Fairmont State University
Honors Program Meeting
October 14, 2008
Reggie spoke about the parties in the Honors Lab. Food, videogames, and music will be there if anyone is interested. The next one will be held this Saturday, October 18th at 11am. The following parties will be posted on the facebook group.
The director’s talk for The Mandrake was held on October 16th at 6pm in room 126 of the Education building. Dr. O’Connor is the director and the show started at 7:30pm.
Quiz Bowl will be held on Saturday, November 15th. The competitors will be local high schools. We need people to sign up to volunteer for the following jobs: moderator, scorekeeper, timekeeper, and escort. If anyone is interested please let one of the officers or Daniel knows.
We took our honors picture for the yearbook at this meeting as well. Also, if you have any honors related pictures please send them to Jason or Dr. Baker.
The next honors meeting will be held on Tuesday, November 18 at 12:30 pm in the tower room of Wallman hall. This is third Tuesday of the month rather than the second. On the second Tuesday, Dr. Raquel Pinderhuges will be the next Honors Seminar Speaker.
The Honors Book Club has had a bit of a rocky start but the next meeting will be held on October 30 in the student lounge of the library. Time is TBA. The meeting will be 2 hours long. This can be used as a cultural event for Honors Seminar and everyone is encouraged to attend and discuss the book Nickel and Dimed. Let Jason know if anyone is interest in volunteering to lead one of the next discussions.
Dr. Ann Shaver, a professor of Psychology here at FSU and a clinical psychologist and counselor was our speaker for this meeting. She discussed the topic of emotional intelligence.
Remember: The next meeting is Tuesday, November 18th at 12:30.
11.17.2008
Honors Meeting
Don’t Forget!
Honors Meeting TOMORROW!
18 November 2008
12:30PM
Tower Room
Pizza will be served!
This is the last one of the semester so please be sure to attend!
Honors Meeting TOMORROW!
18 November 2008
12:30PM
Tower Room
Pizza will be served!
This is the last one of the semester so please be sure to attend!
10.09.2008
THE MANDRAKE DIRECTOR'S TALK
THE MANDRAKE DIRECTOR'S TALK IS COMING!
THE MANDRAKE, directed by Dr. John O'Connor, opens this Friday!!!!! But did you know you can go for free? Did you know you can get free food before the show and engage in great dialogue with the brilliance that is Dr. John O'Connor? Did you know that this is all FREE (a $20 deposit is required, however). This show features some of our most talented students and designers! FSU's artist-in-residence, Deb O, is the costume designer! This is a show that will blow your mind! Here's the details:
TIME: 6:00 - Dinner / 7:30 - Show
DATE: October 16
PLACE: 126 Education Building / Wallman Hall Theatre
HOW: Give your $20.00 to Dr. Baker or Jason Vanfosson in 311 Jaynes Hall
Here's a repost of a summary of THE MANDRAKE!
SUMMARY
The Mandrake, written around 1518 when Florence had reverted to Medici rule, is set in 1504 during the republican interval so that the dramatist could criticize contemporary Florentine society without fear of further repercussions from patrons already ill-disposed towards him. The play's usual classification as an `erudite' comedy is due rather more to its formal elements than to any substantial derivation of its plot and characters from the classical Latin theatre of Plautus and Terence. The Mandrake begins with a chorus which, together with the four songs serving as intermezzos between the five acts, was added to the comedy for a performance planned for the carnival season of 1526. Sung by nymphs and shepherds, this opening chorus propounds the hedonistic theme of carpe diem (seize the day), fundamental both to much of Renaissance literature and to The Mandrake: since life is both short and fraught with woes, pleasure must be taken at every opportunity. The detached prologue, divided into two equal parts of four strophes each, serves as both an introduction to the play and a key to its interpretation.
After drawing attention to the originality of The Mandrake (` ... let our troupe commence/To play for you ... /A recent case that's something new') and identifying the setting as contemporary Florence, the prologue alludes to the principal characters in seemingly contradictory terms: the lawyer Nicia is `doltish'; the priest is `venal'; Callimaco Guadagni, outwardly noble and worthy of respect, is also a `wretched swain'; Lucrezia, although a `circumspect young wife', is also `hotly and at length pursued ... falsely wooed ... At last ... brought to bed ...'. Appearance, the prologue thus implies, may be deceptive, as the comedy itself then demonstrates. The focus of the second part of the prologue shifts from the comedy's constituent elements (characters, plot, themes) to the circumstances surrounding its composition. The prologue discloses that The Mandrake was written to distract the author, whose bitterness at having been excluded from the diplomatic and political life of Florence was further exacerbated by the Medici's indifference towards his political works The Prince and The Discourses. It is this particular frame of mind, as defined by the prologue, that determines the bitter cynicism which is the comedy's principal frame of reference.
In the first scene of the comedy, Machiavelli employs a conventional artifice in having Callimaco convey to the audience the drama's pre-textual situation as he recalls to Siro events with which his servant is already familiar. After a 20-year sojourn in Paris, 30-year-old Callimaco Guadagni has returned to his native Florence, attracted by the fabled beauty of Lucrezia Calfucci. All his expectations having been exceeded, Callimaco despairs of becoming her lover as she is also renowned for her chastity. His only hope for success lies in the fact that Lucrezia's wealthy husband of six years, Nicia, famed in his turn for his foolishness, is no less anxious than Lucrezia for an heir. Callimaco has secured the help of the parasite Ligurio, an acquaintance of Nicia's.
The rest of the plot (Acts II-V) centres on deceptions devised by Ligurio so that Callimaco may spend the night with Lucrezia. By ensuring the complicity of the three people closest to her, that is, those whose every effort should have been directed at protecting her virtue rather than betraying it (her confessor, Friar Timoteo, her husband, Nicia, and her mother, Sostrata), Machiavelli thus implicitly criticizes the three institutions, fundamental to society, which these three characters represent: the Church, marriage, the family.
