(Photo of Croagh Patrick, Ireland) "The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth." (Psalm 145:18)
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Introduction:

My photo
Current: Danbury, CT, United States
Welcome! A few years ago, I discovered an application that artists employ in their works to bring cultural awareness to their audiences. Having discerned this semiotic theory that applies to literature, music, art, film, and the media, I have devoted the blog, "Theory of Iconic Realism" to explore this theory. The link to the publisher of my book is below. If you or your university would like a copy of this book for your library or if you would like to review it for a scholarly journal, please contact the Edwin Mellen Press at the link listed below. Looking forward to hearing from you!

Announcements

I will present or have presented research on Sydney Owenson (Lady Morgan) or my semiotic theory of iconic realism at the following location(s):

2023-2024: I will be researching and writing my third book on iconic realism.

April 2022: American Conference for Irish Studies, virtual event: (This paper did not discuss Sydney Owenson.) "It’s in the Air: James Joyce’s Demonstration of Cognitive Dissonance through Iconic Realism in His Novel, Ulysses"

October, 2021: Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, CT: "Sydney Owenson’s use of sociolinguistics and iconic realism to defend marginalized communities in 19th century Ireland"

March, 2021: Lenoir-Rhyne University, Hickory, North Carolina: "Sydney Owenson (Lady Morgan): A Nineteenth Century Advocate for Positive Change through Creative Vision"

October, 2019: Elms College, Chicopee, Massachusetts: "A Declaration of Independence: Dissolving Sociolinguistic Borders in the Literature of Sydney Owenson (Lady Morgan)"

18 December, 2016

Bicycle Dreams

This photo was from a former "Poetry Jam" exercise. I thought it would be appropriate today, for we're about to receive a few inches of snow tonight. Perhaps, my own bicycle is having a few 'dreams' like these: 


Bicycle Dreams

Frozen flakes,
each one different from the next
tumble gently 
to fulfill their divine calling
reforming this landscape
into a wintry haven,
providing a cooling respite
for parked bicycles
which dream 
of the fun in the rolling 
through those good ol'
steamy 
'dog days' of summer. 


© Jeanne I. Lakatos

11 October, 2016

Civil Revolution






From my book: 

In Sydney Owenson’s national tales, she weaves together threads of disenfranchisement and enchantment, captures the essence of the politically inspired Romantic era, in which the grand is intentionally written to be grander, where literary characterizations entwine with political forces within a civil society. The English aristocracy and the publishing community accept Owenson as a significant member of their elite societies through her writing and marriage to Sir Charles Morgan. She becomes ‘Lady Morgan’ while remaining loyal to her Irish roots as Sydney Owenson. Her loyalty to both identities serves her expressive purposes well, for she carefully coordinates these unique influences into her text by merging the English tale of aristocratic inheritance with Irish ideology. 

03 October, 2016

From my Operetta, Luminescence: Rhododendron (Dark Thoughts of Anne Sexton)


There exists a balance of positive and negative in life, and in my operetta, Luminescence, I address this through the spirit voice of Anne Sexton and her associated flower, Rhododendron.

                                                     Photo from the site: Summerhillgardencentre.co.uk



Rhododendron: Dark Thoughts
(from my operetta, Luminescence)

From the corner of the garden,
a fierce wind buffets 
branches of the Rhododendron.
Now enters the looming danger 
of love’s despair.

Begonia, Narcissus,
and Southernwood
all bode a feeling of lost love
in the midst of this glorious
locus amoenus.

Anne whispers: 
Rhododendron is my flower’s name,
I bring dark thoughts
into this world of fragrance.
I make the lives of my seed
and the surrounding seeds
suffer as I do.

Man has attached meaning 
to our nature, proclaiming
that we ignore
the pleas of the world
within our hearts, 
so we suffer association
with the human frailties:
egotism, ultimate ruin, evil. 

But here in this garden, I see: 
The beauty in our lives
does surround us,
even in our darkest moments,
even in those isolated
hours of despair.

© Jeanne I. Lakatos

23 September, 2016

An American Civil War Quilt Poem

Below is a narrative poem that I wrote around 1996
in which I used the American Civil War as its theme.

