Last night, Drake University held the 25th Bucksbaum Lecture (it was also the 15th anniversary of the series). The speaker was Dr. Azar Nafisi.
This is my first vlog post. Ever. So enjoy.
& Please don’t judge me too harshly (the whole world will know I’m fawkward now anyway).
As my classmates are aware (because I’ve been complaining A LOT), I’m attempting to go a full week without music. Starting tomorrow.
I don’t think it would be an exaggeration to say I’ve been dreading this experiment. I may not survive.
But anyway, back to the point. For my week without music, I’ve decided to invest in some audiobooks. Just because I’m not listening music doesn’t mean I have suffer from (or in!) silence. And based on the recommendations of my 3-hr classic lit class, I’m going to listen to the entire series of Harry Potter, narrated by Jim Dale.
I’m not sure how much I thought the audiobooks would cost… but I was not expecting over $30. Which unfortunately is roughly how much one book-on-cd/mp3 costs (it depends on the store). Even iTunes charges over $40 for the newer books.
I (sort of maybe) understand that the physical audiobooks cost more, since there are actual CDs and all. But why do the digital editions cost so much?? I know that Harry Potter is amazing, and Jim Dale’s voice acting is superb, but seriously! How does an audiobook cost more than a multimillion dollar budget DVD? That’s a pretty big chunk of change that I won’t be getting back. And as a college student, I need all the change I can keep. I guess for now, I’ll just have to keep purchasing regular print books.
Image from PalmAddict.
I’m sure that I am far from the only person irritated with how women (especially young women) are depicted in vast amounts of literature. I’m willing to bet I’m hardly the only one that wants to hit things after especially frustrating passages.
I just finished A Flaw in the Blood by Stephanie Barron (literally. I just shoved the book back in my backpack). It’s a “suspense” novel set during Queen Victoria’s reign, in late winter 1861. The scene that so upset me involved the female protagonist being raped – only to be rescued by her much older male companion/guardian, whom she immediately declares her undying love for.
Dr. Georgiana Armistead, the female in question, is supposed to be the anti-Victorian woman: well-educated, career-ambitious (as opposed to marriage-ambitious), and stubborn. Yet somehow, she is desperate and constant need of a man to solve her problems.
I’ve read (& completely enjoyed) some of Barron’s other novels – she’s known for a series of Jane Austen mysteries. So anyway, I was pretty excited about reading something a little different. Unfortunately, I was largely disappointed. Barron’s other novels have strong, quirky female characters. Of Flaw‘s two prominent female characters, neither one is relatable. Georgiana is a hypocrite and the Queen is oddly overzealous about traditional female roles.
I guess I just don’t understand why so many authors continue to portray women as weak, infantile individuals. I don’t believe that I’ve ever met a woman that could not stand up for herself in some capacity – especially if her life depended on it. I understand that not everyone is He-Man strong and courageous, but I would much rather read about a character, male or female, that has a realistic personality with believable flaws – not archetypes.
Images from A White Stone, and Good Reads.
P.S. Enjoy the alliteration.
To commemorate my first (newly focused) post, here’s a top 5 list. (Because I love lists.)
5. Marjane Satrapi (Persepolis)
She’s not fictional, but Satrapi’s graphic memoir achieves what even some novels struggle to do. She reveals her own very real flaws, but the reader never ceases to cheer for her.
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4. Jean Grey (Uncanny X-Men)
Jeanie is both the most open and mysterious character of the X-Men. Initially the only female, she proves to be the brains behind the team. Jeanie is caring, almost to a fault. Except for that one time she almost destroyed the earth. You want to know more, don’t you? (And yes, I consider comics an overlooked subset of literature.)
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3. Elizabeth Bennet (Pride & Prejudice)
Do I really need to explain this one? Jane Austen’s most famous character is on so many lists. And for good reason. Strong-willed, honest, and intelligent, Lizzie is what most women wish they could be.
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2. Scarlett O’Hara Wilkes Kennedy Butler (Gone with the Wind)
She’s bratty, cold, and greedy, but Margaret Mitchell’s infamous heroine continues to captivate. Scarlett does terrible things, but for the best of reasons. She is perhaps the strongest heroine written in the last century.
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1. Nancy Drew (too many books to list)
I wanted to be Nancy when I was growing up. And I still do. She’s unapologetically curious and brave – never letting anyone tell her no, just because she’s young and female. She may be the product of an mass-production scheme, but somehow, she has more life than most female characters of the 30s. There’s a reason that Nancy is now the star of over 25 video games, at least 5 movies, and hundreds of books.
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Images from: marksarvas.blogs.com, MarvUnApp, Newsarama, Fanpop, and FredFlare.
So it’s been a long time since my last post. In that time, I’ve decided that I want to change the direction of my blog.
I will continue to have a music page, because I think listening to music go well with my new focus. I want to write about books now.
I don’t believe that I have any regular readers at this point, but I feel I need to give fair warning for the changes about to happen.
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