MEET BAKHTIN!
Carnivalesque Explained!
Carnivalesque Things Bakhtin Liked (That We Like Too!)
Imagination
The phrase 'using your imagination' means to think creatively of things that do not currently exist. When you use your imagination you might be thinking of a story, a drawing, an image, or new ideas! Your imagination can take you to places you have never been before: in fact, it can can take you anywhere you'd like to go!
When you use your imagination, what do you like to think of?
When looking for books Bakhtin would have liked, or Carnivalesque books, we look for books that have...
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silliness
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imagination
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freedom in actions
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wonder
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things that are out of the ordinary
Click on the picture to learn about Alice: Through the Looking Glass!
Freedom
Freedom means to feel liberated, or released, from worry, anger, oppression, and judgment from other people. Being free is being able to express yourself. Bakhtin liked to see freedom in books as people laughing, being silly, relaxed, and free from responsibility.
Can you think of a time when you felt free?
Why do we call it Carnivalesque?
Bakhtin was fascinated by medieval carnivals. He loved to see the freedom of expression and creativity at the carnivals, and he loved to hear laughter and people having fun! Carnivals have lots of colors, people wearing silly costumes, freedom of expression, and fun games. Lots of 'out of the ordinary' things happen at carnivals, things you would not do or see on a normal day (such as a man walking on stilts!) If you saw the movie The Hunchback of Notre Dame, you most likely remember the carnival Bakhtin surely would have loved.
Things that are out of the ordinary
Bakhtin loved things that were out of the ordinary, especially unique actions, thoughts, words, and ideas. Bakhtin enjoyed thinking thoughts and forming ideas that no one else had thought of yet. He found out of the ordinary things, or unique things, to be liberating or freeing. In other words, Bakhtin would encourage you to think outside of the box!
What does the phrase 'out of the ordinary' mean to you? Can you think of a book or story where out of the ordinary things happen?
The picture to the right is from the carnival scene in The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Here we see dogs walking people, rather than people walking dogs! Bakhtin surely would have found this picture funny & carnivalesque because dogs walking people is out of the ordinary.
