tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14386786929804423402023-12-01T02:14:52.703+01:00Hans KramladenHanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10929065286701743522noreply@blogger.comBlogger60125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1438678692980442340.post-29630945562721385632023-09-22T14:24:00.001+02:002023-09-22T20:27:10.092+02:00Thoughts on Zinovyev’s “Zateya”<p>The book is a collection of satirical vignettes and thoughts
about life in the Soviet Union, gathered into chapters with loose connections
both within and between themselves. It looks like it was never finished by the
author, so while the looseness is partially intended by the author, it’s also
partially due to incompleteness and lack of clarity to the editors of which
parts belonged where.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Reading the book thirty years after the end of the USSR, it
doesn’t offer much that is new to anyone who is reasonably well-read on the
Soviet Union. The most interesting part to me was not the satire, but Zinovyev’s
thoughts about the Soviet system. He sees it as something not imposed on the
Russian people from the side, by outside forces or a minority, but as something
grown out of the character of the people itself, a system imposed by the people
on itself. The system is due to moral degradation and causes further moral
degradation. Abolishing the system won’t heal that; this can be only done by
healing the moral degradation, by making people care about others more than their
status and material well-being, by rejecting the temptation to use others for
one’s own purposes and ignore their humanity and dignity.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This is a thought that I’ve seen showing up elsewhere; a person
depicted as an example for such positive behavior is Viktor Maksimovich in
Fazil Iskander’s “Stoyanka Cheloveka”. It’s certainly a sobering thought for someone
like me who had hoped for a trajectory to improvement for Russia after the fall
of Communism; seeing how the country now reverts to old patterns of behavior. We
see the old patterns of collectivist behavior, of serving power and following
the crowd for one own’s gain and in a misguide belief that this is the way to
serve one’s country. It is now clear that Russia only did an incomplete
reckoning with its past. I can only hope that it will free itself again, and won't miss
out on the reckoning this time.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">---</p><p>Александр Зиновьев, «Затея», Центрополиграф, Москва 2000</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Hanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10929065286701743522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1438678692980442340.post-25090635692432785152023-04-04T15:00:00.000+02:002023-04-04T15:00:25.891+02:00Philemon<p> If anyone wondered who <a href="https://hanskramladen.blogspot.com/2021/11/philemon.html" target="_blank">this poem</a> was about, here he is:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgywPZBDmJQEL7SlVkE0lAY9AFyY1N4IeRXtDe_q7sEw2iunMRIbGT5vbDXdXLekhnaQ_-xp6tm0-9lWa8T8Yv2faK1_A7eGeoCkfjUp-IURL5AVj86NGfQmsi0M9t3kXMc0UYCz5NvbGEXLieELlDy2uvbNWXF0D2EmUURPBRIdGd0fRW_UxlO8aSv/s4160/Phil1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgywPZBDmJQEL7SlVkE0lAY9AFyY1N4IeRXtDe_q7sEw2iunMRIbGT5vbDXdXLekhnaQ_-xp6tm0-9lWa8T8Yv2faK1_A7eGeoCkfjUp-IURL5AVj86NGfQmsi0M9t3kXMc0UYCz5NvbGEXLieELlDy2uvbNWXF0D2EmUURPBRIdGd0fRW_UxlO8aSv/s320/Phil1.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Hanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10929065286701743522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1438678692980442340.post-7569725129718892092023-01-24T19:22:00.000+01:002023-01-24T19:22:02.290+01:00An H.H.<p>Dem jungen Mann
das Herze bricht,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="DE" style="mso-ansi-language: DE;">Die holde Jungfer
liebt ihn nicht.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="DE" style="mso-ansi-language: DE;">Ein Ritter stirbt
zur gleichen Stund,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="DE" style="mso-ansi-language: DE;">Die Liebe schlug
ihm rote Wund.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="DE" style="mso-ansi-language: DE;">Zwei Brüder streiten
tief im Tann,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="DE" style="mso-ansi-language: DE;">Weil einer nur
sie haben kann.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="DE" style="mso-ansi-language: DE;">Der Jüngling
sinkt ins kühle Grab<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="DE" style="mso-ansi-language: DE;">Und zieht
Feinsliebchen mit hinab.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="DE" style="mso-ansi-language: DE;">Nie enden
Herzeleid und Tod,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="DE" style="mso-ansi-language: DE;">Dem Dichter sind’s
das täglich Brot.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Hanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10929065286701743522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1438678692980442340.post-7892207346415796772021-12-15T19:15:00.002+01:002021-12-15T19:15:24.745+01:00Your hair is like a poem<p>Your hair
is like a poem,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">It flows
from your crest,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">It curls in
a cadence.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">It falls
from your shoulders,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Its tiny
feet dangling,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Dancing to
the rhythm<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Of your
head moving,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Beating
like gentle waves<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Against the
beach of your back.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Brushing
across your face,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Opening,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Closing,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">A curtain
before a show,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">A recital
before a play,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Preparing
