Tolkien & “The Silmarillion”: cultural influences & mythopoeia in the shaping of an epic
by Pauline Park

“The Silmarillion” is J.R.R. Tolkien’s longest work and arguably his most complex; it is the work that took Tolkien the longest to write and remained unfinished at the time of his death, to be put together as a single volume by his son Christopher Tolkien. “The Sil” (as some Tolkien fans refer to it fondly and casually) also covers an enormous amount of time in Middle Earth years.

As with any great work of literature, “The Silmarillion” reflects many different cultural influences. I see Hebrew/Judaic, Greek and Germanic influences in different parts of this sprawling work, with the Germanic influences predominating; let me begin with what I see as the secondary influences.

As noted above, Christopher Tolkien pulled together “The Silmarillion” after his father’s death, bringing into one published volume what were really multiple manuscripts at various stages of completion. The table of contents in the published version of 1977 begins with the “Ainulindalë,” follows with the “Valaquenta” (the “Quenta Silmarillion”), and concludes with the “Akallabêth,” followed by the codocil, “Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age,” basically a summary of “The Lord of the Rings,” Tolkien’s most popular work and masterpiece.

The “Ainulindalë” is Tolkien’s Book of Genesis in which he tells the story of the creation of Middle Earth and it is the one part of the “Sil” that reflects Judaic cultural influence insofar as it is Tolkien’s rewriting of the Hebrew Old Testament’s first book. The most specifically Judaic element is the role of Ilúvatar as the supreme being, even if in some ways the pantheon of deities introduced in the “Ainulindalë” is also reminiscent of the pantheon of Greek and Roman gods and goddesses. Perhaps the most specifically Judaic (or more broadly ‘Judeo-Christian’) element here is the figure of Melkor; referred to as ‘Morgoth’ through most of “The Silmarillion,” he is the ‘Satan’ figure, the fallen angel who challenges the authority and power of Ilúvatar and the other Valar (gods), in a narrative told with some of the most exquisite language in any of Tolkien’s writings.

At the tail end of the published volume is “The Akallabêth,” which is Tolkien’s Atlantis story and which in that regard reflects Greek influence more so than any other part of the “Sil.” Reading the “Sil” for the first time, I was struck by the name of the last king of Númenór: whether Tolkien had this in mind, ‘Ar-Pharazôn’ sounds to me redolent of the title ‘pharaoh,’ with the hint of the Egyptian captivity of the ancient Israelites. The story of the downfall of Númenór ends the grand narrative of “The Silmarillion” insofar as “Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age” is little more than an artful summary of the plot of “The Lord of the Rings.”

But “The Silmarillion” proper is the “Valaquenta” or “Quenta Silmarillion,” which runs from page 25 to page 255 of the edition published by Houghton Mifflin in 1977 — in other words, the bulk of the text— and here the predominant influence is undoubtedly Germanic. In writing this difficult and complex work, Tolkien drew upon decades of reading of Old English, Old Norse and other Germanic language texts, among them “Beowulf,” the greatest of all Anglo-Saxon epic poems. Tolkien was also strongly influenced by his reading of the Old Norse sagas, two of which (“Njal’s Saga” and “Egil’s Saga”) I have read myself. It is also quite possible and indeed probable that Tolkien was familiar with the greatest battle poem in English, describing the Battle of Maldon in Essex in 991 which includes perhaps the single most famous line in Old English poetry:

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France 2015: Paris & Versailles

I lived in Paris from January through June 1992 but did not have the opportunity to return to the City of Light until May 2015; my week in Paris was a trip down memory lane, bringing back a flood of memories from the six months I spent there 23 years before. During the course of the week, I took one big day trip, To Versailles, which I did not visit while I was living in Paris in 1992 but rather in December 1981, while I was living in London. These are some photos I took in May 2015 and some thoughts about the city I lived in and fell in love with like so many American expatriates before me…

Thursday, May 21

I flew out of JFK on Wednesday, May 20 and arrived somewhat bleary-eyed at Charles de Gaulle on Thursday, May 21. CDG may have once been state-of-the-art, but the aéroport has not aged well. Before landing, I tried to take a picture out of my window, but my camera wouldn’t work, so when I met up with my friend Joyce, the first thing we did was go to a camera repair shop. Unfortunately, the camera could not be repaired on-site; since it would take 10 days to repair, I decided to buy a new one and found a good digital camera at L’Instantané; it wasn’t cheap, but I took 2,000 photos with it in one week in Paris and then over 6,600 photos in a month in Korea the following month, which made it worth it to buy.

Joyce and her partner Ellen were spending six months in Paris and invited me to stay with them for a week; it was an opportunity I didn’t feel I could pass up, especially as it had been a full 23 years since I’d been in the City of Light. Joyce very helpfully took me to a little shop where I bought a SIM card I could use in my cell phone during my week in Paris so I could stay in touch with her by phone and text message. Then we went back to their apartment in the rue Sedaine. The three of us then met up with friends of theirs at Les Philosophes — ironic because it was one of the few restaurants I dined in while living in Paris in 1992; and perhaps doubly ironic, given my background and interest in philosophy.

With my new digital camera from L’Instantané, I took a shot of the Place des Vosges one of the most architecturally and historically important squares in Paris, as the first mixed-use urban development (as we would call it nowadays) in France, with rows of shops at street level and elegant apartments above ground level.

Place des Vosges in the Marais (4ème)

Les Philosophes had been renovated since I last saw it and the interior was less quaint but considerably more accommodating than in the old days; but we sat outside, dining al fresco, enjoying the relatively warm May evening air.

les Philosophes

The food was good and it was interesting meeting Ellen and Joyce’s friends; but I was struck by the coincidence that they had chosen one of the few restaurants in Paris that I had actually dined at while I was living there in 1992. ‘Philosophes’ in French can simply mean ‘philosophers,’ but it has a particular meaning in French cultural and political history, referring to Voltaire, Diderot and the other writers of the French Enlightenment who were not for the most part systematizing philosophers like the Germans Leibniz or Kant or the English philosophers Hobbes or Locke; the French Philosophes had a particular agenda, which was to move France beyond the religiously based disputes of the Wars of Religion which tore France apart in the 16th century and into an era of rational discussion not based on religious authority or scriptural references.

The restrooms had been completely renovated since I was last at Les Philosophes back in 1992, with gleaming steel installed and clever little quotes on the mirrors (4ème).

On the way home, we walked down the rue des Rosiers, the main street of the old Jewish quarter of Paris…

We passed through the Place des Vosges around midnight, beautifully mysterious with only street lights to light our way through the great square…

Friday, May 22

On Friday, I took my only day trip out of Paris, taking the SNCF train to Versailles to see the most famous royal palace in Europe. I hadn’t actually visited Versailles during my six months living in Paris in 1992 and my only previous visit to the château and its gardens was in December 1981, when I was living in London; my memories of Versailles were not happy ones, as we had gotten thoroughly soaked walking through the vast gardens in the rain because we’d left the umbrella in our hotel room.

 rue Sedaine  in the 11ème (5.22.15)

That morning, I set out from the apartment in the rue Sedaine, eager to get to Versailles and all the more excited, having recently read a 600-page biography of Louis XIV. That’s not to say I’m a fan of Louis; le Roi Soleil was a distinctly mixed bag. The first 10 years of Louis’ reign was a stunning success, but his decision to make war on the Dutch Republic was the beginning of endless wars that eventually bankrupted France and ultimately contributed to the trajectory that led to the French Revolution.

Versailles: château de Versailles on the left, the royal chapel on the right

I didn’t buy a ticket in advance and my heart sank when I saw the enormous line to get into the château when I arrived around 11 a.m.; fortunately, it only took 45 minutes to get to the ticket counter, which was surprising given the length of the queue.

la Galerie des Glaces au château de Versailles

When I first visited the château way back in December 1981, the Galerie des Glace was not at all crowded, in part because it was raining and dreary, and the interior of the château was correspondingly dreary. When I returned in May 2015, the Hall of Mirrors was swamped at regular intervals by waves of tourists, like waves on the Normandy beaches. And 24 years later, everyone was taking ‘selfies’ with camera phones, something one would not have seen in 1981; in fact, there was an African immigrant in the courtyard of the château selling selfie sticks; I can’t imagine what Louis XIV would have thought of that~!

la Chapelle Royale au château de Versailles

When I was an undergraduate, I studied the music of François Couperin (1668-1733), who was along with Jean-Philippe Rameau, the greatest composer of the French Baroque. Couperin’s two books of organ works were published in 1690 and I studied a number of pieces from both the Messes pour les Couvents and the Messes pour les Paroisses. Couperin was appointed organist of the Chapelle Royale at Versailles in 1693, so it was thrilling to be able to see the great organ in the Chapelle Royale that Couperin himself played on for Louis XIV.

dans la Galerie des Glaces au château de Versailles

The Galerie des Glaces is the most celebrated hall in all of Versailles, the glittering core of Louis XIV’s enormous château; it was the scene of some of the most glittering and politically significant events the château saw in the century when it was the nexus of political power in France and in the centuries to follow, including the proclamation of King Wilhelm of Prussia as emperor of the new German Reich in 1871 and the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in 1918. But to me, the most romantic event ever to have taken place in the Hall of Mirrors was the celebrated Bal des Ifs held in 1745 to celebrate the engagement of the dauphin to Maria Teresa, the Spanish infanta; it was at that Yew Tree Ball where Louis XV met and fell in love with the young Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, creating her the Marquise de Pompadour; Madame de Pompadour was the first bourgeoise in Bourbon French history to occupy the position of maitresse-en-titre and as the king’s official mistress would reign over the court at Versailles until her death.

Grand Trianon

Jules Hardouin-Mansart designed and built the Grand Trianon in 1687; it’s the second largest palace on the grounds after the château but even so, much smaller; the elegant pink marble is beautiful but could leave some cold.

in the Grand Trianon

Reading numerous books about Bourbon France and Versailles, including John B. Wolf’s 600-page biography of Louis XIV, gave me more background than most tourist bring with them to Versailles and helped bring all of those characters from the ancien régime alive. I’m guessing that most tourist who wander through the palaces and gardens at Versailles would only have vague familiarity with Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette; for me, they are very nearly as real to me and as complex as anyone I know; they are also profoundly flawed, including Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI, as well as Marie-Antoinette. I was astonished to read in Wolf’s biography that it was Louis XIV who set up the first concentration camp for political prisoners, for French Huguenots who tried to escape France after his revocation of the Edict of Nantes, his biggest mistake by common consent of informed historians.

the gardener’s house in the ‘domaine de la reine’ created by Marie-Antoinette around her hameau (hamlet) at Versailles

When I visited Versailles in May 2015, the biggest change was the reconfiguration and ‘branding’ of the ‘Domaine de la Reine,’ the area of the vast estate that was the special preserve of Marie-Antoinette. The hameau (hamlet) where the queen of France played milkmaid with her ladies-in-waiting seems like a pretentious folly to us, but reading in the biography of Marie-Antoinette by Evelyne Lever about the oppressive court ceremonial the queen had to deal with gives one a better understand of how this playing at milkmaid must have been a relief from the constraints of court life.

Louis XV built the Petit Trianon for his last maitresse-en-titre, Madame du Barry; it’s an elegant neoclassical building designed by Ange-Jacques Gabriel in 1768; but after the old king’s death, his grandson unceremoniously kicked out the late king’s mistress and gave the little palace to his wife as a birthday present; from that moment ever after, Marie-Antoinette regarded the Petit Trianon as her home as well as a refuge from the château and its oppressive court ceremony.

Marie-Antoinette continues to fascinate us to the present day; in truth, she was neither a heroine nor a saint nor was the doomed queen the nymphomaniac she-devil she was caricatured in in countless frankly deeply misogynist pamphlets printed during her reign; the woman known to her Habsburg family as ‘Antonia’ was a profoundly flawed character who brought her doom on herself with countless mistakes but who nonetheless rose to a level of true nobility in her last year of life, purified in some sense by her deep suffering, and one has to see the arc of her life in the historical, cultural and political context in which she lived it.

Saturday, May 23

I did not visit the Cimitière Père Lachaise when I was living in Paris in 1992, so I was delighted to have the opportunity to visit the most famous cemetery in the city when I was there in May 2015.

la famille Sauron dans la Cimitière Père Lachaise (20ème)

As a Tolkien fan, I was amused to see the grave of the Sauron family in the cemetery.

the sarcophagus of Oscar Wilde 

There were many famous people whose graves I wanted to see in the Cimitière Père Lachaise, but at the top of the list were those of Oscar Wilde, Frederic Chopin and Edith Piaf, all of whom hold a special place in my heart. Wilde, the outrageous trailblazer for LGBT rights and the author of “The Importance of Being Earnest,” one of the wittiest plays in the English language, has an enormous sarcophagus, which is so popular and has been kissed so often, now has a plastic wall around it to protect it from overly enthusiastic admirers.

When I visited the Cimitière Père Lachaise in the 20ème for the first time in May 2015, I found this memorial to the victims of the Nazi concentration camp at Mauthausen; it wasn’t long ago that I discovered that Mauthausen was one of three Nazi concentration camps that my father helped liberate at the end of World War II, so it was especially meaningful to me.

at the grave of Edith Piaf in the Cimitière Père Lachaise (20ème)

Edith Piaf is far and away my favorite singer of French chansons populaires and I was happy to see a group of Piaf fans come to her grave when I was there and delighted to hear them break into popular Piaf songs.

After strolling through the cemetery, the young Austrian I wandered through Père Lachaise with and I came out to find a marché aux puces/vide grenier outside the cemetery grounds, where I found some trinkets to take home with me as gifts for friends. I then rushed back to the apartment for dinner with Ellen and Joyce, bringing dessert with me.

Sunday, May 24

In the morning, I went with Joyce to the green market known as the ‘Marché Bastille’ in the Boulevard Richard Lenoir to shop for fruit and vegetables. Joyce and Ellen then went up to the community garden maintained by the Association L’îlot Lilas (295 rue de Belleville 75019 Paris) at rue Haxo, where Isabelle greeted us and introduced us to some of the ‘regulars.’

The Lilolila  community garden is a wonderful example of a community-based cooperative organization maintaining a productive bit of greenery in the concrete  and relatively un-green 19th arondissement.

