Saturday, January 16, 2016

Bowdielaire (Bowie + Baudelaire)

Mrs. Quinet made an interesting connection in class the other day between David Bowie and Charles Baudelaire regarding consciousness. Both artists (musical and literary, respectively) made an incredible impact on popular culture and society with their innovation and content. Bowie's music altered many lives and "challenged the very core belief of the rock music of its day." Similarly, Baudelaire's Les Fleurs du Mal and other writings explored the unknown and protested conventional pieces of literature. Baudelaire was highly influential on other poets and really established and secured a strong reputation as a poet. Bowie and Baudelaire enhanced their reputations by flaunting their eccentricities. What made them so popular was that they embraced the unconventional and did it with pure consciousness. They wanted to change what was considered acceptable so they did without hesitating.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

I think it's cool how artists/writers (or even just well known figures) can make such a huge difference. As I was reading your post, I thought of two very modern day examples that are changing the way a lot of people think of things. I'm not saying you have to agree with the lifestyle of either of the two people I'm about to mention, but whether you do or not, you have to admit that they've made an impact. Number one: Miley Cyrus. I do think she's a little weird, but people in general have stopped questioning her as much because they've become accustomed to how she behaves and what she stands for. Number two: Bruce Jenner. As you all probably know, he's made the transition to a woman and is definitely contributing to the transgender community in a positive way.

And so, I think that when people do something new and out of the ordinary that may be considered strange and vulgar at the time, their actions will eventually be accepted.

Anonymous said...

The Bowie - Baudelaire connection cannot be overstated. And yes, the implications for consciousness are huge. I saw this line of thought pursued here http://www.gettheebehind.me/