the passion,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Announcing
the drama,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Brush it
away<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">And let me
see.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Hanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10929065286701743522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1438678692980442340.post-86872780848845561752021-11-23T17:41:00.005+01:002021-11-23T17:43:32.938+01:00PhilemonPhilemon paws at the glass door, <div>Answering what call? </div><div>No cat no dog no bird to catch, </div><div>Going against his own self? </div><div>Up against the pane, </div><div>Reared and aroused. </div><div>Bring him a toy of fluffy felt </div><div>And he’ll forget the mirror world, </div><div>No lure no mates no more.</div>Hanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10929065286701743522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1438678692980442340.post-76488548934191360552020-09-09T14:40:00.004+02:002023-07-30T20:25:54.415+02:00
<h1 align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-align: center;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Reading Shakespeare - Part I: The Comedies</span></h1><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-align: center;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Over the last couple
of months, I’ve read the collected works of William Shakespeare. I don’t think
that I can add any deep insights to the vast literature on the Bard, so I just
give a quick personal judgment on all of them, in the order they are printed in
my collection (“The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Edited, with a
Glossary, by W.J.Craig M.A., Trinity College, Dublin”; Reprint by Henry Pordes,
London 1987.) <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I will start with the
comedies:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Tempest<o:p></o:p></span></span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The “Tempest” left me
disappointed – it’s a trite morality play, the characters left me cold. The
only character I felt sympathy with is the savage Caliban, who had welcomed the
shipwrecked Prospero and his daughter, then was subjugated by his magic, and is
depicted as a monster to boot. I remember reading discussions of Caliban where
his treatment is compared to that of indigenous people – cheated out of their
homelands and then demonized when they don’t take it lying down. Caliban is no
angel, but Prospero would have been more in his right to punish him for
assaulting Miranda if he hadn’t enslaved him before. As in many of the
following plays, the most entertaining part is the banter of the lower class
people, here the sailors and servants.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Two Gentleman of Verona<o:p></o:p></span></span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">An unbelievable plot
with cardboard characters and wafer-thin psychological motivation. Again, the
only saving grace are the banter and the monologues of the servants.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Merry Wives of Windsor<o:p></o:p></span></span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A really funny comedy.
Not really original or psychologically deep, but well executed and full of wordplay,
even if some aspects (“foreign accents are funny”) may not cater to more
refined tastes nowadays.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Measure for Measure<o:p></o:p></span></span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The plot and plot
twists are very construed, but it has some interesting thoughts on justice and
sin. The sense of justice and the reasoning partially seem alien from today’s
point of view. E.g., almost everybody accepts that sex out of wedlock is a
crime, even worthy of death, and only argues that either punishing it is
impractical because too many people are guilty of it, or asks for forgiveness
because even those who punish for it are subject to sin. No-one comes up with
what would be the main arguments today, that sex out of wedlock shouldn’t be
punished at all or that the death penalty is much too harsh. On the whole, it
doesn’t really work for me – the comedic parts distract from the serious
issues.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Comedy of Errors<o:p></o:p></span></span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I don’t especially
like comedies of mistaken identity, but I imagine that this one can be funny on
the scene if played well. As I just read it, I didn’t find it really funny. The
only psychologically interesting part was where her supposed husband’s strange
behavior fueled Adriana’s jealousy.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Much Ado About Nothing<o:p></o:p></span></span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Again a comedy that is
saved mostly by the banter. Neither the “tragic” plot (Hero’s slander and
rehabilitation), nor the “comedic” plot (Beatrice and Benedick being duped into
loving each other) really work. That’s not astonishing for the tragic plot,
because the tragic plots tend to be cardboard-flimsy in other Shakespearian
comedies as well, but also the change for both Benedick and Beatrice from being
convinced bachelors to loving each other just by being told that the other one
is secretly desperately in love with them is not convincing at all.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Love’s Labour’s Lost<o:p></o:p></span></span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This one doesn’t even
have got much of a plot, and it’s the better for it. Lots of banter, puns, and
comic relief.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">A Midsummer Night’s Dream</span></u></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I liked this one – a
fluffy comedy with lots of wordplay and banter, and it has really funny moments
– Bottom in fairyland, the bitch fight between Helena and Hermia, the audience
panning the artisans’ play. The invocation of fairy magic also makes the plot
about erring love and subsequent reconciliation believable. Both Helena feeling
mocked by suddenly being the object of declarations of love by two men, and
