Final Exam Review Sheet City in Lit and Art Fall 2024 PDF

1 ENGL/COLI 3450: The City in Literature and Art FINAL EXAM REVIEW SHEET The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas General Facts: The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas (1933) (Chapters 6-End of Book) ○ Bohemian Culture ○ S...

1 ENGL/COLI 3450: The City in Literature and Art FINAL EXAM REVIEW SHEET The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas General Facts: The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas (1933) (Chapters 6-End of Book) ○ Bohemian Culture ○ Stein has a lot of privileges of the Flâneur ○ What does it mean to write an autobiography from another person’s perspective? Gertude Stein ○ Went to Harvard (Very educated) Went to Medical School (Bored lol) ○ Moved to Paris and became a writer Believed she was a genius and was not getting the credit she deserved Got to the center through patronage in the art world Cult Success– But in the 1920s needed popular success Stein was born in Pennsylvania, Toklas was from San Francisco Alfred Whitehead, Pablo Picasso and herself = three geniuses Stein bought La Femme en Chapeau from Matisse London (onset of WWI), volunteered with The American Fund for French Wounded, spent summers in Bilignin after the war Elements of a Modernist Text: multiple perspectives Themes of the City: Understanding of American Identity in Paris ○ Stein enjoyed watching and analyzing Americans interact w/ other Americans in Paris During World War I–These were people (members of the armed forces or volunteers) who would not travel to Paris beyond the context of war. (Chapter 7). World War 1 intrigued Stein because she got to see Americans situated in French culture– She desired to learn about their perspective and history and Toklas makes note of this. Paris is dynamic - Stein finds the peculiarities and danger of the city enthralling and awe inspiring ○ “Paris in the evening however frightened him and we always had to get somebody to go out with him. The front had not been scareful but Paris at night was” (Chapter 6).  2 2 ○ to uphold the ideals of democracy beyond its borders and are willing to pay the ultimate price (Chapter 6) Stein reveals herself (not Alice B. Toklas) as the true author at the end: “About six weeks ago Gertrude Stein said, it does not look to me as if you were ever going to write that autobiography. You know what I am going to do. I am going to write it for you. I am going to write it as simply as Defoe did the autobiography of Robinson Crusoe. And she has and this is it.” Chapter Breakdown: Chapter 1. Before I Came to Paris Summary of Toklas’ life. “I like a view but I like to sit with my back to it” (Stein 3). Making light fun of Toklas. When she met a genius, a bell would sound in her head. “The three geniuses of whom I wish to speak are Gertrude Stein, Pablo Picasso and Alfred Whitehead” (Stein 6). Chapter 2. My Arrival in Paris Toklas as Stein’s wife; Toklas hangs with the wives of geniuses. Toklas would write books called, “The wives of geniuses I have sat with” (Stein 12). Toklas is proud of her hostessing capacities. Chapter 3. Gertrude Stein in Paris 1903-1907 Introduces Vollard, an art collector who championed Cézanne. Features a description of when Gertrude Stein bought Matisse’s La Femme au Chapeau (The Woman with a Hat) from the autumn salon. The painting was initially mocked and disliked by viewers, but Stein claims to have recognized it as “perfectly natural.” This may have been a moment to show how Stein has foresight or the ability to see art better than others. There is also a small subplot about Madame Matisse, the subject of the painting. She insists that Matisse hold out after Gertrude and Leo Stein’s first offer on the painting, in order to get paid more for it. Stein introduces Matisse and Picasso. Matisse introduces Picasso to African sculpture, which informs his development of cubism. Picasso painted a portrait of Stein. In response to criticisms that the portrait did not resemble Stein, Picasso said that she will look like it. Stein finishes Three Lives and begins The Making of Americans. Chapter 4. Gertrude Stein Before She Came to Paris Introduces William James, a psychologist with whom Gertrude Stein worked during  3 her years at Radcliffe College, Harvard. He studied and experimented with 3 the subconscious and “automatic writing,” which was part of the development of the “stream of consciousness” writing style that became popular during this period. Stein never graduated from medical school because she found it to be dull. Someone told her she had an obligation to push through with it because it would contribute to the burgeoning women’s rights/women’s empowerment movement, but Stein just couldn’t. Chapter 5 - 1907-1914 Goes more into Fernande, the muse of Pablo Picasso; narrates the end of their relationship. Stein claims to have predicted the genius of F. Scott Fitzgerald and his book The Great Gatsby. She said that he was, “the only one of the younger writers who wrote naturally in sentences.” Stein begins to write textual portraits of influential people in her life, including Matisse and Picasso. Stein argues Cubism is a Spanish movement. Chapter 6. The War Demonstrates Stein’s callousness towards emotional pain and the cost of war; depth is not her strong