Here we go again! Another class - and my last one (shock!) - and another one where I'm doing field notes about what we're reading in the class: my thoughts, feelings, mini analysis, and how it all applies to my academics and the world around me. I've got this!
I started off the semester, like I usually do, reading a book ahead for the semester because it makes my life easier balancing grad school and a full-time job. Yellowface was not what I expected, to say the least. And, I kind of have two steams of thought going on about the book: an academic analysis stream and a personal feelings stream.
Let's start with the academic jumble of thoughts.
In keeping with the theme of the class which is about - in very broad strokes - literary creations of the mind as an artificial act, I noticed a pattern of the characters in Yellowface impersonating, or disguising themselves as the dead Athena Liu. The digital spheres of Twitter and Instagram are being used by others to disguise themselves as Athena's ghost to terrorize Juniper into confronting her guilt and questioning her own reality.
Example #1 - Geoff uses the Twitter handle @AthenaLiusGhost to rouse the Twitterverse into harassing and attacking Juniper because he is trying to out her for stealing Athena's work and publishing The Last Front without acknowledging Athena's contribution or initial authorship of it.
Example #2 - Candice (questionable in itself) activates Athena's old Instagram account that was deactivated after her death and starts posting creepily altered photos of Athena and targeting Juniper again to terrorize her into admitting her guilt over the publication of The Last Front and Mother Witch.
In both examples, people who are not Athena are using the digital spaces of social media to artificially disguise themselves and impersonate the dead Athena. This is all very questionable and morally hazy. What right do either Geoff or Candice have to think that it is okay to impersonate a dead person with the specific goal to try and get Juniper to admit to plagiarism?
Another example of this Athena-in-disguise situation is when Juniper confronts Diana Qiu in the street and accuses her of being the one who has been stalking and digitally harassing her. Juniper's reality is so warped with guilt and grief at this point that as the confrontation takes place, the layers of the artificially imposed image/disguise of Athena onto Diana become reality and fall away to reveal the truth that Diana was not a part of it at all.
Obviously, Juniper also does her own disguising herself as Athena with the writing and publishing of the books. Juniper eventually confronts her own issues - not in a good way though - and spins it to still make herself out to be the victim. Juniper also does the work of sleuthing out and confronting both Geoff and Candice in the real world. Their digital impersonations were untouchable due to the relative anonymity of social media, but in reality, Juniper is able to control the situation with Geoff, and only eventually finds a way to get the better of Candice with a future plan to play the victim again.
This whole pattern of artificial disguise was an interesting thread to follow through the book and look at examples. The biggest question from it being: Is it ethical or moral to impersonate a dead person in a digital space where there is little to no accountability to the harm you are doing to that person's image or legacy and other people you may be trying to hurt?
Now, my personal feelings assessment is much less analytical.
I personally struggled with this book. While I couldn't put it down, I did find that I had some very visceral reactions to it. First, I am a rule follower, so the fact that Juniper plagiarizes her dead friend's book and pass it off as her own really rubbed me the wrong way. I could NEVER.
I am fully aware that rules are these arbitrary things that were made up by society to facilitate a certain social order, but to just flagrantly disobey them as Juniper does because she is jealous and wants the fame is intense! And then to stick to her guns about it the authenticity! I... just... I struggled to have any sympathy for her character. Which I guess might be sort of the point. There will be those readers who support what she did: "It was different enough, as she explained." But I am definitely a detractor. I can't relate to the situation.
I can see the avenue in which Juniper did what she did and believes what she has done is in the best interest of the art and Athena's legacy - but I just would have never put myself in that position in the first place. Again, I can't relate to the situation.
Maybe this book needs to sit with me more.
Maybe I need to hear more about it from my classmates.
Maybe I'll look at it differently.
Maybe...
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