Re: sonnet #1 (Chaucer et al & Quaint)
On Jul 15, 10:57 am, Will Dockery wrote:
> matt wrote:
> >adamlynn wrote:
> > >matt wrote:
>
> > > > >> > from fairest creatures we desire increase
> > > > >> > that thereby beauties rose might never die;
> > > > >> > but, as the riper should by time decease,
> > > > >> > his tender hire might be his memory.
> > > > >> > but, thou contracted to thine own bright eyes;
> > > > >> > feedest thy lights flame with self substantial fuel;
> > > > >> > making a famine where abundance lies;
> > > > >> > thyself, they foe, to thy sweat self too cruel.
> > > > >> > thou that art now the worlds fresh ornament;
> > > > >> > and cater only to the gaudy spring;
> > > > >> > within thine own bud buriest thy content;
> > > > >> > and, tender churl, makest waste in niggarding.
> > > > >> > pity the world, or esle this glutten be.
> > > > >> > to eat the world dues, by the grave and thee.
>
> > > > >> > william shakespeare
>
> > > > >> > now, ladies and gents, notice that the word
> > > > >> > "memory" at the end of line four doesn't necessarily
> > > > >> > rhyme with "die" from line two. however, after
> > > > >> > reading it out loud many times, i finally decided to
> > > > >> > try out my best attempt at a british accent. and,
> > > > >> > upon watching many episodes of montey python
> > > > >> > in my day, i was able to scratch something out.
> > > > >> > anyway, it's altogether possible that shakespeare
> > > > >> > intended "memory" to be enunciated with a british
> > > > >> > accent, which would, in turn, make it memor i.
>
> > > > >> > get it..?
> > > > >> > ain't it clever..?
> > > > >> > matt
>
> > > > >> more likely die pronounced as dee
> > > > >> (I can hear John Cleese in the dead parrot skit now.....)
>
> > > > >>www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6Lq771TVm4http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ne...-
>
> > > > >> - Show quoted text -
>
> > > > > perfect!
> > > > > you're probably correct.
> > > > > i'm glad i was, at least, in the ballpark.
>
> > > > No doubt you were in *a* ball park when you ought to have been
> > > > listening to a school lesson about the Great Vowel Shift.
>
> > > > <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Vowel_Shift>
>
> > > > > i'm positive my stab at a british accent
> > > > > is far from accurate...i just threw this
> > > > > out there for a few laughs.
>
> > > > I laughed. A lot. At you.
>
> > > > > everybody's so serious lately.
>
> > > > > it's such a drag.
>
> > > > Why don't you fuck off and dee?
>
> > > well, at least i did something positive todaye.
>
> > > and, i don't mind fucking off...it's the dying part
> > > that i'm not quite ready for at this time. but,
> > > thanks for the offer all the sime.
>
> > Well, since this /is/ a Shakespeare thread, it is worth pointing out
> > that "die" was slang for "orgasm" at the time... my best and favorite
> > English teacher, Dan Barfield, explained that and other "had to be
> > there" things about Shakes that made the audiences enjoy these works
> > in ways we'll probably never get. His explanation of the word "Quaint"
> > was pretty enlightening, and why folks in the audience might chuckle
> > or blush when a man on the stage would smile and say "Pleased to make
> > your aquaintence, lady..." or somesuch. Here's some reposts from the
> > archives, fair use for educational purposes:
>
> >http://groups.google.com/group/humanities.lit.authors.shakespeare/msg...
>
> > "Paul Crowley" wrote in
> > messagenews:8jEtc.728$Z14.701@news.indigo.ie...
>
> > > "Buffalo" wrote in messagenews:c9605c$5oq$1@titan.btinternet.com...
> > > > At the other end of the spectrum we have those who
> > > > continually find sexual innuendo where it doesn't exist.
> > > Care to provide some examples?
>
> > I'll do better than that. I'll provide contrasting examples.
>
> > Example of adult exegesis (Lynne Kositsky), relating to Sonnet 3:
>
> > But if thou live remembered not to be,
> > Die single, and thine image dies with thee.
>
> > "But there's a wonderful pun on it too, one I've just discovered.
> > "Die" is
> > to have an orgasm. Therefore "to die single" is to masturbate. And
> > "Die
> > single and thine image dies with thee" has a wonderful flavour of self
> > love.
> > If you have an orgasm
> > while looking in the mirror, your image has one too. "
>
> > Example of pre-pubescent exegesis (Paul Crowley) of Sonnet 2 - my
> > paraphrase:
>
> > When forty of the martial Winter brothers browbeat you about some
> > issue
> > And dig deep trenches in Windsor Park....
>
> > Like most other people, I didn't have the stamina to wade through the
> > rest
> > of it. But a few taps of the Page Down key confirmed that it contained
> > what
> > I expected it to contain:-
>
> > Penis....vagina.... penis..... vagina....askt=arsed...her beauty lies
> > in her
> > arse... her "deepe sunken eyes"=her vagina (twin vaginas,
> > presumably)...
> > penis...female pudenda...orgasm....thriftlesse p-raise..another
> > vagina...
> > sum my cunt...her excuse for a cunt...the Queen's 'ole...
>
> Look up the origins of the word Quaint for an eye opener, back in
> Shakespeare's time (and before) it had a quite different meaning, at
> least in some contexts. "Please to make your acquaintance, m'lady."
> could get some real laughs from audience members at The Globe who were
> in the know. Looking this up again, I see that besides Shakes,
> Chaucer, Jonson, Marvell and other literary notables used Quaint in
> this way.
>
> http://www.sex-lexis.com/Sex-Dictionary/quaint
>
> --
> "She Sleeps Tight" by Will Dockery & Brian Mallard:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uGY157cpiU- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
hahaha-
pretty neat, pretty neat.
"please to meet you acQUAINTance, m'lady."
takes on a whole new meaning.
matt
date: Wed, 15 Jul 2009 14:02:26 -0700 (PDT)
author: matt
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