Matt Sautman

Matt Sautman

I am a Graduate Fellow and Masters student with a focus in both Teaching of Writing and Literature at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

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    Latest Articles

    Latest Topics

    11
    Published

    The Mythological and Folk Tale Origins of Classic Anime

    Properties like Yu Yu Hakusho and Dragon Ball Z have proven that anime influenced by Eastern myths and folklore can succeed on an international level. While these inspired stories gain fame, their source material often can go unnoticed in the West, or at least not be as well known as the anime itself. The purpose here then is to analyze what these influences are and to relay these influences so that their original stories can gain the notoriety that is due to them.

    • This is a great idea. I'm really curious about the mythology underlying a lot of anime and would love to know more. Some of them are really deep and gnarly, Paranoia Agent by Satoshi Kon for example. – albee 8 years ago
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    • an excellent topic idea! Eastern mythology is so prevalent within anime, more so than I realized when I initially began watching anime. Even very popular/mainstream manga and anime like Naruto is riddled with Japanese folklore that Westerners likely miss entirely. – ees 7 years ago
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    • As a writer with a keen interest in Mythology, both Occidental and Oriental, I think this is a fine idea for a topic. Sadly, many in the West are oblivious to the some of the ancient themes employed in cinematic storytelling (for instance) and far too often there is a stereotypical 'dumbing down' of our archetypes. Anime in particular is one of the Japanese artforms that still draws on mythological themes, which is one reason why I am drawn to it, but you're quite correct when you state that the source material often goes unnoticed in the West. Perhaps a way to approach this would be to draw parallels between similar mythological archetypes found in the East and the West (much as Joseph Campbell did with his studies of the heroic myth). Folklore is a joint heritage and one that we all respond to, albeit usually on the subconscious or even unconscious level. If I weren't busy with my own mythological analysis at the moment, I'd love to take this topic. A big thumbs up from me! – Amyus 7 years ago
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    • One thing with older animes, especially, Yu Yu Hakusho, there was a huge emphasis on feelings. Yusuke could have never became so powerful without getting in touch with his emotions. Buddhism is a big influence, like Dragonball was loosely based off of Journey to the West. – Mikkiravage 7 years ago
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    4

    How Has YouTube transformed Criticism as a Form of Academic Discourse?

    Criticism is often associated with siloed sections of academia. Yet with the advent of YouTubers such as MatPat, Rap Critic, Nostalgia Critic, and Todd in the Shadows, criticism has become more accessible to mass audiences. In choosing YouTube as a primary vehicle of disseminating their criticism, what changes do critics like these bring about to the genre of criticism itself? Is this a form of entertainment? If so, how does this entertainment value alter how this criticism functions? Has this shift made criticism more accessible? This topic seeks to investigate questions such as these to pinpoint the effects YouTube has had on criticism as a form of academic discourse.

    • This is a really interesting, and quite relevant topic for today day and age. I feel as though social media, especially youtube, has a large impact on relaying info back to a audience, and can be quite influential to the people viewing. – jaimen 8 years ago
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    • I feel like the likes of Errant Signal and MrBTongue represent the next step in what the Channel Awesome generation of critics started. Chez Lindsay's evolution from The Nostalgia Chick to her current format puts it in even clearer contrast. – John Wells 8 years ago
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    The Role of Wealth and Poverty in The Great Gatsby

    This topic calls for an analysis of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, specifically in regards to how both wealth and poverty are portrayed within the novel. How do the rich live in East and West Egg as opposed to the poor in the Valley of Ashes? What is implied by this portrayal? What can readers learn from Fitzgerald's portrayal about attitudes about class in the 1920s?

    • Wealth and poverty have always been tangled together in the landscape of the class struggles of the 1920s. The way they are depicted in the novel is a brutal, realistic representation of the realities of the time. – Kaya 8 years ago
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    9

    The Symbolism of Superman

    As a comic book character, few have garnered the notoriety that Superman has. This topic calls for an investigation into the character's history and an investigation into the symbols the character has come to represent over the years. Questions for investigation may include: How has Superman changed over the decades, and why did these changes occur? What type of ideology does Superman best represent?

    • This has been done. Exhaustively. – T. Palomino 2 years ago
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    What can Weeping Angels teach us?

    Since their first appearance on the "Blink" episode of Doctor Who, the alien species known as the Weeping Angels have garnered a large popularity amongst the fanbase that rivals that of series mainstays like the Daleks and the Cyber Men. Instead of asking why the Weeping Angels have managed to acquire such popularity, this topic asks the writer to investigate the symbolism encoded into Weeping Angels. How can a viewer interpret these creatures? What can these interpretations reveal about the viewer's reality? In a sense the topic centers around two key concepts. What are at least some of the possible interpretations and how do these interpretations comment upon the viewers' reality?

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      Latest Comments

      Matt Sautman

      Thank you for your kind words! It’s amazing the multitudes a single game can encompass!

      Are Video Games Worth Studying? (A Literary Perspective)
      Matt Sautman

      Best of luck with it!

      Are Video Games Worth Studying? (A Literary Perspective)
      Matt Sautman

      Learning about historical facts and the processes involved in making history are definitely important.

      A Hidden Racism in American Horror Story: Roanoke
      Matt Sautman

      I think that you could possibly develop that analysis into a larger article. What do the dialogue choices within Fallout 4 communicate about language? What do the changes in options reveal about the game? Maybe it’s do to limited funding or space on the hardware, but I’m sure there is a deeper argument to be made from this observation.

      Are Video Games Worth Studying? (A Literary Perspective)
      Matt Sautman

      Here is to hoping that skepticism goes away within the coming years. Best of luck with your last semester of undergrad!

      Are Video Games Worth Studying? (A Literary Perspective)
      Matt Sautman

      You’re welcome! To people who think that, I’d like to ask them what makes a form of art “adequate” to begin with?

      Are Video Games Worth Studying? (A Literary Perspective)
      Matt Sautman

      It’s powerful whenever students are able to connect their other literacies (such as video game literacy) with new “boring” information. I have brought video games (and board games) into my first year writing classes at various times in order to help explain a concept or to perform a meta-lesson that teaches multiple things at once. One of my favorites involved me performing a walkthrough of Half-Life 2’s City 17 while my students were practicing spatial analysis and asking questions about the things they observed.

      Are Video Games Worth Studying? (A Literary Perspective)
      Matt Sautman

      I touched on some literary theories specifically, i.e. the abject and post-colonialism, but I think it would be useful to apply specific theories as accompanying case studies to further develop this. It would also be interesting investigating literacy theories in regard to video games- something that Shanon Carter does within The Way Literacy Lives, but could be investigated even further.

      Are Video Games Worth Studying? (A Literary Perspective)