Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde: "The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about" It’s fun to imagine Oscar Wilde at a university today. Dandified in a lavender jacket with a green carnation in the buttonhole, he might hang out with the Art History or English majors. He would surely be disdainful of any on-campus PC movements which emphasized political art over beauty, and he would certainly dismiss as ugly the confessional poetry with which such poets as Sylvia Plath garnered fame. Oscar Wilde believed in the supremacy of aesthetics in art, in concealing the artist, and in art free from heavy-handed morality. After all, he declared that "a little sincerity is a dangerous thing, and a great deal of it is absolutely fatal." Wilde wrote "The Importance of Being Earnest," "A Woman of No Importance," and "The Picture of Dorian Gray," in which he deployed a refined (and at times savage) wit to expose the contradictions and behavior of modern manners. He considered himself a living representation of beauty in art: "I put all my genius into my life; I put only my talent into my works." In the spirit of sensuality and outrageousness, he played the provocateur to society's so-called moral watchdogs. Stuffy Victorian England put up with him for a time, until he pissed off the wrong person in power. He had a scandalous affair with Lord Alfred "Bosie" Douglas, whose father, the Marquis of Queensbury, made sure that Wilde was brought to trial, defamed, and convicted on charges of "gross indecency." Oscar Wilde spent two years at hard labor in prison in Reading. After he was released, he spent the last three years of his life in Paris, where he tried to recapture his former decadent lifestyle, but incarceration had snuffed his artistic spirit. Despite a deathbed burst of wit ("My wallpaper and I are fighting a duel to the death. One or the other of us has to go"), he died penniless on November 30, 1900, and was interred at Pere-Lachaise Cemetery. Suggested Sites... Oscar Wilde - official site of a genius of brevity and wit. Aesthetic Movement - an overview of the history and philosophy of a influential movement. Oscar Wilde Quotes - quotes from the master. An Introduction to Victorian England - what Wilde was up against. The Ballad of Reading Gaol - Wilde's poem about the effect prison had upon him.

Directory categories: Oscar Wilde, 19th Century People, British Artists, Aesthetics, Literary Fiction

Archived under: 19th Century, Anniversaries, Authors, Biographies, Celebrities, Dead Celebrities, England, Gay History, LGBT, Legal Cases, Men, Oscar Wilde, Prison, United Kingdom, Writers

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Kurt Vonnegut in 1990 (Photo by Don Cochrane) During his lifetime, Kurt Vonnegut always felt unappreciated -- much like his fictional alter-ego, Kilgore Trout in "Breakfast of Champions." The literary establishment may have looked down its nose at him, but Vonnegut's fans in the counterculture considered him a prophet and visionary, a humanist who used his absurdist novels and stories to try to make sense of a universe that seemed random and absurd. Born on November 11, 1922, Vonnegut's life was indeed full of randomness and absurdity. His mother committed suicide on Mother's Day, 1944. Some years later, within days of each other, his brother-in-law was killed in a horrific train accident and his sister Alice died of cancer. During World War II, he was held as a P.O.W. in a slaughterhouse during the Dresden firestorm, an experience that he worked into his celebrated novel "Slaughterhouse Five." After the war, he worked in a string of odd professions that included managing the first Saab dealership in the United States. In a graphic sense, Vonnegut's life was his work. In such novels as "Cat's Cradle," "Mother Night," and the short story collection, "Welcome to the Monkey House," Vonnegut explored the way humans retain their humanity even in the face of uncontrollable and catastrophic events. His concerns -- dehumanizing technology, the need for connection under mindless bureaucracy and violence -- mark him as one of the 20th century's great humanist writers. Suggested Sites... Vonnegut.com - official site, dedicated to Kurt Vonnegut's life, works, and philosophy. Kurt Vonnegut Quotes - quotes by Vonnegut from his writings and interviews. The Vonnegut Web - critical bibliography and an in-depth summary of Vonnegut's life. Vonnegut Art Works - drawings and paintings by Kurt Vonnegut

Directory categories: Kurt Vonnegut, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writing, 20th Century People, World War II Prisoners of War, Humanism

Archived under: Authors, Biographies, Birthdays, Counterculture, Fiction, Literature, Science Fiction, Writers, Writing

