narratives which allows us to define ourselves in opposition to this Other that we're watching on screen/reading about in a book. While again this is a part of how I think human nature works, I believe this is a problem because it makes us place ourselves outside the circle so as to not be contaminated by it, and then speak with authority about what goes on within it. Isn't it?-n.https://www.blogger.com/profile/12075888663853544054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193874178413560524.post-39977758775209310722009-02-08T19:20:00.000-08:002009-02-08T19:20:00.000-08:00Yay..!!! Thank you for speaking the truth..! But w...Yay..!!! Thank you for speaking the truth..! <BR/><BR/>But wait, actually, hasn't literature always done this? Romanticized poverty and suffering?<BR/> <BR/>Yes, it has. Think of Balzac shivering in his attic, writing poetry and prose, with his candle, his bread and his wine. And then he writes great words, and so lifts himself into the realm of the worshiped, the heavenly. Think of Cinderella and her happy end (don't laugh, she's a major archetype; eg., _Memoirs of a Geisha_). I could go on and on and on... <BR/><BR/>I think there is something larger and deeper here, and that is, _what_ is it in us that draws us to revel in the beauty of suffering, and _why_? <BR/><BR/>Because I will admit, I have been drawn to this very notion of suffering, with the condition that it be at a beautiful remove, since I was a little girl. Hans Christian Andersen, the Brothers Grimm, etc. These things must speak to some primal instinct, or their appeal would not be so enduring.boshnesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07904062477713634910noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193874178413560524.post-12237462900410109842009-01-01T12:25:00.000-08:002009-01-01T12:25:00.000-08:00an update!! wah wah.an update!! wah wah.Australopithecushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10644009333086190964noreply@blogger.com