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| Ýññå íà àíãëèéñêîì ÿçûêå (TEN REASONS FOR A TRADITION OF MODERNITY; Made in Britain)Ýññå íà àíãëèéñêîì ÿçûêå (TEN REASONS FOR A TRADITION OF MODERNITY; Made in Britain)TEN REASONS FOR A TRADITION OF MODERNITY It is a truth universally acknowledged that Britain is unique. Really, who can possibly deny it? It is also very much true, although not so universal that the image Britain projects overseas is rather inaccurate. Mostly because the traditional opinion is that Britain lacks modernity, that it is caught in a golden Victorian cage, and this cage, in spite of its material, is restricting the way towards whatever is considered modern. WRONG. Why is it so wrong (and in capitals)? Because of at least 10 reasons. Chronologically speaking, the first reason that comes to mind is 1. J. M. W. Turner, who can be considered as a painter with nerve. When
everyone's' paintings were oils on canvas "photographing" important
personalities, he had the impulse to use watercolours to paint ships caught
in storms. "His paintings are … so different and often [painted] in such an
ambiguous manner, were often misunderstood by contemporaries", say Fleming
and Honour in their "A World History of Art". And being misunderstood by
contemporaries is often the sign of modernity. A modernity that strikes at
the first sight of a painting by Turner. One cannot believe that they have
been painted in the first decades of the nineteenth century. As one cannot
believe that Caulfield or Hodgkin’s works are so resembling and have so The mind's track often brakes loose from the dominance of time, so let us abandon the chronological trail and follow the white rabbit through the mirror. 2. Jane Austen, Elizabeth Bennet and Bridget Jones. You are probably
wondering what two fictional characters and the author of one of them have
in common. They are all modern women. This first two are actually more
modern than the latter. For Jane Austen, modernity meant independence,
being able not to depend on a husband to make a living, and writing. For The trend nowadays is that old is new. Old mentalities, old things in general. Everything traditional is remixed, redesigned and morphed into the sensation of the month.( Often on the catwalk). This leads us to: 3. John Galliano, or Stella McCartney , or any other British designer. The reason: for using at least once in their collections the corset. For a whole century, women all over the world, including Britain, have tried to sack the corset, mostly due to its symbolism. British designers never let it go for good, they just put it on hold. The Goth image at the end of the past century gave them the opportunity to put it out back in the open. They waited for the symbolism to blur and vanish, and there it is: different colours, textures, but nevertheless a corset. The verb "blur" used above sends to music. British music. And when talking about British music, one must talk about: 4. The Beatles. As a matter of fact, they should be reason number one on this list. They are the symbol of Modern Britain, of a certain Britain that used to dare and that was part of the “Avant-garde”. They were so modern for such a long time , they became tradition. 5. Guy Ritchie. Film Director. The traditional British movie was either Sir 6. Madonna – this one is actually a “negative” argument. She does not prove 7. The Full Monty . Leading to
9. London. “Traditionally” speaking, London is supposed to be permanently
foggy, with no other means of transportation but double-deckers and cabs,
populated by men wearing bowlers or looking like James Bond. Well, it’s
not. What is really traditional about London is its scent, its atmosphere,
it’s the arrogance to have an area named so pompously “The City”, it’s the
mixture of trends, it’s the possibility of having Virgin records and 10. Cars. Especially Rolls-Royce. Probably the most British car ever, it is impregnated with the glow of “Britishness” and yet it is equipped with the latest discoveries in car technology.
Conclusion: Britain is not the celluloid image of Britain. And for once, it
has the power to say through the voice of Robbie Williams: “I will talk and ROXANA VOICU-DOROBAN?U REFERENCES
Design”, Collins & Brown, 1999 King, 1998 The list of all the sources mentioned in this text and found in the British Austen, Jane – “Pride and Prejudice” |
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