by Jennifer Lin
When an exhibition of Prof. Wang Wenxing’s manuscripts opened at the NTU Library on November 15, NTU President Chen Weichow remarked: “This is a monumental event for our library, for these manuscripts and documents are the first ever to be contributed to any university library in Taiwan; we thank Professor Wang for being willing to initiate what we hope will become a valuable tradition.” Prof. Wang was born in 1939 in Fuchou city, in the Fukien province of China, and immigrated to Tonkung, Taiwan with his family in 1946. Later he moved to Taipei where he received his education. During his high school years, he began to take an interest in novels, both translated from and written in English, and he took up creative writing. In 1957, Prof. Wang was admitted into the Department of Foreign Languages at NTU; as he puts it, “I studied literature for the purpose of doing creative writing, not the other way round.” During his college years he was most inspired by teachers Li Leiwen and Jacob Korg, both well-known scholars in field of translation. In his junior year, he and his friends, including Pai Xenyong, another famous novelist, founded a magazine, Modern Literature, in which he published many of his short stories. They were later collected and published under the name of Fifteen Novelettes. Upon graduation, Prof. Wang enrolled in the graduate program at the University of Iowa to study creative writing. Later he returned to NTU to teach courses in the same subject. In 1969 he married Chen Zhuyun, also a professor in the department. During all this time he worked continuously on his first novel, Family Catastrophe. It was at this time that he acquired the curious habit of making very rough notes that look like Miro scribbles, deciphering them into sentences, then transcribing them neatly onto writing paper. Another characteristic of his writing habits is to put down no more than sixty-five words at one time, and writing no more than two hours per day. Later, when writing Backed Against the Sea, he wrote no more than thirty words each day. After seven years of work, Family Catastrophe was finally published in 1973, and it was a literary bombshell in a still conservative society. The novel extensively explored and evaluated ideas of tradition, a potentially dangerous subject. However, Prof. Wang muses: “When I was writing down the words for this novel, I did not intend to criticize anything or anyone; I only put down what I felt to be most natural and appropriate at the time.” Moreover, he says, tradition as a whole must be carefully reviewed. One might find 90 percent to be ineradicable, but the remaining 10 percent might well be discarded. Tradition cannot be swallowed whole; it certainly must be thought over and altered according to need. In 1981, Backed Against the Sea, Part I was published, another influential book in both domestic and foreign literary circles. According to Prof. Wang the book inherited its mode of language from “Summer in the Meadows” in Fifteen Novelettes, a kind of ideal language which he says he is still searching for. In a symposium accompanying the exhibition Prof. Wang explained his meticulous search for this language as a realization of the true beauty of the Chinese language, far from the shabby, unrefined prose present in our everyday lives. He also stated that he intended Backed Against the Sea to be an “extroverted” novel, written for the express purpose of breaking the barriers of writing, a liberation of language, and literally, a “personal Cultural Revolution.” All of this is quite different from his earlier, “introverted” Family Catastrophe, which explored the thoughts and feelings of different generations. An important event occurred in Prof. Wang’s life in 1985: his conversion to Catholicism. He relates that one of the main reasons for this change was that many of his favorite authors, such as T.S. Eliot and Ernest Hemingway, were Catholics, and he has found both his humanistic concerns and his religious dedication to be exceptional inspirations for his work. In the following year he was invited, along with Graham Greene and 遠藤周作, to be an honorary member of the “International Literature and Religion Conference” held by Fu-jen Catholic University. Two years later a compilation of his critical essays, Books and Films, as well as a one-act play, M and W, were published. These were followed by the completion of Backed Against the Sea, Part II in 1997. Both parts were published together in 1999. In the same year, the Council of Cultural Affairs selected Family Catastrophe as one of the thirty Classics of Taiwanese Literature. So what does Prof. Wang have to say about all these achievements? Not much, but he does have a few points to express. “There are two kinds of people in this world,” he said in a recent interview, “one is the activist, the revolutionary, someone who must always be in motion and who generally has a spectacular life. The other is the observer, someone who looks at the universe as a humanist, a philosopher, or a scientist, and his or her job is to examine, analyze, and record the world and its happenings.” And in which category does he place himself? “My life is not especially colorful, nor is it a saga worth telling, so you might call me an observer.” Indeed he has observed better than most of us ever can, and at the same time his life of literature might well be called “spectacular.”
