Note to anyone reviewing Brave: the phrase “hits the target” has already been used. A lot. Don’t do it. Also unbearable puns. No. I don’t think I’ve ever left a movie feeling quite so confusingly neutral before. I spent the larger part of Brave playing a sort of mental ping pong, bouncing between disappointment or … Continue reading
Update: Check out these smart(er) folks at Slate (Conflict between Brave and Pretty?) & Jezebel (Beauty Comes Before Bravery). This afternoon, hopefully as a reward for finishing a draft of my seminar paper, I’m going with a friend to see Pixar’s Brave. I am stoked. As I mentioned before, I have some questions about Brave, … Continue reading
When I studied abroad, my little sister was four years old, just learning to read, and obsessed with Peter Pan. Given her stubbornness and big emotions, she had been dubbed Stinker Bell (I’d be lying if I said I didn’t see myself in that a little). When I left for England, I told Marissa that … Continue reading
Before I even begin, I know that I am biting off more than I can chew. I’m in a summer sprint course about slave narratives, focusing especially on how the conventions of the slave narrative have potentially/definitely shaped African American literature even in modern times. As someone who is not a scholar of African American … Continue reading
See, kids, sometimes there’s a benefit to watching too much TV! Time in Television Narrative: Exploring Temporality in Twenty-First Century Programming August 1st from University of Mississippi Press * Melissa Ames, Editor From the Publisher: “This collection analyzes twenty-first-century American television programs that employ temporal and narrative experimentation. These shows play with time, slowing it … Continue reading
One of the more obvious elements of The Hunger Games that readers and critics have picked up on is that the Hunger Games represent a media spectacle much like the gladiators of ancient Rome. What I find even more important, however, is the way Katniss, Peeta, Gale, et al are able to use the spectacle … Continue reading
Recently I had one of those “what the what am I doing to myself?” moments in my “beauty” regimen. It starts with the sad fact that I hate my skin. It is a problem well-known enough that my little sister picks on me about it. There is nothing quite as embarrassing as being bullied by … Continue reading
Ph.D.s and Pigtails 