On Ligurio's bidding, Callimaco pretends to be a celebrated Parisian doctor who specializes in curing infertility by means of a potion made from the root of the mandrake. Nicia agrees to administer it to Lucrezia, but is temporarily disconcerted when Callimaco points out that whoever first makes love to Lucrezia after her treatment is likely to die. The solution which Callimaco proposes serves his own interests if Nicia agrees to it: the first man to happen by will be placed forcibly in bed with her, instructed in what he is to do, and then released the following morning. Nicia's reluctance to be cuckolded in this way is overcome easily when Callimaco states that the king and nobles of France had no such scruples. Lucrezia's participation in this immoral scheme can only be secured by making Friar Timoteo their accomplice. Ligurio first tests the priest's probity by promising him money in return for his assistance in a fictitious enterprise: a young niece of Nicia's, entrusted to a local convent, is supposedly pregnant. Friar Timoteo is asked to take a potion to the abbess who, in turn, will administer it to the young woman to make her miscarry, thereby avoiding all scandal. By agreeing to help, Friar Timoteo discloses both the depth and breadth of the corruption in the religious community. (There are further references in the comedy to the general impiety of priests.)
With Friar Timoteo's complicity ensured, Sostrata agrees to accompany her reluctant daughter to the meeting with the priest. To his sophistical, captious reasoning (based on the Machiavellian philosophy that the end—here, the birth of a child—justifies the means—adultery and possibly homicide) Sostrata adds pragmatically that Lucrezia must have a child to guarantee her financial status should Nicia die.
The deception works flawlessly. Callimaco is overjoyed when Lucrezia, outraged at the betrayal perpetrated against her, cynically attributes it to divine will and resolves to remain Callimaco's lover, motivated as much by the desire to avenge herself against Nicia as to serve her own personal interests. Lucrezia, initially the sole morally incorrupt character in the comedy, ultimately adapts to a reality which she is powerless to oppose and far less to change. The Mandrake shows society and human nature as they are, without suggesting how they ought to be. It illustrates Machiavelli's belief that those endowed with the necessary virtù are able to overcome adverse circumstances. The bitter irony of The Mandrake is that virtue, in the English acceptation of the term, is lost in the process.
From:
Prunster, Nicole. "The Mandrake: Overview." Reference Guide to World Literature. Ed. Lesley Henderson. 2nd ed. New York: St. James Press, 1995. Literature Resource Center. Gale. Fairmont State Univ. Fairmont, WV. 6 Aug. 2008 .
THE MANDRAKE, directed by Dr. John O'Connor, opens this Friday!!!!! But did you know you can go for free? Did you know you can get free food before the show and engage in great dialogue with the brilliance that is Dr. John O'Connor? Did you know that this is all FREE (a $20 deposit is required, however). This show features some of our most talented students and designers! FSU's artist-in-residence, Deb O, is the costume designer! This is a show that will blow your mind! Here's the details:
TIME: 6:00 - Dinner / 7:30 - Show
DATE: October 16
PLACE: 126 Education Building / Wallman Hall Theatre
HOW: Give your $20.00 to Dr. Baker or Jason Vanfosson in 311 Jaynes Hall
Here's a repost of a summary of THE MANDRAKE!
SUMMARY
The Mandrake, written around 1518 when Florence had reverted to Medici rule, is set in 1504 during the republican interval so that the dramatist could criticize contemporary Florentine society without fear of further repercussions from patrons already ill-disposed towards him. The play's usual classification as an `erudite' comedy is due rather more to its formal elements than to any substantial derivation of its plot and characters from the classical Latin theatre of Plautus and Terence. The Mandrake begins with a chorus which, together with the four songs serving as intermezzos between the five acts, was added to the comedy for a performance planned for the carnival season of 1526. Sung by nymphs and shepherds, this opening chorus propounds the hedonistic theme of carpe diem (seize the day), fundamental both to much of Renaissance literature and to The Mandrake: since life is both short and fraught with woes, pleasure must be taken at every opportunity. The detached prologue, divided into two equal parts of four strophes each, serves as both an introduction to the play and a key to its interpretation.
After drawing attention to the originality of The Mandrake (` ... let our troupe commence/To play for you ... /A recent case that's something new') and identifying the setting as contemporary Florence, the prologue alludes to the principal characters in seemingly contradictory terms: the lawyer Nicia is `doltish'; the priest is `venal'; Callimaco Guadagni, outwardly noble and worthy of respect, is also a `wretched swain'; Lucrezia, although a `circumspect young wife', is also `hotly and at length pursued ... falsely wooed ... At last ... brought to bed ...'. Appearance, the prologue thus implies, may be deceptive, as the comedy itself then demonstrates. The focus of the second part of the prologue shifts from the comedy's constituent elements (characters, plot, themes) to the circumstances surrounding its composition. The prologue discloses that The Mandrake was written to distract the author, whose bitterness at having been excluded from the diplomatic and political life of Florence was further exacerbated by the Medici's indifference towards his political works The Prince and The Discourses. It is this particular frame of mind, as defined by the prologue, that determines the bitter cynicism which is the comedy's principal frame of reference.
In the first scene of the comedy, Machiavelli employs a conventional artifice in having Callimaco convey to the audience the drama's pre-textual situation as he recalls to Siro events with which his servant is already familiar. After a 20-year sojourn in Paris, 30-year-old Callimaco Guadagni has returned to his native Florence, attracted by the fabled beauty of Lucrezia Calfucci. All his expectations having been exceeded, Callimaco despairs of becoming her lover as she is also renowned for her chastity. His only hope for success lies in the fact that Lucrezia's wealthy husband of six years, Nicia, famed in his turn for his foolishness, is no less anxious than Lucrezia for an heir. Callimaco has secured the help of the parasite Ligurio, an acquaintance of Nicia's.