I had a number of delightful conversations in the Lilolila community garden, including with a Frenchman named Philippe and his Japanese wife Maki. I was gratified when Philippe told me he thought I was a native francophone and that he had never met someone who wasn’t a native French speaker who spoke French so well.

I was charmed to see a little henhouse in the garden.

Monday, May 25

Monday was Marais day for me, a trip down memory lane in the neighborhood composed of by the 3rd and 4th arondissements that I lived in and called home for six months in 1992.

29, rue des Archives: where I lived for six months in 1992

I just had to pass by my old building in the rue des Archives during my week in Paris in May 2015. The building was largely unaltered, except for a few of the shops and cafés on the street level.

29, rue des Archives, designed by architect Albert Le Voisvenel (1885)

I don’t know if I ever noticed it when I was living in the building, but passing by in May 2015, I saw the name of the architect and the date of the building’s construction carved into the side of the building, and reflected on the fact that it was built just three years before my grandmother’s birth.

Rue Vielle du Temple (a street in the Marais) (4ème)

Rue Vielle du Temple holds a special place in my memory; it was the street I walked up to go to my boyfriend’s apartment back in 1992; I couldn’t remember the address of his building or find it when I was in Paris in May 2015, so I had to content myself with a stroll down the Rue Vielle du Temple.

la pyramide du Musée du Louvre (1ère)

I can’t actually remember if I visited the Louvre during the six months I was living in Paris more than once, but it was before the pyramid designed by I.M. Pei was constructed, so it was interesting to enter through the pyramide for the first time. While the line looked enormous, it ended up being about 45 minutes, just like the line to get into the château and into Sainte-Chapelle.

les appartements Napoléon III au Musée du Louvre (1ère)

I had my heart set on seeing “Pélérinage à l’Île de Cythère,” my favorite painting in the Louvre and one of my favorite works of art in any museum, but Antoine Watteau’s vast canvas was in a wing of the museum that was closed for renovations when I arrived; I was disappointed, but the compensation was seeing the Appartements Napoléon III for the first time and soaking in their splendid opulence.

Musée du Louvre (1ère): table et fauteuil de toilette (Paris, c. 1819) designed by Marie-Jeanne-Rosalie Desarnaud-Charpentier (“acquis par la duchesse de Berry” pour “son chateau de Rosny-sur-Seine”) in the Louvre on my last trip to Paris (5.25.15)

la Cour du Musée du Louvre (1ère)

les appartements Napoléon III au Musée du Louvre (1ère)

les appartements Napoléon III: salle à manger, Musée du Louvre

Louis XVI period room in the Musée du Louvre (1ère)

Rue de Rivoli from the Musée du Louvre (1ère)

I spent some time in the Place des Vosges on Monday evening looking for a suitable restaurant for diner, settling on the Place Royal, then calling Joyce to bring Ellen down there to meet me at the restaurant.

Place Royal in the Place des Vosges

Ellen, Joyce and I enjoyed Place Royal, an elegant and rather expensive restaurant in the Place des Vosges with superb food; it was the most lavish dinner of the entire week in Paris; it was my gift to them for the week of hébergement and it wasn’t cheap.

Tuesday, May 26

Art Nouveau Style Nouille cast iron entrance at the Place de la Bastille Métro station

I love Art Nouveau and especially the Style Nouille (‘noodle style’) and was delighted to come across the cast iron entrance at the Place de la Bastille Métro station.

Sainte Chapelle on the Île de la Cité

Sainte Chapelle is in my view the most beautiful church in the world. I was fortunate enough to be visiting Paris in May 2015, just after the original stained glass windows were remounted after seven years of cleaning them; when the sun finally came out, the windows were dazzling with the light streaming through them.

Sainte Chapelle is a miracle of Gothic design and one of the supreme masterpieces of French architecture

la cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris: rose window & organ

Sainte Chapelle shares the Île de la Cité with Nôtre Dame de Paris. While the cathedral and seat of the bishop of Paris is darker and lacks the stunning stained glass windows of Sainte Chapelle, Nôtre Dame is far more historically important and politically significant; fortunately, it is also much easier to get into; there was no line when I arrived there after leaving Sainte Chapelle around the corner.

La crypte archéologique de l’île de la Cité est un musée de la Ville de Paris, situé juste sous le parvis de la cathédrale  de Nôtre-Dame

Underneath Nôtre Dame is a large archeological crypt that contains some of the foundations of ancient Paris; I’d never seen it before and took the opportunity to explore it after visiting the cathedral.

I crossed the Île de la Cité many times while living in Paris and had seen the Conciergerie from afar but had never gone inside; since the ticket to Sainte Chapelle included admission to the Conciergerie as well, I thought I would check out this imposing prison where Marie-Antoinette and thousands of others were imprisoned during the French Revolution and it turned out to be quite fascinating.

Conciergerie: a cell for poor prisoners

Conciergerie: a cell for wealthy prisoners

Even in prison, class distinctions were paramount: the cells for poor prisoners in the Conciergerie were filthy hovels, but those for prisoners who could pay an extra fee were relatively clean by comparison and those prisoners (aristocrats, undoubtedly) had cots to sleep on instead of straw. Seeing the cell where Marie-Antoinette lived out the last months of her life was really meaningful after having read two biographies of her; while I’m no fan of hers, the doomed queen rose to a level of true nobility in her last few months; had she displayed the same wisdom in her many years of foolish, frivolous, extravagant and even treasonous behavior as queen, she might well have kept her head.

courtyard of the Hôtel Carnavalet

After leaving the Conciergerie, I visited the Hôtel Carnavalet, which I had first seen when I was living in Paris in 1992; it was a wonderful reminder of the sweep of history of this great city.

golden statues at the entrance to one of the rooms in the Hôtel Carnavalet

I then proceeded to the Hôtel Salé, which houses the Musée Picasso, my first visit to this wonderful museum. The breadth and depth of the Picasso collection is unique in all the world, but the exceptionally beautiful elegance of the Hotel Salé itself makes a visit to this grand building worth one’s while.

I came across the Musée Cognacq-Jay on my walk through the Marais after visiting the Musée Picasso. Called the ‘Musée du XVIIIe siècle de la Ville de Paris,’ the Musée Cognacq-Jay is a tiny little jewel of a museum that can be seen in less than half an hour; while it can’t compare to the Musée Picasso in the importance of its collection and while the building that houses it lacks the grandeur of the Hôtel Salé, the Musée Cognacq-Jay will be a delight to anyone interested in the 18th century as I am.

an 18th c. clock in the Musée Cognacq-Jay

Wednesday, May 27

On my last day in Paris, I paid a final visit to the Place des Vosges and then went for the first time to the Hôtel de Soubise, which houses the Archives Nationales.

Hôtel de Soubise: le Salon du Prince (4ème)

Hôtel de Soubise: le Salon du Prince (4ème)

l’Hôtel de Soubise, a masterpiece of the Rococo style (4ème)

Hôtel de Soubise: le Salon de la Princesse (4ème)

The Hôtel de Soubise has only two rooms really worth seeing, but they are exceptionally beautiful and important: the Salon du Prince and the even more beautiful Salon de la Princesse, masterpieces of the Rococo.

One last farewell to the building in the rue des Archives where I lived in 1992.

…at the Arc de Triomphe on my last day in Paris

And then the Arc de Triomphe, followed by the Palais Garnier, the masterpiece of Second Empire architecture.

Palais Garnier

dome of the Galleries Lafayette

And finally, a glimpse of the sumptuous dome of the Galleries Lafayette before bidding Paris adieu.

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Korea 2015: return to the motherland
by Pauline Park

In June 2015, I returned to Korea for the first time since I left at the age of seven and-a-half months old; it was a momentous trip. 나는 한국에서 입양되었다 These are some photos from the month I spent in the Land of the Morning Calm. #입양 #입양인 #한국 #조선 #대한민국 #남한 #남조선 #한국말 #입양홍보

Sunday, June 14

On the eve of my flight to Korea, I visited my friend Mohammad in Brooklyn.

Mohammad made a splendid Palestinian dinner for me and for our mutual friend Ang and I played a little piano for them on the grand piano in Mohammad’s house.

Monday, June 15

I flew out of La Guardia the next morning to Dallas/Fort Worth.

I spent the night in a mini hotel at DFW — my first experience of a Japanese-style mini hotel; it was clean and comfortable and it was convenient, as I didn’t have to go out of the security perimeter of the airport; in the morning, I was ready for my flight to Korea.

Tuesday, June 16

An ill omen for the country — though fortunately not for my flight or my trip — was Donald Trump’s announcement of his presidential candidacy, which I watched on CNN while waiting for my flight to Incheon. But a good omen was something S-shaped that I will leave to the imagination of readers that I produced on the morning of my flight to Korea.

I flew out of DFW to Incheon, Korea’s largest airport; it was impossible for me to get more than just a few restless hours of sleep on the 13-hour flight, cramped as I was in coach; the saving grace was that — though I was up against the emergency exit — I didn’t have anyone in front of me on the flight.

At least I got a decent dinner on the AA flight from DFW; we were given a choice of an American-style dinner and a Korean one and I opted for the Korean.

Wednesday, June 17

Incheon’s new-ish airport impressed me with its cleanliness and efficiency.

I arrived at Incheon international airport, only to be confronted with bilingual posters in English and Korean warning of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) ‘epidemic,’ which turned out to be a hyped non-epidemic.

My first view of the city of my birth upon my return after 54 years from the patio outside Seoul Station. 서울

I took the AREX train into Seoul, arriving at Seoul Station around dusk.

I took a taxicab to the Ramada Hotel Namdaemun.

Thursday, June 18

I awoke the next morning to a spectacular panorama of Seoul as seen through the window of my room at the Ramada Hotel Namdaemun, with Seoul Station on the left.

The breakfast room at the hotel was large and airy and very woodsy.

I met two other participants in the Mosaic 2015 adult tour organized by Me & Korea which ran from June 17-28; we went out to lunch at Seoul Station and on the way back passed Namdaemun, the Great South Gate.

Namdaemun 남대문 has always held a special place in my heart: it is the only landmark in Seoul or Korea that I can distinctly remember from reading about the country of my birth in encyclopedias we had at home.

I was delighted to see Namdaemun for the first time.

I was delighted to meet Marie Frenette, a Canadian from Nova Scotia who had seen my post on Facebook about coming to Korea and was interested to meet me; after living in Korea for 9 years, she had become fluent in Korean — quite a feat for any North American with no familial connection with Korea. I remarked on the irony that I spoke the language of Marie’s ancestors (French) while she spoke that of mine…

Friday, June 19

I visited Soedaemun Prison Museum with my friend Kris; Korean nationalists were held here during the Japanese occupation and tortured and murdered. But the postwar Korean dictatorship continued to use Soedaemun to detain, torture and murder political dissidents for decades after the end of the Japanese occupation in 1945.

Saturday, June 20

Me & Korea’s Mosaic Tour began in earnest on Saturday.

After breakfast, we piled into a bus and drove to Gwanghwamun 광화문, the huge square in the center of Seoul that is where countless protests and demonstrations have taken place; there, we were greeted by an enormous statue of Sejong the Great 세종 대왕, the king who commissioned the creation of hangul 한글, the alphabet still in use today that is considered by many linguists to be among the most ingenious alphabets ever created.

I got to pretend that I was president of the Republic of Korea 대한민국 at the Cheongwadae Sarangchae 청와대사랑채 museum in Seoul 서울 한국 조선

I visited Gyeongbokgung 경복궁 — the largest of the five royal palaces in Seoul 서울 — at the beginning of my month in Korea.

It was raining so hard, the royal guard took cover under the great gate of Gwanghwamun 광화문 한국 조선 대한민국 남한 남조선

Gyeongbokgung houses a good part of the collection of the National Museum of Korea and I saw this magnificent dragon in the palace.

I saw many other fascinating works of art in the museum; perhaps the most unusual was a car once used by the royal family.

Sunday, June 21

On Sunday morning, Mosaic tour participants gathered in the lobby of the Ramadan Namdaemun.

We attended a service at the Jesus’ Love Church, featuring a rather extraordinary sermon by the Elder Pastor Kim, who told us that we shouldn’t think of ourselves as Korean adoptees but rather as warriors for Christ whose mission is to take over the United States so that it can convert the entire world to Christianity. I seriously doubt anyone in the group took the Elder Pastor Kim’s nonsense seriously either, but since the church was one of the co-sponsors of the tour, we all listened politely to his sermon. One of the two interpreters on the tour — a young progressive feminist who grew up in Korea but was by this point studying in the United States — was seriously offended by the sermon. But as for me, having been raised in a Christian fundamentalist household, I was in effect ‘inoculated’ against such nonsense and the sermon did not bother me; fortunately, the Elder Pastor Kim did not get into homophobic or transphobic discourse.

And thankfully,  the sermon was only half an hour long (even if it seemed much longer), and after the service, some of us were paired with ‘host families,’ others with ‘host buddies.’ I met my two host buddies, the wonderful Tae-kyung and Sinhae, and we saw much of Seoul together, including Changyecheon stream, one of the most delightful places in the city. The original plan for the members of the tour was to stay overnight with a host family from the church, but apparently after some internal discussion, the organizers quite prudently decided that pairing me with host buddies not associated with the fundamentalist Jesus Love church would make sense for the only openly transgendered or queer member of the motherland tour group.

Tae-kyung and Sinhae introduced me to the delights of Cheonggyecheon #청계천; the stream flows once again through the heart of Seoul as it did before being covered in concrete for 45 years; it’s a rare bit of nature in Korea’s capital 서울

We also visited Deoksugung Palace 덕수궁, one of the five royal palaces in Seoul 서울. I had been there the day before, but it was pouring rain on Saturday; on Sunday, it was gloriously sunny and the light brought out the wonderful yellow color on the side of the throne room building.

I was enchanted by the Joseon dynasty era architecture of the palace.

And it was sweet of Taekyung and Sinhae to be so patient with my touristy curiosity, Taekyung taking a number of shots of me in front of one of the pavilions.

Deoksugung 덕수궁 is the second largest of the five royal palaces but isn’t so much a single building as with most European palaces but rather a series of pavilions, this one being one of the largest and most prominent.

