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arecomicsevengood · 4 years

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TOP TEN OLDER MAINSTREAM COMICS I READ THIS YEAR

I kept track of all the comics I read this year, and not all of them were new. I have no idea who this will help or benefit but at least the circumstances of me only listing the completely arbitrary older work I read for the first time this year will deter anyone from arguing with me. However, for the sake of possibly being contentious, let me mention two comics that fall outside the top ten, because they’re bad:

Trencher by Keith Giffen. David King did a comic strip about Keith Giffen’s art style on this book in issue 2 of But Is It... Comic Aht that everybody loved, and made me be like, ok, I’ll check it out. But it’s basically just a retread of Lobo in terms of its tone and approach, but without Simon Bisley. I don’t really know why anyone wouldn’t think Bisley is the better cartoonist. Also, those comics are terrible. Thumbs down.

The Green Lantern by Grant Morrison, Liam Sharp, and Steve Oliff. I bought the first year of these comics for a dollar each off a dude doing a sidewalk sale. Found them sort of incoherent? I haven’t liked a new Grant Morrison comic in ages, with All-Star Superman being really the only outlier since like We3. This is clearly modeled off of European comics like Druillet or something, and would maybe benefit from being printed larger, I really dislike the modeled color too. But also it’s just aggressively fast-paced, with issues ending in ways that feel like cliffhangers but aren’t, and no real characters of interest.

As for the top ten list itself, for those who’ve looked at my Letterboxd page, slots 10-8 are approximately “3 stars,” 7-4 are 3 1/2 stars, slots 3 and 2 are 4 stars, with number one being a 4 1/2 star comic. The comics I’m listing on my “Best Of The Year” list that’ll run at the Comics Journal alongside a bunch of people are all 4 1/2 or 5 star comics. This is INSANELY NERDY and pedantic to note, and I eschew star ratings half the time anyway, because assignations of numeric value to art are absurd except within the specific framework of how strong a recommendation is, and on Letterboxd I feel like I’m speaking to a very small and self-selecting group of people whose tastes I generally know. (And I generally would not recommend joining Letterboxd to people!) But what I mean by all of this is just that there is a whole world of work I value more than this stuff, and I’ll recommend the truly outstanding shit to interested readers in good time.

10. Justice Society Of America by Len Strazewski and Mike Parobeck. Did some quarantine regressing and bought these comics, a few of which were some of the first comics I ever read, but I didn’t read the whole thing regularly as a kid. Parobeck’s a fun cartoonist, this stuff is readable. It’s faintly generic/baseline competent but there’s a cheap and readable quality to this stuff that modern comics lack. Interestingly, the letters column is made up of old people who remember the characters and feel like it’s marketed towards them, and since that wasn’t profitable, when the book was canceled, Parobeck went over to drawing The Batman Adventures, which was actively marketed towards kids. It’s funny that him and Ty Templeton were basically viewed as “normal” mainline DC Comics for a few years there and then became relegated to this specific subset of cartooning language, which everyone likes and thought was good but didn’t fit inside the corporate self-image, which has basically no aesthetic values.

9. The Shadow 18 & 19 by Andy Helfer and Kyle Baker. I’d been grabbing issues of this run of comics for years and am only now finishing it. Kyle Baker’s art is swell but Helfer writes a demanding script, these are slow reads that cause the eye to glaze over a bit.

8. The Jam 3-8 by Bernie Mireault. I made a post where I suggested Mireault’s The Jam might be one of the better Slave Labor comics. Probably not true but what I ended up getting are some colored reprints Tundra did, and some black and white issues published by Dark Horse after that. Mireault’s art style is kinda like Roger Langridge. After these, he did a crossover with Mike Allred’s Madman and then did a series of backups in those comics, it makes sense to group them together, along with Jay Stephens’ Atomic City Tales and Paul Grist’s Jack Staff, or Mike Mignola’s Hellboy, as this stream that runs parallel to Image Comics but is basically better, a little more readable, but still feeling closer to something commercial in intention as opposed to self-expression. Although it also IS self-expression, just the expression of a self that has internalized a lot of tropes and interests in superhero comics. If you have also read a lot of superhero comics, but also a lot of alternative comics, stuff like this basically reads like nothing. It’s comfort food on the same level of mashed potatoes: I love it when it’s well-done but there’s also a passable version that can be made when depressed and uninspired. But drawing like Roger Langridge is definitely not bad!

7. WildC.A.T.S by Alan Moore, Travis Charest, et al. I wrote a post about these comics a few months ago, but let me reiterate the salient points: There’s two collections, the first one is much better than the second, and the first is incredibly dumbed-down in its nineties Image Comics style but also feels like the best version of that possible, when Charest is doing art. Also, these collections are out of print now, a friend of mine pointed out maybe they can’t be reprinted because they involve characters owned by Todd McFarlane but Wildstorm is owned wholly by DC now.

