Book I: Proem Stanzas 1-4

Faerie Queene Book I

"The Legend of the Knight of the Red Cross" or "Of Holiness"

Proem: Stanza 1

Synopsis: This stanza acts as a prologue to the entire poem and the beginning of Spenser's poetic "quest".

Unfamiliar word: areeds (7) means counsels or commands. The Muse tells Spenser to write about knights and ladies, not shepherds and pastoral themes.

Other literature: Alludes to the common Renaissance "prologue" of Aeneid where Virgil talks about going from pastoral poems (Bucolics; Georgics) to epics (Aeneid).

General observation: Spenser uses the stories of wars and lovers to illustrate moral truths.

Stanza 2

Synopsis: Spenser invokes the Muse Clio to help him write excellently about great heroes and virtuous women, especially Arthur and Tanaquill. (Gloriana/Elizabeth)

Unfamiliar word: scryne (3) is a shrine or place where valuable items are hidden. For example, it describes the store of knowledge from whence the Muse tells the story of Arthur and Tanaquill.

Other literature: "suffered so much ill" (7) alludes to Aeneid I which talks about Aeneas' struggles to found Rome.

General observation: Spenser's invocation to the Muse shows that this poem involved deep thinking and has a broad scope.

Stanza 3

Synopsis: Spenser invokes Venus and Mars to help him understand love and war for his poem.

Unfamiliar word: Heben (5) means dark black and can refer to something that is evil or poisonous.

Other literature: Cupid's friend carries a "Heben bowe" in Roman de la Rose.

General observation: Spenser's appeals to the forces of love and war show his desire to create harmony in this poem

Stanza 4

Synopsis: Spenser directly addresses his patron Elizabeth I to inspire him to write about the virtues of the ideal monarch and to read his work carefully.

Unfamiliar word: afflicted stile (8) refers to writing with humility. Spenser wants Elizabeth, whom he reveres, to read his work penned with humility, not to make him a legendary poet.

Other literature: Spenser calls Elizabeth a "Goddesse" (1) which refers to Psalm 82:1 where secular rulers are called gods as God's representatives on earth.

General observation: Spenser seemingly flatters his patron, but he actually looks at the greater reality and glory that Elizabeth's reign as queen is only a foretaste of.

"Helpe then, O holy virgin chiefe of nyne/Thy weaker Novice to performe thy will" (Proem.2.1-2)

New Blog Format: Faerie Queene Time!

Because of my new addiction to Tumblr, I have neglected this blog for quite some time. A trip to my friend's (and Renaissance man) dorm room changed that. I saw an annotated copy of Faerie Queene on his shelf and felt strangely drawn to it. I read the prologue and first few stanzas of Book I and remembered my failed attempt to read the book back in 6th grade. (Barely got past Red Cross' quest and didn't understand a word of it.) This sense of adventure and nostalgia inspired me to borrow the book.

Instead of letting it rot on my bookshelf, I started reading Faerie Queene on the last day of finals after quick reads of Twelfth Night and Hamlet to re-acquaint myself with the Elizabethan idiom. This blog chronicles my halting journey through the six lengthy books of the greatest 16th century poem written in English. Thanks to Hiroshi Yamashita, Toshiyuki Suzuki, and Shohachi Fukuda for their invaluable notes and annotations.

The format of this blog will be a close stanza/canto/book reading of Faerie Queene. I will write a short synopsis of the stanza, define and provide context for an unfamiliar word (because Spenser tried to find knowledge and truth through words), flesh out a connection with earlier literature, and end with a "general observation" on the stanza tying its content with universal themes.
Here's a facsimile of the Faerie Queene's original title page from 1590:

Meditations on Community that turns into a Poem about Karen Gillan and a Confession

So today I watched Community on the plane. I forgot how much that show makes me smile, even if it's an "off episode". From Abed's obsession with pop culture to Annie's naivete. Winger's sarcasm to Pierce's desire to belong despite his racist/homophobic outbursts. And Britta Perry, who is the ultimate buzzkill but has a vulnerable, nougat filled center. (That came out wrong) I also want the showrunner(s) to bring Ian back and his deadpan British wit, but that probably won't happen. He's probably dying from alcohol poisoning... But he might show up at the Inspector Spacetime convention where we'll hopefully find Ms. Karen Gillan

Karen Gillan

Karen Gillan, Karen Gillan

In Scotland, she be chillin'.