 

 

Monday, June 22

In the morning, I went with two other adoptees from the Mosaic tour and one of the interpreters to meet with staff at Social Welfare Services. Afterwards, we went out for lunch and I really loved the bibimbap that I had along with many other dishes I shared.

In the evening, participants in the Mosaic tour took a cruise on the Han River.

One part of a bridge on the river was spouting water from colored lights, which looked like the colors of the rainbow flag. It was a hot and humid evening, but the breeze on the river was wonderfully cooling.

And the nighttime views of Seoul were dazzling.

Tuesday, June 23

Around midday, Mosaic tour participants served lunch to elderly Koreans at a soup kitchen near Seoul station, which is the area where many of the city’s homeless congregate.

천 사 가 되 어 주 서ㅣ 요

Afterwards, we took a bus down to Gyeongju (Kyongju) in the southeast.

Cheomseongdae Observatory 첨성대 (瞻星臺) is one of the oldest surviving structures in Korea. Built in 647 during the reign of Queen Seondeok of the Silla kingdom, Cheomseongdae  was used as an astronomical observatory.

Gyeongju (Kyongju)경주 was the capital of the ancient Silla kingdom during the Three Kingdoms period and it was fascinating to visit.

Mosaic participants took a group shot at Cheomseongdae Observatory.

Dongung Palace 동궁과 & Anapji Pond 안압지.

Hanhwa Resort in Gyeongju was a nice place to stay overnight, but surprisingly lacked wi-fi in the rooms and non-Korean TV stations.

Wednesday, June 24

National Museum

The Mosaic tour wended its way to Pohang 포항 in North Gyeongsang 경상북도 where we dipped our feet into the waters of the East Sea (Dong Hae) — Koreans don’t call it the ‘Sea of Japan’~!

The waters off Pohang are so clear you can see the sea floor and all of the flora and fauna in the ocean.

I dipped my feet in the Donhae.

The pier at Pohang

Jukdo market in Pohang was huge and fascinating.

Jukdo market in Pohang had live octopus and fish of every kind.

Live octopus on display in Judo market made for a visual feast.

Thursday, June 25

In the morning, Mosaic tour participants visited the Gyeongju National Museum, which has an enormous collection of Korean art and artifacts.

The most impressive artifact was a crown from the Silla kingdom.

We then lunched at Choi’s Bobsang before visiting the Gyochon Traditional Village (경주 교촌마을) on the southern edge of Gyeongju.

Three ‘ajumma’ taught us traditional Korean tea service

The biggest challenge was actually sitting on the floor cross legged.

Mosaic tour participants were instructed in traditional tea service and taught how to sing “Arirang,” the most famous of all Korean folk songs — though I had already learned the song before going to Korea.

We had Korean archery lessons as well.

On the way back to Seoul, we stopped at a rest stop for dinner and I had ttangcho ramyeon, a wonderfully hot and spicy noodle dish.

Friday, June 26

On the morning of the last full day of the Mosaic tour, participants scaled Naksan fortress wall.

In the afternoon, I took the Seoul subway with Sina Lee and Jacob Bowman to Insadong, a popular shopping area that is known for offering more traditional items than Myeongdong.

Insadong is a popular shopping district in Seoul.

Mosaic tour dinner

Sunday, June 28

I had a small but perfectly serviceable room at the Itaewon Inn for 10 days and nights.

The Queer Korea Festival drew a crowd estimated at 35,000, making it the largest event in the history of the LGBT community of Korea.

Christian fundamentalists tried to block the event from going forward and then tried to drown it out with loud noise but abjectly failed in that goal.

This was the first Queer Korea festival in Seoul City Hall Plaza  in the heart of the city.

At the festival, a young man confronted a Christian fundamentalist — though they were speaking in Korean, so I couldn’t understand what they were saying; but I guessed that the young man was gay and was challenging the minister’s homophobia.

Christian fundamentalists had tried to stop the Queer Korea Festival, but organizers were successful in challenging them in court.

I was surprised and delighted to see a big banner declaring “Queers Against Israeli Apartheid — Free Palestine.” 

I was invited to keynote the Queer Korea Festival (퀴어문화축제 & 퍼레이드).

Chogakbo is a new transgender advocacy project and had a float in the Seoul Pride Parade.

Seoul Pride 2015 was the most exciting pride parade I’ve ever been in; there were no pandering politicians and no corporate sponsorship, just ordinary LGBT people marching for their rights.

The mayor of Seoul put 3,000 police officers on the ground to guard participants in the Queer Korea Festival and Seoul Pride Parade.

Seoul Pride drew thousands of LGBT Koreans and allies to march for LGBT rights.

Monday, June 29

On Monday, June 29, Larry Tung and I met with Bong Youngshik and Kim Jiyoon at the Asan Institute to discuss their report, “Over the Rainbow: Public Attitude Toward LGBT in South Korea,” on LGBT rights and discrimination in Korea. In the afternoon, we met with a Korean transgender activist.

I saw Pororo the Little Penguin 뽀롱뽀롱 뽀로로 & his friends in the Seoul 서울 subway; my favorite is Eddy 에디 the fox 여우

Tuesday, June 30

Larry Tung and I explored the popular shopping district of Myeongdong on June 30 and I commented on how very ‘metrosexual’ young Korean men were, especially in the promotional posters in Myeongdong, in which the young men are very boyish, some even quite girlish to an American eye.

Larry and I were amused by the cute products on the shelves in stores in  Myeongdong.

Myeongdong cut-outs of a Korean boy band with a K-Pop look, which seems to be a dominant influence among young Koreans in Seoul.

At Daeksugong palace, Larry and I watched the changing of the guard; I was absolutely enchanted by the bright yellow garb of some of the guardsmen, with the feathers on their Joseon (Choson) dynasty era style hats and their traditional Korean flute playing.

In the evening, we passed by Gwanghwamun, the great entrance gate to Gyeongbokkung, the main royal palace and the largest of the five royal palaces in Seoul.

King Sejong commissioned the creation of the Korean alphabet and is the most revered of all Korea’s kings.

July 1

I was invited to speak at a press conference at the Turkish consulate in Seoul protesting the Istanbul police violence against participants in the Istanbul Pride Parade.

July 3

In the morning, Larry Tung and I went to the Social Welfare Services office to film in front of the rock outside the SWS office. 입양인 입양인의 입양인이 입양정보 입양기록 입양기록을

In the afternoon, I went with Minyoung Kim to a local police precinct to register as an adoptee; though nothing came of it, I appreciated her going out of her way to make me accessible to any birth family who could be searching for me.

I had some noodles before my speaking engagement in the evening.

In the evening, I was invited to speak at a meeting of  Solidarity for LGBT Human Rights of Korea (Haeng Seong In) (행동하는성소수자인권연대) about my LGBT activism.

I talked about what might be helpful for queer activists in Korea as they advocate for equality for LGBT Koreans. I was delighted to speak to a full room of community members and I was told that a turnout of more than 50 people was a large turnout for the 행동하는성소수자인권연대는.

The organization had created a poster to announce my speaking engagement:

July 4

I spent the Fourth of July in the land of my birth, traveling from the city of my birth to Busan, the second largest city in Korea, with Larry Tung 부산

On the way, we passed through Namdaemun, the Great South Gate, which has always been for me the iconic image of the city of my birth.

In the arch of the great gate there’s a wonderful dragon painted on the wood frame of the inside of the arch (7.4.15) 남대문

Larry and I bought tickets for Busan at Seoul Station.

We visited Daegaksa 대각사 Temple (Nampo-dong) near Busan Tower.

The reclining Buddha was striking.

Larry and I went up Busan Tower and took in the spectacular view of the harbor and the city.

Afterwards, we went to Lotte Mall, where we saw everything on sale from pianos to Japanese-style toilet seats.

July 5

We visited the Haedong Yonggungsa Temple 해동 용궁사 outside of Busan 부산, one of the most famous Buddhist temples in Korea.

I found some lucky pigs on the grounds of the temple.

I love pigs and the fact that they are considered symbols of good fortune in traditional Korean mythology.

After touring the temple site, Larry and I visited Haeundae 해운대해수욕장 

Haeundae 해운대해수욕장 outside of Busan 부산, one of South Korea’s most famous beaches One of South Korea’s most famous beaches

After getting back into Busan, we visited Shinsegae, which claims to be the largest department store in the world.

Zooraji is a children’s playground on the top floor complete with a carousel and dinosaurs.

July 6

I joined friends in strolling through Naru Park in Songpa-gu 송파구 in Seoul 서울 on a hot and humid day.

And we

I walked through the neighborhood of Mapo-gu, parts of which looked like what Seoul was before Park Chung-hee’s crash industrialization.

July 7

I gave a presentation on the first US LGBTQ delegation tour of Palestine (Jan. 2012) at a meeting of Palestine Peace & Solidarity in South Korea 팔레스타인평화연대

After which they wrote:

오늘 폴린 박 토크 굉장했습니다. 팔레스타인연대운동과 성소수자 운동의 접점을 찾은 이 기분…! 앞으로 만들어나갈 연대가 기대됩니다. 오늘 후기와 녹화 영상도 곧 공유하겠습니다. 온오프로 함께 해 주신 분들 정말 고맙습니다! (7.6.15)The

The

The

The

July 7

I had breakfast with Sina in Itaewon.

It was wonderful to see Sina and to reflect on the Mosaic Tour that we’d participated in together.

July 8

I was delighted to have Marie’s companionship as we took the train to the end of the #1 line where we crossed a busy intersection in downtown Uijeongbu 의정부시 to get to the 무당 house 巫堂

Uijeongbu 의정부시 — like the rest of Gyeonggi Province 경기도 — is now part of the Seoul metropolitan area.

Uijeongbu 의정부시: the 신 altar in the 무당 house 巫堂

Uijeongbu 의정부시: inside the 무당 house 巫堂

Uijeongbu 의정부시: Marie and me outside the 무당 house 巫堂

Uijeongbu 의정부시

Uijeongbu 의정부시

July 9

I I had lunch with Hyong-Jin, Myunghwa & 나 양 in Itaewon #이태원 #서울

July 10

I visited Changdeokgung 창덕궁 with my friend Kris.

One of the five royal palaces in Seoul, Changdeokgung is a UNESCO World Heritage site and famous for its celebrated Biwon 비원 — the ‘Secret Garden’ that was intended for sole use of the king and the royal family.

Seoul: a small gate in the Piwon — the Secret Garden of the Changdeokgung (7.10.15)

July 11

Korean celadon 청자 in the National Museum of Korea 한국 조선 in Seoul 서울.

I came across this boddhisattva.

July 5

July 6

I met up with two Korean friends in Seoul and we strolled around Seokchon Lake Park 석촌호수공원 coming across a World Wildlife Fund promo with plastic pandas.

Strolling around Seokchon Lake Park 석촌호수공원 we came across this Korean flag made out of chrysanthemum flowers.

In the evening, I went to Mapo-gu Café for a meeting of Palestine Peace & Solidarity in South Korea Palestine Peace & Solidarity in South Korea 팔레스타인평화연대 where I gave a presentation on my participation in the first US LGBTQ delegation tour of Palestine in Jan. 2012 to members of the group.

Afterwards, I went out to dinner with members of Palestine Peace & Solidarity in South Korea 팔레스타인평화연대.

The poster for my presentation to members of Palestine Peace & Solidarity in South Korea 팔레스타인평화연대 on my participation in the first US LGBTQ delegation tour of Palestine at their July 7 meeting (7.9.15)

July 8

I met up with Hyong-jin, Myunghwa & Kim Na-young in Itaewon for lunch.

I had had haemul pajeon (seafood scallion pancake) for dinner in Seoul.

I was amused by the fact that the Seoul Metro calls its subway currency ‘T money.’

I took 6,686 photos during 30 days in Korea — 2,658 with my iPad & 4,028 with my digital camera —  including 625 on the first memory card, 2,430 on the second card & 973 on the third. That compares with 1,996 photos that I took in 7 days in Paris in May, which averaged 287 photos per day, vs. 222.9 photos per day on average in Korea. So the Paris trip exceeded Korea for the most photos taken per day on average in any given trip, but the Korea trip topped the charts for the total number of photos taken on any trip until my five weeks in Europe in 2017, during which I took over 30,000 photos.

I arrived safely home after an uneventful three-hour flight from Dallas, following a more than 12-hour flight from Incheon, less than 12 hours short of 30 full days since leaving home on the biggest trip of my life (so far, at least). My month in Korea was the longest, most exhausting but most productive & most fun trip of my life and the most important since the trip that brought me to the land of my youth from the land of my birth so many years ago.

바울인 박
박 바울인

The post Korea 2015: return to the motherland appeared first on Pauline Park.

“Would You Still Love Me If…”
thoughts on a transgender-themed play

by Pauline Park

As an openly transgendered woman and a transgender activist, I was delighted to hear that a transgender-themed play had come to an ‘Off Broadway’ theater in New York. But after seeing “Would You Still Love Me If…” with a friend, I’m tempted to suggest that the piece should be renamed, “”Would You Still Love This Play After You’d Seen It…”

Goddess knows we need more transgender-themed plays, but is it too much to ask that they also be good? Unfortunately, this dog of a play won’t hunt. There are two basic problems with “Would You Still Love Me If…”: first, it peddles in tired old tropes about transgender identity; and second, it’s just not a very good play. I say this as someone who has written a play herself and studied theater and drama since junior high school as well as a transgender activist who has conducted hundreds of transgender sensitivity trainings and written extensively on gender identity and expression. The two problems are not at all unrelated, as the material of the drama often seems like a thinly disguised pretext for a rather misguided lecture on transgender identity and transition, while the revelations about Danya’s transition seem to be thrown out as pretexts to generate dramatic sparks on stage.

Without giving too much away, I think (plot spoiler alert for those who want to remain entirely in the dark before seeing it), I will sketch out the broad outline of  the action. Danya (Sofia Jean Gomez) and Addison (Rebecca Brooksher) are a lesbian couple who seem deeply in love with each other, but each has a secret. Addison’s deep dark secret propels her to arrange an adoption behind Danya’s back. But Danya is seeing a sex reassignment surgeon (Roya Shanks) behind Addison’s back; because the surgeon requires one responsible adult other than Danya to sign off on the surgery, she asks her mother, Victoria (Kathleen Turner) to do so.  Among the most absurd plot devices, it’s Dr. Gerard (Roya Shanks) who actually pushes Danya into what some call the ‘real life test’ as well as insisting that she pursue hormone replacement therapy (HRT) before being approved for sex reassignment surgery (SRS).

