Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Today's quote that brought me joy:
"Mama! See the Negro! I'm frightened!"
- Franz Fanon, Black Skin, White Masks
Not only is this hilarious (out of context, anyway), but it's totally appropriate for the CowardlyAcademe, it's starting to more and more be an accurate representation of how I'm interacting with the world of literature.
"Mama! See the Imagist poet! I'm frightened!"
- Franz Fanon, Black Skin, White Masks
Not only is this hilarious (out of context, anyway), but it's totally appropriate for the CowardlyAcademe, it's starting to more and more be an accurate representation of how I'm interacting with the world of literature.
"Mama! See the Imagist poet! I'm frightened!"
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Prelims are coming, and they are very hungry.
So, prelims. Preliminary exams. Preliminundo. Prelude to terror.
So the deal is here that you get a list of about 150 “items” that you have to read, which you will then be tested on over the course of two days. Now, one “item” can be one novel, say, oh, A Clockwork Orange. Everybody loves A Clockwork Orange. I love A Clockwork Orange. It’s like 200 pages long, nice clear message, okay, so the language can be a bit of a struggle when you’re starting but really it’s not bad. Fine. However, one “item” can also be three novels totaling about 800 pages and written off and on in a stream-of-consciousness fashion. And they do not care for your tears.
I know it seems like quite a price to pay for cowardice, but I still say it’s easier than making some kind of human or professional commitment. So the exam is in August, and I have a couple of months to stagger under the weight of some of the Great Minds of the 20th Goddamn Century. Fortunately, the Great Minds sometimes Fuck Up or are Unintentionally Hilarious.
Today, I got this little gem:
“The love-region is excited by the appearance or beauty of the loved one.”
- HD, Notes on Thought & Vision
Shit, HD, thanks. I was wondering what that tingling in my loins was and now I know. I was afraid it was a rash.
You don’t even want to know what’s after that. It includes things like “womb-brain” and drunk moths.
So the deal is here that you get a list of about 150 “items” that you have to read, which you will then be tested on over the course of two days. Now, one “item” can be one novel, say, oh, A Clockwork Orange. Everybody loves A Clockwork Orange. I love A Clockwork Orange. It’s like 200 pages long, nice clear message, okay, so the language can be a bit of a struggle when you’re starting but really it’s not bad. Fine. However, one “item” can also be three novels totaling about 800 pages and written off and on in a stream-of-consciousness fashion. And they do not care for your tears.
I know it seems like quite a price to pay for cowardice, but I still say it’s easier than making some kind of human or professional commitment. So the exam is in August, and I have a couple of months to stagger under the weight of some of the Great Minds of the 20th Goddamn Century. Fortunately, the Great Minds sometimes Fuck Up or are Unintentionally Hilarious.
Today, I got this little gem:
“The love-region is excited by the appearance or beauty of the loved one.”
- HD, Notes on Thought & Vision
Shit, HD, thanks. I was wondering what that tingling in my loins was and now I know. I was afraid it was a rash.
You don’t even want to know what’s after that. It includes things like “womb-brain” and drunk moths.