Hermia’s despair at her love abandoning her add some depth to the play.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The Merchant of Venice</span></u></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This play has three
plots that seem welded together. One of them is a morality play – the choice of
boxes demanded from Portia’s suitors. The second is light comedy - Portia and
Nerissa testing the faith of their fiancés. The third and central plot, Shylock
trying and failing to get his revenge on Antonio, is the most serious and quite
tragic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The tragic figure is Shylock,
who despite his riches loses control of his daughter and has to suffer from
prejudice against his religion and from contempt for taking interest, even
though the credit he provides is part of the basis for the ventures of the Christian
merchants who despise him. And, as often with the oppressed, when he sees a
chance for revenge, he overshoots and then is brought down by a system that is
rigged against him. His demand for Antonio’s flesh is cruel and inhumane, but
Shakespeare shows very well that this cruelty has its roots in the behavior of
those who mercilessly mocked and abused Shylock, and suddenly plead for and
demand mercy when the sharp end is pointed at them. This central plot and its
execution make the play a masterpiece.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">As You Like It</span></u></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This play is a bit
like a salad – several subplots have been mixed in a bowl, and none of them, by
themselves, is very convincing or original. The villains are cardboard, and the
resolutions are mostly dei ex machina – a brother’s hatred is converted to love
by the other brother saving him from a conveniently arisen danger, another
villain is converted to virtue by a conveniently met holy man, and both
conversions happen off-stage and are just related by narrators in the play. Some
scenes and characters look bolted on, as if they were meant to play a bigger
role and were cut short, but forgotten to be totally taken out – an example are
the scenes with Oliver Martext and William, and in general it seems to me that
Touchstone’s wooing of Audrey is just a remnant of what was a bigger subplot. Nevertheless,
the play has a nice cast of funny characters and a sufficient amount of witty
dialogue, so it looks like it would be fun to watch.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The Taming of the Shrew</span></u></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I can’t see how this
play can still be played as a straight comedy nowadays. It’s quite witty, and
has many funny scenes, and in this piece, even the mistaken identities make
sense. But the central idea, that women need to be subservient to men and that
using psychological bullying in order to subdue them is clever and to be
applauded, this is an idea that today would be shared only by very misogynistic
or reactionary persons. Here, Shakespeare is just a man of his times, and he
isn’t even able to show Katharina the degree of understanding that he shows for
Shylock in the “Merchant”. Therefor I can read it only as a document of a
worldview that I don’t share, but not enjoy it as a comedy. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Another thing is the
framing plot about a Lord playing with poor drunkard, making him believe that
the drunkard is really a Lord who had lost his mind, having the taming of the
shrew staged as a play for him to watch, and then sending him back to his life
as a poor drunk again. While it is known that Shakespeare found that framing
plot in a previous version of the play by another author that he re-wrote, it’s
not clear how much of the framing plot was actually included when the play was
staged at the Globe Theatre.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It can be
read as a kind of commentary, because this is also about someone (the Lord)
using his power to abuse someone less powerful, even though less damage is
inflicted.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">All’s Well That Ends Well </span></u></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">My German
Shakespeare edition that I’m reading in parallel calls this “not so much a
comedy as a drama with a happy ending”. That’s quite a fitting description,
depending on what you call “happy”. Is it a happy ending if the girl gets the
boy she wants, but the boy is a jerk? The young Count Bertram may be a valiant
soldier, but he’s not only full of class conceit – which would be
understandable to a degree for a man of his time and rank -, he also forgets
his vows to a woman he swore to love, and slanders her when she holds him to
his vows. He tells lies when he’s found out. And I can’t shake the feeling that
the love he says he’s developed for Helena after her supposed death is only
show for the sake of his mother and the king, whom he wants to please. (He also
doesn’t love cats, which is a sure mark of a bad character.) With all this, I
can’t understand why Helena still wants him after all she’s endured and
witnessed from him; love surely makes blind. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Despite
these misgivings, I liked the play, which has a relatively straightforward plot
that is not driven mostly by accidents and dei ex machina, like many other of
the comedies, but by the actions and personalities of the main characters, who
also are interesting and not just cardboard. There also are comedic elements,
like the scenes with the fool of the Countess of Roussillon, and the plot
around the exposure of the boastful but cowardly Captain Parolles.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Twelfth-Night, or What you Will </span></u></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A light but
entertaining comedy of errors, with main female protagonists fleshed out enough
that one cares for them. It also has a funny sub-plot about a pompous,
self-important servant who is played for a fool. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The Winter’s Tale </span></u></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Like “All’s
Well”, this is more of a drama with a happy ending, than a full comedy. King
Leontes’s jealousy, which causes the chain of events depicted, is well executed.
