- antigone as individual, inspired by personal interests?
- law of Creon?
- religion as possible basis for action?
- kinship and loyalty to brother but not husband, kids (or sister?)?
- antigone as egotistical?
You can see that these are not phrased as nicely as your questions in class, but I just wanted to mark our starting point. From here, lots of development is possible, both for your individual papers and ideas and for your groups' collective refinement of the question. We will continue with this work on Thursday, since we did not get to the claims part of the Joseph article.
Note here that you will of course be thinking of how your personal ideas relate to and differ from the things you discuss as a group. You will want to really "use" the group work in terms of getting ideas, but of course the successful essay depends upon your development and elaboration of your own ideas--claims, evidence, and warrants all included!
Please post any questions (words or phrases or concepts you don't quite get) as comments, if you have them. Questions about the essay of course perfectly acceptable.
4 comments:
In reading Joseph's essay, I was confused about what he meant, exactly, by "touchstone." It seems that he is referring to some other work that coined this term as he is using it, but because he doesn't explain thoroughly this source I don't quite understand his use of the word...
Any ideas as to what he means by it?
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This touch·stone Audio Help (tŭch'stōn') Pronunciation Key
n.
A hard black stone, such as jasper or basalt, formerly used to test the quality of gold or silver by comparing the streak left on the stone by one of these metals with that of a standard alloy.
An excellent quality or example that is used to test the excellence or genuineness of others: "the qualities of courage and vision that are the touchstones of leadership" (Henry A. Kissinger). See Synonyms at standard.
(Download Now or Buy the Book) The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
??????
From the OED...
"b. fig. That which serves to test or try the genuineness or value of anything; a test, criterion."
So does that mean that Antigone is a test for literary works today? Or that her actions are relevant because they prompt us to think of our actions - with respect to hers - as truly ethical, or rational, or for the sake of political expression?
The Study of Poetry: a shift in position - the touchstone method
Arnold's criticism of Vitet above illustrates his 'touchstone method'; his theory that in order to judge a poet's work properly, a critic should compare it to passages taken from works of great masters of poetry, and that these passages should be applied as touchstones to other poetry. Even a single line or selected quotation will serve the purpose.
From this we see that he has shifted his position from that expressed in the preface to his Poems of 1853. In The Study of Poetry he no longer uses the acid test of action and architectonics. He became an advocate of 'touchstones'. 'Short passages even single lines,' he said, 'will serve our turn quite sufficiently'.
Some of Arnold's touchstone passages are: Helen's words about her wounded brother, Zeus addressing the horses of Peleus, suppliant Achilles' words to Priam, and from Dante; Ugolino's brave words, and Beatrice's loving words to Virgil.
From non-Classical writers he selects from Henry IV Part II (III, i), Henry's expostulation with sleep - 'Wilt thou upon the high and giddy mast . . . '. From Hamlet (V, ii) 'Absent thee from felicity awhile . . . '. From Milton's Paradise Lost Book 1, 'Care sat on his faded cheek . . .', and 'What is else not to be overcome . . . '
from the London School of Journalism, "Matthew Arnold as Literary Critic" http://www.english-literature.org/essays/arnold.html
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