Coming Soon...

I am in the midst of listening to some music that I think we all should hear, I will have more on that soon.

The latest issue of Pequod was fantastic and came, as it always seems to, at the perfect time.  With kind and sincere regard to Mr. Neu's outrageous and inflammatory assertion that I judge people based on what they write in The Pequod....I do not deny it.

I baked cookies tonight.

I had a fever last night.

Also, look for in the near future an amazing new thing that I will explain how to use later.

Today in class one of my 9th grader students asked how Chaucer could be so dirty, given that it was written such a long time ago.

cheerily, PB

Avatar

A 3-D CGI cinema experience, $300 billion dollar budget, and 3 hours of "revolutionary, Hollywood-blockbuster, visual eye-candy..." well, here are three reasons why I think Avatar was a bad movie. (And further, that it was deceptively bad, because it looked so good):

1. It is anti-human. (forget mere claims of anti-American, anti-military)
2. It offers no avenue or inspiration of hope, and instead offers a cynical, sparkly, appeal-to-the emotions message that we are doomed
3. It is artistically and creatively irresponsible

If anyone reading this has talked to me in the past two weeks, you have probably witnessed my bizarrely indignant, and deeply disturbed reaction to James Cameron's Avatar. I have read my fill of reviews out there of the movie, trying to synthesize what about it troubled me so much. If you haven't seen the movie, I encourage you to read some reviews (good and bad) to get a sense of the plot. (Spoiler alert)

Perhaps what I am angry about is a bigger issue of the movie industry in general, but stories have a profound impact on us as people. Those who write stories should be held accountable for the messages that they send and the commentary that they make about the human condition. Many have argued that Jake Sully is just choosing a different life-- one that is more suitable in his eyes than the way the humans in the movie are living--and that when he becomes his Na'vi avatar-self, it could be likened to someone embracing a new culture or race's lifestyle.

Even if that is true - the metaphor is a poor one and one that will be missed by most people. Reality and fantasy are too intertwined to actually send the message of embracing a "new lifestye." We will constantly be asking ourselves what is the best way to be humans--and this is a good thing--yet the movie is offering that the best way is a way completely other than our own.

I disagree. The movie is a projection of human life as we know it, and his disowns his human self. He completely renounces his humanity. I argue that this is fundamentally different than our struggle to discover the best way to live as humans and has a tragically hopeless and irresponsible undertone. I know that it is fantasy, but you cannot separate your human understanding of a fantasy world. This allegory about two cultures will have an impact on people viewing the movie, whether you want to admit it or not, and the human being in the story disowns his people, changing his essence. (and here I am not even going to go into the tree worshiping religious aspect that completely plays on people's spiritually emotional side...but I encourage someone else to take it up)

The movie is not merely an attempt to discover a better way to be human, it is offering the solution that this alien people have life figured out better than we do. This offers no hope for the current state we are in, because we are human and cannot renounce that. Again, maybe I am being too ideal, but our stories--even ones for entertainment--need to offer hope or commentary that leads us to something better and this movie does neither.

Artistically irresponsible? James Cameron has drawn upon some of the most creative minds and sources of human ingenuity to make a piece of widely acclaimed eye-candy, that cynically comments on the way we are treating the earth, (how much better off we would be if the creative ingenuity had been directed towards a productive innovation that serves society) and offers no solution for harmony or hope, so leaves the viewer 3-Dimensionally delighted and... uninspired.

Please friends, comment!

John's Summer Pedantriactivity

Peter asked me to do this, so forgive the length. Here is a pedantic activity with which I while away the wee weeks in woebegone Irving, Texas (besides getting drunk).

I am working on a small project examining various methods of biblical exegesis. I am focusing on the Psalms. The project basically compares various exegetical methods, and I have a hunch about what kind of conlusions I will find ... but, to ensure that I approach this with an open mind, I won't get into detail. All I can say is that around the time of the Renaissance (don't tell Dr. Sommerfeldt I used that word!), there seems to be a different kind of approach towards interpreting the Bible allegorically (and I think that appraoch abandons the fourfold method...).

Anyway, here are some commentaries that I'll need to consider for this project. Tragically, most of the people below seemed to have no idea about the "MLA Bibliography Citation Guidelines," or even the "Turabian" guidelines, or even the "Chicago" style of citing a bibliopgraphy! I can't believe their lack of pedantic scholarship! So, I'm not sure how to approach my bibliography, seeing as how some of the books are lacking in dates of publication, city published, etc. Here is a rough copy of my summer pedantriactivity.

