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On human nature, monsters & tragic lives behind closed doors.
Courtesan with a Lute. 17th century. Nicolaes Pieterszoon Berchem, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
This week’s ‘finds from the web‘ that struck a chord and stirred:
“…we are all facing the same struggle: to feel safe, to feel seen, to wrest some meaning and some marvel from the ephemeral bewilderment of being alive. …”
from The Only Three Distinctions Between People by Maria Popova
“…Her conflicting emotions about the man she buried were crammed into a box to keep her from unleashing all her monsters onto the world today of all days. …”
from The Funeral and the Feast by Diana H
I found this painting disturbing—and ‘disturbing’ is a ‘chord,’ nevertheless.
The Satyr and the Peasant Family, c.1620, Jacob Jordaens, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Is AI capable of becoming a monster of sorts? That question certainly strikes a chord…
“Martin Scorsese’s announcement that he has invested in an AI company and uses the technology to create storyboards has triggered a backlash from fellow members of the film industry….”
from Martin Scorsese accused of ‘throwing artists under bus’ with AI storyboards by Andrew Pulver The Guardian (online)
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“ ‘For 70 years, I’ve been creating my own storyboards. There’s always been this problem of how do you communicate what you see in your head to your cast and crew. There are some things you have to see and feel. Now with this tool, I can share what I’m visualising more clearly and efficiently to my creative team. ‘…”
Speaking of ‘monsters’ and human nature—I came across an article about Mary Shelley’s half-sister—and the story of Mary Shelley, her mother, her stepsister, and her half-sister contains it all… from their love lives and their creative endeavors to their tragic outcomes.
What struck a chord? Both the article, which skillfully unwrapped this tremendous tale, and the actual hidden history of these people’s lives.4 ‘powerhouse’ lines from the article:
“Fanny’s mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, was famously disparaged by Horace Walpole as “a hyena in petticoats.” “…
from Out From the Shadows: On Rediscovering Mary Shelley’s Half-Sister, Fanny Imlay. Jupiter Jones Explores the Life of a Remarkable Woman Forgotten by History
” To write about Fanny is inevitably to write about how she was and is overshadowed by the originality and reputation of her mother, and by the fame and accomplishments of her half-sister.” …
“What is known, thanks in part to a report in the Cambrian newspaper of October 1816, is that at the age of twenty-two, Fanny traveled alone from London to Swansea, locked herself in a room at the Mackworth Arms Hotel and drank enough laudanum to end her life. “
“She counted Aaron Burr (former USA vice president), Samuel Taylor Coleridge (poet), Humphry Davy (scientist), Charles and Mary Lamb (writers), and Robert Owen (industrialist, politician and philanthropist) amongst her acquaintances.”
Literary HubIntrigued, like I am, to find out more about these tragic figures from the Romantic period?
Check out the book The Hyena’s Daughter by Juniper Jones.
While on the topic of books, I am eager to also share this book I came across this week. It is still on backorder—and well worth the wait and the read.
On society, human nature, and polished cruelty—it strikes a chord.
Stay tuned next week for more ‘finds’… or subscribe so you don’t miss a ‘stir.’
