These are questions I most often get during my lectures. Since you have looked through this website, you may have already figured out the answers. Do you have a question? Email me at literature2life@yahoo.com
Where do you get your costumes?
I actually sew them all myself. Sometimes I purchase a certain piece if I don't have time to make it (a hoop skirt or a corset) or if it's impractical for me to make it (silk lace stockings).
The answer to that first question is then usually followed by...
How long does it take to make each costume?
It's very difficult to say. In general I can say 'many many hours' but that's a lame answer. I have never sat down and created a costume from start to finish in one sitting. I usually work a couple of hours on a weeknight or 5 to 10 hours on a weekend, depending on the time I have available. The era of the costume would determine the complexity of it and therefore the length of time it takes to make it. For example, a bustle gown from the 1880s is much more intricate than a 'shop girl' outfit from 1897. Also, with some of the hand stitched details, I might be sitting on the couch watching a movie with my family while sewing on buttons or doing embroidery. And of course there is always my level of satisfaction to be considered. If something about it just doesn't look right but I can't pinpoint the issue, I will sometimes finish the outfit to an acceptable level then walk away from it for a while. Often, whatever the issue is will reveal itself if I give myself a break from obsessing over it. So then I go back and 'finish it again'.
What if you didn't list a novel I want you to teach?
Please send me an email and let me know! There are many books that I have added to my list because a group makes a special request. Also, I have many additional books available 'on my shelves' but I have only listed the ones that I think would have greater mass appeal. If it's in any way considered a classic novel chances are I know it and would love to teach it!
What's your opinion of those messed up 'classic' novels?
By 'messed up' most people are referring to books like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austin and Seth Grahame-Smith or Andriod Karenina by Leo Tolstoy and Ben H. Winters. Truth be told, I absolutely love those novels. In some ways they have revived an interest in 'traditional' classic novels and that's always a good thing. I have actually used them as a teaching tool. Personally, I don't care for Jane Austin (I know, people are always shocked but I'm not the only one). However I can have more fun reading chapters from Pride and Prejudice when it is paired with P&P&Z. As long as there are clear distinctions made when the novel gives an altered history (no, Abraham Lincoln was not really a vampire killer) then I'm all for it!
Just FYI for a little clarification...
Altered History novels take an actual event in history and alter it. (Ta-daa!) For example, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith offers a very accurate telling of the life of Abraham Lincoln... but the altered part is that the causes for Lincoln's life choices all have to do with vampires. The fact that he was known for his skill with an axe? Yep, he used it to kill vampires. The death of his mom and first fiance? Yep, vampires got them. (Right now, my dad, the civil war expert, is squirming out of his seat!) BUT think 'broccoli with cheese'. It's a great way to get students interested in a topic they otherwise wouldn't touch. Cheri Priest's Boneshaker could be considered an Altered History or Steampunk novel. Even though the events in the novel never actually happened, it's not unrealistic to imagine they could have. And the Seattle setting was accurate (with a little creative license) for the Victorian time period. Plus there is some ROCKIN' technology!! I reeeeaaallly liked this novel.
Altered Classic takes a classic piece of literature (Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin) and infuses it with other cool stuff (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austin and Seth Grahame-Smith). Other titles in the Altered Classics categories would be Meowmorphosis by Franz Kafka and Cook Coleridge (from The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka) and Andriod Karenina by Leo Tolstoy and Ben H. Winters (from Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy).
'Steampunk' started gaining notice in the 1980's in the form of literature that was set in the Victorian time period that also contained technology that had not yet been invented. The Difference Engine by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling was one of the first Steampunk novels and is still one of the purest examples to go by. Steampunk has since grown to include clothing, artwork, and so much more. Interestingly enough, Steampunk novels are a 'shout out' to the original science-fiction writers like H. G. Wells and Jules Verne.
Mash Ups are a big muddled mixture. They are part steampunk, part horror monster, part... whatever else the author wants to throw in. Gail Carriger's series Soulless could be called steampunk because of the setting and some of the technology used. But she throws in werewolves and vampires and... It was actually fun to read but I can't put it in any of the other 3 categories.
