|
|
|
 
|
One doesn’t generally associate the great hallmarks of English literature with hot, juicy gossip or tales of intrigue, deception and rebellion. It sounds more like the plot of a Shakespearian play.
|
[eminimall products="Shakespeare, books" height="600" width="120"]
|
To my mind, one could view the Shakespearian authorship question in precisely these terms in order for the non-academic world to understand the relevance of this mystery (and its ongoing lack of resolution) to not just English literature and the language, but to other world literatures as well.
It might be a fanciful idea, but try to imagine it from the following point of view. This requires that you are open to the notion that the man known as William Shakespeare was not the author of the plays we’ve come to identify him with.
For all our knowledge and technological advancements, we still cannot confirm the true identity of one of the seminal figures in English literature. Indeed, we have a name, a body of work attached to that name, but there is a lot of doubt as to how the named person could have produced such work given his social standing in the Elizabethan reign. Does this strike you as odd? It should: normally one believes that it is beneficial to have one’s name attached to one’s work and to be identified as the rightful producer.
William Shakespeare of Stratford was the son of an illiterate man, who was skilled in trades and rose to prosperity, as is evidenced by his being briefly active in his local council. Given that William’s father was forced to relinquish this position, it is very unlikely that he could have ensured his son got the sort of education that would allow him to produce works of the valour that is currently attributed to him.
It is possible that William attended the local grammar school, but very unlikely that he went on to further and necessary study. He eventually went to London and became an actor for the Lord Chamberlain’s Men.
|
It is at this point that the authorship plot thickens. What if the true author of the works we generally attribute to Shakespeare did not wish his or her identity to be known? What reasons would inspire an author to do this?
Brenda James, enlisting the help of Professor W. D. Rubinstein, devoted time and energy to try and come up with definitive answers to these questions, even though in certain academic circles this was not always approved of. The fruit of her research is this book, in which she poses that the actual author of the works attributed to Shakespeare was in fact Sir Henry Neville, an English courtier and sometime diplomat.
However, Sir Henry Neville is not the first person thought to have been the true author of Shakespeare’s work. James and Rubinstein do address this and give a cursory glance as to why some of the more illustrious candidates (such as Christopher Marlowe, Edward de Vere, Earl of Oxford, and Sir Francis Bacon) should be ignored.
In order to examine why Shakespeare’s work should be rightfully attributed to Sir Neville, it is necessary to also examine Sir Neville’s life and ancestry in great detail. The Truth Will Out most definitely does this, and in keeping with the highest academic standards. The research is thorough and presented in a manner that engages the reader’s interest.
There are, however, some issues with the arguments given in order that we accept Neville as the true Shakespeare. The main one is that there is a heavy reliance upon the correlation between the events of Neville’s life and of the actual artistic output produced. To boil this down to its basest level, the authors at times suggest that when Neville’s life is rosy, this corresponds roughly to the dates of the Shakespearian comedies being written and premiered.
This is a work of academic research and criticism and may be heavy-going for the non-academic reader. It does presuppose a good amount of knowledge of Shakespearian literary history, but in fairness it is intended for an academic audience. The lay reader may need to bear that in mind, but should not at all be discouraged by this fact.
|
I cannot honestly say whether I fully accept Neville as the author of Shakespeare’s work because the book relies too much on the assumption that Neville’s output was almost solely determined by his personal and professional circumstances. There is some excellent evidence presented that Neville had access to other literary sources quoted as well as possessing the degree of learning needed to write such work.
|
|
But anyone with an interest in the Shakespearian authorship question is heartily encouraged to read this absorbing, informative book. No doubt, it has contributed to the debate by forcing the literary community to accept that there is now a new possible author to the Bard’s work.
If you like this site, Donate to help keep us going!
