Hello everyone,
I agree with Elisha and Cinda about Lisa's visit to our class today. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have her for a half day, and to discuss all sorts of poetry ideas with her? She is clearly an expert - in the true sense of the word - and I felt so privileged that she came to our class.
I asked her how she first became involved with and interested in Donne, and she said it was not until she was at university, and was studying Elizabethan Culture and History. That lead to her passion for Donne, and she has a wealth of knowledge about broad Elizabethan English society ( the kind of things we were researchin in our background to King Lear).
Wasn't it fascinating to gain that insight into the lives of the poets and artists of the time? The comparison I draw is with bands of today - how some bands and musicians are not interested in chasing big gigs and popular acclaim, but would rather maintain their artistic integrity by playing what they like ( not what record companies tell them they must) to smaller groups of dedicated fans. Donne was like that - he didn't want mass popularity, he was happier being in an elite circle of intellectuals who were satisfied that only the very sophisticated, smart and savvy people "got" their writing. As Lisa said, quite a snobby attitude in some ways. But then everyone who was "cool" knew the other "cool" people, much as it is today.
Mrs Doctor Who, sorry we missed you today. Your contributions with the interesting YouTube links make you our resident guru in that area.
JC
Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! i have missed ever so much. my heart is ever so broken as the visiting poet seems to have enlighened you all into the world of Donne and i'm still sitting in the shade of his poems pondering. :) but ahh the troubles of sickness, anyways i shall be back tomorrow and really would love to hear all about everything that i've missed. ...i also miss todays double. please Don't do anything toooo exciting without me. have yourselves a wonderful day lit buddies (i think we should all have a secret hand shake!!) cheerio
ReplyDeleteaww im sorry Lyndel.. haha.
ReplyDeleteyou didn't miss out on much in our double. we watched the start of king Lear the movie.
and we soooo should organize this "secret hand shake!!" lol i love it!
Hope you feel better tomorrow love!
xx
hmmm, secret handshake? So that the literati of Clonard can be smug and comfortable, as Donne was, in knowing that they are part of an elite group of erudite, articulate, urbane readers and lovers of the finer arts? How exclusive.
ReplyDeleteJC
yes this SECRET HANDSHAKE would symbolize that we are the lit students. We are elite, we are supreme, fear our handshake, feel envy at its evident power to unify those of higher understanding of Pleasantville, various poets, and King Lear. WE ARE THE ALL MIGHTY LIT STUDENTS OF YR11. REJOYCE! :) :) .....this is what a secret handshake would discreetly indicate to those other Clonard-ians. :)
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