"Twelfth Night" was a fun read and much easier to comprehend than "Fairy Queen." I found all of the "gender-bending" very interesting and relevant to what we see today. Transexuality, cross-dressing, homosexuality, etc. apparently have been around for a long time. Shakespeare though, handles all these topics in a somewhat light-hearted, comedic way. It lacks the graphic realism that we see today in stories with these themes, which is a good thing, (the lack thereof, that is). I would love to see this play enacted sometime, (or view the movie).
"Twelfth Night" reminds me of a movie from the 1980's, "Tootsie" with Dustin Hoffman and Jessica Lange. Dustin Hoffman's character is an unemployed actor who dresses up as woman to land a job on a soap opera. He falls in love with Jessica Lange's character, (also an actress on the show), and she finds herself falling in love with a "woman", causing her a great deal of distress. Olivia in Twelfth Night does not seem to be the least bit distressed that she was in love with a woman. I guess this is because she always thought Cesario was a man and then she moved right on over to Sebastian.
Anyway, "Tootsie" is also a very funny comedy, full of engaging characters and sub-plots; including some serious moments. I think William Shakespeare would have enjoyed this film; heck, he probably would have written it. Rent it sometime, it will make you laugh.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Monday, March 17, 2008
Topic and Bibliography
I have decided to do my research on St. Thomas More. As I said earlier while we were reading "Utopia", I have always been interested in Thomas More and his role in the history of the Catholic Church.
1. Stevens, Clifford. The One Year Book of Saints. Huntington, IN: Our Sunday Visitor Publishing, 1989.
This is one of the first biographies that I read about Thomas More and is a very brief summing up of his life.
His feast day, (the day he died), is June 22nd. The Catholic Church canonized him in 1935, 400 years after his death.
He was born in 1477 and as a young boy, was recognized as having a great intellect and being of fine character.
2. Bausch, William. The Pilgrim Church. Mystic, CT: Twenty-Third Publications, 1989.
In 1534, Henry VIII transferred all rights from the pope to himself and made Parliament pass the "Act of Supremacy", which declared him the supreme head of the Church in England. Thomas More refused to submit to this act and so was beheaded.
3. "Thomas More. "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_More
St. Thomas More shares his feast day, (June 22nd), with St. John Fisher, the Catholic Bishop who was beheaded the same day. Fisher was the only bishop to remain loyal to the Pope at that time. "More coined the word 'utopia' a name he gave to an ideal, imaginary island nation whose political system he described in a book published in 1516."
More was a good father, devoted to his children and felt that his three daughters should receive an education equal to his son; "declaring women were just as intelligent as men." This was not the typical way of thinking for the day.
4. Utopia (book). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utopia_(book)
This website has everything I need to know about "Utopia"; plot, discourse, and the meaning. As well as how it was received at the time it was written and how we can interpret the work today.
5. Ince, Elizabeth M. St. Thomas More of London. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2003.
The year was 1490, and Thomas More left his school, St. Anthony's at the age of 12 to study under the Archbishop of Canterbury. His father, Sir John More was a highly respected lawyer at the time. Thomas had a younger brother and 2 younger sisters, his mother died when he was younger. A woman named, Mother Maude took care of the More children and they dearly loved her.
1. Stevens, Clifford. The One Year Book of Saints. Huntington, IN: Our Sunday Visitor Publishing, 1989.
This is one of the first biographies that I read about Thomas More and is a very brief summing up of his life.
His feast day, (the day he died), is June 22nd. The Catholic Church canonized him in 1935, 400 years after his death.
He was born in 1477 and as a young boy, was recognized as having a great intellect and being of fine character.
2. Bausch, William. The Pilgrim Church. Mystic, CT: Twenty-Third Publications, 1989.
In 1534, Henry VIII transferred all rights from the pope to himself and made Parliament pass the "Act of Supremacy", which declared him the supreme head of the Church in England. Thomas More refused to submit to this act and so was beheaded.
3. "Thomas More. "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_More
St. Thomas More shares his feast day, (June 22nd), with St. John Fisher, the Catholic Bishop who was beheaded the same day. Fisher was the only bishop to remain loyal to the Pope at that time. "More coined the word 'utopia' a name he gave to an ideal, imaginary island nation whose political system he described in a book published in 1516."
More was a good father, devoted to his children and felt that his three daughters should receive an education equal to his son; "declaring women were just as intelligent as men." This was not the typical way of thinking for the day.
4. Utopia (book). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utopia_(book)
This website has everything I need to know about "Utopia"; plot, discourse, and the meaning. As well as how it was received at the time it was written and how we can interpret the work today.
5. Ince, Elizabeth M. St. Thomas More of London. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2003.
The year was 1490, and Thomas More left his school, St. Anthony's at the age of 12 to study under the Archbishop of Canterbury. His father, Sir John More was a highly respected lawyer at the time. Thomas had a younger brother and 2 younger sisters, his mother died when he was younger. A woman named, Mother Maude took care of the More children and they dearly loved her.
Friday, March 7, 2008
More on the Fairy Queen
On my last blog, I cited a Catholic website that interpreted scripture to prove that the Catholic Church is not the "Whore". I'm not going to discuss it anymore, except to say: ".. .Revelation 18:20 and 18:24 prove that the Whore had to be a creature of the first century, which, in the Fundamentalist view, the Catholic Church was not. Thus, on their own view, their identification of the Catholic Church with the Whore is completely impossible! Only ancient, pagan Rome or apostate Jerusalem could possibly be the Whore." "http://www.catholic.com/library/Whore_of_Babylon.asp
I realize the writers are referring to the Fundamentalist Christian interpretation and not the Anglican Church of Renaissance England. However, it is still worthy of note. If you, the reader, are interested in reading the entire text of the article, access the aforementioned website.
I'm trying to think of some positive things to say about this piece of literature and I am having a
a difficult time because every Fairy Tale I ever loved somehow seems tainted. Thank goodness for C.S. Lewis.
Anyway, Edmund Spenser was an extremely talented writer and tells a heck of a fascinating story. Enough about FQ.
I realize the writers are referring to the Fundamentalist Christian interpretation and not the Anglican Church of Renaissance England. However, it is still worthy of note. If you, the reader, are interested in reading the entire text of the article, access the aforementioned website.
I'm trying to think of some positive things to say about this piece of literature and I am having a
a difficult time because every Fairy Tale I ever loved somehow seems tainted. Thank goodness for C.S. Lewis.
Anyway, Edmund Spenser was an extremely talented writer and tells a heck of a fascinating story. Enough about FQ.
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