---------------------
Written by gem_mahadeo - Visit Website |
|
|
|
“The beginning is simple, almost comic – just a pulse … like a rusty squeeze box – and then suddenly, high above it … a single note hanging there, unwavering … sweetened … into a phrase of such delight…”
|
|
Although this quote is taken from the film Amadeus and is uttered by Salieri in reference to Mozart’s ‘Gran Partita’ Serenade for winds K 361, it is an equally fitting description of the beginning of Kurtág’s Kafka fragmente (‘Kafka fragments’), for soprano (Juliane Banse) and violin (András Keller). The violin begins with a folk-like opening as if to set the beat or lull the listener. The soprano comes in, singing lyrics of marching, of steps, of dancing.
Thus begins Kurtág’s cycle of phrases and sentences – snatched and strung together randomly – courtesy of the writer Franz Kafka’s diaries and letters. Kurtág’s music, with the aid of these fragments will take the listener to opposite ends of the human psyche and not always with a smooth transition between the extremes.
Briefly, György Kurtág was born in 1926. He was born in an area of eastern Europe that belonged to Rumania, and studied in Budapest and Paris under masters such as Milhaud and Messiaen. He heard Webern’s work for the first time and returned to Budapest, declaring that his own string quartet (opus 1, 1959) marked his severance from the past. In 2006, the year of his eightieth birthday, recording label ECM decided to release this work as a new recording in honour of this event.
|
Numerous prestigious appointments and positions have come his way as a composer and as a performance tutor. Kurtág has also received many music awards. In February 2006 the Budapest Music Centre held a festival in honour of their beloved citizen’s achievements.
For many years throughout his life Kurtág recorded small quotes from Kafka’s writings that struck his fancy in regards to their potential to be set to music. Eventually the chance came to him and he began to work on compositional sketches for the fragments, and his enduring fascination with the work led him to work on it seriously, rather than for his own enjoyment.
The fragments are not ordered according to its thematic content, or to construct some sort of narrative. The primary concern is musical, and the order of the pieces has changed many times – even after its 1987 premiere performance.
Because of the ‘pulse’ mentioned at the beginning, the music has a hypnotic quality when listened to. The melodies echo folk tunes of Kurtág’s native land at certain points, as well as continue the trends established in Western art music at the beginning of the twentieth century. It also hints at the Jewish ancestry that both he and Kafka share.
I personally find various musical phrases haunting for several days after hearing them, indeed as if a pulse is revived and then slips gently into the background of one’s mind. This song cycle commands to be listened to attentively and without disruption, devoid of other distractions.
After repeat listenings, I did eventually succumb to reading the text translations of Kafka’s fragments. They are definitely part of this piece’s continuing allure. They are rarely self-contained and leave one thinking: what on earth were they extracted from? A short story? Kafka’s diary? His correspondence? To whom, if so? They are equally as haunting and unresolved as the music.
|
Of course, the performers, soprano Juliane Banse and violinist András Keller, naturally have an awful lot to do with the success of this composition – not just this recording. Both artists worked very closely with the composer and are experienced in its performance and interpretation. Keller showed Kurtág the limitations of his instrument during the compositional process.
|
[eminimall products="music" height="250" width="250"]
|
The performers give the impression of being intimately connected with Kurtág’s piece, and clearly revel in their musical relationship. Each performer is keenly attuned to their partner and as a result produce a recording that sounds effortless, pure and considered. This was most evident in parts where either performer would be playing or singing a simple musical phrase and then would suddenly launch into virtuosic contemporary music techniques, as a question-answer device. However, each musician had this occur in their own part so that effectively they would answer their own question, which is trickier than conversing with one another.
Though each musician has a highly demanding part to perform due to the extreme register changes, glissandi, and pitch fluctuations, the violinist’s limits are challenged the most. At certain points, the score dictates that the violinist adopt different string tunings as well as having to physically reposition himself (moving to either side of the soprano when indicated).
There is also a contrapuntal device in several songs, one musical part will be melodic, folk-like and very consonant whereas the second part will be dissonant, fragmented – a stark contrast to its self-contained partner. Again, this only enforces that the composer wants us to feel a juxtaposition of emotions – the earthiness of the folk tradition and the anorexic economy of its counterpart.