Brushing her phoenix red hair,

Frolicking in the highlands without a care,

She follows a time travelling alien around the 'Verse.

As she escapes breathlessly from a pirate curse.

Amy Pond: Girl who waited and kissing cop

Call her Amy Pond or Amy Williams, she'll never be forgot

I had to get that one off my chest. Songs/poems about actresses/fictional characters definitely float my boat. I adore "Alyson Hannigan" by a random pop punk band because she'll ALWAYS be Willow to me. Once I almost found a Felicia Day song on iTunes, but it was actually a bluegrass instrumental. It seems that almost anyone can put their music on iTunes nowadays. Some of these songs... "The Wobble?" Move away "Party Rock", this is the dumb as rock summer song. But I have a secret.

I love "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen (and "Kiss from a Rose" by Seal while we're at it). Two words: hella catchy. I think I'm intrigued by the irrepressible irrationality in all of it. (Guess who just used six words starting with 'I' in a sentence.) By the way, the Dr. Pepper I'm currently drinking is flatter than Keira Knightley. No offense to Ms. Knightley because I had a long enduring crush on you from 2005 to 2007 thanks to Pirates of the Caribbean, King Arthur, and Pride and Prejudice. But then you disappeared from my local multiplex. I'll round out this blog post filled with random crap about critically acclaimed sitcoms, long legged Scottish actresses, and summer guilty pleasures with this thought: vulnerability is the armor of an honest heart. (Thank you Britta Perry)

"The measure of a man lies not in what he says but what he does."- Clark Kent in All Star Superman 

Sheol Inverted

Sheol Inverted

In everyone, there is a monster.

A darkness offsetting our gentler souls

The twisted cherub devours the begging  sunflower  children that frolicked and played in bliss infested meadows.

This fierce angel whispers my name.

Taking the form of an overlong, exposition tinged monologue full of monosyllabic sweet nothings in Kabbalic Hebrew and Vulgar Latin.

Raguel gives me a kiss.

Greeted with gold-tinged harp crescendoes and soaring soprano voices, I ascend.

Into Dis

The Planets: Mars

This was an interesting planet to write about. Mars is our next door neighbor and has featured in a lot of  science fiction writing. Also, war is and will always be a relevant theme in American society.

Mars

The red god of war grins at the dawn.

Pockmarked and scored with craters of many battles,

His icy heart hidden by a rocky, sunken chest

Malacandra, Barsoom: it has gone by many names.

A home to warlike creatures and mankind's last hope

Of finding a new frontier to colonize and conquer;

Because the human race was born to reign

A lasting monument to frenzied violence and bloodshed,

The planet rusts, like a forgotten sword.

The Planets: Venus

Next up: the morning and evening star or the planet where women come from... Here is a tribute to this poisonous beauty

Venus

Trapped in the foam, underneath the clouds,

I breathe the sweet poison of your kiss.

Lungs wheeze, overcome by this asphyxial experience

Wrapped between the legs of the pale, lovely goddess,

I dissolve and slip away... defeated by her infectious touch

An object floating, innocence vanquished by treacherous beauty.

Love is fatal to the naïve enfants.

But love remains the last hope of the cosmos.

The Planets: Mercury

As a mid/late summer project, I've decided to write a series of nine line poems about each planets and their "qualities". Even Pluto made the cut. I hope you return my return to blog poetry:)

Mercury

Gazing upon the frozen plain,

I pray to the fickle Deity for winter rain.

Winged feet occupied elsewhere, in comings and goings

Over stark, bare craters and mole hill mountains.

I drink from barren fountains

That don't satisfy my wandering winged feet

They tread endlessly, aimlessly

Over the broken landscape of garish Walmarts and petrol stained                                                                            service stations. 

