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Principality of Corvinia
Complete results of the
First Grand Survey
of Corvinian Culture


The First Grand Survey of Corvinian Culture was inaugurated, at the behest of the Prince, by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs and the Ministry of Propaganda, in May 1998.
The citizens of the Principality were asked to list their active cultural pursuits (that is, those cultural activities in which they were the performing parties)and their passive cultural pursuits (in which they were "audience").
Furthermore, each citizen was given the opportunity for nominating up to 25 things (persons, works of art, places, anything) for inclusion in a list of "Corvinian cultural heritage objects".
The list below is a preliminary result of the returns.


Active cultural pursuits

Drawing [3]
Writing [3]
Photography [3]

Webcrafting [2]
Observing nature [2]
Attending concerts and music festivals [2]
Board games [2]
Computer games [2]
Collecting flashy t-shirts [2]
Dining out [2]
Travel [2]

Golf
Genealogical/family history research
Filmmaking
Gardening
Classic motor sports
Tennis
Sailing
Singing in private
Riding the bicycle
Martial arts
Climbing
Woodcarving
Origami
Painting
Poetry
Dance
Computer-aided art
Collaborative storytelling / roleplaying
Hiking
Cookery
Music, saxophone
Outdoor activities with dog
Shopping
Searching for fossils
Collecting penguin figures
Letter-writing
Baking (esp. bread)
Viewing strange cities from the waterfront
Freemasonry / personal mystic growth

One respondent claimed to have no active cultural pursuits (!)

Passive cultural pursuits

Reading (various forms) [7]

Film (cinema as audience) [6]

Music, classical [5]
Music, modern [5]

Theater, modern [3]

Ballet [2]
Museums [2]
Art, premodern [2]
Opera [2]
Theater, classical [2]
Study [2]
Television [2]

Art, modern
Poetry
Listening to the radio (esp. Danish radio station P3)
Sport (as audience)

Corvinian cultural heritage

Books and poetry

The works of Edgar Allan Poe,
particularly the poem"The Raven" [automatic]


Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849), American poet and novelist. With a brilliant gift for evocative prose and poetry, Poe's works remain among the most elegant and moody in the English language. His varied efforts produced such somber poems as "The Raven" and "Annabel Lee", and laid the basis for the modern detective and horror genres, in works such as "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" and "The Tell-Tale Heart".
The anniversary of Poe's death, October 7, is celebrated as a national day of remembrance in Corvinia.


The works of William Shakespeare,
particularly the play "The Tempest" [5]


William Shakespeare (1592-1666), English poet and playwright. A unique genius of unparalleled accomplishment, the 36 plays by the "Bard of Avon", and numerous sonnets, are among the most enduringly popular theatrical pieces in history.

The works of Rudyard Kipling, particularly the poem "Recessional" [2]

Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936), British author and poet, born in India. A controversial author, much reviled for his supposed imperialist leanings, Kipling nevertheless wrote a number of deeply moving tales inspired by his childhood in India. Among the most well-known are "The Jungle Book" and "Kim", but his massive oeuvre also includes the poem "Recessional", seen as a warning of the decline of the British Empire.

The works of John Ronald Reuel Tolkien [2]

J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973), eminent British philologist, author and poet. Most famous for his seminal work of fantastic literature, "The Lord of the Rings", Tolkien left behind a staggering amount of textual material describing the quintessential fantasy world, Middle Earth, much of which has later been collated, edited and published by his son Christopher.


The works of Robert Anson Heinlein, particularly the novel "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress"

The works of Robert Louis Stevenson, particularly the poem "Requiem"

The poetry of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, particularly the poem "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner"

The poetry of Adam Gottlob Oehlenschläger, particularly "Der er et yndigt Land"

The works of Bernhard Severin Ingemann, particularly the poem "Kong Valdemars Jagt"

The works of Lewis Carroll (Rev. Charles Dodgson), particularly the novel "Alice in Wonderland"

The works of Stephen R. Donaldson, particularly the series "The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, The Unbeliever"

The works of Howard Philips Lovecraft, particularly the story "The Statement of Randolph Carter"

The works of Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

The works of George Orwell

The works of Hans Christian Andersen

The works of Emlyn Williams

The works of Franz Kafka

The poetry of Percy Bysshe Shelley

The novels of Jane Austen

The novels of Ian Fleming

The novels of John le Carré

The short stories of Daniil Kharm

The novel "Last Chance to See" by Douglas Adams


Classical music

The music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, particularly the operas [4]

Austrian musical prodigy Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) was an accomplished musician and composer from early childhood, and though he died at an early age, he managed in his brief life to produce a cornucopia of memorable works, including some of the most popular operas of all time, "Don Giovanni", and "The Magic Flute".

The operas of Wilhelm Richard Wagner, particularly "Tristan und Isolde" [3]

The German composer Richard Wagner (1813-1883) may rightfully be termed the father of the modern theory of operatic composition, wherein the entire production is composed as a complete work ('Gesamtkunstwerk'). His monumentalist operas include the massive "Ring Cycle" of four operas, as well as the romantic operas "Tristan und Isolde" and "Parsifal".


The music of Carl Orff, particularly "Carmina Burana"

The music of Frederic Chopin

The music of Joseph Haydn

The music of Ludwig van Beethoven

The music of Niels Wilhelm Gade, particularly Symphony no. 1


Modern music

The music of The Police, particularly "King of Pain"

The music of The Sex Pistols

The music of The Beatles

The music of Status Quo

The music of Elvis Costello, with the sole exception of "The Juliet Letters"


Film, theater, television, and other performing arts

The films of Ridley Scott, especially "Blade Runner" and "The Duellists" [2]

As a director, Ridley Scott has directed numerous works of cinematic art, all showing a clear preoccupation with the skillful use of light to enhance the dramatic setting. Apart from the two named above, Scott has also directed the original "Alien" film, which is a tour de force of the cinematic use of shadows to enhance terror.


