Ancient Religious Literature - William Blake as Inspired Genius

William Blake first came to me in third year university English, and I was utterly amazed. It was 1969 and so much was happening that we talk about and here was this ancient philosopher who by his nature would be walking today against any war and the system as it was abusing the common man. That was Blake, and yet he spoke, created, crafted his expressions to humanity in ways that he is recognized as one of the greatest English creative minds ever. Tiger, tiger, burning bright...did He Who made the lamb make Thee?

The genius and simple mad great nature in William Blake was there in a study in fourth year tutorial about how Blake and his thoughts were carried forward from his lifetime (1757-1827) that saw him through the worst horrors of the Industrial Revolution when children were virtually chained to tables to produce mass goods, practices we now denounce through the third world, but have really been around since time immemorial.

But when Blake described the naked reality of a small boy stuck in a chimney and abandoned by his chimney sweep because he had had a growth spurt or eaten too much, greedy boy. In the time of the American revolution, while Colonists were fighting against taxation without representation, Blake was speaking of children chained to their wheels or abandoned in a sooty chimney until his cries died down, and the fires burned out his skeletal remains. His soot would filter out over the neighbors for some time, and then be forgotten, an abandoned orphan anyway.

So while mad William Blake stoke the fires of indignation, which set the way for another victim of the rough life of a father who was too much a borrower and so came to know the Poor House, Charles Dickens. And all those words of horror and indignation from the heart of Dickens pushed a change that had already begun, and a life of decency became a standard for all. It took mad William Blake, who said in his later years: the first thing is:

You work up your imagination, and allow it to become a vision, and then the thing is done.

The Wise Men from the East could not have said it better.

William Blake was a visionary in the west: far behind the Buddha in time, but close in his vision. One of the greatest creative minds, dismissed in his time as mostly mad, lived through times when young boys were abandoned in chimneys and their cries could be heard for days until someone, feeling the chill, lit a fire. Blake was driven mad by these rights of the divine and suffering of the many: while America rebelled against taxes on tea, Blake fought to right deeper human freedoms. And yet America admired his ideals and did not allow very many boys to die inside a chimney.Other matters, yes, and with the grace of God we improve our mortal souls.

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American Antiques.

Derek Dashwood

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English Literature - William Shakespeare - Coriolanus

Who is to blame for Coriolanus's banishment?

In William Shakespeare's Coriolanus, Coriolanus's banishment is the climax of a series of events in which several forces play a part, all pushing him towards his inevitable downfall. As is usual in Shakespearean Tragedy, the hero, at the peak of his achievements, falls, due to a fatal flaw in his character. Coriolanus 's flaw is his arrogant pride and lack of temperance, and his fall is great, from national hero to outcast.

A particular feature of this play is that Shakespeare has shown us how the hero's character came to be flawed. We see that the flaw has its roots in the family and society which moulded his personality. This insight does not enable us to excuse Coriolanus for his behaviour, but it does prevent us from presenting a simple black and white case on the question of who is to blame for his downfall.

In Coriolanus's Rome the citizens fall roughly into two categories, the patricians and the plebeians. The two factions are seen to coexist in a state of more or less mutual antagonism, with stability being maintained by a willingness to compromise on both sides.

Coriolanus does not fit in with his society. His valour places him above the plebeians, and his lack of politic sense places him outside to the circle of patricians. He cannot understand the concepts of expediency and respect necessary for the maintenance of a stable society by its authorities. He naively sees society in simplistic terms of good patricians, and bad plebeians.

In soothing them, we nourish 'gainst our senate

The cockle of rebellion, insolence, sedition,

Which we ourselves have plough'd for, sow'd, and scattered. (111.1.68)

Coriolanus's flaw is his pride, his insistence on voicing his opinions regardless of the consequences, and the narrow-mindedness which makes him immune to change. He firmly believes that the duty of every Roman male is to achieve valour, and valour is the only virtue he recognises. It is his single-minded determination that has led to his success, but it also leads him to hate and despise all those who, in his view, fail to live up to their duty:

The idea of 'countrymen' means little or nothing to him. Though he seems to be fighting for Rome, it is as a personal ideal, or symbol, and he holds his fellow Romans in utter contempt. They are an insignificant rabble to him, and he makes little distinction between them and the enemy.

It is not the fact that he holds these opinions, however, that seals his doom, it is the fact that he cannot refrain from voicing them vehemently in public on every possible occasion. He insists on acting in this way, against the good advice, to dissemble, from Menenius and his mother, even when his life is at stake.

From the point of view of Roman society there is no one to blame but Coriolanus himself. As illustrated by Menenius's story of the body and its parts (1.1.95 - ), the motif of the play, the harmonious operation of the community is the criterion by which the actions of its individuals must be judged. By this criterion, although the military service Coriolanus has done for Rome is undeniably great, it is also undeniable that he is likely to do a great deal of harm to the living fabric of the society. On this point, Sicinius and Menenius, representatives of the two factions of society, cannot help but agree:

Sicinius: He's a disease that must be cut away.