King Polixenes’s rejection of his son’s courtship for Perdita has a certain
irony – he is ruining the relationship with his son, and risks losing him, in a
similar manner like Leontes ruined his friendship with him and lost his wife
and children. The reconciliation and Hermione’s “resurrection” are too
melodramatic for my taste. The comedic elements, especially Autolycus’s
mischief, don’t really fit – it looks like Shakespeare tried to mix up a piece to
please everybody.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
Hanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10929065286701743522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1438678692980442340.post-44820715658613301072020-04-05T18:52:00.001+02:002021-08-10T17:21:18.569+02:00Alexander Osang: „Die Leben der Elena Silber“
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="DE"><span lang="DE"><span style="font-family: Arial;">S. Fischer, 2019, 617 S.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="DE"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Der Roman beschreibt die bewegte Lebensgeschichte
von Elena Silber, im vorrevolutionären Russland geboren und kurz vor Ende des
Sozialismus in der DDR gestorben, sowie die Versuche ihres Enkels Konstantin
Stein, die ungelösten Fragen in ihrer und seiner Familiengeschichte aufzuklären.
Elena Silber wird Anfang des 20. Jahrhunderts geboren; ihr Vater, Anhänger der Sozialisten,
wird 1905 von einem reaktionären Mob getötet. Damit beginnt eine Geschichte von
Vertreibung, Flucht und Suche nach besseren Lebensmöglichkeiten. Elena heiratet
einen deutschen Ingenieur und landet dadurch in NS-Deutschland; nach dem Krieg
bleibt sie in Berlin hängen, wo sie 1982 stirbt. Ihr Enkel Konstantin, Anfang
vierzig, geschieden, Filmemacher, wird von seiner dominanten Mutter (einer von
Elenas fünf Töchtern) dazu bewegt, Elenas Lebensgeschichte zu erforschen, in
dem es ungelöste Widersprüche gibt, besonders um das Verschwinden ihres Mannes
nach Kriegsende. Laut Klappentext wurde der Roman von der Familiengeschichte
seines Verfassers inspiriert.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="DE"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Der Roman wird mit vielen Rückblenden mal aus
der Sicht Elenas, mal aus der Sicht Konstantins erzählt. Abgesehen von den
Rückblenden ist der Erzählstil geradlinig und gut lesbar. An vielen Stellen,
besonders wenn aus der Sicht von Konstantin geschrieben, wird sie vom Dialog
vorangetrieben. Die Stellen aus Elenas Sicht wirken oft distanziert, wie
angelesen, und Elenas Persönlichkeit bleibt fern und verschwommen. Das trifft vor
allem auf die Stellen zu, die ihr Leben in Russland beschreiben, während ihr
Leben in Schlesien kurz vor und nach Kriegsende und die Jahre in Berlin
lebendiger beschrieben ist, so, als wenn die größere geografische Nähe auch
eine größere Nähe zur Person bewirkt. Konstantin dagegen und seine Welt gewinnen
ein sehr viel klareres Profil; man merkt, dass der Verfasser die Welt, die er
beschreibt – Konstantins Kindheit, die dominante Mutter, die Demenz des Vaters, die
Beziehung zum Sohn aus der geschiedenen Ehe, die verschiedenen Ostberliner
Milieus, in denen Konstantin sich bewegt – gut kennt.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="DE"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Insgesamt ein gut lesbares Buch. Die
russischen Elemente bieten eine gewisse Exotik, aber wirken oberflächlich auf jemanden,
der eine gewisse Vertrautheit mit Russland mitbringt. Interessanter ist es als
Teil eines großen Mosaiks, als ein weiterer Blick auf vertraute Fragen – was bedeutet
Familie, wie gehen Menschen mit Beziehungen um, in welchen Formen suchen sie
nach Nähe und Distanz, nach Liebe, Anerkennung, wo ist Heimat, was für
Geschichten erzählen sie sich selbst und anderen. Dieser Roman ist ein weiteres
Steinchen in diesem Mosaik, und dabei ein unterhaltsames, auch wenn nie wirklich
aufgeklärt wird, was aus den verschwundenen Männern in der Familie der Silbers geworden
ist.</span></span></div>
Hanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10929065286701743522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1438678692980442340.post-66114134998163511562019-12-01T14:08:00.000+01:002019-12-01T16:07:01.273+01:00Gecko<strong><u></u></strong><br />
<strong><u>Gecko</u></strong><br />
<br />
Gecko is good.<br />
Gecko eats insects.<br />
Keeps the house clean.<br />
Walks on the wall.<br />
Sits on the ceiling,<br />
Smacks and snacks.<br />
Chirps like a bird, <br />
Upside down.<br />
Hides under the sink,<br />
Feeds on junk.<br />
Don't live on junk,<br />
Stay good, stay useful.<br />
Don't junk the bonds<br />
That bind, that save us.<br />
Now you're inside,<br />
You'll end up outside,<br />
Down from the wall,<br />
Splat on the street, <br />
Caught by the movement,<br />
Unpredictable, unforeseen,<br />
When what goes up<br />
Comes crashing down,<br />
Crushing,<br />
Squishing.<br />
Don't live your greed,<br />
Stay good, stay humble,<br />
Catch flies and gnats,<br />
Catch bugs and roaches,<br />
Live with us,<br />
Not off us.<br />
Gecko stay good.<br />
<br />
<br />Hanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10929065286701743522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1438678692980442340.post-82753433015454178742018-07-31T16:48:00.000+02:002018-07-31T17:01:27.122+02:00Ein Buch über CO2Here again - I don't think that anyone who doesn't read German will be interested in a German introductory overview on the role of CO2 in climate change, so the review is in German.<br />
