#i don't particularly have a dog in this race bc i think the original show effectively depicted misogyny as a BAD thing

[kenobihater]

knew i shouldn't have clicked on this article bc the publication sucks and it's headlines are often inflammatory and prone to exaggeration, but this is the funniest possible way to phrase this

[theold-ultraviolence]

hi!!!!

so sorry for this super delayed reply - we've been prepping to go on vacation and for getting a new puppy right after vacation, so it's been a little hectic

but omg I am so flattered that you enjoyed my insanely unhinged thoughts about the targaryens and the habsburgs!! 🥹😭 I always fear that I'm too rambly and that my thoughts don't make any sense, so I'm so happy you thought I explained it well bc after I write something out I'm always like "is this the most incoherent thing anyone has ever written?" lmao

and it's so interesting to also look into what you brought up about the archetypical features and how it's all tied together!

re: las meninas - ugh I totally feel you on that! Foucault and I are kind of enemies bc I literally never know what the fuck he's saying. I've read him both in the original French and in the English translation and I just literally do not know what this man is saying. I'm sure he's very smart, but to me, a true gauge of how good a scholar/thinker is hinges on their ability to be able to write in a way that helps everyone to understand their ideas rather than just perpetuating discriminatory academic traditions. but that's a rant for a different day!

and I absolutely agree that while I get why las meninas is important and why people study it, I don't find it to be a particularly compelling painting. if you're interested, the portraits Velazquez did of the court entertainers are very fascinating, although ultimately so tragic. the other half of that paper I wrote (the half that was not about habsburg inbreeding) was about the extent to which Velazquez humanized and dignified these entertainers. the super interesting thing is that a lot of prior scholars have bent over backwards to say that he was ennobling these sitters and showing their humanity, etc., etc. but when you actually look at the images, that's not totally true. interestingly enough, part of the reason people have made this argument is because Velazquez is treated as the "hero" of spanish painting, and therefore he must be faultless and beyond critique. however, that view totally obscures the reality of these portraits and the lives of their subjects. I think scholars now are starting to take a more critical and unbiased view on these images, but it's both fascinating and disturbing how long that narrative has been perpetuated.

to me, the most compelling of these images is The Jester Calabacillas (1637-1639) now in the Museo del Prado in Madrid. based on the scant records that exist of his life, scholars have tentatively suggested that among other possible mental and physical disabilities, he may have been autistic. as an autistic person myself, idk, there's just something so familiar and haunting in the image and like an odd sense of both connection and deep sorrow. idk how to explain it but it's just a very powerful image to me.

okay yikes I hopped on my art history train and now it has massively gotten away from me 😅

before I go, I wanted to comment on your mention of hux and out myself here as a major hux simp. idk why but after tlj I was just down so damn bad for this silly little guy and that has not really abated 😅

anyway, thank you for always being so kind and wonderful about my long messages!!

sending love, hugs, and a virtual piece of the chocolate cake that I made yesterday (if you want some) 🥰

🐍 🔪

Hello, my darling!! now I'm the one apologizing for the insane delay of my reply! this week has a little hectic but right now I'm in my 7hr class in my 'puter while the students work so I can sit down and reply to you properly.

A vacation AND a new puppy!??? that sounds amazing! I freaking love dogs and I'm always happy to hear about people's pets! may I ask where are you going off to?? do you know the race of the puppy?

Also, I totally get you about thinking you're not making sense because I feel that way all the time, but let me assure you that you most definitely are! and seriously, thank you for taking the time to write/share such a thorough and detail analysis on it! (like I've told you recently, I'm in awe at your knack for researching)

Re: Foucault and Velazquez. I'm glad I'm not the only one because, it's insane. I agree with you, scholars that write in such a way make it seem like they write egotistically, and not considering their readers at all. I'm always grateful when I find an author that writes in a way that is easy to follow (not saying that they dumb down their writing, but rather that they express their ideas clearly and to the point).

I also agree that Las Meninas isn't his best work! this take will be super underrated, but I once saw an exhibition of Velazquez' prints in a collection along with Goya and I found that very refreshing and interesting to see because I'd never seen that part of his work before.. But also because they also have a very haunting quality to them. I looked up The Jester! I'd never seen it before and it definitely stirred something because of the expression that he painted on him. Like, the smile looks very pained, and having the context that you told me definitely changes my perspective. I also looked up some of the other paintings of the court entretainers and seeing them all together definitely projects something tragic. Some of them are smiling but in an uncomfortable way, while others are posing in a very stiff way, where you can tell that, despite being entretainers, being in front of the artist makes you wonder that they must've felt examined and exposed and even objectified. Now I don't know if I'm the one making sense (?), but thank you so much for sharing this!! I never had much interest in Velazquez before, but now I'm very intrigued to read more on this matter! If you wrote about this AND about The Hasburgs, that must've been quite a paper, dear!

ALSO, FELLOW HUX SIMP!! AHHHHH YES YES YES! In this house (blog) Hux is the main husband! I'll never stop being salty over how they misused Domhnall Gleeson and Hux's arc because, his relationship with Kylo Ren would've been an amazing thing to explore, instead of having crusty old Snoke that ultimately wasn't even relevant at all. Hux and Kylo could've been the Tarkin and Darth Vader of the new generation and I'm AHHH THE LOST POTENTIAL

Thank YOU for coming to chat to ye old inbox!! I know it takes me a while to reply because my brain is literal scramble eggs at this point of the semester, but it makes me very happy to receive these messages every time! so thank you for keep coming back, and I will gladly accept that chocolate! and I can send you a piece of homemade pumpkin bread (which is my specialty) if you like it!

Hope you have the most fun vacation, and best of luck with the new puppy! x