1. “One Hundred Years of Solitude”, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, 1967
This follows the seven generations of the Buendia family in the fictional town of Macondo. The inhabitants of Macondo seem both blessed and cursed. Perhaps doomed by the curiosities and proclivities of the Buendia family, they also are exposed to the magic that comes with such solitude, strange inventions often brought to Macondo by a team of traveling gypsies, who introduce the Macondians to flying carpets and the invention of ice. Elements of fantasy include suicides who reappear because they are thirsty; women who ascend to heaven; and an entire town struck with insomnia. Throughout this tale of Macondo’s trials and tribulations, civil war rages around the country.
2. “The House of Spirits”, by Isabel Allende, 1982
Chronicling four generations of the Trueba family; this begins with young Clara predicting a death in the family – shortly after, her older sister, Rosa the Beautiful, who has yellow eyes and shockingly green hair, dies. Clara blames herself and decides never to speak again. Rosa’s fiancé decides to aid the hacienda, but although he makes it a “model” home he also develops the habit of raping peasant girls. Various plot turns throughout the novel lead the reader from a time of socialist government, to revolution, to military dictatorship. Along the way, the main characters are the otherworldly Trueba women, ending with Alba, who becomes a revolutionary.
3. “Midnight’s Children”, by Salman Rushdie, 1981
This allegorical novel is a historical chronicle of India centering on the inextricably linked fates of children born within the first hour of independence from Great Britain. At midnight on Aug. 15, 1947, two boys are born in a Bombay hospital, where they are accidentally switched by a nurse. Saleem Sinai, the narrator, is a Hindu child raised by wealthy Muslims. Saleem, looking back, explains that 1,001 children were born on this auspicious night, and that all were endowed with special powers. Saleem’s is telepathy, and he is able to connect all the other children. Ultimately, “Midnight’s Children” pits Saleem against Shiva, with whom he was switched. Set within the thirty years following independence, Rushdie places “midnight’s children” as central to the political developments of these years, including Indira Gandhi’s ascendancy. This won the Booker Prize in 1981, among others.
4. “The God of Small Things”, by Arundhati Roy, 1997
Narrated from the point of view of young twins Rahel and Estha, “The God of Small Things” is set in Kerala, India during the late 1960s when Communism began to rattle the caste system. Shifting back and forth between the 1993 (the present) and 1969, this recounts the experiences that led up to the death of their cousin Sophie Mol and leads to irreparable shattering in the twins’ family. “The God of Small Things” won the Booker Prize in 1997.
Commentary: Magical realism, as defined by wikipedia, is “an artistic genre in which magical elements or illogical scenarios appear in an otherwise realistic or even "normal" setting.”
In all of these novels, magical, marvelous, or impossible events intersect with the lives of families, often against a background of both political and familial unrest. A few ways in which these novels connect: “One Hundred Years of Solitude” and “The House of Spirits” are both Latin-American novels, spanning generations; while “One Hundred Years of Solitude” concentrates on the patriarchs, and “The House of Spirits” on the matriarchs, both are set in a similar place, and are quite connected in the manner of their fantastical elements and their backdrop of civil war. Both “Midnight’s Children” and “The God of Small Things” are novels by Indian writers; while Rushdie’s certainly has more magical (i.e., impossible) elements, they are similar in their focus on a set of children, and again the country that these children meet their fates in. Both “One Hundred Years of Solitude” and “Midnight’s Children” are larger books – denser and more complex. All four serve well as wonderfully readable examples of this genre – in which manifestations are both set against and grafted onto a real world, corrupted with upheavals and instability.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Friday, December 19, 2008
Intro to W. Somerset Maugham
1. “The Razor’s Edge”, 1944
The story of Larry Darrell, an American who gives up a life of relative leisure in order to live a life dedicated to the pursuit of truth and meaning. Narrated by a friend, who remarks on the differences in Larry before and after World War I in which Larry served. When the Great Depression hits, Larry is better off than many of his old friends who value society and its luxuries and suffer financial losses. Central to this story is the character of Elliot Templeton, a loveable dandy who is one of the most charming characters ever created by Maugham.
2. “Of Human Bondage”, 1915
This lengthy book is the story of the life of Philip Carey (or, in some ways, the story of the trials and tribulations of Philip Carey). Born with a clubfoot, Philip’s mother dies when he is nine years old. Philip is sent to live with his uncle, a local vicar. Philip discovers that his passion is reading and study. Intensely sensitive and often miserable, young Philip is sent to boarding school, where he is tormented by the boys because of his shyness; there, he becomes besotted with a friend who eventually rejects him. Following graduation at 17, he moves to Germany for a year; then back to London, where he is desperately unhappy; and finally to Paris, where he believes he may triumph as an artist. Failing at this, Philip returns to London and pursues medicine, during the study of which he meets Mildred – a crude waitress at a local café with whom he falls desperately in love. The agony that he endures over Mildred – and the fact that he seems to be attracted to what is worst in her nature – takes up much of the novel. By the end, Philip has rid himself of his self-destructive obsession with her, and accepted a life of mediocrity. “Of Human Bondage” is a tale of yearning for freedom and struggle with the banal; of doomed love and crippled hearts and souls. This novel is a masterpiece both in terms of the writing and in terms of its scalpel-like dissection of the human spirit.
