Paperback Frankenstein

Written 8 August 2016

In my own commonplace notebook (from which I am extracting for these posts), I came across something I wrote after I finished Frankenstein for the third or fourth time:

Finishing a book is like reaching a destination to which you didn't want to go--it was all about the journey, but you let it pass you by, and now it's over, and what have you got to show for it? It's silly to cry for the death of a fictional world you didn't know you were a part of until you weren't anymore. If only you had enjoyed what was happening when it was happening...

This really feels applicable to the last short paper on "media, technology, and the way you read." In my paper, I adamantly express the preference of a paperback book over an e-reader. This sentiment, paired with the above excerpt after finishing the novel, brought me back to the days leading up to my finishing of the book.

I read the same ragged copy I've always had on a bus to New York to visit my sister. I read it on the lawn in Bryant Park, in Central Park, in her apartment in the East Village, on the subway, by the Hudson River in Chelsea, in Rockefeller Plaza, and finished it on the bus back home. Would any of that have been possible with an e-reader? More importantly, would it have been the same?

And what have I got to show for it?

Certainly not a digital screen--rather, the same ragged copy resting comfortably on my bookshelf, waiting to be picked up again, one day.

A Nocturne

Written 26 October 2016

On the same day we brainstormed the qualities of an English major, our discussion got me thinking (and writing):

The English major--the pleasure of reading and conversation--is much like the old days of poets and playwrights (although then they were exalted and I in turn am scoffed at), where the "pretentious" are only following their dreams and those looking down on them are secretly jealous we chose fulfillment of the soul rather than the body.

Then I made a self-assignment and wrote a nocturne for my poetry workshop:

Write a nocturne in the style of Walt Whitman's "A Clear Midnight," addressing a non-physical entity (apostrophe), while keeping the poem as brief as possible.

To a Witch

At last the final moon ascends!

Come now before the light subsides

Lest all is lost—

                                    Look!

Through the gaping window,

past the curtain dancing,

            though there is no wind

and I have not stirred since

the moon arose—

a figure appears.

Skills of an English Major

Written 26 October 2016

1. The ability to present your ideas in a cohesive and interesting way
2. Meeting the requirements and following the rubric for papers shows you can follow directions. For example, when proposing a contract
3. Mastery of the English language to set you and your ideas apart from the norm
4. Understanding of your audience (for a paper, poem, story, etc.) is applicable for marketing, sales, publicity
5. Excellent writing sure does help in building a resume and a cover letter
6. You can talk yourself into a job because you know how to present your thesis and back it up with evidence
7. You can think outside the box
8. You are observant and a deep-thinker
9. Analytic and research skills
10. The ability to think, read, write, and talk creatively is applicable for every job

Is this a love letter to myself?

Preface

I have taken a lot of notes in various physical journals throughout the semester, so I am going to start posting them on a semi-daily basis. I'll mark the dates where I wrote each idea, so my posts won't correspond with the present date! Basically, I am transcribing handwritten notes into a digital blog post format.

This is a bit of a boring post, as a preface. Perhaps a caveat is more in order, since the reader will be getting insight into the weekly workings of my mind.

Here is what is on my mind today: