creative writing school
Module 1: Perception & Intuition
structure
Introduction
Theory:
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Theory:
- Existentialist perspectives
- Temporal experience and authenticity
- Meaning-making and existential fulfillment
- Anri Sala & Šejla Kamerić": 1395 days without red (2011)
- Roland Barthes: A Lover's Discourse: Fragments (1977)
Stay grounded & motivated
Share your text with us
introduction
Welcome to our online creative writing course on the theme of Waiting. We will examine waiting through philosophical, socio-political, and emotional lenses, drawing on the works of Jean-Paul Sartre, Martin Heidegger, Anri Sala, and Roland Barthes.
Philosophically, waiting challenges our understanding of time and presence, pushing us to engage deeply with our current moment and its uncertainties. Sartre and Heidegger offer insights into the existential aspects of waiting, emphasizing its role in shaping our experience of authenticity and temporality.
We'll also explore Anri Sala's film "1395 days without red" and its portrayal of waiting as a crucial, active force amid crisis. This film highlights the socio-political weight of waiting, illustrating how it intersects with survival and resistance.
In addition, we'll delve into Roland Barthes' "A Lover's Discourse: Fragments," where waiting is examined through the lens of love and desire, revealing the intricate emotional landscapes that waiting can evoke.
Join us as we unravel these perspectives and deepen our understanding of waiting through creative writing.
Philosophically, waiting challenges our understanding of time and presence, pushing us to engage deeply with our current moment and its uncertainties. Sartre and Heidegger offer insights into the existential aspects of waiting, emphasizing its role in shaping our experience of authenticity and temporality.
We'll also explore Anri Sala's film "1395 days without red" and its portrayal of waiting as a crucial, active force amid crisis. This film highlights the socio-political weight of waiting, illustrating how it intersects with survival and resistance.
In addition, we'll delve into Roland Barthes' "A Lover's Discourse: Fragments," where waiting is examined through the lens of love and desire, revealing the intricate emotional landscapes that waiting can evoke.
Join us as we unravel these perspectives and deepen our understanding of waiting through creative writing.
theory
Philosophical theories of waiting explore its deeper meaning beyond just being a pause. Waiting is a profound part of the human experience, touching on our sense of time, purpose, and existence.
Existentialist perspectives
Existentialist philosophers such as Jean-Paul Sartre and Martin Heidegger have offered profound insights into the nature of waiting. For Sartre, waiting represents a state of existential anguish, where individuals confront the emptiness and uncertainty of existence. In his seminal work "Being and Nothingness," (1943) Sartre describes waiting as a form of "ontological vertigo," where the individual grapples with the absence of meaning and the weight of their own freedom. Waiting exposes us to the fundamental contingency of our existence, highlighting the absurdity of human life in a universe devoid of inherent purpose.
Similarly, Heidegger explores waiting as a fundamental mode of being-in-the-world. In "Being and Time," (1927) Heidegger introduces the concept of "Dasein," or human existence, as fundamentally characterized by a sense of anticipation and projection towards the future. Waiting, for Heidegger, reveals the temporal structure of human existence, highlighting our profound orientation towards possibilities and potentialities. In waiting, we confront the existential tension between our present condition and our future aspirations, grappling with the uncertainty of what is to come.
Similarly, Heidegger explores waiting as a fundamental mode of being-in-the-world. In "Being and Time," (1927) Heidegger introduces the concept of "Dasein," or human existence, as fundamentally characterized by a sense of anticipation and projection towards the future. Waiting, for Heidegger, reveals the temporal structure of human existence, highlighting our profound orientation towards possibilities and potentialities. In waiting, we confront the existential tension between our present condition and our future aspirations, grappling with the uncertainty of what is to come.
Temporal experience and authenticity
Waiting also challenges our understanding of time and authenticity. It brings into focus how much we are truly present versus how much we are waiting for future events to give our lives meaning. This tension between the present moment and future anticipation forces us to examine our relationship with time.