3. “The Painted Veil”, 1925
Shallow, beautiful and poorly educated, Kitty marries the passionate and intellectual Walter Fane, a bacteriologist, merely so she can be married before her younger sister. They move to Hong Kong, where Kitty is enormously bored and soon embarks on an affair with Charles Townsend, a politician. When Walter finds out about the affair, he forces Kitty to accompany him out of Hong Kong, to a cholera-infested region of China. There, Kitty flourishes. Humbled by the work and faith of the nurses at the local hospital, she begins assisting them in their duties; she also develops a newfound respect for Walter. Kitty realizes that she is pregnant but does not know if the child is Walter’s or Charles’, a fact that she tells Walter. By the end, Walter has died from cholera and Kitty returns to England with her young daughter. The title is taken from a sonnet by Shelley that begins "Lift not the painted veil which those who live/Call Life: though unreal shapes be pictured there…”, which is about people looking for meaning in either their existence or that of others, and finding the search to be false and disappointing.
Commentary: Despite how depressing Maugham must seem, his novels are in fact delightful to read, and often (although darkly) humorous. It may be better to read the chronologically later “The Razor’s Edge” first, as recommended here, in order to get a feel for Maugham’s writing and his thematics. “Of Human Bondage”, while the greater book, is also the greater commitment. Maugham’s characters are often aggravatingly flawed (in fact, it is only the charming Elliot Templeton, for whom Maugham provides a bitter end, who is truly likeable). Maugham’s masterful examination of the human condition, his painstaking exploration of the borders between genius and mediocrity, and his narrative of quests, both true and false, is compelling. Read together, these three novels provide access to the scope of Maugham’s work and topics.
The story of Larry Darrell, an American who gives up a life of relative leisure in order to live a life dedicated to the pursuit of truth and meaning. Narrated by a friend, who remarks on the differences in Larry before and after World War I in which Larry served. When the Great Depression hits, Larry is better off than many of his old friends who value society and its luxuries and suffer financial losses. Central to this story is the character of Elliot Templeton, a loveable dandy who is one of the most charming characters ever created by Maugham.
2. “Of Human Bondage”, 1915
This lengthy book is the story of the life of Philip Carey (or, in some ways, the story of the trials and tribulations of Philip Carey). Born with a clubfoot, Philip’s mother dies when he is nine years old. Philip is sent to live with his uncle, a local vicar. Philip discovers that his passion is reading and study. Intensely sensitive and often miserable, young Philip is sent to boarding school, where he is tormented by the boys because of his shyness; there, he becomes besotted with a friend who eventually rejects him. Following graduation at 17, he moves to Germany for a year; then back to London, where he is desperately unhappy; and finally to Paris, where he believes he may triumph as an artist. Failing at this, Philip returns to London and pursues medicine, during the study of which he meets Mildred – a crude waitress at a local café with whom he falls desperately in love. The agony that he endures over Mildred – and the fact that he seems to be attracted to what is worst in her nature – takes up much of the novel. By the end, Philip has rid himself of his self-destructive obsession with her, and accepted a life of mediocrity. “Of Human Bondage” is a tale of yearning for freedom and struggle with the banal; of doomed love and crippled hearts and souls. This novel is a masterpiece both in terms of the writing and in terms of its scalpel-like dissection of the human spirit.
3. “The Painted Veil”, 1925
Shallow, beautiful and poorly educated, Kitty marries the passionate and intellectual Walter Fane, a bacteriologist, merely so she can be married before her younger sister. They move to Hong Kong, where Kitty is enormously bored and soon embarks on an affair with Charles Townsend, a politician. When Walter finds out about the affair, he forces Kitty to accompany him out of Hong Kong, to a cholera-infested region of China. There, Kitty flourishes. Humbled by the work and faith of the nurses at the local hospital, she begins assisting them in their duties; she also develops a newfound respect for Walter. Kitty realizes that she is pregnant but does not know if the child is Walter’s or Charles’, a fact that she tells Walter. By the end, Walter has died from cholera and Kitty returns to England with her young daughter. The title is taken from a sonnet by Shelley that begins "Lift not the painted veil which those who live/Call Life: though unreal shapes be pictured there…”, which is about people looking for meaning in either their existence or that of others, and finding the search to be false and disappointing.