The rest of the plot (Acts II-V) centres on deceptions devised by Ligurio so that Callimaco may spend the night with Lucrezia. By ensuring the complicity of the three people closest to her, that is, those whose every effort should have been directed at protecting her virtue rather than betraying it (her confessor, Friar Timoteo, her husband, Nicia, and her mother, Sostrata), Machiavelli thus implicitly criticizes the three institutions, fundamental to society, which these three characters represent: the Church, marriage, the family.
On Ligurio's bidding, Callimaco pretends to be a celebrated Parisian doctor who specializes in curing infertility by means of a potion made from the root of the mandrake. Nicia agrees to administer it to Lucrezia, but is temporarily disconcerted when Callimaco points out that whoever first makes love to Lucrezia after her treatment is likely to die. The solution which Callimaco proposes serves his own interests if Nicia agrees to it: the first man to happen by will be placed forcibly in bed with her, instructed in what he is to do, and then released the following morning. Nicia's reluctance to be cuckolded in this way is overcome easily when Callimaco states that the king and nobles of France had no such scruples. Lucrezia's participation in this immoral scheme can only be secured by making Friar Timoteo their accomplice. Ligurio first tests the priest's probity by promising him money in return for his assistance in a fictitious enterprise: a young niece of Nicia's, entrusted to a local convent, is supposedly pregnant. Friar Timoteo is asked to take a potion to the abbess who, in turn, will administer it to the young woman to make her miscarry, thereby avoiding all scandal. By agreeing to help, Friar Timoteo discloses both the depth and breadth of the corruption in the religious community. (There are further references in the comedy to the general impiety of priests.)
With Friar Timoteo's complicity ensured, Sostrata agrees to accompany her reluctant daughter to the meeting with the priest. To his sophistical, captious reasoning (based on the Machiavellian philosophy that the end—here, the birth of a child—justifies the means—adultery and possibly homicide) Sostrata adds pragmatically that Lucrezia must have a child to guarantee her financial status should Nicia die.
The deception works flawlessly. Callimaco is overjoyed when Lucrezia, outraged at the betrayal perpetrated against her, cynically attributes it to divine will and resolves to remain Callimaco's lover, motivated as much by the desire to avenge herself against Nicia as to serve her own personal interests. Lucrezia, initially the sole morally incorrupt character in the comedy, ultimately adapts to a reality which she is powerless to oppose and far less to change. The Mandrake shows society and human nature as they are, without suggesting how they ought to be. It illustrates Machiavelli's belief that those endowed with the necessary virtù are able to overcome adverse circumstances. The bitter irony of The Mandrake is that virtue, in the English acceptation of the term, is lost in the process.
From:
Prunster, Nicole. "The Mandrake: Overview." Reference Guide to World Literature. Ed. Lesley Henderson. 2nd ed. New York: St. James Press, 1995. Literature Resource Center. Gale. Fairmont State Univ. Fairmont, WV. 6 Aug. 2008 .
9.22.2008
September's Minutes
Fairmont State University
Honors Program Meeting
September 9, 2008
Welcome back! This year Honor’s will celebrating its 20th anniversary.
Mass emails will be sent through the list serve to everyone’s FSU email accounts, so check it regularly to keep up to date on honors events.
Mike Kittle, mentor chair spoke to us. If you haven’t met your mentor/mentee let him know. He also proposed an activity such as Secret Santa. If anyone has any other ideas or any feedback on that idea, just let him know.
Kiley Wilfong, community service chair spoke next. Recap of last semester- we raised $850 for the local no-kill shelter the Marion County Humane Society. We will not be doing any fundraisers this year to avoid depleting our resources (aka: donations) from the local businesses. Instead, we will be recruiting volunteers to help with Habitat For Humanity. We hope to pull together with other organizations on campus. Also, we would like to start an educational campaign about recycling. Contact Kiley if you need any information about these things.
The mentor/mentee ice cream social in the Falcon Center on Wednesday, August 27th was a big hit.
The Washington, D.C. trip has been postponed until Saturday, September 13. We will still be meeting at the turnaround by the parking garage at 6 am. Let Jason or Dr. Baker know if you cannot make it because there is a waiting list of people wanting to go.
Honors has jumped on the blog bandwagon. The site of the blog is www.fsuhonors.blogspot.com. Announcements and other information will be posted here on a regular basis. Also, if you have facebook, join the FSU Honors facebook group to keep in contact and up to date.
We will again be teaming up with Kappa Delta Pi and Gear Up for Quiz Bowl. It is scheduled for October 18th. We need volunteers looking to fill the jobs of moderator, scorekeeper, timekeeper, and escort. If you’re interested let any of the officers know.
This year we are trying out an Honors Book Club. This semesters book will be Nickled and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich. This book is required for several honors classes and anyone in Honors Seminar will receive cultural event credit for attending. We need student facilitators to help lead the discussions. All you have to do is come up with 3-5 questions to help keep the discussion going. The facilitator is encouraged is interact with the text through their major. This month’s meeting will be held Thursday, September 18. Time and place are TBA. Check the blog/facebook group for more information. Email Jason if you would like to facilitate.
This semester’s Director’s Talk will be for the upcoming play The Mandrake. Dr.O’Connor is the director of this production. It will start with dinner at 6pm and the show at 7:30pm. It will take place October 16th in room 126 of the Education Building. A $20 deposit is required and you will get it back the night of the performance.
If anyone has any honors pictures (honors wing, honors events) please email them to Jason or to Dr. Baker.
Homecoming is October 20-25. Does honors want to get involved? If so, let Jason know. We could get involved with the community service project with the Marion County Boys and Girls Club to volunteer, fundraise, or donate supplies. Email Jason or post a discussion on the facebook group.
