Imaginary

Fictional Narratives

Novels:

• Tsitsi Dangarembga, Nervous Conditions: A Novel (McDougal Litell, 1997); and This Mournable Body: A Novel (Greywolf Press, 2018): “Both novels are inspiring, not in spite of Tambu’s hopeless situation but because through it all she never loses sight of herself while, at the same time, never underestimating the brutal reality of her predicament.”
• Véronique Olmi, Bakhita: A Novel of the Saint of Sudan (Other Press, 2019): “ . . . ‘Bakhita’ unfolds a distinctive array of timely concerns — the subjugation of women of color, human trafficking, female solidarity, personal and institutional conflicts that knot together issues of race, class, gender and religion — and explores them through the suffering, willpower and undiminished dignity of a small frightened girl turned resolute young woman turned gentle old nun.”
• Stephen King, The Institute: A Novel (Scribner, 2019): “How do you maintain your dignity and your humanity in an environment designed to strip you of both?”
• Richard Flanagan, The Living Sea of Waking Dreams: A Novel (Knopf, 2021): “It is partly a family drama about three middle-aged siblings trying to save their mother from dying, but mostly it’s a cry of alarm about what we choose to pay attention to — and what gets lost in the scramble for success and tasteful design.”

Poetry

• William Wordsworth, “The Westmoreland Girl”

Music: Composers, artists, and major works

Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58 (1808) (approx. 31-40’), is widely recognized as one of three masterpieces from Beethoven in the genre of piano concerto, along with his 3rd and his 5th. As often happens with great works, this concerto was poorly received when Beethoven premiered it, departing as it did from several musical conventions. “As soon as we hear the opening tones of the Fourth Concerto, we know that something different is about to occur. Never before has a piano concerto opened with the piano.” That is what Beethoven needed to do to express his ideas, which he could not confine within prevailing conventions. “Here, we enter a magical and quietly intimate world of shimmering colors. Musical lines unfold with the fluid inevitability of an improvisation. Most notably, in this Concerto a sublime and continuous dialogue between the solo piano and the instrumental voices of the orchestra emerges with striking clarity and drama.” Schnabel (Sargent) in 1933, Kempff (Abendroth) in 1939, Hess (Boult) in 1952 (part 1; part 2), Haskil (Cluytens) in 1955, Fleisher (Szell) in 1959, Gulda (Müller-Kray) in 1960, Rudolf Serkin (Ormandy) in 1962, Gilels (Szell) in 1968, Moravec (Bělohlávek) in 2003, Kissin (Colin Davis) in 2008, Lewis (Bělohlávek) in 2010, Pires (Harding) in 2014, Vogt in 2018, Cascioli (Minasi) in 2021 and Zimerman (Rattle) in 2021, have given us excellent recorded performances.

• Allegro moderato begins with an opening theme in the solo piano, an unusual way to open a concerto, which usually is introduced by the orchestra. The theme is a bold statement of self-assurance, not shouted but stated in a manner that leaves no doubt that the solist has taken charge. Soloist and orchestra explore the theme, stated in note sequence 4-4-4-1, throughout the movement.
• Andante con moto is an extended contemplation of the first movement, as if to ask, “what does this all mean?”
• Rondo; Vivace opens without pause following the Andante movement. Whatever the protagonist has decided to do, in whatever state of resolution or non-resolution the question of meaning has been left, soloist and orchestra proceed quickly, vigorously and without hesitation, conveying a feeling that the soloist has life under control, and that he will handle whatever challenges may arise. 

Elizabeth Cotten was a poor girl from the American South who played guitar, sang and composed songs with a remarkable humanity, as reflected in these children’s books about her life, by Matthew Weinberg and Laura Veirs. Elizabeth taught herself to play guitar but then stopped playing after undergoing a “religious conversion”; fortunately, she resumed playing in her later years, making her debut as a folk singer at the age of 67. Pete Seeger may have been instrumental in her return to music. “. . . her wonderfully expressive and dexterous fingerpicking style a major inspiration to the generations of players who followed in her wake.” “When asked what he would like to say about Elizabeth Cotten, Mike Seeger answered, 'In a word: grace.'” She explained her life and work on this video, and visited schools in this one. Though relatively few, her recordings are treasures. 

Other works illustrating dignity:

• Michael Tilson Thomas, From the Diary of Anne Frank (1990) (approx. 36’): music and words on the life of this paragon of dignity
• In art and perhaps in life, Pocahontas was brave and empathetic and humble, with a clear understanding of humanity’s place in nature. Elliott Carter captured a bit of that in his ballet Pocahontas (1938) (approx. 31’).
• Alan Hovhaness, Symphony No. 8, Op. 179, “Arjuna” (1947) (approx. 31’): in Hindu literature, Arjuna is a demigod, representing the most admirable characteristics: courage, strength, humility, intelligence, wisdom, and commitment to justice and duty. These characteristics well illustrate the omni-value of dignity.
• Josef Suk, Zrání (Ripening), Op.34 (1917) (approx. 39’) is an orchestral work in six movements, each expressing a phase in or approach to life.
• Paul Dukas, Ariane et Barbe-Bleue (Ariadne and Bluebeard) (1899, rev. 1906) (approx. 114-118’) (libretto): in this opera, Ariane becomes Bluebeard’s sixth wife. Convinced that his other six wives are alive, she opens the forbidden seventh door, and discovers them living in darkness and misery. Then she carries out their escape, and instead of having Bluebeard suffer, sets him free. Recordings feature Ciesinski, Bacquier & Chœurs et Nouvel Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France (Jordan); Polaski, Henschel, Donose, Youn, Slovak Philharmonic Choir & Vienna Symphony Orchestra (de Billy) in 2006; and Phillips, Bardon, Rose, Nolen, BBC Symphony Orchestra & Chorus (Botstein) in 2007.
• Raga Purvi (Poorvi) is a Hindustani raag usually performed late in the afternoon, or around sunset. “Purvi has a deeply serious, quiet and somewhat mystical character.” Performances are by Ravi Shankar, Bismillah Khan, Mita Nag and Bhimsen Joshi.
• Emilie Mayer, Piano Quartet No. 1 in E-flat Major (approx. 30’)
• Emilie Mayer, Piano Quartet No. 2 in G Major (approx. 33’) 

Album:

• Wayne Escoffery, “Vortex” (2018) (60’) creates an image of a person whose circumstances threatened to swirl him down a drain, yet he endures and thrives, with class and grace.

Music: songs and other short pieces

• Joan Baez, “Forever Young” (lyrics)

Visual Arts

Film and Stage

• The Innocents: Near the end of World War II, in Poland, many young women are raped and impregnated by Russian soldiers, and sent to a convent. The Mother Superior forbids them from seeking medical treatment for fear of bringing the convent to the attention of the newly installed Communist authorities. Panicked, one of the young women enlists the help of Mathilde, a Red Cross worker (in real life, she was Madeleine Pauliac), who exhibits courage, caring and wisdom in helping the young women, saving several lives, and restoring some measure of freedom to them.
• The Widow of Saint Pierre: a woman sees the dignity in a murderer, and her husband supports her, but tragically, this costs them all.
• A Night to Remember: If you were aboard a sinking ship, how would you behave? This dramatization of the Titanic sinking offers a way of looking at human dignity – life condensed in time - because each of us is headed for certain death; our challenge is not to act that way but to act in a way that best honors living beings.