We are living in difficult times, and many of us are dealing with the five stages of grief. The initial excitement of change, the political reassurances, the cancellations, and finally what could mean an 18 month quarantine. No matter your living situation you are allowed to grieve. And should this continue, we all need to learn how to be alone. Museum and library connections are available online, universities are offering free classes, gardening and cooking all the things you never had time for are here. If you’re anything like me, this quarantine is a blessing and a curse, for as much as I miss my friends, my mental illness was severely effecting my stress levels back home- not one to quit I refused to give up, so to me it feels like the universe sent me home. I’m doing better than ever and graduate next week, what are your quarantine journeys?
I will definitely revise this to include a broader and not so personal narrative guide to handling isolation – chloedubisch5 years ago
This is a great topic, but I would agree to make it a little less personal and more broad Perhaps navigating the quarantine: drawbacks and strengths? Or you could focus on resources or activities that are blossoming during quarantine. – birdienumnum175 years ago
I personally like the idea of making it a personal topic. I would used the sentence, "No matter your living situation you are allowed to grieve" as the title and create a series of stories around it. – amberflynn935 years ago
In the Shokugeki no Soma anime, we can see a diversity of delicious dishes from around the world with exotic ingredients, in one chapter they prepared "Causa Limeña" a famous Peruvian dish prepared with potatoes and seafood. Do you think this anime encourages you to cook and learn about international cuisine?
Whoever writes this should compare the "exotic" foods, as well as look at who the chefs are (are they international chefs? Why did they choose this dish?). Also, see if any interest in international cooking was sparked in Japan when this anime aired. – OkaNaimo08195 years ago
Discussions around the male gaze (in art and elsewhere) are present within the Western socio-political, cultural and artistic milieu since a very long time. What about the female gaze – something which is becoming more and more powerful and evident in the 21st century? I would like to leave this topic relatively open so that writers can choose their own angle from which to hadnle it. I would be interested to see whether people examine this issue from a certain political stance, from a gender studies' perspective or from a more traditional pathway of looking into painting and photography, for example. I believe there is a lot to be said regarding the representation of women nowadays – in art, in films, on TV, in literature…the female figure is becoming more independent, having agency over her own body and her own gaze. What changes (if any) does this bring into the mechanisms of production, and consequently consumption, in pop culture?
Love this topic! I think there's a lot of room for different analyses and perspectives depending on the angle, like you say, and media type. Looking at different waves of feminism could also be cool if you wanted to understand how we arrived at the 21st-century female gaze. – carmenxbd5 years ago
Such a great idea! In my college film classes, we discussed the male gaze frequently, but the female gaze was not brought up. I think that in an increasingly feminist society that this topic definitely has relevance. I would be interested in discussing it from a cinematic perspective and how the female gaze does or does not objectify a male character in the way that male creators objectify their female characters, even from a camera lens. – lstraub5 years ago
I think a relevant movie here would be Portrait Of A Lady On Fire, since it was a film that was purely framed through the female gaze. It showed love and affection and women supporting women without objectification or misogynistic undertones. By allowing the women in this film to simply Exist, without the necessity that they be consumed by a man, it is incredibly unpopular with many people. However, it very poetically manages to capture the unique experience of the love between women - both romantic and platonic. In the way the romance between the women progressed, the ways in which they fall in love with each other and the ways in which every shot is framed, is completely unaffected by the usually ever-present male gaze. All I'm really saying is that I think there would be a lot to say about how this film captures the female gaze exceptionally well. – NayanaK5 years ago
Two sources about the male gaze in media could be Jeff Wall who is a Canadian artist who created photographs such as 'Picture for Woman' that explored the idea of the male gaze. Laura Mulvey was the theorist who coined the 'male gaze theory' so she might be an interesting source to compare the female gaze to. – Erika5 years ago
Popular culture, and TV shows, in particular, are prone to use and revisit mythical figures, religious allegories, and biblical references, and, among, them, the Devil. Whether he is called Lucifer or Satan, the one who rebelled against God and have incarnated evil ever since seems to be an everlasting source of inspiration for screenwriters, creators, and showrunners. However, in recent shows like Supernatural, and, even more, in Lucifer, the Devil is – to a degree at least, especially in Supernatural where he is and stays an antagonist – humanized. His so-called evilness is – once again, to a degree – nuanced, and there is more to his psychology than evil for evil’s sake. It is especially flagrant in Lucifer, as Lucifer is the main character. He is a hero with flaws and qualities, a hero confronted to very human dilemmas, to fear, to loss, to love, a hero we are rooting for. How Devil-like characters have been written and treated? As it evolved? Can we discern a tendency, in recent TV shows, to develop, or even humanize, the Devil? How is it done? How could such a tendency be related to the evolution of the “Good vs Evil” trope? And, potentially, what are the exceptions to the recent transformations – or lack of transformation, if we can’t discern a real tendency – and how can we explain them?
