A shot of the ginormous Bodhisattva in the Yungang Grottoes - Bodhisattva means "enlightened being,"
so I thought it was appropriate for here, and for this class overall.
Click on it for a much larger view!
My topic for tomorrow's mini-presentation is from the "Cultural Geography" chapter in the Othello book. What a great edition - it comes with so many resources and helpful additions to the text that really helped enhance my understanding of the play itself, even from the one chapter I read.
Speaking of my chapter, I enjoyed thinking about new aspects of geography that I hadn't really considered previously. Although I will detail more in class (I have not organized all my ideas as this time yet), I wanted to point out here how much geography really can have to do with the way a play works - i.e., characters' attitudes, setting of the play, and even the way the audience perceives the play (depending on who you are).
Or, the author mentions how mapmaking became like an art or a science, and that collectors "attempted to write the world by compiling and classifying accounts of European travelers from across the globe." Immediately I thought of Mandeville, so it came as no surprise to me that Mandeville was brought up later on. I think it really adds a lot to a story to have a traveler be a part of it. I can experience whatever they are experiencing from the comfort of my dorm room (which is kind of like a small nation in itself). On the other hand, much of what Mandeville reported was heavily (and hilariously!) embellished, or perhaps downright mythical. I guess this just shows how those travel writers were so heavily influenced by legends and stories.
In either case, no matter how people viewed foreigners, I think that imaginations were still wont to run wild with curiosity about unexplored lands. I think this can even hold true today. Clearly the travel bug bit me, and so there always remains the option of visiting a new land and, besides learning something about that new culture, I might learn something about myself too. Sounds cheesy, and it might be really insignificant, but sometimes travelers can be a curious bunch.