  A nine-patch quilt, hand-quilted by me

Two Tiny, Nine-Patch Doll Quilts
A tiny, nine-patch doll quilt
lay upon a tiny bed
made especially for Maggie Mae
the year her family fled
from all those scornful Yankees,
who were running through their town
setting homes and lives afire
causing Southern hopes to drown.

A tiny, nine-patch doll quilt
lay upon a tiny crib
made especially for Ellie Sue
the summer when her nib
was loosened from her pen in hand
as the Rebels fired loud
and soon her family stood in fear
with the other Gettysburg crowd.

Two tiny, nine-patch doll quilts
heard two tiny prayers say,
“Dear Lord, please let our battled lands
be placed within Your peaceful stay,
and help our families change their hate
to blessings filled with love.
Then, all of us will recognize
Your blessings from above.”

Two tattered, nine-patch doll quilts
lie in honorable view
for each is cherished dearly
by descendants of the two
who saw their lives so clearly
pass through war’s destructive side
for one hundred years of prayer brought
a Rebel son his Yankee bride.

© Jeanne I. Lakatos 

13 September, 2016

The Shy One

The poem below deals with a childhood hurdle that eventually led me to grow in confidence: the family tag of 'the shy one.' 



The Shy One

“Jeanne is the shy one,”
explained Mom 
when she introduced 
my siblings and me
to someone new
we happened to meet.
My tag was sewn,
identified and neat.

But I really wasn’t terribly shy
as indicated by Mother.
I simply loved to scrutinize
and exercise prudence
in dealing with those others.

A curse back then.
But now I understand;
my pensive ‘flaws’
were precious gifts
of a Higher command.

Indeed, this shy one
has fervently grown,
for my interactions
delicately honed,
pensive and discreet,
have led me to compete
and thereby complete
some absolutely marvelous feats.

© Jeanne I. Lakatos

01 September, 2016

Crickets in Love

Cherishing the final weeks of summer, below, is a little poem I wrote on the soothing sound of crickets in love under the moon's light. Enjoy! 



Crickets in Love

Suspended 
sound waves
fill the senses
echoing harmonics
soothe 
reverberate
through chambers
of hearts
pulsating rhythms
intricate gestalt

© Jeanne I. Lakatos

from lifeandberyl.blogspot.com

25 May, 2016

Patriotic Sketches





I took this photo of a plaque dedicated to Sydney Swenson (Lady Morgan). 
It's located on Kildare Street, Dublin, Ireland, 
where she lived for a while in the early  19th century. 


In her book, Patriotic Sketches of Ireland (1807), Sydney Owenson observes political philosophy in the following manner:

...an extension of the mind’s eye to the whole great scale of civil society, and demonstrating the close-linked dependencies of its remotest parts, affords to the benevolence of the human heart, and the comprehension of the human understanding, a social system, gratifying to the feelings of the one, and ennobling to the faculties of the other. (Owenson, 33) 

Here, she illumines her reading audience with the possibilities of revolution through elevation of human consciousness. Particularly, she mentions "benevolence of the human heart." Currently, we need to focus on the strength found between each heartbeat, that electro-magnetic force that guides the human mind. As I make my decision of the right person who will be the leader of the Executive Branch of the United States and Commander in Chief of the U.S. armed forces, I will be observing which candidate has demonstrated the qualities found in the truest human heart. That person won't be perfect. No one is. However, that person will be one who is willing to uphold the U.S. Constitution and will be protective of each human heartbeat, even those who are the most vulnerable: a true patriotic servant, who is willing to be "ennobling to the faculties of the other."



04 May, 2016

The Revolution Within

"We become capable of imaginatively, curiously, 'stepping back' from ourselves- from the life we lead- and of disposing ourselves to 'know about it.' The moment comes when we not only live, but begin to know, that we are living- hence it is possible for us to know that we know, and therefore to know that we could do more." ~ Paulo Freire

When we walk along life's path, eventually, we acknowledge that creative ground which supports our steps. Occasionally, we need to clear the way of debris, 'lead ourselves not into temptation' (distraction) as we accommodate the footing that moves us forward. Fortitude emerges with the recognition that we have the power to adjust, adapt, attempt, achieve, affect.  We evolve; we make a difference.