<br />
Ewald Weber: "Welt am Abgrund. Wie CO<sub>2</sub> unser Leben verändert", Darmstadt 2018 (WBG), 207 S.<br />
<br />
Das vorliegende Buch ist eine Einführung in die Rolle von CO<sub>2</sub> beim Klimawandel. Die Kapitel 1 - 4 beschreiben was CO<sub>2 </sub>ist, seine Quellen und die Mechanismen des Treibhauseffekts. Kapitel 5 - 11 stellen die Folgen für Weltklima, Natur und Menschen dar. Kapitel 12 - 15 beschreiben die Möglichkeiten, die Folgen zu vermeiden - technische Lösungen zur Entfernung von CO<sub>2</sub> aus der Athmosphäre und Lagerungsmöglichkeiten, Maßnahmen, die es der Natur erleichtern, CO<sub>2</sub> zu verarbeiten (z. B. Aufforstung) und Vermeidung. Das Buch kommt zum Schluss, dass die anderen Maßnahmen helfen können, aber nur wesentliche Verringerung von CO<sub>2</sub> - Ausstoß die Folgen wirksam verhindern kann. <br />
Trotz des dramatischen Titels ist das Buch in einem sachlichen Ton geschrieben und gibt einen guten Überblick über das Thema. Für Menschen, die sich schon intensiv mit der Erderwärmung befasst haben, bietet es nichts neues und die Schlussfolgerungen des Autors entsprechen dem gegenwärtigen Konsens, wie er sich zum Beispiel auf den Klimakonferenzen beobachten lässt. Das Buch ist daher am Besten geeignet für Menschen, die dem Thema Klimawandel bisher nur oberflächlich oder ausschnittsweise in den Medien begegnet sind und sich besser informieren wollen. Das Buch enthält auch eine Bibliographie, anhand derer interessierte Leser tiefer in einzelne Aspekte einsteigen können.Hanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10929065286701743522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1438678692980442340.post-84706327931182241382017-11-14T11:44:00.000+01:002017-11-14T11:44:24.678+01:00Demiurg and Observer<div abp="56">
<a abp="58" href="http://smbc-comics.com/comic/flawed" target="_blank">SMBC's take</a>.</div>
Hanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10929065286701743522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1438678692980442340.post-55892165825264657482017-08-27T14:30:00.000+02:002017-08-27T14:42:27.802+02:00Andreas Paul, "Von Affen und Menschen"<em>Reposted </em><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2105268757?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1" target="_blank"><em>Goodreads Review</em></a><em>:</em><br />
Ein sehr guter Überblick über die Forschung zum Verhalten der Primaten (einschließlich von uns Menschen) und über verschiedene evolutionstheoretische Erklärungen. Sehr positiv ist, dass der Autor immer klar anzeigt, inwiefern Ergebnisse und Erklärungen durch Beobachtungen und Experimente gestützt sind. Das Buch ist verständlich und lebendig geschrieben.<br />
---<br />
A very good overview over the state of research on primate behaviour (including us humans) and over the various evolution based explanantions. It's very positive that the author always indicates clearly how far results and explanations are based on observations and experiments. The book is written in a comprehensible and lively language.Hanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10929065286701743522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1438678692980442340.post-68729206656664912552017-07-23T15:01:00.000+02:002017-07-23T15:20:45.018+02:00Norbert Wolf "Malerei Verstehen"<em>This is a re-posting of my <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25915609-malerei-verstehen" target="_blank">Goodreads Review</a>. The review is in German - I assume most pepople interested in a German introduction to painting are more likely to read German than English.</em><br />
<em>Это - краткая рецензия немецкой книги - введения в живопись. Так как я предполагаю, что человек, заинтересованный читать такую книгу, знает немецкий язык, данная рецензия - на немецком. </em><br />
Das Buch ist eine Einführung in die Malerei, nach Sachgebieten geordnet (Farben, Farbe contra Zeichnung, Prozess des Malens, Gliederung der Bildfläche, Malerei und Raum, Bildgattungen, Malerei und Gesellschaft, Malerei zwischen Illustration und Abstraktion). Leider werden viele Themen nur sehr kurz angerissen (z. B. Farben, Maltechniken) - der Autor zählt ein paar Schlagworte auf, ohne zu erklären, was sie bedeuten. Es enthält auch zu wenig Illustrationen - so wird eine Wandmalerei von Matisse über zwei Seiten hinweg diskutiert, aber es gibt keine Abbildung im Buch.<br />
Teilweise sind zwar Illustrationen vorhanden, so werden z. B. die Fresken Giottos in der Arenakapelle in der Gesamtansicht gezeigt (Abbildung Nr. 15), so dass sehr schön die Einordnung der Fresken in den Raum zu erkennen ist. Aber Wolf diskutiert auf S. 89 auch die Komposition eines Ausschnitts aus dem Fresko, der auf der Abbildung nicht erkennbar ist.<br />
Manche Themen, wie "Malerei und Gesellschaft", leiden weniger darunter. Aber um den Anspruch des Buchs zu erfüllen (Klappentext: "Ob Kunstkritik, Vernissage oder Museumsbesuch: Mit 'Malerei Verstehen' ist man immer gut vorbereitet"), wären detailliertere Erläuterungen und mehr anschauliche Illustrationen notwendig gewesen.<br />
<br />Hanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10929065286701743522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1438678692980442340.post-9807115920493421292017-06-30T16:49:00.001+02:002018-10-08T12:01:18.983+02:00Рубить!As I've recently been reading a lot of Babel, I just had to think that's how the Red Cavalry would have approached maths.<br />
