I was watching the Netflix series Emily in Paris and I was on episode 6 in the first season and the word ringarde stood out. (ringarde (f)/ringard (m)). The protagonist Emily Cooper makes a faux pas dealing with a couture fashion designer and he belts out an insult and calls her “ringarde.” However, he changes his tune and a flip happens when the designer has to embrace being ringard himself in order to be relevant and cutting edge.

I used to study French in college. But don’t ask me to parlez vous en francais! J’ai tout oublié! Anyway, in the show, ringarde means basic, an insult for a couture house. It could also mean corny, cheesy, or lacking in style. This made me think about word origins and the word humor came to mind. Humor, as we know it now, means funny. But prior to the nineteenth century, it meant something different. It was medical. If you were good-humoured, it meant you were balanced and healthy. Ill-humoured, well, you catch the drift.

To generate new work, sometimes we must defamiliarize and remember in a different way -- and that is where this course comes in! This is an 8-week generative course where we'll be using the concept of the four humours as a framework to shake us up, the focus is on process rather than product. That being said, you will have generated several pieces.

About the Instructor

Cherry Lou Sy is a playwright and writer based in Brooklyn, New York. She received her BA at Gallatin at NYU and her MA in English Lit and MFA in Playwriting at Brooklyn College where she taught English Composition, creative writing, and American Studies. She received the Claire Tow teaching award for her work as an adjunct lecturer. Her work has been published in Massachusetts Review, Shenandoah Literature, and others. She was a fellow at Tin House and VONA. Her debut novel LOVE CAN'T FEED YOU was a People Magazine Book of the Week and an Amazon Editor's Pick.

Four Humours Framework: 8 week Generative Course with Cherry Lou Sy