Video Clip #3: Hamlet!

I found this on Youtube (again not mine) and thought it might be fun to post it for anyone that's interested! Kenneth Branagh is a god in Shakespeare land!

Long Time...

So yes, I realize I have been somewhat lax in my updates, but don't hate me gentle readers! I'm so swamped this year with reading and work. 2nd year has kind of been kicking my ass. But never fear, I'm back now!

The readings... well it turns out that we're not actually doing Macbeth this year (sad face), but we have more than enough to keep us occupied. So far I've done; Hamlet, Dr. Faustus, The Way of the World, Juno and the Paycock, Boys' Weeklies, Gulliver's Travels, a ton of poetry, and am currently reading 1984 and Volpone! This is on top of the readings and notes I have for my two Psychology lectures too. And I'm not even kidding about the poetry, there's so much of it!

That's not to say that I don't love reading the texts, just that there's so much! Dr. Faustus, it will come as no surprise, has been a highlight so far and I'm really getting into 1984. I love reading about the paranoia and Big Brother always watching! Also Hamlet was great to read, coming in at a close second. The ghost and the madness, and the are-they-aren't-they-crazy situations, it's just brilliant. The only text so far that I've truly disliked is The Way of the World by William Congreve (I think!). I only made it as far as the second act and I just couldn't read any further. Maybe if I'd kept going I might have seen what all the fuss was about, but I just didn't find it funny or interesting. I'm sure there are plenty of people out there that disagree with me though so I definitely think it should at least be given a chance!

So I feel like I'm sort of on a rant at the moment and should take a break until I'm a little calmer. I think this is as good a time as any to admit that, to my shame, I've read nothing else yet for my Pride & Prejudice challenge! I'm so ashamed (hangs head). I've got the list of what I have to read and watch stuck up on my wall and it taunts me, TAUNTS ME, whenever I see it. On the plus side I have to read Pride and Prejudice over Christmas because I'm studying it next semester! I know, what a trial right? Also for college, I'll be reading; Jane Eyre, Frankenstein, and Great Expectations over Christmas. I'm rubbing my hands in glee as I re-read the list!

I think that's really all for now, and thank you to anyone still reading this blog! I'm sorry for my absence, but I'm back on track now bringing you all the exciting news from the world of a frazzled English student! In the words of Blackadder: I shall return interfrasticly.

Until Next Time!

Video Clip #2!

I'll be studying Macbeth this year, so I thought I'd put up a clip that I found on Youtube (not mine) of the inimitable Patrick Stewart as the Scottish king. No other reason than that really. Hope you enjoy!

Until Next Time!

Nearly That Time Again!

Well as the title says, it's nearly that time again! I've registered for second year and should hopefully be hearing about when I'm going back to college soon. I have to say I'm really looking forward to going back! It'll be nice to get back into a routine, and back into reading! I've been totally stuck this summer. Had all these great plans to read a heap of the books that we're due to read this year and got one read... Yes, one.

The book I read was really a play. It was Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe. I have to admit I really enjoyed it. I started out convinced I was going to have to force myself to read it, but once I got into it I read it in one go! I've forgotten a lot of it now (I know, that's a real help for college right) but reading what happens in Faustus' life, all the while knowing the inevitable conclusion resulting from his deal with the devil, creates a kind of tension throughout the play. A curiosity right up until the end as to whether he'll be able to get out of his deal or not. I'm not going to say anything else about it, because I don't want to ruin it for anyone that might want to read it, but it is definitely worth a look!

That's all I read for college. Not that I didn't buy about six of the books and plays on the list, I just couldn't get into reading them! They're currently sitting on my bedside locker glaring at me in a very accusatory manner. (I should probably stop anthropomorphizing my literature). Of course this also means that my Pride & Prejudice challenge has gone unanswered, but never fear! I still have four months to finish the list! Four months... On top of college... And all the other reading... Ah crap. But I remain undeterred!

I also took part in a Research Summer School earlier this summer. And yes, the capital letters are necessary! Myself and three other women/girls from my class worked with a couple of our lecturers on research for a project on regional theater. It was really cool! We got to go to a local youth theater group and catalog their archive... Which I realize makes me sound really nerdy, but I stand by my statement that it was cool! Apparently we'll be mentioned as helpers on their paper, which can only look good on a CV am I right?

Well that's all I can think of to say now, except that the next time I post I'll be in my second year of college! Let the panic begin!

Until Next Time !

Just For A Laugh

Just in case the video doesn't work you can find the clip at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daNb7lcWDz4 

I just thought this was a bit of a laugh! Whoever did it got the timing perfect! (i.e. this isn't mine)

Summer Holidays!

Hi!

Well exams are finally over! (Deep sigh of relief) The only one I hated was Psychology and the entire class is positive they failed that one! Not an exaggeration unfortunately. Our lecturer told us he was putting things on the paper that he never did! It was a two hour exam and people left after half an hour because they couldn't write anything! Such a dick!!!!