Bibliography
Agellius, Antonius. Commentarii in Psalmos (Paris, 1611). (AGEL)

Albertus Magnus. Commentarius in Psalmos. In Opera Omnia. Vol. VII (??, ??). (ALB)

Aquinatis, Thomae. In Psalmos Davidis Expositio. In Opera Omnia. Vol. VIII (Rome, 1570). (AQ)

Aurea in Quinquaginta Davideios Psalmos Doctorum Graecorum Catena. Interprete Daniele Barbaro. (Venice, 1569). (GRAEC)

Aygnani, Michael. Commentaria in Psalmos Davidicos Prisci Cuiusdam Auctoris Incogniti in Duos Divisa Tomos. Post Completensem Editionem Recognita (Lugduni, Expensis Petri Landry, 1581). (AYG)

Biblia cum Glossa Ordinaria per F. Fransicum Fev. Ardentium Ordinis Minorum, Joannem Dodraeum et Jacobum de Cuilly, Theologos Doctores Parisiensis. Vol. III (Lugduni, 1590). (GLOS)

Biblia Maxima Versionem. Nicol. de Lyra, Joan. Gegnaei Doctorum Paris., Guccio Estii Doctorum Lyopoenaeum, Ioanne Menochii et Iacobi Tirini, Doctorum S. I. Authore R. P. Ioanne de La Haye. Vol. VI (Paris, 1660). (MAX)

Botta, Bartholomaeus. Psalmi Davidicae, Latinis Versibus Redditi et ab Eodem Commentariis Locupletissimis Illustrati (Venice, 1581). (BOT)

Bredembach, Mathew. In LXIX Psalmos sen Hymnos Prophetae Davidis Priores Commentaria (Cologne, 1560). (BRED)

Cassiodori, Magni Aurelii. Psalterium Exposition. In Opera Omnia, ed. J. Garetius. Two Volumes (Rotomagi, 1679). (CASS)

Cajetan, Thomas de Vio. Psalmi Davidici ad Hebraicam Veritatem Castigati: et Iuxta Sensum Literalem Dicunt Enarrati (Venice, 1530). (CAJ)

Carthusianus, Ludolphus de Saxonio. In Psalterium Expositio (??, 1521). (LUD)

Clarius, Isodore, ed. Vulgata Aeditio Veteris ac Novi Testamenti, Quorum Alterum ad Hebraicam, Alterum ad Graecam Veritatem Emendatum est: Adiectis ex Eruditis Scriptoribus Scholiis (Venice, 1542). (CLAR)

Episcopi Antissiodorensis, Remigii. Enarrationum in Psalmos David (Coloniae, 1536). (REMI)

Flaminius, Marcus Antonius. In Librum Psalmorum Brevis Explanatio (Lugduni, 1561). (FLAM)

Genebrarolus, Gilbert. Psalmi Davidis Variis Calendariis et Commentariis Genuinum Sensum et Hebraismos Fuisssime Aperientibus (Lugduni, 1607). (GEN)

Guidacerii, Agathius. De Laudibus et Materia Psalmorum. Et in Primum Psalmum, Secundum Veritatem Hebraicam Expositio (??, ??). (AGATH)

Hopper, Joachimo. Paraphrasi in Psalmos Davidicos, Additis Frevibus Argumentis et Axplanatiionibus (Antwerp, 1590). (HOP)

Jansen, Cornelius, Bishop of Ghent. Paraphrasis in Psalmos Omnes Davidicos (Lugdunum, 1586). (CJAN)

Lombardi, Petri. In totum Psalterium Commentarii (Paris, 1541). (LOMB)

Lorini, Ionnis, Societatis Iesu. Commentarii in Librum Psalmorum In quibus Praeter Accuratium Sensiis Litteralis Explanationem; Mistici Omnia Generis Sensu, ex Patribus. Three Vol. (Cologne, ??). (LORIN)

Mariana, Ioannus, SJ. Scholia in Vetus et Novem Testamentum (??, 1619). (MARIANA)

Menochius, John Stephon. Comentarii Totius Sacrae Scripturae. Two Vol. (Venice, 1643). (MEN)

Montano, Benedict Arias. Davidi Regis ac Prophetae Aliorumque Aacrorum Valum Psalmi, ex Hebraica Veritate in Latinum Carmen cum Argumentis et Ducidationibus (Antwerp, 1573). (MONT)

Pampolitani, Richardus. Anglosaxonis Eremitae in Psalterium Davidicum Enarratio (Cologne, 1536). (PAMP)

Perez, Jacobi. Expositiones in CL Psalmos Davidicos (Valentia, 1531). (PEREZ)

Sa, Emanuel. Notationes in Totam Scripturam Sacram (Lugduni, 1601). (SA)

Snoygondano, Raynerio. Psalterium Paraphrasibus (Lugduni, 1571). (SNOY)

Steuchus Eugubinus, Augustinius. Enarrationum in Psalmos (Lugduni, 1548). (STEUCH)

Tiraboscus, Lucretius. Exposition in Omnes Psalmos pro Tempore Doctrinae Spiritus Sancti, Mysteria Continens. Huic Accedit Amplissima Rationis Textus Hebraei, et Aeditionis Vulgatore Differentium Verborum Sylva (Venice, 1572). (TYR)

Tirin, Jacob. In Sacra Scripturam Commentarius (Venice, 1754). (TIRIN)

Titelmanuus, Franciscus. Elucidatio in Omnes Psalmos Iuxta Veritatem Vulgatae et Ecclesiae Usitate Aeditionis Latine (Antwerp, 1540). (TITEL)

Valdes, Juan de. El Salterio. Traducido del Hebreo en Romance Castellano. In Comentario a los Salmos, ed. Manuel Carrasco (Madrid, 1885). (VALD)

Varenius, Alanus. Homiliae in Canticum. In aliquot Psalmos Davidicos Oratiumculae sine Freves Homiliae. Ps. 15, 53, 83, 84 (Paris, ??). (VAR)