6. Haywire by Michael Fleischer and Vince Giarrano. I made a post about this comic when I first read a few issues right around the time Michael Fleischer died a few years ago, but didn’t read all of it then. This feels way more deliberately structured than most action comics, with its limited cast and lack of ties to any broader universe, but it’s also dumb and sleazy and fast moving, and feels related to what were the popular movies of the day, splitting its influences evenly between erotic thrillers about yuppies and Stallone-starring action movies. The erotic thriller element is mostly just “a villain in bondage gear” which is sort of standard superhero comics bullshit but it’s also a little bit deeper than that. The first three issues, inked by Kyle Baker, look the best.

5. Dick Tracy by John Moore and Kyle Baker. These look even better! A little unclear which John Moore this is? There’s John Francis Moore, who worked with Howard Chaykin and was scripting TV around this time, but there’s another dude who was a cartoonist who did a miniseries for Piranha Press and then moved on to doing work for Disney on Darkwing Duck comics. Anyway, Kyle Baker colors these, they’re energetically cartooned, each issue is like 64 pages, with every page being close to a strip or scene in a movie. I’m impressed by them, and there’s a nice bulk that makes them a nice thing to keep a kid busy. (For the record, my favorite Kyle Baker solo comic is probably You Are Here.)

4. Chronos by John Francis Moore and Paul Guinan. I was moving on from DC comics by the late nineties, but Grant Morrison’s JLA was surely a positive influence on everyone, especially compared to the vibe there in the subsequent two decades. These are well-crafted. There’s a little stretch where it uses the whole “time-traveling protagonist” thing to do a run of issues which stand alone but fall in sequence too and it’s pretty smooth and smart. The art is strong enough to carry it, the sort of cartoony faces with detailed backgrounds it’s widely agreed works perfectly, but that you rarely see in mainstream comics. The coloring is done digitally, but not over-modeled enough to ruin it.

3. Martha Washington by Frank Miller and Dave Gibbons. A few miniseries, all of which sort of get weaker as they go, but all in one book it doesn’t feel like it’s becoming trash as it goes or anything. When Miller dumbed down his storytelling in the nineties it really was because he thought it made for better comics, the tension between his interest in manga and Gibbons’ British-comics classicism feels productive. I do kind of feel like the early computer coloring ruins this a little bit.

2. Xombi by John Rozum and JJ Birch. Got a handful of these on paper, read scans of the rest. This is pretty solid stuff, not really transcendent ever, but feels well-crafted on a month-in, month-out level. I read a handful of other Milestone comics, and a lot of them suffered from being so beholden to deadlines that there are fill-in issues constantly. This is the rare one that had the same creators for the entirety of its run. There was a revival with Frazer Irving art a decade ago but I prefer JJ Birch’s black line art with Noelle Giddings’ watercolors seen here. They’re doing an early Vertigo style “weirdness” but with a fun and goofy sense of humor about itself. I haven’t read Clive Barker but this feels pretty influenced by that as well. (The Deathwish miniseries is of roughly comparable quality. I read scans of the rest of that after I made my little post and, yeah, it does actually feel very personal for a genre work, and the JH Williams art with painted color is great.)

1. Tom Strong by Alan Moore, Chris Sprouse, etc. I got bored reading these as a teen but getting them all for cheap and reading them in a go was a pretty satisfying experience. It’s partly a speed-run through Moore’s coverage of the concept of a comic book multiverse seen in his Supreme run, minus the riffing on Mort Weisinger Superman comics, instead adding in a running theme of rehabilitating antagonists whose goals are different but aren’t necessarily evil. It’s more than just Moore in an optimistic or nostalgic mode, it also feels like he’s explaining his leftist morality to an audience that has internalized conflicts being resolved by violence as the genre standard.

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seekfirstme · 3 years

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Meditation: Was Jesus really against wealth (Matthew 19:23)? And why did he issue such a strong warning to the rich (as well as to the rest of us who desire to be rich)? We know that Jesus was not opposed to wealth per se, nor was he opposed to the wealthy. He had many friends who were well-to-do, including some notorious tax collectors! One even became an apostle! Jesus' warning reiterated the wisdom of the Old Testament: "Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is perverse in his ways" (Proverbs 28:6; see also Psalm 37:16). "Do not wear yourself out to get rich; be wise enough to desist" (Proverbs 23:4).

We are all poor beggars in need of God

Jesus seems to say that it is nearly impossible for the rich to live as citizens of God's kingdom. The camel was regarded as the largest animal known by the Jews where Jesus lived and taught. The "eye of the needle" could be interpreted quite literally or it could figuratively describe the narrow and low gate of the city walls which was used by travelers when the larger public gate was locked at night. Normal sized people had to "lower" themselves to enter that gate. A camel would literally have to kneel and crawl through it. Until we humbly kneel before the Lord and acknowledge our total need and dependence on him, we will not find true peace, security, and happiness that can sustain us now and forever. Only God alone can satisfy our deepest need and longing.

