On Sontag’s “Against Interpretation”
Interpretation is an act of violence against the artist. At least that’s what Susan Sontag believed. Read on to find out why and my thoughts on it.
Sia Chandelier Lyrics Meaning and Analysis
This article digs into the true meaning of Sia’s Chandelier lyrics. It’s not just a party song. It has the depth and sadness of her past material. Find out more.
My 5 Favorite Books I Read in 2014
Here’s a list of my favorite books that I read this year. Note that it may look like this list is meant to be “Favorite Books from 2014,” but it is a fluke that so many were actually published in 2014. I did the Goodreads challenge to complete 40 books this year (and I will … Read more
Jennifer Higdon: Composers to Know
The composer for today is Jennifer Higdon. My relationship to today’s composer is much different than the previous two. The previous ones I have been listening to and following for ten years or more. I found this one recently because I was listening to Sirius XM’s classical channel and heard something magnificent come on. I … Read more
Aaron Jay Kernis: Composers to Know
This week’s composer to know is Aaron Jay Kernis. Recall that I’m trying to expose people to important living and working composers they may never have heard of. I’m not so sure about today’s choice, because in my circles he is a name people know. Aaron Jay Kernis Aaron Jay Kernis is someone you must … Read more
John Luther Adams: Composers to Know
I figured I would start a series on important living composers that most people are probably unaware of. I think a lot of symphony orchestras do a disservice by sticking to the classics. Composers to Know Even people that regularly attend orchestra performances have a hard time naming more than a handful of living composers … Read more
Authorial Intent and Validity in Interpretation
Here’s a set of notes taken on E.D. Hirsch, Jr.’s Validity in Interpretation, typed up over several weeks, combined into one post. I have two volumes of critical theory, and an excerpt that appears in both of them is a selection from E.D. Hirsch, Jr.’s Validy in Interpretation. I just got the full book, because … Read more
Narrative Voice vs Narrative Perspective
Narrative perspective encompasses more than narrative voice. It also involves the point of view, mood, and focalizer. This in-depth article explains all this and more.
Verbs of Being and the Past Progressive Tense
Everyone gets told to “show, don’t tell” at some point in their education. Today I want to talk about an equally important (and related) piece of advice that rarely gets taught. In fact, many people go through their whole lives and don’t even notice this. Until you’re told to look for it, you might miss … Read more
3 Common Elements of Weak Writing
I’ve been reading a lot lately and critically thinking about what makes good or bad writing. Maybe I shouldn’t use those terms. I’ve been thinking a lot about things that I like and would like to imitate and things that I don’t like that I would like to avoid. In general, I’ve been making a … Read more
