2017 – Page 11

Rachel Owen’s Inferno Illustrations

June 8, 2018 By Professor Elizabeth Coggeshall

Rachel-Owen-Inferno-illustrations-Pembroke-College-Oxford — Image from the Pembroke College Twitter feed

“Rachel Owen: The Inferno Illustrations displays 34 photographic prints of mixed-media collage works, created in response to the Inferno in the Divine Comedy, a 14th century poem by the Italian poet Dante. This exhibition marks the culmination of Rachel Owen’s (1968 – 2016) lifelong academic and artistic engagement with the text.

“The Cardiff-born printmaker studied Fine Art and Italian at the University of Exeter and painting at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence. She attained a PhD in the ‘History of Illuminated Manuscripts of Dante’s Commedia’ at the University of London in 2001. Until her death in December 2016, she taught Italian Literature in Pembroke, and at other colleges within the University of Oxford.” — Pembroke College Events

The exhibition of Owen’s work at the Pembroke College JCR Art Gallery ran from October 18 to December 1, 2017.

Linguistic Transgression Hell

February 3, 2018 By Professor Arielle Saiber

First Circle (Limbo):
Autocorrect

Here wander the otherwise virtuous souls who were forced into grievous errors by autocorrect programs. They sit in silent masturbation, only rising once every hour to chant eerie koans such as “ducking auto cat rectal.”

Second Circle:
The Serial Comma

One half of this circle is populated by souls who are cursed to make arguments that nobody cares about except their own mothers, howling gorgons and the infernal mistresses of hell. The other half are cursed to make arguments that nobody cares about except their own mothers, howling gorgons, and the infernal mistresses of hell. The difference between these two situations seems to matter a lot to both halves. Neither side will listen to you when you suggest that they could avoid this level entirely.

Third Circle:
Unnecessary Use of Quote Marks

They may think they’re getting off the “hook,” but in this level quote marks are used as cavalierly as these souls used them in life. Does “groin-dissolving” in quotes indicate that your treatment is not really groin-dissolving, or are the quotes merely being used in the place of italics, you’ll wonder? More importantly, is the “seafood” buffet on “Sundays” “fresh” and “free”?

Fourth Circle:
Hated Abbreviations

ICYMI, this level is for people who use OPAs (off-putting abbreviations) to show off their supposed hipness and/or needlessly confuse others. New abbreviations are constantly being invented and CASJ dropped into conversation. The souls are expected to KTOS (know them or suffer). Good luck with your KLRDT (Keats-like rapidly degenerative tuberculosis) as you’re also subjected to MMMTDs (massively multi-personal medieval torture devices). Are you doing OK? No. You’re doing AWACBE (as well as can be expected), given the MNNTKUWNVECD (mind numbing need to keep up with non-vocabulary-extending cultural dross). In short (but is it really?), it’s annoying AF.

Fifth Circle:
Meaningless Truisms

This level is what it is. You be you.*

*Naturally, forced to embrace reality and themselves exactly as they are, souls on this level experience extremely high levels of depression, even for hell.

Sixth Circle:
Misused Apostrophes

Most souls on this level are cursed to endlessly hunt for things that they mistakenly stated belonged to someone or something. Where is Kid’s party? What about Nacho’s $5.75? This entire level has lost it’s way.

Seventh Circle:
Using Emojis To Sum Up Feelings or Events
That Are Way Too Complicated for Emojis To Sum Up

So you thought you were being “economical” and “Hemingwayesque” by leaving others wondering what the shit you meant by your cryptic emojis? You’re now cursed to be eternally robbed of resolution. The results of your recent chlamydia screening? 😶 And what was that “seafood” you had in the third circle? 🦄

Eighth Circle:
Needless Correctors

The souls in this circle often toured the other circles, mocking the poor souls who suffered there for their poor command of the English language. Little did they know that one of the worst circles was reserved for them and their grating tendency to overcorrect English usage at every opportunity. These are the people who can’t watch an episode of Star Trek without pointing out that “to boldly go” splits the infinitive, who cause you to cringe the instant after you say “I don’t know which restaurant we’re going to.” They are forced to compose tweets for President Trump. The punishment for writing any tweet that is even close to grammatically correct is needless physical corrections to the offender’s body. Very physical and very needless.

Ninth Circle:
Literally, the Ninth Circle

It is literally the worst circle ever.

–John Rauschenberg, McSweeny’s Internet Tendency, November 20, 2017

Contributed by David Israel

The Divine Comedy, Barons Court Theatre (2017)

January 5, 2018 By Professor Elizabeth Coggeshall

“It’s Dante lite, but the adaptation hasn’t diminished the spirit of the original nor the theological arguments although it’s cut them down a bit. Sometimes, to speed thing up they revert to modern dialogue and fruity language with a few witty touches. We know when they’ve arrived in purgatory as there’s underground station sign, and when they set off for Paradise they go on the underground, strap hanging and swaying as they sing and wonder what awaits them there.

“It’s an ambitious undertaking in limited surroundings with only sticks and chairs for props, but it’s the genius use of lighting and shadows that really carries it off. An angel sprouts wings, a balloon become a head and speaks, and with some cardboard cut outs one of the sinners gets eaten by dogs. Later, instead of crossing the River Styx, Dante is carried through space with impressive use of what looks like footage from the Hubble Telescope and/or the International Space Station.” — Hammersmith Today review

Presented by So It Goes Theatre.

Read an interview with Artistic Director Douglas Baker here.

The Tenth Circle: Bedtime

January 3, 2018 By Professor Elizabeth Coggeshall

“Bedtime – the hour that we spend all day counting down to. The curtain call to our kids’ shitty antics and incessant demands, so we can finally pour ourselves a drink and peruse Netflix for that perfect movie or show to serve as background noise while we scroll Facebook and fall asleep on the couch. Except bedtime is almost never the time we parents have chosen for bed. Oh, no. Kids are determined to not go gentle into that good night and to rage against the dying of the light.

“While most just flip their kids the bird under their throw blanket when little Jimmy comes stomping down the stairs for another goddamned glass of water, funny parents on Twitter are tweeting what we’re all thinking.

I like when someone else puts my kid to bed because then their night is ruined instead of mine.

— Lauren Mullen (@DraggingFeeties) April 14, 2017

I tucked my kids in last night and said, "See you in the morning!" and then we laughed and laughed. Saw them 16 more times before sunrise.

— Ash (an female) ⚪️ (@adult_mom) March 9, 2016

“Twitter parents know. Twitter parents understand. Twitter parents are also losing their effing minds one failed bedtime routine after another.” –Serena Dorman, Sammiches & Psych Meds, 2017.

You can check out all twenty-two tweets here.

Dante and Hugh Grant

December 21, 2017 By Professor Arielle Saiber

“In the children’s film Paddington 2 (December 2017), the vain and pretentious villain, Phoenix Buchanan (Hugh Grant), keeps a bust of Dante’s head among the lavish collection of photographs of himself in his London drawing room. A publicity featurette shows the actor Hugh Grant with his Dante head at 0:21 seconds, coinciding with the words “incredible vanity.” –Cormac O Cuilleanain

Contributed by Cormac O Cuilleanain

Rachel Owen’s Inferno Illustrations