Our speaker for this meeting was our very own Dr. Gregory Hinton. He shared with us some of his own success strategies. Here are some of his basic tips:
• the secret to good grades is to work smarter, not harder
• actively listen in class and pay attention to cues
• read the textbook the right way and let the headings guide you
• read the table of contents at the beginning of chapters
• read the summary to a chapter before you read the actual chapter
• be careful of absolute and qualitative modifiers on true/false tests
• split study sessions up
• read with a purpose
Honors Program Meeting
September 9, 2008
Welcome back! This year Honor’s will celebrating its 20th anniversary.
Mass emails will be sent through the list serve to everyone’s FSU email accounts, so check it regularly to keep up to date on honors events.
Mike Kittle, mentor chair spoke to us. If you haven’t met your mentor/mentee let him know. He also proposed an activity such as Secret Santa. If anyone has any other ideas or any feedback on that idea, just let him know.
Kiley Wilfong, community service chair spoke next. Recap of last semester- we raised $850 for the local no-kill shelter the Marion County Humane Society. We will not be doing any fundraisers this year to avoid depleting our resources (aka: donations) from the local businesses. Instead, we will be recruiting volunteers to help with Habitat For Humanity. We hope to pull together with other organizations on campus. Also, we would like to start an educational campaign about recycling. Contact Kiley if you need any information about these things.
The mentor/mentee ice cream social in the Falcon Center on Wednesday, August 27th was a big hit.
The Washington, D.C. trip has been postponed until Saturday, September 13. We will still be meeting at the turnaround by the parking garage at 6 am. Let Jason or Dr. Baker know if you cannot make it because there is a waiting list of people wanting to go.
Honors has jumped on the blog bandwagon. The site of the blog is www.fsuhonors.blogspot.com. Announcements and other information will be posted here on a regular basis. Also, if you have facebook, join the FSU Honors facebook group to keep in contact and up to date.
We will again be teaming up with Kappa Delta Pi and Gear Up for Quiz Bowl. It is scheduled for October 18th. We need volunteers looking to fill the jobs of moderator, scorekeeper, timekeeper, and escort. If you’re interested let any of the officers know.
This year we are trying out an Honors Book Club. This semesters book will be Nickled and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich. This book is required for several honors classes and anyone in Honors Seminar will receive cultural event credit for attending. We need student facilitators to help lead the discussions. All you have to do is come up with 3-5 questions to help keep the discussion going. The facilitator is encouraged is interact with the text through their major. This month’s meeting will be held Thursday, September 18. Time and place are TBA. Check the blog/facebook group for more information. Email Jason if you would like to facilitate.
This semester’s Director’s Talk will be for the upcoming play The Mandrake. Dr.O’Connor is the director of this production. It will start with dinner at 6pm and the show at 7:30pm. It will take place October 16th in room 126 of the Education Building. A $20 deposit is required and you will get it back the night of the performance.
If anyone has any honors pictures (honors wing, honors events) please email them to Jason or to Dr. Baker.
Homecoming is October 20-25. Does honors want to get involved? If so, let Jason know. We could get involved with the community service project with the Marion County Boys and Girls Club to volunteer, fundraise, or donate supplies. Email Jason or post a discussion on the facebook group.
Our speaker for this meeting was our very own Dr. Gregory Hinton. He shared with us some of his own success strategies. Here are some of his basic tips:
• the secret to good grades is to work smarter, not harder
• actively listen in class and pay attention to cues
• read the textbook the right way and let the headings guide you
• read the table of contents at the beginning of chapters
• read the summary to a chapter before you read the actual chapter
• be careful of absolute and qualitative modifiers on true/false tests
• split study sessions up
• read with a purpose
9.18.2008
BOOK CLUB TONIGHT!
The first book club event will be tonight at 5:00 in the student lounge of the library. This is on the second floor up from the ground, past all the computers in the new annexed parts. Megan Walters will be our facilitator tonight and has some really great discussion topics! I encourage you to attend, and also remember that this does count for a cultural event if you are in the Honors Seminar class.
9.05.2008
DC TRIP CHANGE!!!
THE WASHINGTON DC TRIP IS BEING POSTPONED UNTIL NEXT WEEKEND--SEPTEMBER 13, 2008! WE WILL STILL MEET IN FRONT OF THE PARKING GARAGE AND LEAVE AT 6:00 AM! TELL EVERYONE YOU KNOW THAT IS SIGNED UP! IF YOU CANNOT GO PLEASE CONTACT JASON!
Jason's contact information:
jvanfosson@fairmontstate.edu
Facebook: Jason Vanfosson
304.376.9089
Jason's contact information:
jvanfosson@fairmontstate.edu
Facebook: Jason Vanfosson
304.376.9089
8.06.2008
Mentoring Ice Cream Social
On Wednesday, August 27 Honors will host an ice cream social!
This event is geared toward mentor / mentees and will begin right after dinner at 6:00 on the terrace of the Falcon Center. Be sure to come and bring your mentee/s with you!
This event is geared toward mentor / mentees and will begin right after dinner at 6:00 on the terrace of the Falcon Center. Be sure to come and bring your mentee/s with you!
Director's Talk for THE MANDRAKE
Honors will be sponsoring a Director's Talk with Dr. John O'Connor about The Mandrake.
Date: 16 October 2008
Time: 6:00 - Dinner / 7:30 Show
Place: 126 Education Building
Price: $20.00 Deposit
GREAT ACTIVITY TO TAKE YOUR MENTEE TO!
SUMMARY
The Mandrake, written around 1518 when Florence had reverted to Medici rule, is set in 1504 during the republican interval so that the dramatist could criticize contemporary Florentine society without fear of further repercussions from patrons already ill-disposed towards him. The play's usual classification as an `erudite' comedy is due rather more to its formal elements than to any substantial derivation of its plot and characters from the classical Latin theatre of Plautus and Terence. The Mandrake begins with a chorus which, together with the four songs serving as intermezzos between the five acts, was added to the comedy for a performance planned for the carnival season of 1526. Sung by nymphs and shepherds, this opening chorus propounds the hedonistic theme of carpe diem (seize the day), fundamental both to much of Renaissance literature and to The Mandrake: since life is both short and fraught with woes, pleasure must be taken at every opportunity. The detached prologue, divided into two equal parts of four strophes each, serves as both an introduction to the play and a key to its interpretation.
