Assignment For Friday, October 26: What is one sentence that you believe captures everything, or at least most of the ideas, that Symons discusses in the chapter titled “Eleanora Duse”?
For the true artist being natural and remaining humble while working is what makes the most innovative and majestic craftsmanship. Symons talks about this from many views, although his main concern is about refraining from being mechanical or “crabbed” like another actor who simply performs to be praised.
Analysis:
My work summarizes the ideas found in “Eleanora Duse” by describing the central theme that craft has to be completely natural for it to be of any worth, or to have any artistic significance. In this way the short term value of the homework assignment has given me a chance to closely analyze what Symons is trying to get across throughout the chapter “Eleanora Duse”. That is, that the best craft must come out of the deepest parts of our soul, i.e. being original and novel. I also think that by specifically taking a word like “crabbed” from the text, readers can look up its connotations and try to define what it means for them personally. In addition to that, the chapter “Eleanora Duse” should be considered a viable way to interpret what the media thought of woman acting at the turn of the nineteenth century. For example even though Eleanora Duse was a woman she is categorized by Symons as a perfectly skilled individual in her area of business. For the time period this would have spoken to women, because of the rarity of aspiring women at the turn of the nineteenth century. As for the long term implications of my work it seems there isn’t much to be pulled away, although, one thing a person can take away from the homework assignment is that Symons is writing during the period of time when sexism seems to be lessening. Either that, or Symons himself is a surprisingly progressive person for his generation, which of course is plausible after reading his thoughts on sculpting, and the idea that art ought to be entirely natural.
A good question to explore then, would be whether or not Symons wrote the book in alliance with the feminist movement at the time. Or if Symons simply composed it out of personal convictions and conclusions formed during the course of his life.
~I.T.
