Mimo le Singe

Despite its age, Aaron Ben-Ze’ev’s book The Subtlety of Emotions (2001) largely aids the reader in identifying and observing emotions around them, particularly the ways in which they cluster. As a matter of fact, reading its second part has encouraged me to consider examples found in some of my favourite entertainment media that help me better understand the commentaries they are making, whether they are open to interpretation or completely intentional.

I first heard about Happy Days when I was about eleven years old at theatre camp one summer. Another camper I was close with would constantly quote Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli during pre-rehearsal exercises; being the impressionable preteen I was, I thought it was cool despite having never seen the show before.

I've heard about I Love Lucy many times in my life but never actually sat down to watch it with my family - who were also fans of it back in the day - until this past year.

I often listen to Blondie, especially their song "The Tide is High", but it wasn't until recently when I finally decided to check out its accompanying music video. And goodness me - what do I make of this?

It is one of world’s most salient contributions from Middle Eastern literature: One Thousand and One Nights, a book containing fairytales laden with nuances of the human character and principles for a good ruler shared every night by, arguably, one of the earliest fictional feminist icons, Shahrazad, with her new husband, the sultan Shahryar, who must learn patience and reappraise his lamentable view on women if their marriage is to survive (“Background”).