Grrr...

Okey and a deep breath... and moving along. The poetry exam went okay I think. We had an unseen poem and I answered the general question on poetry. In Shakespeare: Drama and Film I think the first question on the text went really well! The only thing I'm worried about is I got really sick halfway through the exam and was trying not to vomit the whole time I was answering the question on film! It sucks because I was looking forward to that one and I'm not sure it was very coherent. Well there's nothing I can do about it now. Oh yeah, part one was genre conventions in comedy (I used A Midsummer Night's Dream as an example) and part two was the development of a character through film language (I used Richard III, Loncraine 1995 with Ian McKellan because the man is amazing!). I also got good comments on my King Lear assignment so I'm very happy! :)

You can probably guess that there's not much studying going to be written about during the summer holidays. However, I do plan on reading the books we're going doing next year during the summer (I figure a head start can't hurt!) and I'm still doing the Pride & Prejudice challenge! My updated list is:


Pride & Prejudice: The Graphic Novel
Prom and Prejdice
Pride & Prejudice (1995)
Pride & Prejudice (Book)
Pride and Prejudice (2005)
Mr. Darcy's Diary
Pride and Prejudice (1985)
Pride & Prejudice & Zombies
An Unexpected Governess
An Unexpected Lady
Bride & Prejudice
What Matters in Jane Austen
The Lizzie Bennet Diaries
Death Comes to Pemberley


There are some changes and I'm still not sure about leaving in What Matters in Jane Austen. An Unexpected Governess is a kind of sequel to An Unexpected Lady which was about Kitty. Governess is about Mary after Pride & Prejudice and I have to say, I loved it. It was so nice to read about Mary and see things from her point of view. I honestly wasn't sure I'd like it. I only got it because Lelia M. Silver wrote it and I'd loved An Unexpected Lady! (Lelia is the right spelling by the way). I'm currently reading the original text (i.e. the best) in a Pulp the Classics version! Seriously, check them out, they're so cool! I got the Great Gatsby in them too. I must try get a pic of it up (It makes my ninth copy of Pride & Prejudice! Nearly in double digits!).

Well I can't think of anything else to say right now so...

Until Next Time!

Aaaarrggghhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!

*Cough* Excuse me...

So. Much. Work. And. Study! Writing this so I can take a break from trying to work on my third of a group presentation. Not that I don't love you or anything! :) (Whoever you may be!).

Well, the last thing I wrote about was my King Lear theatre review. I think I might be getting my marks for it tomorrow, so fingers crossed! The reason the results were delayed was because my lecturer was getting married! (She told us that she had a lovely day, just in case you're wondering). The day of her wedding she left us to watch A Streetcar Named Desire for our class. Possibly one of the most depressing films I've ever watched, I honestly had an ache in my chest at the end of it! If you ever plan on watching it make sure you have a box of tissues and a stiff drink beside you. I'm supposed to have it read for tomorrow and I haven't had the heart to start it yet, so I'll let you know how that goes.

Sorry if this post seems a little scattered, but I'm kind of on the frazzled side at the moment!

You know what? I need to talk about something other than college, but it's still English related so it's okay!

I'm doing the Pride & Prejudice Challenge, as seen at austenprose.com! You pick an appropriate number of Pride & Prejudice related books / DVDs / webcasts / audiobooks etc. and make a plan to have them all completed before the end of the year.

This is my list:

Pride & Prejudice: The Graphic Novel

Prom and Prejudice 

An Unexpected Lady

Pride & Prejudice (1995)

Pride & Prejudice (Book)

Pride & Prejudice (2005)

Mr. Darcy’s Diary

Pride & Prejudice (1985)

Pride & Prejudice & Zombies

Jane Austen’s Letters

Bride & Prejudice

What Matters In Jane Austen

The Lizzie Bennet Diaries

Some of them are films and books that I'm re-reading and re-watching, but as far as I can tell that's allowed! Anyone that likes modern interpretations of Pride & Prejudice should check out The Lizzie Bennet Diaries on Youtube! They are so funny and you get caught up in it even if you already know what happens!
The graphic novel was decent enough, nothing special, just okay. I don't feel I need to say anything about the 1995 film version except: Colin Firth. Lake. Enough said. An Unexpected Lady was brilliant! It was a continuation of P&P but from Kitty's POV. I've always wanted to know more about Kitty because she's kind of a non-character in the book, even Mary has more of a personality! There was obviously a lot that had to be created by Leila M. Silver but I think she did a good job of creating it realistically. There's also one from Mary's POV coming out this year, so I'll definitely be getting that!