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by Julie Sung
Try answering these questions: 1. Who is rumored to have come between Huang Tze Jiau (黃子佼) and Shiao S (小S)? 2. Who are the leading man and woman of the movie (花樣年華)? 3. Name 2 MTV VJs. 4. What did Nicholas Shieh (謝霆峰) lose at his concert? 5. Name a song by Britney Spears. 6. Who is the Minister of Finance in Taiwan? 7. Which airline had a plane crash in Taiwan in October? 8. Which country had a cable car fire in a tunnel recently? 9. Which party does George W. Bush belong to? 10. Who is the Prime minister of Japan? If you don’t know most of the answers, don’t feel too bad, neither did other fellow classmates. These ten fairly easy questions were presented to various people from our own department as well as students from law, civil engineering, and political science. As you may have noticed, the first five questions pertain to entertainment news while the latter five pertain to political or world news. These categories were arranged in hopes of discerning not only how much students know, but which field their knowledge generally belongs to. The answers are: 1. A-Bao (阿寶) 2. Tony Liang (梁朝偉) and Maggie Chang (張曼玉) 3. Stacey, George, Miranda, or Janet 4. a ring 5. too many to list here, check one of her CDs 6. Yeng Ching Chang (顏慶章) 7. Singapore Airlines 8. Austria 9. Republican 10. Yoshiro Mori (森喜郎). Some interesting answers were received. Many believed Nicholas lost his guitar or microphone, that China Airlines had the big crash, and Switzerland had the fire, and that George W. Bush is a Democrat or belongs to a party know as the Conservatives. This shows that many had a very vague impression of current events. Students from our department were able to answer two or three questions in each category, and averaging five out of a total of ten questions. Compared to the three other departments that were also surveyed, our performance was relatively poor. Students in law, however, were considerably more aware about current affairs. Very few could not answer each of the last five questions, and they were in touch with the entertainment news as well. Now let’s take a look at the civil engineers. They may spend a great deal of time in the lab, but it looks like they know more about what’s happening outside the world then we do. They averaged over three out of five for both categories. And then we have the political science people. Their scores were the most unexpected, scoring lower than us on the first part, and barely knowing more political news than we did! Most departments had more knowledge of political news than entertainment news, with the exception of civil engineering, who scored slightly higher in the first section of the survey. This may be expected from students of law or political science, since their field of study is ostensibly more political. However, this result contradicts with the stereotype that is usually placed on foreign languages students. It is believed that students in our department are more conscious of appearances and know more gossip than news. Now we know this isn’t the real situation. We may not know much, but at least we know more about political matters than what the latest trends and fashions are. On the whole, performance was fair, but hardly satisfactory, considering the questions were mostly headline news. These events were constantly in the papers, on the news, on the internet, everywhere! The results were not terrible, but there is definitely room for improvement. While we may be academically successful and learned, we should open our eyes to concerns beyond our books, and – pardon the cliché – broaden our horizons. Professor Lawrence Lowell, who was president of Harvard from 1909-1933, once said, “Universities are full of knowledge; the freshmen bring a little in and the seniors take none away, and knowledge accumulates.” Let’s hope this isn’t the case at NTU. by Hilda Ku
Remember the little girl with a terrifying look and the voice of a demon turning her head 360 degrees in The Exorcist? Or the ugly slayer, Freddy, in his red-striped shirt holding a blood-dripping blade in Nightmare on Elm Street? Or the masked man, Jason, stalking his victims in Friday the 13th? Or Dracula? These are all stereotypical images that come to mind when we refer to horror films, but do all of them belong to the same category? What is the difference between terror and horror? Do Asian horror films resemble western ones? Why do people go to the horror films? Just to be horrified? Horror films are being released every year, but when most people think of horror films they can’t tell the difference between horror and terror. “You have to realize that there is a difference between horror and terror,” one critic has remarked. “Terror scares you right away but horror lingers. You can’t escape it–it haunts you.” So what are the basic elements of horror films? In fact, there are three main components – fear, revulsion, and helplessness, which pervade any genuine horror film. Films with battles on drizzly moors, ambushes on muddy trails, whispers in the ear of the local baron, or incantations mumbled in dark corners, create an atmosphere of fear. And we realize that something could come around the corner at any moment. Moreover we feel isolated and helpless. By making good use of these elements, directors can easily control an audience’s emotions. Horror films inspire suspense and make us feel vulnerable. Today, horror films have become a genre which includes “terror films.” Generally, horror films can be classified into the following subjects: monsters (Frankenstein, werewolves, mummies), evil spirits (The Exorcist), witchcraft (The Blair Witch Project), vampires (Dracula), the living dead (Evil Dead, Ghoul), and slasher films (Friday