Gnossiennes (Satie) The Gnossiennes (French pronunciation: [gnosjεn]) are several piano compositions written by the French composer Erik Satie in the late 19th century. The works are for the most part in free time (lacking time signatures or bar divisions) and highly experimental with form, rhythm and chordal structure. The form as well as the term was invented by Satie. Etymology[edit] Satie's coining of the word gnossienne was one of the rare occasions when a composer used a new term to indicate a new "type" of composition. Satie used many novel names for his compositions (vexations, croquis et agaceries and so on). It is possible that Satie might have drawn inspiration for the title of these compositions from a passage in John Dryden's 1697 translation of the Aeneid, in which it is thought the word first appeared:[citation needed] Let us the land which Heav'n appoints, explore; Appease the winds, and seek the Gnossian shore.[2] Characteristics[edit] Trois Gnossiennes[edit] Gnossiennes Nos. 4–7[edit] Lent.
Chekhov's Gun There's a rifle above the bar because the name of the place is "The Winchester". "If you say in the first chapter that there is a rifle hanging on the wall, in the second or third chapter it absolutely must go off. If it's not going to be fired, it shouldn't be hanging there." Chekhov, master of the short story, gave this advice: if it's not essential, don't include it in the story. The term has come to mean "an insignificant object that later turns out to be important." For example, a character may find a mysterious necklace that turns out to be the power source to the Doomsday Device, but at the time of finding the object it does not seem important. Chekhov's Gun Depot also stocks: Chekhov's Armoury: A whole stash of Chekhov's Guns. Examples That's not the only reason, though...
Guest Blog: the power of Daydreaming | Carl Honoré This is a post from Del Shannon, a civil engineer who also writes books for children. His full bio is down below. Here he muses on the joys and benefits of daydreaming, for grown-ups and kids. Hope you enjoy it! My wife, when she’s not infuriated by the behavior, calmly points out to nearly everyone she meets that I disappear sometimes. Fascinating conversations about my wife’s sisters aside, I’ve been doing this – call it daydreaming, escaping, out-to-lunch, zoning out – all my life. Even amongst the frustrations this causes to those around me I’ve never tried to seriously rein in this little quirk about my personality. While it is tempting to offer up this behavior as irresponsible or even immature, recent research is pointing to the very tangible benefits of daydreaming and exploring your imagination. It turns out we all get distracted, but the authors found that those with the highest working memory capacity were those who let their mind wander and daydream the most.
6 Ways You're Botching Your Dialogue [Image's facepalm shot courtesy of Striatic.] You want to write better dialogue. You've learned a few tricks of the trade. Great work so far, but are you unwittingly sabotaging your work, leaving only stilted, one-dimensional dialogue for your readers? 1. As writers develop, they learn to write dialogue that shows off each character's personality. A good example of this is the film Easy A. 2. Beyond helping your dialogue feel more organic, side-tracks can develop your characters and build a believable world. Yesterday morning I was chatting with my dad. It took me all of one sentence to lose my train of thought and forget items two, three, and four. Remember, dialogue isn't only being used to communicate what the characters want to communicate: it also shows each character's emotional state, creates a sense of realism, subtly hints at how characters perceive themselves and each other, and so on. 3. Some of the common blunders in this category include: 4. 5. "Largeman? 6.
Humanism is an impossible dream | Andrew Brown Reading to the end of a recent press release I discovered that the British Humanist Association proclaims that it is "the national charity representing and supporting the non-religious and campaigning for an end to religious privilege and discrimination based on religion or belief. It exists to support and represent people who seek to live good and responsible lives without religious or superstitious beliefs." I realised that though I know what this means clearly enough, it's actually an entirely impossible dream. The first point is that it is defined in a largely negative way. The humanism that the BHA stands for is quite clearly defined in opposition to Christendom. Christianity is not, of course, the only religion against which the BHA campaigns. But suppose this definition of religion is in fact quite wrong. This is a deeply unsatisfactory definition, but it's still better than any less vague alternative.
