Sunday, February 21, 2010

A concise description of modern culture

I was reading an article this morning about myths of the Middle Ages and Islam. There was only one thing in the article that I remember, but I found it poignant, so I thought I would share. I think it's true of our generation and of our culture as a whole.

"The West is not what it once was. Rather than Michelangelo painting the Sistine Chapel, we have Andres Serrano and his infamous Piss Christ. Instead of the optimism of the Renaissance, we have the modern pessimism that sees Nature's gods plotting their revenge on over-populating, polluting humanity. Instead of a confident West seizing its imperial mission to spread peace, commerce, charity, and morality, the modern West is ambivalent about asserting its own values."

The article was entitled "Five Myths About Christianity, Islam, and the Middle Ages", by H.W. Crocker III.

(love that name.)

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Imposing on you my musical taste

I'm really feeling the need to share classical music with what amounts to the entire world. So I'll start with you lovely ones. These are all worth listening to, more than once.

1. Ein Deutsches Requiem, Brahms
Quite possibly the most beautiful requiem ever written. If Brahms weren't dead, I would be in love with him.

2. Fantasia in C minor, Beethoven
This was composed before his 9th symphony, and served as an inspiration for said symphony. I prefer this to the actual symphony.

3. Paganini Etude no. 3 "La campanella", Liszt
In my top 5 pieces for solo piano.

4. Piano Sonata in b minor, Shostakovich
As a contemporary composer, he can sometimes be an acquired taste. But this is one of my favorite pieces of all time. Ever.

5. Anything by Piazzolla. He is my composer of the moment. If you don't listen to anything else, listen to him. He was a Latin American composer. Everything he wrote was gold.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

the lost generation

I've been researching the Lost Generation, for background on Fitzgerald.

The term was applied to the American generation after World War I. Many younger people moved to Europe, particularly Paris. In France, these immigrants were referred to as "Le Generation au Feu", or "The Generation in Flames." The British used the term in reference to the upper-middle class young men who died in World War I. They felt that the war robbed their country of a generation of intelligent, successful young men.

Famous authors of the Lost Generation include Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Cole Porter, Steinbeck, and others. Many of these authors relocated to Paris because they felt dissatisfied with the American way of life during that time period. They felt that the industrialized country lacked a certain cosmopolitan, artistic culture base, one that they felt could be found in Paris.

These authors dramatically changed the style of American writing. They threw away the strict, Victorian style of writing which was prevalent in America at the time. Instead, they began to write in a clear, slim prose. They actively criticized American culture. In This Side of Paradise, Fitzgerald clearly depicts the depression of young people who hide behind the care-free nature of the Jazz Age and the conventions of daily life. The same theme is explored in The Great Gatsby, as each character hides behind an illusion of happiness created by wealth.

This illusion is what the authors of the Lost Generation were trying desperately to combat. They believed that happiness can only be achieved through a cultured, yet also self-aware, existence.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Literary Selection Number One:

In homage to a dear companion who cites this as a favorite, we have selected:

This Side of Paradise
by
F. Scott Fitzgerald

Another reason this book was chosen is that F. Scott Fitzgerald is included in the Lost Generation and this novel, also his first, conveys the attitudes associated with the group. As purveyors of the Unseen Generation, we fancy ourselves a "lost generation" of the present.

Dedicated to JJR - no matter the distance, you shall never be "lost".
Through the mad mystic hammering of the wild ripping hail
The sky hurled its poems in naked wonder
That the echoes of the church bells blew far into the breeze
Leavin' only bells of lightning and its thunder
Striking for the gentle, striking for the kind
Striking for the guardians and protectors of the minds
And the poet and the painter, far beyond his rightful time
An' we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing
-Bob Dylan, Chimes of Freedom