#mohl

[artmialma]

Mohl

[artevian]

[saskha]

von der Mohl da Mor Tramite Flickr: Dollshe Rosen

[rexquondam--rexquefuturus]

Eat, Pray, Love... Or Work, Pray, Fight?

A question was posed in our seminar last week which asked; what would The Three Estates equivalent be in our modern society?

Now, whilst this may look like a simple question, we are in fact dealing with two societies who are governed in slightly different ways. Mohl states in The Three Estates in Medieval and Renaissance Literature that 'in an age of feudalism, class distinctions and class consciousness were matters of first importance.' (p.6) We no longer live in an age where social classes are quite so enforced. Social mobility is rising and whilst there is still a large gap between the rich and the poor, we no longer have such a high regard for nobility or the gentry. This is something to bear in mind when trying to make connections between legal and social system of then and now.

Since The Three Estates typically stand for fighting, working and praying, (pretty simple verbs to work with) it seems as though it would easy to translate these roles into modern society. However, since we currently live in a mostly secular, mobile and safe society, our necessities have changed over the last 400 years or so. Perhaps not terribly so, but still enough for the definitions of these roles to have become blurred over time.

What I have decided to do is break down these ideas into what they contribute instead of what they typicallydo.As Mohl indicates that estates literature typically characterises the estates by 'the dependence of the state upon all three', (p.7) I replaced "work, pray, fight" with "sustenance, salvation, protection". In this manner the estates become easier to identify within our 21st Century British society.

WORK/SUSTENANCE:

Retail and privately owned companies.

Capitalist society.

Generate large sums of money which helps to boost the economy, provides money for the government through tax.

Not any public jobs (teachers, doctors, etc.) who are paid by government means.

These people generate jobs/money/provide clothing and food for society.

FIGHT/PROTECTION:

Military.

Divided by rank and fight for the country to provide safety and security for the citizens.

Revered and held in high esteem by the majority of society.

Tend to get paid well, though typically not as much as would be assumed given their contribution to society and the risk they put on their own lifes.

Typically honourable job and often associated with romance. (Letters to wives and partners from abroad.)

PRAY/SALVATION:

Media and celebrity.

Mostly secular society, no one governing religion.

Faith tends to be placed in media for knowledge, general guidance and rules for social norms.

Celebrity is revered higher than any God tends to be. Assuming the majority of the society is atheist or agnostic.

Media (i.e. books, theatre, film, television) are a means through which to escape the mundane reality of life, or hope that one day things may be different or your life may change.

Now, that is my own personal interpretation and is open to be argued against or criticised. But, if I were to use these to write amodernthree estates literature piece, where would I begin? Well, Mann writes in Chaucer and Medieval Estates Satirethat 'Estates literature depends on and exploits the frameworks known as 'social stereotypes' - the traditional images that make us eager to observe inscrutability in a particular Chinese or astuteness in a particular Jew, because we believe that the Chinese are inscrutable and the Jews astute.' (p.8) This means that one would need to examine the sterotypes attributed to each role and explore why they exist and if they are worthy of such attitudes in order to make a proper modern estates satire. Whilst I will refrain from doing so given that I would be deviating from the topic if I did so, it is worth thinking about: are there certain stereotypes of these "estates" that I have proposed which are untrue, unjustified or simply exaggerated?

[shootingblankspodcast-blog]

Episode One: Janitors, Coke Zero, and Superheroes

On the first episode of what critics are calling, "A podcast," Charlie and Dan weight in on job prospects, the fate of their favorite television show, and their ideal superpowers. Dan also finishes a coke zero. Fun is had by all. 

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