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Cat in the Rain by Jenny Lee

Cat in the Rain by Jenny Lee.  This is the one that changed everything.  With this Power Point Presentation - the Illuminated Text was born.

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The Iron Youth: An Illuminated Text of All Quiet on the Western Front

An animation on the horrors of war as seen through the eyes of Paul Baumer - beautifully rendered by Monica Villegas.

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An Illuminated Text of Hemingway's "Cross Country Snow"

This Illuminated Text by Alyssa Bivins is one of the most creative, warm, and appropriately funny that can be found on this site.  It hits all…

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Once Upon a Time There Was a Boy:A History of Love Illuminated Text

There is so much in this incredible animation of Nicole Krauss's book that watching it may make you giddy - giddy with the joy of art…

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Different Names for Snow: An Illuminated Text of The House on Mango Street

This presentation by Mike Kenny begins with a bringing together of text about snow, clouds, and names. The clouds become names in a seamless and powerful…

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The Butterfly: An Illuminated Text of All Quiet on the Western Front

This presentation takes the excerpt where Paul describes the beautiful scenery around the front. I went from there to juxtapose the butterflies in the novel with…

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Deadly Progression: An Illuminated Text of John Gardner's Grendel

Sometimes it is hard to determine whether the best of these Illuminated Texts belong in a Literature Class or an Art Class - and this presentation…

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I Have Begun my Own Quiet War: A House on Mango Street Illuminated Text

This Illuminated Text shows the power of Adobe Flash by having the words appear as though they are being typed - perfect, given the idea of…

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No Cause Without an Effect: An Illuminated Text of Candide

This wonderful Illuminated Text is nothingless than a map of cause and effect.  The words, the text, follows the trail on the screen - the footprints…

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Mercy?: A Flash Illuminated Text on Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon

Powerful, forceful, and moving -- this Illuminated Text is built around Pilate's entrance into her granddaughter's wake -- and the journey that Hagar has gone…

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An Illuminated Text of Hemingway's "Big Two-Hearted River"

A very powerful story is translated into a very powerful Illuminated Text.  They  tried to set up a context for Nick's catharsis by making the…

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The Universal Edibility Test: An Illuminated Text of The History of Love

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You are hereIlluminated Texts: The History of Love

Illuminated Texts: The History of Love


Illuminated Texts on Nicole Krauss's novel, The History of Love.

Once upon a time there was a boy

a boy, a girl, and a heart[There is so much in this incredible Illuminated Text that watching it may make you giddy - giddy with the joy of art that went into creating it; giddy with the appreciation of the artist, Monica Villegas, who created it (not to mention the original text, The History of Love, from which it was derived).  Again, it is interesting to see the entire genre of Illuminated Text so influenced by one presentation - here pictures and animation are essential to the message of the Illuminated

Full text, downloads, and audio available to registered users with 50 points (Letterman).  An uploaded original lesson or Illuminated Text is worth 50 points.

partner1: 
Monica Villegas

The Universal Edibility Test: An Illuminated Text of Nicole Krauss's The History of Love

yellow flower[There are some Illuminated Texts that can stand alone - even without any knowledge of the work that is being illuminated, and they still blow you away - this is one of those presentations.  It focuses on Alma (the younger) and her attempts to survive in a world that seem bent on, if not defeating her, getting in the way of her life.  The animations are inspired, the music, the time, the movement -- everything makes this one of the best Illuminated Texts on the site. JRS]

Full text, downloads, and audio available to registered users with 50 points (Letterman).  An uploaded original lesson or Illuminated Text is worth 50 points.

partner1: 
Carolyn Isaacson

Laughing & Crying & Writing & Waiting: An Illuminated Text on The History of Love

a water-stained letter[Wow! To keep their focus where they want it - the font is blue - love is in red and beats like a heart.  All of the text and font choices not only explicate what is going on - they are simply beautiful.  The word "writing" becomes a pen and as their presentation says, "without Alma there is no book."  The entire presentation is touching without being sentimental - an outstanding presentation.  The wonderful thing (one of them) about these projects is that students - when they want to present an effect (like the pen writing) - teach themselves (or goto YouTube where 100's of lessons on Flash are available) how to do it. JRS]

Full text, downloads, and audio available to registered users with 50 points (Letterman).  An uploaded original lesson or Illuminated Text is worth 50 points.

partner1: 
Natalie Jeung
partner2: 
Feon Chow

A Ruined Book: A History of Love Illuminated Text by Simon Huyn and Drew Johnson

a decayed and burnt bookIt is hard to use a song with lyrics as background music, but the students here really pull it off.  The music is so closely linked to what they are doing with the text -- and they were so careful with the timing that it really does compliment what is going on in their Illuminated Text.  And there is a lot going on -- the central metaphor and background image of a decayed book serves the moving text and intricate fonts well in telling the story

Full text, downloads, and audio available to registered users with 50 points (Letterman).  An uploaded original lesson or Illuminated Text is worth 50 points.