After drawing attention to the originality of The Mandrake (` ... let our troupe commence/To play for you ... /A recent case that's something new') and identifying the setting as contemporary Florence, the prologue alludes to the principal characters in seemingly contradictory terms: the lawyer Nicia is `doltish'; the priest is `venal'; Callimaco Guadagni, outwardly noble and worthy of respect, is also a `wretched swain'; Lucrezia, although a `circumspect young wife', is also `hotly and at length pursued ... falsely wooed ... At last ... brought to bed ...'. Appearance, the prologue thus implies, may be deceptive, as the comedy itself then demonstrates. The focus of the second part of the prologue shifts from the comedy's constituent elements (characters, plot, themes) to the circumstances surrounding its composition. The prologue discloses that The Mandrake was written to distract the author, whose bitterness at having been excluded from the diplomatic and political life of Florence was further exacerbated by the Medici's indifference towards his political works The Prince and The Discourses. It is this particular frame of mind, as defined by the prologue, that determines the bitter cynicism which is the comedy's principal frame of reference.
In the first scene of the comedy, Machiavelli employs a conventional artifice in having Callimaco convey to the audience the drama's pre-textual situation as he recalls to Siro events with which his servant is already familiar. After a 20-year sojourn in Paris, 30-year-old Callimaco Guadagni has returned to his native Florence, attracted by the fabled beauty of Lucrezia Calfucci. All his expectations having been exceeded, Callimaco despairs of becoming her lover as she is also renowned for her chastity. His only hope for success lies in the fact that Lucrezia's wealthy husband of six years, Nicia, famed in his turn for his foolishness, is no less anxious than Lucrezia for an heir. Callimaco has secured the help of the parasite Ligurio, an acquaintance of Nicia's.
The rest of the plot (Acts II-V) centres on deceptions devised by Ligurio so that Callimaco may spend the night with Lucrezia. By ensuring the complicity of the three people closest to her, that is, those whose every effort should have been directed at protecting her virtue rather than betraying it (her confessor, Friar Timoteo, her husband, Nicia, and her mother, Sostrata), Machiavelli thus implicitly criticizes the three institutions, fundamental to society, which these three characters represent: the Church, marriage, the family.
On Ligurio's bidding, Callimaco pretends to be a celebrated Parisian doctor who specializes in curing infertility by means of a potion made from the root of the mandrake. Nicia agrees to administer it to Lucrezia, but is temporarily disconcerted when Callimaco points out that whoever first makes love to Lucrezia after her treatment is likely to die. The solution which Callimaco proposes serves his own interests if Nicia agrees to it: the first man to happen by will be placed forcibly in bed with her, instructed in what he is to do, and then released the following morning. Nicia's reluctance to be cuckolded in this way is overcome easily when Callimaco states that the king and nobles of France had no such scruples. Lucrezia's participation in this immoral scheme can only be secured by making Friar Timoteo their accomplice. Ligurio first tests the priest's probity by promising him money in return for his assistance in a fictitious enterprise: a young niece of Nicia's, entrusted to a local convent, is supposedly pregnant. Friar Timoteo is asked to take a potion to the abbess who, in turn, will administer it to the young woman to make her miscarry, thereby avoiding all scandal. By agreeing to help, Friar Timoteo discloses both the depth and breadth of the corruption in the religious community. (There are further references in the comedy to the general impiety of priests.)
With Friar Timoteo's complicity ensured, Sostrata agrees to accompany her reluctant daughter to the meeting with the priest. To his sophistical, captious reasoning (based on the Machiavellian philosophy that the end—here, the birth of a child—justifies the means—adultery and possibly homicide) Sostrata adds pragmatically that Lucrezia must have a child to guarantee her financial status should Nicia die.
The deception works flawlessly. Callimaco is overjoyed when Lucrezia, outraged at the betrayal perpetrated against her, cynically attributes it to divine will and resolves to remain Callimaco's lover, motivated as much by the desire to avenge herself against Nicia as to serve her own personal interests. Lucrezia, initially the sole morally incorrupt character in the comedy, ultimately adapts to a reality which she is powerless to oppose and far less to change. The Mandrake shows society and human nature as they are, without suggesting how they ought to be. It illustrates Machiavelli's belief that those endowed with the necessary virtù are able to overcome adverse circumstances. The bitter irony of The Mandrake is that virtue, in the English acceptation of the term, is lost in the process.
From:
Prunster, Nicole. "The Mandrake: Overview." Reference Guide to World Literature. Ed. Lesley Henderson. 2nd ed. New York: St. James Press, 1995. Literature Resource Center. Gale. Fairmont State Univ. Fairmont, WV. 6 Aug. 2008.
Date: 16 October 2008
Time: 6:00 - Dinner / 7:30 Show
Place: 126 Education Building
Price: $20.00 Deposit
GREAT ACTIVITY TO TAKE YOUR MENTEE TO!
SUMMARY
The Mandrake, written around 1518 when Florence had reverted to Medici rule, is set in 1504 during the republican interval so that the dramatist could criticize contemporary Florentine society without fear of further repercussions from patrons already ill-disposed towards him. The play's usual classification as an `erudite' comedy is due rather more to its formal elements than to any substantial derivation of its plot and characters from the classical Latin theatre of Plautus and Terence. The Mandrake begins with a chorus which, together with the four songs serving as intermezzos between the five acts, was added to the comedy for a performance planned for the carnival season of 1526. Sung by nymphs and shepherds, this opening chorus propounds the hedonistic theme of carpe diem (seize the day), fundamental both to much of Renaissance literature and to The Mandrake: since life is both short and fraught with woes, pleasure must be taken at every opportunity. The detached prologue, divided into two equal parts of four strophes each, serves as both an introduction to the play and a key to its interpretation.
