Hello Culture People!
There are a few things to do today to start bringing together your ideas on high culture, popular culture and definitions of culture in general. Culture is a tricky word to define.
1. Follow the link below and listen to some of the definitions people give. They were all interviewed for The Culture Show, a programme that explores different facets of arts and culture in the 21st Century. It is a great programme to watch and, in itself, attempts to break down some of the barriers between high and popular culture.
www.bbc.co.uk/cultureshow/cultureis
2. Now post a comment on your own blog about what you think culture is.
3. Follow the links below and read the articles. What attitudes are expressed about high and popular cultural forms in the two articles? Post a comment!
http://www.theguardian.com/music/2008/sep/02/classicalmusicandopera
http://www.theguardian.com/music/tomserviceblog/2008/sep/03/laurabarton
4. Don't forget to post an overview of the past few lessons on your own blog. Some good ones already - you are showing real engagement with the subject.
Well done!
Laura Barton gives a fair but biased view of her operatic experience in her article 'I'm a rock chick, get me out of here!' Due to her love of rock music and the fact she would rather wear jeans than a dress probably suggests that opera may not be her cup of tea. She did, however, appreciate the music, and I think this is the most important aspect of the article. She states how she 'can see it is beautiful' and I think this an open minded statement which shows her level of maturity. She ends with saying how it doesn't stir anything in her belly, and this is why we pay so much to see such performances, we want to be in awe and we want to be inspired, and she wasn't.
ReplyDeleteWe then hear the opposing opinion of Tom Service, who respects her opinion but claims that it’s ‘her loss’ that she doesn't enjoy opera. He talks about the type of people who attend operas, as does she, both stating that they’re ‘rude’. This could be to do with a certain level snobbery within the class of people she was mixing with, however class shouldn't relate to the level of manners someone has and in some respects you’d have thought the ‘upper class’ would, stereotypically, have more manners. Service defends opera by saying that he’s lucky opera moves him, which I think this is what it comes down to, someone’s personal response.
In the first article Laura expressed that she felt about high culture she thought people were snobs and only at the opera to almost show off and show that they could go to the opera house as they dressed up in gowns as they qued outside,when Laura would be much happier at a gig(popular culture.) Whereas in the second article an opera lover expresses how they felt Laura was harsh with her comments and opera is something to be looked on highly, as it gives people an unforgettable experience as it is so dramatic.
ReplyDeleteIn these two articles we see two different opinions on Opera music. Laura Barton made it clear she was into rock music and opera wasn’t her preferred choice of music but she visited the opera house to give it a chance. Throughout the article she explains how she thinks people attend the opera not because they want to but because they feel that they have to in order to look high cultured. She also talks about the people she saw there acting snobby which fits in with some of the connotations that come with high cultured people. Laura makes a point that she can see this form of culture is beautiful and appreciates it but she does not find it interesting because that isn’t the type of activity she takes an interest in. I think her view is fair as she shows you can appreciate aspects of this culture without having to be knowledgeable about high culture.
ReplyDeleteIn the second article Tom Service respects her views on the opera and shows some agreement on the fact high class people can be snobby but comments on the fact he enjoys opera because he loves the way it makes him feel, not because he has to like it.