Ghostwriting Extravaganza

When reading the article about ghostwriting this week I was shocked to hear that so many people depend on this type of authorship. I was obviously aware the presidents and senators don't write their own speeches. However, I guess I put too much faith in celebrities to actually write their own books. This makes me think of the other day when I was watching the news and Rosie O'Donnell's new book was being talked about. Here us a little clip in case you haven't heard about this.

So Rosie claims she used to break her bones, did she really write this? As of now there is no speculation that she didn't, however I will be more suspicious from now on.

The essence of the aura

Today's discussion proved to be, as usual, a clarification of the readings we were assigned. It seems as though no matter what I am thinking while I am reading the "works" I am always way off in my interpretations. However, today's discussion of the "aura" Benjamin speaks of in "The Work of Art and Age of Mechanical Reproduction" seems to have a less solidified representation, so I figured I would take another stab at it.

The way that I think of the "aura" of original works or paintings is similar to class the class in that, whatever this aura is, it cannot be reproduced. That being said, I believe the aura to be for instance, the specific brush strokes or minute details of a painter and his/her painting. Their thoughts at that moment they are painting can never be reproduced, and although there may be a well-known meaning behind a painting, there is something about the original that draws a person in. This draw is something that a reproduction lacks. Perhaps this is also the reason that books (at least in my opinion) are always better than the movies based on them. For example, one of my favorite movies is "The Notebook" (and of course I had to add the most famous photo from the movie.) I saw the movie before reading the book, and I think this was a good thing in this case. When I read the book, and cried even harder than when I watched the movie; if I would have read the book first, I would not have wanted to see the movie in fear of ruining my perceptions of the story. There is just something about reading books word for word, creating a mental image, finding a real attachment to the characters and plot line that movies based on these books lack.

So I imagine the essence of the aura, for me, can be summed up as simply the feeling in your chest when you see an original painting, or read an amazing book, or perhaps the goosebumps on your arms when you see something truly touching. I don't know about you, but I love this feeling.

Death of the Author

Today's discussion in class left me perhaps more puzzled than when I first read Roland Barthes' "Death of the Author." I was dreading answering any of the group questions in class, but most of all the first question (which of course then the one that I was assigned.) Our group focused mainly on the lost identity of the author through writing. Barthes says in one part of this piece "it is language which speaks, not the author." To an extent, this is correct; in some cases it is easy to get tangled in the words an forget where the author is coming from. However, this is not always the case. Take Jane Austin for example-some of her books are based off of her true love story. While I have never read any of her works, I think it would be exciting for me to remember where she is coming from, knowing that true love really does happen in real life. So in this case, the author is not forgotten.

Hello everyone! This is my first blog and it will be mainly used for my English class.

I am currently a senior majoring in Child Development, but I hope to go to an accelerated nursing program when I graduate in May. My eventual goal is to become a Doctor of Nursing Practice with pediatric patients.

I am the oldest of 5 children, and I am extremely close with my entire family who lives less than an hour away. I have the most wonderful friends anyone could ask for, and i guess my boyfriend is alright too. =)

In my spare time I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, shopping, watching movies, singing, playing volleyball, and cleaning. (Yes I like to clean.)

If you have any questions or want to know more, feel free to post comments!