This is a work, and a recording, to be savoured over and over again. Anyone with an interest in classical music outside the canon, and in the performing arts generally should relish this release from ECM.
If you like this site, Donate to help keep us going!
---------------------
Written by gem_mahadeo - Visit Website |
|
|
|
"Imagine a place where you’ve wanted to go, but never could find. A place like no other. And when you get there, you can only look down upon the stairway to heaven."
|
|
Australian-based ’60s-inspired psychedelic rock band BeOmega’s with their full-length release Outer Edge of MusiVerse will apparently take you to just such a place. I must confess, when people claim such things, my inner snark prepares to poke fun or roll my eyes. I still recall the attempt of a high school classmate to convince a few of us that rave or trance music was — I cringe to remember it — “A journey to the stars… an experience for the mind.” Obviously, she was trying to prove to us that she was so much cooler than us concert band nerds. I’m not entirely sure that BeOmega’s album achieves its aim — it most certainly didn’t take me anywhere cosmic, for reasons that are detailed below.
The album is just over an hour long and has fourteen tracks with some names that play on words like "Dis-Aster" ("aster" referring to the stars) and "Phi-nd Your Blisss" and even one that sounds like some religious-cult chant "Ni Ni Nun Na Ne" ("May You Rise"). There are three members in the group — in their own words there is "blazing starburst drumming" by Taina, with "booming spacoid basslines" from sister Cheruki and lastly we have "cosmic orgasmic guitar wizardry and etheric otherworldly vocals" by Prashant Trivedi on guitar and vocals, also responsible for writing their musical material.
|
My initial response when listening to the album was that it sounded like Japanese psychedelic rock designed to brainwash people. It really does sound like music straight out of the ’60s — I almost feel like I’m there. Parts of it are very drone-like because of the melodic and rhythmic uniformity when all three members are singing (the first thing that came to mind was the folk of Hy Brasil chanting — and sinking — on their blissful island in the hilarious film Eric the Viking, led by Terry Jones). Each member does his or her job satisfactorily, but as a whole the chemistry isn’t quite right — but this is something that can improve.
For example, the repetitive nature of many of the tracks sound chaotic rather than espousing harmony and accord — the complete opposite of the philosophies the group promotes in the sleeve notes. Perhaps because it sounds like three individuals performing the same thing, rather than a band jamming? This isn’t a pleasurable astral journey at all — although it is more accurately representative of a bad drug trip (I hear). It could be personal preference and though I came to this work with as open a mind as possible, the repetition does not strike me as being effective or engaging to the listener.
It’s completely fine when the production of certain albums aren’t polished and sound raw or rough in particular spots — that’s one of the great things about popular music (as opposed to Western art music or what most of us call "classical" music) — but because this group, and recording, need to work on other crucial aspects of music-making, such production values do nothing to enhance the recording. It’s unbalanced, brash and unrelenting. There’s too many other weaknesses that need to be worked on for this to sound raw in that cool, rock way.
|
I’m not the ideal audience for this sort of music, admittedly, and am not very familiar with ’60s popular culture. BeOmega’s offering isn’t awful and they could perhaps focus more on live performance and building a fan base, as well as developing their personal sound — because at present they don’t sound like a band whose intentions are focused enough.
|
[eminimall width="250" height="250" product="cd, mp3"]
|
It will come with experience and playing together as much as possible. Based on what I’ve heard, their music oscillates from either bland to messy but there are definite hints of promise and that indefinable quality that makes musical acts appealing to listeners.
I understand BeOmega have been received with some enthusiasm in New York and London so they definitely have their ideal and appreciative audience, but for now it cannot be said that Outer Edge of MusiVerse is an example of them at their finest. They’ve only been a group since 2003, which isn’t all that long. It will be interesting to see how they progress as a band, and they should do lots of gigs while they are based in Australia. Flaws aside, there will always be a handful of people in the major cities and towns looking to see what eclectic bands like BeOmega have on offer.