suit. Compares battlefield to modernist Cézanne landscape. Stein and Toklas volunteer as drivers for the American Fund for French Wounded, though it becomes apparent that they do not want to sacrifice the comfort of their lives. Shift in art from the war: romanticism to disillusionment Chapter 7. After the War 1919-1932 Stein published The Making of Americans. She struggles to get recognition for her work and this frustrates her. Hemingway: Stein and Toklas become Hemingway’s son’s godparents. Fights with Stein: Stein insults Hemingway as “ninety percent Rotarian” (Stein 270). By doing so, Stein insinuates that Hemingway is too ordinary, maybe even too good, as opposed to eccentric/intellectual/nonconformist/questioning. Like calling someone a boy scout. Racism: On Paul Robeson: “He knew american values and american life as only one in it but not of it could know them. And yet as soon as any other person came into the room he became definitely a negro. Gertrude Stein  4 did not like hearing him sing spirituals. They do not belong to you any 4 more than anything else, so why claim them, she said. He did not answer” (Stein 292). Resurgence of racism in the U.S. at the time. Stein’s racist views were not representative of the views of the whole Paris bohemian literary movement. Many in Paris were interested in and influenced by African and African-American art and artists/musicians/writers, etc. Ending: Humorous ending: “Rose is a rose is a rose.” Stein reveals that she wrote the autobiography, not Toklas. Compares it to Robinson Crusoe, a fictional work, bringing up questions of truth/accuracy. Book Title: The Book of Salt The Book of Salt by Monique Truong - In The Book of Salt (2003), Monique Truong’s main character Bình is a fictionalized composite of two different real-life cooks from Vietnam who worked for Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas, Trac and Nguyen (Truong knows of their existence because they are described in infantilizing and patronizing terms in Toklas’s book The Alice B. Toklas Cookbook). - Binh has a relationship with Sweet Sunday Man, to whom he is introduced through Stein and Toklas. His name is Marcus Lattimore, and he wants Binh to steal for him a piece of writing by Gertrude Stein. ( - Prior to coming to France, Binh lived in Vietnam and worked at the colonial Governor General’s house, a job he got through his brother. He has an affair with the French head chef Blériot. After this affair, Binh’s father, called “The Old Man,” kicks him out of the house. The Old Man appears throughout the book in a series of flashbacks and intrusive thoughts. The Old Man is a pastor who converts Vietnamese people to Christianity. - Binh takes the vessel Niobe from Saigon to Marseilles and meets Bao, a traveling companion. 5  5 - Binh’s mother represents unconditional love and a sense of belonging. She is one of the few sources of warmth and acceptance in his otherwise hard life. Her absence after his departure from Vietnam intensifies his feelings of alienation and longing, contributing to his mental struggles as he navigates life as an exile. - Binh has a memorable encounter with a man on a bridge in 1927. It is likely that this figure is meant to be Ho Chi Minh. They share a meal. - In one of the chapters towards the end of the book, Binh’s mother is represented as a dying pigeon. The meaning of the book’s title “The Book of Salt” ○ This is the title of Gertrude Stein's manuscript which she has written about Bình. ○ Salt serves as a metaphor throughout the course of the novel, for Bihn’s labor as a cook, his preservation of memories, his emotional pain (tears), etc. We learn that Bình’s name is actually Bão ○ This is significant due to the fact that the name Bìhn means “peace” and the name Bão means “storm” ○ Symbolic of his past and present life - his desire to change his fate Bình’s role as a cook both empowers and disempowers him ○ He controls the food - an important aspect of Stein and Toklas’s life ○ Due to his position, he is seen as being inferior The role of Bình’s lovers (fleeting love) ○ Chef Bleriot Their affair causes Bình to leave his home and ultimately travel to Paris ○ Sweet Sunday Man “Marcus Lattimore” American, betrays him by stealing the manuscript and leaving town without informing Bình ○ The Man on the Bridge His possible “scholar prince” A lover with whom he can exist as both gay and Vietnamese Key Scenes/Passages Chapter 20 ○ Scene is set at the Luxembourg Gardens. Bình watches as a dying pigeon struggles to survive, foreshadowing and ultimately representing his mother’s death, perhaps helping him mourn and accept that the loss is happening so far away. Chapter 23 6  6 ○ As Bình goes to pay for the photograph of him and “Sweet Sunday Man” he becomes engrossed with a picture on the wall of “The Man on the Bridge” and asks to pay for that picture instead Chapter 24 ○ Bình accompanies his Mesdames on their train for their ultimate journey to America (which was initially seen in Chapter 1) ○ Image of the button falling off of Gertrude Stein's shoe; Miss Toklas asks Bình to sew it back together - The scenes with Lattimore deal with language and communication, because Lattimore and Binh do not have a common language with which to speak to one another. Instead, they speak their own language and hope the other