Augustine of Hippo reminds us that we are all poor beggars of God.

"Even though you possess plenty, you are still poor. You abound in temporal possessions, but you need things eternal. You listen to the needs of a human beggar, yet you yourself are a beggar of God. What you do with those who beg from you is what God will do with his beggar. You are filled and you are empty. Fill your empty neighbor from your fullness, so that your emptiness may be filled with God's fullness." (Sermon 56,9)

Possessions can create false security and independence

Why is Jesus so cautious about wealth? Wealth can make us falsely independent. The church at Laodicea was warned about their attitude towards wealth and a false sense of security: "For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing" (Revelations 3:17). Wealth can also lead us into hurtful desires and selfishness (see 1 Timothy 6:9-10). Look at the lesson Jesus gave about the rich man and his sons who refused to aid the poor man Lazarus (see Luke 16:19ff). They neglected to serve God. Only those who put their trust in God and who depend on him, and who share what they have with those in need, will find true peace, security, and happiness which lead to everlasting life and joy in God's kingdom.

Where is your treasure?

The Scriptures give us a paradox - we lose what we keep and we gain what we give away. Generosity will be amply repaid, both in this life and in the age to come (Proverbs 3:9-10, Luke 6:38). Jesus offers us an incomparable treasure which no money can buy and no thief can steal. The thing we most set our heart on is our highest treasure. Material wealth will shackle us, like a bound slave, to this earth unless we guard our heart and set our treasure in God and his kingdom of everlasting life and joy. Where is your treasure?

"Lord Jesus, you have captured our hearts and opened to us the treasures of heaven. May you always be my treasure and delight and may nothing else keep me from giving you my all."

GIDEON AND MIDIAN

“The last shall come first.” —Matthew 19:30

The Israelites were oppressed externally by the nation of Midian, and internally by their own idolatry. Joash the Abiezrite, father of Gideon, had built an altar to an idol (Jgs 6:25), as well as a sacred pole used in idol worship. God called the fearful Gideon to deliver Israel from Midianite oppression (Jgs 6:14).

When Gideon assembled a large army, God told him, “You have too many soldiers with you for Me to deliver Midian into [your] power” (Jgs 7:2). So, God told Gideon to send the fearful men home, which reduced the army to 32% of its original force. God said: “There are still too many soldiers” (Jgs 7:4). Then God devised a test to show which of those who were not afraid would be alert, ready, and prepared for battle (Jgs 7:5; cf Mt 25:1-13). After this test, less than 1% of the original soldiers remained. It was through these three-hundred lowly, obedient Israelites that God received glory when He delivered Israel through Gideon. God chooses the weak, “insignificant” (Jgs 6:15; cf 1 Cor 1:27), and lowly so that He will receive glory (see Ex 14:18). The last come first (Mt 19:30).

The victorious Gideon refused to grab the glory from the Lord. He instead told the people to subject themselves to the Lord instead of their former idols, saying: “The Lord must rule over you” (Jgs 8:23). God doesn’t need multitudes to be victorious. What He wants is Spirit-filled servants who abandon themselves to Him (Jgs 6:34) and leaders who put His will above all else (Jgs 6:25ff; Mt 19:29).

Prayer: Lord, I want to be a “champion” for You (Jgs 6:12).

Promise: “For man it is impossible; but for God all things are possible.” —Mt 19:26

Praise: Sam felt called to start a Catholic radio station. He persisted, overcoming numerous obstacles, and in so doing, led many back to the Church.

Reference: (This teaching was submitted by a member of our editorial team.)

Rescript: "In accord with the Code of Canon Law, I hereby grant the Nihil Obstat for the publication One Bread, One Body covering the time period from August 1, 2021 through September 30, 2021. Reverend Steve J. Angi, Vicar General, Chancellor, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio January 12, 2021"

The Nihil Obstat ("Permission to Publish") is a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be free of doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat agree with the contents, opinions, or statements

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zak-animation · 6 years

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BA1b Narrative Research: A Propp(er) Introduction

In this post, I’m continuing my narrative research looking at Vladmir Propp, and his theories towards character and narrative after having analysed Russian folklore stories. Understanding these theories and principles allows our own creative work to be more inspired and successful.

How to Turn a Fairy Tale into an Equation

Before we explore the work of Vladmir Propp, it’s important to note how fairy tales were categorised before his studies. This was called the Aame-Thompson Classification System, and it was according to type or motif: animal, fantastical or everyday life stories, or the which included the appearance of a dragon. Of course, these are just a handful, but Russian folklorist and scholar Vladmir Propp found that the system did nothing to illuminate the underlying structure of these fairy tales. He was the first to make a sequential and strictly linear analysis: looking only at what happens, and in what order. Propp could care less about how something happens, he was more interested in the function of these events and what these did to the story that’s being told - and broke these key events down into ‘functions’. Propp analysed the basic plot components of 100 Russian folk and fairy tales and found striking similarities between them: identifying the essential components and narrative elements, though the scholar is the first to admit this won’t (and shouldn’t) be applied religiously to stories across cultures, so westernised narratives may not strictly follow the theories he lines out here.

