{"id":9347,"date":"2008-05-24T15:36:47","date_gmt":"2008-05-24T20:36:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/2008\/05\/24\/synecdoche-schenectady-and-serendi"},"modified":"2011-08-05T14:53:27","modified_gmt":"2011-08-05T18:53:27","slug":"synecdoche-schenectady-and-serendipity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/2008\/05\/24\/synecdoche-schenectady-and-serendipity\/","title":{"rendered":"synecdoche & schenectady (and serendipity)"},"content":{"rendered":"

A <\/strong><\/em>headline in the print<\/em> edition of this morning’s Schenectady Daily Gazette<\/em> got me thinking about the words “synecdoche<\/em><\/a>” and “Schenectady<\/a>” (and, eventually, serendipity<\/a>). The Gazette<\/em> headline was “Kaufman’s debut as director plays off name of Schenectady<\/em><\/a>: ‘Synecdoche, N.Y<\/em>.’<\/a> screened at Cannes Film Festival” (May 24, 2008). The Associated Press article by David Germain is running under various headlines across the nation and world, typically “`Malkovich’ writer Kaufman makes directing debut<\/a>” (May 23 & 24, 2008). The online version of our other local newspaper, the Albany Times Union<\/em>, today captioned the AP story ‘Synecdoche’ has some local ties<\/a>.”<\/p>\n

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<\/a> “Synecdoche, New York<\/em>” Cast at Cannes [Lionel Cironneau \/AP<\/a>] From left, British actress Samantha Morton, American actors Michelle Williams, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Catherine Keener. For more on the movie, see the May 23rd Cannes Festival Clip of the Day<\/a>, which features the film; and its Cannes Festival details\/synopsis<\/a> page.<\/p>\n

The Cannes Synopsis<\/a>: says the main character Caden Cotard (who directs plays) is worried about the transience of life, and directs his cast “in a celebration of the mundane.” Thoughts of transience and the importance of everyday occurrences and objects are also celebrated in haiku, of course, but the movie probably has no particular attraction otherwise for haiku lovers such as myself, beyond our natural intellectual curiosity. On the other hand, reviewer Wendy Ide, in The Independent<\/em><\/a>, notes that “At times it feels more like a suicide note than a movie.” So, maybe it will appeal to the haiku crowd that likes “Japanese Death Poems<\/a><\/em>.” (examples<\/a> at Salon.com<\/em>)<\/p>\n

For now, not having seen the movie, I’m going to stick to the words synecdoche and Schenectady, etc.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The City of Schenectady, NY<\/a>, plays a part in the movie, because the main character lives in Schenectady as the movie opens (see the Cannes Synopsis<\/a>; and see reviews at the Cinematical<\/em> weblog<\/a>, and Times Online<\/em><\/a> and The Independent<\/em><\/a>). It is possible that the character’s bleak life and struggle to find meaning also mirrors the fortunes of the struggling City of Schenectady, which was the once-thriving home of GE<\/a>. Of course, Schenectady may also play a part merely because Kaufman was looking for a title that plays off his synecdoche theme.<\/p>\n

The word synecdoche means<\/a> “substituting a more inclusive term for a less inclusive one or vice versa.” As the American Heritage Dictionary<\/em> explains, giving examples:<\/p>\n

synecdoche<\/a><\/em>: n. A figure of speech in which a part is used for the whole (as hand for sailor), the whole for a part (as the law for police officer), the specific for the general (as cutthroat for assassin), the general for the specific (as thief for pickpocket), or the material for the thing made from it (as steel for sword). [read its etymology here<\/a>;]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It would be great if lots of people get to know the synecdoche concept, thanks to this movie — particularly, if it gets them to think about why we choose to use a particular word in a particular situation, instead of a more precise word or phrase. So far, that does not seem to be what is happening. The emphasis has been on the much more superficial issue of how to pronounce the word. This being a holiday weekend, I’m going to stick with superficiality.<\/p>\n

<\/a> According to the AP, the director and cast were flooded with questions at Cannes about the film’s themes and its title — especially how to pronounce it. Director-screenwriter Charlie Kaufman said that with Synecdoche, NY<\/em>, “People will learn to pronounce another word, and that’s always good, right?” Judging from the reaction in the media and in cyberspace, that outcome might not be as easy as Kaufman thinks. For example:<\/p>\n