Treat a Topic Like a Movie

Make the object of your study a Gesamtkunstwerk

Robert Hannah, Isaac Newton, 1905

Gesamtkunstwerk is not something to say when someone sneezes. Rather, it is a work [Werk] of art [Kunst] made up of smaller works that complement each other, thereby creating a powerful whole [Gesamt]. For example, a feature film, which combines script writing, camera work, acting, and music, is a Gesamtkunstwerk. Likewise, the study of a particular topic, if done with the aid of pictures, songs, stories, and jokes, can form a Gesamtkunstwerk that enhances both the effectiveness and the enjoyment of the learning that takes place.

Let’s say that you want to learn about Isaac Newton’s laws of motion, and to have a bit of fun while doing so. You start with YouTube searches on a phrases like “songs about Isaac Newton,” “jokes about Isaac Newton,” and “stories about Isaac Newton.”

Your first search uncovers two interesting videos. One depicts a rap battle between Isaac Newton (played by Weird Al Yankovic) and Bill Nye the Science Guy (played by someone else.) The other shows a guitar-playing school teacher leading his fourth-graders in a (much less jarring) song, each verse of which states of one of the laws you are trying to learn.

Rap battles make poor ear worms. They also presume that people in the audience are already familiar with the subject at hand. So, with all due respect to the genius of Mr. Jankovic, you give the first video a pass.

The second video, however, meets your needs. The tune is catchy, the lyrics are clear, and the kids perform hand gestures that illustrate each concept. (For example, when they sing of objects at rest, they pretend to sleep.)

The hunt for jokes about Isaac Newton turns up a splendid stand up routine on the subject. Unfortunately, the comic is speaking in Hindi. So, you move quickly to the realm of stories, where you find an embarrassment of riches.

After weeding out the garish, the gaudy, the tawdry, and the weird, you find a number of short biographies that link the three laws of motion to a real human being. In doing so, they help you build a place in your brain that the object of your study can call home.