Great topic. Other shows to consider covering: The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina; Reaper; 666 Park Avenue; Good Omens. – Emily Deibler5 years ago
Definitely an interesting topic for discussion! However, it bears pointing out that the idea of the Devil not being pure evil isn't new. It actually goes back to John Milton's Paradise Lost, which was written in the 1600's. – Debs5 years ago
Very good topic! I would suggest, if you can, looking into South Park's Satan, who is very much confronted with the human dilemma of love and sexuality. Some films that I would suggest would be the Ghost Rider films and The Devil's Advocate. I believe that there is a Paradise Lost reference in Advocate. – tolkienfan5 years ago
Also include a reiteration from anime. They have some pretty weird stuff there. (Devil is a Part-Timer, Blue Exorcist, Devilman Crybaby) – OkaNaimo08195 years ago
I'm wondering if this topic can be approached in an historical way: How the devil was seen in 1930s movies versus now, for example. – Joseph Cernik5 years ago
How have contemporary writers repositioned the term “Otherness” in literature? In Toni Morrison’s article “The Color Fetish,” she describes how modernists like William Faulkner and Ernest Hemingway employed colorism and racial stereotypes when writing their characters. How do contemporary black writers portray their characters, as celebrating the “Other” and perhaps manipulating the Jim Crow caricatures. Consider, for example, Octavia Butler’s characters in the novel Kindred, Toni Morrison's characters in her short story Recitatif, and many others.
Would really like to read this. Susan Willis's Specifying and Bell Hooks, Black looks are brilliant source material for an article like this. Highly Recommend 😬 – Lousands5 years ago
People who live with mental illnesses spend their lives in a state of heightened anxiety and stress, and if they're creative, this often comes through in their work. Arguably some of the greatest contributions to horror, particularly in literature, were written by people with really severe mental health problems, among them Edgar Allan Poe, HP Lovecraft, and Caitlin Kiernan. Even works made by artists who don't want their mental illness to be so obvious can be darker than they first appear. For instance, many of the deep cuts of the famous rock star Jon Bon Jovi, who struggles with depression, are much more disturbing than the songs that made him a household name. So, are all mentally-ill creatives fated to create dark, creepy, or depressing content? What specific aspects of a creator's mental illness might inform the darker aspects of their work? Are there any mentally-ill artists whose art remains entirely untouched by their illness?
This is a super interesting idea. I'd also be interested in how we prognosticate mentally ill creators and whether we should attribute that to how they write, particularly with horror, which is fraught with messy portrayals of mentally ill people. I think about this especially about EAP and HPL. I don't know what Kiernan's mental health issues are, but she tends to be able to represent mentally ill characters very well. But because EAP and HPL were never formally diagnosed, it can be hard to attribute that label and therefore the extent to which it influenced their work. HPL's severe neurosis and illnesses could be attributed to his mother convincing him he was sick (psychosomatic) and emotionally abusing him, anxiety, some have suggested he was autistic, some combo, etc. His anxieties do seem to come through on the page, but I'd also suggest his philosophical thoughts on mechanical materialism also influence the bleakness of his work. – Emily Deibler5 years ago
I think this needs perhaps a psychologists perspective. Not all mentally troubled people focus on darker work. There are notable exceptions such as Robin Williams, Owen Wilson and Stephen Fry for instance that have excelled in comedic endeavours. It would be interesting to look at what makes certain individuals create the façade of happiness and what allows other to really embrace their troubles. – AshleyStevens5 years ago
The conflation of Poe with his work is extremely problematic. Poe is not his narrators. Nor was he clinically mentally ill. There is no clear record of that. Poe had a difficult life and his reputation was damaged by the jealous editor Rufus Griswold, who was not even one fragment the writer or critic that Poe was. – rockandrollbob5 years ago
It also seems a bit problematic to not only lump every single artist or creative that has any form of mental illness under one umbrella but your thesis that they are only capable of creating works of art that is disturbing is somewhat offensive. To say that someone suffering from mental illness can only create art that is worrying seems diminutive to an entire section of society.
