"amnesia machines": Douglas Coupland, Microserfs
On 12/14/05, Roger Day <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> On 12/14/05, David Bircumshaw <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> > Interesting post, Roger. I love 'people are amnesia machines'
>
> Not mine, unfortunately. But I'm willing to pass it off as my own as I
> can't remember who wrote it in the first place.
>
> > Of course Shakespeare is an artifact and compounded of sludge. Flat
> > characterisations? You bet - he's full of stage villains and stage fools -
> > anyone looking for psychological depth is looking in the wrong place. The
> > proto-nationalism if applied to modern times is dodgy, although to be fair
> > by the standards of his times he's rather humane, just say as Dickens was.
> > But the language can be thrilling (it can also be prolix, bom
>
> I find those national stereotypes oh so funny. You may find the
> language thrilling. I don't. You can accuse me of having bad taste. I
> have bad taste.
>
> > >In my Republic Of England, S would be of as little import as the next
> > writer. He would have to earn his crust along with the rest of the
> > dead and live poets and playwrights. At least there would not be this
> > huge inbuilt life-support mechanism that looks to me akin to keeping
> > the dead alive and/or necrophilia in certain cases.<
> >
> > Yes and no. I see your point but can't help thinking that there is
> > something, albeit unwittingly, of the savour of frre-market aesthetics in
> > that.
>
> Subsidised theatre should not come attached with strings about what is
> put on. Of course there have to be parameters guiding what can be put
> on. However I must admit giving people the freedom to put on whatever
> they want is an interesting prospect, and certainly leaving
> Shakespeare to sink or swim in the canon and the street is a delicious
> prospect. Oh sod it, lets go freemarket! After all what's the
> opposite? A stalinist theatre in that we should only watch approved
> theatre, Shakespeare 24 hours a day in several major theatres...oh,
> hang on...
>
> And now, if we hadn't enough, we have a private theatre which, AFAIK,
> only runs Ss plays. This is madness. This an england of heritage
> theatre nostalgia. This is sleep-walking into the future!
>
> Actually, I have little idea about what comes next. My Republic Of
> England is currently only a romantic idea. It has yet to come to full
> fruition. In the first instance, I'm interested in what might come out
> if we cut away one of the legs of English culture.
>
> And don't forget my sword reaches long into literature as well,
> cutting out Ss plays from the curriculum of schools and universities
> as well, cut out those research grants, give them to research into
> current poets and dramatists! Shakespeare is dust!
>
> Roger
>
> --
> http://www.badstep.net/
> http://www.cb1poetry.org.uk/
>
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