tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785065039608350318.post5850793432831596185..comments2023-09-07T04:49:10.648-07:00Comments on Literature and the Contemporary: Katie's EssayAdamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16302919444091859459noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785065039608350318.post-32883564905267563892011-01-30T18:54:14.884-08:002011-01-30T18:54:14.884-08:00I liked how you mentioned the idea of anger and it...I liked how you mentioned the idea of anger and its absence in this play. This was all very well thought out and analyzed. When you mentioned religion towards the end I became a little lost. I would recommend taking a more aggressive stance on your opinion of W;t and Christianity. I would try to answer questions like ‘what do Donne’s religious texts mean to Vivian’ and ‘is Edson making a purely Christian point at the end of the play or is it merely a metaphor for finding peace with death in other secular ways.’ Also, I have to wonder if some of Donne’s darker poems were included in this text would this not steer the message of the play away from what Edson had envisioned; finding peace with death. Perhaps their exclusion was merely for this effect.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785065039608350318.post-1897560351744390882011-01-29T13:17:13.342-08:002011-01-29T13:17:13.342-08:00I really like both poems you picked as examples of...I really like both poems you picked as examples of "another Donne." While I do think there is a dimension of humor to both poems - we don't need to take them so literally! - that doesn't really do any damage to your point. I mean, whether he's evil and demented, or joking about being evil and demented, that still undermines the saintly Donne who interests Vivian.<br /><br />What do you think Vivian's relationship with Christianity is? We get no explicit religious statements from her, and we know that she cares about Donne for his wit, not for his spirituality (unlike Ashford). On the other hand, her focus on the spiritual material makes you wonder about what she really thinks - I think you're revealing a contradiction in her character, whether you realize it or not.<br /><br />While you are surely correct that there is a Christian, or pseudo-Christian message at the end of the play, I'm not sure if you know what you're doing with it. Apologizing for your lack of knowledge and hedging your bets doesn't accomplish anything. You'd have been better off pushing yourself into a deeper, more sustained analysis of Vivian's contradictory character - or Edson's, perhaps. How do you feel about the rigorous way in which Donne's dark side is excluded from the play? What would allowing a little more of his darkness in have accomplished? Etc.Adamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16302919444091859459noreply@blogger.com