В последнее время я читал много Бабеля, и увидев это, я подумал что вот так конармия бы решила математические проблемы.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/existence_proof.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="242" data-original-width="618" height="125" src="https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/existence_proof.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Ich habe in der letzten Zeit wohl zu viel Babel gelesen. Jedenfalls ist mir hierzu als erstes eingefallen, dass dies die Art sein muss, wie die Reiterarmee mathematische Probleme löst.<br />
<br />Hanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10929065286701743522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1438678692980442340.post-85902729171057175832016-09-03T21:27:00.000+02:002016-09-25T13:11:43.316+02:00A Clockwork ClockedI had put off reading "A Clockwork Orange" for a long time. It's a book that has become part of common cultural knowledge, and the things I knew about it - the ultraviolence, the nadsat slang - didn't really entice me to read it. That despite the fact that I liked what else I've read by Burgess - "One Hand Clapping" is a very funny read, and "Language Made Plain" is the one book I'd recommend for a popular introduction into the history and workings of the English language.<br />
<br />
But then my daughter left her edition of "Clockwork" behind when she went off to study recently, and I started reading. And I didn't put it down - well, almost, I interrupted reading maybe once or twice. <br />
<br />
It turns out that the ultraviolence, while taking up a substantial part of the book, is described not too gorily, and then we're probably nowadays too used to graphically described violence - the book contains less blood and gore than the average episode of Game of Thrones. And the violence is not gratuitous, but again, it's a well-known fact that good and evil and the role of choice betwen them are central topics of the book.<br />
The nadsat - a slang containing a large part of Russian - was also less of a hindrance to understanding than I had assumed. As I speak Russian reasonably well, some of it grated and felt unnatural; <em>gloopy</em> for "stupid" sounds natural, but a lot of the loaned verbs didn't look like natural candidates for loaning and their English adaptations feel forced. But on the whole, it gives the book its very own flavour. Some of the words escaped me for quite some time, simply because the adaptations in English don't sound much like their Russian originals. I only understood in the middle of the book that <em>horrorshow</em> is Russian <em>хорошо</em>, and even more embarrassingly, it took me until the last pages to get that <em>lewdies</em> "people" is not derived from <em>lewd</em>, but Russian <em>люди</em>.<br />
<br />
Now you ask, this is all faint praise or no praise at all, so what kept me hooked? It's the voice, the language, the way Alex (the first-person-narrator) talks. It's enchanting, taking you along on the ride, making you want to find out more about the character. He has a great lot of negative traits and for his actions he'd deserve contempt or hate, and in the chapters after his treatment he's quite pathetic, but still the narrating voice is like a tasty drink that I couldn't put down. The only other narrator who can capture me like that is Isaak Babel, who also knows how to tell horrible tales with a voice that you don't want to stop listening to. <br />
<br />
And despite the fact that the book's content has become a part of popular culture, the ending still was surprising.Hanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10929065286701743522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1438678692980442340.post-52570437365578166022015-09-25T09:21:00.000+02:002015-09-25T14:15:25.937+02:00Colours of the PastA <a href="http://riowang.com/2015/09/may-allah-have-mercy-on-you-prokudin.html" target="_blank">great post at Poemas del Río Wang</a> about colour photos shot by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergey_Prokudin-Gorsky" target="_blank" title="Sergey Prokudin-Gorsky - Wikipedia"><i><span style="color: #5588aa;">Sergey Mikhaylovich Prokudin-Gorsky</span></i></a> in imperial Russia before the First World War. I didn't know that colour photgraphy did even exist back then, all I had seen from that period were originally black-and-white photographs that have been coloured by hand. These photographs make the time look so much nearer and closer! Thinking of that period, I would normally have Sepia toned images in my head, or maybe simple black-and white, but these photographs have the look and feel of photographs taken in the 1950 or 60s, like the slides of trips across Germany and Italy that my father used to show to us.<br />