After drawing attention to the originality of The Mandrake (` ... let our troupe commence/To play for you ... /A recent case that's something new') and identifying the setting as contemporary Florence, the prologue alludes to the principal characters in seemingly contradictory terms: the lawyer Nicia is `doltish'; the priest is `venal'; Callimaco Guadagni, outwardly noble and worthy of respect, is also a `wretched swain'; Lucrezia, although a `circumspect young wife', is also `hotly and at length pursued ... falsely wooed ... At last ... brought to bed ...'. Appearance, the prologue thus implies, may be deceptive, as the comedy itself then demonstrates. The focus of the second part of the prologue shifts from the comedy's constituent elements (characters, plot, themes) to the circumstances surrounding its composition. The prologue discloses that The Mandrake was written to distract the author, whose bitterness at having been excluded from the diplomatic and political life of Florence was further exacerbated by the Medici's indifference towards his political works The Prince and The Discourses. It is this particular frame of mind, as defined by the prologue, that determines the bitter cynicism which is the comedy's principal frame of reference.
In the first scene of the comedy, Machiavelli employs a conventional artifice in having Callimaco convey to the audience the drama's pre-textual situation as he recalls to Siro events with which his servant is already familiar. After a 20-year sojourn in Paris, 30-year-old Callimaco Guadagni has returned to his native Florence, attracted by the fabled beauty of Lucrezia Calfucci. All his expectations having been exceeded, Callimaco despairs of becoming her lover as she is also renowned for her chastity. His only hope for success lies in the fact that Lucrezia's wealthy husband of six years, Nicia, famed in his turn for his foolishness, is no less anxious than Lucrezia for an heir. Callimaco has secured the help of the parasite Ligurio, an acquaintance of Nicia's.
The rest of the plot (Acts II-V) centres on deceptions devised by Ligurio so that Callimaco may spend the night with Lucrezia. By ensuring the complicity of the three people closest to her, that is, those whose every effort should have been directed at protecting her virtue rather than betraying it (her confessor, Friar Timoteo, her husband, Nicia, and her mother, Sostrata), Machiavelli thus implicitly criticizes the three institutions, fundamental to society, which these three characters represent: the Church, marriage, the family.
On Ligurio's bidding, Callimaco pretends to be a celebrated Parisian doctor who specializes in curing infertility by means of a potion made from the root of the mandrake. Nicia agrees to administer it to Lucrezia, but is temporarily disconcerted when Callimaco points out that whoever first makes love to Lucrezia after her treatment is likely to die. The solution which Callimaco proposes serves his own interests if Nicia agrees to it: the first man to happen by will be placed forcibly in bed with her, instructed in what he is to do, and then released the following morning. Nicia's reluctance to be cuckolded in this way is overcome easily when Callimaco states that the king and nobles of France had no such scruples. Lucrezia's participation in this immoral scheme can only be secured by making Friar Timoteo their accomplice. Ligurio first tests the priest's probity by promising him money in return for his assistance in a fictitious enterprise: a young niece of Nicia's, entrusted to a local convent, is supposedly pregnant. Friar Timoteo is asked to take a potion to the abbess who, in turn, will administer it to the young woman to make her miscarry, thereby avoiding all scandal. By agreeing to help, Friar Timoteo discloses both the depth and breadth of the corruption in the religious community. (There are further references in the comedy to the general impiety of priests.)
With Friar Timoteo's complicity ensured, Sostrata agrees to accompany her reluctant daughter to the meeting with the priest. To his sophistical, captious reasoning (based on the Machiavellian philosophy that the end—here, the birth of a child—justifies the means—adultery and possibly homicide) Sostrata adds pragmatically that Lucrezia must have a child to guarantee her financial status should Nicia die.
The deception works flawlessly. Callimaco is overjoyed when Lucrezia, outraged at the betrayal perpetrated against her, cynically attributes it to divine will and resolves to remain Callimaco's lover, motivated as much by the desire to avenge herself against Nicia as to serve her own personal interests. Lucrezia, initially the sole morally incorrupt character in the comedy, ultimately adapts to a reality which she is powerless to oppose and far less to change. The Mandrake shows society and human nature as they are, without suggesting how they ought to be. It illustrates Machiavelli's belief that those endowed with the necessary virtù are able to overcome adverse circumstances. The bitter irony of The Mandrake is that virtue, in the English acceptation of the term, is lost in the process.
From:
Prunster, Nicole. "The Mandrake: Overview." Reference Guide to World Literature. Ed. Lesley Henderson. 2nd ed. New York: St. James Press, 1995. Literature Resource Center. Gale. Fairmont State Univ. Fairmont, WV. 6 Aug. 2008
BOOK PROJECT: On (NOT) Getting By
BOOK PROJECT ANNOUNCED
Title: Nickel and Dimed: On (NOT) Getting By in America
Author: Barbara Ehrenreich
ISBN: 9780805088380 OR 9780805063899
Because this book is being used for numerous Honors courses you may have it already! If not, you can pick up a copy of it in the FSU Bookstore or online!
SUMMARY
Essayist and cultural critic Barbara Ehrenreich has always specialized in turning received wisdom on its head with intelligence, clarity, and verve. With some 12 million women being pushed into the labor market by welfare reform, she decided to do some good old-fashioned journalism and find out just how they were going to survive on the wages of the unskilled--at $6 to $7 an hour, only half of what is considered a living wage. So she did what millions of Americans do, she looked for a job and a place to live, worked that job, and tried to make ends meet.
As a waitress in Florida, where her name is suddenly transposed to "girl," trailer trash becomes a demographic category to aspire to with rent at $675 per month. In Maine, where she ends up working as both a cleaning woman and a nursing home assistant, she must first fill out endless pre-employment tests with trick questions such as "Some people work better when they're a little bit high." In Minnesota, she works at Wal-Mart under the repressive surveillance of men and women whose job it is to monitor her behavior for signs of sloth, theft, drug abuse, or worse. She even gets to experience the humiliation of the urine test.
