Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Scott Lord on Shakespeare: Silent Film- Cymbeline

On our return to "one of the 19 floors in Cambridge" we were greeted by a new rabbit in the courtyard (a baby rabbit) and a new possum (a baby possum) within a half our of each other, The possum is at the moment smaller than the rabbit- they are approximately the same size. In Rockport, I quickly passed an Introduction to Philosophy Mooc from the University of Edinburgh, 100% on the first two weeks of quizzes, and we're now in our third week. While there I began two other MOOCs, Harvard Poetry and Penn Poetry- so it was what I did while there, and there is a lot left. Now here, another MOOC has begun, Shakespeare from the University of Warwick, which is virtually Stratford on Avon. So here's the updated listed. Completed: University of Copenhagen: Scandinavian Film University of Edinburgh: Modern Art University of Leicester: Richard III University of Sheffield: British Literature In Progress: Harvard University: Poetry University of Pennsylvania: Poetry University of Warwick: Shakespeare Upcoming: University of Copenhagen: Kierkegaard University of Nottingham: Literature The heartbreak is Literature from Brown University- it is still in progress but I won't promise its completion. Of interest were lectures on the novel Manon Lescaut and Pride and Prejudice. Usually I do read novels rather than take courses, but the vacation by the ocean and the incoming schedule of courses made it so the reading of a novel a week was more something I did last summer. I still might read one to four of the novels from the course and watch the accompanying lectures for those novels.

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

A dome of many-coloured glass-Summer ended with a game of tennis in Rockport

A dome of many-coloured glass



Summer ended with a game of tennis in Rockport. Here's the new chapter from my novel:



     Her serve is good; she discourses upon her backhand. Covered in soap as I held her, she claimed she was having an orgasm in the shower.

Oddly, and there had been a gully, or lull, in the courses I was taking on line, when we got to Rockport the schedule of classes opened up three new courses, all of which are of interest to me- the only draw back is that I was in the middle of an intensive course from Brown that requires ten novels, five that you would want to finish even if you were to leave an incomplete. But, importantly, Poetry from Penn and Harvard began the week we went on vacation with a course from the University of Edinburgh on Philosophy. I have passed the one week of philosophy, played catch-up with Penn Poetry after having joined the course a week late and have began a study of the fascinating poetry of Massachusetts-Puritan poet Ann Bradstreet offerred by Harvard. A poet named Charles Olson was being studied by a student for the U Penn Mooc- he wrote an ode to Gloucester, Massachusetts, so I had to explain that I met his contemporary, poet Vincent Ferrini, the day before I left the Gloucester-Rockport area. (I new another poet that read in Boston and thought that I would give it a try). This week's philosophy lecture is about Epistemology and having written an essay on Emily Dickinson, the lectures in U Penn poetry begin with the poet William Carlos Williams as an heir to Dickinson. Harvard Poetry included lectures last night which compared the blood of Jesus to God's seminal flow, so my essay was titled, Man's Divine Ejaculation and other Lightening Bolts. Learn the word Conceit, which is a way to pattern, or develop, metaphor throughout the stanzas by the contrast of images. the word poetic ambiguity ended up in my notes as well. While Donna was working in the church library this week, which is adjacent to the Boston Antheneum, what I came across was that the Puritan poets are religious, but not ordained, so we have to look at the concepts of the church of that period, including Predestination- I couldn't find Cotton Mather, or Increase Mather in her library, only alot written by Johnathan Edwards, which reminded me that the contemporary of the poet Anne Bradstreet was Anne Hutchinson, the preacher. So I went on our vacation with the study of poetry- not specifically just to walk by the ocean's wrackline and find the nude statue in the courtyard of Rockport Art Association, but the courses happened to be there in the middle of all that quietude. The first day of autumn this year we walked passed the Mount Auburn Cemetary, with all its history. He's not my favorite writer, but the book written by Nathaniel Bowdwitch on sailing was on sale in one of the jewelry shops on Bareskin Neck, Rockport, and he is among one of the people who are buried in Mount Auburn. By the way, while looking a the Puritan, I like having Hume in the other course; Berkeley's theory that "objects exist only in the perciever's mind", the radical skepticism that it is not possible to have knowledge at all, and my new theory to spin around with Perceptual Transparency: perception, agency and understanding are essentially and mutually interdependent, that is in part to say reality/experience/interpretation. Scott Lord Scott Lord

Sunday, September 14, 2014

Fried Clams at Motif #1, Rockport, Massachusetts

Artists of the Rockport Art Association:



'via Blog this' The Episcopal Church in Rockport had a nice idea. Donna is a church librarian in Boston, and I told her that whenever we walk by a church and it is open, she can go in to pray. Tonight we had fried clams on Bearskin Neck and left around sunset. This is the fourth year we've visited and the church has a sign that reads Meditation Garden. There is a pathway along side the church where there is a sculpture an artist made for his deceased daughter, depicting her as a female Galahad, in armor with a shield, but it continues around the back of the church to a small enclosed area with a small well with fish, actually goldfish the size of perch- I'm not sure what type of fish. There's a statue and a bench. On Sunday night, around sunset, Donna was free to quietly pray.I found the art of Harrisson Cady, who apparently painted Motif #1 in 1908.I found him while looking for the paintings of John M. Buckley.

Saturday, September 13, 2014

Friday, September 5, 2014

Fwd: [Poetry in America: The Poetry of Early New England] Next Week




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Subject: [Poetry in America: The Poetry of Early New England] Next Week
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Poetry in America: The Poetry of Early New England


Poetry in America: The Poetry of Early New England opens next week!

Just a reminder before we start that there are many ways of participating in this module. Some of you will choose to take a very active and connected approach, seeking a certificate, frequently participating in discussion forums, and using the interactive annotation tool to understand the poems. Others may want to read the poems and watch the videos, but otherwise to work through this module quite independently. We welcome all levels of participation. Treat this module as a free and open resource to use as you see fit!

In addition to the many free, not-for-credit options, we are now offering the option to take this module for Harvard credit through the Harvard Extension School. Registration for that option is open through September 9: learn more and sign up here if you're interested, and send any questions to instructor John Radway at jnradway@fas.harvard.edu.

I look forward to seeing you as we begin our study of the Poetry of Early New England.

Warmly,
Professor New and The Poetry Team

         
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