Commentary: Despite how depressing Maugham must seem, his novels are in fact delightful to read, and often (although darkly) humorous. It may be better to read the chronologically later “The Razor’s Edge” first, as recommended here, in order to get a feel for Maugham’s writing and his thematics. “Of Human Bondage”, while the greater book, is also the greater commitment. Maugham’s characters are often aggravatingly flawed (in fact, it is only the charming Elliot Templeton, for whom Maugham provides a bitter end, who is truly likeable). Maugham’s masterful examination of the human condition, his painstaking exploration of the borders between genius and mediocrity, and his narrative of quests, both true and false, is compelling. Read together, these three novels provide access to the scope of Maugham’s work and topics.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Books Noir: A Crime Flight
1. “The Big Sleep”, by Raymond Chandler, 1939
The first novel of Chandler’s to feature detective Philip Marlowe this is a great example of the genre of “hardboiled” crime fiction. Marlowe, a P.I. who has seen it all, is called to a grand mansion and asked to deal with a problematic blackmailer and to ask no questions. But it seems to Marlowe that he should be asking questions, particularly about the general’s two daughters, Vivian and Carmen. What happened to Vivian’s husband when he disappeared about a month ago? Where does nightclub-owner and possible mobster Eddie Mars fit into the picture? And what are younger daughter Carmen’s connections with an L.A. porn ring? “The Big Sleep” is one of the first novels to depict an urban Los Angeles.
2. “The Third Man”, by Graham Greene, 1949
When Rollo Martins is called to Vienna by old friend Harry Lime, he jumps at the chance to see him. However, upon his arrival he’s greeted by a funeral – Harry Lime’s funeral. As Martins begins a series of interviews with the police and others (and is advised to leave Vienna and not get caught up in the aftermath of Lime’s “racket”), he begins to suspect foul play.
3. “Double Indemnity” by James M. Cain, 1936
When Walter Neff, an insurance agent, goes to meet with Phyllis Nirdlinger, it takes him no small amount of time to realize that she’d prefer having the money to having her husband. Eventually seduced by Phyllis, Walter decides to use his trade-knowledge in their favor – specifically, the fact that accident insurance pays double indemnity in deaths occuring on the railroad. At first, Nirdlinger’s death seems to be the perfect crime. But investigator Keyes seems to be on Walter’s trail…and Walter himself is having doubts about Phyllis’ intents, including her role in the death of her husband’s first wife, and her current relationship with both her stepdaughter and her stepdaughter’s boyfriend.
Commentary: All three of these are great examples of crime fiction, written in the terse, hardboiled language made most famous by Chandler. They all take place in urban environments – for both Chandler and Cain, in Los Angeles; for Greene, in Vienna. Another distinction is the role of hero and anti-hero: in “The Big Sleep”, while Marlowe is flawed, he is wise to the situation, and survives…both Greene and Cain provide an anti-hero -- chumps who are taken in by authority figures, villains, and seductresses. “The Third Man” was never intended to be a book; in fact, Greene wrote it at the same time as he wrote the screenplay primarily for promotional reasons. The fact that Greene intended this to be a movie brings up another significant characteristic of all these novels: they were all made into films, and arguably great film noirs. “The Big Sleep” was released in 1944 and starred Humphrey Bogart; “The Third Man” was released in 1949 and starred Orson Wells, with the screenplay written by Greene, as he intended; and “Double Indemnity” was released in 1944, directed by Billy Wilder and nominated for an Academy Award
The first novel of Chandler’s to feature detective Philip Marlowe this is a great example of the genre of “hardboiled” crime fiction. Marlowe, a P.I. who has seen it all, is called to a grand mansion and asked to deal with a problematic blackmailer and to ask no questions. But it seems to Marlowe that he should be asking questions, particularly about the general’s two daughters, Vivian and Carmen. What happened to Vivian’s husband when he disappeared about a month ago? Where does nightclub-owner and possible mobster Eddie Mars fit into the picture? And what are younger daughter Carmen’s connections with an L.A. porn ring? “The Big Sleep” is one of the first novels to depict an urban Los Angeles.
2. “The Third Man”, by Graham Greene, 1949
When Rollo Martins is called to Vienna by old friend Harry Lime, he jumps at the chance to see him. However, upon his arrival he’s greeted by a funeral – Harry Lime’s funeral. As Martins begins a series of interviews with the police and others (and is advised to leave Vienna and not get caught up in the aftermath of Lime’s “racket”), he begins to suspect foul play.
