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Ira Buch studying in the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University.
Jeannie Yang
Ira Buch studying in the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University.
‘History, Stephen said, ‘is a nightmare from which I am trying to awake,’” wrote James Joyce in one of his famed novels, “Ulysses.”
My experience with the Hotchkiss MacLeish Program at Yale Beinecke Library transformed this nightmare into a beautiful adventure – another theme Joyce holds dear to his heart. Through his manuscripts, letters, and notes, I researched the history behind the novelty of Joyce’s writings.
James Joyce, a 20th century Irish modernist author, dedicated his life to battling the constraints of writing. The recurring themes in Joyce’s compositions include Irish nationalism, critique of religious institutions, personal beliefs, and familial expectations, and, perhaps most notably, paralysis – corruption of thoughts and body,
When choosing an author to study for my MacLeish project, I initially looked at the writers who were exiled due to their explicit attacks on governmental institutions and whose work centered around the notion of propaganda. Joyce, however, doesn’t directly investigate the power of language in social, familial, and political contexts through his compositions’ storylines. Instead he incorporates ambiguous diction, unconventional punctuations, and seemingly mundane storylines to hint at these topics, making him a perfect pick for my research.
My arrival at Yale was followed by bookmaking and creative writing sessions – the two components of the MacLeish program in addition to archival research. Our discussions, which often centered around the correlation between the writing’s form and content, as well as the author’s unique approach to conveying their ideas, whether through unexpected diction, line breaks, and symbols, or the literal book form, inspired me to investigate how Joyce utilizes these aspects in enhancing his work’s novelty.
With this question, I entered the library of rare books and manuscripts, planning to focus on Joyce’s earlier prose writings: “Dubliners” and “A Portrait of an Artist as A Young Man.”
A writing sample from Joyce on file in the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University.Ira Buch
I found that in the drafts of these works, Joyce experimented with changing words and sentences, inviting the reader to engage with a multi-layered puzzle he constructed. For instance, in the last story of “Dubliners,” “The Dead,” Joyce changes Michael Furey’s last name from Fury, disguising the implications of potential rage and anger.
Despite my initial intentions to focus only on these two works, “Finnegans Wake” holdings emerged as the collection’s gem. This work was the culmination of Joyce’s experimental vision. In his notes, a fusion of words, multiple foreign languages, and numerous symbols, such as lines, hashtags, and geometrical shapes, have become Joyce’s allies in creating a novel method of shattering language barriers.
As a result of his provocative style, none of Joyce’s works had an easy trip to publication. “A Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man” was termed as “too progressive” in one of the first readers’ reviews. Entire passages from “Dubliners” were altered or deleted due to political connotations, and over a thousand copies of “Ulysses” were burned due to the themes explored within the novel. After Joyce’s death, the novel was termed a “leg pull” by Oliver Gogarty, an Irish poet and Joyce’s friend.
Despite publishers’ predictions of Joyce’s inability to resonate with the public, his work flourished long after his death. As I reflected on my findings, the long-standing relevance of the themes explored by Joyce became obvious. Knowing from personal experience how language can be used as a powerful tool in disguising political terror, I recognized the attention Joyce’s writings draw to shattering the imposed linguistic constraints, the power of ambiguous diction in hiding the actual connotations, and censorship.
Ira Buch is a rising senior at The Hotchkiss School who attended the MacLeish Program at Yale University in June. She has returned home to Ukraine for summer but continues to write for The Lakeville Journal as an intern.
The press took a toll on Joyce.Ira Buch
MILLERTON — Linda Kaplan, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, sister-in-law, cousin and friend, passed away Sept. 3, 2024. Linda will be remembered as a deeply kind woman guided by faith, family and love.
Linda was born to Francis Crawford and Lydia Johnson (nee Snyder) in Sharon, on Sept. 14, 1942. She attended Webutuck High School in Millerton, and then started her career in banking, where she worked until her retirement as a Vice President. Linda was a loving mother who raised her two sons and instilled in them her love of faith and family.
Linda met her future husband, Sanford (Sam) Kaplan, at a dance in Millerton, and they were blessed with 30 years of marriage during which they enjoyed their time on Simmons Street. Here, Linda enjoyed tending to her garden where she could be found picking green beans and tomatoes. She also enjoyed solving the daily crossword puzzle, knitting, and listening to Sam play his guitar. Together, Linda and Sam enjoyed hosting their family for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Passover celebrations. They especially enjoyed annual summer visits by their granddaughters which always included visits to their farm where they rode ATVs. Linda and Sam’s interest in dairy farming led them to travel to Europe where they toured dairy farms; a trip they fondly recounted to their family for years.
Linda’s faith was evident, not only through her family, but also through her involvement with the Millerton Presbyterian Church. She enjoyed community outreach, singing in the choir, working with children, teaching ESL classes, and helping to develop and implement programs.
Linda is predeceased by her husband, Sam Kaplan, her mother, father, and brother Thomas Crawford. She is survived by her two sons; Lorin Stapleton and his wife Mary Stapleton of Brewster, New York, and Brian Stapleton of Sandisfield, Massachusettds; her two granddaughters, Bridget Stapleton of Jersey City, New Jersey and Colleen Stapleton of Boston, Massachusetts; her sister-in-law, Susan Crawford; nephew David Keys and his wife Barbara; niece Susan Jenkins and her husband Rick Herring.
