because you were all wondering what I'm writing my dissertation on, here's a brief synopsis of my 'research context': When James Macpherson published his Fragments of Ancient Poetry in 1760, he went to great lengths to make the Fragments appear to be authentic remains of an ancient, heroic oral tradition. His reasons for this were largely political, and as such, influenced the content of the epics themselves. As an attempt to establish a particularly Scottish identity, the poems were quite effective. However, to do so required both a simplification and a manipulation of traditional mythology. Stripped of anagogical significance, the Ossian epics more or less represented an Enlightenment version of history, tradition, and mythic heritage. The stories themselves were changed by their very purpose and in turn changed the manner of representing myth in future narratives. Moreover, the emphasis on the Ossian epics as authentic tales from the past, as ‘fragments,’ served...
I read this and had to remind myself to breathe. You are meant to write and think and teach brilliant people (if there are any left.) Are you a mystic? Are you really mine? Actually, you never were. You have always belonged to another place and time. I think you have always had higher thoughts because you dwell in a space above us where you see differently. I sense you floating up there, yet somehow attached to the couch. Thanks for stretching my thinking. Brilliant. (barnes and noble really has no idea who is shelving books in their children's department...)
ReplyDeleteI want to know who the anonymous person is (above).
ReplyDeleteReveal thyself! And perhaps I will return the favor.
kathryn, it's my mother. :)
ReplyDeleteer... unless you're not kathryn. emily?
ReplyDeleteDude, I saw this the day after you said to. And its stupendous. :)
ReplyDeleteI stuck around after to see the credits and the Unit Production Manager was Jennifer Wynne, who I think I know as Jennifer Wynne-Farmer, the director/script supervisor chick I met at SFI. Awesome! I e-mailed her about it but I haven't heard back yet. :(
If you could work with her on similar projects in the future, I would eat up your life like a cheesecake.
ReplyDelete