Watching this play, I got the sense that John S. Anastasi was a well-meaning liberal, possibly a gay man (just a guess; I don’t actually know what his sexual orientation is) who has suddenly discovered that transgender is the hot topic of the day and wants to simultaneously boost his playwrighting career and advance the cause of transgender rights through a play about a transman’s transition. But the characterization of Danya’s transition and Dr. Gerard’s role in it is so far-fetched that Anastasi is unlike to be successful with either objective. I know thousands of transgendered people, and I have yet to meet a single transman who has tried to go for phalloplasty (‘bottom surgery’) or even chest reconstruction (‘top surgery’) before first going on ‘T’ (testosterone, which is the basis for HRT for female-t0=male transsexuals). And the idea that someone who desperately desires surgery would flounce about in a revealing dress and heels pushes this play into a theater of the absurd without any of the significance of signification of Beckett and early twentieth century drama. Honestly, what transman is so clueless about and disconnected from the gender he identifies with that he has to be told by his own surgeon to stop wearing cleavage-revealing dresses and high-heeled pumps and start wearing more masculine attire?

And that’s where the rubber dildo hits the road. The completely unrealistic and frankly preposterous plot devices that jerk the audience forward for an hour and-a-half are based in good part on sensationalistic ‘reveals’ that contribute little to the audience’s understanding of transgender identity, despite well-meaning didacticism. And so what starts out as a potentially promising concept — the genuine tension that results from the announcement by one partner in a relationship (same-sex or opposite-sex) that s/he intends to transition to the other sex and gender — ends up trading on tired old tropes about sex change and selfishness. I have no idea how many real transgendered people he knows, but the playwright could have benefitted from even a half hour chat with me or observation at a meeting of the transgender support group that I run.

None of the actors struggling to make this ‘ungainly new play’ (as the New York Times critic called it in her review) work really succeed, not even the great Kathleen Turner, who is also the director of this sad and frankly embarrassing little affair; the material defeats them every time. “More plays about transgender experience will follow, and with them, perhaps, more poetry,” wrote Laura Collins-Hughes. I would be happy with halfway decent prose~!

Pauline Park, Ph.D. is a writer and an activist based on New York.

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10 books that helped shape my life

I’ve had two different friends ask me to post to Facebook a list of 10 books that have ‘stayed with me over the years.’ So for those friends, here’s my list:

The post 10 books that helped shape my life appeared first on Pauline Park.

The unprecedented assault on the Gaza Strip by the Israeli military this week brought to mind a hymn whose text was written by Johann Heermann in 1636, “Zion klagt mit Angst und Schmerzen” (Zion mourns with anxiety and pain); all one needs to do is substitute ‘Gaza’ for ‘Zion’ and the hymn could be sung today in mourning for the more than 300 (and counting) victims of Israeli bombardment in Gaza…

Zion klagt mit Angst und Schmerzen,
Zion, Gottes werte Stadt,
Die er trägt in seinem Herzen,
Die er sich erwählet hat.
Ach, spricht sie, wie hat mein Gott
Mich verlaßen in der Not
Und läßt mich so harte preßen!
Meiner hat er ganz vergeßen.

Der Gott, der mir hat versprochen
Seinen Beistand jederzeit,
Der läßt sich vergebens suchen
Jetzt in meiner Traurigkeit.
Ach, will er denn für und für
Grausam zürnen über mir?
Kann und will er sich der Armen
Jetzt nicht wie vorhin erbarmen?

Zion, o du Vielgeliebte!
Sprach zu ihr des Herren Mund,
Zwar du bist jetzt die Betrübte,
Seel’ und Geist ist dir verwund’t;
Doch stell alles Trauern ein!
Wo mag eine Mutter sein,
Die ihr eigen Kind kann haßen
Und aus ihrer Sorge laßen?

Ja, wenn du gleich möchtest finden
Einen solchen Muttersinn,
Da die Liebe kann verschwinden,
So bleib ich doch, der ich bin.
Meine Treu bleibt gegen dir,
Zion, o du meine Zier;
Mein Herz hast du mir besessen,
Deiner kann ich nicht vergessen.

Laß dich nicht den Satan blenden,
Der sonst nichts als schrecken kann!
Siehe, hier in meinen Händen
Hab’ ich dich geschrieben an.
Wie mag es denn anders sein?
Ich muß ja gedenken dein;
Deine Mauern will ich bauen
Und dich fort und fort anschauen.

Du bist mir stets vor den Augen,
Du liegst mir in meinem Schoß
Wie die Kindlein,
die noch saugen,
Meine Treu’ zu dir ist groß;
Dich und mich kann keine Zeit,
Keine Not, Gefahr und Streit,
Ja der Satan selbst nicht scheiden.
Bleib getreu in allem Leiden.

Zion mourns with anxiety and pain,
Zion, God’s dear city,
which he carries in his heart,
which he has chosen for himself.
Ah, says Zion, why has my God
abandoned me in my distress
and allows me to be so hard pressed!
He has completely forgotten me.

God, who promised me
his helping presence at all times
is sought in vain
now in my sadness.
Ah, will he forever
rage fiercely against me?
Can he and will he not
as before pity me in my wretchedness?
Zion, you who are greatly beloved,
says the mouth of the Lord,
you are indeed now distressed,
Your soul and spirit are wounded;
yet put aside all your mourning!
Where could there be a mother
who can hate or have no care
for her own child?

Indeed if you could find
a mother so minded
whose love could disappear,
yet I will stay as I am.
My faithfulness abides for you,
Zion,you who are my adornment;
You have taken hold of my heart,
I cannot forget you.

Don’t let Satan hoodwink you,
all he can do is just frighten you!
See, here on my hands
I have written it down.
How then could it possibly be otherwise
I must think of you;
I shall build your walls
And always watch over you.

You are continuously before my eyes,
You lie on my bosom
like a little child who still sucks.
My faithfulness to you is great;
there is no time,no distress,
danger and strife that can separate you and me,
Not even Satan himself.
Remain faithful in all your sufferings.

The post Gaza mourns in angst & pain appeared first on Pauline Park.

Rogier Van der Weyden’s only surviving miniature depicts Duke Philip the Good & his son Charles (the future ‘Charles the Bold’) receiving the homage of the author of the Chronicles of Hainault

(Le duc de Bourgogne Philippe le Bon et son fils Charles (futur Téméraire) reçoivent l’hommage de l’auteur des Chroniques du Hainault).

From 1364-1477, the duchy of Burgundy functioned virtually as an independent kingdom and the four ‘great dukes of the west (‘les grands ducs d’occident’) were wealthier and more powerful than the kings of France of whom they were nominally vassals. The court of the dukes of Burgundy was the most splendid in Europe and the dukes employed some of the greatest artists and composers working at the time.

All that splendor and gloire ended with the death of Charles le Téméraire (the 4th & last of the dukes) in the Battle of Nancy in 1477; but at the time of his death, he ruled virtually all of what are now the Netherlands, Belgium & Luxembourg as well as Burgundy & the Franche Comté (which are now both within the borders of contemporary France).

At the death of Charles le Téméraire (whose moniker can be translated as either ‘the bold’ or ‘the reckless’), Burgundy itself reverted to the French crown along with Picardy, while the Franche Comté and the Low Countries were retained by his daughter, Marie de Bourgogne, who married the Emperor Maximilian I, thus transmitting the ‘Burgundian inheritance’ and the legacy of the great dukes of Burgundy to the Habsburg dynasty. Burgundian court ceremonial was eventually transmitted to Spain through the Emperor Charles V (Maximilian’s grandson and the first King Charles of Spain).

The history of the duchy is a fascinating one & one can only wonder what might have happened if it had developed as an independent kingdom between Germany and France, which might have altered the entire trajectory of European history~!

The post Burgundy & the Four Great Dukes of the West appeared first on Pauline Park.

There is on the one hand the exoticization & objectification of Tahitian women, which is objectionable particularly in relation to the relationships he had with them; but on the other hand, there is also his primitivism, which is not simply an exoticization of a foreign culture by a colonial tourist, but is in fact the expression of a longing for & even reconstruction of a lost pagan culture that had already nearly disappeared when Gauguin arrived in Tahiti. In his rejection of what he saw as the hypocrisy & culturally destructive colonialism of French Catholicism in Tahiti, Gauguin was very much on target, and a balanced assessment of his art — as this exhibition gave us — needs to take that into account as well as the objectionable aspects of it as well. I will never look on Gauguin’s languorous Tahitian women again without also thinking of his invocations of Oviri~!

The post Gauguin: exoticization, primitivism & paganism appeared first on Pauline Park.

SYLLABUS Norwegian II General Course Information: Faculty: Marie-Therese Bjornerud, Adjunct Instructor Email: mtb8@nyu.edu Course: Norwegian II / SCAN1-CE9302 Credit: Noncredit Course Semester: Spring 2018 (February 6th – May 8th) Location: Scandinavia House – 58 Park Ave, New York, NY 10016 Day:Tuesday Time: 6:30 PM – 8:25 PM Format: In-person Office hours: By email No Class on: MARCH 6th & MARCH 13th Course Description: This course builds upon Norwegian I. Continue to expand your vocabulary and master grammatical structures. The instructor provides greater opportunities for enhancing the range of your conversational abilities. The course is conducted in Norwegian to the extent possible. Ideal for: ● students with basic knowledge of, or previous instruction in Norwegian. ● those who wish to strengthen their Norwegian language skills. Course Prerequisites: Norwegian I/SCAN1-CE9301 or the equivalent. Course Structure/Method: ● Students meet in-person every Tuesday at Scandinavia House from 6.30pm – 8.25pm. ● Weekly lesson plans in Norwegian (with English translations), including detailed descriptions of what will be covered that week, as well as assignments for the following week, are sent out to students via email in advance of class. This enables students who wish to prepare for class to do so. 2 ● Classes will involve discussions. Some topics, as well as grammar, will be presented to students, and they will be actively encouraged to participate in asking questions and discussing said topic or theme. Students will have a chance to read out loud in every class. Students will also work in groups discussing assignments, speaking, and reading Norwegian to each other. Discussions about Norwegian culture and trivia are encouraged, and are often a part of class. ● At the start of each class, students are able to ask questions about what they found to be the most challenging homework assignments, which will then be briefly reviewed. ● Students are encouraged to ask questions and participate in every class. ● There will be tests, dictations and written assignments that are collected and graded throughout the semester. ● The semester ends with an in-class oral presentation with supporting, written document. Course Learning Outcomes: By the end of this course, students will: ● demonstrate greater overall proficiency in Norwegian. ● have improved fluency and grammatical accuracy. ● have improved pronunciation of the sounds of Norwegian. ● be able to initiate and maintain basic conversations on familiar topics. ● be able to apply what they have learned about the Norwegian culture to their interactions. Communication Policy: Credit students must use their NYU email to communicate. NYU Classes course-mail supports student privacy and FERPA guidelines. All communication to the instructor will happen through the NYU email provided and all email inquiries will be answered within 24-36 hours. Course Expectations: Students will need to have passed at least 50% of tests, completed at least 50% of homework, been active in class so that there is a progress to be assessed, as well as taken part in the endof-semester presentation (or fulfilled a larger percent of course requirements in other categories). The due date for the oral presentation will be the last day of the semester. Should the class be at, or close to, full capacity, the presentations will be held during the last two sessions. In this case, May 1st and May 8th, 2018. The due date for the written part of the presentation will be five days before you are scheduled for the oral presentation. This is so that the presentation can be corrected before presenting. 3 Required and Recommended Material: – Textbook: PA VEI TEKSTBOK – Author MACDONALD – ISBN: 9788202340940 – Workbook: PA VEI ARBEIDSBOK – Author MACDONALD – ISBN: 9788202343163 (Can be purchased at the NYU Bookstore) – PA VEI Word List Norwegian-English is recommended. ISBN: 9788202372255 – PA VEI CD-set is recommended. – Vocabulary notebook – Notebook – Duolingo App Assessment Strategy: Grading Policy Percent of grade Participation in class activities – Oral and group exercises, asking questions and applying skills learned. 25% Homework – Bi-weekly or monthly written assignments, which will be corrected – Assessment relate to grammar, clarity of language and application of skills learned. Weekly workbook exercises. 25% Tests and dictations – The ability to listen and apply the skills learned and show their uses with no aids. 25% Speech/project/group project – Implementing what you have learned throughout the semester and communicating verbally. 25% Total 100% Formative Assessments: To assess progress, several tests, dictations, and take-home short written assignments will be done during the semester, based on what has been covered. Summative Assessments: There will be one final, and formal written assignment and oral presentation at the end of semester, in which students get to practice speaking and presenting in Norwegian. Students will have the whole semester to prepare for this. Oral exercises will be conducted in class throughout semester to prepare for this. Evaluation: Every aspect of the class counts. Students will be graded on content, grammar and clarity. Students will have the chance to receive feedback in the last session if they wish. Students are also encouraged to ask questions throughout the semester if anything is unclear and to also express any particular wishes they have, specific to the course outline and class activities. Missed or late assignments will affect your final grade and your learning progress. Regular attendance is required to not miss tests, presentations, or assignments, and to make steady progress. It is also necessary in order for students to be given a fair and accurate assessment. 4 “NYUSPS policies regarding the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), Academic Integrity and Plagiarism, Students with Disabilities Statement, and Standards of Classroom Behavior among others can be found on the NYU Classes Academic Policies tab for all course sites as well as on the University and NYUSPS websites. Every student is responsible for reading, understanding, and complying with all of these policies.” The full list of policies can be found at the web links below: University: http://www.nyu.edu/about/policiesguidelines-compliance.html NYUSPS: http://sps.nyu.edu/academics/academicpolicies-and-procedures.html NYUSPS Policies: School Grading Policies: NYUSPS Career Advancement (non-degree) http://sps.nyu.edu/content/scps/academics/noncredit-offerings/academic-noncreditpolicies-and-procedures.html Course Outline: Session I, 02/06/18, Getting to Know Each Other Introductions, information and review Quick review of the alphabet Pronunciation review: short and long vowels; consonants. The ç-sound. Grammar review Introduction of semester project Session 2, 02/13/18, At the Store Trying and buying food and clothes Grammar review Interrogative pronouns: which, which, and which Demonstrative pronouns: this, this, and these Session 3, 02/20/18, At the Store (Cont’d) Talking about clothes: color, prices and sizes Inflection (conjunction) of adjectives: indefinite form Pronunciation: the u-sound. Session 4, 02/27/18, Weather and Seasons Talking about clothes and what to wear in relation to weather Conjunctions: therefore, because, that and if 5 Session 5, 03/20/18, Weather and Seasons (Cont’d) Talking about weather, climate and temperatures (Celsius) “Answer words” and modifying adverbs Verbs: regular and irregular Pronunciation: the æ-sound, the ƒ-sound Session 6, 03/27/18, Holidays and Ceremonies Ceremonial traditions in Norway: learning about, and comparing, Norwegian traditions Possessive and Reflexive forms: my, your, her, his, our, your and their Session 7, 04/03/18, A New Life Love, loss and longing: cultural expectations in Norway Talking about one’s background and experiences; expressing feelings of longing and joy Possessive and Reflexive forms: my, your, her, his, our, your and their (Cont’d) Session 8, 04/10/18, A New Life (Cont’d) Students will be able to talk about what they do in their free time. Genitive and prepositions: Inflection/Conjunctions time: (for – falls off in English), ago, for, in Ordinals and years Session 9, 04/17/18, Health Talking about health and illness Getting a doctor’s appointment; parts of the body Adverbs and reflexive verbs Quantifiers: A lot, many Session 10, 04/24/18, A Little Bit About Norway Facts about Norway as a multicultural society Creating dialogues and practicing conversations about what you have done Discussing Norwegian news; watching news at home on NRK online, or listening to radio online Compound words Session 11, 05/01/18, This Is How We Live Explaining how you live, and wish to live in the future Asking for directions and explain where a place is. Determinatives. Words that describe the noun further. Adjectives & Preposition expressions Presentations – Handouts of target vocabulary are strongly recommended. Session 12, 05/08/18, End-of-Semester – Oral Presentation and Celebration Presentations. Handouts of target vocabulary are strongly recommended. Students are invited to stay after class and socialize and practice what they have learnt.

