This video is designed to help you think about the Proper Paper #1 assignment (don't you just love that title! :)) as well as Cavafy's poems in general. It discusses literature as theory as well as the crucial element of intertextuality present in all literature and art. Be sure to respond to the question as a comment below! Enjoy!
One of the most significant works that was a true 'game changer,' and made the lines of intertextuality all the more apparent, was of course Star Wars. When it came out in 1976, space movies were either generic, silly B-movies which no one took seriously, or the rare anomaly like 2001: A Space Odyssey, which was too brainy for most to appreciate. Star Wars found a middle path, as it was both simple and accessible, yet had a profoundly literary core (its use of myth and fantasy rather than space cliches). What made the work so innovative, too, is that everything looked real and used: the ships were either battle-worn or well-loved, and didn't look like they had been designed for a few shots in a movie. No one had ever made a science fiction movie look like this before. Additionally, the film mashed-up several other genres under the umbrella of science fiction: fantasy, folklore, and the Western. Everything about the movie felt comfortable and familiar, and yet everything looked strange and alien. But perhaps the biggest masterstroke was the soundtrack, composed by John Williams to imitate elements of familiar Western classical music (Wagner, Holst, Dvorak, Elgar), while creating totally new sounds that no one had ever heard in 'space.' In short, Star Wars took a very humble genre and took it seriously, the way Gershwin took jazz into the concert hall in his famous piece, Rhapsody in Blue. Suddenly everyone wanted to make sci-fi movies, and they followed the prescription to the letter: mash up genres, get a decent composer, and made the world look 'old' but new. Even today, every science fiction movie is responding to the shadow of Star Wars, even when they reject it, and nothing is entirely without a wink or a glance at Lucas' late 70's vision.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I love these prompts. They really get me thinking and I always like to see what everyone else has to say.
ReplyDeleteSecond, this is making me realize that I don't really know that much about any one type of media, because it took me a really long time to think of something I knew for sure was a "game changer", LOL.
Anyway, here's what I came up with.... Emma Chamberlain. Who did, without a doubt, change YouTube significantly.
Chamberlain changed our expectations for YouTube stars. She has all the usual qualifications, but she complicates them; she's everything we aspire to AND she never showers. She presents the type of just-like-you-ism that is most intoxicating, especially for young viewers; she's gross and she's gorgeous. She's unappealing, but boys love her. And she contributes to our perception of YouTube and influencing as non-jobs, all while giving viewers access to proof of marathon editing sessions and without attempting to hide the evidence of her rapidly increasing influence. The editing style of the masses has a new tool for its toolbox, thanks to Chamberlain, and our ideas about the future of fame shifted and refocused.
I'm glad you enjoy them! Normally, we would do this in class, and get off-the-cuff responses, but this is the best we can do for now (though we'll talk a little about this in class on Wednesday). I think this is a great example, especially since the You Tube star is still a new thing--the rules haven't really been written completely yet. So you can still seem 'new' on this medium, even though they're all borrow elements from other performers-stand up comics, book and movie reviewers, etc. I had to look her up since I knew nothing about her, and was amazed by how influential she's become. You Tube is particularly interesting since you can see the layers of imitation much more clearly in such a 'naked' format (just one person in front of a computer camera). This might be a great way to help younger students seem the idea of influence and intertextuality, for those planning to teach junior and high school! (hint, hint). Very cool and up-to-the-minute response! Sorry I had to reach all the way back into the 70's! (I'm old, so as much as I try to keep abreast of things, I'm stuck with those references).
DeleteIt took me a little bit to think of a response to this question but after thinking of books that I have read recently, I think I may have come up with a decent one!
ReplyDeleteMark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn caused a great deal of controversy in the literary community because of its offensive (but realistic) language and satirical depiction of the impact of a deeply prejudiced society on the mind of young boy.
This story offered a really different method of introducing a hard topic. I think this book is really helpful (despite its language) in communicating an incredibly prevalent and tough issue to a younger audience.
