Writing Across Cultures

Your presentation should include a list of links so that I can set up a blog post involving your subject. The purpose of this is so that other students can get a little more information and discover these cultures in depth on thier own time (since the end of the marking period is looming and graduation requires your full attention). Still, there's a world out there! Example: Poland has a long and interesting cultural history. It is located in central Europe and shares many similar culutral aspects as most modern European countries. What makes Poland unique? Its culture, its food, its contributing artists, scientists, and writers. Did you know that the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus was Polish? Poland began to form into a recognizable unitary and territorial entity around the middle of the 10th century under the Piast dynasty. Later dynasties include the Jagiellon Dynasty which later led to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1569-1795. The Polish people rebelled severa...

Keep working on your projects. Due June 2: list of links (page of links for your presentation) Due June 10: The creative and non-fiction responses Due June 6, 8, 10: presentations due (with annotated lists)

What is it?: After signing up for a topic (see handout sheet), please conduct research on your topic. You are to examine the significant contemporary culture of the area, specifically in relation to writing (that would include plays, films, pop culture that relies on the written word or media, song, journalism, non-fiction, etc.) Some aspects to consider: What is unique about this culture? How is the culture represented in the Arts (particularly the written word)? Who are the major or popular writers/poets/artists/filmmakers, etc. of the culture? What hegemonic groups is the culture comprised? Who is majority...who is minority? What ethical issues, traditions, belief structures, institutions, or mores causes conflict within the society? How is this culture difference or contrasting to our own? What catches your eye as important or interesting? How would you use the information about the culture as a writer/journalist? Requirements: 1. A works cited page with abstract (a...

Google is a nice, convenient search engine, but it doesn't cover the world as effectively as some sites. Try a new web engine: Altavista.com This search engine has a button for international topics. It may be a better way for you to find out information suitable for your writing research. Pop Culture articles (an example made of Germany): Article on German filmmaker and writer: Alexander Kluge Article on German filmmaker & auteur: Werner Herzog German Newspapers/News sites on line: (in English) German News Germany Info suitable for writer/research Bild The Local Info about Berlin An interesting article: "Sexual Freedom vs. Fascism in Germany" by Leslie Feinberg Persecution of homosexuals in Nazi Germany . German Gay Rights Movement Willkommen from Cabaret (Joel Gray) The play was based on the life of Christopher Isherwood (he defected to Berlin between 1930-1933, but settled eventually in California). These next clips are shocking at tim...

Bertolt Brecht influenced modern theatre throughout the 20th century. His brief bio is here. Taking notes pertaining to his basic influence and importance in World Literature will help you remember him for life. Notes about Epic Theatre: Epic theatre was a reaction against other popular forms of theatre, particularly the naturalistic approach pioneered by Constantin Stanislavski . Stanislavski directed the Moscow Art Theatre where Anton Chekhov (not that little ensign of the Starship Enterprise) premiered his plays ( The Seagull , etc) Brecht disliked the spectacle, manipulative plots, and heightened emotion or unrealistic "overacting" of melodrama; While Stanislavski insisted on creating real human behavior in acting to absorb the audience completely in the fictional world of the play, Brecht saw Stanislavski's methodology as escapism. Brecht's own social and political focus departed also from surrealism and Theatre of Cruelty, as developed in the work of An...

Last year we discussed a variety of film ideas, directors, and actors coming from German cinema. A brief outline of these include: German Expressionism, Robert Wiene's The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau's Nosferatu (1922), and Carl Boese and Paul Wegener's The Golem: How He Came Into the World (1920). The Expressionist movement died down during the mid-1920s, but it continued to influence world cinema for years afterward. Its influence is particular noticeable in American and European horror films and film noir. We spent some time viewing Fritz Lang's masterpiece Metropolis (1927) and discussing the German production company Declar. Fritz Lang, one of the greatest early German film directors, also produced M (1931) starring Peter Lorre, Doctor Mabuse (193 ), The 1,000 Eyes of Dr. Mabuse ( and Woman in the Moon (1929) After the influence of Expressionism began to fade a variety of other genres and styles developed in the 1920s. Mov...

Key moments in German History: The Reformation Absolutism Prussian Empire Bismarck Empire Immanuel Kant & Moral Philosophy Franco-Prussian War (Napolean) Franco-Prussian War (part II) Karl Marx Sigmund Freud First World War Weimar Germany Nazi Germany G erman Propaganda German Propaganda (part II) German Propaganda Images East/West Germany - a country torn in two The Fall of the Wall Images of the Wall Part of writing is discovering new things. Research often leads to new ideas and excitement. Use the website below as a background for your research during this unit. You may be surprised where it takes your writing and subject matter. The following website is a wonderful stating point for the uninitiated. It's filled with pictures and information about German History stretching all the way back to the medieval period. Peruse it as you see fit. You will no doubt learn a lot if you do. German History in Documents and Images . How to use this as a write...