We were also introduced to Acel Olrik, and his Epic Laws of Narrative (1908), which describe the district characteristics of a folk-tale narrative. The influence of these observations can’t be overlooked since today, we take most of them for granted.

The law of repetition - actions in folk tales are typically repeated three times

The law of contrast - other people should be antithetical to the hero: therefore if the hero is generous, other characters should be stingy around them

The law of twins - two people can appear together in the same role, and should be similar in nature.

The Ugly Sisters from Cinderella (1950), an example of the law of twins in action

The law of patterning - situations and events are told and re-told in as ‘a similar a manner as possible’. Olrik also said that folktales are ‘single-stranded’ and have a ‘unity of plot’. There’s a concentration on a leading character, and don’t branch off into sub-plots.

Twenty years later, Propp releases his masterwork Morphology of the Folktale, and broke new ground in the narratology world: analysing chronological story rather than plot. This was a revolutionary concept, and as a result, we are learning about his theory today. Propp outlined four Fundamental Principles of the Fairy Tale, which I will break down now.

1. Functions/ actions of characters serve as stable, constant elements in a tale, independant of how and by whom they are fulfilled. They constitute the fundamental components of a tale.

2. The number of functions known to the fairy tale is limited, 31 to be exact. Propp stripped away and showed what’s essential to narrative - and although this is argued to this day, it’s a beginning point and a helpful entrance into analysing narrative theory that paved the way for narratologists today.

3. The sequence of functions is always identical. There is logic behind this, e.g. a princess cannot be rescued before she has been kidnapped.

4. All fairy tales are of one type in regard t their structure. For instance, they all proceed chronologically

Propp found that all one hundred of the tales he analysed was built on a pattern drawn from 1 functions occurring in a set order. In other words, only 31 things can happen in a fairy tale. The term ‘morphology’ means the study of forms, and in doing this work, Propp was analysing form as separate from the content. His character archetypes, which I’ll explore shortly, can be shared over characters: it’s more about who does what, rather than who does that. Whereas all hero stories use all 12 stages of the mono-myth, Propp’s morphology theories can be found (some, not all) but they will be found in his written order: that is the nature of the fairy tale.

English author Scarlett Thomas summarised that a fairy tale is made of a certain amount of functions, set in a specific order. To Propp, functions are actions performed by characters under certain circumstances. The actual content of what happens is not important - it’s the central function - it’s what happens in term of plot structure. Some elements in a fairytale are variable: ‘a dragon may well be a whirlwind as long as it has the same effect on the plot’. All plot types have constants and variables. Any basic plot will have static elements and variable elements. If we decide, for example, that the quest is a basic plot then we can say that a static element is that it will always involve a journey. A variable, then, would be the destination.

Function 14: the hero acquires the use of a magical agent.

‘It doesn’t matter (on the level of plot) whether someone is given a magic horse or bus some magic beans or steals a magic sword. The key thing is that they (the hero) have received a magical object.’

Scarlett Thomas, 2012

The latter part of the session was exploring the work of Russian folklorist Vladmir Propp. He was also a sociologist, one who studied Russian folk tales - analysing the basic plots, characters and most simple narrative elements. Propp published “Morphology of the Folktale” in 1928, a work that represented a breakthrough in both morphology and folkloristics, Despite influencing fellow narratologists Claude Lévi-Strauss and Roland Barthes, it was generally unnoticed in the West - until it was translated in 1958. Propp’s original theories concluded that all characters could be classified into seven broad character functions, a statement found after analysing a hundred folk stories. These character archetypes can be applied to almost any story, from literature and theatre to animation and film - and as such, his character structures are used in narrative education to this day. These were seven archetypes that have their own ‘sphere of action’, also known as the Dramates Personae in narrative study. It’s important to remember that a single character may fulfil more than one role, and more than one character may inhabit the same sphere of action. However, each function is connected with the designated character. ‘So it’s always the hero who ascends the throne at the end…never the villain’. (Thomas, 2012)

The Hero

The Villain

The Donor

The Helper

The Princess (or sought-after person and her Father)

The Dispatcher

The False Hero

The Heroes In a fairy tale, Props suggested that there are two types of hero: one who directly suffers from the action of the villain (a victim-hero) and one who actively wants to solve the problem (a seeker hero). The hero is the protagonist, our main character in which the audience will follow and normally associate strongly with. Often a heroic, brave character - but this is not a rule. The hero thwarts the villain, resolving any problems or conflicts.