Norsk I (Norwegian I) – Våren 2017 (Spring 2017)

Norsk I (Norwegian I) – Våren 2017 (Spring 2017)

Niende leksjon | Session Nine

Hei hei og velkommen til uke ni! Hey and welcome to week 9!

• Spørsmål om leksa: oppgave 9-13 side 50-51 og 15, 17-19 side 52-53 i arbeidsboka. Vi går gjennom det som er vanskelig!

Questions about the homework: assignments 9-13 p. 50-51 and 15,17-19 p. 52-53 in the workbook. We’ll go through what was hard!

• Seks viktige ord/uttrykk fra fjerde kapittel.

Diskuter oppgave 19, side 53 i arbeidsboka i grupper.

Six important words/expressions from the fourth chapter

Discuss assignment 19, page 53 in the workbook in groups.

• Tekst: Kapittel 5 – Vi øver på ”Klokka” side 55 i tekstboka.

Vi leser og oversetter ”Jeg står opp klokka seks” side 58 i tekstboka. Høytlesning! Hva forstår du? Spørsmål?

Text: Chapter 5 – Let’s practice “The Watch“, page 55 in the textbook. Let’s read and translate: “I Get Up At 6am” page 58 in the textbook.

Read out loud! What do you understand? Questions?

• Forklar til klassen, så godt du klarer, hva som skjer på bildene: ”Fra Morgen til kveld” side 56 -57 i tekstboka.

Explain to the class, to the best of your ability, what happens in the pictures: “From Morning To Night” page 56-57 in the textbook.

• Grammatikk | Grammar

Norsk I (Norwegian I) – Våren 2017 (Spring 2017)

MODALE HJELPEVERB | MODAL AUXILIARY VERBS s. 64, 194 og 199.

Modalverb bruker vi mest i presens og preteritum.

We use modal auxiliary verbs mostly in present and past tense.

Presens: skal

Present: going to/shall/will

Preteritum: skulle ville

Past tense: was going to wanted to had to could have should have

Etter disse bruker vi infinitiv av verbet. Skrives som i presens, men minus –r. After these we use the infinitive of the verb. Written like present tense minus the –r.

Eksempel: å løpe – jeg løper – Jeg skal løpe – Jeg skulle løpe. Example: to run – I’m running – I am going to run – I was going to run.

Vi kan ha navnet på språk etter kan: Jeg kan arabisk. De kan ikke engelsk. We can have the name of languages after “can”: Here it translates to:

I know Arabic. They don’t know English.

Når vi nevner sted, kan vi droppe gå, dra, reise.

When we mention place, we can drop leave, go/walk, travel.

vil må

want to have to/must

kan bør

can should

måtte kunne

burde

Vi kan si:

Han skal dra i butikken. Han må gå til tannlegen. Han vil reise til Australia.

eller: eller: eller:

Han skal i butikken. Han må til tannlegen. Han vil til Australia.

REFLEKSIVT PRONOMEN / REFLEXIVE PRONOUN s. 65, 189-190 i tekstboka.

Jeg vasker meg – I wash (me) myself Jeg sminker meg – I put make-up on Du vasker deg – You wash (you) yourself

Hun vasker seg – She washes (self) herself

Han vasker seg – He washes (self) himself

Vi vasker oss – We wash (us) ourselves

Dere vasker dere – You wash (You) yourselves (Plural) De vasker seg – They wash (self) themselves

Norsk I (Norwegian I) – Våren 2017 (Spring 2017)

HUSK å levere innlevering 2! REMEMBER to hand in submission 2!

LEKSE

– Løs oppgave 1 side 59 og oppgave 5-12 s. 60-63 i arbeidsboka.

– Svar på spørsmålene på s.59 i tekstboka. Vi går gjennom de neste gang!

– Repeter og øv videre på grammatikken fra i dag på side 64-66, s.189-190, 194 og 199 i tekstboka

– Studer adverb side 200-201 i tekstboka.

– Studer uttale og uttrykk side 66-67 i tekstboka.

– Tekst: Studer side 60-61, ”Monica kommer for sent”, side 62 og ”På kafé”, side 63 nøye i tekstboken. Hva forstår du? Prøv å oversett.

HOMEWORK

– Solve assignment 1, p. 59 and assignments 5-12 p.60-63 in the workbook.

– Answer questions on p.59 in the textbook. We’ll go through them next time!

– Review and practice on with the grammar from today page 64-66, p.189-190, 194 and 199 in the textbook.

– Study Adverbs page 200 in the textbook.

– Study Pronunciation and Expression pages 66-67 in the textbook.

– Text: Study pages 60-61, “Monica is late“, page 62 and “At a Café”, page 63 closely in the textbook. What do you understand? Try to translate.

Presentasjoner

17.april – Beth, Nadine og Elizabeth
8. mai – Jacob, Pauline, Tianrun, Shamshad, Jet og Susan

Norsk I (Norwegian I) – Våren 2017 (Spring 2017)

Fjerde leksjon | Session Four

God kveld og velkommen til uke fire! Good evening and welcome to week 4!

Husk! Snakk med naboen din i begynnelsen av timen! Spør han eller henne ”Hvordan går det? ” eller ”Hva har du gjort denne uka?”.

Remember! Talk to your neighbor at the start of class! Ask him or her “How’s it going?” or “What have you done this week?”.

• Vi tar en rask gjennomgang av leksa/prøva: oppgave 1-9, side 21-23 i arbeidsbok. Hvilke var vanskelige? Vi går gjennom de! Spørsmål?

Let’s do a quick review of the homework/test: assignment 1-9, page 21-23 in the workbook. Which were hard? We’ll go through those! Questions?

• Tekst: ‘’Hvordan går det?” på side 28-29 og ”Hvor jobber de?” på side 31 i tekstboka. Høytlesning. Hva forstår du?

Text: “How’s it going?” on p. 28-29 and “Where Are They Working?” on page 31 in the textbook. Read out loud! What do you understand?

• Uttrykk / Sinnsstemning. Expressions / Mood. (side 33 i tekstboka) Samtale i grupper. Conversation in groups.

Hei! Hyggelig å se deg/dere. Hi. Nice to see you/you (dere is Plural). – Takk i like måte! Thank you, the same/likewise!

(The K is pronounced as a hard G and the T is pronounced as a D)

Hvordan går det? How’s it going?

– Det går (ganske)(veldig)(utrolig)(kjempe)bra/dårlig. Hvordan har du det?

– It’s going/I’m(pretty)(very)(extremely) good-great-well/bad. How are you?

Jeg har det (bare) (kjempe-) bra. Jeg er (veldig) trøtt/sliten/lykkelig.

Jeg er litt trist. Jeg er stressa! Jeg er frustrert! Jeg er sur! Jeg er forbanna! Everyone: I’m (all) (very) good. I’m (very) tired/beat or exhausted/happy. I’m a little sad. I’m stressed! I’m frustrated! I’m angry! I’m pissed off!

– Så bra/fint/godt/leit/trist (å høre). Good/nice/shame/sad (to hear).

Norsk I (Norwegian I) – Våren 2017 (Spring 2017)

• VERB: side 77 og 194-197 i tekstboka. VERBS: page 77 & 194-197 in the textbook.

INFINITIV: (å) spise, (å) vaske, (å) gå

– Infinitiv med å etter andre verb, preposisjoner og mengdeord: Vi pleier å spise klokka fem. Hun liker å lese. De begynner å forstå. De har mye å gjøre. – Infinitiv uten å etter modalverb: Du må vente. Vi skal spise

INFINITIVE: (to) eat, (to) wash, (to) walk

– Infinitive with to after other verbs, prepositions and quantifying words: We usually eat at five o’clock. She likes to read. They are starting to understand. They have a lot to do.

– Infinitive without to after auxiliaries: You must wait. We shall eat.

IMPERATIV: Spis! Vask! Gå!

Er lik infinitiv minus e.

Vi bruker imperativ når vi vil/ønsker at noen skal gjøre noe. Spis mer frukt! Vask bilen! Gå hjem nå!

IMPERATIVE: Eat! Wash! Walk/Go!

Equals infinitive minus e.

We use imperative when we want/wish that someone will do something. Eat more fruits! Wash the car! Go home now!

PRESENS: spiser, vasker, går

Vi bruker presens om nåtid, om noe som skjer vanligvis, og om framtid. Vi bor i byen. Vi spiser klokka fem. Vi drar på lørdag.

PRESENT TENSE: eating, washing, walking/going

We use the present tense about the present, about something that normally/usually happens, and about future.

We live in the city. We eat at five o’clock. We leave on Saturday.

Norsk I (Norwegian I) – Våren 2017 (Spring 2017)

PRETERITUM: spiste, vasket, gikk

Vi bruker preteritum om fortid og noe som er slutt, ofte på bestemte tider.

PAST TENSE: ate, washed, walked/went

We use past tense about the past and something that has ended, often at specific times.

PRESENS PERFEKTUM: har spist, har vasket, har gått

Vi bruker presens perfektum om fortid og når vi ikke forteller når noe skjedde, og er mer opptatt av konsekvensene hendelsen/handlingen har. Brukes også om noe som har begynt i fortida, men som ikke er slutt ennå.

PRESENT PERFECT TENSE: have eaten, have washed, have walked

We use the present perfect tense about the past and when we are not telling when something happened, and are more concerned by the consequences the event/action has. Also used about something that has begun in the past, but that is not over yet.

——————————

PRETERITUM

Vi spiste klokka fem. De gikk.

Hun studerte norsk. De bodde her før.

PAST TENSE

We ate at five o’clock They went/walked/left. She studied Norwegian. They lived here before.

PRESENS PERFEKTUM

Vi har spist. (Vi er ikke sultne nå.)

De har gått. (De er ikke her.)

Hun har studert norsk. (Hun kan det.)

De har bodd her i et år nå. (Fortsatt der.)

PRESENT PERFECT TENSE

We have eaten. (We are not hungry now.)

They have gone/left. (They are not here.)

She has studied Norwegian. (She knows it.)

They have lived here for a year now. (Still there.)

Norsk I (Norwegian I) – Våren 2017 (Spring 2017)

SVAKE VERB (side 77 og 196) REGULAR VERBS (pages 77 and 196)

Dette er verb med endelse i preteritum.

These are verbs with an ending in past tense.

GRUPPER INFINITIV PRESENS PRETERITUM PRESENS PERFEKTUM

INFINITIVE PRESENT PAST PRESENT PERFECT TENSE

1. –et/-a

(å) vaske

to wash

(å) hente

to get/fetch

(å) fiske

to fish

vasker washing henter getting fisker fishing

vasket/vaska washed hentet/henta got fisket/fiska fished

har vasket/har vaska have washed

har hentet/har henta have gotten

har fisket/har fiska have fished

2. -te

(å) reise

to travel

(å) spise

to eat

(å) bake

to bake

(å) kjøpe

to buy

reiser travelling spiser eating baker baking kjøper buying

reiste travelled spiste ate bakte baked kjøpte bought

har reist

have travelled har spist

have eaten har bakt

have baked har kjøpt have bought

3. -de

(å) veie

to weigh

(å) leve

to live

(å) pleie

to tend

veier weighing lever living pleier tend

veide weighed levde lived pleide tended

har veid

have weighed har levd

have lived har pleid have tended

4. dde (å) bo to live (å) tro

to believe

bor bodde living lived tror trodde believing believed

har bodd have lived har trodd have believed

Norsk I (Norwegian I) – Våren 2017 (Spring 2017)

Gruppe 1. Slik bøyer vi mange verb som har to konsonanter foran –e i infinitiv. *Disse verbene kan ha –a i stedet for –et (vaska – har vaska)

This is how we conjugate many verbs, which have two consonants in front of –e in infinitive.