This story offered a different way to communicate incredibly dark topics, which makes them easier to introduce to sensitive audiences.
Yes, this book is considered the first great book in American literature, since it was the first book to really break free of English tradition (even a book like The House of the Seven Gables, or The Scarlet Letter, both by Hawthorne, read a lot like British Gothic fiction). And you're right, his unprecedented use of dialect and regionalisms shook the literary world and even today causes it to be one of the most banned books in American lit. It's a great mix of looking at the horrors of the world through humor (dark humor) and changing how we perceive it. So many books were written in its shadow, and it truly was a game changer. He was also bold in choosing a humble, uneducated kid to be his protagonist, since this challenged contemporary assumptions in the wisdom of children, and the wisdom of the lower classes. Which reminds me, I need to re-read it this over the Winter Break (it's been too long)!
DeleteCarla Torres:
ReplyDeleteWhile thinking about a response for something specific that has changed the way I view something or many other people, the main thing that stands out to me is movies - specifically the horror genre. While you were discussing the horror genre, a movie film that particularly stood out to me was Halloween, the film about Michael Myers. Just recently, I watched the newest film where he is finally dead after so many years - a very scary and ominous film. In my opinion, I feel like this changed the way many people view scary men, Halloween, and criminals who kill. This I know for sure changed the way I view all of the things I listed - especially the suspenseful music that plays when he is about to kill, and every time I hear it, I automatically think I am about to be killed. Horror movies like Halloween and others have changed the way people view different films because it has allowed everyone to become on edge and scared when a horror film comes out. Just like the films in the past, it has given a ledge into the new films to come and how scary they can become over the years. The films previously and to come have changed the way that horror films will be presented.
Oh yes, a good choice! Like Misty's response below, Halloween was one of the many movies in the 70's and early 80's that tried to ride the 'documentary-horror' wave, and did so with chilling effect. The movie doesn't seem fake...it seems like a nightmare unfolding right before your eyes. It's gruesome and dreadful in ways that don't seem planned. And even the villain, Michael Myers, is terrifying because he is emotionless and doesn't say a word. So you can't explain him away. He's the ultimate boogeyman. The music, too, was revolutionary because it's a very chilling electronic soundtrack without the warmth of orchestral instruments...it sounds like it's from an alien universe. So yes, everyone tried to copy this movie, and even the sequels tried (and failed) to capitalize on its success. They got pretty, bad, too! Halloween 3 has masks that eat your face off!!! (though that scared me as a kid).
DeleteThe first thing that came to mind for me was the Blair Witch Project. When this movie came out their was very mixed reviews and opinions on if it would be good or even considered a horror movie. This was because they went against what had been typical at the time when it came to horror movies. They portrayed the movie as as sort of perusal documentary and first person narrative. This was unlike the previous typical horror movies. There have been numerous other movies made from this perspective since The Blair Witch Project. Therefore, I believe that this movie changed what society considered a horror film.
ReplyDeleteYes, I remember seeing The Blair Witch Project in theaters (in 1999?) and people were so freaked out. Even I was a little scared (but just a little...). It really started a trend with movies that tried to ride the line between fiction and documentary, though most of them were much worse, including the ill-fated sequel! And this movie is itself very intertextual, since it was riffing off older 'documentary' horror movies such as Night of the Living Dead (1969) which seemed so real and uncomfortable, or even worse, The Texas Chainsaw Masscare, which seemed WAY too real to be fiction (who would make people do those things???). If anything, The Blair Witch was trying to recreate that feeling of real horror and danger, that only something that is 'real' and unexpected can do. Sadly, when you watch Blair Witch today it has lost a lot of its luster, largely because we see the 'copies' when we watch the original...you can never see the original twice. You see it once and then the experience is diluted by criticism, copies, and your own memories.