I'm looking forward to seeing Bride & Prejudice again. So cheesy and so fun! :) What Matters in Jane Austen should be interesting as well. My brother got it for me for Christmas but I haven't had a chance to read it yet. Also looking forward to Mr. Darcy's Diary! I'd never read one of them before but when I added it to my list I went off and bought Mr. Knightley's Diary... as you do. It was excellent though so I'm really excited about invading Darcy's privacy next! 

I've probably rambled on for long enough this time so I'll save my coherent thoughts for another occasion! So I shall now bid you an abrupt toodles!

Until Next Time!

Theatre Review

So, I mentioned in my last post that I went to see a production of King Lear. I then had to do a theater review on it for my Drama module, just 40% of my mark for the year... no pressure! So I present for your consideration: my review!

Theatre review of King Lear at the Abbey Theatre

The first production of King Lear in the Abbey Theatre for eighty years is currently underway. The play shows how familial love and loyalty can be turned on its head, all in the name of greed, envy, and power; and from the stylized and choreographed opening the audience is aware that this is a different approach to Shakespeare’s tragedy.  The actors on stage move to a base and almost primal beat, like the heartbeat of the play itself. However, this heartbeat seemed to stutter at moments in the production.

The theatre leant itself to the spacious, and somewhat grand, set construction. Vertical wooden beams, a second wooden level, and cave-like caverns to enter the stage left and right all added to the mood on the stage. Different coloured lights were used, not just to signify the time of day the scene was set in, but to highlight the emotional state of the characters. There were flashes of stark light signifying lightning, while a muted blue light reflected the emotional turmoil in Lear’s own mind.

The costumes used colour to great effect; red to show Goneril’s passionate nature, green to mirror Regan’s envy and greed, light blue to reflect the peaceful nature of Cordelia, and deep brown leathers and furs to symbolize Lear’s high standing and character. The rest of the cast were almost exclusively dressed in dark or dull colours, as if emphasising which characters exactly our eyes should be drawn to. And drawn to them they were, perhaps to the detriment of the overall impact of the production and the slight chagrin of the audience.

The cast were not lacking in any way, perhaps just in their direction. Watching the play and marvelling at the sets, lighting, and costumes can lead to the realization that some of that fantastic detail should have been directed at the actors and the content itself. Some characters sporting a specific accent seemed to change nationalities between scene changes, with French and Northern Ireland intonations melting into something else entirely. Although there has to be an honourable mention for Lorcan Cranitch, when the blood from his eye-gouging led to his beard attempting to escape from his face, he covered the incident up with professionalism. A hand clutched to his face as he was dragged moaning from the scene kept any hint of being clean-shaven strictly between him and the hair and makeup department.

Another somewhat unfortunate choice ended up with the audience responding to what were originally emotional scenes with laughter. One scene in particular when Lear and Gloucester meet, one lost in madness and the other having been blinded, proceeded to the point where the image of Owen Roe’s Lear digging around in the front of his trousers becomes permanently burned into the brains of those watching. Lear then responded to Gloucester’s wish to kiss his hand with the statement “Let me clean it first”, all of which the audience found enormously funny. An emotional scene rich with possibilities was thus reduced to ridicule.

This is not to say that Selina Cartmell’s production of King Lear should be avoided, rather it is letting any theatre goer know in advance what the issues with the play are so they won’t be so jarred on first viewing. Ignoring the somewhat objectionable moments, it is a well acted and produced rendition of King Lear. The set, lighting, and costumes are amazing and can sometimes approach the subjects involved with an unexpected subtlety. However, there is no question that the shining light of the production was Owen Roe’s portrayal of King Lear. He added an emotion and vulnerability to the character that can just not be felt in a simple reading of the text. Whether he is in the grip of cruelty or madness it is impossible to draw the eye away from the spectacle on stage. The night of the play that this review is based on, Roe received a standing ovation which was richly deserved. As he took his final bow the thunderous applause, so close in sound to that of rain, echoed the storm in Lear’s mind that Roe had portrayed to perfection.

There you have it! This students first attempt at a theatre review! Fingers crossed it all goes well.

Until next time!

Beginnings

Well, this is my third attempt at a blog and hopefully it'll stick! This is basically about my love of English and how I get on studying it in college. It may sound boring, but I hope it will also be interesting!

At the moment I'm doing Shakespeare: Film & Drama, Intro. to Drama, and Intro. to Poetry. I'm loving it so far! I've already been to see The Importance of Being Earnest and King Lear. The former was absolutely hilarious and the latter was just plain amazing! The actor playing Lear got a standing ovation at the end, and it was well deserved. It helped that it was in the Abbey Theatre and you could practically feel the history seeping into you, (even if it's not the original structure, it's the principle of the thing!).

Just wanted to include a couple of the pictures of the tickets. Hey, I like to keep theses things!

Well, that's all I can think of for now. I'm sure right after I post this I'll remember something else, but oh well, I'll just have to roll with.

Until next time!

(One note: I tend to use too many exclamation marks, I give you fair warning!)