Vincent van Gogh was clearly disturbed and yet created beautiful painting such as The Starry Night or Almond Blossoms.
You need to rework this whole idea or at least remove "always" from the title.
I'm sure this is coming from a place of genuine intrigue but please be considerate of the community in which this represents. – FarPlanet5 years ago
This is a challenging topic to discuss, but that's what makes it so very intriguing. As FarPlanet stated, it can be problematic with generalization if not written/discussed carefully. With that being said, I'd like to offer up my own thoughts on the matter.
As someone who struggles with mental illnesses and is studying to be a psychologist, I think the writing CAN be more disturbing, but it is nowhere near always. From where I stand, a handful of mentally ill artists/writers write with a specific emotional depth that many people don't feel for themselves. Sometimes, the depths can be scary... Take psychological thrillers, for example. The mind is a scary place, and the ways in which it can be manipulated are far more terrifying.
I would love to write extensively about this topic. I like that it can be approached by the audience, artists/writers themselves in addition to psychologists.
It might be a good idea to first isolate the root question here before naming well-known artists/writers in order to keep the discussion open and relevant so as not to rub anyone the wrong way. – Abie Dee5 years ago
Everyone knows C.S. Lewis as the writer of the Chronicles of Narnia series, as well as (to a lesser extent) The Screwtape Letters. However, he's written a lot of other works too–both fiction and nonfiction–that don't get as much attention. Throughout his body of work, what recurring patterns and themes emerge? How have they changed over time? Is there anything he wrote that doesn't get the attention it deserves?
During these uncertain times, it seems that the things we do for ourselves– without any exterior motivations– are becoming clearer. The phrase "dress for yourself" has gained a lot of momentum amongst those who actively appreciate fashion as well as those who do not give it much thought. Without the complicating factors of social validation (whether that is conformity or aiming to stand out), this article will analyze whether or not quarantine is allowing people to truly dress for themselves.
Hm, I think it would be interesting to analyze how fashion is/will be impacted by quarantine. There are many on social media who rely on taking pictures in their backyard to be okay, while others have given up entirely and stay in pajamas. In the sense of fashion, which is ever-changing, what would quarantine mean for style and what do you make of these effects on the public? – Scharina5 years ago
I think this could be an interesting topic if it considered how quarantine will impact fashion afterwords. I only say this because many of us are not really dressing at all(pajamas). – BriLeigh5 years ago
I don't think it's quite as simple as "not going out" leading to a lack of concern about peer pressure and social norms. The conventional wisdom, as I understand it, is that people should strive to maintain as many aspects of their "normal" routine as possible to maintain a sense of purpose and fulfillment--and this includes dress. One angle to explore, then, would be whether the clothes that people choose to wear at this time reflect their degree of coping. – Debs5 years ago
I recently completed a uni course on the body in society and think this topic would benefit from some research into social science theories of aesthetic embodiment and Cartesian dualism. I personally rely on clothing to express myself and during quarantine have both seen how little it actually matters what I wear, and how important it is to me to construct the perfect outfit for my mood, errand, environment, etc. I was also wondering about the cosmetics industry. If people aren't going out, are they buying less makeup or wearing less makeup? Are they realising the ways makeup oppresses them in their daily life? I find makeup ads so funny now because they act as if "the right foundation can help a woman tackle the world", but now that we're working from home, what use does it have? What use did it ever have? – Tylah Jackowski5 years ago
Explore the notion of creativity for creativity’s sake. With Covid-19 isolation, we are seeing a lot of people filling time by making things, from banana bread to paintings. What is the value of making stuff, even if it’s not ‘good’ aka. not pretty, or moving, or delicious. You could also explore what makes people identify as ‘creative’ or not – what is the difference between an ‘artist’ v. ‘someone who makes art’?
