Concepts/Ideas for Literary Journal

Okay I'll get the ball rolling.

I've been watching the documentary series addicted to pleasure and I've found it fascinating how modern life has become about the pursuit of pleasure and in particular Scotland's part in bringing these pleasures (sugar, opium, tobacco and whiskey) to the world in the past 300 years or so. So my idea for a theme is pleasure; the small things that make us smile, the weird highs we seek, guilty pleasures and even withdrawal, denied access to what gives you pleasure.

This is, of course, at the moment a very basic idea and I'd love it if others wanted to expand on it.

My suggestion for the title would be "RUSH" as in a rush of endorphins/emotions associated with pleasure.

Well I think it's best to have a wide topic so that we can all have a bit of creative freedom when it comes to writing stories.

And I'll try to come with an idea or two once I get the rest of this coursework out of the way.

Hey guys!

I wasn't *completely* sure about a theme as of yet but i thought that "Skull" would be a pretty cool name for the journal? Purely because skull designs on clothes etc. seem to be everywhere nowadays, plus the fact the skull is obviously the bony structure which protects the brain, and thus it literally "encapsulates" our imaginations - which is what the journal itself aims to do? This might be a pretty shitty idea but i just thought i'd throw it in anyways ! x

I was thinking that a good idea for the journal could be the concept of old and new/tradition and modernity.

We've seen how 'traditional' forms of literature, like books are slowly being replaced by the 'modern', i.e. ebooks as well as how CDs have been effectively replaced by downloads. Even DVDs are starting to drop in sales as films can be streamed, etc.

We've also seen how the high street is being changed (Comet, HMV, Jessops, Blockbuster, etc have all folded recently) because of the internet, and how socialising has changed substantially with the advent of Facebook, Twitter, etc.

So I guess what I'm saying - in a really long winded way - is that we could base the journal around the idea of old and new/traditional and modern.

This would mean that the scope of stories could be varied, so we could have stories with historical settings, stories with modern settings, stories set in the future, as well as articles (if we decide to go for journalism too) about old and contemporary events.

Anyway, just a thought!

I like the idea of the journal focusing on the theme of power. I think power would be a pertinent theme given the political and socio-economic climate of the day.

I've been reading some Michel Foucault, who believes power is everywhere; power is found in every social interaction, in every institution and label that society places on us.

Power is then, on a micro level, a negotiation between people found in every conversation and interaction we have. If we think about the different ways we act in situations; be they family, friends, work colleagues, academic peers, civil servants, homeless people and so on, we can see that we alter our behaviour when interacting within each group. Foucault's view would be that this is based on our understanding of the labels and positions placed upon everyone in society, that we feel more or less powerful depending on the actors involved.

Anyhoo, I reckon the theme is broad enough that we can expect a great variety in fictional works, it would also allow for non-fiction and poetry.

Sorry guys! I've been awol from the forum it wouldnt let me in and every time i sent away for the email to change my password it would say it had expired! But I'm in now lol.

Sorry again!