加藤视频 Professor Publishes Multiple Journal Articles, Encourages Others to Learn from the Past
Jul 6, 2016
JULY 6, 2016 鈥� FORT MYERS, FLA. 鈥� While it鈥檚 quite common for college faculty to publish journal articles throughout their careers, Florida SouthWestern State College (加藤视频) English Professor Dr. Scott Ortolano has done something that is not so common. He鈥檚 published multiple articles in less than a year.
A lover of the modernist literary movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Dr. Ortolano鈥檚 journal articles focus on cultural ideas of the period.
鈥淎t the time, society was moving from a regional industrial culture dominated by Victorian values to a mass consumer society,鈥� Dr. Ortolano said. 鈥淢odernist writers were trying to navigate this changing landscape and develop new understandings of themselves and their world.鈥�
In his article, 鈥淚n Plain Sight: Strictly Dynamite, Modern Comedy, and the Hidden Legacy of Henri Bergson,鈥� published in The Explicator, Dr. Ortolano uncovers the underappreciated influence of modernist philosopher Henri Bergson.
鈥淏ergson had a significant impact on major modernist writers, including T.S. Eliot and William Faulkner,鈥� said Dr. Ortolano. 鈥淗owever, he also shaped the tradition of American humor in important ways, a fact that is visible in Jimmy Durante鈥檚 film Strictly Dynamite, which directly references Bergson. His ideas form one of the film鈥檚 major conceits and are used to humorously mock our tendency toward the clich茅.鈥�
Published in Women鈥檚 Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal, Dr. Ortolano鈥檚 second journal article, 鈥淟iberation, Degeneration, and Transcendence(?): The Promise and Paradox of the 鈥楴ew Woman鈥� in Edna Ferber鈥檚 Dawn O鈥橦ara, The Girl Who Laughed and Dorothy Parker鈥檚 Big Blonde,鈥� focuses on female modernist writers, many of whom while notable at the time, have been forgotten today.
鈥淚n the early 20th century, women were beginning to see new opportunities, but they were also facing new obligations and often still expected to fulfill traditional gender roles. Entering the workforce, a woman would need to be a productive worker, but society also expected her to be a good wife, mother, and homemaker鈥攖he stress of these obligations placed women in a kind of double-jeopardy. Writers like Edna Ferber and Dorothy Parker focused on the struggles and triumphs of women in modern America and offer an important window into women鈥檚 experiences during the era.鈥�
鈥淲e have a great deal in common today with those who lived during the modernist period,鈥� Dr. Ortolano said. 鈥淥ur world and cultural norms are quickly evolving, much as they were then. Like the modernists, we too are trying to find our place in a new epoch, the Digital Age. Understanding modernism and the challenges people faced during this era can help us light our own way.鈥�
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Florida SouthWestern State College is Southwest Florida鈥檚 largest and one of the most affordable institutions of higher education. Annually serving nearly 22,000 students globally, 加藤视频 offers a variety of nationally-ranked, career-focused academic programs with two- and four-year degrees, and professional certifications. Students are also active in clubs and programs catered to their interests. 加藤视频 debuted its intercollegiate athletics program in January 2016. Visit www.加藤视频.edu for more information.
Last Updated: July 6, 2016
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