understands, and many times speak with their bodies. This opens a new world of communication for the two, with Binh translating what Lattimore says into “understandable feelings and recognizable acts.” - Binh is hyper-observant of everyone and everything around him, noticing the little things about Gertrude and Alice, about the city itself and everyone he interacts with. After being noticed by Lattimore while out (at a flower market) and about, this changes his relationship with the city, partly due to the fact that he doesn’t feel like he belongs there on the basis of his language and his background. He struggles with his identity in Paris and his sense of belonging so hearing someone observe him on the street just going about his day through the streets of Paris changed his perspective on it a little bit. - The novel features many flashbacks that allow Truong to provide the history of Binh’s life and suggest how it informs his experiences in Paris. - James Baldwin, Notes of a Native Son (1955) General Themes 1956 The First International Congress of Black Writers and Artists was held from September 19–22, 1956 at the Sorbonne in Paris. Speakers included Richard Wright, Léopold Senghor, Aimé Césaire, and Frantz Fanon. James Baldwin wrote an essay about the conference called “Princes and Powers” (1956). The First International Congress of Black Writers and Artists, was held in 1956 at the Sorbonne in Paris, and was one of the most significant gatherings of black intellectuals during the twentieth century. It is considered a landmark event in the history of black internationalism, Pan-Africanism, and civil rights. Very influential thinkers from all over the world came to it, including James Baldwin and Richard Wright. In his essays in Notes of a Native Son, Baldwin is working through many themes discussed at this international meeting, including racial identity, what it means to be a black American abroad, racial stereotypes and Pan-Africanism. Baldwin’s 1955 essay collection Notes of a Native Son features a number of attacks on the work of Richard Wright, who had been one of Baldwin’s mentors. Baldwin thought  7 that Wright was not outspoken enough about racism in France, especially France’s treatment of Algerians, and also that his writings did not approach anti-racist themes in the right way. Baldwin’s essay “A Question of Identity” The essay studies the effects Paris has on American tourists, students, GIs, etc. Baldwin reflects on the “Paris of legend” vs. the real and difficult Paris of the present Some American students fetishistically adopt French culture, others react to French culture by entrenching/romanticizing Americanness 7 Lack of existence of a common American student experience Lack of real interest in France’s history, sympathy with France’s people, etc. Americans, unlike Europeans, prefer to be perceived as individuals separate from their country’s past, and are constantly prompted to reckon with own their nationality while in Europe “The American student lives here, then, in a kind of social limbo. He is allowed, and he gratefully embraces irresponsibility; and, at the same time, since he is an American, he is invested with power, whether or not he likes it, however he may choose to confirm or deny it.” (105) Baldwin’s essay “Equal in Paris” A year into his life in Paris, Baldwin is arrested for possessing a stolen hotel bed sheet. This happens thanks to an American Baldwin had met twice in New York. Baldwin is living in a “ludicrously grim” hotel, and he spends most of his day in a cafe where he drinks large amounts of coffee The essay ends with the theme of “laughter” representing cruelty and suffering The title is ironic on various levels. Baldwin spends a great deal of time in the cogs of the French criminal justice system Differences in how identity is experienced based on context - Baldwin understood and was able to navigate his identity as a Black man in America, and knew how he was perceived in that context and could sometimes use this knowledge to his advantage, but in France he was viewed differently - not only as a Black man, but also as an American in Paris “I began to realize that I was in a country I knew nothing about, in the hands of a people I did not understand at all.” (147) Emphasis on the ways in which one cannot part from the social and cultural context in which they come from and are forced to deal with/be shaped by → Americans in Paris cannot blend in French society, due to the fact that their American identity is integral to how they experience the world and how others view them “One had, in short, to come into contact with an alien culture in order to understand that a  8 culture was not a community basket-weaving project…[but] nothing more or less than the recorded and visible effects on a body of people of the vicissitudes with which they had been forced to deal.” (143) 1. "Encounter on the Seine: Black Meets Brown." What, according to Baldwin, is the relationship like between African-Americans and White Americans abroad in Paris? Baldwin is saying that American racism is so deeply embedded in the American psyche that even when Americans are abroad they cannot bridge the gap and embrace fellow Americans with a kind of camaraderie. Baldwin is also saying that unless you are a black entertainer, ordinary black Americans, who