DeletePaul Harris:
ReplyDeleteThis may be cheating, and for that reason I'll also include something more at the end of this, but the video game "Undertale" utilizes intertextuality in an incredibly fascinating way and is one of the most famous examples of interactive storytelling in the last decade. The basic premise of the game involves a world where monsters and humans once coexisted until war broke out between them, with the end result being the monsters being banished underground. You play as a young child who falls into the underground. Right away, you are told by the first monster you meet that in this world, it's "killed or be killed". From this point on, the story revolves around and transforms depending on the actions of the player; furthermore, with the game being referred to as "the game where no one has to get hurt", the game goes against all expectations of the player. You are asked to spare the monsters you fight and show them mercy, a direct contrast to most games where you give no thought to the enemies you defeat. This is where the game utilizes intertextuality the most, as the plot of most games is progressed by defeating all the enemies in your path. This plays on the expectations of the player, as although you are given the option to spare monsters, fighting seems to be the most efficient and resourceful way of progressing the story; contrary to most games, however, Undertale is one of the first games to show you the consequence of that choice, with each monster you kill directly influencing the story.
Although I want to continue elaborating on the story since I believe the story stands on its own as a beautiful representation of the goodness that lies within everybody, I don't think I can do it justice in a few paragraphs. My point is that the game's use of intertextuality separates from other stories in every other game, defying already set precedents to create a new experience for the player. This forever changed peoples' idea of what games could be, whether they were art, and the type of stories that could be told through games.
I'll keep this brief since I've already written so much and I've probably lost most of anyone reading this, but if we need to keep the discussion to film or literature, the animated film "Kung Fu Panda" is another work that brilliantly uses intertextuality, as ridiculous as that may sound. The whole film is both a flip on the kung fu genre and "chosen one" genre of film, as the film's protagonist showcases. The main character, Po, is chosen to be the "Dragon Warrior", who will defend his homeland and his people, despite him being completely incompetent and hated by everybody. He is said to be destined to defeat the film's antagonist, Tai Lung, even though he's seen as a total loser. This is the opposite of what most films telling this kind of story would do; to elaborate, most films that involve a "chosen one" are inexplicably great and are a perfect fit for the story they're in. Po, on the other hand, is everyone's last choice to conquer this great evil, although he refuses to give up until he's become skilled enough to complete the task; in short, he chooses his own path and becomes his own "chosen one", a role he was seen unfit to wield for most of the film. Like Undertale, this film changed what kind of stories could be told using this format, and the two playing off the expectations of the viewer are what makes the stories so resonant. By rejecting other works like itself, the game and film revolutionized their genre.
(Also, buy Undertale! I think it's an amazing and accessible experience even if you don't play video games. Plus, it's $15 and you can play it on your computer! Alright, I'm done.)
Ha, I know all about Undertale, having watched both of my sons play and win it, and then I even started playing it. I love the game, and find it very clever and endearing. And yes, I can see all these levels of intertextuality in the game; even the characters allude to characters in other games, and much of the humor comes from these allusions. I love, too, how morality plays a role in what happens and what kind of game experience you have. Actually, though, this is where it is most intertextual: this idea began in the game Ultima IV (in 1986, I believe), which was the game that invented the term "avatar." In that game, you are punished if you choose the path of death and destruction, since the game's creator was sick of people using his game to wantonly kill NPCs and other relatively innocent people. So ever since, this has been an element of many adventure games, though I think Undertale updates it and takes it to the next level! It's a great choice and you don't need to switch topics to justify it.