Interesting topic! Creating is therapeutic in itself. It does not have to be pretty, or yummy--the process of creating is in our own human nature and within the process we find things out about ourselves. Instead of the value of bad art it could be The value of the process of creating. The artist and someone who makes art is a whole other debate and topic--that makes something "art" and something just a creation. I think that depends on your training. Anyone can pick up a drum or some kitchen utensils and play a beat or sing to make music, but a musician is someone who studied and trained in music for years---but everyone and anyone can make music. The same with art. The title of an artist and musician comes with level of education I believe, but that does not mean you can't be an artist by just drawing at home. Anyone and everyone can be a creator and an artist of some sort. Maybe narrow down the topic to either the benefits or what makes the difference between an artist and someone who makes art. – birdienumnum175 years ago
Well, the advantage of "bad" work (whether so-bad-it's-good or just plain bad) is that it provides an example of what not to do. For instance, the example of the Twilight series shows that if you want to write a supernatural romance, you should NOT make the supernatural partner abuse or lord it over the more "ordinary" one. More generally, for someone who is creating just because they want to, an initial work, for all its faults, provides a jumping-off point that they can use to refine their craft, by learning from their prior mistakes. – Debs5 years ago
In order to get good at anything we have to go through the initial stages of learning. Writing off the abilities of people in the initial stages of harnessing their craft will stunt their growth. How about an article about the importance of amateur creativity, which is is so often undermined in the bid for commercial success. Not everyone will "make it" big in the industry but that dosent de value the joy in the embodied experience of the creative process. Let's move away from the neoliberal obsession with perfectionism and embrace humanity. – MayWoods4 years ago
I like this topic, because I'd argue that bad art is very important. You have to accept it as part of growing and improving, and being committed to any kind of art practice at all. This quote from Vonnegut is particularly relevant to the argument that I'd make: "Practice any art, music, singing, dancing, acting, drawing, painting, sculpting, poetry, fiction, essays, reportage, no matter how well or badly, not to get money and fame, but to experience becoming, to find out what's inside you, to make your soul grow." Also worth mentioning is the Museum of Bad Art in Boston. There's a lot of directions you could go with this article :) – Cleo Newling3 years ago
We've just seen history in the making last weekend when, for the first time ever a foreign language film won the Best Picture Oscar. Has Hollywood finally learned that there are other countries outside of the US where brilliant and talented people tell fascinating stories? Does this mark a new era for Hollywood in which we'll see more international talent celebrated or a last attempt of a dying branch of the film industry to stay relevant and "woke" in an increasingly globalised and diverse world?
You could also look at 2016, which seemed to be the start of a new, diverse era in Hollywood, with more people of colour and LGBTQ stories, and see why that failed to make an impact (or, at least, as much of an impact as everyone believed it would). – OkaNaimo08195 years ago
I would still argue that many "problems" that critics have brought up about Oscar voting and the landscape of voters still rings true for many watching the event. I would suggest looking at the Oscar campaign surrounding Greta Gerwig's "Little Women". It was a film that resonated with many viewers of all different ages and received critical reception, but was snubbed in a key category like Best Director. While Parasite's win was an exciting surprise, it feels like the Oscars have not changed as much as they have been touted to change. – Sean Gadus5 years ago
Korean romance dramas span a variety of sub-genres that generally entice old and new audiences but romance narratives typically and expectedly end one of two ways: the protagonist and love interest end up, or not. Even if predictable, why does it sell to the audience? What aspects make Korean romance dramas addicting?
Further topic: the heteronormative themes and couples of Korean romance dramas and its underlying effect on the audience
Good question
As a K drama addict myself
I think it has to do with good development of the characters.
It could be high fantasy, a crime drama but the characters are what makes us love them – Amelia Arrows5 years ago
It would be interesting to compare similar dramas, comparing story structure and characters. – kerrybaps5 years ago
The best way for a film company to make money while at the same time show that they are aware of female social issues is to create an all female cast spin off of an existing franchise.
Examples like Ghostbusters 2016, Bird of Prey, and Oceans 8 come to mind. However, there has been a bit of backlash towards feminist films in recent years. Films like Bird of Prey and Ghostbusters are disliked by the public for being a feminist version of beloved men centric films. As a result, the film makers and actresses blaming the audience for being mysoginistic.
While that may be true in some degree, it is the writing and creative process behind making the film that determines its success.