might be there on the GI Bill studying at the Sorbonne, are isolated from other black Americans because there are so few of them and White Americans will not include them. What is the relationship like between African-Americans and Africans in Paris? Baldwin is saying that Africans (even in colonized countries) have a better sense of their identity than do African Americans, who descend from slavery. Africans may actually pity African Americans because African Americans are truly lost in their identity. Baldwin says there is a 300 year gulf of guilt that exists between Africans and African Americans, which cannot be breached in “an evening’s good-will.” Baldwin finishes with the hope that the Black American by being in Paris and exposed to Africans may then be inspired to embark on their own quest for their own identity. “...he is not seeking to forfeit his birthright as a black man, but that, on the contrary, it is precisely this birthright which he is struggling to recognize and make articulate. Perhaps it now occurs to him that in this need to establish himself in relation to his past he is most American, that this depthless alienation from oneself and one’s people is, in sum, the American experience.” (125) David Hare’s play Straight Line Crazy External Details Straight Line Crazy by David Hare was first performed in 2022 Summary of Presentation/Text In Act II, we see Robert Moses and Jane Jacobs come head to head over his proposed expressway through Washington Square Park. Moses questions which communities in NYC are worth saving and which are worth speaking about. The audience also gets to see Moses’ inner conflicts in how he deals with pushback from Jacobs’ activist group and justifies his decisions regarding construction plans in the city. Our presentation focused on key themes and analysis of character relationships throughout this act.  9 Key Themes of the Book Tensionbetween ambition and ethical accountability: challenges the audience to question the responsibilities of leaders and whether their vision of the future justifies the means they employ to achieve it Complexities of leadership and the consequences of prioritizing progress over community needs Vision vs. Reality: Moses' determination to create an efficient, modern city comes at the expense of established communities and lives What people are willing to sacrifice for the cost of progress: Moses’ willingness to push forward, regardless of the social or ethical consequences, illustrates a broader critique of the costs of unchecked ambition. Should urban planning prioritize community needs and diverse communities, or should it prioritize functionality and growth? Key Scenes or Passages Scene 12: Heller describes the Washington Square activist group as “well-informed, literate, and well-educated,” and Moses responds with, “I’m meant to be impressed?.” Moses speaks down to his employees, disregards their ideas, and does not allow them to participate in the conversation at his level. When Heller calls Moses out about his previous work in activism, he intends to fire her. [Mariah Heller, a 20 year old Black American architect who works for Moses in 1955 and objects to his plans to build a highway through Greenwich Village/Washington Square Park.] 9 Scene 13: Ariel Porter and Jane Jacobs engage in a tense debate about the future of cities and urban development. Porter argues cities must evolve to survive - urban areas can’t remain as they always have been just for the sake of nostalgia. Jacobs argues that local communities must be advocated for, and a city is nothing without its unique neighborhoods. She is against large-scale, impersonal projects that hurt smaller communities. [Ariel Porter, works as Robert Moses’s right hand man in the 1950s.] Important Quotes “Butdoesn’t it concern you that the city will die if the lucky few just hang on to their favorite corners and don’t make arrangements for people elsewhere?” [Porter says this to Jacobs at an angry community meeting about the fate of Washington Square Park. ]  10 “Our efforts to preserve Greenwich Village and SoHo succeeded in transforming it into the world's most expensive piece of real estate. What was once a community was cleansed of everyone but the rich. The Village was saved, but it was also destroyed.” [Jane Jacobs says this later in life. Jacob is saying that preserving this space ended up being only good for the rich.] Key Characters Robert Moses, Fionnuala, Jane Jacobs, Marion Heller, Ariel Porter Fionnuala Connell is a long-time aide to Robert Moses, and is often depicted as a loyal colleague who eventually becomes disillusioned with his methods and the social impact of his urban development projects. She is a part of Moses’s team from the start of the play and by the Washington Square Park pushback of teh 1950s when Moses wants to fire Heller, Fionnuala pushes back, threatening to quit herself if he fires Heller. Author: David Hare: English playwright, screenwriter, and theatre director Background: The play originated at the Bridge Theatre in London, England on March 23, 2022. The play focuses on the career of Robert Moses, an American urban planner and public official (appointed, not elected) who worked in the New York City area during the early to mid-20th century. Moses is regarded as one of the most powerful and influential people in the history of New York City and New York state. Synopsis: "Straight Line Crazy" takes place primarily between the 1920s and the mid-1950s, focusing on the career of Robert Moses during that time period, highlighting both his rise to power in the 1920s and the public backlash against his projects in the 1950s. Key Plot Points: Act 1: Focuses on Robert Moses' ambitious infrastructure projects on Long Island (Jones Beach). Highlights Moses' influence over New York City's development.  