If you like this site, Donate to help keep us going!
---------------------
Written by gem_mahadeo - Visit Website |
|
|
|
Everybody loves a good dystopian, socially thought-provoking flick.
Well, at least, I do. Given today’s global political climate, they seem to enjoy a more receptive audience (I’m thinking of Good Night, And Good Luck, V for Vendetta, Syriana etc.).
|
|
I can’t believe I’m about to give credit to cable/pay television, but without it, I most certainly would not have discovered the film of this discussion, Equilibrium. Not long after, I ordered it on DVD. Written and directed by Kurt Wimmer, the story centres around John Preston (played by Christian Bale), who is part of the Grammaton Order, in a future not too far removed from our own.
|
As a First Order Cleric in the Order, he is responsible for upholding laws designed to obliterate the possibility of world war and its associated destruction and death. In order for peace, and for its continued existence, drastic measures have been adopted by society – art in all forms has been outlawed and the supposedly enlightened citizens must take a daily dose of a drug called ‘Prozium’ to suppress feelings and emotions. It is argued that our extremes of emotion have caused past atrocities, such as the Third World War, which we presume has occurred in the recent past of this society.
Preston is an ideal within his order, He genuinely believes in his role within society, and its importance. This leads countless discoveries of hidden stockpiles of paintings, musical recordings, any belongings that betray their owners to be experiencing emotion and thereby leading to the arrest and extermination of persons, or ‘sense offenders’ – those who deliberately cease taking their Prozium in order to remember what being human is really like.
But all good things must come to an end; when Preston is forced to convict and exact justice upon his own Cleric partner Partridge (played by Sean Bean) as a sense offender, finally he is forced to question and eventually oppose the ideas of the supposedly enlightened society he is a part of.
I don’t really want to spoil it for anyone who has not yet seen it, I’d like to focus now on why I love this film so damn much. When friends ask me to sum up why I’m so keen on it, I tell them that it’s one of the more thought-provoking, intelligent action films I’ve ever seen. Yes, at the risk of being crucified, even more so than The Matrix trilogy of films. Admittedly, the action scenes in Equilibrium require some serious suspension of belief, but it’s hard not to be impressed, as they’re really slick. It’s not really helped by the fact that Bale is somewhat aesthetically pleasing to look at…
Anyway, before I get distracted, a look at some crucial scenes before Preston’s eventual rebellion that hint to us that he may have been experienced emotion, even as a Cleric. I can’t confirm this but am fascinated endlessly by the ambiguity in the storytelling. Perhaps I’m just easily amused.
The first of such scenes - Preston first witnesses Partridge commit a sense offence. The two are in the backseat of a car, Yeats poetry volume protruding from Partridge’s pocket (seized after busting an art ‘stash’) and Preston says something about the raid reminding him why he does the job he does, to which Partridge replies:
“It does?”
Pause.
“It does.”
This subtle speech inflection, and the Yeats volume prove more than enough to confirm his hunch later.
The second scene is a dream sequence (I won’t go Freudian, but there: I’ve said so you have to consider it…shudder), Preston reliving the arrest of his wife, for sense offences. She kisses him as she is dragged out. Preston and his children can do nothing but watch.
Later on, when Preston has ceased taking Prozium, he watches filmed footage of her incineration, and turns his head as she walks into the booth. Does this indicate he’s just committed a sense crime? It does spur him to try and halt the incineration of a woman, Mary (played by Emily Watson), arrested by him who incidentally was also Partridge’s lover.
Notice that she walks into the booth after the red vinyl cape is removed from her, yet when the booth is closed, we see a close-up of a hand, clutching at red vinyl – is this Mary’s hand or that of Preston’s wife? Mary supposedly walks into the booth wearing a black dress. It may just be a continuity error.
