Ana-Maria Amza 1

Ana-Maria Amza British Cultural Study, 1st year 13th December 2013

The Balkans

The !thic "l!t re#uires a settin$ %hich is su&&iciently cl!se t! the reader t! a""ear threatenin$, %hile ne'ertheless bein$ alien en!u$h t! h!use all e(!tic "ara"hernalia ) the castles, the c!n'ents the ca'erns, the dar* &!rest at midni$ht, the mysteri!us 'illains and the h!%lin$ s"ectres+, - !lds%!rthy, Inventing Ruritania, ./0 Orientalism

The 1rient is a s"eci&ic *ind !& *n!%led$e ab!ut s"eci&ic "laces, "e!"les, and ci'ilizati!ns, -Said, Orientalism, 2030 -20 the di'isi!n !& races int! ad'anced and bac*%ard, !r 3ur!"ean-Aryan and 1rientalA&rican+, -Said, Orientalism, 2040 Since the 1riental %as a member !& a sub5ect race, he had t! be sub5ected6 it %as that sim"le, -Said, Orientalism, 20.0 Tourism

T!urism is a "ractice !& c!nsiderable cultural and ec!n!mic im"!rtance and, unli*e a $!!d many mani&estati!ns !& c!ntem"!rary culture, is %ell *n!%n in s!me $uise t! e'ery literary !r cultural critic, -Culler, Framing the sign, 1/30 The t!urist is n!t interested in the alibis a s!ciety uses t! re&uncti!nalize its "ractices+ The t!urist is interested in e'erythin$ as a si$n !& itsel&, an instance !& a ty"ical cultural "ractice+ , -Culler, Framing the sign, 1/70 Religious Utopia

-20 the ma5!r Christian 'irtue %as sim"licity+ 1n the !ther hand, intelli$ence, culture, learnin$, manners, lu(ury %ere De'il8s creati!n+, -3liade, The Quest. History and Meaning in Religion, 940 The house as the ideal shelter of daydreaming

:!% my aim is clear6 ; must sh!% that the h!use is !ne !& the $reatest "!%ers !& inte$rati!n &!r the th!u$hts, mem!ries and dreams !& man*ind+ <ast, "resent and &uture $i'e the h!se di&&erent dynamics, %hich !&ten inter&ere, at time !""!sin$, at !thers, stimulatin$ !ne !ther+, -Bachelard, The Poetics of S ace, 40

Ana-Maria Amza 2

Junk as literal inspiration

1ne c!llects a certain am!unt !& 5un* in the h!"e that it mi$ht !ne day c!me t! &uncti!n as mar*er and ma*e the e'ent, e("erience !r %hate'er a truly si$ni&icant !ne+ 1ne may secretly h!"e that i& !ne has en!u$h 5un* the "ast, it mar*s %ill bec!me truly mem!rable+ There is, at least a &eelin$ that i& %e thr!% !ut this 5un*, %e are bein$ disres"ect&ul t! the "ast it mem!rializes+, -Culler, Framing the sign, 1.10 Autobiographical Writing

=hen %e as* the #uesti!ns, >!% d! %e &ind si$ni&icant "l!ts &!r !ur li'es? >!% d! %e ma*e li&e narratable? =e &ind that the ans%ers are m!st clearly dramatized in narrati'es !& an aut!bi!$ra"hical cast, since these cann!t e'ade an e("licit c!ncern %ith "r!blems !& cl!sure, auth!rity, and narratability+ As Sartre ar$ued, aut!bi!$ra"hical narrati!n must necessarily be @!bituary@-must in any e'ent e("licitly sh!% mar$ins !utside the narratable, le&t!'er s"aces %hich all!% the narratin$ I t! !b5ecti&y and l!!* bac* at the narrated, and t! see the "l!tted middle as sha"ed by and as sha"in$ its mar$ins+, -Br!!*s, Reading for the Plot , 1170 America as a hyperreality

America is neither dream n!r reality+ ;t is a hy"erreality+ ;t is a hy"erreality because it is a ut!"ia %hich has beha'ed &r!m the be$innin$ as th!u$h it %ere already achie'ed+ 3'erythin$ here is real and "ra$matic, and yet it is all the stu&& !& dreams t!!+ -20 The Americans, &!r their "art, ha'e n! sense !& simulati!n+, -Baudrillard, !merica, 2A0

Works cited Bachelard, ast!n, The Poetics of S ace+ Trans+ Maria B!las+ B!st!n, Massachusetts6 Beac!n <ress, 1997+ Baudrillard, Bean, !merica+ reat Britain6 The Bath <ress, 19A9+ Br!!*s, <eter+ Reading for the Plot. Cambrid$e, Mass6 >ar'ard Cni'ersity <ress, 199A+ Culler, B!nathan, Framing the Sign. 1(&!rd6 Blac*%ell, 19AA+ 3liade, Mircea, The Quest. History and Meaning in Religion + Chica$!6 Cni'ersity !& Chica$! <ress, 1949, 19A7+ !lds%!rthy, Desna, Inventing Ruritania. The Im erialism of Imagination + :e% >ea'en and E!nd!n6 Fale Cni'ersity <ress, 2002+ Said, 3d%ard, Orientalism+ E!nd!n6 G!utled$e, 19.A+