Meaning-making and existential fulfillment
Ultimately, waiting invites us to reflect on meaning and fulfillment. It’s not just about enduring time but actively engaging with what lies ahead. By confronting the uncertainties of waiting, we grapple with fundamental questions about our existence and seek to find purpose and significance in the midst of life's uncertainties.
inspiration
ANRI SALA & ŠEJLA KAMERIĆ": 1395 DAYS WITHOUT RED (2011)
"1395 days without red," a 2011 film by Anri Sala and Šejla Kamerić, reflects on the Siege of Sarajevo's duration from April 5, 1992, to February 29, 1996. The film uses the act of waiting as a central theme, highlighting its role not just as a passive state, but as a critical, life-defining experience.
In the film, waiting takes on a heightened significance. The protagonist's cautious attempts to cross the street symbolize the broader experience of enduring constant danger and uncertainty. This waiting is fraught with tension, each moment a life-or-death decision due to the ever-present threat of sniper fire.
"1395 days without red" explores the psychological strain of such waiting, shedding light on how it affects personal resilience and coping. It invites viewers to reflect on the universal nature of waiting, magnified here by the extreme conditions of the siege. The film underscores waiting's power to challenge our resolve, shape our views, and reveal the depths of our humanity during times of crisis.
In the film, waiting takes on a heightened significance. The protagonist's cautious attempts to cross the street symbolize the broader experience of enduring constant danger and uncertainty. This waiting is fraught with tension, each moment a life-or-death decision due to the ever-present threat of sniper fire.
"1395 days without red" explores the psychological strain of such waiting, shedding light on how it affects personal resilience and coping. It invites viewers to reflect on the universal nature of waiting, magnified here by the extreme conditions of the siege. The film underscores waiting's power to challenge our resolve, shape our views, and reveal the depths of our humanity during times of crisis.
Roland Barthes: A Lover's Discourse: Fragments (1977)
Download "A Lover's Discourse: Fragments" (1977) by Roland Barthes from the link above.
Read the chapter on "Waiting," pages 37-40.
Read the chapter on "Waiting," pages 37-40.
| roland_barthes_roland_a_lover_s_discourse_1978.pdf |
"A Lover's Discourse: Fragments" (1977) is a seminal work by Roland Barthes, a French literary theorist, philosopher, and critic. In this book, Barthes explores the language of love and desire, dissecting the nuances of romantic relationships through a series of fragmented reflections and observations.
"A Lover's Discourse" is not a conventional narrative but rather a collection of aphoristic fragments, each offering a glimpse into the inner world of the lover. Barthes examines the experience of love from a variety of angles, touching on themes such as waiting, longing, loss, desire, jealousy, and uncertainty. Through his poetic prose, he delves into the psychological and emotional complexities of romantic attachment, illuminating the ways in which language shapes our understanding of love.
Barthes's approach in "A Lover's Discourse" is deeply influenced by structuralism and semiotics, fields of study that he helped to popularize in the mid-20th century. He employs these analytical tools to deconstruct the cultural and linguistic codes that govern romantic relationships, revealing the ways in which language both constructs and reflects our experiences of love.
"A Lover's Discourse" is not a conventional narrative but rather a collection of aphoristic fragments, each offering a glimpse into the inner world of the lover. Barthes examines the experience of love from a variety of angles, touching on themes such as waiting, longing, loss, desire, jealousy, and uncertainty. Through his poetic prose, he delves into the psychological and emotional complexities of romantic attachment, illuminating the ways in which language shapes our understanding of love.
Barthes's approach in "A Lover's Discourse" is deeply influenced by structuralism and semiotics, fields of study that he helped to popularize in the mid-20th century. He employs these analytical tools to deconstruct the cultural and linguistic codes that govern romantic relationships, revealing the ways in which language both constructs and reflects our experiences of love.
creative exercise
Engage in this creative writing exercise to delve into the structural and semiotic dimensions of waiting within romantic relationships, drawing inspiration from Roland Barthes' "A Lover's Discourse: Fragments."
Step-by-step instructions:
Step-by-step instructions:
- Reading assignment: Dive into the chapter on "Waiting" from Barthes' seminal work, pages 37-40. Pay attention to his language use and the structural intricacies embedded within his writing.
