Shahrzad: An Accidental Surrealist?
Shahrzad: An Accidental Surrealist? . Introduction The Persian legacy has been immortalized by its literature, poetry, and songs. Persian poets such as Omar Khayam and Jalal ul-Din Rumi have been translated into hundreds of languages around the world. Subsequently the late 19th and primarily the 20th century saw a rise of women littérateurs and poets. Famous personalities such as Qurrat'ul-Ayn Tahirih, Forugh Farrokhzad, and Simin Daneshvar have caught the attention of readers worldwide.1 Their contribution to Persian literature has received consideration from literary critics within and without Iran. The beloved pastime of Persians, poetry, has transformation and development throughout the centuries. Women writers who have received acclaim have predominately emerged from either elite social circles or the educated class. In the annals of women's literature rests the forgotten works of a fading personality. Her name was Kubra Saidi, most commonly remembered, Shahrzad. Shahrzad was an actress and dancer during the Pahlavi years of Iran, but also a poet. More likely than not, she would have been forgotten was it not for the recent work and translations done by Kamran Talattof (Near Eastern Studies, University of Arizona). Talattof suggests that her background as an erotic dancer and her scandalous roles in lower grade movies have prevented her from being
What Were the MainCauses of 'Second Wave' Feminism in America?
What Were the Main Causes of 'Second Wave' Feminism in America? 'Women are 51% of the population. That is the only category in which they constitute 51%. In virtually every other, their share is grossly disproportionate.'1 Throughout history women have occupied the position of secondary citizens in society. The 'first wave' of feminism in the early 20th Century was pioneered by women and organisations such as the C.S.U. and Margaret Mead in America and the Pankhurst sisters in Britain; however women remained very much in the private sphere designated to them by Victorian ideology, made evident by the dominant image of American women as housewives and mothers above all else. During the 40's and 50's America was the perceived epitome of domestic calm, economic boom and political hegemony: however, as Friedan has suggested, a 'Feminine Mystique' pervaded this era, an intense female frustration at their roles of mothers and wives which, combined with a plethora of outside social, economic, political and demographic factors, served as the engine for the women's movement which was to emerge in sixties America. This growing consciousness among females was coupled with the realisation that, as the above quote illustrates, there was a vast disparity between women's position in both the public sphere and society, and men's. This is illustrated, for example, by the fact that American
The use of Kabuki Elements in a Performance of Bertolt Brehts The Caucasian Chalk Circle
________________ ABSTRACT Research Question Kabuki is a traditional, yet rather unique style of Japanese theatre originating in the Edo period[1] of Feudal Japan. There are various techniques of Kabuki which make it such a unique theatre style. Since the 1960s, these Kabuki techniques have been slowly incorporated into western theatre styles. At its core, the art of Kabuki lies in artifice and beauty. It is the beauty of Kabuki theatre I believe could reinvigorate traditional theatre styles. Therefore the question this essay attempts to answer is: “How would the application of Kabuki production elements contribute to a performance of Bertolt Brecht’s “The Caucasian Chalk Circle” to enhance the tale?” Scope of Investigation The aim of the research is to identify and analyse the various Japanese aesthetics and acting techniques used by Kabuki in a way which could be incorporated into the classical performance of Bertolt Brecht’s acclaimed epic theatre “The Caucasian Chalk Circle” and to examine the applicability of these elements to a modern production of “The Caucasian Chalk Circle”. This essay will not look at Kabuki theatre in its totality but will focus largely on the stage aesthetics and acting techniques used in Kabuki theatre. The research presented in this essay covers those elements of Kabuki with direct relevance to Bertolt Brecht’s play
The 1989 Democracy Movement - China
Session 10: The 1989 Democracy Movement Introduction: China in the late 1980s As noted last time, Deng's reforms welcomed by most - rural and urban incomes generally rose, more to spend money on, greater diversity of employment - at least until c.1985-6. Until then, those seriously losing out probably a minority, and quite a few doing better than ever before. But serious problems brewing in urban China towards end of 80s - corruption more and more obvious; inflation very high - well into double figures, over 20% in some cities. State workers beginning to be laid off as government cut subsidies to loss-making companies and denied them credit. And those still in their jobs finding wages not being paid on time because the enterprise didn't have the money - might be months late. All of which added up to urban households no longer finding their incomes going up year on year, but incomes actually falling in real terms, and job security obviously threatened. At the same time as those with Party (or army) connections were sending their kids to foreign universities and setting them up in companies making large profits by semi-legal or illegal means, and generally living it up - flash cars, golf-club membership, the best restaurants etc. And very visibly, just when everyone else was starting to worry about maybe taking a second job to make ends meet, losing work-unit housing, not
The American Love Story through the Ages
The American Love Story through the Ages Too often people wrongly pigeonhole screwball as any comedy with zany components, from films with personality comedians such as the Marx Brothers to the wacky modern comedy styling's of Jim Carrey. Wes Gehring says, "To clarify the nature and role of screwball comedy, the films of the genre can be examined for five key characteristics of the aforementioned comic antihero: abundant leisure time, childlike nature, basic male frustration (especially in relationship to women), a general propensity for physical comedy, and a proclivity for parody and satire," (Gehring, p.29). In addition to Gehring's assertions, the screwball comedy genre can be characterized by a questioning of conventional marriage, mockery of authority and the rich, and lack of rational discourse through our comic antihero protagonist. However, screwball comedies are often confused with populist and romantic comedies. While this confusion is understandable, the genres are, in truth, very different. For example, romantic comedy's earnestness regarding love, as found in the slow establishment of characters and story to build a strong audience/character connection and provocative adult conversation concerning impassioned conclusions about right and wrong are entirely absent from screwball comedy, and if they were, such sentiments would immediately be subject to satirical
An examination of how far Elyot's Dictionary, Johnson's Dictionary and the Oxford English Dictionary
