The "What Are You Doing This Moment" Thread

[waif]

True, but we can also deduce more from this than meets the eye; Madame Bovary is a fictional character, whose immersion in romantic literatures reflects a marginalization imposed on her by a patriarchal society. Escapism here connotes not a willful or apathetic brand of escapism, but a socially constituted escapism; an escapism reinforced by a phallocentric hierarchy.

All I meant with the Madame Bovary example was that just about anything can be used for escapism. In the absence of escapist media a person can simply daydream and achieve the same effect.

Since I really can't say for certain, I'll have to be more specific and concede a certain point that you've already made; certain SF may be escapist, since I can't claim that all of it is good, nor can I claim to have read all of it. However, SF in general (what SF should be and should do) is not escapist.

I think I get what you're saying. In a Platonic sense, there may be escapist science fiction but Science Fiction is not escapist. I can agree with that.

As far as the structure and archetypes of literature go, heroes are never "unsung." That's an ideological perspective that we've all been exposed to; but it doesn't apply to literature, especially to literature as archetypal and structural as The Lord of the Rings. The hero, as it is defined, fills a specific functional role, and Frodo fills this function. We might like Sam, and so we idealize him and call him a hero; but structurally, he isn't the hero.

Fair enough. Let's say, then, that Sam is the most virtuous and sympathetic character, the one that the reader comes away admiring.

 

[Dak]

In this case, Tolkien is invoking a very old genre (the oral tradition, truly) in which the hero is firmly defined. It's pretty pointless to try and argue that Sam is the hero because it would be anachronistic to do so; that is, you would be applying a more modern reading to a text that is wholly indebted to an ancient tradition.

Cutting the ends off of hams just because it's how we always knew it to be prepared is ignorant.

 

[monoxide_child]

Cutting the ends off of hams just because it's how we always knew it to be prepared is ignorant.

yes
ofcourse it is
but that's just how fiction is written

everything is a copy of something else

 

[Einherjar86]

Cutting the ends off of hams just because it's how we always knew it to be prepared is ignorant.

Whatever Dak, just give it a rest. I'm not saying conventions can't change, but when studying these things we have to acknowledge the structures and categories that govern literary creation. In this case, there's no use in arguing Sam as the hero. Sure, he's heroic; but he just isn't the hero of that story, plain and simple. Ultimately, any reconsideration of The Lord of the Rings with Sam as the hero doesn't afford much other than personal opinions on the tale.

When Paradise Lost was written, Milton didn't intend Satan as the hero, no matter what William Blake writes. But that hasn't prohibited people later on arguing for Satan as the hero, and some of these arguments have been taken seriously; but Satan isn't the hero of that tragic tale. Christ is the hero, the only possible hero, for the conventions and categories that Milton was writing. People who claim Satan as the "true hero" of Paradise Lost are making a compelling statement about our relation to Satan in our modern culture; but this doesn't change the fact that, in its literary place within the canon, Satan isn't the hero.

 

[monoxide_child]

watching this video

 

[Dak]

**gives it a rest**

In other news, Bostonians turn to porn when they lose at hockey:

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-06-27/thursday-humor-hockey-porn

 

[waif]

The only question is why they ever turned to hockey in the first place.

 

[Onder]

My slight hangover leaves me with only two options. 1) have a beer. 2) have a beer.

 

[Einherjar86]

**gives it a rest**

In other news, Bostonians turn to porn when they lose at hockey:

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-06-27/thursday-humor-hockey-porn

To amend a line from Mystery, Alaska:

"The only things to do in the north are play hockey and masturbate."

 

[Onder]

Just woke up. Having a tea and a morning Inquisition listen. Hail Lucifer the prince. Hail Satan king of kings.

 

[Krigloch the Furious]

went for a long street ride to a trail. Nothing super technical, but damn fun.
Waited for the rain to die down under some cover of a business and then made the trek home.
fun stuff!
Showered up and eating oatmeal with blueberries and pecans in it

 

[KafkaX]

Driving from Los Angeles to Montana with my girlfriend to goto the national rainbow gathering.

Stopping at Zion and Bryce National Parks in Utah on the way, should be beautiful.

 

[Master_Yoda77]

Drinking a Modelo and waiting for the friends to get ready. Going out drinking a bit tonight. Pregamming with fucking Cirith Ungol bitches.

 

[SentinelSlain]

Sundays are a pain.

 

[Serjeant Grumbles]

That's because it's Sunday Go To Meetin' Time

 

[Funerary_Doom]

I am watching this documentary called "My Flesh and Blood." It's about this woman who has 13 children (10 who are adopted and the other three that were hers moved out of the house already) with all sorts of diseases, disorders and mental illnesses and other ridiculously sad stuff. She doesn't have any pension, savings or any income like that so she gets her money from being a mother to these children.
It's almost 5 in the morning and I'm wide awake, insomnia is a bitch.




For anyone who's interested.

Edit: Just finished watching this and it was AMAZING. Susan really deserves peace and happiness, and those kids are really inspiring. On this forum and in real life in general people are always talking about looks and attractiveness, but there's so much better things to be than attractive.

Really sad and unexpected ending, though..

 

[Onder]

- Listening to some music.
- Will cook pasta.
- Will go to a show in the evening, so I will probably need to get drunk in advance, probably during the afternoon.

EDIT: Beers? Wine?

Yesterday I had some weed. It greatly improved my mood.

 

[rms]

Driving from Los Angeles to Montana with my girlfriend to goto the national rainbow gathering.

Stopping at Zion and Bryce National Parks in Utah on the way, should be beautiful.

I don't know what a national rainbow gathering is, but don't be gay and spend some time in Glacier National Park

 

[Nephilim96]

Watching the NHL draft predraft shit.

 

[Krigloch the Furious]

I should be cleaning, but im just chilling on the computer listening to metal and enjoying the kickass weather (windows are open) lol