11.23 Post - Jameson on The Simpsons

     I think that Fredric Jameson would say that the image in question from the Simpson’s is definitely postmodernist for a couple main reasons. There is a quote from Jameson that relates directly relates to how and why this image is postmodernist when he states that “However we may ultimately wish to evaluate this populist rhetoric, it has at least the merit of drawing our attention to one fundamental feature of all the postmodernisms enumerated above: namely, the effacement in them of the older (essentially high-modernist) frontier between high culture and so-called mass or commercial culture, and the emergence of new kinds of texts infused with the forms, categories, and contents of that very culture industry so passionately denounced by all the ideologues of the modern”. This quote is a direct correlation to the image from the simpsosn. The image from the Simpsons adapts a very famous old painting, from a different time period and different a social class and combines it with a modern twist to create something new. The aspect of this image that is, as Jameson describes it “older (essentially high-modernist)” and “high culture” is the clear reference to the Mona Lisa. The “mass or commercial culture” aspect is how the Simpsons put their own twist on it and make it relevant to the show. It’s drawn in “Simpsons” style where as anybody who watches the Simpsons would know that it is from the show even if they don’t know what episode it’s from. Another way in which The Simpsons is mass culture is because it’s a very well known TV show and TV is a way to expose something to the masses. The combining of both a high culture and mass culture is a way in which something can be postmodernism as described by Jameson. The image from the Simpsons uses the main aspect of the woman from the original image, but it adds its own twist to it to make it original and different by having the town of Springfield in the background. It is in this way that the Simpons have made an panting from a different time and culture new and relevant that Jameson would says this image is postmodernist.
     An additional way in which this image is postmodernist and how Jameson would view it as this, is displayed in a quote by him that states that “modifications in aesthetic production are most dramatically visible”, which is exactly what this image does. We can assume that it is a modern version or maybe even making fun of the Mona Lisa and we see that they two are different and we can immediately see this when we look at the image. The image from the Simpsons is a drastic change in the aesthetic production of the original painting by Leonardo De Vinci and these changes are dramatically visible. Both this reason and the reason I stated above is why Fredric Jameson would say that the image has many postmodernism characteristics.  

11.9 Post

     I think that Freud would describe Jack as being masculine for two main reasons. From just seeing the first episode of the show, we get a pretty good view of what type of person and more importantly, what type of man Jack Bauer is. We see that Jack Bauer is defiantly very masculine because of power. In both today’s world, and maybe even more evident hundreds of years ago, is that a man is often considered a man (and how much of a man) based on his power, and how much of it he has. It seems evident that Jack Bauer is quite powerful. For one, it seems like he basically runs his “office” that he is in. When he asks someone to do a task, they do it, and he doesn’t really have to report to anyone, he kind of does what he wants and is his own boss. We see several times, just in the first episode alone, that he uses his gun for power and to get what he wants. His power is a way in which Freud would see him as being masculine.  
     Another way in which Freud would describe Jack Bauer as being a man and having masculinity characteristics, is his sexuality. Often times in culture (although many may not agree with this or think this is right) a man is, sometimes judged by his sex appeal, and how much sex he has as to how much of a man he is, which is apparent in this snow. Even though this is not a show where we see him having sex (as is sometime shown in shows on a network where you have to pay to watch such as HBO and Showtime), we still get a glimpse into his sexual life. We learn, just in the first episode that he has a kid, a wife and had an affair so it’s clear to see that he is a sexual being, so Freud would probably describe Jack as being masculine, because he (like another human being) has been influenced by his “infantile sexuality”. Freud states in the second part of his work that “A comprehensive study of the sexual manifestations of childhood would probably reveal to us the existence of the essential features of the sexual impulse, and would make us acquainted with its development and its composition from various sources.” Even though we don’t see (at least in the first episode) things from Jacks childhood that would prove Freud’s point, we must, by Freud’s standards, say that he is sexual as a man, because of his childhood. Because of this, we can conclude that Freud would probably believe that Jack is sexual man, and hence is a masculine character.