(By CAKE)
Autophagic consumerism, enervating entertainment, marketing priests. This song may be outdated by music industry standards, but the timeliness of its message has, I'm afraid, no end in sight.
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Thursday, May 8, 2014
Gilded Words: Sophocles (Part I)
(Via Pinterest)
"Seven captains at our seven gates,
Marshaled against equal foes, left
To Zeus the Router bronze weapons,
Except those two wretches, who were
Born of the same father and the same mother,
Standing against each other with doubly-slaying spears:
They both took an equal measure of their common death."
-- Sophocles, from Antigone (translated by J. E. Thomas)
Ah, Antigone! What a staggeringly well-crafted play! This work is a well of thought-provoking concepts, powerful characters, and exquisite expression. Choosing a passage to highlight today was a pleasantly difficult task, and no doubt future Gilded Words posts will feature further excerpts from this amazing author.
The selection above, however, is a particularly fitting way to kick-off our celebration of Antigone. Its vividness, poignancy, and elegant structure communicate an appropriately solemn gravity within a dancing fluidity of narrative and a masterful juxtaposition of concepts. It is a magnificent illustration of the tragedian's high calling, which is to find the beauty, nobility, and meaning in the darkest events.
In like manner, the rest of the play examines the truly heart-rending loss that occurs when two colossal idealists, Creon and Antigone, confront each other. As we delve deeper, we'll also discover that one of this work's most marvelous aspects is that the seemingly larger-than-life elements that drive the plot are (very profoundly) woven in amongst familiar motives and sentiments. The result is a fascinating consideration of loyalty to state as opposed to loyalty to family and the reasoning behind both, as well as a rich depiction of various facets of human nature.
It is so exciting to begin this exploration with you, dear reader, and I would love to hear your interpretations as we go along. If this excerpt has ignited your curiosity, please check out the play and join in the conversation! It is short, and well worth the read, so I would recommend it to even the busiest of us.
Looking forward to hearing from you,
L.
The selection above, however, is a particularly fitting way to kick-off our celebration of Antigone. Its vividness, poignancy, and elegant structure communicate an appropriately solemn gravity within a dancing fluidity of narrative and a masterful juxtaposition of concepts. It is a magnificent illustration of the tragedian's high calling, which is to find the beauty, nobility, and meaning in the darkest events.
In like manner, the rest of the play examines the truly heart-rending loss that occurs when two colossal idealists, Creon and Antigone, confront each other. As we delve deeper, we'll also discover that one of this work's most marvelous aspects is that the seemingly larger-than-life elements that drive the plot are (very profoundly) woven in amongst familiar motives and sentiments. The result is a fascinating consideration of loyalty to state as opposed to loyalty to family and the reasoning behind both, as well as a rich depiction of various facets of human nature.
It is so exciting to begin this exploration with you, dear reader, and I would love to hear your interpretations as we go along. If this excerpt has ignited your curiosity, please check out the play and join in the conversation! It is short, and well worth the read, so I would recommend it to even the busiest of us.
Looking forward to hearing from you,
L.
Friday, May 2, 2014
That Doesn't Happen
Hello, dear reader!
I hope that this Friday finds you festive and well! This is just a quick note to let you know that we recently opened a new blog called That Doesn't Happen. This is a project that we've had in the works for quite a while, and we are so excited to launch it. We are still working on the template and design details, but in the meantime there are a few posts up for you to peruse, if you'd like. More updates to come, and thanks again for reading!
Happy Friday,
L.
P.S. -- Up next on Practically Absurd, we have a new Gilded Words post headed your way. We hope you'll enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed writing it!
I hope that this Friday finds you festive and well! This is just a quick note to let you know that we recently opened a new blog called That Doesn't Happen. This is a project that we've had in the works for quite a while, and we are so excited to launch it. We are still working on the template and design details, but in the meantime there are a few posts up for you to peruse, if you'd like. More updates to come, and thanks again for reading!
Happy Friday,
L.
P.S. -- Up next on Practically Absurd, we have a new Gilded Words post headed your way. We hope you'll enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed writing it!
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