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This might be satisfying, but it wouldn't exactly be polite. Violators beware! (Photo by Mark Wallace) Once upon a time, the term "etiquette" referred to knowing which fork one used at the dinner table (the one on the outside), or which side of the sidewalk a gentleman should walk on when escorting a young lady (the side closest to the curb). Lately, etiquette's become something of a dirty word, though. At best, it evokes a nostalgic sentiment for the "good old days;" at worst, a general disdain for a kind of archaic protocol that seems to have no place in the modern world. And while it's true that, nowadays, few people outside of historical reenactment societies need to know the proper way to leave a calling card, the art of civility and good manners is not yet obsolete. Consider the Internet troll who launches a flame war on your comments page. What's the proper way to tell them to mind their own beeswax without making yourself look like a fool? Then there's the sticky situation of how to politely deny your diabetic relative's request for marijuana. Not to mention the ever-important question of how to convey to the woman you've just walked into your apartment building after a date that you're not a rapist. No, this isn't Amy Vanderbilt's or Emily Post's brand of etiquette (even though Miss Vanderbilt’s “Book of Etiquette” was published on this date in 1952). But even in a post-Lewinsky world, it seems we still have some need for decorum (as so aptly demonstrated by the formal rebuke of Republican Representative Joe Wilson after his "You lie!" remark during President Obama's address to the Congress on health care). So turn off your cell phone when attending the theater, don't text while at the movies (we can still see the glow of the screen even if the ringer’s off), turn your radio down at the drive-thru, and send your thank you cards via e-mail  -- just make sure to claim it's in the name of saving the environment, and not because you're too lazy to buy a card, write a message, find a stamp, lick the envelope, and send it. Suggested Sites... Emily Post’s Etiquette Daily - http://www.etiquettedaily.com/ The Urban Etiquette Handbook - the answers to all your modern conundrums -- like who walks the bride down the aisle when there are two of them. Dear Prudence - Slate's advice column on manners and morals. The Core Rules of Netiquette - how to deal with forwards, flaming, and the dreaded caps lock key. Modern Manners Guy - podcast about modern manners issues.

Directory categories: Etiquette, Netiquette, Cell Phone Etiquette, Emily Post, Wedding Etiquette

Archived under: 1950s, Anniversaries, Authors, Books, Eating, Etiquette, Society and Culture, Telephones, Writers, dating

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Who knows what evil lurks behind those covers? (Photo by Stewart Butterfield) Thank goodness you’re here! The Spark is one of the last safe sources of reading pleasure (but not too much pleasure, mind you). If you're reading this it means you're not reading one of those hundreds of questionable books that have been sprinkled throughout the nation's libraries just to tempt us with their naughty bits. Since the dawn of the printing press, people have cranked out dangerous books to promote and distribute their dangerous ideas (and you wonder why printers' apprentices used to be called "devils?"). And they keep making new ones! When trying to get books off library shelves and out of schools, it takes a great deal of effort for a few successes. As we stamp out one fire, two more are lit. Just within the past few years, books have been written especially for children with themes including sex, drugs, magic, vegetarian propaganda, and gay penguins. While these naughty books are fairly easy to spot, safe books are harder to find. Some well-meaning folks have published lists of recommendations, but even these must be revisited. I consulted a couple of lists that had glaring titles that should certainly have been omitted. "Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland?" Safe? What was that caterpillar smoking, anway? "Sylvester and the Magic Pebble?" Harmless? It has the word "magic" right there in the title! And the police are pigs! Our task is huge, but we must be vigilant. We must scour every text that might be put into childrens' hands. Find each objectionable section and read it. Read it again. Highlight it. Then hide it away (under the mattress is best), and make sure nobody else gets a look at it. Suggested Sites... ALA: Banned and Challenged Books - information and resources, including a Banned Books Week blog, and info about notable First Amendment cases. Banned Books Week - links to events across the U.S., with videos, resources, and ideas for fighting censorship. Amnesty International: Banned Books Week - reminding us that around the world, authors aren't just banned, they're persecuted. NCAC: Banned Books Week - National Coalition Against Censorship provides an interactive map and a very funny author video. KidSPEAK! - organization of kids, parents, teachers, and others who wish to defend the First Amendment (and continue to read Harry Potter books).