So, do the poor have survival strategies unknown to the middle class? And did Ehrenreich feel the "bracing psychological effects of getting out of the house, as promised by the wonks who brought us welfare reform?" Nah. Even in her best-case scenario, with all the advantages of education, health, a car, and money for first month's rent, she has to work two jobs, seven days a week, and still almost winds up in a shelter. As Ehrenreich points out with her potent combination of humor and outrage, the laws of supply and demand have been reversed. Rental prices skyrocket, but wages never rise. Rather, jobs are so cheap as measured by the pay that workers are encouraged to take as many as they can. Behind those trademark Wal-Mart vests, it turns out, are the borderline homeless. With her characteristic wry wit and her unabashedly liberal bent, Ehrenreich brings the invisible poor out of hiding and, in the process, the world they inhabit--where civil liberties are often ignored and hard work fails to live up to its reputation as the ticket out of poverty. - From amazon.com
Title: Nickel and Dimed: On (NOT) Getting By in America
Author: Barbara Ehrenreich
ISBN: 9780805088380 OR 9780805063899
Because this book is being used for numerous Honors courses you may have it already! If not, you can pick up a copy of it in the FSU Bookstore or online!
SUMMARY
Essayist and cultural critic Barbara Ehrenreich has always specialized in turning received wisdom on its head with intelligence, clarity, and verve. With some 12 million women being pushed into the labor market by welfare reform, she decided to do some good old-fashioned journalism and find out just how they were going to survive on the wages of the unskilled--at $6 to $7 an hour, only half of what is considered a living wage. So she did what millions of Americans do, she looked for a job and a place to live, worked that job, and tried to make ends meet.
As a waitress in Florida, where her name is suddenly transposed to "girl," trailer trash becomes a demographic category to aspire to with rent at $675 per month. In Maine, where she ends up working as both a cleaning woman and a nursing home assistant, she must first fill out endless pre-employment tests with trick questions such as "Some people work better when they're a little bit high." In Minnesota, she works at Wal-Mart under the repressive surveillance of men and women whose job it is to monitor her behavior for signs of sloth, theft, drug abuse, or worse. She even gets to experience the humiliation of the urine test.
So, do the poor have survival strategies unknown to the middle class? And did Ehrenreich feel the "bracing psychological effects of getting out of the house, as promised by the wonks who brought us welfare reform?" Nah. Even in her best-case scenario, with all the advantages of education, health, a car, and money for first month's rent, she has to work two jobs, seven days a week, and still almost winds up in a shelter. As Ehrenreich points out with her potent combination of humor and outrage, the laws of supply and demand have been reversed. Rental prices skyrocket, but wages never rise. Rather, jobs are so cheap as measured by the pay that workers are encouraged to take as many as they can. Behind those trademark Wal-Mart vests, it turns out, are the borderline homeless. With her characteristic wry wit and her unabashedly liberal bent, Ehrenreich brings the invisible poor out of hiding and, in the process, the world they inhabit--where civil liberties are often ignored and hard work fails to live up to its reputation as the ticket out of poverty. - From amazon.com
Mentor Training
MENTOR TRAINING WILL BE HELD AUGUST 24, 2008 AT 4:00 PM IN MULTI-MEDIA B!
BE SURE TO MOVE-IN EARLY ENOUGH SO YOU CAN ATTEND!
BE SURE TO MOVE-IN EARLY ENOUGH SO YOU CAN ATTEND!
7.28.2008
KUDOS TO YOU!
Honors faculty and students achieve greatness everyday in the FSU community. So let's just take a second to say "KUDOS!" to our outstanding faculty and students.
* The following students were honored at the 31st Annual Academic Awards Celebration:
~Gergana Angelova - Outstanding Internal Student Award and Outstanding Senior in Business
~Kera Cherrey - Bachelor of Arts Academic Achievement Award in Family and Consumer Sciences - Teacher Education
~Alyssa Childers - Outstanding Senior in Biology
~Amie Kirk - Mildred Mason Newcome Endowed Scholarship
~Renee Larue - Eleanor M. Ford Outstanding Junior Scholarship (Mathematics & Science, Secondary Education)
~Kristen Rausch - Robert Carroll Scholarship for Mathematics, A. Joyce H. Coleman Memorial Scholarship (Mathematics) and the Women of Fairmont State Scholarship
~Sarah Shuman -Outstanding French Student
~Jason Vanfosson - Mary Esther Jackson Scholarship (English)
~Christopher Warnick - Walter F. Phillips, Jr. Scholarship (Occupational Safety)
* Honors Graduates!
Congratulations to the following May graduates!!
~Aaron Twitty
~Stephanie Slaughbaugh
~Robert Ball
~Ashley Hamilton
~Justine Marcella
~Malorie Shriver
~Kim Veit
~Alyssa Childers
* Honors Faculty Honored
Our wonderful Honors faculty members are also being Honored for their hard work and dedication to the FSU community.
~Dr. Donna Long - Excellence in Academic Advising.
~Dr. Francene Kirk - William A. Boram Award for Teaching Excellence.
~Dr. J. Robert Baker - Harold and Roselyn Williamson Straight Award for Faculty Development.
* New Chair of Language and Literature
Dr. Baker, our beloved Dean, has been selected to serve as the interim chair for the Department of Language and Literature. Honors students should note that his office is no longer 321 Jaynes Hall. Instead his office is in 311 Jaynes Hall. Seriously... what does he NOT do?
* Bonjour, Editor Molly!
After spending a semester abroad in Paris, Molly Born is back! Not only is she back and ready to parlez en francais... she is also the 2008-2009 Columns editor! Way to go Molly!
If you have any achievements you would like to be included in the KUDOS section of this blog, or know someone who deserves kudos send them to jvanfosson@fairmontstate.edu and we will get them up here!
