Monday, January 10, 1983

Make it new


I had my Modernism tutorial with Dr. Bonnycastle at eleven, which promises to be very interesting. There are just three of us (two blokes, one girl) and Bonnycastle asked us each our opinion about select examples of modern art—Picasso (both representational and cubist), two pieces by a C20th composer, Ulysses, plus modern novels like Burroughs. I was quite vocal: my argument was basically that modern art is confused because the modern world is confused: art reflects society, and so dislocated events, alienation, isolation, confusion and a lack of order find their reflection in modern art. It can’t be anything but, can it? It looks like a really promising course.

We were sent away to write in response to the question “Whatever happened to Modern Art?” for next Monday.

At four-thirty I met Julian Banner to see about changing from the History to the Literature track of my American Studies degree. We had a high-speed conversation: I rushed through my ‘reasons’ for wanting a change (“my outlook has altered since applying through UCCA” etc.). I left feeling none too optimistic.

Lindsey saw her tutor to collect last term’s report and was humiliated; he effectively told she should take a year off, and now she’s been plunged into confusion. Shelley said L. was in a funny mood all day and she does seem quieter than normal. Penny got back today, brown from the Australian sun but in a muddle over her course and whether or not to leave Watermouth. Shelley hates her course too and is threatening to leave if things don’t buck up before the end of this year.

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