An examination of how dark and morbid the worlds in Shakespeare's plays are, as they're depicted in small vignettes and windows through either historical explanation, or character aside and motivation. See Hamlet, for a world that is ravaged by war and suspicion and lies, and see Richard III for a world that is corrupted by the banality of evil and its persuasive charm.
Othello is also a good look at a world that has a very strong/power sense of "justice": the enemy ships are destroyed by a a storm, Othello must have used magic to trick Desdemona into marrying him, the trustworthiness of "close allies".
How does that cynicism reflect Shakespeare's time and our own with making the plays and stories so long-lasting?
There is a pattern in Shakespeare's plays of characters in disguise or pretending to be other characters in order to advance their status...this could be relative to our own use of deception in our own lives and the way we portray ourselves online. – katrinafowler9 years ago
Street artist Banksy opens a theme park that looks more like a horror movie set. About the park, he says "It’s a theme park whose big theme is – theme parks should have bigger themes.” Analyze the pictures of the pieces that have been released, as each seem to contribute to a larger conversation about the society. For example, the picture of dead Cinderella in the overturned pumpkin carriage surrounded by paparazzi bears striking resemblance to the death of Princess Diana.
A tip to anyone who writes or even discusses this topic: Keep in mind that Banksy is more or less doing a type of performance art with this 'theme park', it isn't really meant to be taken too seriously. That isn't to say there isn't legitimate discussion to be had about his methods, but simply that discussions revolving around them should keep in mind that they are evaluating him as an artist. – MIKAILARUSHING9 years ago
It would also be important to note that he has not done all the pieces. While the overall concept is being credited to him, many of the pieces in the park are done by other artists. This is important because that means their artistic voice is at play as well. – Celeste Reeb9 years ago
You can't make things like this up. – T. Palomino2 years ago
Study the phenomenon of 'insights' or 'ideas' regularly occurring in unrelated places, for instance in the shower, while driving the car, or on the edge of sleep. Is there a psychological reason this is a common experience amongst creative individuals? Are there ways to generate, or call forth, those flashes of brilliance? Discuss the implications if this were a controllable situation.
This article could also explore the metaphysical aspect of receiving creative ideas. – Venus Echos9 years ago
Your final sentence was exceptionally thrilling to me. It would be interesting if we could just conjure up these moments of clarity at will. I don't drive so can't comment on that, but the other circumstances you've described are tasks repeated so frequently that our minds are able to wander elsewhere without harming the physical actions that have become routine. – Nicola9 years ago
I agree with the previous comment. I believe there's been research done in this area, that when you do something that doesn't require much thought (like brushing your teeth, eating breakfast, walking to work/school) you are essentially on auto-pilot. Your mind is at rest essentially so it can take the time to work out other problems in your sub-conscious and bring it to the forefront. This is why it's necessary to take a break from an intellectually grueling task, at some point the mind just needs a break and re-visiting at a later time can bring new insights. – mbaughjones9 years ago
Analyse and contrast the differences of how elements of fantasy is portrayed between the West (such as "Harry Potter", "Grimm's Fairy Tales", Game of Thrones") and the East (such as "Naruto", "Spirited Away", and other Asian fairy tales). Also, how did these difference made a contribution to the entertainment and literary culture either in the West or the East?
This form of structured, meditative drawing has become a worldwide phenomenon and adult colouring books are popping up in households around the world. I, for one, am an avid "tangler". It's relaxing and incredibly gratifying. Despite the many benefits that have been psychologically proven, can zentangling be considered 'art' or is it simply glorified doodling? I'm a mature university student of Creative Writing and English and Literature and I've just chosen to add a Visual Arts minor to my degree because I can't breathe without creativity. Does this passion for zentangling transcend into the art realm? Do you suppose this practice can be taken seriously when presented as art?
What is the difference between art and doodling? Isn't doodling just a quick, unstructured form of art? If zentangling can be considered both art and doodling, then the question becomes: is it good art, worthy of respect as an equal to more traditional forms of art? Or is it a lighter form of art that is not meant to be at the same level as other art form? Just some questions to ponder. – OddballGentleman9 years ago
I am a professor of art education. I have chosen to take zentangling seriously and to present it as art in our faculty exhibition. I presented a piece called 100 drawings in 100 days. It was a 10x10 grid of my best 100 zentagles out of about 250. The squares that come with the "zentagle kit" are 2.5" x 2.5". When I say 10x10, I am talking about the number of square papers, not units of measurement. I think there are ways to take the zentangle experience to a higher level. I tried to do that with the time I put in to each piece, the way I presented the drawings, and the originality of the designs. I also used India ink for variety and to achieve some unique designs that other "zentanglists" had not used. The painted on ink has a stronger, more graphic look than the delicate pens used alone. Mixed media like watercolor layered with pen, adding color or using zentangle designs in printmaking or as a surface texture on clay are a few other ways to lift the process to a more artful level. – Drbarro9 years ago
Domestic violence is a prominent theme in country music. Songs like "Goodbye, Earl", "Gunpowder and Lead", and "Independence Day" (to name just three) feature violent, deadly retribution from women onto the men who have abused them. But while "Independence Day" is a somewhat mournful song, the other two mentioned are upbeat tunes, almost party songs, and there are many others.
