Blog 10: Comments on Jenna's blog (Andrea)

One of the most important framing questions of Jenna's blog is the "role that naming plays in personal identity and character creation." She considers the consequences of naming first from a personal perspective, examining why she was given her own name and the ways in which that name has shaped (or been shaped by) her interest in Arthurian myth and Shakespeare. But this discussion of personal naming introduces a larger issue of fictional names and how they affect the identity of the character: "Why is Hamlet named Hamlet? Does he feel any more or less indebted to the ghost because he was named after it? Is there a difference in being named Ophelia rather than Gertrude?" (Hello, my name is...) In another post, she ponders one of the great Shakespearean boating dilemmas of our time: Why would anyone get in a rowboat named Ophelia? This odd photo leads to a discussion of the ways these characters' names are used, and sometimes ignored.

In her post, Election Day, Jenna recalls a visit to the Tower of London and describes the ways in which that space was used to evoke a specific response in the visitor. This involved the use of several different scriptive things, such as a voting booth that was lit so as to favor one of the choices, and an eerie soundtrack of ghostly children's voices that encourages the visitor to think of that specific room in the Tower as the site of a murder. Her response to these stimuli was also reminiscent of Bernstein's transgressive performer--feeling manipulated, she deliberately voted against the highlighted choice. The blog itself is also scripted partly by the plays of Shakespeare. Quotations appear in multiple posts, and many of Jenna's reflections are inspired by or supported by her knowledge of Shakespeare. The plays seem to function for her as scriptive things, both in their physical form as books and as remembered performances, inviting interaction and engagement and shaping her discussions.

As a viewer of the blog, the images in particular invite performance. They seem to be Jenna's own pictures rather than photos taken from elsewhere online, which significantly changes my reaction to the posts. Because the pictures are her own and they are accompanied by fairly detailed and personal descriptions of where and when they were taken, they invite me to see beyond their frame and place myself in the room where the voting booth stands, or the harbor in Stratford where the Ophelia boat floats. The layout and appearance of the blog were simple and appealing, and the blue color and simple design of the background encouraged me to see it as personal and accessible, which it was. I've enjoyed reading a little about Jenna's love of Shakespeare, and I hope to read the continued chronicle of her trip to Stratford, Ontario, which she promises. I especially hope to see and hear more about her interest in Arthurian legend, as it is one that we share.