Menenius: Oh, he's a limb that has but a disease. (111.1.292)

In terms of the action of the play, therefore, we must appoint blame primarily to Coriolanus himself for his arrogance and open display of hatred, and secondarily to the spiteful jealousy of the tribunes, and the indecision and gullibility of the plebeians.

The play gives us, however, evidence of the causes behind human character. Through the character of Coriolanus's mother, and the nature of Roman society itself, we can see why Coriolanus is the way he is. We can note the influence of Roman society itself in its upholding valour as a high virtue. This is seen in the eagerness of the patricians to praise him for his supreme soldiership.

If I should tell thee o'er this thy day's work,

Thou't not believe thy deeds: but I'll report it,

Where senators shall mingle tears with smiles

. . . ladies shall be frighted . . . the dull tribunes

That with the fusty plebeians hate thine honours,

Shall say against their hearts, 'We thank the gods

Our Rome hath such a soldier'. (1.1X.1)

But this social influence will be common to all Roman families and sons, and cannot be responsible for the extreme nature of Coriolanus's character. Far more important an influence has been his mother. Volumina has brought him up of with only one aim in mind; to make him a great soldier:

When yet he was but tender bodied . . . when for a day of Kings' entreaties, a mother should not sell him an hour from her beholding . . . To a cruel war I sent him, from whence he returned, his brows bound with oak. I tell thee daughter, I sprang of not more in joy at first hearing he was a man-child, than now in first seeing he had proved himself a man.

Virgilia: But had he died in the business, madam, how then?

Volumina: Then his good report should have been my son. (1.111.5)

We have a further insight into the way Coriolanus's character has been formed from an early age through Valeria's report of young Martius, Coriolanus's son, over whom, no doubt, Volumina has had huge influence.

Valeria: I saw him run after a gilded butterfly, and when he caught it, he let it go again, and after it again, and over and over he comes, and up again, catched it again . . . he did so set his teeth and tear it. Oh, I warrant how he mammocked it! (1.111.60)

We can feel sympathy for Coriolanus when he says:

I muse my mother

Does not approve me further, who was wont

To call them woollen vassals, things created

To buy and sell with the groats, . . .

Why did you wish me milder? Would you have me

False to my nature? Rather say I play

The man I am. (111.11.7)

This insight makes the question of who is to blame much less clear-cut, and perhaps even meaningless.

The problem for Rome is essentially a practical one, of how to ensure self-preservation, and all the insight and understanding in the world would not lessen the necessity of taking steps against Coriolanus.

Copyright Ian Mackean. Read the full version of this essay at:

http://www.literature-study-online.com/essays/coriolanus.html

Ian Mackean runs the sites http://www.literature-study-online.com, which features a substantial collection of Resources and Essays, (and where his site on Short Story Writing can also be found,) and http://www.Booksmadeintomovies.com. He is the editor of The Essentials of Literature in English post-1914, ISBN 0340882689, which was published by Hodder Arnold in 2005. When not writing about literature or short story writing he is a keen amateur photographer, and has made a site of his photography at http://www.photo-zen.com

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William Faulkner in Literature Class

William Faulkner is a key figure of the American modern novel. Since his contribution is undeniable, the study of his work in schools is absolutely mandatory. However, literature teachers have severe differences of opinions regarding whether teaching students about the impact on the American literature is worth considering or not. Although Faulkner is superficially studied in high schools, as the syllabus is based on few short stories, such as "Barn Burning", symbolizing the bildungsroman theme, and "A Rose for Emily". The question comes when teachers have the chance to take their students in Faulkner's journey. Some are convinced that William Faulkner's novels are far too sophisticated for high school level, and instead of reaching the overall message of William Faulkner's work, they will get quite confused.

On the other side, literature teachers who take Falkner for the magnificent contributor to the American modern novel, consider that Faulkner's presence in literature class is fundamental for high school students' comprehension of the American literature essentials. As you can imagine, many teachers are reluctant to William Faulkner work when it comes to teaching as the stylistic approach might become disconcerting for most of literature class attendees, regardless of their responsiveness to William Faulkner's writings.

However, many literature teachers who have understood the importance of studying Faulkner have made use of conventional and non-conventional tools to bring Faulkner's work closer to their students. This way teachers have drawn many parallels between Faulkner biography and many of the characters and plots in his novels. In general, this connection technique is a common didactic strategy in literature class, yet, many have forgotten its benefits. Others teachers state that they have compelled classes devotion to Faulkner's work, through the introduction of the William Faulkner audio collection. Even though they listened to few excerpts, this strategy has successfully captured listeners' attention. Furthermore, alternating audio chapters to silence reading is surely the unique strategy of offering insight into William Faulkner's major themes and style. So, before jumping to conclusions that Faulkner is not approachable for most of high school students, perhaps, literature teachers should make use of the symbolism we usually encounter in Faulkner's work.

