synecdoche

Color me clueless.

Definition of synecdoche:
“[si‐nek‐dŏki], a common figure of speech (or trope) by which something is referred to indirectly, either by naming only some part or constituent of it (e.g. ‘hands’ for manual labourers) or—less often—by naming some more comprehensive entity of which it is a part (e.g. ‘the law’ for a police officer). Usually regarded as a special kind of metonymy, synecdoche occurs frequently in political journalism (e.g.‘Moscow’ for the Russian government) and sports commentary (e.g. ‘Liverpool’ for one of that city's football teams), but also has literary uses like Dickens's habitual play with bodily parts: the character of Mrs Merdle in Little Dorrit is referred to as ‘the Bosom’.” (answers.com).

Where I ran across it:
10/24/08 NYT movie review, “Dreamer, Live in the Here and Now” by Mahnola Dargis, about the new movie “Synecdoche, New York.”

“…To say that Charlie Kaufman’s “Synecdoche, New York” is one of the best films of the year or even one closest to my heart is such a pathetic response to its soaring ambition that I might as well pack it in right now. …”

My two cents:
My friend, Cheryl, emailed me this awesome word, swearing she had never heard of it before. (Me, neither!) She didn’t tell me where she had seen it, but as soon as I opened my NYT for the day, there it was, big as life, in the movie reviews. It’s in the title of Charlie Kaufman’s new movie, “Synecdoche, New York” (not to be confused with, but pronounced with the same accents as Schenectady, New York. Coincidence? I think not.). What a great two-fer: not only is this a wonderful word, but rarely does one get the opportunity to piggy-back off the lessons learned just the day before (see yesterday’s blog entry: “tropism/trope” and today’s definition which includes “trope”). Schweet!!

What I gather from Dargis’ review is that this artsy, weird, non-linear, fascinating flick sounds like an existential cross between Hollywood's “The Truman Show,” Miller's “Death of a Salesman,” Shakespeare's "As You Like It," Sartre's “No Exit,” and an M.C. Escher "Impossible Drawing." It probably won’t make it to my small town. Too obtuse for our mainstream theaters, no doubt. But I’m going to make a point of finding it, and going to see it. Any movie that plants cerebral insider clues to its raison d’etre in, say, the lead character’s last name, Cotard, (go Google it!) is noteworthy in my book. ("The Simpsons," sophomoric as it is, earns my undying respect for similar genius, as in one episode when Marge’s prison uniform bears a number which, in fact, is Jean Valjean’s number in Les Miz. All hail the clever, esoteric inside joke!).

One of the lines from the “Synecdoche, New York” trailer says, “There are millions of people in the world and none of those people is an extra. They’re all leads in their own stories.” What a great tease for all of us Everymen/women. It strikes me as incredibly provocative; insightful, although not necessarily comforting. Feeling like an insignificant speck, a nobody? Buck up, pal. Remember: you are the lead in your own story. Cue the lights! All the world's a stage! Now get out there, sonny, and make us proud! But hey, no pressure, or anything…