It was my love that named her: An Illuminated Text of Nicole Krauss's The History of Love

pigeons sitting on a park benchI am always amazed when two different groups focus on the same part of text, or theme, when doing an Illuminated Text -- and they turn out completely different and give the viewer completely different insights.  This presentation by Kristen Browning and Michelle Chierra examines that last part of the book where Leo sits on the park bench waiting for the young Alma.  The students use a wonderful photo to capture the mood -- along with thoughtfully timed piano music, and of course the words - that float, move, and flutter like the pigeons that surround Leo.  In the end -- the picture -- and the thoughts fade to black.  A wonderful presentation.

Full text, downloads, and audio available to registered users with 50 points (Letterman).  An uploaded original lesson or Illuminated Text is worth 50 points.

The First Language was Gestures: An Illuminated Text on The History of Love

the hand signal for I love youElizabeth Mucha and Debra Chin have created an Illluminated Text that not only informs -- it moves.  There are certain books that lend themselves to this genre and Nicole Krauss's novel, is one of them without a doubt.  The words the author uses are precise and echo upon themselves throughout the book.  The creators of this presentation use those qualities and focus solely on the words: no pictures -- just text.  They concentrate on one of the ideas from the "book within the book," The History of Love.  A black font on parchment paper -- and the words about gestures and love and its inherent fragility move and change color across the screen in a way that makes it all new and fresh - a kind of meta-meta-text.

Full text, downloads, and audio available to registered users with 50 points (Letterman).  An uploaded original lesson or Illuminated Text is worth 50 points.

Once upon a Time: An Illuminated Text of Nicole Krauss's History of Love

a house on a hillThe word boy turns into an animation of a boy - a girl moves across the screen. These two authors create the perfect fairy tale to illustrate their specific thesis from The History of Love.  The boy cries and the years tick off.  There is so much that is wonderful and good about this Illuminated Text - when we watched it in class it wowed the entire audience - and it does exactly what a good presentation shoud do - it shows us something that we may not have caught in our first reading and has us see it in a new light.

Full text, downloads, and audio available to registered users with 50 points (Letterman).  An uploaded original lesson or Illuminated Text is worth 50 points.

partner1: 
Alison Moy
partner2: 
Lori Mai

A hundred things were possible: An Illuminated Text of The History of Love

two hands forming a heartThis Power Point - based Illuminated Text by Nene Parker and Sarah Tiwana examines the text through its fairy tale "once-upon-a-time" point of view.   The music perfectly matches the movement that occurs and it tells the story of Leo and Alma, Bird and the other fantastical characters from the story.  As with the music, the font is perfect and everything in this Illuminated Text refects the idea that everything is possible.  This is a Power Point Illuminated Text and you will need to use Internet Explorer and choose Open rather than Save when asked, in order to hear the sound.

Full text, downloads, and audio available to registered users with 50 points (Letterman).  An uploaded original lesson or Illuminated Text is worth 50 points.

Meeting Alma: An Illuminated Text on Nicole Krauss's The History of Love

a sculpture of a red heart - made of glassIn the Age of Glass, a boy met a girl named Alma.We wanted to focus on that love story. This illuminated text starts off with the story being typed and leads into a mixture of typed words and animation. The background is broken glass and the music is Chopin Preludes, Op. 28: No. 15 Raindrops. Enjoy [It would be nearly impossible to not enjoy this wonderfully done presentation.  A background of "ground glass" that focuses in and out sets the scene. 

Full text, downloads, and audio available to registered users with 50 points (Letterman).  An uploaded original lesson or Illuminated Text is worth 50 points.

partner1: 
Aisha Johnson
partner2: 
Michelle Li

A Boy Who Wanted to Be as Large as Life: An Illuminated Text on The History of Love.