11 Introduction to the tension between progress and displacement. Act 2: Examines the growing resistance to Moses' projects. Questions about the morality of Moses’ decisions. Deterioration of his public image and political power. Themes: Power and its uses/misuses Urban development and its impact on communities Ethics in leadership Conflict between visionaries and the public Characters: Robert Moses - The main character of the play. He was an ambitious urban planner in New York City known for his controversial decisions and authoritarian leadership style. Finnuala Connell - An employee in Moses’ office and Moses’s right hand worker. She is from the Bronx. Mariah Heller - A young architect who joins Moses’ office in Act 2. Jane Jacobs - Activist in NYC for Washington Square Park Governor Al Smith - New York State Governor in Act 1. Ariel Porter - Another worker in Moses’ office “Paradise Bronx,” Ian Frazier, July 15, 2024 (The New Yorker) Emphasizes what he believes is the “in-betweenness” of the Bronx o geographical: building highways so people can pass through it to Manhattan, Long Island, upstate, etc. o past: history ignored (e.g. Gouverneur Morris) o recent history: forgotten borough, cast aside (destruction of neighborhoods; lack of care & attention during the fires) 11  12 Bronx destruction o Bronx River pollution o highways: rapid infrastructure development → neighborhood destruction, destroying neighborhoods of color o lost history: JFK, Lee Harvey Oswald, Gouverneur Morris, battlefields during Revolutionary War/Neutral Ground ParadiseBronx and “paving paradise”/destruction of diverse neighborhoods through infrastructure construction, fires o Once, Frazier argues, the Bronx was a paradise in the Americana sense of growing up, family life, upward mobility: ▪ roller skating, playing stick ball on beautifully paved streets ▪ Yankee Stadium ▪ Kingsbridge Armory (cars, boats, rodeos) ▪ bowling alleys ▪ theaters ▪ parks (e.g. Botanical Gardens, Zoo) & parklands ▪ swimming in Bronx & East Rivers ▪ sitting on fire escape and “[hearing] your neighbors’ different accents and languages, [smelling] five different culinary traditions wafting through your building’s stairwell at suppertime” - An expansive history of the Bronx - Jonas Bronck and how he arrived in the Bronx, built a house in what is now South Bronx (family from which the Bronx got its name) - Frazier writes about the numerous freeways and roads built through the borough, the bridges and such which connect the Bronx to the rest of the boroughs - “A history of the Bronx in the twentieth century can be sketched in a sentence: The subways created the modern Bronx and the highways almost destroyed it.” (Frazier 5) - The passage on page 6 about all the things Frazier saw on the ground, in class we spoke of the significance of that/what it says about the Bronx as a whole (what does it mean not to introduce many actual Bronxites in the article, but to present the people who live there today primarily through their garbage?) 12  13 - Gouverneur Morris: born in the Bronx, wrote the Constitution’s preamble, led committee which created NY’s street grid, invented the term for the ‘cent’ (prominent, contributory figure from the Bronx) - 2 terrible times in the Bronx: 1. 1960s-90s: the fires; President Carter visiting, empathizing, but then doing nothing, fires were devastating and affected thousands 2. 1776 during American Revolution: violence and chaos after the British drove out Washington’s army. Most of what is now the Bronx was the ‘Neutral Ground’, those who lived there were robbed and terrorized (Frazier 12) Crossing Brooklyn Ferry by Walt Whitman - 1856 - Theme: tribute to the city and everyone who lives there or passes through it, past, present, and future - Tone: triumphant, exclamation marks, pleas to unite, sense of pride in the city despite hardships - Timelessness of community or a sense of community - The timelessness of New York, how its perception is strong and likely to be felt by people living in it throughout different times - Connectedness of past, present, and future - “It avails not, time nor place—distance avails not, I am with you, you men and women of a generation, or ever so many generations hence…” (Whitman 3) “Pa’lante” and “Puerto Rican Obituary” Background information: “Pa’lante” singer-songwriter: Alynda Segarra o Music Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LilVDjLaZSE o Aftermath of Hurricane Maria: even after several months, “citizens remain without power or water, and a larger portion of the population still feels traumatized and abandoned” (NPR) → systemic failure of the government Poem “Puerto Rican Obituary” author: Pedro Pietri o Co-founder of the Nuyorican Poets Cafe ▪ The Cafe was originally in Miguel Algarin’s house (he was an English professor at Rutgers), but