Downstairs Drama

Earlier this year I wrote a couple of reviews of Downton Abbey, the new miniseries that follows both the lives of the wealthy family (the upstairs) and their servants (the downstairs). One of the many issues I struggled with, and that I hinted at in my reviews, is the depiction of women and queer/non-heterosexual men.*
The show spent an exorbitant amount of time justifying the economic disadvantages that the three daughters were in. Mary, the eldest, spends the most time complaining about this and trying to manipulate the situation to her advantage, but to no avail. Nothing can apparently be done, as is said by various characters. There was something about this that struck me as entirely false. First, if this is such the case, why not try to show how incredibly unjustified and hurtful for the sisters this is? Second, why does it matter if on this issue one is historically accurate, especially when historical accuracy is thrown out the window any other time it serves the writer's needs?
The show also demonized the two male characters who had sex with men. One of them was a drunk, conniving, mean-spirited and selfish git. The other one of them manipulated a female character. There are so many homophobic depictions of gay people out there, this seemed entirely ridiculous. Just because a piece is set in a historical period does not mean it needs to be written in a regressed fashion.
I have not been terribly impressed with certain other dramas that copy from this basic format (which itself is clearly copied from a much older show, titled Upstairs Downstairs.) I kept finding myself wishing that someone would tell some story about this time period that dealt more honestly with non-dominant views and told a story from a voice or voices of people who our so frequently overlooked, which is why I was overjoyed at seeing news of a new movie called Albert Nobbs, which explores the life of a woman who dresses as a man as a way to beat the economic disadvantages women faced and is attracted to another woman. I realize that this might not be a perfect movie either, but I am hopefully that this will be a more realistic and sympathetic portrayal of someone who is usually either absent or depicted unfairly in media.

*I am unsure what to make of certain male character's sexuality, and in an attempt not to place them in the incorrect category, I have tried simply to indicate that their behavior indicates that they are not heterosexual. Since this was a time of mostly silence around the issue, and the characters themselves do not identify themselves explicitly, I wanted to acknowledge that it would be easy to interpret their behavior in multiple ways.

Women in the Big Bang Theory

It is good sometimes to read opinions in which you don't agree with, though today when I stumbled upon this piece about how someone is tired of Penny on the Big Bang Theory, I found myself not disagreeing in the least.  Basically, they argue that she is boring because she is static and dumb in a misogynistic way, which is so true. 

I would forgive the whole "she's the dumb" one premise if it had only been part of the premise.  If she had learned a little from being around the boys, and didn't always say such stupid things, that would be okay.  If she was shown to have hidden "smarts," like, say, a great understanding of Shakespeare, Ibsen or Oscar Wilde (she is an actress anyway, and this could easily tie into why she chose to become an actress.)  Or have her "smarts" be artistic ones, which again could be tied to her decision to be an actress.  The sad thing is that they haven't even allowed her to be a good actress on the show; she can't even seem to catch a break or at least perform a scene that proves to the audience that she too is worthy of our admiration. 

The other thing I'd like to see is her romantic life take a more sympathetic approach.  She is always dating jerks (Leonard included), but we know immediately as audience members they are jerks.  In real life, when guys turn out to be jerks, it usually starts out in a small way, sometimes in ways that friends do not even notice, and then near the end of the relationship (or when the relationship should end) it explodes into something big and awful.  I want the writers to seduce the audience with what looks like a great guy and fails to be, fails in a monumental, terrible, heart-breaking way.  That way, we understand that Penny doesn't just date awful guys because she's too stupid to know better, but because these guys are liars, and good ones.  Watching this show, I imagine the writer's room filled with guys angry at that one pretty girl who would not go out with them, and here they are, getting revenge on her fictional counterpart, dismissing her as stupid, making fun of her womanliness, and then forcing her into bad relationships with guys who do not love her and just want to sleep with her (again, Leonard included, who could not be bothered with her beyond her physical appearance.)  In some ways, that is far too much like straight women's experiences with men, and why so many men do not deserve the women they turn on after they have been rejected.  If a man gets rejected gently by a woman and then turns into that kind of monster, then that that monster is who is always was.  He would have just behaved that badly in some other way to her later on. 

More than anything, I honestly do not watch the show much because of the flaws around Penny (and the continued trashing of Sheldon, who is far more interesting that Leonard, Raj and Howard combined.)  But do you know what's surprisingly good?  The Big Bang Theory fanfiction.  The fanfiction, written mostly by women, I've noticed, allows Penny to have a certain amount of depth and generally doesn't sink into the dumb stereotypes the show has such a habit of doing.  My favorite group is Paradox.  I am frequently impressed with the writing that goes on over there.  I honestly wish these ladies were the ones writing the show. 