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DeleteKurstyn Young:
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the prompt, Remember the Titans was the first movie that came to my mind. I grew up watching this movie and others like it, like Glory Road, Radio, We Are Marshall, Hoosiers, The Blindside, etc,. Remember the Titans shaped many other sports movies, it was based on a true story of one of the first schools that desegregated sports. I think this movie was so influential because of how truly it told the story, there was no sugar coating what happened to the athletes and coaches back in the day. This movie set the tone for how we look at what happened in the past with similar situations. The movies that were made after that, like a couple of the ones listed above, did not have to break the ice on that touchy subject of racism. It was already done, whether the audience knew it or not (watched Remember the Titans)
Yes, these kind of docu-movies are extremely popular, because they take the raw material of history (the 'original') and offer a modern spin on it, making it seem authentic and less fabricated. And yet, it's very much tailored to how we look at the world and what we expect of this kind of movie. Something is always changed in translation, and even the idea "based on a true story" is a theory that changes the original. What does it mean to tell a true story? Can we? What it did very well is confront the idea of race in sports at that time, though even then, it's not what really happened--just a copy of what might have happened, which then becomes what did happen (since we know the movie more than we know history, and that's the story we tell to others). So a movie, like a theory, can be dangerous...it can replace actual people and events with an artistic recreation. Though the same is true of Mona Lisa, etc. We see what we remember, or what we're told.
DeleteThe main thing that came to my mind when I saw the prompt was the witches' famous spell from Shakespeare's play, Macbeth. With its use of rhymes and the spell's odd ingredient list, it has changed the way many future works, especially television shows and movies, have depicted witches and their spells. For quite a while after this, everyone thought that a witch's spell had to rhyme and contain rare and creepy ingredients that were boiled and stirred in a cauldron. The concept of witches and spells almost became a caricature of what it was before. I think what made it so influential is the fact that it made the idea of witches seem less scary. Yes, the ingredients were definitely disturbing, but it was almost to the point of absurdity. And this absurdity is what made it seem comedic. That's why when parents recite that kind of spell to their children around Halloween while dressed in a costume, most of the time they'll wiggle their fingers in a funny way, and the kids will giggle about it. It created an emotional distance from the concept to the point that many began to believe that witches weren't real and that they were just tales told to entertain children.
ReplyDeleteHowever, despite the popularity that it gained, I wouldn't say that it made other works of art better. The reason that I say this is because many of the works that followed this one and used this concept have tended to be quite derivative.
Of course, the modern depiction of a witch and their spells is significantly different than the ones in Macbeth, but there are still works in today's world that continue to employ that play's version.
I hope this counts. It's the only thing that came to my mind at this time of night.
DeleteYes, this is great--and really, I might say "Macbeth" in general, and not just this spell. No one had really ever made a "witch" play like this before...and almost no one had ever seriously attempted a play where the supernatural elements amounted to much more than some ghoulish color. While you're right to say that it became comedic, that was the job of the copies that came after...we now hear those lines in a humorous light, and they're hard to take seriously. But originally they wouldn't have been, since the rhyming quality of the lines evokes the song-like power of a spell, which would be familiar to many of his audience. We've trivialized this play and make fun of everything about it, even to the point of creating a "Macbeth curse" which every actor knows all about. And yet, this is all from the 'theory' of subsequent performances and comedy sketches that use witches for a cheap laugh. More interesting is why Macbeth has come to embody the very idea of witches, when it was the only play Shakespeare ever wrote about a witch. What did he get so 'right'?
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ReplyDeleteCody Baggerly
ReplyDeleteI apologize for the late response on this one. But-
One of the examples that comes to mind for me personally is Marvels The Avengers. Before the MCU, superhero films were often made to fit three specific styles.
1) dark, gritty and/or profoundly serious- examples like Batman (1989), Batman Returns, The Punisher.
2) they were profoundly cheesy and over the top- examples like Superman (1978), Steel, Fantastic Four, Green Lantern.
3) they were clearly and emphatically meant as comedic pieces with little to no message or depth behind them- examples like Howard the Duck.
Some films attempted to fit into more than one of these categories- like Daredevil, X-Men, etc.
Many of these films were still fantastic additions to the superhero genre (many, not so much). But when the MCU began, they also begin to perfect a formula that mixed comedy, drama, and occasional grittiness to each of their films. By the time Avengers was released, they had nearly perfected this formula (not to say they didn't regress with certain later films). But in this instance, they were able to bring each of these elements and layer them over one another nearly seamlessly. This created a new formula that has continued to appeal to both critics and fans 20 MCU films later.