In comparing Oceans 8 with Bird of Prey.
We are able to determine how to correctly produce an all female cast film. While Bird of Prey had the female cast part down, they failed because the film makers did not adapt the comic correctly. They decided to make Harley Quin the main protagonist, in a film that is based on a comic where Harley does not appear in. In addition to that, they wrote the film in a way that made Harley quin a giant goof ball, where luck was constantly on her side.
Meanwhile, Oceans 8 does a better job, by justifying the need for all woman's cast. It mirrors the other Ocean movies visualy and incorporates original characters from Oceans 11, while keeping it unique with its own new set of characters and film score.
When talking about Birds of Prey, that aspect of the comic world has always been entirely female whereas the other examples have not, so to compare them as needing 'justification' doesn't quite work.
However, I think this topic would be better suited to a discussion of how all-female casts are being approached by the film industry and by the public. Was the success or failure of these movies down to their casts or because of other situations? i.e. for ghostbusters, people not quite ready for their childhood to be changed at all, let alone with an all-female cast. – kerrybaps5 years ago
I think that some people might argue that critically, Birds of Prey was fairly successful, but the audience/box office numbers don't seem to match the films critical reception. I found Birds of Prey to be as enjoyable if not more enjoyable than many other films in its genre. – Sean Gadus5 years ago
There has been a surge in new and upcoming book releases being retellings of old stories, whether they be classics (for example, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley) or fairy tales (like Beauty and the Beast). What does this suggest about society at the moment, if literature is a reflection of our current state of mind? Are these retellings to do with nostalgia or a need to bring the past to the modern age? Do authors succeed in doing so?
Throughout the entire series the term white hat is tossed back and forth but what does it mean. I think its about being the good guy. Whoever where the white hat is considered the one who is winning and doing the right thing. In this show we easily see where the lines between good and evil are crossed so is wearing the white hat even worth it. I think if someone could track the metaphor they'd be able to understand the relationship between Olivia and Joshua a lot better.
After witnessing the devastation of the 1918 flu pandemic, Virginia Woolf made the titular heroine of "Mrs. Dalloway" an influenza survivor, embracing life with flowers, friendship and a dinner party.
In recent weeks, we have all seen images of the doctors, nurses and other frontline workers, saving lives in hotspots like Italy and New York. Their faces, tired and worn out, call to mind Edward Munch's "Self Portrait with the Spanish Flu" and "Self Portrait After the Spanish Flu".
I propose a feature on the lessons we can learn from the art of past pandemics.
Nice topic. Maybe you can make it How to learn from the art of past pandemics. – birdienumnum175 years ago
Visual novels (VN) are an interactive game genre that originate from Japan where text-based stories are presented in a narrative style of literature and allow for readers to interact as well as decide on the flow of a story. These mixed-media novels have, in recent years, gained more popularity outside of Japan especially through gaming platforms such as Steam. What sets these mixed-media novels apart from other genres such as film, animation, manga, and comics?
Love this! Ultimately it contains a visual narrative that a novel just doesn't have. In addition, I have just been reading The three escapes of Hannah Arendt. I have read her philosophy and theory on tyranny and socialism and as everyone knows philosophy is quite hard going at times. The graphic novel is a great starting point and really gets to grips with both her story and philosophies and breaks it down into amazing visual story telling that transcends any language barrier or prior knowledge to her work. It accessible and at the same time demonstrates emotive power and understanding of her background and the tyranny she and others faced under the oppressive facist regime. https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/37941885-the-three-escapes-of-hannah-arendt – Lousands5 years ago
This would definitely be a good idea! I think especially because gaming media is still under the impression that story-based games aren't selling as much as, for example, battle royales or multiplayer games. I would look at big AAA games, like Final Fantasy VII, as the most recent story-based game release. For an indie title, Undertale was a massive one and Little Misfortune, which is a suspenseful horror game that recently made the rounds. – kerrybaps5 years ago
The depiction of violence in film has evolved dramatically over the years and it is not uncommon to see a number of films that depict war violence, gang violence, or glorified murder (think "The Purge"). How come this type of violence seems to permeate more throughout American culture in the 21st century than other, more psychological violence like that depicted in the French film "Cache" – which involves an almost ritualistic suicide? We seem to be, as a culture, more willing to accept and assimilate to the grand-sized violence where hundreds if not thousands of people die than we are to a film where only one or two deaths are seen in detail. Consider also slasher films like "Saw" and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" as opposed to "The Silence of the Lambs" and how this type of violence relates and speaks to our culture's appetite for specific forms of violence.
