My brother-in-law, just to the right and left of me politically, has been commenting here (remember my atheist post with all-star contentious responses?) for quite some time and now has created his own blog: http://accountingforidiocy.blogspot.com/ First official post questions Gore et al on global warming. I'm finally getting a critical mass of far flung blogging family members: a cousin, a cousin-in-law, a brother-in-law and sister. Kind of fun.
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Next week in children's lit I'm going to have students read the first volume in Nausicaa: of the valley of the wind by Miyazaki. Last year we read the first volume of Spirited Away; since then I've realized that Spirited was adapted from the film but Nausicaa was first manga and then made into a film. So, it seemed more authentic to read Nausicaa. Unfortunately that's about where my expertise ends in all things manga. Still, it seems worth it to learn together about an amazing artist. Seeing my first Miyazaki film, Princess Mononoke, blew me away and I hope this will happen for a few students.
The book's inside cover announces,
"IN A FEW SHORT CENTURIES CIVILIZATION HAD SPREAD FROM THE WESTERN FRINGES OF EURASIA TO SPRAWL ACROSS THE FACE OF THE PLANET. PLUNDERING TEH SOIL OF ITS RICHES, FOULING THE AIR, AND REMOLDING LIFE FROM AT WILL, THIS GARGANTUAN INDUSTRIAL SOCIETY HAD ALREADY PEAKED A THOUSAND YEARS AFTER ITS FOUNDATION: AHEAD LAY ABRUPT AND VIOLENT DECLINE . . . ALMOST ALL OF THE SURFACE OF THE EARTH WAS TRANSFORMED INTO A STERILE WASTELAND..."
Clearly my mostly young, soon-to-be-elementary ed teachers, are going to love this story!!
This environment gone wrong is a theme Miyazaki often invokes, like in Princess Mononoke. But often it's a rich, complicated rendering like in Princess Mononoke where Irontown, run by Lady Eboshi, is clearly contributing to environmental degradation, but she is also using her money to free prostitutes who then work for her--there's never any clear sense of who is the good or bad guy.
Nausicaa is a princess of the wind based off the princess who helps Odysseus get home and the Japanese folk hero known as the "princess who loved insects." I think our world could use more princesses who love insects.
I'm quite excited to read it. Unfortunately I will be reading it right along with my students as I never got to it till now. My only claim to any authority is that I've seen all of his films several times and read a few articles about Miyazaki. And on that note, I'm off to wikipedia my way into authority.
5 comments:
Go Wikipedia ! I could never have written a play without it. I'm too lazy to do research the old fashioned way.
I agree with your endorsement of "Princess Mononoke". Great movie: innocent yet informed by experience, complex but still inspirational.... I should watch it again, soon.
I'll have to check out Nausicaa, too.
Be seeing you soon!
I'm a lot farther left politically these days than I used to be. Today I would have to describe my political self as confused or even apathetic. I'm socially liberal, fiscally conservative, and anti-religion. Therefore, I'm completely unrepresented in today's political circles.
I hate all politicians, especially the crop we have today.
Sorry that Hannah caught the "oh shit" kitty on my blog, but hey, what are uncles for if not to be completely inappropriate?
why couldn't I have had YOU as my children's lit. teacher?! You're going to blow their young impressionable minds.
Son and I just watched Naussica, and he then checked out the book at the library. We both liked the film.
Have never seen Nausicaa, have always meant to--this post prods me to get on with it, already. I am a great fan of Spirited Away, one of my favorite movies ever.
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