* The following students were honored at the 31st Annual Academic Awards Celebration:
~Gergana Angelova - Outstanding Internal Student Award and Outstanding Senior in Business
~Kera Cherrey - Bachelor of Arts Academic Achievement Award in Family and Consumer Sciences - Teacher Education
~Alyssa Childers - Outstanding Senior in Biology
~Amie Kirk - Mildred Mason Newcome Endowed Scholarship
~Renee Larue - Eleanor M. Ford Outstanding Junior Scholarship (Mathematics & Science, Secondary Education)
~Kristen Rausch - Robert Carroll Scholarship for Mathematics, A. Joyce H. Coleman Memorial Scholarship (Mathematics) and the Women of Fairmont State Scholarship
~Sarah Shuman -Outstanding French Student
~Jason Vanfosson - Mary Esther Jackson Scholarship (English)
~Christopher Warnick - Walter F. Phillips, Jr. Scholarship (Occupational Safety)
* Honors Graduates!
Congratulations to the following May graduates!!
~Aaron Twitty
~Stephanie Slaughbaugh
~Robert Ball
~Ashley Hamilton
~Justine Marcella
~Malorie Shriver
~Kim Veit
~Alyssa Childers
* Honors Faculty Honored
Our wonderful Honors faculty members are also being Honored for their hard work and dedication to the FSU community.
~Dr. Donna Long - Excellence in Academic Advising.
~Dr. Francene Kirk - William A. Boram Award for Teaching Excellence.
~Dr. J. Robert Baker - Harold and Roselyn Williamson Straight Award for Faculty Development.
* New Chair of Language and Literature
Dr. Baker, our beloved Dean, has been selected to serve as the interim chair for the Department of Language and Literature. Honors students should note that his office is no longer 321 Jaynes Hall. Instead his office is in 311 Jaynes Hall. Seriously... what does he NOT do?
* Bonjour, Editor Molly!
After spending a semester abroad in Paris, Molly Born is back! Not only is she back and ready to parlez en francais... she is also the 2008-2009 Columns editor! Way to go Molly!
If you have any achievements you would like to be included in the KUDOS section of this blog, or know someone who deserves kudos send them to jvanfosson@fairmontstate.edu and we will get them up here!
7.15.2008
Honors is Changing
We have some exciting news to report! FSU Honors is slowly changing to be a better program, but keeping several of our older aspects and improving on them. Here are just some of the announcements you will be hearing about in the upcoming year:
* G'bye Beatles... Hello, Ceasar!Honors will continue to offer their study abroad trip this year, but in a different location. Instead of traveling to London students will spend their spring break in Rome!
* Dean, Chair, Professor... What does the guy NOT do?
Dr. Baker has been named the Interim Chair of Language and Literature! What does this mean for Honor students? Dr. Baker's office is now moved to 309 Jaynes Hall, but is accessable through 311. Don't worry, his phone number is still the same and he still wears bow-ties, for now.
* The Roadtrip Returneth
The Shakespearean Road Trip will return next spring semester. The dates are between March 27-28 and April 10-11. Whenever a decision is reached, you'll be the first to know!
* G'bye Beatles... Hello, Ceasar!Honors will continue to offer their study abroad trip this year, but in a different location. Instead of traveling to London students will spend their spring break in Rome!
* Dean, Chair, Professor... What does the guy NOT do?
Dr. Baker has been named the Interim Chair of Language and Literature! What does this mean for Honor students? Dr. Baker's office is now moved to 309 Jaynes Hall, but is accessable through 311. Don't worry, his phone number is still the same and he still wears bow-ties, for now.
* The Roadtrip Returneth
The Shakespearean Road Trip will return next spring semester. The dates are between March 27-28 and April 10-11. Whenever a decision is reached, you'll be the first to know!
The Presidential Inauguration
The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars is hosting a Campaign 2008 Presidential Academic Seminar Series, THE PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION. The dates for this program are scheduled to be January 10-20, 2009. The early application deadline is 17 November 2008 and the regular deadline is 8 December 2008.
Some of the activities included during this ten day seminar include, a reception at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, visiting the Newseum and several other local musuems, and a performance by political satirist Mark Russell.
While The Washington Center does not guarentee admission to see our 44th president inaugurated, they will provide students with the necessary information on how to obtain admission to this prestigious event. Additionally, they have taken time out of the seminar schedule to allow participants to experience the DC area and attend many inaugural events that are open to the public. This seminar will be a great experience for any student that is able to go. This opprotunity provides an in-depth look at the American democracy in action, and I encourage anyone interested to see Dr. Baker for more information. You can visit The Washington Center's website for more information. There is also a brochure on this in the Honors Lab.
Upcoming Honor Events
Upcoming Events
* New Student Move-In - 22 August 2008
* Mentor Training - 24 August 2008 (Time TBA)
* Ice Cream Social - 24 August 2008 (Time TBA)
* Washington, DC Trip to National Gallery - 6 September 2008
* September Honors Meeting - 9 September 2008
* October Honors Meeting - 14 October 2008
* Director's Talk for The Mandrake - 16 October 2008
* November Honors Meeting - 11 November 2008
* Winter Feast - 4 December 2008
**Note: All Honors Meetings are at 12:30 in the Tower Room of Wallman Hall**
* New Student Move-In - 22 August 2008
* Mentor Training - 24 August 2008 (Time TBA)
* Ice Cream Social - 24 August 2008 (Time TBA)
* Washington, DC Trip to National Gallery - 6 September 2008
* September Honors Meeting - 9 September 2008
* October Honors Meeting - 14 October 2008
* Director's Talk for The Mandrake - 16 October 2008
* November Honors Meeting - 11 November 2008
* Winter Feast - 4 December 2008
**Note: All Honors Meetings are at 12:30 in the Tower Room of Wallman Hall**
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