Even though, all students are pretty reluctant to non-conventional writing styles, and Faulkner is surely on top o f the list, literature teachers should not gave up their intentions to introducing Faulkner, on the contrary they should look for original unexpected parallels between Faulkner's novels and students' interests.

Adrian is the editor of this article. He also writes for http://williamfaulknerbiography.com/. This is a website where you can find out more about books by William Faulkner.

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Turkish publisher in trouble over William S. Burroughs book

Turkish publisher in trouble over William S. Burroughs book - latimes.com p.content-nav { margin:-15px 0px 0px 0px; }#commentsArchive { display: none; visibility: hidden; }#archiveShow, #fbShow { cursor:pointer; } body {background-color:#ffffff !important;}ul#root li.navLink a {padding-top:17px; padding-right:4px; padding-bottom:16px; padding-left: 5px;} Subscribe/Manage Account Place Ad LAT Store Jobs Cars Real Estate Rentals Classifieds Custom Publishing Books HOME LOCAL L.A. Now Politics Crime Education O.C. Westside Neighborhoods Environment Obituaries Findlocal U.S. Politics Now Top of the Ticket Science & Environment Obituaries Religion WORLD Afghanistan & Pakistan Africa Asia Europe Iran Iraq Latin America Mexico Under Siege Middle East Business Money & Co. Technology Personal Finance Small Business Company Town Jobs Real Estate Autos SPORTS Lakers Clippers Dodgers Angels NFL Ducks/Kings USC UCLA Soccer High Schools Scores/Stats ENTERTAINMENT Movies Television Music Celebrity Arts & Culture Company Town Calendar The Envelope Findlocal Health Booster Shots Fitness & Nutrition Medicine Behavior Healthcare Reform Hospitals Living Home Food Image Books Findlocal Brand X Magazine Your Scene Cars Travel California Hawaii Mexico Las Vegas Europe Travel & Deal Blog Destinations Opinion Editorials Op-Ed Letters Opinion L.A. Deals Save: Deals Go: Travel Eat: Food Wear: Apparel Live: Everyday Needs Play: Electronics Drive More Mobile Site Subscribe / Manage Account Print Ads Place an Ad LAT Store Jobs Cars Real Estate Rentals More Classifieds Weekly Ad#inTheNews {min-height:20px;} Advanced Search Advanced Search X include all of these words: include any of these words: include this exact phrase: exclude: Select a date range this week past 30 days past 3 months past year Create a custom date range From: To: Jacket CopyBooks, authors and all things bookish« Previous |Jacket Copy Home

Turkish publisher in trouble over William S. Burroughs bookJuly 5, 2011 |  3:58pm

Sel Publishing, a Turkish publishing house, is in trouble for its Turkish-language publication of the William S. Burroughs novel "The Soft Machine." The book was originally published in the U.S. in 1961, two years after the publication of "Naked Lunch," and in 1966, Burroughs published a significantly revised edition.

Sel Publishing, which printed 2,500 copies of the book, has been charged with obscenity under Article 226 of the Turkish penal code and its head, Irfan Sanci, is expected to appear in a Turkish court Wednesday in the first hearing of the case. The book's translator has also been charged.

In 2010, the house was awarded the Freedom to Publish -- Special Award from the Geneva-based International Publishers Assn. The IPA has called for the immediate aquittal of Sanci and "The Soft Machine's" translator. "This is the latest in a series of trials targeting publisher Sanci and his translations of contemporary foreign literature," the organization said in a statement (PDF).

This is the second time Sel Publishing has been charged under Article 226. In 2010, the house's translation of Guillaume Apollonaire's "The Exploits of a  Young Don Juan," originally published in France in 1911, faced the same charges.

Last year, the European Court of Human Rights ruled in favor of another publisher who had published a Turkish-language translation of Apollonaire's "The Eleven Thousand Rods" in 1999. The court found that Turkey had violated freedom of expression laws and "hindered public access to a work belonging to the European literary heritage."

Turkey contends that "The Soft Machine" violates moral norms and is vulgar. The Guarian reports:

Featuring scenes of drug addiction and homosexuality, The Soft Machine develops "attitudes that were permissive to crime by concentrating on the banal, vulgar and weak attributes of humanity", according to a report by the Turkish Prime Ministerial Board for the Protection of Children from Harmful Publications, quoted in Turkish paper Hurriyet.

The Council also accused the novel of "incompliance with moral norms" and "hurting people's moral feelings".

"It is clear and obvious that this case carries no weight or respectability outside of the borders of our country," publisher Sel said in a statement. "We demand an end to investigations that constrain our activities and the prosecution of books for any reason whatsoever."

RELATED:

On making a new William Burroughs documentary

Bookstore finds in Istanubl

William S. Burroughs' lost graphic novel coming in 2011

-- Carolyn Kellogg

Photo: A cafe and bookstore in Istanbul's Istiklal Caddesi selling mostly Turkish books in March 2008. Credit: Carolyn Kellogg / Los Angeles Times

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