then it became a traditional cafe ▪ Today, the cafe is still a place for Puerto Rican writers 13  14 Key ideas and passages: “Puerto Rican Obituary”: o Unattainability of the American Dream ▪ “Theyworked / They were always on time / They were never late / They worked ten days a week / and were only paid for five” The song emphasizes the struggles of Puerto Ricans who have moved to the mainland, especially the estrangement from home and the lack of opportunity that results in them turning against each other instead of against their oppressors ▪ “Juan / died hating Miguel because Miguel’s / used car was in better running condition / than his used car / Miguel / died hating Milagros because Milagros / had a color television set / and he could not afford one yet / Milagros / died hating Olga because Olga / made five dollars more on the same job / Olga / died hating Manuel because Manuel / had hit the numbers more times / than she had hit the numbers / Manuel / died hating all of them…because they all spoke broken english / more fluently than he did” o The poem expresses the pain of sacrifice and the endless waiting for an opportunity that never arrives ▪ “All died yesterday today / and will die again tomorrow / Hating fighting and stealing / broken windows from each other” The song “Pa’lante” includes excerpts from the poem “Puerto Rican Obituary” ▪ “Colonized,and hypnotized, be something / Sterilized, dehumanized, be something” o Hope for the future, the importance of supporting each other ▪ “To Juan, Miguel, Milagros, Manuel, ¡Pa'lante!” “Pa’lante” Music video highlights a. (1) The camera pans to a ripped-up Puerto Rican flag towards the end of the music video. This could have both a figurative and symbolic meaning as it could be a way to represent Puerto Rico’s strength and determination, but it also documents the real aftermath/destruction of Hurricane Maria b. (2) Arguments between a couple: the father comes home from New York to Puerto Rico. Their child witnesses their relationship.  15 14 c. Specific lines from “Puerto Rican Obituary” used in the song: “Dead Puerto Ricans, who never knew they were Puerto Ricans Who never took a coffee break from the 10th commandment To kill, kill, kill The landlords of their cracked skulls And communicate with their Latin souls Juan, Miguel, Milagros, Olga, Manuel From the nervous breakdown streets where the mice live like millionaires And the people do not live at all” The Naked City: 1948 An example of the genre of Film Noir Directed By Jules Dassin Film synopsis: The film begins with the murder of a model, Jean Dexter, who was killed in her Manhattan apartment. The film follows the police investigation for her murder led by an experienced lieutenant (Muldoon) and a younger detective (Halloran). The investigation reveals how Jean and her former boyfriend participated in jewelry theft. Jean was known to be a very ambitious woman, which was pointed out to be the cause of her downfall. The film’s climax occurs when the detective chases Jean’s murderer through the streets and rooftops of New York City. The film ends with Jean’s murderer, Willie Garzah, being cornered on the Williamsburg Bridge, where he falls to his death after a shootout with police. In the film's last shot, the narrator states, "There are eight million stories in the naked city. This has been one of them”. Questions: 1. Who narrated The Naked City? - It is stated that the narrator in The Naked City was the man in charge of the production of the movie, however, it could also be argued that the narrator could be New York City personified. 2. What is the importance of the opening aerial shot of the city? - The aerial shot claims to show the city “as it is,” in its “naked state” - This shot also allows New York City to be seen as a character in the film, especially as a character that holds secrets - A very similar aerial shot opens West Side Story 3. What role do women play in Film Noir? What role do women play in The Naked City? - Women in The Naked City, and Film Noir in general, are typically portrayed either as victims or as sources of temptation and conflict, reflecting the noir theme of the “femme fatale”. Jean Dexter, the film's central female character, is portrayed as someone driven by an intense desire for wealth and status, showing her to be an ambitious woman. Her mother even says that Jean's desire for "bright lights, theaters, furs, and nightclubs" led to her death- which reveals that if you are an ambitious woman who desires things that are perhaps unconventional especially unconventional during the time of this film- these desires can lead women into dangerous circumstances.  16 - The character Ruth in The Naked City is not the typical “femme fatale” character but instead is used to show how easily deceivable women are. 15 4. What is the significance of the black and white style film? what does noir signify? - “Noir” is hthe French word for black. The blackness in these black-and-white films is symbolic of a certain twilight world where darkness is both visual and moral. - In The Naked City, noir gave filmmakers the ability to showcase crime in the streets of a dark city, and the look of the underclass, and those beaten down by hard times, vice, or despair. Moody lighting, stark contrasts, and urban settings— enhance its allure by creating an atmosphere that feels both familiar and foreboding. Important scenes: 1. Opening Monologue and Aerial View of New York 2. Discovery of Jean Dexter’s body 3. Police procedural montage 4. Chase and finale on the Williamsburg bridge Quotes: 1. "There are eight million stories in the naked city. This has been one of them." 2. "It's not the streets that kill people. It’s the people on them." 3. "The trouble with you is, you don’t believe in people." 