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fandomhigh2005-12-06 09:15 am
game-of-you.livejournal.com) wrote in fandomhigh2005-12-06 09:15 am
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Language Classes, 12/06
Dream is in his robes today, and a dream catcher in the Ojibwe style hangs from a corner of the blackboard.
All Classes: Instead of a final exam, I would like each of you to complete an end-of-term project. You will be expected to write a 200-word paper on any aspect of the languages we have studied or the cultures that gave rise to them. For example, you might discuss the differences between Cat in domestic and free-roaming animals, or French cuisine, or whatever interests you. Present your paper and at least one relevant visual aid in class on December 15 or 20. Pick a presentation date and topic before class on Thursday. This counts for 25 percent of your grade, so I would advise you to put thought into your topic and the project.
Students who took more than one class with me this term may hand in a single final project, as long as it integrates things learned in all classes; for example, if you took Languages of Europe and Languages of Asia, you might do a paper on the way French and Asian influences have mingled in Vietnam. The grade for it will count for each class.
If you do not understand the assignment, come see me in my office. I am also handing out fresh copies of the syllabus to remind you what we have covered in-class.
Cat: While I am not unmindful of the concerns raised by Mr. Samuelle, my decision about transformations stands. I am sure that you will be able to make it through five classes in human form.
Today, I would like to talk about the role of cats in folklore and superstition. There are hundreds of feline folktales and superstitions - cats predict the weather, sense domestic disharmony, steal a baby's breath, steal a dead person's soul, bring either good or bad luck and carry away a sick person's germs. Cats' eyes tell the time or the tides. Cats are witch's familiars, enchanted princesses, beloved by priests and prophets or envoys of the devil since they were sneezed forth by lions on the Ark and not created by God. [Dream continues his lecture.]
Languages of Europe: We have only a few class meetings left. It would be a shame to waste them all on verbs. I am handing out a volume of modern French poetry; pick one poem you like and translate it to the best of your abilities. English-language versions of the poems are at the back of the book for you to check your work.
I myself am quite fond of "Sortant de Saint-Pierre de Rome, j’écris," by Michel Deguy.
All Classes: Instead of a final exam, I would like each of you to complete an end-of-term project. You will be expected to write a 200-word paper on any aspect of the languages we have studied or the cultures that gave rise to them. For example, you might discuss the differences between Cat in domestic and free-roaming animals, or French cuisine, or whatever interests you. Present your paper and at least one relevant visual aid in class on December 15 or 20. Pick a presentation date and topic before class on Thursday. This counts for 25 percent of your grade, so I would advise you to put thought into your topic and the project.
Students who took more than one class with me this term may hand in a single final project, as long as it integrates things learned in all classes; for example, if you took Languages of Europe and Languages of Asia, you might do a paper on the way French and Asian influences have mingled in Vietnam. The grade for it will count for each class.
If you do not understand the assignment, come see me in my office. I am also handing out fresh copies of the syllabus to remind you what we have covered in-class.
Cat: While I am not unmindful of the concerns raised by Mr. Samuelle, my decision about transformations stands. I am sure that you will be able to make it through five classes in human form.
Today, I would like to talk about the role of cats in folklore and superstition. There are hundreds of feline folktales and superstitions - cats predict the weather, sense domestic disharmony, steal a baby's breath, steal a dead person's soul, bring either good or bad luck and carry away a sick person's germs. Cats' eyes tell the time or the tides. Cats are witch's familiars, enchanted princesses, beloved by priests and prophets or envoys of the devil since they were sneezed forth by lions on the Ark and not created by God. [Dream continues his lecture.]
Languages of Europe: We have only a few class meetings left. It would be a shame to waste them all on verbs. I am handing out a volume of modern French poetry; pick one poem you like and translate it to the best of your abilities. English-language versions of the poems are at the back of the book for you to check your work.
I myself am quite fond of "Sortant de Saint-Pierre de Rome, j’écris," by Michel Deguy.
Re: Languages of Europe, 12/06
Par désespoir de l'amour qui n'est pas échu
Out of despair for love that has not matured
Par désespoir de la mort qui déjà m'a prévu
Out of despair for death that has already planned me
Par désespoir du sexe qui nous fut à charge
Out of despair for sex that weighed us down
Par désespoir de l'homme qui n'est que misère
Out of despair for man who is only misery
... She writes "a man," checks herself, then erases it; the French is not specific, even if her subconscious is.
Par désespoir du temps qui n'est que poussière
Out of despair for time that is only dust
Par désespoir de l'art qui n'a pas visité
Out of despair for art that did not visit
Par désespoir de l'âme que l'on n'a pas trouvée
Out of despair for the soul that was not found.
...Studying that line, Parker shakes her head.
Par désespoir de soi qui ne sut que honte
Out of despair for the self that knew only shame.
Par désespoir du suicide qui n'est qu'alibi
Out of despair for suicide that is only an alibi
...Parker's pencil breaks, and she stares at that stanza for a long time, her face cold, then goes on translating.
Par désespoir du monde illusion
Out of despair of the world an illusion
Par désespoir où s'enfouir?
Out of despair where to bury oneself?
Dans l'étude par oubli
In study out of forgetfulness
dans le stupre par malchance mais
in debauchery by misfortune but
dans la mer pour s'y laver
in the sea to wash
At the bottom of the translation, Parker writes: Despair is a choice. I choose the ocean and its tides and moving on. - Parker