Even more models for personal narrative project

Here’s another Onion commentary, this one written from the perspective of a raccoon that would like to enter your house: http://www.theonion.com/articles/come-on-just-open-the-door-and-let-me-in-this-once,30359/. It uses the same format as the duck piece, which is the format after which I plan to model my project. The newspaper-like appearance of these commentaries establishes a sense of authority and professionalism, regardless of how silly the concept actually is. I might read a few more of these to get a better sense of voice and character possibilities for cat.

More models for personal narrative project

I’m no expert on art, though I’ve taken enough art history courses that I can at least talk obnoxiously about some paintings. Still, I think it’s wise to study up on art critics and their approach to analyzing work, so: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-knight-warhol-review-20141002-column.html#page=1. Christopher Knight — unfortunately not the Christopher Knight who played Peter in “The Brady Bunch” (“Pork chops and applesauce.”) — is an art critic for the Los Angeles Times. Mostly, I’ll be reading his critiques with an eye for his use of language and how he chooses to deconstruct a painting.

Models for personal narrative project

I’ve always enjoyed The Onion’s commentary section, and I want to do something similar — both in tone and format — for my personal narrative project, which is why I’m writing two paragraphs about this post: http://www.theonion.com/articles/ive-been-having-some-pretty-fuckedup-bread-thought,32180/. My idea is called “Cat on Art.” I plan to use a headshot of a cat (as seen in most commentaries), an embedded or linked photo of a particular painting and text “written” by the cat. It will look similar to this Onion story about a duck that’s been having some pretty sordid thoughts about bread.

The tone of this piece, as well as just about any Onion commentary written from an animal’s perspective, really appeals to me. I love the idea that certain elements of an animal’s personality can be humanized — a human-like conscience, embarrassment and a tendency to second-guess. I also love how those human-like qualities are juxtaposed with characteristics that are distinct to non-human animals. That sort of dichotomy lends itself to many different creative angles. My idea is for Cat to begin each post with the intention of providing a thoughtful and thorough analysis of a panting; as each post progresses, Cat will unknowingly drift away from that intention, instead ranting about her life and how certain aspects of a painting illustrate or remind her of that life.