Costumes: Cossacks?
I had an impromptu meeting with Melissa today. We didn't talk much about Lear (we're both teaching right now, so we spent most of the time complaining about our students), but as we parted ways, she mentioned that she was going to revisit the whole "pre-Russian revolution" thing, and do some more research, because it wasn't quite sitting right with her.
"What about the Cossacks?" I asked.
She blinked. For a moment, neither one of us knew what I was talking about. But as I talked through it, my sudden suggestion began to make more sense. "Lots of furs and layers to strip away...a military feeling, but one that's barely civilized, as if the society can still remember a time when everything was anarchy. That could be Lear and his Knights. The new generation is more civilized, and doesn't understand the danger that anarchy can pose.
She agreed to look into it (although she might have been humouring me; we'll see). I still kind of like the idea, but it would have to be abstracted somewhat, so that we don't settle too firmly into one time and place.
The only difficulty I foresee right now is with respect to weaponry. It's incongruous to picture great big burly Cossack horsemen wielding skinny little fencing foils. But swords...well, that's a whole other issue right now, and one I'll have to address fairly soon.
"What about the Cossacks?" I asked.
She blinked. For a moment, neither one of us knew what I was talking about. But as I talked through it, my sudden suggestion began to make more sense. "Lots of furs and layers to strip away...a military feeling, but one that's barely civilized, as if the society can still remember a time when everything was anarchy. That could be Lear and his Knights. The new generation is more civilized, and doesn't understand the danger that anarchy can pose.
She agreed to look into it (although she might have been humouring me; we'll see). I still kind of like the idea, but it would have to be abstracted somewhat, so that we don't settle too firmly into one time and place.
The only difficulty I foresee right now is with respect to weaponry. It's incongruous to picture great big burly Cossack horsemen wielding skinny little fencing foils. But swords...well, that's a whole other issue right now, and one I'll have to address fairly soon.
posted by Scott Sharplin at 5:45 p.m.
1 Comments:
Cossacks, hrm. I don't know... that raises the spectre of Political Interpretation for me. Images of the glorious revolution, or even Jewish oppression and pograms. Doesn't really sit with the whole family values thing (or rather distances my desire to empathize with the characters)... but perhaps I'm missing something from an earlier post?
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