Word: subtext
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...they have much less question about his nerve. His prosecution of the war sent a message even to those who disagree with him that he will do whatever he thinks it takes to keep the country safe. All his attention on Kerry's shifting votes is less substance than subtext: Where's the guy's spine? When Bush uses "Steady leadership in times of change" as the tag line on his new ads, it suggests that a President who likes to talk about results would now rather focus on reflexes, maybe because when it comes to finding Saddam's weapons...
BOOKS: A novel dares us to fall for a misanthrope; art-world tales are back, and the subtext...
...Justin and Janet did us a favor. They spelled out the subtext of the game and its surrounding culture. A culture that tells young men they can't formulate a thought deeper than "Show us your tits." A culture that pushes young women to put out for the market, then ridicules them when they do. A culture swinging between cynical sex-sells greed and moral parentalism. A culture obsessed by, and terrified of, a human organ that gives sustenance to babies. And a culture that apparently can't tell the difference between contextually appropriate nudity and a rape fantasy...
...narrative point of view shifts among all the aforementioned characters and a few more, but each is given only the most perfunctory motivations, and their emotions lack subtext, perhaps because of the large number of people involved. Chevalier does a nice job of evoking the physical conditions of the era--the muddy roads and poorly lit, dank rooms--and her descriptions of the weaving process are interesting without getting overly technical. The Lady and the Unicorn is satisfying in its familiarity, but ultimately it feels less rewarding than Pearl Earring, mostly because we've seen the technique before. --By Michele...
Observing the subtext of our ordinary conversations may lead to surprising and sometimes troubling revelations. Maybe we complain too much. Maybe we ask questions without really concerning ourselves with the answers. Maybe it turns out that everyone we know talks exactly the same way for some reason. But such observation also lends the possibility of expansion. Since I began to reconsider the boundaries of my own conversations, I’ve been able to talk with my friend at Boston College for a matter of hours, instead of minutes. I’ve found myself deeply engaged while talking...