Gruppe 2. Slik bøyer vi mange verb som har én konsonant foran –e.

This is how we conjugate many verbs, which have one consonant in front of –e.

Gruppe 3. Slik bøyer vi noen verb som har –v eller –ei foran –e.

This is how we conjugate some verbs, which have –v or –ei in front of –e.

Gruppe 4. Slik bøyer vi noen korte verb som ender på andre vokaler enn –e.

This is how we conjugate some short verbs, which end with other vowels than –e.

——————————

Noen svake verb endrer vokal eller har andre uregelmessigheter:

Some regular verbs change vowels or have other irregularities:

INFINITIV PRESENS PRETERITUM PRESENS PERFEKTUM

(å) fortelle

to tell

(å) fortsette

to continue

(å) gjøre

to do

(å) ha

to have

(å) selge

to sell

(å) sette

to walk/ go

(å) spørre

to ask

(å) velge

to choose

(å) vite

to know

forteller telling fortsetter continuing gjør

doing

har

have selger selling setter walking spør asking velger choosing vet knowing

fortalte told fortsatte continued gjorde did hadde had solgte sold

satt went spurte asked valgte chose visste knew

har fortalt have told

har fortsatt have continued har gjort

have done

har hatt have had har solgt have sold har satt have gone har spurt have asked har valgt have chosen har visste have known

Norsk I (Norwegian I) – Våren 2017 (Spring 2017)

STERKE VERB (flere på side 197-198) IRREGULAR VERBS (more on page 197-198) Disse har IKKE endelse i preteritum. These do NOT have an ending in past tense.

INFINITIV PRESENS PRETERITUM PRESENS PERFEKTUM

(å) være

to be

(å) dra

to leave

(å) bli

to become/stay

(å) få

to get

(å) gå

to walk/ go

(å) komme

to walk/ go

(å) le

to laugh

(å) legge

to lay

(å) ligge

to lie

er var

am was

drar dro leaving went blir ble becoming became får fikk getting got

går gikk walking went kommer kom walking went ler lo laughing went legger la laying laid ligger lå lying lay

har vært have been har dratt have gone har blitt have become har fått

have gotten

har gått have gone har kommet have gone har ledd have gone har legget have laid har ligget have lain

Presens futurum: skal spise, skal vaske, skal gå

Skal + infinitiv

Vi bruker presens futurum om framtid, om intensjoner og planer. Når skal vi spise? I dag skal jeg vaske håret. Nå skal jeg gå hjem.

Future Tense: shall/will eat, shall/will wash, shall/will walk/go

Shall/Will + Infinitive

We use the future tense about the future, about intentions and plans. When shall we eat? Today I will wash my hair. Now I will go home.

Uttrykk for en framtid uten plan/med usikkerhet: kommer til å.

Det kommer til å gå bra. De kommer til å klare seg fint.

Expressing the future without a plan/with uncertainty: going to.

It’s going to be okay. They are going to make it/pull through all right.

Norsk I (Norwegian I) – Våren 2017 (Spring 2017)

LEKSE

– Løs oppgave 11, 13, 14, 17- 21 på side 23-27 i arbeidsboka. – Vi går gjennom oppgave 21 i grupper neste gang.

– Repeter grammatikk; verb og infinitiv på side 194-197 i tekstboka. – Øv grammatikk og uttale: side 42-44, 189 og 200 i tekstboken.

– Tekst: Studer ”På fest” side 34-35 og ”Blir du med på kino?” side 36 i tekstboka. Hva forstår du? Prøv å oversett.

– INNLEVERINGER (1) til neste time:

1. Lag tre utfyllende spørsmål og svar (samtale), som inkluderer det du har lært hittil fra kapittel 1 og 2. Hvis du trenger inspirasjon bruk oppgave 12 på side 24 i arbeidsboka

2. Svar på oppgave 22 på side 28 i arbeidsboka.

Før jeg tar disse inn, kommer vi også til å bruke de til samtale i neste time.

HOMEWORK

– Solve assignments 11, 13, 14, 17-21 on page 23-27 in the workbook. – We will go over assignment 21 in groups next time.

– Review grammar; verbs and infinitive page 194-197 in the textbook.

– Practice grammar and pronunciation: page 42-44, 189 and 200 in the textbook.

– Text: Study “At A Party” page 34-35 and “Do You Want To Come To The Movies?” page 36 in the textbook. What do you understand? Try to translate.

– SUBMISSIONS (1) for next class:

1. Make three detailed questions and full answers (conversation) including what you have learnt so far in Chapter 1 and 2 – if you need inspiration use assignments 12 on page 24 in the workbook.

2. Answer assignments 22 on page 28 in the workbook.

Before I collect these, we will also use them for conversations next time.

Tusen takk for i kveld. Vi sees i neste uke!

A thousand thanks for this eve. We’ll see each other next week!

Fjerde leksjon | Session Four

God kveld og velkommen til uke fire! Good evening and welcome to week 4!

Husk! Snakk med naboen din i begynnelsen av timen! Spør han eller henne ”Hvordan går det? ” eller ”Hva har du gjort denne uka?”.

Remember! Talk to your neighbor at the start of class! Ask him or her “How’s it going?” or “What have you done this week?”.

• Vi tar en rask gjennomgang av leksa/prøva: oppgave 1-9, side 21-23 i arbeidsbok. Hvilke var vanskelige? Vi går gjennom de! Spørsmål?

Let’s do a quick review of the homework/test: assignment 1-9, page 21-23 in the workbook. Which were hard? We’ll go through those! Questions?

• Tekst: ‘’Hvordan går det?” på side 28-29 og ”Hvor jobber de?” på side 31 i tekstboka. Høytlesning. Hva forstår du?

Text: “How’s it going?” on p. 28-29 and “Where Are They Working?” on page 31 in the textbook. Read out loud! What do you understand?

• Uttrykk / Sinnsstemning. Expressions / Mood. (side 33 i tekstboka)

Lærer: Hei! Hyggelig å se dere. Hi. Nice to see you (dere is Plural). – Takk i like måte! Thank you, the same/likewise!

(The K is pronounced as a hard G and the T is pronounced as a D)

Lærer: Hvordan går det? How’s it going?

– Det går (ganske)(veldig)(utrolig)(kjempe)bra/dårlig. Hvordan har du det?

– It’s going/I’m(pretty)(very)(extremely) good-great-well/bad. How are you?

Alle: Jeg har det (bare) (kjempe-) bra. Jeg er trøtt/sliten. Jeg er lykkelig. Jeg er litt trist. Jeg er stressa! Jeg er frustrert! Jeg er sur! Jeg er forbanna!

Everyone: I’m (all) (very) good. I’m tired/beat. I’m happy.

I’m a little sad. I’m stressed! I’m frustrated! I’m angry! I’m pissed off!

Norsk I (Norwegian I) – Våren 2017 (Spring 2017)

• VERB side 194-197 i tekstboka. VERBS page 194-197 in the textbook.

Infinitiv: (å) spise, (å) vaske, (å) gå

– Infinitiv med å etter andre verb, preposisjoner og mengdeord: Vi pleier å spise klokka fem. Hun liker å lese. De begynner å forstå. De har mye å gjøre. – Infinitiv uten å etter modalverb: Du må vente. Vi skal spise

Infinitive: (to) eat, (to) wash, (to) walk

– Infinitive with to after other verbs, prepositions and quantifying words: We usually eat at five o’clock. She likes to read. They are starting to understand. They have a lot to do.

– Infinitive without to after auxiliaries: You must wait. We shall eat.

Imperativ: Spis! Vask! Gå!

Vi bruker imperativ når vi ønsker at noen skal gjøre noe. Vask bilen!

Imperative: Eat! Wash! Walk/Go!

We use imperative when we wish someone to do something. Wash the car!

Presens: spiser, vasker, går

Vi bruker presens om nåtid, om noe som skjer vanligvis, og om framtid. Vi bor i byen. Vi spiser klokka fem. Vi drar på lørdag.

Present Tense: eating, washing, walking/going

We use the present tense about the present, about something that normally/usually happens, and about future.

We live in the city. We eat at five o’clock. We leave on Sunday.

Preteritum: spiste, vasket, gikk

Vi bruker preteritum om fortid og noe som er slutt, ofte på bestemte tider.

Subjunctive: ate, washed, walked/went

We use subjunctive about the past and something that has ended, often at specific hours.

Norsk I (Norwegian I) – Våren 2017 (Spring 2017)

Presens perfektum: har spist, har vasket, har gått

Vi bruker presens perfektum om fortid og når vi ikke forteller når noe skjedde, og er mer opptatt av konsekvensene hendelsen/handlingen har. Brukes også om noe som har begynt i fortida, men som ikke er slutt ennå.

Present Perfect Tense: have eaten, have washed, have walked

We use the present perfect tense about the past and when we are not telling when something happened, and are more concerned by the consequences the event/action has. Also used about something that has begun in the past, but that is not over yet.

Preteritum

Vi spiste klokka fem. De gikk.

Hun studerte norsk. De bodde her før.

Presens perfektum

Vi har spist. (Vi er ikke sultne nå.)

De har gått. (De er ikke her.)

Hun har studert norsk. (Hun kan det.)

De har bodd her i et år nå. (Fortsatt der.)

Subjunctive

We ate at five o’clock They went/walked/left. She studied Norwegian. They lived here before.

Present Perfect Tense

We have eaten. (We are not hungry now.)

They have gone/left. (They are not here.)

She has studied Norwegian. (She knows it.)

They have lived here for a year now. (Still there.)

Presens futurum: skal spise, skal vaske, skal gå

Vi bruker presens futurum om framtid, om intensjoner og planer. Når skal vi spise? I dag skal jeg vaske håret. Nå skal jeg gå hjem.

Future Tense: shall/will eat, shall/will wash, shall/will walk/go

We use the future tense about the future, about intentions and plans. When shall we eat? Today I will wash my hair. Now I will go home.

Uttrykk for framtid uten plan: kommer til å

Det kommer til å gå bra. De kommer til å klare seg fint.

Expressing the future without a plan: going to

It is going to be okay. They are going to make it/pull through all right.

Norsk I (Norwegian I) – Våren 2017 (Spring 2017)

LEKSE

– Løs oppgave 11, 13, 14, 17- 21 på side 23-27 i arbeidsboka. – Vi går gjennom oppgave 21 i grupper neste gang.

– Repeter grammatikk; verb og infinitiv på side 194-197 i tekstboka. – Øv grammatikk og uttale: side 42-44 i tekstboken.

– Tekst: Studer ”På fest” side 34-35 og ”Blir du med på kino?” side 36 i tekstboka. Hva forstår du? Prøv å oversett.

– INNLEVERINGER (1) til neste time: 1. Lag tre utfyllende spørsmål og svar (samtale), som inkluderer det du har lært hittil fra kapittel 1 og 2. Hvis du trenger inspirasjon bruk oppgave 12 på side 24 i arbeidsboka

2. Svar på oppgave 22 på side 28 i arbeidsboka.

Før jeg tar disse inn, kommer vi også til å bruke de til samtale i neste time.

HOMEWORK

– Solve assignments 11, 13, 14, 17-21 on page 23-27 in the workbook. – We will go over assignment 21 in groups next time.

– Review grammar; verbs and infinitive page 194-197 in the textbook. – Practice grammar and pronunciation: p.42-44 in the textbook

– Text: Study “At A Party” page 34-35 and “Do You Want To Come To The Movies?” page 36 in the textbook. What do you understand? Try to translate.

– SUBMISSIONS (1) for next class: 1. Make three detailed questions and full answers (conversation) including what you have learnt so far in Chapter 1 and 2 – if you need inspiration use assignments 12 on page 24 in the workbook. 2. Answer assignments 22 on page 28 in the workbook.

Before I collect these, we will also use them for conversations next time.

_________________________________

Tusen takk for i kveld. Vi sees i neste uke!

A thousand thanks for this eve. We’ll see each other next week!

Andre Leksjon
Session Two
Velkommen tilbake!
Welcome back!

• Spørsmål om leksa: oppgave 1-5, side 7-9 + oppgave 8, side 10 + oppgave 10, side 11 i arbeidsboka. Vi går over det som var vanskelig!
Questions about the homework: assignment 1-5, page 7-9 + assignment 8, page 10 + assignment 10, page 11 in the workbook.
Let’s go over what was hard!
• Gjennomgang av uttrykk , side 23 i tekstboka. Go over expressions: page 23 in the textbook.
• Da går vi videre med en liten samtale basert på hjemmeleksen og side 14- 15 og 17-18 i tekstbok. Jeg begynner! Dere fortsetter i grupper.
Next we’ll go on with a little conversation based on the homework and page 14-15 and 17-18 in the textbook. I’ll start! You’ll continue in groups.

Andre Leksjon | Session Two Velkommen tilbake! Welcome back!
• Spørsmål om leksa: oppgave 1-5, side 7-9 + oppgave 8, side 10 + oppgave 10, side 11 i arbeidsboka. Vi går over det som var vanskelig!
Questions about the homework: assignment 1-5, page 7-9 + assignment 8, page 10 + assignment 10, page 11 in the workbook.
Let’s go over what was hard!
• Gjennomgang av uttrykk , side 23 i tekstboka. Go over expressions: page 23 in the textbook.
• Da går vi videre med en liten samtale basert på hjemmeleksen og side 14- 15 og 17-18 i tekstbok. Jeg begynner! Dere fortsetter i grupper.
Next we’ll go on with a little conversation based on the homework and page 14-15 and 17-18 in the textbook. I’ll start! You’ll continue in groups.

Andre Leksjon | Session Two Velkommen tilbake! Welcome back!
• Spørsmål om leksa: oppgave 1-5, side 7-9 + oppgave 8, side 10 + oppgave 10, side 11 i arbeidsboka. Vi går over det som var vanskelig!
Questions about the homework: assignment 1-5, page 7-9 + assignment 8, page 10 + assignment 10, page 11 in the workbook.
Let’s go over what was hard!
• Gjennomgang av uttrykk , side 23 i tekstboka. Go over expressions: page 23 in the textbook.
• Da går vi videre med en liten samtale basert på hjemmeleksen og side 14- 15 og 17-18 i tekstbok. Jeg begynner! Dere fortsetter i grupper.
Next we’ll go on with a little conversation based on the homework and page 14-15 and 17-18 in the textbook. I’ll start! You’ll continue in groups.

orsk I (Norwegian I) – Våren 2017 (Spring 2017)
Verbet kommer på plass 2 istedenfor plass 3 på engelsk.
The verb comes second instead of third in English.