I actually sew them all myself. Sometimes I purchase a certain piece if I don't have time to make it (a hoop skirt or a corset) or if it's impractical for me to make it (silk lace stockings).
The answer to that first question is then usually followed by...
How long does it take to make each costume?
It's very difficult to say. In general I can say 'many many hours' but that's a lame answer. I have never sat down and created a costume from start to finish in one sitting. I usually work a couple of hours on a weeknight or 5 to 10 hours on a weekend, depending on the time I have available. The era of the costume would determine the complexity of it and therefore the length of time it takes to make it. For example, a bustle gown from the 1880s is much more intricate than a 'shop girl' outfit from 1897. Also, with some of the hand stitched details, I might be sitting on the couch watching a movie with my family while sewing on buttons or doing embroidery. And of course there is always my level of satisfaction to be considered. If something about it just doesn't look right but I can't pinpoint the issue, I will sometimes finish the outfit to an acceptable level then walk away from it for a while. Often, whatever the issue is will reveal itself if I give myself a break from obsessing over it. So then I go back and 'finish it again'.
What if you didn't list a novel I want you to teach?
Please send me an email and let me know! There are many books that I have added to my list because a group makes a special request. Also, I have many additional books available 'on my shelves' but I have only listed the ones that I think would have greater mass appeal. If it's in any way considered a classic novel chances are I know it and would love to teach it!
What's your opinion of those messed up 'classic' novels?
By 'messed up' most people are referring to books like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austin and Seth Grahame-Smith or Andriod Karenina by Leo Tolstoy and Ben H. Winters. Truth be told, I absolutely love those novels. In some ways they have revived an interest in 'traditional' classic novels and that's always a good thing. I have actually used them as a teaching tool. Personally, I don't care for Jane Austin (I know, people are always shocked but I'm not the only one). However I can have more fun reading chapters from Pride and Prejudice when it is paired with P&P&Z. As long as there are clear distinctions made when the novel gives an altered history (no, Abraham Lincoln was not really a vampire killer) then I'm all for it!
Just FYI for a little clarification...
Altered History novels take an actual event in history and alter it. (Ta-daa!) For example, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith offers a very accurate telling of the life of Abraham Lincoln... but the altered part is that the causes for Lincoln's life choices all have to do with vampires. The fact that he was known for his skill with an axe? Yep, he used it to kill vampires. The death of his mom and first fiance? Yep, vampires got them. (Right now, my dad, the civil war expert, is squirming out of his seat!) BUT think 'broccoli with cheese'. It's a great way to get students interested in a topic they otherwise wouldn't touch. Cheri Priest's Boneshaker could be considered an Altered History or Steampunk novel. Even though the events in the novel never actually happened, it's not unrealistic to imagine they could have. And the Seattle setting was accurate (with a little creative license) for the Victorian time period. Plus there is some ROCKIN' technology!! I reeeeaaallly liked this novel.
Altered Classic takes a classic piece of literature (Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin) and infuses it with other cool stuff (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austin and Seth Grahame-Smith). Other titles in the Altered Classics categories would be Meowmorphosis by Franz Kafka and Cook Coleridge (from The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka) and Andriod Karenina by Leo Tolstoy and Ben H. Winters (from Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy).
'Steampunk' started gaining notice in the 1980's in the form of literature that was set in the Victorian time period that also contained technology that had not yet been invented. The Difference Engine by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling was one of the first Steampunk novels and is still one of the purest examples to go by. Steampunk has since grown to include clothing, artwork, and so much more. Interestingly enough, Steampunk novels are a 'shout out' to the original science-fiction writers like H. G. Wells and Jules Verne.
Mash Ups are a big muddled mixture. They are part steampunk, part horror monster, part... whatever else the author wants to throw in. Gail Carriger's series Soulless could be called steampunk because of the setting and some of the technology used. But she throws in werewolves and vampires and... It was actually fun to read but I can't put it in any of the other 3 categories.