What is it about the country music demographic that makes these songs not only acceptable, but popular? Are the rates of domestic violence higher in the demographic that listens to country music, or lower? Since the popular versions of this song form promote retributive violence by a woman against her husband, is it possible to track the incidents of wife-on-husband violence w/in the demographic to see if it's higher than average?
No other genre of music has a niche just for this kind of song. I'd like to see someone explore why.
It would certainly make sense that the "wife taking revenge on the husband" would be popular at least for political correctness since it's more stereotypical to assume that women are the ones abused in a relationship. And it would be especially so when that subject is set to the catchy upbeat tone that country music can acquire to make it marketable to listeners. In addition, rural areas of the United States where country music is indeed most popular have higher rates of domestic violence and children born out of wedlock so there is a strong influence for that image of the battered woman regardless of men being prone to suffering from domestic violence too.
– dsoumilas9 years ago
This topic/ article can be an analysis of the history of comedy and how it has progressed over the years in regards to how society responds to certain jokes and comments made by comics. Recently, many comedians and others in the public eye, have come out with public apologies after a joke or statement has made its away across the media/ Internet (Darren Criss, Jamie Foxx, etc.) These apologies are most likely not genuine, but issued and advised by their managing teams. Recently, Jack Black and other comedians have commented on this issue, even posing the question: has society become too sensitive? Additionally, Amy Schumer made a joke about race and fired back at critics, defending herself and comedy. This article can also branch out and predict what comedy will become if apologies continue to be issued and if sensitivity triumphs over comedy.
I think comedians/comedy hide behind such offensiveness for the sake of a so-called joke even when there really is no joke to be had on the subject (genocide, rape, etc.). It's really just laziness and attention-seeking at its core because all it does is dismiss real-life concerns without adding anything new to the subject. Comedy should definitely have more sensitivity in its approach and limits or otherwise no one would ever be held accountable for trivializing and exploiting people's pain and suffering as slapstick entertainment for the masses. And of course since these comedians probably never experienced the issues they make fun of, it would only be easy for them to claim over-sensitivity since they're not the ones offended. – dsoumilas9 years ago
I used to think that there was a fine line, that everyone just knew when something was okay because of cultural norms. But those lines are blurred all the time now with several cultures existing together in the same spaces and places, so it can be harder to pinpoint. One example that comes to mind is the roast of Justin Bieber. All of the comments were meant to attack the other people present, but one speaker in particular went too far compared to the others - noticeably so based on the reaction of others around her. But did she stop her piece she had prepared? Of course not. The purpose of the roast is to insult other people, so that's what she did. Is talking about abortions too much when you are speaking about them directly to a person, saying they shouldn't have been born? Perhaps it is, seeing as how the reaction from people was negative after her coat-hanger comment. Perhaps it isn't, because she deemed it okay herself before this all happened. – kathleensumpton9 years ago
Gothic novels of the 1790s and beyond are characterized by certain medieval and fantastic circumstances "furnishings", which makes them easy to recognize. The modern world, however, has blurred that line and contemporary gothic is often conflated with fantasy. Why are fairies and dragons now seen as being gothic? why is there a preoccupation with fantastic creatures instead of monsters? Analyze historical periods or pieces of fiction that best represents this turning point. Art work/websites like Alchemygothic.com may be a good starting point.
It'd be helpful to note which type of fantasy you're going for. The genre is so vast and ambiguous nowadays that a distinction would be necessary. From what you describe, I'm guessing that it's high fantasy (HF) you're going for. Also, I think what makes Gothic different is its handling of high fantasy tropes. That is where dark fantasy (DF) would come into play, which is pretty much a mixture between HF and gothic. While DF uses HF settings and character tropes, it borrows heavily from Gothic structure and storytelling. – Tecohen09 years ago
For the gothic novels side of things, some classics to look at would be... The Castle of Otranto
Dracula
The Monk (by Matthew Lewis) (my personal favourite gothic novel!!)
books by Ann Radcliffe such as A Sicilian Romance It could also be interesting to consider the role of religion in modern fantasy/gothic versus older gothic novelisations. There was a lot of anti-Catholic rhetoric in English gothic novels, for example (see The Monk as a classic example. There are even demons in that novel, bringing in the more fantastical element). – Camille Brouard9 years ago
The title should say, "Where do gothic and fantasy meet?" -- subject/verb agreement – VBarclay9 years ago
