Hi. I am finally posting what I want to use as my cultural artifact. To begin things, I’ll just say that I have long been a reader and fan of Mark Twain. His writing is simply unparalleled; it is not only edifying, but so ingeniously hilarious that I have wet myself while reading. No really, I have—like all down my left pant leg and into my shoe.
So I thought it would be a good idea to base this research project on something related to Twain, especially since I haven’t had the opportunity to study his work or literature surrounding his work in a classroom setting—at least at the university level. After a bit of research, actually a “bit” is an exaggeration so I’ll just say a crumb, yes after a crumb of research on local and global cultural artifacts and possible arguments, I have come to settle on TWO ideas.
I would either like to use the novel A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, or Mark Twain himself as my local cultural artifact. If I ended up using the former, I would look at some dominant themes in the book, particularly how Twain addresses the American models of individualism and technology, and how they relate to the rest of the world. If I used the latter I would most likely do a study of Mark Twain as America’s “first” celebrity: what qualified him to be a celebrity, whether or not he was the first, and how celebrity culture has evolved into what it is today.
With all that said, my super-awesome blog group, I would appreciate any feedback on my current ideas for the project. And the sooner you can comment the better, seeing as how the current essay assignment is due soon. I’m just curious: which of the two ideas do you think I should choose? Which would be the one you’d be more interested in? Any other suggestions? Is this blog too ridiculous? Do you want me to leave this group?
Thank you.
- Ben
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Ben,
ReplyDeleteApologies for not responding till now, i've come down with that dreaded flu this past week.
Anyways, to the nitty gritty. I like the idea for celebrity aspect. Our culture is so obsessed with fame. We have celebrity magazines, news shows and people emulating anything and everything involving celebrity. I wonder how celebrity was perceived in his time, and the differences of perception/perspective. Also, was there that pure admiration of Twain's status that I see in today's culture? I feel like I'm rambling, but celebrity is so central to our society that this really intrigues me.
So, I'll be curious to see how you will develop this project and where the research takes you!
Cheers,
Kara