Calling hours will be held on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. at the Scott D. Conklin Funeral Home, 37 Park Avenue, Millerton, NY 12546. A Mass of the Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, Sept. 7, at 10 a.m. at St. Martin of Tours Church of St. Mary in Lakeville, CT. Rev. Dennis Arambasick will officiate. Burial will follow at Irondale Cemetery in Millerton, NY. To send an online condolence to the family, please visit www.conklinfuneralhome.com
David Colbert with one of his sculptures on the sculpture walk he has created over 35 years.
The Cornwall Open Studio took place on Saturday, Aug. 31. It is a Cornwall tradition and has been taking place for eighteen years.
It is a day when Cornwall artists invite the public into their studios to see what they are working on and how they do it. The artists work in various media, including painting, sculpture, photography and artistic shoes.
To participate, prospective tourists go to cornwallct.org/event/cornwall-open-studio-2024/ where a map and a list of the artists is available to download and print. The event is free, there is no registration, and so armed with the map, those taking the tour are set to explore not only artists’ studios, but the beautiful drive through Cornwall.
David Colbert, sculptor, is the initiator of the event. He said of his work, “I was smitten by the geometry and eventually the geometry led me to art.” Behind his studio in Cornwall Bridge he has a quarter mile sculpture path which he has been building for the past thirty-five years. Those on the tour could meander down the path and enjoy the beauty of the geometrically derived works.
Asked if there were any special artists and studios that should not be missed, he said, “I can’t help but mention Tim Prentice, whose shop, barn and whole place is pretty amazing.” At Prentice’s studio in West Cornwall, an old barn, mobiles, and other kinetic works of art hang from walls and ceilings and populate the surrounding fields. Across the road, another barn holds larger sculptures.
At 93, Prentice still works most days in the studio beside his house. He said he works on “small things.” He struggles with fading eyesight due to macular degeneration. He will be in a film by The Vision and Art Project, which seeks to bring awareness of macular degeneration by featuring artists like Tim Prentice. The film will be shown at the Cornwall Library sometime in the coming months.
In spite of his failing eye sight, he enjoys getting out to the studio and working and was welcoming visitors on the tour.
Another interesting studio is that of Lauren Brinkers Shoes in Cornwall Bridge. The shoes are hand painted and “one of a kind.” “I studied in London and went to shoe making school there,” Brinkers said. “I studied traditional men’s shoe making and transitioned into women’s.” She wanted to bring “more color and expression into shoes.” She learned how to work with leather dyes and paints the shoes to accomplish this goal.
A display of Lauren Brinkers handmade, one of a kind , hand paintied shoes on display at her Cornwall studio.Robin Roraback
Next to Lauren Brinkers’ studio is that of Stephan Sagmiller, who shows with his photographs that “The world is worth looking at closely. You’ve got to look at them up close. That’s my ethos as an artist.” His photos are large and colorful and invite you to do just that — look up close.
In West Cornwall, the abstract landscapes of Suzan Scott were on display at the Souterrain Gallery. Scott says of her work, “I’ve always had a strong connection with nature. I see everything, every blade of grass.” It was overwhelming for her. She began to paint still lives thinking they’d be easier, but in doing so she realized that still lives are similar to landscapes in that she could break down the parts as she did for still lives. “Why not go out and do landscapes and simplify them — abstract them?”
Her process is to layer tinted glazes, sometimes as many as thirty. She will work on a painting, let it rest, go back to it, work some more, and continue this until the painting is finished, which can take a week or months.
Scott paints scenes from the northwest corner and has “favorite spots” that she revisits. “The more I see it, the more I can interpret it, and it becomes mine.”
These are just a few of the artists on the tour. There were also Curt Hanson’s beautiful landscapes and the looser, colorful paintings of Magaly Ohika, Katherine Freygang and Sally Van Doren. Photographers Nick Jacobs and Bela Selendy also opened their studios. They use their cameras to explore life and nature.
If you missed the tour this year, be sure to keep an eye out for it next Labor Day Weekend. It is a wonderful way to spend a Saturday. To contact these artists or find out more about their work, go to: cornwallct.org/history-culture/arts-artists/ or go to the tour website to find links to their websites.
Fresh donuts by Hanna Rybolt at ILSE Coffee.
Something scrumptious is cooking beneath Colonial Theatre.
Pastries by Hanna was established in February of 2024 at 27 Railroad St. in North Canaan. The owner, Hanna Rybolt, is a resident of Canaan who studied in the pastry program at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island.
Her interest in baking is rooted in fond memories with her family. The baked goods and pastry products are sold locally at ILSE Coffee just next door, as well as the Great Barrington farmer’s market. Her pastry kitchen is located below Colonial Theatre.
Rybolt aims to ensure the goods are produced with locally grown products and sold in community businesses. Pastries by Hanna’s best-selling product is brioche-style donuts.
The business is solely owned and operated by Rybolt, who stated she is looking forward to what the future will bring for the bakery and is hoping to collaborate with more companies in the area.
Customers can custom order goods online at pastriesbyhanna.com or check out her Instagram page @PastriesbyHanna.