In addition to this, Avengers also played a key role in uniting a shared universe of films, which had never occurred in the superhero genre before, and also did this in a way that gave each main character and many secondary characters a chance to shine in some way or another. Very few characters were "left out." This has also become a practice that has appealed to fans and critics and has been picked up by other studios since then.
This is very interesting, since superhero movies are all copies of a comic-book original (which are all copies themselves!), and yet, only the Avengers really cracked the formula which others were then able to follow. In a way, Iron Man cracked it first, though it was more limited in scope, so it took The Avengers to really run with it and create a template for all other Marvel movies to follow. And I think the later copies reveal both the limitations and the strengths of the original, which weren't as apparent when it was only one film. I actually don't enjoy the first Avengers movie that much, since it seems hopelessly formulaic aside from some of the jokes. And yet, I now see how important it was, since there wouldn't be a dozen other movies without it.
DeleteThe first movie that popped into my mind regarding the prompt would be "The Sandlot". I think this movie changed the way we look at art because "The Sandlot" brought together a bunch of kids from every walk of life. For example the kids on the team ranged from Benny the Jet who was the best player in the area to Smalls who did not even know how to throw or catch a ball, but yet everyone got a long and loved each others company. In my eyes, this is what also made the movie so influential as well. This movie undoubtedly made other works of art better because the movie showed that people really do love a good nostalgic story that possess a group full of misfits.
ReplyDeleteYes, this is a great example of a prototypical 'nostalgia' movie, which is geared toward adults who remember the simple joys of childhood. While this wasn't the first movie to capture this (and it would be hard to say what was), it was very influential for an entire generation of movie-goers. And it spawned so many copy-cats, who change what we see in the original because of how they copied and revised the basic plot. In fact, this movie is itself a copy of movies like The Bad News Bears, etc., but they find a way to translate what worked for that movie to a later generation, who wouldn't appreciate the original (and in some ways, the Sandlot makes you appreciate the original much less!).
DeleteAfter thinking for a minute, the artist that paved a huge path for mental health awareness in the music industry is twenty one pilots.
ReplyDeleteNow, I don't listen to them as much anymore, and they are often associated with "cringe" because of the alternative fan base they have accumulated - but I still have a large respect for what they have done. I actually wrote a paper about them for your class a couple of semesters ago!
Obviously, there have been other songs and artists that have discussed mental health issues in the, but twenty one pilots' popularity have brought awareness to the subject in modern day music.
As an artist, it's okay to paint, write, or sing about your own experiences, and these experiences aren't always going to be uplifting or happy. They have sung about anxiety, depression, and even suicidal thoughts/tendencies. The two connected with a large fan base because of their message, one that wasn't widely popularized beforehand. Along with the encouragement, it's okay not be okay, they have also opened up the possibility for other artists to be comfortable with discussing these topics in their own music.
Yes, I remember that paper, and I was wondering if you would use them as an example here! But often, the bands that are the most popular (and the ones that becomes the LEAST popular later on as a result) are the ones that are game-changers. We learn to loathe them because of all their imitators, and really, we hate all the copies more than the people who inspired the copies. However, it's hard to see the original from the copies, and in some ways, the copies show us elements that we missed, but now hate, from the original band. That's how reproductions work--they eventually replace the original. But they also changed what topics bands can make songs about, as you say, and even if they have become unpopular to some, their 'theory' continues to inflitrate the music industry.
DeleteWith Halloween being a few weeks away I've been watching everything halloween themed imaginable. Im not big on scary movies, but I do like the Scary Movie franchise. They spoof the original movies, like Scream, Poltergeist and The Exorcist, all which the original movies terrified me as a kid. Although the movies were made in the early 2000's they still were scary when I watched them for the first time, and that was just the impression I always had with them. Watching Scary Movie II and rewatching the movies they made fun of really made me see them in a different way. It made the cliche horror movies of the 90's/2000's not seem as scary, but just how the movies are slightly tweaked to fit the stories with the original jump scares and repeating "what's that sound lets investigate and get killed" type of pattern in them. The utilization of intertextual material and how they use it turns something scary into a comical scene, and sheds light in the little pop culture zeitgeists to help bring more intertextual material into the iconic blockbusters.
