Modern Times of Rock N Roll

After what seems like an endless number of literature courses, I feel like I have a pretty solid grasp on modernity, however, this is the first time I have looked at it from a perspective other than that of literary analysis. Looking into the physical-visual elements that came along with modernity (i.e. steel and iron in architecture), and how the idea of society as a well-oiled machine effectively isolates the Subject in a mass of other people in an urban environment.  It is especially interesting to observe how it that feeling of alienation comes from the progress that was meant to improve the lives of those it ends up alienating.

This feeling of alienation is understandable. It is easy to imagine how being immersed in a sea of nondescript faces and cold steel can certainly take a toll on a person.  Something I am interested in is if the nature of the machinery itself, always shown to be large iron constructs running on steam, with burly men in long pants shoveling coal in a fiery mouth, feeding the perpetual turning of massive cogs and gears, has anything to do with these feelings of alienation.  During industrial revolution people became slaves to the large oppressive machinery that was supposed to make their lives better.  However, today there is almost a feeling of connectedness and mutual dependency with machinery, and humans are much more at peace with being surrounded by “progress.”

I feel I must pass judgment on our textbook at this point.  As much as I know that teachers have an emotional attachment to the texts that they assign, this book is pretty awful at explaining most things.  I have read, and reread everything in this book that pertains to the theory of the Gaze, and I still have no idea what they are talking about.  My perception of the Gaze is it is like discourse analysis in a Foucaultian sense (transfer of power), but instead of reading or speaking, one is viewing the exchange.  I would like to set up a hypothetical situation to clear up what I mean.  In an instance of visual discourse there must be an observer (Jim), an observed (a print cologne ad) and a context for the situation in which these two parties converge. Every aspect of the situation must be considered, e.g. Jim’s preconceived notion of the cologne, the desired affect of the ad agency, the periodical in which the advertisement appears, time, place and other facets of the setting, and a slew of other contextual aspects that I simply refuse to go through.  The emotions and desires that are felt by Jim are certainly part of the Gaze, and these emotions and desires are part of the power that the advertisement holds over Jim.

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