1 2 (VERB) Hun kommer
Nå bor
1 2
She doesn’t Now he
ikke fra han
3 (VERB)
come lives
Norge.
i Norge.
from Norway. in Norway.
OBS! OG & MEN knytter sammen setninger. NOTE! AND & BUT connect sentences.
• Tekst: ”Sammendrag”, side 18, ”Hvordan staver du det?” side 19 og ”På norskkurs”, side 20 i tekstboka.
Alle leser høyt. Hva forstår du? Spørsmål?
Text: “Summary”, page 18, “How Do You Spell That”, page 19 and “At the Norwegian language course”, p. 20 in the textbook. Everyone reads out loud. What do you understand? Questions?

ALFABETET, VOKALENE, KONSONANTENE OG SPESIELLE KOMBINASJONER!
Side 10-11 i tekstboka.
ALPHABET, VOWELS, CONSONANTS & SPECIAL COMBINATIONS (DIPHTHONGS)!
Page 10-12 in the textbook.
Norsk I (Norwegian I) – Våren 2017 (Spring 2017)
KORTE og LANGE VOKALER! Side 10 i tekstboka.
En kort vokal har vanligvis to konsonanter etter. I tekstbok ordlista er denne forklart med en •. Katt, legge, inne, rom, Unni, fylle, færre, øst, åtte.
En lang vokal er som regel til slutt i ordet, og når det er bare en konsonant etter. I tekstbok ordlista er denne forklart med en _.
Tak, lege, mine, Polen, hus, by, fæl, øve, Åse.
I noen ord uttaler vi O som Å og U som O. O > Å: komme, sommer, Tom
U > O: ung, tung, dum
SHORT and LONG VOWELS! Page 10 in the textbook.
A short vowel normally has two consonants after.
In the textbook dictionary a short vowel is explained with •. Cat, lay, inside, room, Unni, fill, less, east, eight.
A long vowel is normally at the end of a word and when there is only one consonant after. In the textbook dictionary a long vowel is explained with _. Roof, doctor, mine, Poland, house, city, nasty, practice, Åse.
In some words we pronounce an O as an Å and a U as an O. O > Å: come, summer, Tom
U > O: young, heavy, dumb
KONSONANTER – ANNEN UTTALE Side 10 i tekstboka. Foran e, i og y uttaler vi ofte g som j: geit, gi, gift, begynne. I noen fremmedord uttaler vi g som ƒ: giro, generell.
CONSONANTS – DIFFERENT PRONUNCIATION! Page 10 in the textbook.
In front of e, i and y, we often enunciate g as j: goat, give, married/poison, start. In some foreign words we enunciate g as ƒ: invoice, general.

Norsk I (Norwegian I) – Våren 2017 (Spring 2017)
LEKSE
– Løs oppgave 13-18 side 12-15 i arbeidsboka.
– Vi går gjennom oppgave 18 i grupper neste gang.
– Repeter uttale, grammatikk og uttrykk , side 10-11 og 22 -23 i tekstboka.
– Tekst: Studer ”Hva gjør du?”, side 25 og ”Haifa snakker med Magnus” side 27 i tekstboka. Hva forstår du? Prøv å oversett.
– FORBERED til neste time: Forklar meg, så godt du klarer, hva som skjer fra bilde til bilde på side 26 i tekstboka.
+ Finn trivia/en “rar” eller morsom ting / informasjon om Norge som du vil dele med klassen.
HOMEWORK
– Solve assignment 13-18, page 12-15 in the workbook. – We will go over assignment 18 in groups next time.
– Review pronunciation, grammar and expressions: p.10-11 and 22-23 in the textbook.
– Text: Study “What are you doing?” page 25 and “Haifa Speaks With Magnus?” page 27 in the textbook. What do you understand? Try to translate.
– PREPARE for next time: Explain to me, to the best of your ability, what happens from picture to picture on page 26 in the textbook.
+ Find some trivia / a “weird” or funny thing / info about Norway you want to share with the class.

Norsk I (Norwegian I) – Våren 2017 (Spring 2017)

Hver uke skal dere lære dere ett nytt spørsmål og svar hjemme, som vi kan ha med oss inn i klassen til starten av timen. Det kan handle om mat, hva dere har gjort, aktiviteter, hobbyer, jobb etc. HUSK å skrive den ned i notatboken deres.
Every week we are going to learn one new question and answer at home, which we will bring with us to class. It could be about food, what you have done, activities, hobbies, work etc. REMEMBER to write the sentence down in your notebook.

HUSK! DUOLINGO og GLOSEBOK for alle nye ord dere kommer over! REMEMBER! DUOLINGO & GLOSSARY to write all the new words you come over!

HUSK å bruke: ORDLISTE for kapitlene side 204à214 i tekstboka.
Alfabetisk ORDLISTE side 215à222 i tekstboka. Inkluderer substantivbøyning.
DICTIONARY chapter by chapter page 204à214 in the textbook. Alphabetical DICTIONARY page 215à222 in the textbook. Includes gender conjugation of nouns.
Lydopptak av samtaler hvis ønskelig. Recording of conversations if desirable. Takk for i dag. Sees i neste uke! Thank you for today. See you next week!

KORTE og LANGE VOKALER! Side 10 i tekstboka.
En kort vokal har vanligvis to konsonanter etter. I tekstbok ordlista er denne forklart med en •. Katt, legge, inne, rom, Unni, fylle, færre, øst, åtte.
En lang vokal er som regel til slutt i ordet, og når det er bare en konsonant etter. I tekstbok ordlista er denne forklart med en _.
Tak, lege, mine, Polen, hus, by, fæl, øve, Åse.
I noen ord uttaler vi O som Å og U som O. O > Å: komme, sommer, Tom
U > O: ung, tung, dum
SHORT and LONG VOWELS! Page 10 in the textbook.
A short vowel normally has two consonants after.
In the textbook dictionary a short vowel is explained with •. Cat, lay, inside, room, Unni, fill, less, east, eight.
A long vowel is normally at the end of a word and when there is only one consonant after. In the textbook dictionary a long vowel is explained with _. Roof, doctor, mine, Poland, house, city, nasty, practice, Åse.
In some words we pronounce an O as an Å and a U as an O. O > Å: come, summer, Tom
U > O: young, heavy, dumb

KONSONANTER – ANNEN UTTALE Side 10 i tekstboka. Foran e, i og y uttaler vi ofte g som j: geit, gi, gift, begynne. I noen fremmedord uttaler vi g som ƒ: giro, generell.
CONSONANTS – DIFFERENT PRONUNCIATION! Page 10 in the textbook.
In front of e, i and y, we often enunciate g as j: goat, give, married/poison, start. In some foreign words we enunciate g as ƒ: invoice, general.
Norsk I (Norwegian I) – Våren 2017 (Spring 2017)
LEKSE
– Løs oppgave 13-18 side 12-15 i arbeidsboka.
– Vi går gjennom oppgave 18 i grupper neste gang.
– Repeter uttale, grammatikk og uttrykk , side 10-11 og 22 -23 i tekstboka.
– Tekst: Studer ”Hva gjør du?”, side 25 og ”Haifa snakker med Magnus” side 27 i tekstboka. Hva forstår du? Prøv å oversett.
– FORBERED til neste time: Forklar meg, så godt du klarer, hva som skjer fra bilde til bilde på side 26 i tekstboka.
+ Finn trivia/en “rar” eller morsom ting / informasjon om Norge som du vil dele med klassen.
HOMEWORK
– Solve assignment 13-18, page 12-15 in the workbook. – We will go over assignment 18 in groups next time.
– Review pronunciation, grammar and expressions: p.10-11 and 22-23 in the textbook.
– Text: Study “What are you doing?” page 25 and “Haifa Speaks With Magnus?” page 27 in the textbook. What do you understand? Try to translate.
– PREPARE for next time: Explain to me, to the best of your ability, what happens from picture to picture on page 26 in the textbook.
+ Find some trivia / a “weird” or funny thing / info about Norway you want to share with the class.

Norsk I (Norwegian I) – Våren 2017 (Spring 2017)

Hver uke skal dere lære dere ett nytt spørsmål og svar hjemme, som vi kan ha med oss inn i klassen til starten av timen. Det kan handle om mat, hva dere har gjort, aktiviteter, hobbyer, jobb etc. HUSK å skrive den ned i notatboken deres.
Every week we are going to learn one new question and answer at home, which we will bring with us to class. It could be about food, what you have done, activities, hobbies, work etc. REMEMBER to write the sentence down in your notebook.

HUSK! DUOLINGO og GLOSEBOK for alle nye ord dere kommer over! REMEMBER! DUOLINGO & GLOSSARY to write all the new words you come over!

HUSK å bruke: ORDLISTE for kapitlene side 204à214 i tekstboka.
Alfabetisk ORDLISTE side 215à222 i tekstboka. Inkluderer substantivbøyning.
DICTIONARY chapter by chapter page 204à214 in the textbook. Alphabetical DICTIONARY page 215à222 in the textbook. Includes gender conjugation of nouns.
Lydopptak av samtaler hvis ønskelig. Recording of conversations if desirable. Takk for i dag. Sees i neste uke! Thank you for today. See you next week!

4

Osmund H (1822-1912)
b. 1822 Skåre parish, Haugesund, Rogaland
d. 1912 Stavanger

Elen Pauline Erensdatter (1830-1915)
d. Stavanger, Rogaland

Johannes Rasmussen
b. circa 1845

Luise Mathilda Nilsatter
b. 1850 Eid i Fjellberg, Stord, Hordaland fylke

5

Knut Gautsen Hagland
b. 1779 Nordre Våge, Sveio, Hordaland
d. 1863 Hagland Store, Skåre, Haugesund

Sara Osmundsdatter Sørvåg (1782-1859)
b. 1782 Sørvåg, Rogaland
d. Hagland Store, Skåre, Haugesund, Rogaland

6

Gaut Olsen Kalland
b. 1750 Kalland, Sogn og Fjordane
d. 1803 Hagland Store, Skåre, Haugesund

Osmund Olsen Sørvåg
b. 1744 Sørvåg, Avaldsnes
d. 1802 Sørvåg, Avaldsnes

Johannes Helgesson
b. 1781 Litlebø, Hordaland
d. 1879

7

Ola Ommundsson Kvala
b. 1718 Kvalavåg, Rogaland
d. 1799 Hagland Store, Skåre, Rogaland

Kari Jonsdotter Røvaer
b. 1708 Røvaer, Skåre, Rogaland
d. 1763 Kalland, Skåre, Haugesund, Rogaland

Helge Jensson
b. 1747 Stord, Hordaland
d. 1797 Nedre Litlebø, Stord, Hordaland

Knud Helgesen
b. 1722 Stavanger, Rogaland
d. 1807

Berthe Roaldsdatter
d. 1750

8

Ommund Rasmussen Vikse
b. circa 1683 Søre Vikse, Skåre, Rogaland
d. circa 1722 Kvala, Skåre, Rogaland

Pernille Olsdotter
d. circa 1763 Kvala, Skåre, Rogaland

Jon Endresen Røvaer
b. 1668 Røvaer, Skåre, Rogaland
d. 1740 Røvaer, Skåre, Rogaland

Jens Olsson
b. 1715 Opsanger, Kvinnherad, Hordaland
d. 1797 Horneland, Stord, Hordaland

Mari Reinertsdatter
b. 1710 Agdestein, Stord, Hordaland
d. 1780 Horneland, Stord, Hordaland

9

Rasmus Knutsen Vikse
b. circa 1650 Søre Vikse, Skåre, Rogaland
d. before 1717 Søre Vikse, Skåre, Rogaland

Malena Ommundsdotter Storasund
b. 1650 Storesund, Skåre, Rogaland
d. before 1695 Søre Vikse, Skåre, Rogaland

Endre Jonsen Røvaer
b. 1625 Røvaer, Skåre, Rogaland
d. 1705 Røvaer, Skåre, Rogaland

Tyri Larsdatter
b. 1660 Avaldsnes, Rogaland
d. 1728 Skåre, Rogaland

Ole Damsson
b. obsanger, Kvinnherad, Hordaland

Reinert Andersen Agdestein
b. 1665 Agdestein, Stord, Hordaland
d. 1745 Agdestein, Stord, Hordaland

10

Knut Olsen Søre Vikse
b. 1608
d. circa 1650 Søre Vikse, Skåre, Rogaland

Ommund Olsen
b. 1625 Storasund, Torvastad, Rogaland
d. 1650 Storesund, Skåre, Haugesund, Rogaland

Bergitta Kristoffersdatter
b. 1625 Rossabø, Skåre, Rogaland
d. 1665 Storesund, Skåre, Haugesund, Rogaland

Jon Torgesen Røvaer
b. 1595
d. 1706

Lars Knutson
b. 1626 Nesheim, Rogaland
d. 1668 Nesheim, Rogaland

Dam  Andersson Damsson
b. Danmark, Uppsala, Sweden

Anders Reinertsen Romsø
b. 1630 Romsø, Olen, Rogaland
d. 1711 Agdestein, Hordaland

Anna Jeronymusdatter
b. 1635 Agdestein, Hordaland
d. 1662 Agdestein, Hordaland

Ingemår Olson Valhammar
b. 1654 Valhammar, Austevoll, Hordaland
d. 1711 Helland, Fitjar, Hordaland

11

Kristoffer Hanssen
b. 1594 Austrheim, Avaldsnes, Rogaland
d. 1655 Rossabø, Skåre, Rogaland

NN Rasmusdatter
b. 1590

Reinert Sveinsson Vogt Romsø
b. 1600 Romsø, Olen, Rogaland
d. 1662 Ølen, Hordaland

Susanne Rasmusdotter Hogganvik
b. 1609 Tysvær, Rogaland
d. 1670

Torger Røvær
b. 1570
d. 1603 Røvær, Skåre, Haugesund, Rogaland

12

Hans Simonsen Avaldnsnes
b. 1560 Avaldsnes, Rogaland
d. 1621 Austrei, Stangaland, Karmøy, Rogaland

Magdalene Andersdatter Avaldsnes
b. 1560 Avaldsnes, Rogaland
d. 1629 Austrei, Stangaland, Karmøy, Rogaland

Svend Hansson Vogt
b. Germany
d. 1634 Stavanger, Rogaland

Kristine Østensdatter Egenes
b. 1578

Rasmus Olsson Hauskje
b. Ukjent Opphav
d. 1615 Rennesøy, Rogaland

Katrine Johannesdatter
d. 1661 Rennesøy, Rogaland

13

Simon Skolemester
b. 1540 Stavanger
d. 1608

Østen Jonsson Egenes
b. 1530 Stavanger, Rogaland
d. Stokka, Rogaland

Magdalena Stokke
b. 1534 Stavanger, Rogaland
d. 1607 Stavanger, Rogaland

14

Jostein Haug

Old Norse vocabulary

from Dr. Jackson Crawford (“Drengr: The Ultimate Viking Compliment”)

gangleri = wanderer, seeker
grímr = grim
fjǫlsviðr  = wise man
ófnir = gelding
sviðurr  =wise
saðr = truth
gǫndlir = wand bearer
ómi = speaker
drengr = warrior, soldier, ‘badass’; from Proto-Germanic drangijaz (staff, stake, man, servant)
goðr drengr = good drengr
inn bezti drengr = the best drengr
drengskapr = state of being a drengr, a man’s honor
skǫrungr = drengr (woman) with extra or exceptional talent

The post Norsk appeared first on Pauline Park.