It astounds me that this film isn’t more popular, really. It might be because it’s largely made in Europe, or because a lot of the main characters are played by non-American actors (I checked this out on IMDB and Wimmer states he chose such actors deliberately, in the DVD commentary), or is it that the soundtrack is practically non-existent unlike all that bombastic John-Williams stuff? Some soundtracks really bash it into that you should feel ‘sad’ at point A, or ‘elation’ at point B of the narration, and so on.
One might argue that in order to create this “not-another-bleak-future” pic, Wimmer flogged things from all over the place – literary, visual, and historical (on the commentary he says critics accuse him of this), but that’s fine, the film wouldn’t work without all that referencing, it didn’t seem token, or boastful. It enhanced the narrative, I feel.
|
I never know what to make of Equilibrium, not fully: some days it serves to remind me of just how depressing life on medication is (and believe me, I know) and how psychological disorders are on the increase, other days it’s some sort of Brechtian didactic piece on humanity. Many other days, it’s just a freaking kick-arse action flick set in a possible reality one hopes never ever comes into being. Then again, if the iconoclast of such a regime is going to be anywhere near as bonkable as Christian Bale…
|
|
Sorry, couldn’t resist: I’m trying to redeem myself for making you all sit here for so bloody long. Just go and watch it for yourselves.
If you like this site, Donate to help keep us going!
---------------------
Written by gem_mahadeo - Visit Website |
|
|
|
I’ve been a fan of Herr Dorfmeister for quite some time now: back in the day when life was attending uni and raucous parties graced by sophisticated, marijuana-obsessed Europeans, the masters of ‘stoner dub’ were introduced to me via a recording simply titled The K & D Sessions. It turned out that this was a DJ set spread over 2 compact discs put together by two Austrian fellows – Peter Kruder and Richard Dorfmeister.
|
|
From that point on, no summertime outdoor barbeque seemed complete with at least one of these tracks grooving on out from the stereo. Further exploration of these individuals’ work led to the discovery of Tosca, a project involving Dorfmeister, and Rupert Huber – not unknown to the Europe experimental electronic scene.
A few years ago, Kruder and Dorfmeister made it out to Australia for a tour, and Tosca were slated to do the same earlier this year but unexpectedly cancelled soon after the tour had been announced. Who knew when they’d make it out here, if ever. Oh, to still live in Europe and catch them whenever I pleased.
|
When the opportunity came to review this latest title, I leapt up at the chance. Dorfmeister I knew, but the duo he’d teamed up with were not familiar to me. Madrid de los Austrias is a Viennese production duo comprising Sunshine Enterprises label front man Heinz Tronigger and multi-instrumentalist Michael Kreiner, affectionately nicknamed ‘Pogo’.
So what exactly does the title Grand Slam have to do with three Austrian music producers? Not exactly Grand Slam season in their area of the world at the moment, is it? Apparently these fellows are quite the tennis enthusiasts. Also, this debut mix album is supposed to be a personal ‘grand slam’ of sorts – Dorfmeister vs. Madrid de los Austrias. Two against one hardly seems fair but it’s all in fun.
Most of the tracks are put together from scratch (of existing material) by the trio but there are a few very well known remixes of other artists’ tracks on this compilation like Zero 7’s ‘In the Waiting Line’ and Groove Armada’s ‘My Friend’. The standout track on has to be the remix of Willie Bobo’s ‘Spanish Grease’ with its Latin flavour (de los Austrias’ signature sound) which was the also the very first track on the debut recording in the Verve Remixed series.
|
This is bound to be a favourite this summer (thankfully not too far away for us Southern Hemisphere dwellers). It has the right balance of Dorfmeister’s smooth, laidback grooves and Madrid de Los Austrias’ Latin jazz leanings. However it would have been nice if this compilation had’ve been longer.
|
|
One can’t help but feel that just as you’re getting into it, it finishes. Surely it would not have been a problem for the lads to serve up a 2CD/4LP release? Perhaps we’ll just have to wait for the next time these guys decide to put out the fruits of future collaborations. They’d better do it quickly.