Please read the handout: Italian Neo-Realism for Wednesday. Please watch the following clips and respond to the article/clips. Functionally: what is the cultural difference between American cinema and Italian cinema? Victorio De Sico The Bicycle Thief Umberto D (explanation/trailer) Umberto D . Umberto D. (ending clip) Michelangelo Antonioni (1912- 2007) • Blow Up (clip or trailer) • L'Eclipse • L’Avventura • Bergman speaks about Antonioni Pier Paolo Pasolini (1922 – 1975) • Pasolini the Filmmaker (part one; you can view the other two parts to this documentary on the sidebar) • Il Decameron • Oedipus Rex • Salo Federico Fellini Federico Fellini documentary clip . 8 1/2 Amarcord Satyricon Pietro Germi (1914 – 1974) • Divorce, Italian Style Horror Directors (you may pick any sample/trailers from these directors) CAUTION (graphic violence; type in these names and watch trailers on Youtube.com ): • Dario Argento (1940 - present) • Mario Bava (1914 – 1...

While we are running out of time, there is some information for you concerning the island cultures of the Caribbean. Feel free to read, research, and write about anything that sparks your interest here. The Islands: Caribbean literature (an overview) Jamaica (click here for Jamaican culture and poetry .) The History of Haiti Haitian Arts & Literature Haitian Folklore, Riddles, Aphorisms Pirates of the Caribbean Information about pirates and pirate culture.

Wild Strawberries (trailer) Wild Strawberries: clip Seventh Seal (trailer) Seventh Seal (clip) Summer with Monika (clip) Through a Glass Darkly (trailer) The Silence (trailer) Winter Light (trailer) The Hour of the Wolf (trailer) Persona (trailer) Cries and Whispers (trailer) Autumn Sonata (trailer) The Serpent's Egg (trailer) The Magic Flute Fanny And Alexander (trailer) Documentary on Ingmar Bergman (part one)

From: Durrenmatt's Drama by Kenneth Northcott. "Dürrenmatt believes not only that there are no dramatic heroes today—that, indeed, in modern society the dramatic hero has become an impossibility—but also that democracy has no need of, nor any place for, real heroes. Even though the media will try to elevate athletes, winners of minor military actions, or firemen who rescue someone from a burning building into momentary heroes, their life as hero is a short one, and for this reason he calls all but one of his plays "comedies." But "comedy" for Dürrenmatt is a broad term: in comedy the shortcomings of the individual are revealed. "The tragic is still possible even if pure tragedy is not"—and here the essential point is that the tragic flaw has taken on a new form in modern society: it is society, not fate, that dooms the protagonist." Today we will read The Visit , a play Durrenmatt called his only tragi-comedy (We will complete the play ...

Ernst Ingmar Bergman was born the son of a strict Lutheran pastor on 14 July 1918, in Uppsala, Sweden. He was educated: Palmgren School, Stockholm; and Stockholm University, 1938-40. His traumatic childhood infuse his work in film (as well as propelled him toward it). He had been married five times and had several children with various women. Many of his films involve the psychology of women--perhaps he was trying to understand them. Awards: Golden Bear, Berlin Festival, for Wild Strawberries, 1958. Gold Plaque, Swedish Film Academy, 1958. Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, The Virgin Spring, 1961. Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, Through a Glass Darkly, 1962. Erasmus Prize (shared with Charles Chaplin), Netherlands, 1965. Honorary doctorate of philosophy, Stockholm University, 1975. Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, Fanny and Alexander, 1983. Please read this article: Senses of Cinema: Ingmar Bergman More information about Ingmar can be found here: The Magic Wor...

Today we will read a few poems before retiring to the lab to complete our portfolios and begin looking at our homework. Look here to read about some of the following famous authors: Selma Lagerlof Par Lagerkvist Friedrich Durrenmatt Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen) Please complete the following for Tuesday, May 10: HOMEWORK: Reading: Please read the short stories and the rest of the poetry in the packet. This covers a good cursory glance at Swedish, Norwegian, and Danish literature. Analytical response: After reading please write a non-fiction response to the stories and authors presented in the packet. Make specific reference to the texts so that it is clear you have read the stories. Your response should be about 500 words or so. Creative Response: take one of the themes, subjects, settings, characters, etc. found in the stories and/or poems and create a creative response to the material.

Today, after our test on Maurice , we will hold a class discussion on Maurice . When you complete your test and are waiting for others to finish, please begin reading "Blackberries" by Leslie Norris. Feeling like you haven't had enough boys school British lit? Another Country is a play written by English playwright Julian Mitchell that premiered in 1981 at the Greenwich Theatre in south-east London and later transferred to the West End in March 1982. It was made into a film with a very young Rupert Everett, Colin Firth, and Cary Elwes. Here's a film adaptation of Another Country to look at: Clip One Clip two The rest of the film can be viewed on Youtube.com. HOMEWORK: Gather your work from this marking period in a portfolio. I will NOT take late portfolios. They are due Friday.

Today we will complete our reading of Under Milk Wood . You may be surprised where you will find Dylan Thomas' influence. On television for example the idea of a "play" revealing the inner lives of a group of "normal" people or citizens of a certain town or city recalls the themes of Under Milkwood . What can it mean creatively for you? Try a similar style in fiction, poetry, or dramatic form (script, T.V. sketch, or play). Little Britain Little Britain: Episode 1, season 2 HOMEWORK: Please complete the Maurice handout & study for the test on the book for Wednesday.