the 13th, Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream). But horror films have changed drastically over time. Highlights include Nosferatu (1922), a German silent considered the first horror film, Psycho (1960), with its amazing shower scene, The Exorcist (1973), Halloween (1978), the first real slasher film, Scream (1996), a landmark horror satire, and The Blair Witch Project (1999), a mock documentary revealing the inmost fear of human beings. Asian horror films, however, might seem comparatively monotonous. The Reanimated corpse [chinese title] has played an important role in Chinese horror films, originating from a traditional belief that, under a certain spell, corpses can become back to life with no thoughts or will power. But there are fewer bloody scenes than in its western counterparts. There is also the Holding Your Breath series [chinese title]. Meanwhile, Japanese horror films often deal with psychopaths or evil spirits preying on innocent victims. Examples include Hypnotism [japanese title] and Ring [japanese title]. With fewer bloody scenes and less graphic violence, Asian horror films have built up their own large following. Whatever kind of film you prefer, it is clear that horror films appeal to everyone. But what is their charm? Self-torture cannot be the only reason. In fact, horror films can serve as an escape from the everyday world or offer the excitement of being completely scared for two hours. They reflect our fear of the unknown, common to all human beings. That’s where fear really comes from; it’s what you don’t see that counts. by Anne Lo
With the holidays approaching — and soon enough, Valentine’s day, too, you start to wonder what kind of gifts you should give to your family, friends, and “loved one.” You think hard, you search your mind for the perfect gift, and you finally decide on the all-time favorite: chocolate. But as you browse through the numerous brands, you realize that it’s almost impossible to choose since they all look pretty much the same. And as long as you give something store-bought, there’s always a chance of giving the same gift as someone else — then it wouldn’t be special anymore. So why don’t you make your own chocolate instead? It’s definitely special enough, and it’s easier than you think! The basic materials, including dark, white, or milk chocolate blocks (to be melted and then used for cooking), cocoa powder (unsweetened for baking and sweetened for drinking), and couverture chocolate (used mostly for decoration), can all be bought where baking materials are sold (媽咪商店in an alley off of 師大路is a good place). There are some basic techniques, such as melting and tempering chocolate, which can be learned easily. So you see, it’s not all that hard! But still, there are some things you should keep in mind when you make chocolate: 1. Always buy the best quality of chocolate to get the best results. 2. Chocolate should be stored in dry, cool places and well wrapped so it doesn’t absorb other flavors. Store away from strong odors. 3. When melting chocolate, all utensils should be dry. Even one drop of water will ruin the taste. Melt it slowly as it can easily overcook and refuse to bind. You can melt chocolate directly on top of the stove or in the microwave. But for beginners, using a double boiler (or a heatproof bowl in a saucepan if you don’t have one) is recommended. It is the safest and most reliable way to do it. 4. If your recipe calls for you to melt other liquids (e.g. milk, coffee, etc.) along with the chocolate, make sure that they are all the same temperature or else they won’t mix well. 5. Couverture chocolate needs tempering to make it shiny and easy to work on. If you ever need to use it, here’s how to temper it: a. Melt the couverture chocolate at 45’C. Stir until it’s melted and smooth. b. Pour ¾ of it on a marble slab. Using a palette knife, scrape it into a pool and spread it out again. Work for three to five minutes, then mix with the remaining chocolate. Reheat to 29’C before use. Ready now? Here’s a recipe you can try. Good luck, have fun, and hope they all love your sweet gift! Chocolate cups with Caramel 150g dark chocolate 24 small aluminum foil candy cups 80g Mars candy bar ¼ cup whipping cream 50g white chocolate 1. Put the dark chocolate into a small, heatproof bowl. Put the bowl into a pot of boiling water and stir until the chocolate has melted smoothly. Take the pot off of the heat. 2. Using a pastry brush, coat the inside of the candy cups with a thin layer of chocolate. Turn the cups over and put them on a wire rack. Wait for them to cool and harden. Repeat with second layer. (The remaining chocolate should be put back into the boiling water to be saved for later usage.) 3. Mix the Mars candy bar and whipping cream in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat and stir until the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth. Put the mixture in another bowl to cool. When it starts to harden, spoon into the chocolate cups, making them ¾ full. 4. Cover the chocolate cups with the remaining dark chocolate. Wait for it to harden. Melt the white chocolate the same way you did with the dark chocolate, and put it into a decorating tube, then lightly draw pictures on the dark chocolate with it. After the chocolate has hardened totally, carefully remove the foil candy cups. Note: - Chocolate cups can be used for many purposes, therefore it is worth learning. You can fill your chocolate cups with anything you like. - Other ideas for decorating according to the occasion: –sugar strands or crystals –silver and gold dragees –chopped nuts –chocolate chunks –anything else you find suitable |
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May 2024
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