The god only sheds one tear.

Capsule Book Reviews (William Blake, Fray, All Quiet on the Western Front)

Goodreads.com is a website that should be on every bibliophile's bookmarks. You can keep track of what books you're reading, have read, and want to read. Other features including seeing what your friends (or favorite authors) are reading, trivia, and forums. But my favorite feature is the review function where you can give a book a star rating (1-5) and write a little blurb about it. These capsule reviews come from my Goodreads page.

Blake: Poems by William Blake (Everyman's Library, 1994)

William Blake was a mystic poet who was not afraid to challenge the religious and political views of his day. Like the other Romantic poets, he creates beautiful images of nature especially in Songs of Innocence); but he is not naive and understands the natural and moral evil that haunts the universe and provides haunting imagery of evil and demonic power. Blake also brings up some interesting philosophical questions in his longer poems The Everlasting Gospel and Marriage of Heaven and Hell where he ponders if there is really a dichotomy between reason and desire and attempts to solve the ancient Dionysian/Apollonian problem. Blake's prophetic poems are slightly denser than his other works and derivative of other sources like the Bible and Paradise Lost, but they are a valiant attempt at world-building. 4/5 Stars


Fray by Joss Whedon and Karl Moline (Dark Horse Comics, 2003)

Not Whedon's best work, but it is interesting seeing a concept to see a "Slayer" who is even more amoral than Faith. The plot was a bit of a rehash of season 1 of Buffy and the art was shaky in spots. However, this cyberpunk world was extremely interesting and may have even influenced Firefly... The latter issues especially shine along with the relationship between Melaka and her siblings Harth and Erin. 3/5 Stars


All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque (Vintage Books, 2009)


I read this book in 11th grade, and it has had a great impact on my thinking as a pacifist. Through reading this book, I realized that soldiers are pawns of their government and neither hurt nor hindered by the outcome. The humorous conversation among the soldiers about the war leaders fighting in a ring for each other's country especially proved this point. All Quiet also contains uncanny juxtapositions between peaceful nature images and brutal, grotesque battle scenes. It also reveals the vulnerable nature of humans because no character is spared from fickle death, not even the protagonist. In conclusion, All Quiet on the Western Front is an excellent, balanced look at the mind and actions of the "lost generation" of 1918. You will not look at war or good and evil the same way after reading this novel.


So what do you think of these books? Any books you would like me to review? Please comment below.

True Confession: I Am A Type I Anti-Hero

So I'm currently addicted to the Internet (what's new), especially this fun little site TV Tropes. I love going on this site and seeing all the little connections between all the books, movies, TV shows, and video games that I've watched/played. (And some that I haven't) After perusing the Sliding Scale of Anti-Heroes page, I realized that I am Type I Anti-hero.

Type I anti-heroes lack the edge that make "stereotypical" anti-heroes such badasses. So don't expect me to shoot first or wear a tight skull t-shirt any time soon... They just don't want to be heroes and have deep, noticeable flaws. For example, Superman can fly, has super strength, heat vision, and still gets the big scoop for the Daily Planet. In contrast, Spider-Man still has cool powers like the proportional strength of a spider but can still get his butt handed to him by baddies like Doc Ock and Kingpin, struggles balancing "real life"with superhero-ing, and can never "settle down" with his lady friends. (*cough* One More Day *cough*). If I was a superhero, I would fall in the Spider-Man category.

Type I anti-heroes fall in the morally "good" category. Some quick examples are Bilbo Baggins from The Hobbit, Napoleon Dynamite (who I've been compared to), all those lovable and not so lovable from Kevin Smith movies, and the main cast of The Guild. Overall, I am a moral person, don't do big "bad" things like cheat on tests/significant others, do my homework/chores, and abstain from violence. Yeah, what an interesting life. However, I lack the "hero" factor.

So I've done some "selfless" things in my life, like making study guides for my entire philosophy class in high school and helping feed homeless people my first semester in college. I quit that second gig for less than noble reasons because some overzealous folks called me a "socialist" and "liberal scum". If I truly cared about helping people, I would persist and not fall prey to simple words. But did I even care any more.