The films of Stanley Kubrick, especially "Dr. Strangelove"

The TV series "Edge of Darkness", starring Bob Peck and Joe Don Baker

The TV sitcom "The Nanny", starring Fran Drescher (but particularly the supporting actors Daniel Davis and Lauren Lane)

The films of Tim Burton, particularly "Beetlejuice"

The films of Quentin Tarantino, particularly "Pulp Fiction"

The films of Terry Gilliam, particularly "12 Monkeys"

The BBC TV series "Brideshead Revisited"

Tom Stoppard's play "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead", especially the film version starring Gary Oldman and Tim Roth

"Comic Strip Presents: Mr. Jolly Lives Next Door", starring Rik Mayall og Adrian Edmonson

The "Blackadder" TV comedy series, starring Rowan Atkinson - except for the first season

The TV series "Friends"

The Danish TV series "Matador"

The French film "Diva"


Art (painting, sculpture, illustration, etc.)

The art of the pre-raphaelite school, particularly John Everett Millais

The art of the art nouveau / jugend school

The art of Caspar David Friedrich

The art of Salvador Dali

The art of Gustav Klimt

The art of Claude Monet

The art of Ignacio Zuloaga y Zabaleta

The portrait of Thomasine Gyllembourg by Jens Juel


Comics, graphic novels, etc.

The works of Claus Deleuran, particularly "Illustreret Danmarkshistorie for Folket" and "Thorfinn" [2]

Claus Deleuran (1946-1996) was probably one of the most influential comics artists in Denmark in the last several decades. His extensive production includes hippie-era fantasies such as "Thorfinn" and "Rejsen til Saturn" (The Journey to Saturn), as well as the amazingly complex and erudite historical-philological masterpiece "Illustreret Danmarkshistorie for Folket". Sadly, Deleuran died before he could complete this brilliant work.

The "Arne Anka" comics, by Charlie Christensen (under the pen name of Alexander Barks) [2]

Arne Anka, a Swedish comics character, has absolutely no redeeming social characteristics. He is rude, crude, self-centered, and a drunkard. Nevertheless, there is an undefinable something about Charlie Christensen's obnoxious little duck that has endeared him to millions of Nordic comics readers.

The comics of René Goscinny

The "Sandman" graphic novels, written by Neil Gaiman, and illustrated by a variety of artists.

The "Prince Valiant" series, by Hal Foster

"Yogi Bear"

"Tom and Jerry"


Individual persons
(embodying Corvinian culture)


Carl Barks (and, of course, his works) [3]

Born in 1901, Carl Barks has received only belated fame for his achievements in the field of comics. As an anonymous writer and artist for the Disney corporation, Barks refined the Disney universe, creating numerous characters that won the enduring love of a wide audience, among them Scrooge McDuck, the Beagle Boys, and Gyro Gearloose.

Sean Connery [2]

Probably most famous for his depiction of Ian Fleming's debonair secret agent James Bond, Sean Connery (b. 1930) is a versatile and charismatic actor, possessing a strong and witty personality. Among his finest works are the films "The Man Who Would Be King", "Dr. No" and "The Name of the Rose".

Signe Ryge Petersen

Kate Winslet

Sarah Grace Cooke

Sharon Stone

Copenhagen silversmith Svend Nielsen, who has a shop in Klareboderne


Historical persons
(embodying Corvinian culture)


King Richard I of England ("the Lionheart")

Euclid

Winston Churchill

Pacioli, founder of bookkeeping


Legendary or quasi-historical persons
(embodying Corvinian culture)


Robin Hood

William Tell

A. N. Other (the unspoken person without whom the world would not exist)


Objects
(embodying Corvinian culture)


Beer, particularly Pilsner Urquell [3]

Beer, to the Corvinian population in general, is the sovereign beverage - not surprisingly, else why would we base our currency upon it?

The Danish collection of songs titled "Højskolesangbogen" [2]

The Danish "Højskolesangbog" is a collection of songs, old and new, that is a veritable treasury of Danish language and song. The lyrics of Ingemann and Grundtvig, the melodies of Weyse and Gade. Who can live without them?

Games of strategy, particularly the computer game "Civilization II" and the board game "Machiavelli" [2]

The true test of one's intellect lies in matching it with another. It is probably why Corvinians are so generally fond of games of skill, particularly games of strategy.

Chocolate [2]

Chocolate is an addictive substance. Corvinians are addicted.

Liquorice [2]

Liquorice is almost as addictive as chocolate.

The Danish television station DR2

Forget-me-nots

Sushi

LEGO

Ice cream, particularly Häagen-Dazs

Dogs, particularly tibetan terriers

Characteristic or unusual hand- or shoulderbags, particularly the rucksack model "Fjällräven"

Quality hi-fi systems, as opposed to cheap "boom boxes"

Jaguar automobiles

MG automobiles

Lancia automobiles


Places
(embodying Corvinian culture)


Sansehaven, an experiential garden and playground for small children, in Copenhagen

Kastellet, the citadel of Copenhagen

Convenience stores

Libraries


Other

Breakfast in bed

A late-in-the-evening "nightcap", preferably whiskey.

The anti-European Union movement

Students throughout the world who seek to obtain degrees with a minimum of study

Lecturers who seek to impose academic standards against modern trends

The Ten Commandments (not necessarily from religious perspective but from their general commendability)

White water rafting

The study of accounting

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This document is maintained
by Peter Ravn Rasmussen

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Last updated: August 8, 1998