So, I'm filling out this form for that continuing education place I've mentioned, hoping I can find a few interested members to help me write my book. Here are some of the questions and my first stab at replies. Interesting and challenging document.
Write a brief description of your intended pursuit considering the following: your questions and quandaries regarding this area of interest, what you hope for once your pursuit has been concluded, and why this pursuit is valuable.
I’d like Perpetua’s help in completing and publishing a work of non-fiction discussing the nature and potential value of “pop-culture”. The first section of the book (which I’ve already begun) discusses what pop-culture is, beginning with discussions of human nature and art in general as a necessary foundation. The second section will discuss major themes and ideas that appear again and again in pop-culture, their value and any dangers or errors they involve. Distributed throughout both sections will be critiques and reflections on particular works of pop-culture.
First and foremost I’d like Perpetua to help keep my feet to the fire. Other work has begun to occupy more and more of my time, and some external pressure to move forward on this will help, I hope.
The major question I have is whether the arguments I make are thorough enough or convincing on their own, and what references I should include to support my thesis.
I believe the work is valuable because there are extreme and immoderate views concerning pop-culture, both for and against it, and given my educational background and personal interests, I believe I am well suited to attempt to give some helpful perspective on the issue.
Why do you think you became interested in this pursuit?
Because I am firmly convinced in the power and importance of reason, philosophy, and truth wherever it can be found, and I also enjoy action movies and Super Mario Bros. I’d like to think both can not only co-exist, but be part of the same thing.
What prior experience do you have with this area of inquiry?
I wrote articles on pop-cultural subjects for a full year and I currently write for an online publication focusing on video games and entertainment. I have studied the classics of western thought, literature, and dialectic.
What resources do you envision using in support of your endeavors?
Conversation, reasoned argument, the works of Aristotle, St. Thomas Aquinas, and potentially Ananda Coomaraswamy and modern works on pop-culture (in my current draft of the book I refer to Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud, for example).
Describe your way of learning (if pertinent to the pursuit).
I think I learn best through what I’d call absorption, followed by conversation. I’m not a big taker of notes, but if I focus on reading/watching/playing or otherwise experiencing something and then proceed to reflect on it, I think I do pretty well.
Describe your way of interacting with others.
Cordial?
John, I wouldn't mind helping, except I don't think i would be much help. I enjoy action movies, but can only see them as entertainment. Its hard for me to drag a lot of social commentary out of it. In most cases, you first have to imagine a world where whatever is going on is possible. I think pop-culture has its place as an escape from mundane daily life, and a lot of us (me included) like our fiction to be sort of rooted in what we see everyday, but then extreme circumstances have to created. Others like completely fantastical settings. Its a matter of taste. Writing a book is Moby Dick for me, you'll find there are a lot of suggesters, a lot of critics but not many helpers. If I can be a helper, I would like to do that, but I'm not sure how I can help. Let me know.
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