Caring is an interesting concept. The past few days I have come to realize that I truly "care" about few people. This is a major personal weakness. Honestly, I would rather see The Dark Knight Rises opening night that spend a week with my (extended) family in the Virgin Islands. This is madness. However, I know that the proven formula of Batman+ Christopher Nolan (along with possible Bat-breakage and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Azrael/Nightwing) will provide a solid two and a half hours of cinematic magic and conclusion to one of my favorite film trilogies. This is in contrast to time spent with my extended family who I have very little in common with and are way too "competitive" for me. They also didn't get the point of Hunger Games and maybe even Fight Club...

In conclusion, I have made two very long term personal goals. First, I want to upgrade from an anti-hero to a "real" hero while not losing the quirks that make me me. Do something to benefit society (not for a paycheck or "therapy") while keeping the sarcasm and pop culture reference overdose. I might maybe even rekindle my old "bleeding heart" nature and former faith. Second, I need to find some kind of "project". Existentialist philosopher Jean-Sartre described a good project as "acting on a concrete situation and modifying it in some way"in his essay "A New Authentic Way of Being". Despite how hard one tries, life has no overarching purpose and is a daily struggle. However, I can still find some meaningful to do with my time, like writing fiction or poetry, updating this blog, or something physical like running and feel like my life has some direction despite the chaos and nothingness. If hardened criminals can find redemption so can self-centered anti-heroes like me.

"If nothing we do matters, all that matters is what we do."-Angel in "Epiphany" from Angel

Reborn: Child of Light, Child of Dark

Golden rings around my head

Angel of light on a golden thread

Brooding like Boreanaz in the corner

Alone, a stranger, a foreigner,

Isolation spreads its wings.

A solitary rook sings.

I have lost my freedom,

Captivity stifles my lost soul.

On a quest for redemption,

I tread these shadowlands.

My path is desolate and darksome.

Drawing near to the void of days

Body bruised on the rocks of malice

They shattered my crystal palace.

But I can see the Northern Lights.

Cast away the barrow wights

I am the child of light and dark

Reborn, like a flying spark;

Soul and the Cage

I lose faith every hour.
As I sap my willpower
Dandelions float in the East Wind.
Aimlessly looking for his friend;
Soul, light as a feather
It can't live in this red, stormy weather
Southern gale washes over me.
Ripping me apart like a dying palm tree

Dying and Lying
Trying and Crying

Naked, I trudge to a cavern dark.
Skin scarred with unseemly marks
What's my line? What's my line?
What's my line, oh, God divine?
Unable to speak, unable to hurt
Atrophied heart throbs in the dirt.
Trapped in a guarded cage
I lament my age...

American Vampire

American Vampire

They drain blood from the faint-hearted.

Predators who devour the innocent

Teeth glinting like the watch of a rich man,

Feasting on the fat of the land,

Bloated with bodies, bodies, and bodies

"From beneath it devours".

And this beast never breeds.

Only attending to flesh needs

Every day, it lives to feed.

Stomach churns with boundless greed.

It tramples beauty, squashes truth.

Destroying the hopes of youth

Its defeat will come anonymously.

We must Occupy the beast.

Leaderless, we remain.

Who will bring a new day?

Interesting Nietzsche Quotes to Ponder (Part I)

I am currently reading Nietzsche's Thus Spoke Zarathustra for my Existentialism class at The Master's College. In the early chapters of the work, Zarathustra tells the people of the village that "God is dead" which they laugh at and later hate. Even though I may not agree with everything he says, Nietzsche is extremely quotable and makes you think about who you are in this world, what are the point of morals, and if you're really yourself or just going along with the herd mentality. Without further ado...

"Ten truths a day you must find; else you will still be seeking truth by night, and your soul will remain hungry." (Chapter 2 "On the Teachers of Virture")

"Ten times a day you must laugh and be cheerful; else you will be disturbe at night by your stomach, this father of gloom." (Ibid.)