If you like this site, Donate to help keep us going!
---------------------
Written by gem_mahadeo - Visit Website |
|
|
|
The name Faithless needs little introduction. Back in my stupid teenage years, I snickered over earlier hits of theirs such as ‘Insomnia’ and ‘God Is A DJ’. It would be a while till I saw the error of my ways and realised that Faithless are seriously good musicians, after their album Outrospective was released.
|
|
What better way to celebrate their contribution to mainstream dance music by being the next artist to follow Satoshi Tomiie’s Renaissance 3D release with one of their own: a compilation of three compact discs, each disc devoted to a particular ‘venue’ – we have ‘Studio’, featuring the band’s own remixes and productions and therefore largely made up of their oeuvre in versions not familiar to many due to their rarity.
Then there is ‘Club’, a shorter version of a DJ set but the premise is the same – a selection of tracks put together so as to get you up and dancing wherever you might be. Finally there is ‘Home’ with a more subdued and toned down vibe, featuring the ‘chillout’ mix.
|
It’s a fairly long journey but Faithless manage to keep up the pace throughout and have the listener wondering what will come next. DJ, producer and keyboard player Sister Bliss gives notes on the selections featured on the ‘Studio’ CD and in so doing gives us a brief insight into some of Faithless’ seminal moments.
It also highlights their British roots – they name Tricky (alongside DJ and rapper-lyricist Maxi Jazz) as someone whose rapping style was ‘distinctly’ British. Film director Danny Boyle commissioned Faithless to write a track for his adaptation of (British novelist) Alex Garland’s The Beach cementing their collaborative relationship (Boyle having used tracks from Faithless’ album Reverence for his previous film A Life Less Ordinary).
It’s difficult to name stand-out tracks on this disc as they seem to be chosen for their personal significance for the band. Such tracks include Sister Bliss and (fellow Faithless producer) Rollo’s remix of Donna Summer’s ‘I Feel Love’; a remix of ‘Crazy English Summer’ featuring the haunting vocals of Zoë Johnston who first came to the public’s attention when Bent released the single ‘Swollen’; a film soundtrack exclusive (‘Addictive’ for Cruel Intentions); the main single from 1 Giant Leap, and a song penned by Sister Bliss and Rollo for his sister Dido (‘Worthless’) who was only paid a curry (according to the sleeve notes) for her guest vocalist duties with Faithless and went on to better things.
|
The second disc, ‘Club’ is a total change of pace – personally, I recommend putting this on with the volume cranked up while engaged in large bouts of domestic duties because the energy is just infectious. Sister Bliss is in charge of editing, arranging and programming the nineteen tracks that appear here which she explains is no mean feat given that it is to roughly represent a typical two-hour set performed live, cut down to less than eighty minutes for a compact disc.
She also notes that to personalise the mix, she overlays some original keyboard parts, samples and beats. It definitely adds depth to the mix. Transition between tracks is seamless and there’s no surprises in this set.
|
|
The third and last disc ‘Home’ is put together by self-proclaimed Buddhist rapper and DJ, Maxi Jazz. This is my personal favourite out of the three discs. It is probably because it is reminiscent of living in Britain in the late seventies, early eighties – a time of major political instability and racial conflict (and some very groovy tunes and recreational drug use) – for instance the race riots in Brixton. A lot of the tracks have that sound that has influenced UK garage and grime. They also pay homage to musical roots from Jamaica and the West Indies, Africa and reaches as far as the African-American gospel tradition.
One has to remember that this is more of an anthology or document of Faithless’ history, a deeply personal and emotional history. To a lesser extent it also presents a slice of social history, particularly of London in the 1980s and 1990s. It’s not absolutely essential to one’s collection but it sure is enjoying some frequent listening on this end.