I have been listening to opera and attending opera performances since 1979, when I discovered this ‘exotic and irrational entertainment’ through an album of Mozart arias by Margaret Price and Joseph Losey’s film of “Don Giovanni.” Since then, I have seen hundreds of opera productions of everything from the old ‘war horses’ to what are referred to as operatic ‘rarities.’

Recently, it occurred to me that I should try to produce a list of favorite operas, and I have been struggling to come up with a list of ten operas that I could not live without, and that has proved more difficult a task than one might imagine. For one thing, ten is an extremely arbitrary number, albeit one that is the basis for contemporary life; the ‘modern’ would be impossible without decimalization. But ‘top ten’ lists proliferate in every area of human activity, and so, in keeping with that somewhat arbitrary but widely accepted standard, I have finally produced a list of my favorite 30 operas. The first 15 are those I simply couldn’t live without:

1) Die Zauberflöte (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, 1791)

2) Così Fan Tutte (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, 1790)

3) Don Giovanni (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, 1787)

4) Le Nozze di Figaro (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, 1786)

5) Turandot (Giacomo Puccini, 1926)

6) Madama Butterfly (Giacomo Puccini, 1904)

7) Falstaff (Giuseppe Verdi, 1893)

8) Giulio Cesare (George Frideric Handel, 1724)

9) Cavalleria rusticana (Pietro Mascagni, 1890)

10) Die Fledermaus (Johann Strauss II, 1874)

11) Der Freischütz (Carl Maria von Weber, 1821)

12) Manon (Jules Massenet, 1884)

13) La Cenerentola (Gioachino Rossini, 1817)

14) Don Carlos (Giuseppe Verdi, 1867)

15) Der Rosenkavalier (Richard Strauss, 1911)

The next 15 are those I could live without but would prefer not to have to:

16) La Fanciulla del West (Giacomo Puccini, 1910)

17) Eugene Onegin (Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, 1879)

18) Hänsel und Gretel (Engelbert Humperdinck, 1893)

19) Il Barbiere di Siviglia (Gioachino Rossini, 1816)

20) Les Contes d’Hoffmann (Jacques Offenbach, 1881)

21) Ariadne auf Naxos (Richard Strauss, 1912)

22) Dido and Aeneas (Henry Purcell, 1683)

23) Götterdämmerung (Richard Wagner, 1876)*

24) Castor et Pollux (Jean-Philippe Rameau, 1737)

25) L’Incoronazione di Poppea (Claudio Monteverdi, 1642)

26)  L’Enfant et les Sortilèges (Maurice Ravel, 1925)

27) Boris Godunov (Modest Mussorgsky, 1874)

28) La Traviata (Giuseppe Verdi, 1853)

29) Carmen (Georges Bizet, 1875)

30) Zar und Zimmermann (Albert Lortzing, 1837)

A little commentary may be necessary. I’ve put an asterisk next to “Götterdämmerung” because I can’t bear the thought of sitting through a complete Wagner opera again. I saw the entire Ring cycle live at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and due to circumstances beyond my control, I was only able to get a standing room ticket for the fourth and longest of the four Ring ‘music dramas.’ I think I can probably say that standing through the entirety of “Götterdämmerung” without supertitles (this was 1982, long before the advent of that life-saving device) puts me in a class with the hardiest of opera queens~! But music of Siegfried’s Funeral March and Rhine Journey is  one of the greatest moments in opera and almost unparalleled in its depth and power. Likewise the Good Friday music from “Parsifal,” but I’m unwilling to endure 5 hours of sheer boredom even for 20 minutes of the most sublime music in all opera. And while I’m fascinated with the Norns as figures in Norse mythology, there can be nothing so boring in all of opera as standing through the scene of the weaving of the Norns with no supertitles.

In contrast, I am never bored with Mozart’s ‘big four,’ which head the list. I return to Mozart again and again; he is the one opera composer with whom I could not live. Mozart was my introduction to opera: an album (back in the days of LPs) of Mozart arias sung by the Welsh soprano Margaret Price (wearing a diamond-studded black farthingale) that I borrowed from the Madison Public Library in college started it all, and I was absolutely captivated by my Joseph Losey’s “Don Giovanni” film, which I saw when it first came out in 1979.

I went through a Wagner period — which peaked when I saw the entire Ring cycle in London in 1982  — and I’ve also been swept away by operas by other composers, especially Verdi and Puccini; but no other opera composer has ever displace Mozart from my affections.

While I love “Le Nozze di Figaro,” my two absolute favorite operas are ” Così Fan Tutte” and “Die Zauberflöte,” and the only difficulty for me is choosing between the two of them. I suppose I could call it a tie, but the nature of lists is such that they are most comprehensible as a simply enumerated list, and so I’ve given the pride of place to “the Magic Flute,” the most magical of  all operas.

No commentary on opera would be complete without at least a passing reference to Verdi and Puccini. Verdi is by common consent considered one of the three greatest of all opera composers, along with Mozart and Wagner, and some of Verdi’s enthusiasts would rank him first. Verdi was certainly an example of a composer — like Brahms and unlike Mozart or Mendelssohn (that most truly prodigious of all musical prodigies) — who took time to develop; despite some great individual numbers (“Va, pensiero,” the chorus of the Hebrew slaves from “Nabucco,” for example, which became the theme song of the Risorgimento), it wasn’t until the great trio of “Rigoletto,” “Il Trovatore” and “La Traviata” that he produced truly great operas. “Un Ballo in Maschera” and “Aida” are also great operas, as is “Otello,” but since this is a list of my favorite operas and not of the greatest (or at least what I consider the greatest) operas, I’m including those that I most enjoy listening to; and among those, only three make the list at all, and only one makes the top tier. Some consider “Falstaff” the least Verdian of all of Verdi’s operas, but it is the one that totally captivated me when I saw it in London in 1982 and still holds me enthralled over 30 years later.

After Mozart, though, it is Puccini who is my favorite opera composer. And while I love “La Bohème,” I’ve just heard the music too often to enjoy it the way I enjoy some of Puccini’s other operas, including the much less appreciated but arguably more musically sophisticated “La Fanciulla del West.” But it’s “Butterfly” and above all “Turandot” that swept me away when I first heard them and that still captivate me — “Butterfly” despite the obvious orientalism and exoticism; I saw “M. Butterfly” when it was on Broadway years ago and have read numerous critiques of its sexual politics, with which I largely agree; but however politically incorrect the opera may be, it still sweeps me away; it is the ‘romantic’ opera par excellence. I was fortunate enough to see a stunning production of “Butterfly” at the Teatro la Fenice when I was in Venice in 1983 before the theater burned to the ground in what was believed to have been arson. Fortunately, they rebuilt La Fenice as an exact replica of the original, earning the theater its name as a Phoenix that rises from its ashes. “Turandot” is arguably even more ‘orientalist,’ but because it is based on a fairy tale by Gozzi and makes no pretense to realism, its orientalism is arguably far less offensive.

A note on Baroque opera, which is an acquired taste even for opera lovers. I’m generally not one to sit through Handel operas because I find a long string of da capo arias to be worse than boring. The one great exception is “Giulio Cesare,” which is my favorite Handel opera and the only Baroque opera to make the top ten. Three other Baroque operas make the list, albeit further down: “Dido and Aeneas” (Henry Purcell, 1683), “Castor et Pollux” (Jean-Philippe Rameau, 1737) and “L’Incoronazione di Poppea” (Claudio Monteverdi, 1642). I’ve seen the last two staged: “Castor et Pollux” in a special production at Covent Garden (though not a production of the Royal Opera House itself) and “Poppea” at Glyndebourne in the summer of 1983. “Poppea” has its longueurs, but the ravishing duet (“Pur ti mio”) which ends the opera is surely the most exquisite music to accompany the triumph of evil in any opera in the repertoire. I’ve never seen “Dido” in the theater, even though it is in its succinct precision the most perfect Baroque opera as well as arguably the most perfect opera in my native English language (I have, however, been fortunate enough to see superb productions of both “King Arthur” and “The Fairy Queen”).

I could comment at length about every single one of the 30 operas on this list as well as a few that didn’t make it, but I’ll just share my thoughts on a few. First, a note on terminology. Clearly, the fact of spoken dialogue couldn’t disqualify either “Die Zauberflöte” or “Carmen” from being considered operas, as both are universally considered despite their spoken dialogue (the latter in the original pre-Guiraud recitative version). And similarly for “Die Fledermaus,” which is thoroughly operatic and in its own way, is a better music drama than “Götterdämmerung,” even if Johann Strauss II never aspired to the level of profundity that Richard Wagner did. “Fledermaus,” like “Falstaff” has a musical language that advances the action more expeditiously and considerably more succinctly than any of Wagner’s later operas. The same could be said of both “Madama Butterfly” and “Turandot,” my favorite Puccini operas.

Conversely, “Der Rosenkavalier,” like most Wagner operas, has considerable longueurs, but its greatest moments — including the presentation of the rose scene and the final trio and duet — are among the greatest moments in opera, and for that reason, I’ve put “Rosenkavalier” in the top tier and “Ariadne auf Naxos” in the second tier, even though I find the latter to be the most thoroughly enjoyable as well as the most consistently inspired of all of the operas of Richard Strauss.

And that is, of course, one of the difficulties in putting such a list as this together: whether to judge by the peak moments or by the opera as a whole; I’ve tended towards the latter, because there are great moments in many operas; there are individual arias and scenes of great beauty in otherwise completely mediocre operas, such as “Amor ti vieta” in Umberto Giordano’s “Fedora,” an otherwise execrable exercise in opera. In contrast, there are only passing moments of faltering inspiration in Mozart’s ‘big four,’ usually explained by the last-minute insertion of an apparently quickly written aria to please a singer (e.g., Guglielmo’s aria in “Così” and Barbara’s little ‘key’ aria in “Figaro”).

One last and very important note: this is a list of my 30 favorite operas, not of what I consider to be the 30 greatest operas ever written, though I could make a case that these represent among the 30 greatest operas; but that would require much more argumentation and analysis, and will have to await another occasion.

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I just discovered “The Shadow of the Tower,” the 1972 ‘prequel’ to “The Six Wives of Henry VIII” with Keith Michell (1971), which in turn was followed by “Elizabeth R” with Glenda Jackson (1971).

“‘The Shadow of the Tower’ is the third installment of the BBC’s series that was not (I believe) ever shown in the US. It is every bit as good as the first two, but it focuses on the less glamorous (or less famous) of the Tudor monarchs, Henry VII. But Henry VII is important not just as the founder of the Tudor dynasty but for his own achievements, probably too often eclipsed by his larger-than-life descendants, Henry VIII and Elizabeth I,” writes Geri, The History Lady. “The Shadow of the Tower” isn’t quite at the level of “The Six Wives of Henry VIII” and “Elizabeth R,” but those were the best historical dramas ever made for TV; but if you take it on its own terms, “Shadow” is pretty good, and it tells a very compelling story of the wily founder of the Tudor dynasty.

“The Shadow of the Tower” stars James Maxwell as Henry VII, the founder of the Tudor dynasty who has been overshadowed by his son & granddaughter but whose reign was not at all uneventful. Henry Tudor had only the most distant claim to the English throne and became king by force of arms, defeating Richard III at Bosworth Field in 1485; Richard III’s body was recently discovered under a parking lot. Henry VII was on the whole a good ruler, as parsimonious as his son was extravagant. The first Tudor king brought the Wars of the Roses to an end andj stabilized England, providing the basis for its further growth & development. Henry also laid the ground work for the United Kingdom by marrying his daughter Margaret to James IV of Scotland. But it was his granddaughter Elizabeth, born long after his death, who redeemed the Tudor dynasty’s distinctly mixed record after the disastrous reigns of her brother (Edward VI) and sister (Mary I). So when you’re watching Henry VII’s machinations in “The Shadow of the Tower,” think of the Gloriana to come~!

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Conchita Supervía (December 8-9, 1895-March 30, 1936) was one of the great opera singers of all time and one of my favorites. Supervía’s life was tragically cut short in childbirth. It’s only too bad that so few of today’s opera lovers know of her, because Supervía’s vibrato — unlike that of so many sopranos and tenors today — is not the result of excessive tension and stress but rather of an unusually relaxed larynx — a problem few of today’s singers have, with their pushed out chesty voices and strained high notes. Some compared the sound of her voice to that of shaken dice. Supervía was wonderful in everything she did and was superb in Rossini; to hear her sing “L’Italiana in Algeri” or “Cenerentola” is to get a sense of her delightful humor, wit and style and to understand what some of the best singers of the golden age were capable of. Viva la Supervía~!

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