"Blessed are the sleepy ones: for they shall soon drop off." (Ibid.)

"The creator wanted to look away from himself; so he created the world." ("On the Afterworldly")

"The body is a great reason, a plurality with one sense, a war and a peace, a herd and a shepherd." ("On the Despisers of the Body")

"Instruments and toys are sense and spirit; behind them still lies the spirit." (Ibid.)

"... in the end all your passions became virtues and all your devils, angels." ("On Enjoying and Suffering the Passions")

"But what matter your good people to me? Much about your good people nauseates me; and verily, it is not  their evil." ("On the Pale Criminal")

"Write with blood, and you will experience that blood is spirit." ("On Reading and Writing")

"We are all of us fair beasts of burden, male and female asses." (Ibid.)

"There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness." (Ibid.)

"It is by invisible hands that we are bent and tortured worst." ("On the Tree on the Mountainside")

"But it is with man as it is with the tree. The more he aspires to the height and light, the more strongly do his roots strive earthward, downward, into the dark-the deep-into evil." (Ibid.)

"Nobody speaks to me; the frost of loneliness makes me shiver." (Ibid.)

"And even the liberated spirit must still purify himself." (Ibid.)

"Know that the noble man stands in everybody's way. The noble man stands in the way of the good too: and even if they call him one of the good, they thus want to do away with him" (Ibid.)

"You should love peace as a means to new wars- and the short peace more than the long... Let your peace be a victory!" ("Of War and Warriors")

"In sarcasm the prankster and weakling meet. But they misunderstand each other." (Ibid.)

"... man is something that shall be overcome" (Ibid.)

"State is the name of the coldest of all cold monsters." ("On the New Idol")

"But the state tells lies in all the tongues of good and evil; and whatever it says it lies- and whatever it has it has stolen." (Ibid.)

"All-too-many are born: for the superfluous the state was invented." (Ibid.)

"They are always sick; they vomit their gall and call it a newspaper." (Ibid.)

"The earth is free even now for the great souls. There are still many empty seats for the lonesome and twosome, fanned by the fragrance of the silent seas." (Ibid.)

"Flee, my friend, into your solitude!" ("On the Flies of the Marketplace")

"Where solitude ceases the marketplace begins; and where the marketplace begins the noise of the great actors and the buzzing of the poisonous flies begins too." (Ibid.)

"In the world even the best things amount to nothing without someone to make a show of them..." (Ibid.)

"Blood is what they want from you in all innocence." (Ibid.)

"... you are the bad conscience of your neighbors: for they are unworthy of you." (Ibid.)

"It is bad to live in cities: these too many are in heat." ("Of Chastity")

"Chastity is a virtue in some, but almost a vice in many. They abstain, but the bitch, sensuality, leers enviously out of everything they do." (Ibid.)

"It is not when truth is dirty, but when it is shallow, that the lover of knowledge is reluctant to step into its waters." (Ibid.)

"Our faith in others betrays in what respect we would like to have faith in ourselves." ("On Friends")

"In a friend one should have one's best enemy. You should be closest to him with your heart when you resist him." (Ibid.)

"Compassion for the friend should conceal itself under a hard shell, and you should break a tooth on it." (Ibid.)

"As much as you give the friend, I will give even my enemy, and I shall not be any the poorer for it. There is comradeship: let there be friendship!" (Ibid.)

"Humanity still has no goal." ("On the Thousand and One Goals")

Thoughts of a Dying Christian Part I

"Religion is the opiate of the masses."- Karl Marx. Ok, so what if all of this is just a trip or a dream? I'm Alice stumbling down a rabbit hole into a world of fantasy and wonder. Maybe all this Bible stuff is just a construct. I mean there are so many denominations, sub-denominations, and sects. Is just one of them "right"? Right and wrong seemed to be so simple once upon a time. Now, as I look out at the world, it is colored grey like a rainy morning in England. The Book of Mormon may have historical and linguistic inaccuracies, but Mormons are usually the nicest people one could meet. And why are some of the most socially conscious rappers Muslim? (Talib Kweli, Lupe Fiasco et al) Aren't they all terrorists? *sarcasm font*

Why do churches pass offering plates every Sunday? I thought that God didn't desire sacrifice and burnt offerings. Why are some Christians obsessed with owning guns? Aren't Christians supposed to go the extra, give away the outer garment?I wonder what these "God and Guns" people are going to do with their gats? Kill communists, I don't know.