The Villain - the antagonist, usually moral evil and highlights the hero’s goodness through binary opposing. They are the opposing force to the hero, seeking to prevent them from achieving their goal. Villains often appear twice (once, without the hero’s notice, and twice after being sought out).

The Dispatcher - the character who sends the hero on the mission, who illustrates the need for the hero’s quest.

The Princess / The Prize - the hero’s prize after beating the villain - either the sought-after object, or a reward.

The Donor - a character who gives the hero something special, such as a magical weapon. This character may be combined with the helper. However, we were reminded that the donor is not always benevolent e.g. Rumpelstiltsken who gives a magical gift to a miller’s daughter but demands her firstborn in return.

The Helper - the hero is supported by this character, often a wise old man, who appears at critical moments to provide support. Supporting role.

The False Hero - a character, usually a variant on the villain, who appears to act heroically and may be even initially mistaken for the hero. They steal the hero’s credit, and the audience want to see this character beaten - keeps them engaged as we’re rooting for the hero.

Star Wars is a great example of mostly all Propp’s archetypes, with Lando Calrissian playing the part of false hero in the sequel, Empire Strikes Back.

All fairy tales begin with an initial situation: according to Propp, the dispatcher, hero, false hero and princess are often introduced in the initial situation. This initial situation is followed by any of the 31 Functions, which are organised into six different chronological stages.

Preparation 1. One of the members of a family absents himself from home. 2. An interdiction is addressed to the hero. 3. The interdiction is violated. 4. The villain makes an attempt at reconnaissance. 5. The villain receives information about his victim. 6. The villain attempts to deceive his victim in order to take possession of him or his belongings. 7. The victim submits to deception and thereby unwittingly helps his enemy. Complication 8. The villain causes harm or injury to a member of the family. 9. One member of a family either lacks something or desires to have something. 10. Misfortune or lack is made known; the hero is approached with a request or a command; he is allowed to go or he is dispatched. 11. The seeker agrees to or decides upon counteraction. 12. The hero leaves home. 13. The hero is tested, interrogated, attacked, etc. which prepares the way for his receiving either a magical agent or helper. 14. The hero reacts to the actions of the future donor. 15. The hero acquires the use of a magical agent. 16. The hero is transferred, delivered or led to the whereabouts of an object of search. Struggle 17. The hero and the villain join in direct combat. 18. The hero is branded. 19. The villain is defeated. 20. The initial misfortune or lack is liquidated. [Narrative reaches its peak.] Return 21. The hero returns. 22. The hero is pursued. 23. Rescue of the hero from pursuit. Recognition or Difficult Task 24. The hero, unrecognised, arrives home or in another country. 25. A false hero presents unfounded claims. 26. A difficult task is proposed to the hero. 27. The task is resolved. 28. The hero is recognised. 29. The false hero or villain is exposed. 30. The hero is given a new appearance. 31. The villain is punished, the hero is married and ascends the throne.

‘But deviations do occur’ (Propp, 1968, p. 84). Propp’s system aimed to catalogue oral fairy tales of Russian origin. He admits that it may not fit all fairy tales and stories.

It doesn’t matter how these functions occur in the narrative: only that they do. This is what Propp was fascinated by - that there’s an underlying structure for story. As a class, we then applied these principles to a short analysis of the Little Red Riding Hood fairytale, which follows the order of events nicely as outlined by Propp. A Proppean analysis is good for defamiliarising ourselves with a beloved narrative, allowing us to look at a story with fresh eyes. Academics have likened Propp’s approach to narrative study to reducing the story to it’s moving parts, allowing us to simply look at the actions that compose a story, and recognise that these actions are repeated across narratives.

Which functions are present in Little Red Riding Hood?

An animated rendition of the classic story, taken from Little Red Riding Hood - Revolting Rhymes (2016)

1. Little Red Riding Hood sets off to visit her grandmother in the woods. [One of the members of a family absents themselves from home.]

2. As she is leaving, her mother warns her not to stray from the path. [An interdiction is addressed to the hero.]

3. She strays from the path. [The interdiction is violated.]

6. The wolf makes friendly conversation with Little red Riding Hood, asking where she is going. [The villain attempts to deceive his victim in order to take possession of his or his belongings.]

7. Little Red Riding says she’s going to visit her Grandma. [The victim submits to deception and thereby unwittingly helps the enemy.]

8. The wolf eats Grandma! [The villain causes harm or injury to a member of the family.]

16. The wolf tries to eat Little Red Riding Hood and Little Red tries to avoid being eaten. [The hero and the villain join in direct combat.]

