Food for Thought: On the Topic of Author Intent

 Books, Commentary  3 Responses »
Apr 142013
 

Hello friends, this is Fenrir here, and welcome to another exciting addition to Food for Thought! A few weeks ago we discussed the Bildungsroman, and how awesome it is when we reverse it; this week we’re bringing critical theory back to the forefront in the wake of the newest geekdom viral video that’s been the talk of the weekend. Harry Potter fans are in a bit of an uproar over Rachel Rostad’s 2013 College Unions Slam Poetry entry entitled, “To JK Rowling, from Cho Chang” — and with pretty darn good reason.

Basically, Rostad roasts JK Rowling’s depiction of Cho Chang — who as far as most people can remember — was Harry Potter’s first love interest and token Asian character stuck in the “nerdy house”.  Some fans have found this caustic, and terribly unfair to JK Rowling, or that perhaps Rostad is too “sensitive”. But, and I hate to break it to fellow Potter-heads out there, Rostad does have a point (A pretty good one at that), and she has the right to say it, thanks to a special critical theory I’d like to talk about known as: authorial intent!

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Food for Thought: The Problems with Recreating Fictional Food

 Analysis, Commentary, Food  1 Response »
Mar 242013
 

the-hobbit-food

Hey guys, Fenrir here with another exciting addition of Food for Thought! Sooo it’s not often that we talk about food without a recipe (which is why there’s no Fantastic Feasts this week), but there’s actually a reason for it. Last Tuesday The Hobbit was released on DVD to the excitement of Richard Armitage fangirls fans across the US.  Overall The Hobbit has a sort of whimsy that Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings series does not share, and it certainly shows when the discussion of food comes up. So let’s take a moment from a foodie’s perspective to consider how it functions within a grandiose epic as complex as LOTR and what sort of information we can glean to successfully recreate Middle Earth’s cuisine — when really, we’re given nothing to work with.

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Fantastic Feasts and Where to Find Them: Winter Warm Up

 Food  7 Responses »
Nov 302011
 

Hello and welcome one and all to another exciting edition of Fantastic Feasts and Where to Find Them! For those of you who are based in the NYC area, you might have noticed the sudden (terrible) flux between abnormally warm weather and now slightly normal, cooler weather. So now that it feels less like summer and more like proper end-of-autumn weather, what’s the best way to combat the oncoming onslaught of cold?

With warm food stuffs, of course!

Let the feast begin >BU

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Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

 Movies, Review  No Responses »
Jul 222011
 
Daniel Radcliffe and Co. reign victorious in Rowling’s epic finale.

For as long as I can remember, the Harry Potter series has always had a special place in my leisure. While I may not be much of a reader, the Harry Potter franchise was enticing enough for me to start picking up the books and get a jump on the movies that followed. That being said, my impressions of the movies have mostly been a game of tolerance. Always having to grit my teeth when scenes didn’t follow canon. Never being able to hold back groans when entire segments from the books were either abridged or left out completely. And worst of all, saying goodbye to Quidditch altogether. Despite the cinematic shortcomings, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 delivers admirably in Harry Potter’s near-final hours. Let’s meet the crew… Continue reading »