A favorite Christian pastime is "bitching" about the government, especially President Obama. Excuse my language, but this activity annoys me that much. They tweet and post their complaints on Facebook continually but do nothing. First, the recession started in 2007 so if you want a government scapegoat, go after the former President Bush. But remember the rule of causality vs. correlation. Some of the wisest words I have heard in my lifetime were from a speech by columnist George Will at Roanoke College. He said, "The government can't save you. If you want salvation, get religion." These people who complain the government "have religion" so why can't they be happy in God and not get worked up about the government. Humans are too flawed to be messiahs.

Humans need to belong. That's why we have families, cities, and Liger Appreciation societies. We find pleasure in the the company of our fellow creatures. Individualism can feel good for a while, but we need someone to confide in. So is religion another community or club? Maybe. It brings people together who find truth and comfort in common beliefs. But if you don't believe in what I believe, does that make me right and you wrong? Every human believes in some form of objective truth, but it is subjective to that person's own personal philosophy.

"What if God was one of us? Just a slob like one of us. Just a stranger on the bus trying to make his way home."-Joan Osbourne

Tintin Film Review

The Adventures of Tintin (2011; dir by Steven Spielberg; prod by Spielberg and Peter Jackson; starring Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, and Daniel Craig)

Ok, so I finally got around to seeing to this movie. On paper, it looked like a hit. Adapted from one of Europe's most beloved comics (maybe we'll see an Asterix and Obelix movie soon), it also boasted two of the greatest directors of our generation in Spielberg and Jackson. But what really struck me about this film was the quality of writers on the project like Steven Moffatt, who is the show runner on two of my favorite current British TV shows: Doctor Who and Sherlock and Edgar Wright, who has had experience in comic book films like the underrated Scott Pilgrim against the World. But I also had my doubts. From the trailer, I knew that Tintin would be using a “hyperreal” animation style pioneered by Robert Zemeckis in films like Polar Express and Beowulf. I thought that maybe there was a chance this animation style would be disgusting like Mars Needs Moms, but I was definitely wrong.

Visually, Tintin is a treat. The character models are vividly detailed. I could see all of Tintin's ginger hairs, and Snowy moved and acted like a real dog, not a cartoon. The same level of detail is also I found in the lush locales that Tintin goes to including my favorite location: the North African palace. I liked this location the most because of the intricate costumes and wall hangings along with the beautiful architecture of the palace building and models of boats in it. John Williams contributes a score up to par with his previous work that gives the film an even more adventurous tone.

Tintin also boasts an excellent voice cast made up of a prominent British actors. Jamie Bell played a believable teenager, but the supporting cast blew me away. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (co-stars of comedies Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead) had hilarious cameos as bumbling Interpol agents in roles that could have been throwaway plot devices. Andy Serkis again reveals his acting range as the drunk but noble Captain Haddock and makes even the lamest comebacks (“Ten thousand thundering typhoons “) memorable and plays the character's ancestor in flashbacks.

As far as plot, Tintin doesn't break any new ground, but it is still a fun globe (and time) trotting adventure. The Macguffin is a unicorn, and there is the occasional plot hole like a character remembering what his ancestor did after a day traveling in the desert. However, unlike recent “classic” style adventure films like National Treasure: Book of Secrets and Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull, Tintin intermixes humor with the sometimes ridiculous set pieces to keep the film fun and moving quickly. There is a good mix of dry humor and slapstick.

Finally, Tintin is a rollicking neo-Imperialist adventure film in the tradition of Raiders of the Lost Ark and more recently Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (especially the flashback sequences). It also shows that the hyperreal animation style can be used to make movies that would be too costly in live action. I give it 4/5 stars.