18. A passing huntsman saves Little Red as the wolf is about to eat her. [The villain is defeated.]

30. The wolf is cut open, Grandma is rescued! [The villain is punished.]

In this lecture, I have been able to grasp a better understanding of folklorist Vladmir Propp and his theories exploring story and character. Although I’ve been able to apply this learning to a fairy tale today, I’m tempted to give a more contemporary narrative a Proppean analysis - looking at not only the narrative, but each character’s ‘sphere of action’ too. Props allows us to reduce a story down to it’s simplest parts, taking away any stylistic choices and idiosyncrasies in order for us to see that a story, like everything else, has a structure. Stripping a story down to it’s bare bones in such a way only works to give us a clearer understanding of each action, and therefore, the story as a whole. When gathering research about my chosen film, I will consider if it features any of the narrative functions outlined by Propp.

At the moment, I’m interested in the idea of a modern-day fairy tale in the form of superheroes, and as such, these two narrative lectures have been helpful and inspiring to my own ideas. Whilst I want to potentially develop my own essay question for this task, I have found the ideas and concepts outlined here to be important and I’d like to explore some of these ideas further. I plan to break my chosen film down into these functions, and look at the role of characters, investigating whether or not they fit Propp’s formula.

Lecture Summary

Vladmir Propp was a Russian folklorist and scholar who broke down fairy tale narratives into 31 functions, a breakthrough in the narratology scene

Propp’s approach reduces story to it’s moving parts, allowing us to look at a beloved story with fresh eyes

Props identified seven character archetypes, each with their own role in the narrative called a ‘sphere of action’

Interestingly, Propp’s narrative functions can (and are) applied to more than just Russian folk lore, westernised stories and some contemporary narratives still exhibit the same simple structure (Star Wars, for example)

What’s next? Over the Christmas period, I want to begin looking at potential film choices for this essay. Ideally, I’d like to start with two to three potential candidates and develop a question and final film choice from that selection, evidencing a few potential analytical directions before I begin writing. I’ve got a few ideas, mainly exploring the idea of the superhero story replacing fairy tales in today’s society, but also exploring Dreamworks’ Megamind and how the main character goes through the Hero’s Journey, as a villain; writing down my own thoughts on the subject before gathering research.

#ba1b:narrativetheory

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bestnewsmag-blog · 7 years

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New Post has been published on Bestnewsmag

New Post has been published on https://bestnewsmag.com/michael-jones-will-get-a-life-term-for-killing-his-7-year-old-son/

Michael Jones will get a life term for killing his 7-year-old son

The Prodigal Son and Forgiveness

The parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:eleven-32) is one of the maxima discussed stories told by Jesus. A selection of interpretations was supplied which reflect the theological outlooks of various historic durations. Amy-Jill Levine, in her 2014 e-book Short stories by using Jesus, reviewed traditional Christian interpretations as she offered what might have been the response of a Jewish target audience inside the Galilee and Judea at the time of Jesus. In a 2005 ebook, Kenneth E. Bailey also discussed the Prodigal Son considering his revel in in Middle Eastern cultures. Each author has challenged earlier theological interpretations.

In general, Christian interpretations have said that God’s love is the primary theme of The parable. The easy story is presented as illustrating very theological issues. Augustine is an extreme consultant of “theologizing” by providing an allegorical view that turns the older brother into a Judaism of righteousness this is rejected while the overwhelming love of God is tested inside the father’s welcome to the more youthful son. Much less theological is the view of Kenneth E. Bailey who correlates information of The myth with requirements of Center Jap cultures. The anti-Jewish factor of view is discarded, however, a God of affection is still visible as the crucial topic.

The freshness in Amy-Jill Levine’s technique is to turn many theological techniques life on their head killing his son.

Jewish audiences inside the time of Jesus might not be interested in theology which came with the dominance of Hellenism (which at that point was discovered in Palestinian cities and no longer in the rural nation-state). Parables have been testimonies with a sting. They often took a traditional subject, inclusive of a father who suggests favoritism to a younger son and gave it a stunning flip on the end that dissatisfied normal assumptions. Seeking to study heavy theological issues into small information of the story, then, would be foreign to the reason of the storyteller and the messages understood by Jewish listeners.

This comparison in perspectives got here out currently in a Sunday faculty dialogue after viewing a video lecture by Kenneth Bailey. The magnificence, that is reading my book Speaking Lower back to the Bible, turned into pausing to hear Bailey before reading the bankruptcy at the Prodigal Son.

Bailey did not make the mistake of presenting God’s love within the tale as disowning the faithfulness of the older brother. Bailey related info of the story to family dynamics he had seen in Middle Eastern cultures. He becomes not aware of Levine’s factor that a loving father was probably being manipulated through a spoiled son conversant in getting his manner with daddy – an interpretation that turns God’s love into something fickle and prone to favoritism rather than the overpowering generosity generally seen by using Christian interpretations.

The tremendous element about this parable and others told by Jesus, as Levine cited, is how they can lead to An expansion of interpretations. It is the character of the genre to supply this type of response – and the better the tale, the wider the variant infeasible interpretations.