If you like this site, Donate to help keep us going!
---------------------
Written by gem_mahadeo - Visit Website |
|
|
|
It appears that all this time everything we thought we knew about Wonderland and that girl called Alice is about to be completely flipped onto its head. Curiouser and curiouser indeed! Frank Beddor, best known for producing films whose credits include There’s Something About Mary, has begun a somewhat arduous task – to tell the world the truth about Wonderland. Doesn’t that sound odd?
|
|
Apparently, the character that many have come to know as Alice Liddell, sometime muse of Lewis Carroll, is in fact Alyss Heart, eventual Queen of Wonderland. Yes, that’s correct. She comes from Wonderland even though Carroll’s works would have us believe otherwise – that she was a mortal girl who stumbled upon an entrance to the aforementioned magical world. Most of us will be able to recall countless bits and pieces of Alice’s adventures – through books, films, cartoons, and other such media.
So, we’ve determined that Alyss is not your ordinary girl, even for Wonderland. She is a princess, her parents being the current monarchs. At the beginning of Beddor’s account, a very spoiled queen-to-be is celebrating her seventh birthday, and with the help of her imagination is conjuring all sorts of amusing things. Magic is an essential part of life in Wonderland, as is having an active but well-intentioned and disciplined imagination.
Sadly, this glorious festive occasion is to be thrown into chaos courtesy of Alyss’ evil aunt Redd, sister to her mother, Queen Genevieve. Redd, resentful of her sister’s position, has planned a coup and to protect Alyss (seeing as she is future queen), for her own good she is whisked off and thrown into the Pool of Tears by her bodyguard, Hatter Madigan. This pool takes Alyss to Victorian England, but she is separated from Madigan who ends up elsewhere in the mortal world.
|
Poor Alyss! Victorian England is not kind to her, and people seem to be constantly incensed at her claims to be from this other world. Imagination is not tolerated and she is desperate to go home. Hope eventually comes along in the form of Reverend Charles Dodgson (whose pseudonym Lewis Carroll we are more acquainted with).
He is fascinated with her tale and eager to write it down. Alyss is far from pleased with the final result (well, the beastly man does spell her name incorrectly after all! Hmph!) and it is then that she resigns herself to a ‘normal’ existence, turning her back on the realm of imagination.
Wonderland is not faring well either. Redd has usurped the throne and her subjects who previously enjoyed a life of happiness now live in fear and misery. They must deny their true queen, who would be hunted down should she return. Yet, there are those who remain staunchly loyal to their true queen and hope for her return.
To accompany this book, there is also a CD soundtrack to add another level to the narrative experience. Beddor worked with Canadian music supervisor Androo Mitchell to select and collaborate with the artists for the soundtrack. His stipulation was that the album had to work independently of the novel and he issued the following directive to the musical artists: “This is what this character or this chapter means to me, but what I really want is for you to make it personal for you.”
The result only adds to the concept of Beddor’s Wonderland, either by enriching the main narrative, or creating several retellings of Beddor’s idea. A lot of the tracks on the CD echo a sound that came into prominence in the mid to late 1990s but the effect – the emotional journey that Alyss experiences is vividly rendered.
The Looking Glass Wars also makes use of various media for narration, some of which is not entirely traditional to Wonderland. Alyss even has her very own MySpace page, being the resourceful and modern girl that she is.
|
There is also the official Looking Glass Wars website which has all sorts of interesting things to look at, like storyboard artwork, selected tracks from the soundtrack to listen to online, information about the Hatter M. comic (about Alyss’ bodyguard), a trailer about the book, and many more delightful treats related to this mythic universe.
Is the world ready for yet another Wonderland tale, you might ask? Absolutely! Though this is specifically aimed at children from the ages of 10 upwards, it should attract a much wider audience. It has themes that both adults and children will find enticing – the journey to find one’s way back home, find one’s true self, and having the courage to be oneself where others would have you conform.
|
|
It will be interesting to see how the rest of the trilogy develops, and to learn more about the ‘truth’ of Wonderland. Beddor is currently working on the second novel in the series entitled Seeing Redd, and also a screenplay for a full-length feature film.