The surviving collection can be found at the <a href="http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/prok/" target="_blank">U.S. library of congress</a>.Hanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10929065286701743522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1438678692980442340.post-41999558937808994062015-09-01T09:30:00.004+02:002015-09-02T08:51:31.808+02:00One man, one voteWell, it's <a href="http://www.loweringthebar.net/2015/08/gerrymanderers-miss-one-person.html?utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=FeedBlitzRss&utm_campaign=FeedBlitzRss&utm_content=Gerrymanderers+Miss+One+Person" target="_blank">one woman, one vote</a>, and it's a funny story.Hanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10929065286701743522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1438678692980442340.post-67147239329424213712015-07-17T18:54:00.000+02:002015-07-17T18:58:37.356+02:00Evgenij Primakov R.I.PI'm sure nobody is getting their news from my almost-never updating blog, but as I've reviewed <a href="http://hanskramladen.blogspot.de/2007/11/review-of-evgenij-primakov.html" target="_blank">one of his books</a>, I may as well report on his death, on June 29th, 2015. Here's a link to his <a href="http://www.economist.com/news/obituary/21657755-yevgeny-primakov-russian-spy-diplomat-and-politician-died-june-29th-aged-85-steel-and" target="_blank">obituary at the Economist</a>, which sums up his life quite well. Да будет земля ему пухом.Hanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10929065286701743522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1438678692980442340.post-753709560553767552015-01-10T18:06:00.001+01:002015-01-14T12:04:20.806+01:00Decorative Hegel<a href="http://existentialcomics.com/comic/62" target="_blank">Another webcomic link</a>. But it's about philosophy, so that's OK.<br />
<br />
Nisi aperuisses librum, quasi discipulus Hegeli fuisses.Hanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10929065286701743522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1438678692980442340.post-42715417141959406222014-06-03T19:19:00.002+02:002014-06-03T19:19:49.244+02:00Bad poetryI do not understand poetry.<br />
I do not understand poetry.<br />
I understand prose.<br />
You say what you want to say. You say it.<br />
I understand song.<br />
You have a melody and you sing it.<br />
The words follow the melody.<br />
But I do not understand poetry.<br />
Why break the flow for the rythm?<br />
Why break the rythm for the flow?<br />
I do not understand poetry.<br />
That's why my poems are bad.Hanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10929065286701743522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1438678692980442340.post-33179267286113420922014-05-06T20:36:00.001+02:002014-09-07T11:57:13.938+02:00All Options / Alle Optionen / Все ВариантыВот почему я люблю <a href="http://www.qwantz.com/index.php" target="_blank">Dinosaur Comics</a>. Если хочется что-нибудь по-проще или по-умнее, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdFyn8u85sQ&list=RDjT4yVzH2nO0" target="_blank">послушайте это</a>.<br />
Click on the links. Don't doubt, have faith. If you're disappointed, let me know.<br />
Deckt das wirklich alles ab? Für mich, hmmm... ziemlich viel. Klicken und gucken, meckern dürft ihr in den Kommentaren.<br />
<br />
<br />Hanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10929065286701743522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1438678692980442340.post-18468794336318905832014-01-05T15:57:00.000+01:002014-01-05T16:01:15.789+01:00Chocolate museum / Schokoladenmuseum / Музей шоколада<span style="color: #444444;">On Friday I went to the </span><a href="http://www.schokoladenmuseum.de/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #444444;">Chocolate Museum</span></a><span style="color: #444444;"> in Cologne with my ladies. Very nicely located on the Rhine, near the customs port, it informs about the production of chocolate, from the cocoa tree to the packaged chocolate, and about the history of cocoa and chocolate cultivation, production, and consumption, from its Mesoamerican beginnings to modern times. As befits a chocolate museum, it also has a café (with a view on the Rhine) serving hot chocolate and sweets, as well as the usual hot drinks and, during noontime, a small, but tasty, selection of hot dishes; it also has a shop selling chocolates and sweets. We spent about 3 hours there, including lunch at the café. As I'm the kind of person who looks at every exhibit and reads all the informatory signs, I was about 2/3 through the exhibition when my ladies finished, so I didn't see the exhibition on the 3rd floor, which, as my daughter told me, was about chocolate producers and brands. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;">It's a well-done exhibition, and has some nice attractions, like a hothouse with tropical plants, working machines producing chocolate that feed a chocolate fountain where you can taste said chocolate, a stand where you can design and buy your own chocolate bar, puzzles and games dispersed through the exhibition. We spent 80 € on that outing - 25 € for a family ticket, 40 € for food and drinks for three at the café, and 15 € for chocolates. I can recommend it as a place to spend an educational and fun afternoon, both for families as well as for adults.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;">---</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;">Am letzten Freitag war ich mit meinen Damen im </span><a href="http://www.schokoladenmuseum.de/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #444444;">Schokoladenmuseum</span></a><span style="color: #444444;">. Interessante Ausstellung und ein nettes Café mit Blick auf den Rhein und gutem Essen. Ich kann's empfehlen.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;">---</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;">В пятницу мы с семьей посетили </span><a href="http://www.schokoladenmuseum.de/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #444444;">Музей шоколада</span></a><span style="color: #444444;"> в Кёльне. Там экспонаты объясняют происхождение и производство шоколада и историю распространения и употребления этого продукта. Имеются, конечно, и кафе (с видом на Рейн и вкусной едой) и магазин шоколада. Интересное место, стоящее посещения.</span><span style="color: black;"> </span>Hanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10929065286701743522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1438678692980442340.post-74963377067866666102013-10-13T17:22:00.000+02:002013-10-14T09:33:23.718+02:00Childhood rides - Поездки детства – Autofahrten als Kind<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: DE;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">A beautiful, slightly