Tolstoy's Answer

I don't usually think of Tolstoy writing parables, and yet there's one here, featuring an emperor who wants answers to the three most important questions in life.  (No, unfortunately, not the answer to "life, the universe and everything.")
When I read this story, I imagine Jesus telling it. 

Spoken Word Poetry on the Page

The first idea in "What is this Thing Called Rap?" is that it is common for an undergraduate to have their "face blown off" by postcolonial theory. I hate to admit it, but this totally happened to me, when I was taking, you guessed it, Postcolonial Literature and Theory while studying at the University of London. And then they review a new anthology of rap, which, while admirable, appears to have a ton of mistakes in it. I've been following the discussion on how this book was created, and mostly what I keep going back to is one of the oldest adages of poetry: it's meant to be spoken outloud. Rap, like poetry, is never as good when read, it's good when you read it outloud to yourself, or even better, hear the writer read it themselves.

Squickerwonker

Part of this interview has Evangeline Lilly from Lost discussing a book she is writing. What intrigues me about all of this is that it's a children's book.
I've always wondered what it would be like to write for children. About a year and a half ago I wrote what was originally suppose to be a poem about a monkey and his family that someone suggested should be a children's books. I still really love that idea. I'd still really love to do it.
But generally, if I was going to write for young people, I think I would want to write young adult stuff. I grew up in the time of Harry Potter, when there were a lot of other fantasy novels written for the YA set, and I loved a lot of them (Redwall, Eva Ibbotson, The Arthur Trilogy, Coraline, The Hobbit, Gareth Nix, even The Series of Unfortunate Events). Right now, fantasy is really unpopular in YA publishing, but one day it'll come back in style, and I'll be ready with something. And, in the meantime, I can enjoy a decent urban fantasy for adults.

Poetry Performer?

I was at the library today to pick up a book I need for some research I'm doing on Matilda of Tuscany. I had requested the book a few days back, and it came back faster than I expected it to. While at the counter, the young man working there looked hard at me.
"Were you at that poetry reading thing?"
Oh. Which one? "The Red Cedar Review?"
"Yeah. You were really good."
"Thank you."
Every time I get a compliment (which is frequently, these days), it makes me so happy. People like my poetry. They like my performances.
I always dreamed about people liking my poems when they read them. I never thought about being a big deal as a poet performer.
But I've been thinking a lot since my last reading last Thursday, and I'm increasingly wondering if I can do this for a living. I think I would like that. It just never occurred to me to be more than just someone who writes; I haven't thought about being a talent who also reads. But maybe I should give it some more thought. Maybe I should consider making it work.

Upcoming Poetry Readings for April

In the next couple of weeks, there are going to be a ton of things creative writing related going on around MSU. Everyone should definitely check some of this out, because it looks like it's going to be tons of fun. I'm planning on going to some, but probably not all, of these events, just because I have lots of schoolwork that I'm supposed to be doing.

April 6 Steve Healey 7 pm RCAH Theatre
Dr. Healey was one of my professors last semester, and I can guarantee that he is one of the nicest and mellow people around. He was a wonderful professor, and I'm really sad I'm not in his class anymore. I'm excited to hear his poetry because everyone tells me that his book Earthling is amazing.

April 13 Christine Rhein 7 pm RCAH Theatre
I've read two of her poems (both about the second World War). I'm partial to prose poems and poems based on family history, so I'm looking forward to hearing her.

April 20 Ruelaine Stokes 7 pm RCAH Theatre
I've interacted with Ms. Stokes a few times around campus, mostly during Center for Poetry events. She's a great technical writer and I hear she's also a good teacher.

April 23 Diane Wakoski and Jerome Rothenberg 4:30 pm MSU Library
I've seen Ms. Wakowski give poetry readings and lectures, and both were tons of fun. One of my favorite things to hear about is her interactions with other poets, so I'm interested in seeing her read with Mr. Rothenberg. It's hard for me to pick out a favorite Wakoski poem, but I love "Blue Monday." It's a perfect break-up poem.

All of these events are free and open to the public, so even if you're not currently a Spartan, you can hear these poets read. There are some other events going on this month that are poetry or creative writing related, and once I get a chance, I'll try to post some information. Hope to see you around.