Sep. 25th: Zukofsky, Macbeth, Reproduction, Butler

Yep, another post about my intellectual wanderings (hopefully a bit scandolous). Sorry if these posts bug you, but it's important to me so get over it! :)

Modernism -
Today we continued with Zukofsky. I'm gonna spend a couple of hours tomorrow letting myself get lost in him. I need that and haven't done it in a while. We ended up talking mostly about A-2. I don't think we ever do what we're "supposed to" in that class. And I love it. I won't go into any detail today, I'll just let you read a fairly funny, homoerotic portion of A-2.

Those epopt caryatids, holding, holding, the
world-cornice.
(Agamemnon). Very much like the sailors.
Lust and lust. Ritornelle.
All! blue trouser seats -- each alike a square inch --
sticking thru portholes,
Laughter, laced blue over torus,
Gibes from the low deck:
"Hi, Ricky!"
(Splash of white pail-wash, scuttling and laughter).
The sea grinds the half-hours,
Each half-hour the bells are heard,
Half-human, half-equestrian, clatter of waves,
Fabulous sea-horses up blind alleys,
Never appeased, desire to break thru the walls
of alleyways.

Till the moon, one afternoon,
Launches with sea-whorl,
Opening leaf within leaf floats, green,
On waves: liveforever.
Hyaline cushions it, sun,
In one's own head.

Shakespeare -
We finished up Macbeth. As usual, the comments made by my fellow students were aggravating. The best one of today, "Who or what are the witches of our day?" COME ON PEOPLE!!!!!! I did think about one potentially interesting thing today. At the end of Act 3.4 Lady Macbeth says, "You lack the season of all natures, sleep." This is just after that infamous dinner party where Macbeth sees an apparition of Banquo and seems insane to all the dinner guests. When they are finally alone, L. Macbeth offers sleep as a cure for his ill-nature, or his queer behavior. But what's more queer than sleep? You dream crazy shit, you're unconscious but still alive, you lose control, etc. Lady Macbeth, in a beautiful line, asserts one of my favorite dictums from queer theory: every one is queer at least eight hours a night. But she goes even further to say that queer behavior occurs when one has gotten no sleep (queer death). The cure to queerness is queer. That kills me!

Feminist Theory -
We talked about radical feminism, particularly their views on reproduction. Radical cultural feminists believe that women's ability to reproduce is their ultimate source of power, and therefore should not give it up. Radical libertarian feminists believe that artificial production should be an option. To be honest, this debate doesn't interest me too much, so I'll just leave it at that.

Feminist Political Theory -
We talked about Judith Butler. What a ride! I've become really vocal in this class lately. I'm finding I have so much to say about everything. My first two years at college I rarely spoke up, but now it seems you can't get me to stop. I'm gaining a passion and energy that I love. I'm all geared up for activism also, which is why I'm volunteering for random stuff throughout Pride week here on campus starting Oct.11 with a drag show. Watch out kids, I'm out to change the world!!!!