nostalgic entry in <a href="http://www.bouletcorp.com/blog/2013/10/08/notre-toyota-etait-fantastique/" target="_blank">Boulet’s graphic blog</a>, with an animation that doesn’t distract,
but contributes to the athmosphere. Reminds me of many a travel by car with my
parents and my brother.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="RU" style="mso-ansi-language: RU;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://www.bouletcorp.com/blog/2013/10/08/notre-toyota-etait-fantastique/" target="_blank">Это</a> вернёт Вас в
детство, даже если оно не проходило в Франции.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: DE;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Es gab bei uns keine
Mautstellen damals und wir hatten keinen Toyota, aber sonst war es fast genauso, wie in <a href="http://www.bouletcorp.com/blog/2013/10/08/notre-toyota-etait-fantastique/" target="_blank">diesem Eintrag in Boulets graphischem Blog</a>. Ich liebe Nachtfahrten noch heute.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Hanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10929065286701743522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1438678692980442340.post-16690169846767553572013-10-09T10:43:00.000+02:002013-10-13T16:04:02.012+02:00Gravity<br />
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Last Saturday, inspired by several glowing
reviews, we went to see “Gravity”. If you haven’t watched it yet, you probably
at least have heard about it – George Clooney and Sandra Bullock are
astronauts; when a shower of debris from a blown-up satellite destroys their station
and space shuttle, they have to find a way to get back to Earth. By some
reviews it has been billed as a ”new Science Fiction Classic”. So, does it
measure up?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">A nitpick first - can a film be Science Fiction just because it is set in space, even if what is shown is the contemporary workday environment of space missions? OK, there's a Chinese space station, but there don't seem to be any technologies that don't exist or aren't applied in space missions today, and the problem of space debris is already an acute problem, even if up to now no serious accidents have happened. But we can let that slide.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial;">One important feature the reviews mention
is that it’s a film where 3D is done right and used for more than gimmickry. I
must admit that I cannot say anything about this, as due to my bad left eye I
don’t have spatial vision and 3D glasses don’t work for me. But I can say that the
film offers quite impressive views even in 2D.</span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial;">The film offers lots of motion action,
mostly trying to move towards an object and get a hold on it in order not to
drift off into space, dodging space debris, and trying to get technology to
work before debris, gravity, or lack of oxygen kill our protagonists. The film
does that well, with the right tempo, but the film is not an end-to-end roller
coaster – there are quieter scenes that concentrate on the background and fears
of Dr. Ryan Stone (Bullock) and her interactions with co-astronaut Matt Kowalski
(Clooney). There was not a boring moment. So, the film is good entertainment.
On the other hand, most of the thrill of the film comes from the motion and the
suspense – will they make it back to Earth? Now that I know the outcome, the suspense
is gone, and for me, there’s not much in the film that would reward a second or
third viewing. Yes, there are some nice vistas of space, and a few emotional
scenes well played by Bullock, but it’s not a film I’d want to watch over and
over again, so “new SF Classic” it is not. But if you haven’t watched it yet, I
can recommend going for the ride.</span></span></div>
Hanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10929065286701743522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1438678692980442340.post-6481143399625493712013-10-03T18:58:00.000+02:002013-10-03T18:58:54.575+02:00Don't take Umbrage...at <a href="http://xkcd.com/1272/" target="_blank">another webcomic link</a>:<br />
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<a href="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/shadowfacts.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/shadowfacts.png" width="219" /></a></div>
<br />
"In der Dämmerung werfen sogar Zwerge lange Schatten."<br />
"Schlemihl hatte keinen."Hanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10929065286701743522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1438678692980442340.post-85702434930539155272013-05-24T15:36:00.001+02:002013-05-24T15:36:40.769+02:00Sensible Batman<a href="http://wondermark.com/939/" target="_blank">That would have been much less fun</a>.Hanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10929065286701743522noreply@blogger.com0