4. "All Jean ever wanted was to be somebody." Highlights from our presentation: 1. The city of New York functions as a character with emotion in the film, rather than just a setting or location. 2. The opening scene represents the city in its naked state and the dark place that holds secrets, crime, and shadowed corners that set the tone of danger and intrigue. 3. Female characters are typically portrayed either as victims or as sources of temptation and conflict, reflecting the noir theme of the “femme fatale.” You are not particularly meant to feel sympathy for Jean but rather are supposed to root for the detectives. Stephen Prince Film Noir Intro to Film Genres (critical reading) “The film noir protagonist, tends to be a victim, set upon and manipulated by forces or people more powerful than he or she and who often shows a degree of passivity or resignation in accepting this fate… film noir narratives often look backwards, focusing on something bad that happened in the past and that now threatens a character’s life or chance for happiness” (492). (note from Prof. Walsh: this is one of the points according to which The Naked City isn’t exactly noir: it’s more of a police procedural, because neither Muldoon nor Halloran are this kind of victim. Both are rational, happily married, and successful at their jobs). “The protagonist in a film noir tends to be more introverted, more passive, more acted upon, and at most he or she hopes to avoid the snares that are closing in…the protagonist  17 in noir is generally male; often, these films feature a male victim who may be set up to take the fall for a crime committed by someone else”(497). (Frank Niles is closest to this kind of character in The Naked City) 16 “The other character type central to noir is a counterpart to the male victim: the femme fatale, the deadly but seductive woman who manipulates her lover into committing a crime and may even lead him to his death”(498) Intro to Film Genres (Stephen Prince) and Notes on Film Noir (Paul Schrader) Film Noir is not a genre, rather it is defined by its more subtle qualities of tone and mood, it reflects a very specific time within American Film Peakof film noir: 1940-1959 (WW2 to post-WW2 era), reflecting the anticommunist campaigns, the atomic bomb, and the growing participation of women in the workforce Noircan be broken down into three broad phrases: the Wartime Period, the Post-War Realistic Phase, and the Third Phase Noir reflects the anxieties and fears related to moral degradation and crime in urban settings (much of noir is shot on location rather than in a studio); as noir matured it began to focus on psychotic actions and suicidal impulses There is often the underlying theme that events are being manipulated by greater and/or unseen forces which the protagonist has little control over, with the idea of predestination. Film noir protagonists tend to be cynical and pessimistic. Central characters are often seen in the shadow of the city rather than being the defining part of the scene Physical action or fighting is not often depicted within Noir as it heavily relies on compositional tension within scenes Noir is heavily reliant on its visuals to communicate its themes of alienation and loneliness: black and white visuals, dramatic cinematography, and hard lighting. Filmnoir tropes: The cynical private detective, the femme fatale, low-lifes, dysfunctional romantic figures The Naked City (1948) dir. Jules Dassin Police procedural on the death of ex-model Jean Dexter Containsmany documentary elements: Features third person narration, a break-down of everyday life, and is shot completely on location in New York City.  18 “TheNaked City”: Exposing the nature of crime within the city, focusing more on social commentary over sensationalism. Explores the size and density of New York City with many scenes focusing on the concreted population within subways and on the streets/bridges 17 Jean Dexter and Ruth Morrison are humanized, contrary to the trope of the femme fatale. JeanDexter’s fate embodies how the allure of the city belies danger and moral degradation. Her lifestyle choices (dating and partying) also reflect contemporary moral panic. Concluding scene: Newspapers featuring the Jean Dexter case are swept into the trash; “There are eight million stories in the naked city. This is one of them.” Paris Is Burning Dir: Jennie Livingston, Year: 1990, Setting: New York City 1980s-90s, Medium: Documentary film, Subjects: Pepper Labeija, Angie Xtravaganza, Dorian Corey, Venus Xtravaganza, Willi Ninja, et. al. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS QUESTION ANSWER How did the ballroom events and the houses that -These ballroom events and held hem become a source of support and houses served as important community for young people? support systems for marginalized youth - Each house has a designated “mother” who provides assistance, guidance, & essential resources to others in the house - In addition to the mother of the house, other house members also would reach out support for the youth who confide in them  19 What is the nature of womanhood that the term - Venus’ and Dorian’s commentary “realness” is founded upon? What might it of the idealization of white reflect about the time and place in which the womanhood documentary takes place? -white passing and female passing queens were less frequently subjected to hate crimes 18 Why do you think the AIDS crisis wasn’t given - There was an AIDS charity more focus, and how might its oversight affect ball inserted in the last 6 viewers' understanding of the challenges faced by minutes of the film these communities? - Willi Ninja, Dorian Corey, and Octavia St. Laurent died from AIDS related complications - Likely not a focus due to stigmatization and delayed government action What do you think the reception of Paris Is - appropriation of drag language Burning says about the implications of and culture (historically POC) in representation? What are the drawbacks of larger queer culture portraying a story from an outside perspective - bell hooks “ritual into spectacle” that bell hooks points out? o 1990 documentary film o Directed by Jennie Livingson, filmed throughout the 1980s. She explores the world or drag shows and drag queens throughout Harlem. She focuses on the “House” culture within the drag queen world which provides families for marginalized LGBTQ+ African Americans. She also dives into Ballroom culture and the complex identity of these social outcast performers. She explores various social issues like race, sexuality and gender within these ballrooms and broader society KEY SCENES/THEMES  20 Origin and structure of drag balls Criteria: dancing, fashion, realness Categories (e.g. pretty girl, cheesecake, schoolboy/schoolboy realness, town and country, butch queen, military, high fashion evening wear, executive realness) More categories → more involvement o Houses, mothers, children 19 the theme of chosen family o The “ball” Ostracized members of society “live the fantasy” of being wealthy Language and Terminology “Realness:” convincingly passing as whatever you are trying to appear as (Note from Prof. Walsh: this word has a different emphasis in hip hop culture it means something more like actual authenticity, solidarity with one’s neighborhood or community, not passing or trying to become someone else) House: family/“gay street gang” that competes in balls Voguing: style of dance modeled after high-fashion editorial magazine poses Shade/reading; Opulence; Mother; Fierce; Queen; Work; Mopping; Stunt; Legendary Venus competes in balls under the house of Xtravaganza, and also works as sex worker for income. She is murdered and her murder remains unsolved. “Is Paris Burning?” by bell hooks o Provides a close reading and critique of the production of Paris Is Burning Houses: o Resemble chosen families that have come together to have a sense of belonging in a world that was hostile to their race, gender identity, and/or sexuality o House leaders were referred to as mothers and fathers, who served the role of being mentors and caregivers. o Members helped one another to navigate specific challenges in their life, beyond the ballroom. Ballrooms:  21 o Spaces throughout Harlem where the drag talent shows are typically held. o They are extremely valuable community spaces away from public ridicule and danger. o There are many diverse categories all the way from models to military members allowing anyone to participate. o In these shows they are celebrated for their uniqueness and for challenging norms. o It allows people to experiment and play with societal roles. 20 o These performances facilitate confidence while empowering its participants to create their own stories. Voguing: o A form of expression through dance and posing. Inspired by the poses in vogue magazine. o Unique way of insulting your opponent through dance instead of arguing. o Challenge the traditional norms and are almost mocking the high fashion industry. o Fight against the system through creating their own form of expression where your identity doesn't matter at all. o Brings houses together and empowers marginalized people. Essay by Bell Hooks: Analytical critique of counterargument to Paris is Burning. Whilethe film celebrates the creativity and resilience of Black/Latino queer individuals in the ballroom, it reinforces systems of oppression through: 1. Spectacle over substance 2. Whiteness is an ideal 3. Individual fantasy over collective struggle 4. Jennie Livingston’s role as a while lesbian filmmaker (outsider perspective) Final note: Please put together your own study notes on the documentary Decade of Fire, West  22 Side Story, the article “The Other West Side Story,” The Forty Year Old Version, the hiphop articles, the poems “Recuerdo” and “Having a Coke with You,” and the Harlem Renaissance and Transatlantic Modernism exhibition (I won’t ask really obscure questions about these: they will be straightforward questions about major themes/concerns). There will be no questions about the first Paris readings on the syllabus: Baudelaire, Solnit, Rodin, or Elkin. You don’t need to review those. Thanks and good luck! Decade of Fire: 21