If you like this site, Donate to help keep us going!
---------------------
Written by gem_mahadeo - Visit Website |
|
|
|
I’ve been blogging for a little over a year now and if someone had have told me then that I’d eventually want to learn or understand anything about open source technology, I would most likely have said “Open source what?” As far as I was concerned, blogging was just about getting one’s words up on a screen so others in cyberspace could read them. Sounded pretty simple to me!
|
|
However, the more one wants to do, the more one needs to learn. It’s like real world publishing. If you want your book, or poster or pamphlet etc. to be more than black print on white paper, then obviously one needs to employ more sophisticated methods of publication. Apparently, I had reached that point with blogging and that meant embracing all sorts of things I’d previously associated with tech geeks.
|
I knew that PHP had something to do with getting up the information we see on webpages, but that was it. The book in question seemed like an excellent starting point for someone as clueless as me. It’s a pretty hefty volume at over nine hundred pages, but is very well set out. There are two distinct sections – one for PHP, and the other for MySQL.
The first section is about PHP, an open source technology that is responsible for what appears on web pages, and in what manner. One need not go further than, say, the Blogcritics Homepage. If you go to where ‘Blogcritic of the Day’ is displayed, for example, you will notice that the name changes because the page file (a PHP file) is written in such a manner to allow for this information to be variable.
Gilmore spends twenty-one chapters thoroughly explaining how PHP can create dynamic web content, starting with a brief history of its development and installation instructions. It is a lot of information to go through, but the chapters are organised so that you can skip to the sections that suit you, though the author suggests this is an option better suited to intermediate or advanced users of PHP.
Before embarking upon the MySQL section, chapters 22 and 23 address some ‘bridging’ material. Chapter 22 discusses database servers and alternatives – specifically, a pared-down version of MySQL, referred to as SQLite, for the technologically timid.
|
Chapter 23 briefly introduces the reader to database extraction layer software and options for those wishing to use database software other than those that are usually employed, so that they know there is some choice, albeit limited. At this point things were admittedly starting to get confusing for me, but a clear diagram explains how all these elements are connected to get your webpage up and running. This helps to put everything in context.
|
|
Finally, we can tackle MySQL, a relational database server. There is extensive discussion on why MySQL has become so popular. It should be easy for those who have used other databases, its availability in several platforms, emphasis on speed as opposed to lots of features that generally go ignored but best of all, it’s free and easily accessible by download.
After this introduction, it is straight into installation and configuration, and licencing issues. Assuming that there have been no problems in this area, we are then introduced to some basic commands to get your fingers dirty in MySQL. From chapter 26, it begins to get complicated but still approachable for the novice. It covers local and remote connection to your server, clients and utilities that provide interfaces for the execution of server administration tasks, various connection options available.
Chapter 27 discusses MySQL storage engines and datatypes – what ones exist and what relational database table (storage engine) one can use to store and organise information. It also highlights key tasks in database management and navigation. What follows is security when accessing MySQL. In chapter 29 there is an excellent five-part checklist of essential tasks to be performed after installing and configuring MySQL. Provided you read through this section carefully, this should present no trouble.
Lastly, some useful things on PHP’s MySQL extension and suggestions on how to protect your information and connection. Most of this chapter is devoted to the various commands and processes one can choose to execute once a database is selected.
For a beginner like myself, chapters 24 to 29 are essential reading for MySQL basics. A brief glance through the remaining chapters (30 through 37) yields proof that there is further instruction on building upon these basics. It is highly recommended that those wanting to progress further master the basics or progress from chapter 30 onwards could get confusing.
From a non-technical point of view, I feel it necessary to mention a few things about the book generally. It is large, comprehensive, yet written in clear, concise English. It is | | | |
