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== '''''The Waste Land'': A Cover'''== | == '''''The Waste Land'': A Cover'''== | ||
| − | T.S. Eliot's poem, "The Waste Land," has become an essential part of the English canon. Nearly a century of Eliot scholarship has been contributed to readers' understanding of the poem, and throughout this time, various editors have sewn up the pages of the original poem with scholars' research to market | + | T.S. Eliot's poem, "The Waste Land," has become an essential part of the English canon. Nearly a century of Eliot scholarship has been contributed to readers' understanding of the poem, and throughout this time, various editors have sewn up the pages of the original poem with scholars' research to market these findings to students and bibliophiles of western literature. Although readers may interpret the content of "The Waste Land" as individuals or in conjunction with a noted school of influence, there remain enduring questions regarding the inferred experience of the reader. |
This "experience of the reader" refers to the information that inherently influences one's perception of a text. There are numerous factors that may fall into this sphere of influence: what is the medium of the text (book, magazine, pamphlet, etc.)? How is information formatted on the page? Are there supplementary illustrations or depictions, and do they add information or aim to interpret textual information? | This "experience of the reader" refers to the information that inherently influences one's perception of a text. There are numerous factors that may fall into this sphere of influence: what is the medium of the text (book, magazine, pamphlet, etc.)? How is information formatted on the page? Are there supplementary illustrations or depictions, and do they add information or aim to interpret textual information? | ||
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[[Image:220px-NirvanaNevermindalbumcover.jpg|left]]Not unlike literature, music is similarly subjected to variable forms of information visualization. Although the "information" conveyed by music provides ample possibilities for visualization--since the imagery and nuance of a song conveys probabilities for visualization in the mind of the listener--it is not uncommon for the content of a work to be framed for the purpose of consumption by the album's cover. The significance of an album's cover can not be understated. For example, a simple google image search of the word "Nirvana" does not recover images of the literal lyrics of the songs produced by the 90's American grunge band, but rather, the top image to surface is of the famous cover of Nirvana's album, "Nevermind." Certainly, the band Nirvana is acknowledged the world over for its cultural and musical contributions to rock music, but the previously mentioned internet search indicates how very essential Nirvana's iconography is to the band's celebrité. | [[Image:220px-NirvanaNevermindalbumcover.jpg|left]]Not unlike literature, music is similarly subjected to variable forms of information visualization. Although the "information" conveyed by music provides ample possibilities for visualization--since the imagery and nuance of a song conveys probabilities for visualization in the mind of the listener--it is not uncommon for the content of a work to be framed for the purpose of consumption by the album's cover. The significance of an album's cover can not be understated. For example, a simple google image search of the word "Nirvana" does not recover images of the literal lyrics of the songs produced by the 90's American grunge band, but rather, the top image to surface is of the famous cover of Nirvana's album, "Nevermind." Certainly, the band Nirvana is acknowledged the world over for its cultural and musical contributions to rock music, but the previously mentioned internet search indicates how very essential Nirvana's iconography is to the band's celebrité. | ||
| − | The cover of Nirvana's "Nevermind" is important to the band's success because it visually epitomizes the messages intrinsic of the album's content. The memorable depiction is of a naked, swimming infant, grasping for a single dollar bill in an underwater expanse | + | The cover of Nirvana's "Nevermind" is important to the band's success because it visually epitomizes the messages intrinsic of the album's content. The memorable depiction is of a naked, swimming infant, grasping for a single dollar bill in an underwater expanse, and the dollar bill appears to be a lure that is attached to a fishhook. Though odd, this representation accounts for the themes that are riddled throughout the album: isolation, beauty, innocence, deception, and disillusionment. For instance, though the album's song, "Territorial Pissings" includes the lines, "Everybody get together / try to love one another right now," the song "Breed" professes repeatedly the lines "I don't care," "I don't mind," and "I'm afraid." Thus, Nirvana explores a range of emotions that are not altogether misanthropic nor naive; the tone succinctly corresponds with the album cover to produce an integral piece of art. |
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