Was Nathanael really just imagining things?
Reading the sandman, I pondered a lot about whether the account given by Nathanael about the sandman was real. I wondered a lot about whether those scenes of ‘memory’ were pieced together by his subconscious out of fear. As human, I think most of us would agree that we sometimes create our own versions of […]
Why Rousseau has to rethink his argument.
In my essay, I disagreed with Rousseau. I found that his opinions were not valid nor well justified, and overall too thin to persuade me that the savage man was, in fact, happier than us, civil men. I felt that it was irrelevant for him to compare the savage man to the civil man especially […]
What do you think of Meng Zi’s mom?
Meng Zi’s mother is, to many, ‘Mother of the era (of Mengzi’s time)’ because of her dedication as a mother. She knew that the environment would be one of the most important factors to Meng Zi’s growth and organized three major moves until she, along with Meng Zi, finally settled in a place she felt was […]
My name is Nicole Ng
Hi everyone, My name is Nicole and this is my introductory post! I did this before but for some unknown reason, I can’t seem to access the old site that I created. So this is my new website! Here are a few fun facts about me: I am a UBC student in the Arts faculty. […]
Reading the beginning & end of Lt. Gustl
In Arts One this week we discussed two German short stories: Heinrich von Kleist’s “The Earthquake in Chile” (I just discovered that there’s a 1970s film version) Arthur Schnitzler’s “Lieutenant Gustl” (the translation linked to here is different than the one we read; this is the one we read, and the one I’m citing […]
The Conundrum Brought on by the Last Line
“Then Don Fernando and Dona Elvira adopted the little stranger as their own son; and when Don Fernando compared Felipe to Juan and thought of how he had acquired both, her felt almost as if he should rejoice.” (33) The … Continue reading →
The Sandman – Hoffmann
Through the reading of The Sandman by Hoffmann, I found the link between the symbol of eyes and Nathanael’s mentality being affected by the character created from his mind, Coppelius. I believe the eyes can be seen as a symbol for one’s clarity of vision and mind, as Nathanael often loses sight/vision as he gets closer towards […]
Nathaniel the metal menace – an automaton in human clothing?
In Hoffmann’s 1816 “The Sandman”, the main protagonist Nathaniel falls in love with Olimpia – an automaton created by university professor Spallanzani and Coppelius-double Coppola. How did Nathaniel not find out earlier? Had robot technology advanced so far in 1816 that an automaton became indistinguishable from humans? Was Nathaniel just blinded by his humongous […]
The Lieutenant Cannot Have A Good Time—Not With That Attitude
I’m pretty sure most of the people in our seminar agree that the protagonist of Lieutenant Gustl is terrible dude in general—he’s sexist, anti-Semitic, and frankly just plain rude. It’s as if he’s got some kind of superiority complex masking an inferiority complex, all masked by unnecessary aggression, especially if you note top of page…
The Tempest: The Ideal Father
One thing that was interesting for me to note while reading The Tempest was the similarity between Prospero and Stephano; both were viewed as fatherly figures by Caliban despite weakening his position as a savage being. Compared to slaving for Prospero, Caliban was more eager to serve Stephano for Stephano not only tempted Caliban with an illusionary opportunity to free himself … Continue reading The Tempest: The Ideal Father →