Postmodern Toolbox- May 12, 2008-- Entry 1

It’s already an interesting class with profound repercussions. In the spirit of postmodernism, I’ll write my views with no particular structure in no particular order.

Having suffered through what I viewed as intentional obfuscation by Jacques Derrida in a class last fall at ODU, I feel more confident that this course will better explain how to approach the foggy and meandering writings of the postmodern deconstructionists.

I’m very glad I signed up for this course, as I originally believed this course would be a good one to take in preparation of my Major Debates in English Studies course in the fall, but after today’s lecture I have a greater sense that it wasn’t my idea that I take it. I believe the Lord is painting a picture around me in preparation of whatever that next level is going to be. When Prof. Richardson discussed the concepts of the beach-head and the whole idea of heading into ideological warfare as a Christian in this fallen world, at times I fought back tears that echoed a profound agreement with her words.

When she spoke of the New York Philharmonic’s performance in North Korea as being particularly significant because of their origins in the United States of America, it was almost chilling, as I had never thought of the Star Spangled Banner, The New World Symphony and the Korean folksong that they played that night as carrying that Boaz anointing Ms. Richardson spoke of.

I definitely feel the Lord has something going on with me, as it’s been only since last winter that I’ve even considered looking more fully into my genealogy—In fact, my father only today emailed me to tell me he’s sent me a chart of our family tree which he’s had since I was 8 and I was never interested in. “The destinies of nations…” I had never heard of that concept before.

I’ve spent so much of my life focused on England and longing for where my ancestors have come from that I had never thought of being from America as carrying any spiritual significance-- spiritual opportunities, yes.. spiritual destiny, no. The teacher’s ability to connect things that may seem at first glance unrelated definitely opened my eyes.

The whole tactic of how asking the right questions leads to better answers was brilliant. The example of choosing between filming a wall for 20 years or creating a project which would save lives within 6 months was intriguing, but when she brought up the biblical example of the woman pouring perfume on Jesus’ feet, I thought that brought it home for me. It’s not just an issue of “Is it wasteful or not?" Or "Is it functional or not?" It’s good to step back further and look at the action from a higher perspective. It will definitely be a tool to use when I go into the Debates in the fall; I'll need to ask where the thinking behind the questions came from.

I was also taken by the idea of what happens when artists create works when rejecting the rational (such as Dali and Bunuel claim to have done with ‘Un Chien Andalou’). If you take the brain out of the mix, what is left to communicate is done so by the spirit. If the spirit is driven by darkness, so will the created work.

I liked how connections were made between different artistic movements and how impressionism was a reaction to the formalist and structural Renaissance, and how that was in turn a reaction to the Greek classical period.

The artist as a member of the prophetic underground I thought was especially exciting, as I’ve heard the term prophetic art before, but didn’t really understand it until today. How Munch’s “The Scream” could be viewed as a precursor to what took place in the Holocaust is amazing. How listening to what’s going on inside of you could actually be something God is trying to say to the world. Wow.

It did remind me of that musical I saw in the West End back in the 80's called "Time," written by Dave Clarke (a Christian) and starring Cliff Richard (also a Christian). In it the earth is standing on trial before the judges of the universe to state their case as to why we should be allowed to live or die. The original four leaders of the world who were asked to state the case for the earth were political, scientific, philosophical and religious representatives, but the people who showed up for the trial were musicians. When asked how this happened, one of the universal lawyers stated that the best way to understand the human race is to see what they value, and what they value is in their music.

I like surrealism and I also like modern art. However, the documentary on Warhol really spelled out for me what his work was all about in the clearest way I’ve ever heard. The ideas about immediacy really cleared up what his movies were about. “All I can think is, ‘time is… time was.’” That’s actually pretty cool!

I thought his use of wearing sunglasses echoed the postmodern idea that the author can’t be known—all that is is the art. Sunglasses inhibit direct connection with the artist, even if you’re standing right in front of him/her.

I felt a greater sense of responsibility and expectation after this class. “To whom much is given, much is expected…” I’ve been praying lately about where I’m going. Academia? Scriptwriting? I’m still unsure about the answer, but I am sure the Lord is guiding. This class is case in point.