Directory categories: Banned Books Week, Banned Books, Censorship, Public Libraries, Children's Literature

Archived under: Authors, Banned Books Week, Books, Censorship, Children´s Literature, First Amendment, In Character, Reading, School, Words, Writers

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The King holding court at the 1982 San Diego Comic-Con (Photo by Alan Light) How did a kid from the Lower East Side of New York grew up to become the "King of Comics," and have an immeasurable impact on the world’s popular culture? That’s the story of Jacob Kurtzberg, better known as Jack Kirby, who was born on August 28, 1917. As a child, Kirby was likelier to get into fistfights than study art, but he was captivated by such masters of the comic strip as Alex Raymond ("Flash Gordon"), Hal Foster ("Prince Valiant"), and Milton Caniff ("Terry and the Pirates"). He enrolled at the Pratt Art Institute, but soon left because they wanted him to linger over his work, and he wanted to "get things done." His imagination was so full and his creativity so profound that he rarely lingered over anything, turning out dozens of pages of brilliant comic art every week. From Pratt, he went to the Fleischer animation studios (working on their "Popeye" cartoons), but left because of the "production line" way the movies were turned out). He then tried creating a number of comic strips (under an equal number of pseudonyms: Curt Davis, Fred Sande, Jack Curtiss, Ted Grey, and even just "Teddy"). While his work was good, nothing stuck until he met fellow writer and artist Joe Simon. With Simon, he created the character Captain America for Timely Comics (the precursor of today's Marvel Comics), and the rest was history. Simon and Kirby became one of the top teams in comics history, but when they suspected they were being underpaid, they moved to DC Comics, revitalizing such characters as Manhunter and The Sandman, and creating The Guardian and The Boy Commandos. After World War II, the duo went back to work, creating the classic "Boys’ Ranch," the tongue-in-cheek "Fighting American," any number of crime comics, and even found time to invent the romance comic genre. But good things can last only so long, and the partnership split up. Kirby went back to DC, where he created "The Challengers of the Unknown." But after another legal battle, he returned to Marvel, where he began an unparalleled run that saw him co-create scores of characters, including The Fantastic Four, The Hulk, The X-Men, The Avengers, Thor, The Silver Surfer, Dr. Doom, and The Black Panther, mainstream comics' first black superhero. His muscular and dynamic style was credited by the New York Times as creating "a new grammar of storytelling and a cinematic style of motion ... Even at rest, a Kirby character pulsed with tension and energy in a way that makes movie versions of the same characters seem static by comparison." But the comics business being what it is, and Kirby being Kirby, following a dust-up over creator's rights and original art, he again went back to DC, creating the "Fourth World," a series of characters (The Demon, Mister Miracle, The New Gods, and Darkseid, DC's ultimate supervillain) and storylines that were nothing less than cosmic in scope. After only four years, though, he was back at Marvel yet again, leaving only three years later to work in animation (becoming an inadvertent footnote in the Iran Hostage Crisis of the 1980s). But ink was always in Kirby's blood, and after another brief stint at DC, he went to smaller publishers that allowed him not only full creative freedom, but also the ownership of his characters -- something he'd always craved. He died in 1994, never having lost any of his talent or creativity. It's hard today to find a comics artist -- or even a film director -- who has not been influenced in some way by Kirby's dramatic and dynamic style. He set the standard, and even 15 years after his death, he is still "the King." Suggested Sites... Jack Kirby Museum and Research Center - promoting and encouraging the study, understanding, preservation, and appreciation of the work of Jack Kirby. Jack Kirby - really nice analysis of Kirby's style and influence. Marvel Comics Database: Jack Kirby - detailed biography, with links to massive galleries of Kirby covers, characters, and interior art. Grand Comics Database: Jack Kirby - 60 years of comics, catalogued and categorized. Wikipedia: Jack Kirby - extensive biography of the King.

Directory categories: Jack Kirby, Comic Book Artists, Comic Books, Marvel Comics, DC Comics

Archived under: 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, Animation, Artists, Arts, Biographies, Birthdays, Captain America, Cartoonists, Celebrities, Comic Books, Comic Strips, Comics, Entertainment, History, Men, Popeye, Science Fiction, Superheroes, Villains, Writers

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