Let’s Read The Name of the wind: ch.1 | Doing In The Wizard My name is Kvothe, pronounced nearly the same as “quothe.” Quoth the Rothfuss, nevermore. Names are important as they tell you a great deal about a person. I’ve had more names than anyone has a right to.The Adem call me Maedre. Which, depending on how it’s spoken, can mean The Flame, The Thunder, or The Broken Tree. I feel like this paragraph sums up everything wrong with fantasy as a genre. It’s all in here- valuing trivia over storytelling, conlangs that all sound the same, ham-fisted grand-standing disguised as epic scope, the idea that bigger is always better and the worth of your novel is judged by how much stuff you can cram between the covers. Yes, he really has twelve nick-names. So here’s something that bugs me about fantasy names. I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I feel like making me want to punch Kvothe in the face on the opening page is a mistake, even if Rothfuss does do a masterful job at it. IT WAS NIGHT AGAIN. Okay, wait, no. It was night “again”?
Charles Bukowski: Depression and Three Days in Bed Can Restore Your Creative Juices (NSFW) Pico Iyer once called Charles Bukowski the “laureate of American lowlife,” and that's because he wrote poems for and about ordinary Americans -- people who experienced poverty, the tedium and grind of work, and sometimes frayed relationships, bouts of alcoholism, drug addiction and the rest. Bukowski could write so eloquently about this because he came from this world. He grew up in a poor immigrant household with an abusive father, took to the bottle at an early age, worked at a Los Angeles post office for a decade plus, and had a long and tumultuous relationship with Jane Cooney Baker, a widow eleven years his senior, who drank to excess and died at 51, leaving Bukowski broken. And then there's the depression. To gain a more in-depth understanding of depression and its biological basis, we'd recommend watching this lecture by Stanford's Robert Sapolksy. Here's a transcript of what Bukowski has to say: I have periods where, you know, when I feel a little weak or depressed.
Catharsis Dramatic uses[edit] Purgation and purification[edit] In his works prior to Poetics, Aristotle had used the term catharsis purely in its medical sense (usually referring to the evacuation of the katamenia—the menstrual fluid or other reproductive material).[10] Here, however, he employs it as a medical metaphor. Lessing sidesteps the medical attribution. Intellectual clarification[edit] In the twentieth century something like a paradigm shift took place in the interpretation of catharsis with a number of scholars contributing to the argument in support of the intellectual clarification concept. It is generally understood that Aristotle's theory of mimesis and catharsis are responses to Plato's negative view of artistic mimesis on an audience. Achieving catharsis in literary analysis[edit] Catharsis can only be achieved by an accurate and persuasive analysis of character and action in a drama. "Catharsis" before tragedy[edit] Therapeutic uses[edit] See also[edit] Notes[edit] References[edit]
The Tree of Contemplative Practices The Tree illustrates some of the contemplative practices currently in use in secular organizational and academic settings. This is not intended to be a comprehensive list. Below the Tree you will find links to descriptions of many of these practices as well as a more in-depth description of the Tree and image files for downloading. Some of the practices on the tree link to further information–either on our website, or on Wikipedia. © The Center for Contemplative Mind in Society Concept & design by Maia Duerr; illustration by Carrie Bergman Understanding the Tree On the Tree of Contemplative Practices, the roots symbolize the two intentions that are the foundation of all contemplative practices. The branches represent different groupings of practices. Because this illustration cannot possibly include all contemplative practices, we offer a free download of a blank Tree that you can customize to include your own practices. Downloading and Reprinting the Tree For printing:
Don’t make fun of renowned Dan Brown “Mr Unconvincingname, it’s renowned author Dan Brown,” told the voice at the other end of the line. Instantly the voice at the other end of the line was replaced by a different voice at the other end of the line. “Hello, it’s literary agent John Unconvincingname,” informed the new voice at the other end of the line. “Hello agent John, it’s client Dan,” commented the pecunious scribbler. “I’m worried about new book Inferno. I think critics are going to say it’s badly written.” The voice at the other end of the line gave a sigh, like a mighty oak toppling into a great river, or something else that didn’t sound like a sigh if you gave it a moment’s thought. That’s true, mused the accomplished composer of thrillers that combined religion, high culture and conspiracy theories. “Think of all the money you’ve made,” recommended the literary agent. Renowned author Dan Brown smiled, the ends of his mouth curving upwards in a physical expression of pleasure. “Thanks, John,” he thanked.
China Miéville on Novel Structure for Beginners