The Final Project Proposal meeting actually went very well.  Dr. Wald (and "Priscilla" is officially okay) distilled my somewhat pedestrian proposal into something much more brilliant and exciting, which of course is what I tried to say and had written very poorly.  Essentially, why does literature inform us about sociological implications better ( Read more... )

Still wading through this, by the way.  When they actually get to the story it's very interesting, but there is just way too much detailed description of ships and battles -- I know it's his style, but I feel like it's really most of what the book is about.  And obviously this is part of a trilogy, so I may not be able to use it for my project; ( Read more... )

Wallowing in Sex: The New Sexual Culture of 1970s American Television
Elana Levine
http://www.dukeupress.edu/books.php3?isbn=978-0-8223-3919-9

“Wallowing in Sex is a groundbreaking and important examination of television’s significant role in the increasingly sexualized culture of the 1970s. Painstakingly researched and smartly written, it is a ( Read more... )

Yesterday I met with Priscilla Wald in the English department at Duke, and she has agreed to work with me on my final project.  She is very interested in my topic, as she does work with both English and how science affects humans, and since I am doing something SF/dystopia it fits.  I have to focus the project some more but unless some major hiccup ( Read more... )

EVERYONE strongly disliked The Year of Magical Thinking.  Except the reviewers, and we have decided that the literary world must indeed be a tightly closed circle for them all to give it such high reviews.  Besides the majorly depressing subject matter, no one liked the style of the writing, the self-centeredness, or especially the namedropping.  ( Read more... )

Finished Anthem last night; didn't much like it.  I appreciate some of Ayn Rand's philosophy (people should be able to enjoy the fruits of their own labors) but the whole Ego thing just didn't work for me.  Weird story, but fits my dystopic theme.

Just finished Aeon Flux (the graphic novel) also and it's REALLY difficult tio see where the movie ( Read more... )

First Docent Training of 2007 and there is Mutiny -- why were we not ASKED if we wanted to try the Lead Docent Trial Program -- ah well.

Finished Next."   Typical Michael Crichton, reads fast, interesting ideas.  Liked his Author's Note after the conclusion -- a brief summary here (no plot spoilers, I think, but you're not exactly going to receive ( Read more... )