Memo to the 2007 Class Council: The sophomore summer opening address was actually a great idea, and Gina Barreca '79 was an entertaining speaker, but you have got to do something about the design of those t-shirts that were handed out to attendees. Unless you were envisioning us all signing each others' backs in true "Camp Dartmouth" style, the plain white just doesn't cut it. But all design flaws aside, the program was surprisingly worthwhile and well-attended for a hot June afternoon. All the speakers seemed relaxed and interested in holding the audience's attention. Thus, the event easily established a new tradition while raising some questions about life at Dartmouth.
Particularly good and thought-provoking was Barreca's keynote address, "Surviving Hanover." In a wide-ranging speech that used her recent personal history of co-education, "Babes in Boyland," as a starting point, she described her experiences as an undergraduate 30 years ago and discussed her life since. The overarching theme seemed to be that Dartmouth, and sophomore summer in particular, should be a time when we can laugh out loud. And Barreca's speech was certainly funny, as she is a renowned humor writer. But her use of humor highlights an interesting paradox. The 200 or so members of the Class of 2007 at the lecture only listened to her clearly feminist discussion so attentively because Barreca made us laugh, but the very flippancy that made her approachable also made her seem less of a scholar and more of a comedian.
The content of Prof. Barreca's lecture included a lengthy description of arriving at Dartmouth in 1975 and her initial feelings of alienation. An Italian from Brooklyn, she felt that everything about her, from her name to her hair to her clothes, was different from the madras-clad prep-school alums that populated the campus. She also discussed the strides that have been made by college-age women since, as well as the set-backs. Barreca went into tangents that gave away feminine secrets, attacked the message of popular music, and distinguished between the way men and women view humor. While some of her references were dated -- our generation sees Blazing Saddles as a classic by the guy who made Spaceballs, but not necessarily a must-own DVD -- they were still accessible, and contributed to the favorable student reaction reported in The Dartmouth ("Barreca '79 delivers first summer address," June 28).
To some extent, Barreca's speech probably resonated more with women then with men. Her imitation of the sing-song cadences of the hesitant freshwoman was perfect, as were her examples of the laughs of women in same-sex and co-ed situations. Both speak to the larger theme of the social pressures faced by women, even today on a college campus filled with academically confident women. One could easily imagine Charlotte Simmons asking her professor whether feminist theory classes would prevent her from getting a date, or a Dartmouth version of the protagonist of "Chloe Does Yale" using the "it is a small college, but there are those who love it," line as the genesis of a column in much the same way Barreca uses it as the basis of a comic riff.
However, this, in a sense, was the problem, if not with Barreca's lecture, with the necessity of humor to getting her point across. For all their vaunted social criticism, "I Am Charlotte Simmons" and "Chloe Does Yale" are novels, while Barreca's memoir and persona are more scholarly. The fact that she had to resort to the same sort of bawdy humor as a twenty-something Yale grad speaks both to her ability to relate to undergrads but also to the reluctance of some in this post-feminist age to seriously consider issues of gender relations and equality. The surprise with which the association of feminism with humor was greeted is also interesting. The Dartmouth quotes Amanda Rosenblum '07 as saying that "Everybody in the audience was so relieved and happy that this speech would be funny and enjoyable." While I admit that during the lecture I too was relieved that this would not be yet another dull lecture, it does not speak well of our modern generation when a discussion of equality has to be funny to be taken seriously. It is also not heartening that modern feminism can be seen as something devoid of humor. Dartmouth women may no longer be co-hogs, but we haven't completely conquered, or at least neutralized, "Boyland" yet.
All is not doom and gloom, however, and sophomore summer can still be filled with laughter of all types. The opening address was a fine start to the term, and Barreca's speech, despite the questions it raised about modern perspectives on feminism, was an enjoyable way to spend a lazy afternoon. I sincerely hope the Class of 2008 has as accomplished and entertaining keynote speaker next year. And, of course, that they have better T-shirts.