- Analysis of structuralism and semiotics: Take a moment to acquaint yourself with the foundational concepts of structuralism and semiotics. Structuralism is a theoretical framework that examines the underlying structures that shape human culture and behavior, while semiotics is the study of signs and symbols and their meanings. Beyond mere understanding, delve deeper into the essence of Barthes' fragmented narrative style. Consider how his method of weaving together disparate elements forms a mosaic of emotions and meanings.
- Identify (structural) patterns: Reflect deeply on Barthes' fragmented narrative style. Uncover the structural patterns within the text, including recurring motifs, thematic threads, and linguistic devices. Extend your understanding of "patterns" within the context of love and waiting. Delve into the intricacies of his mosaic-like technique, exploring how broken pieces can convey nuanced emotions and experiences. Consider how the juxtaposition of dictionary-like objectivity and diary-style subjectivity creates a tension, inviting the reader to oscillate between intimacy and detachment. Choreograph your reader's experience by strategically employing distance and proximity.
- Create your own fragments: Inspired by Barthes' text, craft your own "stages of waiting" within romantic relationships. Experiment with various narrative voices, perspectives, and stylistic techniques to capture the complexities of longing, anticipation, and uncertainty. Consider how you can guide your reader to oscillate between intimacy and detachment, closeness and distance.
- Deconstruct symbolic meanings: Explore the semiotic dimensions of waiting by examining the symbolic meanings attached to objects, gestures, and actions associated with waiting in love. Play with ambivalence and confusion, utilizing both general and personal symbols to enrich your narrative with layers of interpretation.
- Reflective analysis: After crafting your fragments, take a moment for introspection. Reflect on the structural and semiotic choices you've made in your writing. Consider how these elements contribute to the interpretation and understanding of waiting in romantic relationships. Reflect on how you utilized the frame to liberate your creativity, navigating between intimacy and distance to enhance the reader's experience.
stay grounded and motivated!
"As we conclude our exploration of waiting and its intricate relationship with time, it's crucial to reflect on the notion that controlling time is a form of domination. In both personal and professional realms, the imposition of deadlines and rhythms can wield significant power dynamics, shaping the dynamics of relationships and creative endeavors.
Within the art world, these power dynamics are even more palpable, as artists navigate between the demands of rapid production and the slow, deliberate process of creativity. The tension between these opposing temporalities highlights the need to challenge the dictatorship of speed and embrace a more nuanced understanding of time.
The "School of Disobedience" was born out of this need to defy the pressure to constantly be ahead of the curve and to reclaim our agency over time. It invites us to unlearn the notion of being perpetually late and instead embrace the idea that we are right on time—each of us existing within our own time zone, allowing for the freedom to follow our own rhythms and creative processes.
As we part ways, let us carry with us the understanding that time is not a force to be controlled, but a dimension to be embraced and respected. Let us unlearn the belief that speed is synonymous with progress, and instead cultivate patience, trust, and resilience in our artistic journeys. By embracing our own time and honoring the time of others, we can create a space where creativity flourishes and true connection is fostered."
—Anna Ádám
Founder of the School of Disobedience
Within the art world, these power dynamics are even more palpable, as artists navigate between the demands of rapid production and the slow, deliberate process of creativity. The tension between these opposing temporalities highlights the need to challenge the dictatorship of speed and embrace a more nuanced understanding of time.
The "School of Disobedience" was born out of this need to defy the pressure to constantly be ahead of the curve and to reclaim our agency over time. It invites us to unlearn the notion of being perpetually late and instead embrace the idea that we are right on time—each of us existing within our own time zone, allowing for the freedom to follow our own rhythms and creative processes.
As we part ways, let us carry with us the understanding that time is not a force to be controlled, but a dimension to be embraced and respected. Let us unlearn the belief that speed is synonymous with progress, and instead cultivate patience, trust, and resilience in our artistic journeys. By embracing our own time and honoring the time of others, we can create a space where creativity flourishes and true connection is fostered."
—Anna Ádám
Founder of the School of Disobedience
Photo: Fortepan / Pohl Pálma