Attention !

Medusa in culture

(Medusa c. 1618 Peter Paul Rubens, Medusa: Solving the Mystery of the Gorgon - Stephen Wilk, Medusa On Her Throne Reza Sedhi, Female Rage: Unlocking Its Secrets, Claiming Its Power - Mary Valentis and Anne Devane, Medusa c. 1640 Gian Lorenzo Bernini, The Laugh of the Medusa - Helene Cixous, Medusa Robin Isley)

Tabula Rasa

Noun

[tab-yuh-luh rah-suh, -zuh, rey-]

1. a mind not yet affected by experiences, impressions, etc.

2. anything existing undisturbed in its original pure state.

Origin: In Latin tabula rasa means “erased tablet, a tablet rubbed clean (of writing).” Tabula has many meanings: “flat board, plank, table, notice board, notice, game board, public document, deed, will.” For schoolchildren the schoolmaster’s command Manum dē tabulā “Hand(s) off the tablet!” meant “Pencils down!” Rasa is the past participle of radere “to scrape, scratch, shave, clip.” The inside surfaces of a folded wooden tablet were raised along the edges and filled with wax for writing. The wax could be erased by smoothing with the blunt end of a stylus (more correctly stilus) or by mild heat. The Latin phrase is a translation of Greek pinakìs ágraphos “tablet with nothing written on it, blank tablet,” from Aristotle’s De Anima (Greek Perì Psychês, “On the Soul): “What it [the mind] thinks must be in it just as characters may be said to be on a writing tablet (pinakìs) on which nothing is yet actually written (ágraphos).” Tabula rasa entered English in the 16th century.

“The alarm wakes him, and he opens his eyes to a new day. He feels rested, reset, a tabula rasa.” - Lisa Genova, Inside The O'Briens, 2015

the dark academia girl

her body is always slightly bent to the side from being used to carry her leather satchel, heavy with books and notes

passes notes to her friends in latin during class to avoid being caught by the teacher

spends her evenings wrapped up in a fuzzy blanket drinking chamomile tea and reading ancient greek philosophy

can recite stabat mater by heart

quotes philosophers in her essays without actually specifying it's a quote

sneaks red wine in a thermos at school

has lent tsh to all her friends, encouraging them to annotate it

has engraved "pulvis et umbra sumus" on the stone of her school building

is excited beyond reason for duolingo latin

has named her roomba "alyosha"

wears very low heels/flats but can and will run after her bus in stilletos if need be

has pierced ears but rarely ever wears earrings

collects old books

is a grandma in terms of operating electronic devices

uses old books as a means of holding coffee/tea cups

Our Wish for the End, Me, Digital Collage, 2020

dark academia is:

the secrets of life hidden in the vastness of the universe

finding the special moments amongst the silence in the library and in the velvet pressed against your cheek

feel the blood course through your veins

carrying adrenaline with every turn of events

empty mugs of better black coffee

cutting their hair and painting angels during their free time

androgynous scholars with a fascination for the mystic and philosophers from ancient times

Resources masterpost

Witnessing French:

Websites, social media

Online courses in French

French subreddits

Fanfictions

Buzzfeed

Improving your:

Pronunciation

Speaking

Things to listen to:

Music

Podcasts

Radio stations

TED talks

Things to read:

Graphic novels/comics

News

Ebooks + quizzes (by me)

Short stories

Vikidia - kids’ Wikipedia

Things to watch:

Cartoons

Kids shows

Imago TV - free activist Netflix

The Simpsons the movie

True crime

TV programs - sci-fi shows, travelling, etc.

Youtubers

Extra:

Antidote 10 + BonPatron - Grammarly equivalents

Conjugation by le Nouvel Obs

Deepl - very good at translating sentences/expressions

Forbo - natives pronouncing things

Lexicity - about Ancien/Moyen Français

Lingolden - Chrome extension that teaches vocabulary

Linguo.tv (french videos + subtitles)

Reverso - very good alternative to Google translation (single words)

Wordreference - very complete translation website (expressions)

Bacchanale, 1871, Lawrence Alma-Tadema

Medium: oil,canvas

My art history teacher is like "there were ZERO women artists during the renaissance well there was Sofonisba but that's it" and I'm STEAMING bc there WERE more female artists during the Renaissance and I KNOW this bc I spent hours researching women artists in the Renaissance so I could figure out what to name my girl ninja turtle oc when I was 11

@halfbloodsnet​ quest # 0 : godly parents [greek goddess of wisdom, handicraft, and warfare: athena]

the most beautiful words in the english language

ineffable — indescribable, unspeakable

eudaemonia — the state of consummate happiness

sumptuous — extremely costly, luxurious, magnificent

nadir — the lowest point (of something abstract)

lassitude —tiredness, lack of energy

scintilla — a spark or a trace of something

aurora — the dawn

quintessential — perfectly typical or representative of a particular kind of person or thing

renaissance — revival

bodacious — remarkable, admirable

ebullience — the quality of excitement and enthusiasm