Yes - you do indeed have a challenge in finding a way into your hybrid that doesn't simply replicate the human form - but with fur, and your idea of showing a mid-transformation is a good approach. There are other perspectives that might prove transformative also - for instance, in preparation for this feedback, I did a quick bit of research re. 'lemur folktales' and discovered right away that they have a 'magical' reputation as 'keepers of the forest', but also they can be an omen of death. The idea that your hybrid might have a specific cultural role - I don't know, as forest shamen or high-priest or magician - could be a fascinating way to accessorise your concept. Many students are beginning to think of the broader context for their hybrid selves - i.e., where they would fit into the world and how they would make a living - rather like poor old John Merrick in The Elephant Man, who had no choice but to subsist as a freak in a nightmarish carnival. Perhaps you might consider the actual ethnicity of your lemur, and any useful symbolism or aesthetic accompanying it?
In regard to your essay, I admire its ambition - but you've only got 1,500 words and its far better to say something meaningful about less than something generic about too much. Therefore, I encourage you to narrow your remit; take 1 specific example of animal-to-human transformation and track it back and forwards through culture. So, 'This assignment discusses the enduring popularity of the werewolf/mermaid/whatever and seeks to trace its origins from... etc'. Trust me on this - be precise, be focused and produce a concentrated, evidence-based assignment in which one case-study is treated in-depth.
More generally, don't fall behind with the reviews etc. Anthony, and your blog/engagement lacks a bit of fizz and energy. Leo, you really does know a thing or too about getting the very most from this course, is right when he points up the public-facing nature of your blog; find ways to describe and present your work dynamically, engagingly and innovatively.
03/10/11 OGR
ReplyDeleteHey Anthony,
Yes - you do indeed have a challenge in finding a way into your hybrid that doesn't simply replicate the human form - but with fur, and your idea of showing a mid-transformation is a good approach. There are other perspectives that might prove transformative also - for instance, in preparation for this feedback, I did a quick bit of research re. 'lemur folktales' and discovered right away that they have a 'magical' reputation as 'keepers of the forest', but also they can be an omen of death. The idea that your hybrid might have a specific cultural role - I don't know, as forest shamen or high-priest or magician - could be a fascinating way to accessorise your concept. Many students are beginning to think of the broader context for their hybrid selves - i.e., where they would fit into the world and how they would make a living - rather like poor old John Merrick in The Elephant Man, who had no choice but to subsist as a freak in a nightmarish carnival. Perhaps you might consider the actual ethnicity of your lemur, and any useful symbolism or aesthetic accompanying it?
In regard to your essay, I admire its ambition - but you've only got 1,500 words and its far better to say something meaningful about less than something generic about too much. Therefore, I encourage you to narrow your remit; take 1 specific example of animal-to-human transformation and track it back and forwards through culture. So, 'This assignment discusses the enduring popularity of the werewolf/mermaid/whatever and seeks to trace its origins from... etc'. Trust me on this - be precise, be focused and produce a concentrated, evidence-based assignment in which one case-study is treated in-depth.
More generally, don't fall behind with the reviews etc. Anthony, and your blog/engagement lacks a bit of fizz and energy. Leo, you really does know a thing or too about getting the very most from this course, is right when he points up the public-facing nature of your blog; find ways to describe and present your work dynamically, engagingly and innovatively.