An introduction and all that Jazz

For any of you who bother to check the dates, you will notice that this entry was written a loooong time before class started. There are several reasons for this. First, I know I will need the journal, as it is a Dr. Sexson trademark. Secondly, I have a lot to say and would like to get the basic background/introduction stuff out of the way. Finally, I am simply bored and have nothing better to do then write this journal (I suppose that is not true given the other writing I am supposed to be doing, but at the moment I don't really care).

To start with, I am coming into this class in an interesting position. Despite the fact that this is a sophmore level course aimed at providing background to all further English courses, I am not taking it as a sophmore. This is, in fact, my last semester, so every interaction I have with this will be more retroactive than not.

Attatched to that is the fact that I am an avid reader and writer. I assume that a majority of the class will be English majors (as I know of no other reason to take the class), and thus are also likely to have read a lot. My area of 'expertise,' as it were, is fantasy, and as such most of my refrences will be made in that direction (my writing is across the board, but more on that later). Also, because I am an English major (and have had many Dr. Morgan classes) I will cite things often and without mercy (unless I do not own the source). If I fail to cite something and you would like further information, feel free to comment and I will see what I can do.

Thirdly, there are two hobbies of mine which will come into play throughout this class and, more particularly, this journal. The first is that I am a philologist. For those of you unfamiliar with the word (probably ninety-five percent of the population) a philologist is linguist who is specifically interested in the connection of words to culture. The basic premise of philology is that one can understand a culture to some degree simply by understanding their language. J.R.R. Tolkien was a philologist and stated that much of the Lord of the Rings was born from the Elvish languages (Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, 219).

Because of this, I will examine words and their meaning randomly and to varying degrees. I will trace meaning and dispute some meanings and implications attached to those meanings (in a similar manner, I will attempt to debunk any urban legend that is presented as truth, particularly when it applies to something we are actuall discussing).

The second of my two hobbies (arguably more of a profession) is that I am a theologian. I have immersed myself in the study of theology, most specifically of the Christian bent (Catholic, if you want to be specific). As such I have a vast refernce library of theological works and a knowledge of inane terms which I will be using on the blog. I will attempt to define and term that is not commonly known, but if I miss one, feel free to comment and I will define it. Through the existence of these two hobbies I am a student of Ancient Greek and Hebrew (more study currently has been done on the Greek ) and will frequently reference these sources, as the situation requires.

This also means that I approach Biblical references in literature from a more Catholic perspective. There has always been a big thing in the Catholic Church about art, and many great works of literature have come about from this. These include, but of course are not limited to, St. Augustine's Confessions, the Miracle, Morality, and Mystery plays of the late middle ages, and J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. A Catholic reading of literature includes references not only to the Bible, but also to Tradition, itself referencing the Bible. Therefore, when I talk about Biblical Foundations of literature I will often mention things not explicit in the Bible, but important to a Catholic understanding of literature, which is in itself rather important, given that almost all writing for a thousand years was Catholic.

I am willing and open to any question or comment that is not an attack (as long as it is couched in correct English). I will try to respond to all of them, and if I don't feel free to comment again. From past experience I have learned that these journals are better when their is dialogue between varies authors (Dr. Sexson also has a tendency to up one's grade in such cases for actually doing something beyond simply posting).

This has been a rather long and varied post, but I hope it will provide a good background to you all about what I am doing and how I am going to go about it.