The interpretation supplied in Talking Returned to the Bible attracts on my adolescence experience of being terrified via sermons on a judgment. I agree that the father in the tale represents the love of God, however, it is not the unbounded and overly generous love frequently supplied from Christian pulpits. I suppose the technique by Amy-Jill Levine allows help a view that It’s far God’s forgiveness this is provided greater than unbounded love, despite the fact that I think she could suppose my approach is just too theological.

I see The parable as a story of forgiveness and celebration whilst judgment and anger had been anticipated because of the norm. the more youthful son dedicated a critical offense, as Bailey and many others have mentioned when he could not look ahead to the father’s demise to get his inheritance. Then he lost all of it. Bailey points out there is no indication he wasted it in sinful methods. He went thru it fast and went bust – because of this he failed, regardless of how it passed off. In desperation, he had nowhere to turn and made a painful choice to go back domestic in whole shame. His go back is normally seen as repentance due to the fact he rehearses words that sound apologetic and seemed to recognize that he deserved not anything from his own family. Levine has pointed to what could have been the son’s manipulative cause, however, the tale clearly has the daddy looking to look repentance a lot that he did not wait to hear the son’s message.

Struggle arises over the birthday party thrown by using the daddy as opposed to over welcoming the lost son. The older son hears approximately the celebration past due because the daddy obviously forgot to invite him. The thought is that birthday party has long gone overboard and the older son gadgets.

The equal form of celebration takes place in the parable of the lost Sheep (Matthew 18:12-14; Luke 15:3-7). The proprietor leaves 90-9 sheep in the back of as he seeks an unmarried misplaced sheep. Then he celebrates and enjoys the recovery of this one more than the protection of 90-9.

The search for one misplaced sheep and the joyous welcome domestic for a wastrel certainly illustrate love, but It’s far the birthday celebration that is emphasized more than love. Despite the fact that the prodigal insulted his father, wasted his inheritance, and lower back a failure, the father offers loving forgiveness earlier than It is even requested. The birthday celebration celebrates that forgiveness has taken place in order that recovery to the family has come about. Likewise, the lost sheep’s healing is a motive for immoderate pleasure without asking how the loss came about.

The older son’s objection was no longer that the daddy ordinary the younger son Again into the own family but to the dearth of appreciation shown for his own steadiness in wearing out family duties. the father’s reaction became that he cherished this trustworthy son no Less than the wastrel. He said, in impact, “If you wanted a celebration you need to have stated so!” In other phrases, folks who do not move off track are taken for granted. They don’t want forgiveness as they experience the ever-gift reality of family love. One moral of the tale is: We do not rejoice the normal, regular things which are important to us. We shout for joy, now not on the normal, but when something out of the regular occurs.

As I see it, Each parable focus on how forgiveness leads to healing and birthday party; but, there’s a hassle with parables. information are sketchy and the story quits in the Center. What befell to the prodigal after the birthday celebration? I suspect that fact set in very soon, but we do not know for certain.

In chapter 13 of Speaking Back to the Bible, I argue that forgiveness and celebration do now not do away with herbal results. This is in which my concern about judgment enters the photo. the father, representing God, welcomes the son Back without implementing penalties suggesting divine wrath. however, there is no indication that the older son will have inheritance taken from him to reinstate the younger son. Dropping half the own family fortune has outcomes which might be unavoidable.

The form of forgiveness seen in the Prodigal Son isn’t always a fairytale event that completely undoes errors within the beyond. It’s miles a down-to-earth forgiveness that lets in a person to transport ahead in life whilst nonetheless facing herbal outcomes of preceding actions. recuperation brings a mountain pinnacle experience as everybody celebrates. but valleys observe inside the next days as we ought to stay with results of past errors. still, forgiveness liberates us to recognition at the destiny, without heavy burdens of guilt and regret, because we have faced as much as our problems. The beyond doesn’t disappear however we can be given it and circulate forward to a better destiny. This is a sensible forgiveness experience available to anyone.

Why Self-Improvement Techniques Are Killing You

Over the brand new yr’s, I had a chat with an excellent buddy of mine; he’s a splendid expert who takes satisfaction in what he does. he’s one of the most compassionate and passionate guys in both existence and paintings. He earned numerous cash for the work he does, he is building multiple resources of profits and of the path, a massive recommend of self-development. Shortly after the new 12 months countdown, we have been sitting on a balcony and chatting about the beyond the year. When I congratulated him for all the matters that he has achieved he replied,

“I do not think I am successful in any respect – in fact, I can not surely say if I’m happier than earlier than.”

But how can this be? There had been such a lot of things that I renowned about him. He studies at least 50 books ultimate 12 months. He traveled a lot. He religiously practiced he’s self-improvement strategies. He made loads of cash. Most people might assume – without a doubt – that he become aa hit man and each day of his lifestyles might be a bliss. However, this wasn’t real. It failed to make the experience to me, and possibly, it didn’t for him both.

