Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Last week of classes

My class work in the last two days:
1. Heard a seminar on Sarah Kane, contemporary playwright whose work deals with violence and physical and psychological torture. I.E. eating babies.
2. Saw a stage production of Anthony Burgess' A Clockwork Orange, a story of teenage ultra-violence, rape, and murder.
3. Heard a seminar on Punch and Judy, the traditional English puppet show which portrays brutality and domestic violence for the sake of humor (the early beginnings of slapstick humor).
4. Studied English atonal music, specifically an atonal opera setting of Punch and Judy, and Peter Maxwell Davies' 8 Songs for a Mad King which portray George III's decline into insanity.
5. Heard a lecture on the brutal Jack the Ripper killings in 1888.
6. Heard a lecture on the Kray Twins, the untouchable professional gangsters who ruled East London in the '60s through blackmail, political corruption, and blatant murder.
I CAN SEE WHY THEY WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE TO TEACH US ALL THIS STUFF!

In the last two days I've also submitted 40 pages of writing for the end of the term and presented a seminar on avant-garde contemporary playwright Mark Ravenhill. Oh, and had a brief crisis over registering for next term's classes. First final exam tomorrow.
I can tell you that in the last two days I have NOT showered or eaten a regular meal. Ten days left in London and I have no idea what to make of it.

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