A Margrite painting of an invisible manIlluminated Texts share many qualities with essays.  They should have a thesis, a point of view, and as this website keeps propounding -- they need to stick to the text.  This incredible presentation by Nora Lubitsch and Anna Sawyer does just that.  It concentrates on Leo and his search to be more than "invisible" or made of glass.  He spends his entire life trying to be noticed by the one woman who can no longer see him and the son that doesn't even know that he exists.  While watching this Illuminated Text,  I was struck by a thematic resemblence to The Great Gatsby

Full text, downloads, and audio available to registered users with 50 points (Letterman).  An uploaded original lesson or Illuminated Text is worth 50 points.

So Many Words are Lost: An Illuminated Text on The History of Love

white wispy clouds on a blue backgroundThis presentation by Jennifer Cheung (another student who liked to work alone on these) uses a simple background of blue sky and white wispy clouds for a canvas that she paints with Nicole Krauss's beautiful and poetic words.  She starts by bringing in Leo's discovery of the pigeons on his ledge and transforms those birds into the words that he has tried to write to describe how he feels about his lost love and his lost son.  Ms. Cheung does a magnificent job in combining these ideas into one impressive Illuminated Text.

Full text, downloads, and audio available to registered users with 50 points (Letterman).  An uploaded original lesson or Illuminated Text is worth 50 points.

Maybe you want write him: An Illuminated Text on Nicole Kraus's The History of Love

a stack of old lettersFor every rule or advice that is given for creating an effective and original Illuminated Text there is an example of the students breaking that rule while creating a product that is quite sublime.  This presentation by Iza Zlotkiewicz and Chasity Santiago does exactly that.  Students are advised to not use pictures (or to use them sparinly in their Illuminated Texts) but here the two students use pictures as backgrounds to great effect.  The Illumination starts over a picture of a stack of old letters while text is animated on the left hand side -- other pictures includes pens, accordians, and more --

Full text, downloads, and audio available to registered users with 50 points (Letterman).  An uploaded original lesson or Illuminated Text is worth 50 points.

Outside the Rain had Stopped: An Illuminated Text on Nicole Krauss's The History of Love

two pigeons and their long shadows in black and whiteThere is a tone that exists within Illuminated Texts that is, in some ways, more pronounced than that found in student essays.  This presentation by Chris James and Kevin Harris takes a decidely bleak and serious tone as it looks at Leo's downfall and bleak existence.  The background is almost that of a universal void while the music is hard-hitting and relentless -- a fitting context for the words that the two authors put up on the screen to show the effect that Leo's longings have had on his life.

Full text, downloads, and audio available to registered users with 50 points (Letterman).  An uploaded original lesson or Illuminated Text is worth 50 points.

"Life is Buttiful": An Illuminated text of Nicole Krauss's The History of Love

a pigeon with wings outstretchedThis Illuminated Text, created with Flash, focuses on the character Bird from The History of Love. His actions in the story are shown as though he really was a bird, flying between two characters near the book's climax.  [The presentation begins with a bird flying and boy who tries to fly out of his window.  The bird is the boy and the boy is Alma's little brother - who wants to be able to fly.  The word, as in the story, "G-d" appears over and over - as Bird tries to mark things so that he won't lose them and their is the wonderful quote  that "a hundred things can change your life."  They do a terrific job of focussing on this one character.  JRS]

Full text, downloads, and audio available to registered users with 50 points (Letterman).  An uploaded original lesson or Illuminated Text is worth 50 points.

partner1: 
Anel Pasic
partner2: 
Luke Strom

Angel: an Illuminated Text on Nicole Krauss' The History of Love

A Chagal pencil sketch of an angelA presentation of an Angel's discovery of man's misery. The text follows the path of a man who comes upon an Angel and in disbelief demands proof. After failing to give evidence that the man would believe, the Angel is sent off plunging into the dark water beneath a pier.

Full text, downloads, and audio available to registered users with 50 points (Letterman).  An uploaded original lesson or Illuminated Text is worth 50 points.

partner1: 
Omar Mesina
partner2: 
Elizabeth Hernandez

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Text to Remember

Love and Loss

We have lost even this twilight
No one saw us this evening hand in hand
while the blue night dropped on the world

Always, always you recede through the evenings
towards where the twilight goes erasing statues.

We Have Lost Even This

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Illuminated Text Poll

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Full text, downloads, and audio available to registered users with 50 points (Letterman).  An uploaded original lesson or Illuminated Text is worth 50 points.

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