So after searching for awhile I couldn't find the youtude vid I saw that introduced me to the topic but the synopsis is generally this. Its found that in most horror/scary movies the perspective is subtly biased towards men.
The youtuber shows a dozen or so examples of movies where when woman is being chased/killed by the antagonist of the film, its usually shown in the first person perspective, whereas men being chased/killed are usually shown in the third. Its an interesting tell and thought it tied into the topic of violence in film. Hope its useful. – ilookatyourshoes9 years ago
I feel as if the reason behind people being more comfortable with glorified mass murder over a single killing or two is because it is incredibly impersonal. Not to quote Joseph Stalin, but one of his most famous quotes is, "A single death is a tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic." And not to AGREE with Stalin here, but he is very right. The writers killing off a character that you've come to know and love hits you a lot harder than an entire city of people being completely obliterated. It's sad, but unfortunately true. – botheringcat9 years ago
I feel like a lot of what counts as "violence" in any given story has to do with the context. A particular act might seem horribly cruel in one kind of series, while just being business as usual in another. For instance, a single murder will stand out a lot more in a story about, say high-school kids, than it will in a story about hardcore gangsters. – Debs5 years ago
I think people called it "violence", then it must have conflicts between the things of people's daily life and the content in the movies, esp in terms of human intereaction. – RoyHung5 years ago
I would also advise whoever writes this topic to look into some Quentin Tarantino interviews on violence. He was spoken a lot about his justification and purpose of violence in his films and responded to the criticism. It might be quite helpful to get the non-horror genre perspective! – hilalbahcetepe5 years ago
Examine artists who have taken successful careers from internet niches (E.L. James, Kris Straub, etc.) and how they pivoted from this success to a more mainstream kind of fame. E.L. James took a Twilight fanfiction and turned it into a successful novel trilogy with barely any edits. Kris Straub turned his Candle Cove creepypasta into a successful Syfy original series. What goes into the process of bringing the internet into line with traditional media?
It might also be interesting to discuss the Slender Man movies, mainly the Sony one. It did moderately well financially but was critically panned. How do we define success when it comes to transitioning internet content to more traditional forms? Financial success, creative integrity, heavy reliance on the source material, or some combination of all of these? – Emily Deibler5 years ago
An interesting topic to explore could be the trend of YouTube creators writing books. Many are often very heavily criticised. Many of these people, perhaps, would never have considered writing before finding Internet fame. What is it about the medium of books? Is it easy to break into? Is it widely popular? Is it something about the physicality of books? Is the trend just that, a trend, people seeing others being successful so doing it too? – leersens5 years ago
Because Hayao Miyazaki has been the most well known renowned figure of studio Ghibli, many people sometimes forget that he's not the only ingenious individual at work. Isao Takahata the co-founder of studio Ghibli has also made many good films amongst them some are on a par with Hayao Miyazakis work and some of them even greater than Miyazaki features. Don't you think?
I think if anyone is taking this topic, they should explain who Hayao Miyazki and Isao and Takahata are as not a lot of people know the Ghubli studio.
Indigenous films should be talked about more.
Can't wait to see how this article goes. – Amelia Arrows5 years ago
For anyone thinking of taking on this topic suggestion, I'd recommend first reading an article published in the Artifice on 1st April 2018, written by Matchbox: https://the-artifice.com/isao-takahata-retrospective/ It addresses the issues raised above. On a personal note - I'd love to see more written about Isao Takahata. A fascinating character in his own right. – Amyus5 years ago
Link the narrative arcs of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (BtVS) to the #metoo movement. Buffy manages to be the one who saves the world (with the Scooby gang) whilst working her way through a number of relationships with the 'wrong' man. These included the bad boy who can't be saved, the stalked, the good guy who finished last and 'beer goggles'. in the context of metoo – how is Buffy conceptualised in present day through this lens?
I guess there is some way to link Buffy to the MeToo Movement, seems to be a strange linkage. – Joseph Cernik5 years ago