IntenseDebate - The

9 years ago @ The Toast - "Yet I'll Speak": Othe... · 2 replies · +35 points

Yes, this is spot on! Emilia in Act 5 is so amazing. I teach a college course on Women and Power in Shakespearean Drama, and Othello is such an interesting play in the context of that topic. I don't think I had quite recognized how interesting Emilia as a character until I saw her through my students' eyes-- the first time I taught the play, I noticed that they were obsessed with her-- at least half of them wanted to write their final papers on her. She and Emilia are interesting in relation to one another in so many ways-- both in how they speak (or don't speak) at various parts of the play in relation to male power, and in terms of how they, in their scenes together, hint at a private space for female speech and intimacy, one that Iago and Othello suggest a deep anxiety and eventually anger about.... another way in which this play, and this character, speak to our current cultural moment!

9 years ago @ The Toast - Link Roundup! Ithaca M... · 0 replies · +4 points

Yes, that is a really good point about Eliza/Destiny's Child! The whole hierarchy of relative whiteness thing between Asian American and African American actresses seems really tricky to me.

I love the musical too, and I am so interested in the ways in reflects the complexity of race/history/America-- but I agree that it does so at the expense of some other stories. I hadn't even thought about the Native American context, but it is so interesting to consider.

9 years ago @ The Toast - Link Roundup! Ithaca M... · 0 replies · +8 points

Yes, it is totally true that he couldn't possibly fit all the complexity of the situation into the musical-- and I think it is tough to hold him personally responsible for doing so! I do think, though, that the musical's efforts to "tell the story" of Hamilton wind up doing so in a way that suggests, even if it doesn't state, that he was basically a proto-modern abolitionist, and it concentrates its criticism for slavery onto Jefferson which (while apt, I mean, he doesn't get off the hook) doesn't seem fair. Anyway, as you say-- it is so much to think about!

9 years ago @ The Toast - Link Roundup! Ithaca M... · 5 replies · +21 points

I thought this link would be worth a share-- it is really interesting critique of Hamilton, race, and public history. I *love* the musical (my boyfriend even proposed after we saw it with, "I am not throwing away my shot... will you marry me")... and yet! I remember having a lot of thoughts when I realized that, for instance, Hercules Mulligan owned a slave named Cato who did a lot more of the actual spying-- it seemed so weird to me to erase Cato from the story in the context of what Miranda seems to be trying to do! Anyway, worth a look! http://tph.ucpress.edu/content/38/1/89.full-text....

9 years ago @ The Toast - Link Roundup! · 0 replies · +7 points

Once you are fully hooked, I also recommend Massie's *The Romanovs: The Final Chapter*. It is about the discovery of their bodies in 1991 and the historical/scientific investigative work that had to be done to put together what happened to them. It is FASCINATING!

9 years ago @ The Toast - Link Roundup! · 0 replies · +2 points

Thank you!!

9 years ago @ The Toast - Link Roundup! · 0 replies · +2 points

Perfect, sounds fantastic. Thank you!!

9 years ago @ The Toast - Link Roundup! · 0 replies · +1 points

Thank you!! I am so excited!

9 years ago @ The Toast - Link Roundup! · 0 replies · +1 points

Thanks! I take your point. I am a cheapskate, so I was worried that garages in Manhattan would be insanely expensive, but I will look into it! Something near the stadium sounds good, too.

9 years ago @ The Toast - Link Roundup! · 8 replies · +8 points

Hey, are there any Bronx Toasties out there? Can any of you recommend places/areas to find parking that are near the subway?

This question is relevant because I have the extremely good luck to have gotten Hamilton tickets for Wednesday, I will always associate The Toast/Nicole with kindling my Hamilton love. My manfriend and I live in Connecticut, and because of various work things, we are going to drive down to the city and back on Wednesday. I was thinking it might be a good idea to park in the Bronx as we get into town and take the subway into Manhattan. Pro tips would be welcome!

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