The 12 months 2016 turned into a thrilling year for me. I end my well-hooked up process and decided to take a mile extra entrepreneurial role, where I should work with and for greater like-minded human beings. It becomes the fine decision I have ever made considering the fact that I moved to Singapore, and that means loads. The year 2016 became a turning point in my life. I proved myself that I ought to yet again challenge myself and pass out of my comfort quarter, ditch the instant gains of relaxed income and blessings for the possibility of a better existence. Now I wanted to make the yr 2017 even higher. With an experience of success, I began to scribble down my dreams for the brand new 12 months. wherein I wanted to go, what I wanted to do, who I desired to become, and what sort of I wanted to make. Then it hit me. My goals had been based totally on effects, not values. This became precisely why my friend could not be content and be satisfied for all he had achieved.

Why Hire A Personal Life Coach?

Right here are a few key reasons how hiring a Personal Existence Train can unlock your highest ability.

Achieved with therapy. It is able to sense remarkable to talk about our troubles however it would not remedy them. We will study what we suppose is inaccurate all day lengthy. Or We can exchange our angle. Looking lower back and analyzing only gets us to date. We want to take action. Feeling stuck. People can experience stuck in Existence and in their present-day situation. When you are involved in the detail of your Lifestyles, It can be hard to see your options. Coaching helps you to see all potential alternatives and understand restricting beliefs so you can truly see what is viable. Feeling misplaced. Many clients discover that they have ended up in a profession or a relationship and don’t know how they got there. It isn’t always their ardor. It is able to not be what they studied or wished for. They could feel misplaced and burdened, unsure approximately the way to make adjustments in their Existence. Their confidence could be low. They enjoy the benefit of having aid, encouragement, and duty that a Coach offers. Coaches ask the questions and the clients have the solutions. It’s about unlocking a human’s ability that is mendacity dormant. Sad. Humans can be Unhappy for a number of reasons and come to be familiar with this country of being. Training is fantastic outcome targeted, so we are not relying on analyzing the sadness and digging up the vintage floor. We look at wherein you’re now and the way you want your Life to be. And then attention on moving on the right route. Being Secure. Your comfort area is the zone of protection. Or is it? It is horrifying but great to experience the thrill Whilst you move from your consolation area. Education allows People to see their ability and move towards it, without the negative voices or distractions preserving your lower back. The nearer you’re to moving from your consolation region, the louder the voice of doubt and fear becomes. So having a Train is priceless at assisting you to create the Lifestyles you really need earlier than any self-sabotaging behaviors seem.

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seekfirstme · 4 years

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We are all poor beggars in need of God

Augustine of Hippo reminds us that we are all poor beggars of God.

Possessions can create false security and independence

Where is your treasure?

"Lord Jesus, you have captured our hearts and opened to us the treasures of heaven. May you always be my treasure and delight and may nothing else keep me from giving you my all."

“THE END” (RV 22:13)

“I will make an end of them.” —Deuteronomy 32:26

God’s Word states: “In whatever you do, remember your last days, and you will never sin” (Sir 7:36). The prince of Tyre apparently did not consider his last days, for he was puffed up with pride. So Ezekiel prophesied that the prince’s last days would be filled with reminders that he is not a god, but a mere man (Ez 28:7ff).

The psalm response today likewise reminds the proud that their final days might be “close at hand,” and possibly even “rushing upon them” (Dt 32:35). In today’s Gospel passage, St. Peter also had thoughts about how things would end up for him after he had given up everything to follow Jesus (Mt 19:27).

Jesus Himself encourages us that the one who perseveres to the end will be saved (see Lk 21:19). Rather than focusing on ourselves, God’s Word counsels us to “keep our eyes fixed on Jesus” (Heb 12:2; see also Heb 3:1). Jesus is the End (Rv 1:8; 22:13). St. Paul testifies: “I do not think of myself as having reached the finish line. I give no thought to what lies behind but push on to what is ahead. My entire attention is on the finish line...life on high in Christ Jesus” (Phil 3:13-14).

Therefore, focus only on the ending that really matters — doing whatever Jesus tells us today and forever (Jn 2:5).

Prayer: Father, I will praise You in all circumstances and leave my life in Your loving hands.

Promise: “Everyone who has given up home, brothers or sisters, father or mother, wife or children or property for My sake will receive many times as much and inherit everlasting life.” —Mt 19:29

Praise: The desire to attend Mass was so strong in young Thomas that he arose early to attend 7AM Mass before going to his high school classes.

Reference: (This teaching was submitted by a member of our editorial team.)

Rescript: "In accord with the Code of Canon Law, I hereby grant the Nihil Obstat for One Bread, One Body covering the period from August 1, through September 30, 2020. Most Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Auxiliary Bishop, Vicar General Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio October 1, 2019"

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