ReplyDeleteActually, this is interesting because Scary Movie is the very definition of intertextuality. It only makes sense if you've seen all the 'originals' they're referencing. But as you suggest, they also change the way you see and understand those originals, often bringing out the hidden humor and ridiculousness of so many horror movies. It's hard to be completely scared of a movie you make fun of, and that's what these movies do--ask the question, "are they really all that scary? Especially when they're so formulaic?" So yes, this is a great series of films to highlight, since they represent the idea of theory as well.
DeleteA movie that became really influential and changed the game for the movies that came after was Inside Out. It is an animated Disney movie that deals with all the different emotions we face. It is about a little girl who goes through all of these different emotions every day. I feel like that movie changed every animated movie that came after that because more Disney movies started focusing on real issues people face. Inside Out is about mental health which is a huge issue so many people and children face. After that movie was released Moana came out which focused on girl empowerment. Then Coco came out and that focused on the diversity of cultures. My new favorite that just came out is Onward and that is about two brothers who are trying to reconnect with their father who has passed away. So many children go through the death of the parent and this is a movie that they are able to connect to. All of these movies, to me, are similar because they all talk about what we sometimes go through. Even though they all talk about different topics or have different themes, they all deal with different situations we face at some point in our lives.
ReplyDeleteA book that I think really set the standard for YA dystopian books is Ayn Rand's novel, "Anthem", which came out in 1937. I'm sure there are other books that came before hers, however, I think that hers really set the tone for modern YA dystopian novels. I see so many similarities between almost all the character dynamics in a multitude of newer YA dystopians such as, The Hunger Games, Divergent, The Maze Runner, and even older ones like 1984 and The Giver. The central themes of all of these works has to do with thinks like Individuality, the value of martyrdom, the impotence of the "collective", and original creation as the ideal.
ReplyDelete^^ this is Callie Farley
DeleteWhen you mentioned horror movies, I instantly thought of Midsommar as being one that, when it was released, instantly changed the way that we view horror. It took a lot of preconceived notions about what horror needs to be in order to be scary and broke all of these down. For instance, almost 95% of the movie happens in broad daylight. Most horror movies happen in the dark, and so watching this movie not having the familiarity of what is expected of a horror film is quite jarring. However, just like many horror movies that came before, Midsommar used several tenets within classic horror movies to still classify it as "horror," however Ari Aster, director and writer of Midsommar, completely reimagined how these tenets can be portrayed. I found this while studying this movie for a paper I wrote last semester for Intro to Film. While this movie paved the way for a new era of horror, it still told many stories that have already been told. I focused on the classic "boyfriend/husband who gaslights the lead female role" tenet that is present in several other horror films such as The Shining and Rosemary's Baby. I think Midsommar changed the way we see horror because Ari Aster was able to tell the same horrific story in a way that breaks the mold of classic horror while also, somehow staying true to what makes a film terrifying.
ReplyDeleteAmily Clary:
ReplyDeleteI feel as though one of the most important and ironic love stories that have changed how we look and read love stories still is Romeo and Juliet. Most love stories I like to assume originated from the ironic tragedy from the forbidden love of two individuals. Later love stories of tragedy like the Phantom of the Opera played off some of the same ideals that Romeo and Juliet had. Forbidden love and death is just a mixture that almost always makes for a good love story. Even the Phantom of the Opera changed love stories from the point that it came out as well. Darkness and mystery mixed with love and wanting influenced the film industry from that point on. I think love stories are better with tragedy and even though that is an opinion, I feel as though many others share that same idea.
That is really nice to hear. thank you for the update and good luck. presentation skill and public speaking
ReplyDelete