An examination of how far Elyot's Dictionary, Johnson's Dictionary and the Oxford English Dictionary In any discussion of the way in which dictionaries reflect their era we must consider three things: the intellectual environment which gave rise to a given dictionary; the factors that contributed to its compilation and how each one effected subsequent lexicography in England. Let us look first at the Renaissance to see how contemporary concerns about language helped shape the dictionaries of the day. The Renaissance, (circa 1500-1650), was a period of revolution. Changes were wrought in virtually every area of life and this necessitated a fitting development in the vernacular because every class of man wanted access to the fruits of the Renaissance; its influence would have been limited if works of the period had not been translated into English. Thus the language grew to accommodate these changes and several key points heavily influenced this expansion: The 'Revival of learning' (that is, the renewed interest in Classical literature); the introduction of the printing press by Caxton in 1476; better education and the expansion of trade with the growth of the Empire; all these factors led to an awareness of the deficiencies of the vernacular to reflect such momentous changes. The printing press provided the literate public with dozens of replica texts but, without a
Feedback in teaching
With Specific reference to augmented feedback and intrinsic feedback, critically debate the role and importance of feedback in dance teaching and learning. ...feedback contributes to learning and this effect has received the most attention throughout the history of motor learning research. It contains information about success in goal achievement and allows subjects to know their error rate Swinnen 1996 p.51-52 The interpersonal relationship between the learner and teacher provides opportunity for the comprehension and achievement of new skills. It is within this relationship that feedback corresponding to the acquisition of a skill occurs. Feedback in dance teaching and learning has been a topic of abundant research and examination. Appendix A illustrates the types of feedback that will subsequently be discussed. The role and importance of feedback to a students skill attainment, in specific relation to augmented feedback and intrinsic feedback provides the following debate. Independently from the teacher, students are able to provide themselves with intrinsic feedback. Task-intrinsic feedback can be defined as ''the sensory - perceptual information that is a natural part of performing a skill'' (Magill 2007 p.269). Each sensory system is capable of providing this manner of feedback. Visual feedback is possible for a dance student as they can observe themselves
Depiction of character through music and words
ECA Option 1 Taking as your example a novel, short story or poem which has been set to music, consider how a person's character can be depicted a) through words alone and b) through words and music together. "From novella to Broadway Musical - the transference of character from the page to the stage." This essay builds on my studies of Carmen and Tristan und Isolde, in which I considered how character can be portrayed through words and music. I shall examine Robert Louis Stevenson's short story "Strange Case of Jekyll and Hyde" and one of its many adaptations, from novel to the Broadway musical "Jekyll and Hyde" by Leslie Bricusse and Frank Wildhorn. I shall discuss how the characters are portrayed in the novel through words alone, concentrating mainly on the dual character of Henry Jekyll and Edward Hyde, and then examine the libretto and explore whether the addition of the orchestration and vocal lines of the musical enhance or detract from the portrayal and representation of the character. I shall also explore the depiction of the duality of all the characters within the musical, as I feel that Bricusse and Wildhorn were trying to convey through their adaptation that every person has a dual character and they choose which 'Facade' to present to the world. This was certainly the premise of the original story by Stevenson. As Stevenson says in his essay "Lay Morals": "We
Compare and Contrast two choreographers works and choreographic process
Rosie Deane Compare and Contrast two choreographers works and choreographic process Jiri Kylian and William Forsythe's choreography can be seen to be strongly linked to their roots as performers. It can be seen through their vast amount of repertoire that their beginnings and background has a huge amount of influence on their creations as composers in dance. Jiri Kylian began his dance training when he was nine years of age at the ballet school of the Prague National theatre studying classical ballet, folk dance and the modern technique of Martha Graham this continued as he moved up into the Prague conservatory when reaching the age of fifteen. In 1967 at twenty years of age he joined the royal ballet school with a scholarship, here he studied not only classical ballet but also contemporary dance, which Kylian became very interested in. From this a major choreographer of this time John Cranko offered him a place in the Stuttgart ballet under a dancers contract but directed him into creating his own dance compositions, here Jiri could begin to develop his talent and ambitions as a choreographer. In his earliest years William Forsythe was especially interested in modern dance, rock and musical comedy. Forsythe like Kylian gained a scholarship, he proceeded to join the Joffery Ballet School and the school of American ballet. Whilst his training he was able to take
Examine either overt or covert relationships with the work of particular artists or movements and the political contexts in which they where made.
Examine either overt or covert relationships with the work of particular artists or movements and the political contexts in which they where made. Art movements through out history have been created in the midst of various political upheavals. Even though the larger part of art has always given an impression of no politicisation as it would have liked itself to be known as an autonomous entity functioning with no political aspirations, or under the banner of any political correctness. Having itself looked upon as a form of expression with the sole purpose of providing aesthetic pleasure. Which was very much the view provided by prominent art critics and the more mainstream galleries. But the authenticity of this ideological concept was contradicted and faced head on in the late 1950's with the emergence of a predominately American Art movement by the name of Pop Art. Pop emerged in the late 50's and managed to thrive in the 60's and way in to the late seventies. It utilized the imagery and techniques of consumerism and popular culture. Many perceived pop as a mere continuation of abstract expressionism, well at least in part, or if anything more a reaction against it. Emerging from a shift of various sources. Surrealism with its appeal to the subconscious was replaced by dada, with its concern with the frontiers of art. This was not a purely intellectual choice. There were