RESEARCH ASSIGNMENT FOR 101
Kenneth Branagh's 1994 adaptation of the novel Frankenstein - entitled Mary Shelley's Frankenstein - claims to be true to the original text. But is this the case?
Obviously, the movie takes liberties with the storyline on many levels. So how true to the vision of Shelley do you feel this movie is? Does it match the book on some levels but not others? Does it capture the mood and tone? The plot? The setting? The characterization? On what levels does it remain true to the artistic vision of Shelley?
As you answer, consider specific differences - such as Walton's reaching out to the monster in the end, the creation of the second monster, the use of Elizabeth for the second monster, the similar appearance of Victor and Walton, etc. Look for these and other differences and explain what the movie makers both gain and lose by making these changes.
Here's a quick review of a hilarious book I've been making my way through this Christmas break.
If you're looking for something weird, twisted, and hilarious to pass some down time, then pick up a copy of Art Farkas' (pen name of Central Valley eBay enthusiast and author Paul Meadors) Letters to eBay.
Amazon.com lists the book's key phrases as "happy bidding," "lint rollers," "deer jerky," and "depression glass" - fitting for this farcical, oftentimes obsessive, exploration of the virtual world of online consumerism.
Farkas' basis for the book is simple. According to his blog, he began "firing off crazy questions and seemingly far-fetched scenarios to eBay vendors concerning their items mixed in with a dose of TMI (too much information)." His crazy questions along with the oftentimes serious (and thus hilarious) replies from the vendors creates the core of this book.
Letters to eBay is one of those books that's just plain good to have around when there's a possibility of a few moments down time. The letters/answers are quick reads and can be taken in small doses. Farkas knows how to shape an incredibly ridiculous question with just enough detail and earnest tone to make it believable. And the unsuspecting vendors bite, responding here with good natured sincerity, there with exasperation. The questions - funny; the real-life responses - even funnier!
Keep this book around - it's worth a big laugh a day.
I just put together a slideshow of our 2006 trip to London and Paris. Here is is.
I recently took a solo backpacking trip of the High Sierra Trail, crossing the Sierras from West to East and finishing with a climb up Mt. Whitney. I encountered two very large black bears who seemed more afraid than I was, several mule deer, and numerous marmots. The lakes, mountains, and stars were gorgeous. One of my favorite activities when backpacking is sleeping out under the stars above 10,000 feet elevation; the light and smog pollution of the cities don't exist up there, and the nighttime sky bursts with points of light and the Milky Way.
Here's a little slide show of my travels.
Following is a list of useful links for academic writers. Feel free to use. Report any faulty links to me. Thanks!
Marking Source Titles Correctly
Present Tense and Literary Study
Punctuating Parenthetical Citations
Punctuation with Quotation Marks
Sources to Avoid in Academic Writing
Sunday, March 25, my English 235 Shakespeare class and I took a big white van down south to Glendale to see Romeo and Juliet at A Noise Within. For many of my students, this was a first time experience with live Shakespeare (for some, live drama altogether), and so this was a particularly special event.
It's Christmas Break, but I'm busy at the local cafe, newly issued laptop in front of me, composing thorough study guides for Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, which we will be using throughout the Spring '07 sememster in English 101.
Also, I'm at work preparing for a Shakespeare class for the KRV campus - the hard part is figuring out which great and wonderful plays to assign. The tendency would be to try to cover too much, so I'll try to resist that--six plays and some sonnets.
I am working on a Field Trip to A Noise Within down in LA. That company is performing Romeo and Juliet starting in March. The trip would be on a Sunday for an afternoon performance--a strange day, but really the only afternoon date that works.
