I thought Mayle's closing would free me to write, but I didn't take into account my continuing desires (the clogs, a Billie bag, numerous dresses/jackets/coats that may one day appear on ebay). There's also the continued frustrations of the hunt--never before have I tried to buy items from a defunct business.
Moreover, there's the end of the semester malaise. My students are tired and I see it in their eyes and in their papers. Like Evan, I have spent a fair amount of the weekend grading. As I can only stomach so much decaf Sumatran, I've been treating myself to Green and Black's hot chocolate--it is so yummy but so much more expensive here than in the UK. But it seems to work--it gets me through my stash of papers. One more to go and I'm set for another week.
At this time of year, I realize that semesters are too long--students seem to be able to concentrate for about 10-11 weeks at a time and that's it. Today's technologies may even be eroding this as they encourage ever-shorter attention spans. So I'm fighting several battles here to get them to learn when even I feel that these last few weeks are best spent working on papers and reviewing material. Of course, that's not how survey classes operate so I am presenting new material to three classes of tired students (many of whom aren't coming to class) for the next two weeks. As their finals aren't cumulative, I stress that classes now are no less important than they were five weeks ago, but I think I'm losing that battle.
Meanwhile, I'm thinking about my new projects. Finishing the intro is going to be tough--it's the worst part of any book and I have to condense 50 pages into 15-20 while adding breakdowns for two new chapters (one on early feature films, the other on celebrity in Progressive era cinema) and summarizing a couple of relevant anthologies that were published since I wrote the original. Going back to this material is daunting and I've got to get beyond my mental block. Hopefully this week, I can dive back in.
In the meantime, I'm excited about a couple of new projects. The first is an essay on the female nude in 1910s cinema and its links to art, allegory, nation and uplift in a context of censorship, regulation and mass culture. The second is my book proposal on Femininity and Popular Film and TV (working title--one that needs to be made snappier, for want of a better word)--right now, this is the Hotel for Dogs of book titles--a description of the project, not its name. The proposal is written and now I need to work on one of the sample chapters, either the one on collective female protagonists or one on objects, consumerism and agency. Given my Mayle collections, the latter may triumph.
Of course, summer teaching looms. I'm teaching Celebrity and Public Speaking (two classes, not one) for most of June. Those will pay off some of my Mayle debts, I hope.
Meanwhile, I'm still looking out for those clogs.
2 comments:
Celebrity in Progressive era cinema sounds like an intriguing chapter. I am eagerly awaiting the publication of your book, Moya! I haven't read too much film history/theory, and it's a shame as an art historian that I don't. I think we have a lot in common in terms of the issues that interest us.
My dissertation still has a lame title--I just can't seem to come up with anything nicer right now. It will come in time, I suppose.
The hunt is always a good way to take a break from writing/research, especially since it never takes up an inordinate amount of time.
I agree, semesters are too long, but my students lack interest or attention as soon as they receive their first set of grades for the course. That usually determines whether or not the course is worth the effort.
Isn't it funny that we both write about consumerism and are avid shoppers? So many academics scorn television and shopping and yet they feel comfortable writing about these things.
Good luck with your intro, I am sure your book will be amazing. Remember, you always have 'The Great Gatsby' as a distraction (please don't kill me)!
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