jmbrodie's blog

I have just 'played' the game game game scribble "video game". I did not beat it yet, because I wanted to make this a two part blog entry haha. I played until I was a chemist three times. This is where the "game" end became a little difficult I also topped here because the content is SOOOOOO immense and needed to try and read, piece things together.
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When I played Façade, I have to say I thought two things: this is a French word  and I hate these adventure online really hard interface whatever you call it stuff. Well the first part of my thought was on the right track, the second—wrong. I thought façade was awesome. It was really intelligent, funny and I was just so impressed with how it worked. I am obviously not an internet, anything thing like that kind of girl and the only video games I played were sonic , mortal combat and Mario—the only computer games was the Oregon Trail and I got pneumonia and DIED.
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When reading the abominable snowman, I initially thought how I use to love reading these as a kid—then I realized that I remembered hating that they addressed me as if I was personal and they were able to ‘trick’ me into thinking Franz and I were ‘really’ on an expedition. What I wanted to know now is if people think this story—or any ‘adventure story’ would have the same effect if addressing another person you associate with as a character. This is to say simply that they don’t say you.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBwepkVurCI

This is one of my favorite videos about reality television: it talks about editing and "reality television" its hysterical and also british which makes it wonderful. It shows how editing works in relation to manipulating our perceptions of body language, sound bites and intent. What is most interesting is that the argument is based in technology advances. As editing became more malleable and advanced then reality shows could in turn be made. He discusses the annoying editing and uses that MTV dating shows use.
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Like my friend Sherlock holmes, I would like to do my own detective work concerning the avatar chapter on fictionality. I think I can buy a lot of what she argues for, but I had a few questions on a certain point, the use of nonfiction in fiction, which she illuminates using Conan Doyle. I thought that was not only an interesting point to make but also may illuminate the way in which we today criticize literature.
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In the first chapter of Avatars of Story, within the first two pages I had found, not a rejection of what she was supposing, but a clarification that I would like to discuss further in depth. The first point mad,e which I liked was Barthes quotes, “Caring nothing for the division between good and bad literature, narrative is international, Transcultural: it is simply there, like life itself”.
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In class on Tuesday we watched different animations, but I thought it was interesting the way in which the artists conveyed an opinion of social issues: in Windsor McCay’s sinking of the Lusitania and the Felix the Cat “parody” of war. I know that felix the cat may have not had anything to do with World War II and almost played out like the “American civil war” in depiction, but I like the idea of how we interpret what is the most powerful use of cartoon/comic/animation in relation to social issues, political views and climates of the time.
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Though this may not be an in-depth analysis of any particular theme or section in Little Nemo, but I would like to raise a few questions I have encountered while reading Little Nemo. One being Winsor McCay's obsession with elephants: I really love it because he is an incredible artist and the elephants come in all different shapes, decoration, color, atmosphere etc. they are full of life and most of all energy.
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As the class discussion proceeds I am finding it more and more difficult to define anything. I think we are finding it quite easy to argue against much of the essays and definitions, but we are not actually narrowing in on understanding this form. One question I’m battling with is that maybe the difference between a comic and other medias such as “art works” drawings, paintings, picture books, film etc. is not theoretical but maybe the way in which it is perceived by a given culture.
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On Thursday, the second day of class--my first, I had found it very odd how no matter what we were discussing or attempting to define someone (and different people I may add) were constantly choosing "entertainment". I think it may be a negative way to approach any narrative or something with narrativity when the value is placed on entertainment. I understood, I think, why people would put entertainment on a list for a "story" because there has to be some audience to which the story appeals--entertainment.
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