3. “Double Indemnity” by James M. Cain, 1936
When Walter Neff, an insurance agent, goes to meet with Phyllis Nirdlinger, it takes him no small amount of time to realize that she’d prefer having the money to having her husband. Eventually seduced by Phyllis, Walter decides to use his trade-knowledge in their favor – specifically, the fact that accident insurance pays double indemnity in deaths occuring on the railroad. At first, Nirdlinger’s death seems to be the perfect crime. But investigator Keyes seems to be on Walter’s trail…and Walter himself is having doubts about Phyllis’ intents, including her role in the death of her husband’s first wife, and her current relationship with both her stepdaughter and her stepdaughter’s boyfriend.
Commentary: All three of these are great examples of crime fiction, written in the terse, hardboiled language made most famous by Chandler. They all take place in urban environments – for both Chandler and Cain, in Los Angeles; for Greene, in Vienna. Another distinction is the role of hero and anti-hero: in “The Big Sleep”, while Marlowe is flawed, he is wise to the situation, and survives…both Greene and Cain provide an anti-hero -- chumps who are taken in by authority figures, villains, and seductresses. “The Third Man” was never intended to be a book; in fact, Greene wrote it at the same time as he wrote the screenplay primarily for promotional reasons. The fact that Greene intended this to be a movie brings up another significant characteristic of all these novels: they were all made into films, and arguably great film noirs. “The Big Sleep” was released in 1944 and starred Humphrey Bogart; “The Third Man” was released in 1949 and starred Orson Wells, with the screenplay written by Greene, as he intended; and “Double Indemnity” was released in 1944, directed by Billy Wilder and nominated for an Academy Award
Monday, December 15, 2008
Feminism in Fiction and Non-Fiction, by Susan Shapiro Barash
This flight has been created by Susan Shapiro Barash, an author who has published ten books on nonfiction topics in women’s issues, including "A Passion For More", about women and cheating and "Tripping the Prom Queen", about women and jealousy. Barash teaches gender studies at Marymount Manhattan College.
1. “The Awakening”, by Kate Chopin, 1899
Edna Pontellier is a young woman who has a pleasant enough existence in New Orleans despite her unhappy marriage and dreams of being free. This nineteenth century story of lust, longing, lovers and a break with her traditional role of mother and wife, is about one woman's search for her own identity. What Edna comes to learn is that although she is 'awakening' to her own desires, she will never be accepted or respected for this choice. And so, having shaken things up, she has fallen from grace and her independence comes at a steep price in a society that pigeon holes women. Edna is keenly aware of her predicament and takes personal action, despite how poorly received and disenfranchised she is as a result.
2. “Revolution from Within”, by Gloria Steinem, 1992
Written by famed contemporary feminist Gloria Steinem, the book looks to relationships, literature and nature as a way to honor the female self. In this self-help book Steinem’s basic premise is that women must trust themselves.
3. “Madame Bovary”, by Gustave Flaubert, 1857
Emma Bovary is a victim of a poor marriage to a boring husband and she escapes her life by reading romance novels and buying into the progaganda. She then runs through her husband's money by shopping and has extramarital affairs to divert herself. Yet never does Emma become introspective as she forges on to lessen her boredom, running into debt and signing on for unhappy liasons with poorly chosen lovers. Emma's demise is a reminder that unless one has a heightened awareness of her own needs and a strong sense of self, regardless of what means one chooses to act out, poor judgment ensues and there is little profit. Interestingly, Flaubert (a male author) never accounts for Emma's actions in terms of emotions.
Commentary: While these three very different books each deal with a woman's sense of self-discovery and self esteem, it is “Revolution from Within", a late-twentieth-century work of nonfiction, that is the most insightful for the modern women. Steinem's book is a personal odyssey that explains the societal predicament of women versus their inner longings and in this way is connected to the two novels. "Madame Bovary" is the most disturbing of the three titles, because Emma Bovary is not only doomed to fail, but doesn't choose to break free as does Edna Pontellier in her singular journey or Gloria Steinem's search for self esteem and '...mutual support and connectedness'. The readers should note that "Madame Bovary" is written by a man while both "The Awakening" and "Revolution from Within" are written by women.
1. “The Awakening”, by Kate Chopin, 1899
Edna Pontellier is a young woman who has a pleasant enough existence in New Orleans despite her unhappy marriage and dreams of being free. This nineteenth century story of lust, longing, lovers and a break with her traditional role of mother and wife, is about one woman's search for her own identity. What Edna comes to learn is that although she is 'awakening' to her own desires, she will never be accepted or respected for this choice. And so, having shaken things up, she has fallen from grace and her independence comes at a steep price in a society that pigeon holes women. Edna is keenly aware of her predicament and takes personal action, despite how poorly received and disenfranchised she is as a result.
2. “Revolution from Within”, by Gloria Steinem, 1992
Written by famed contemporary feminist Gloria Steinem, the book looks to relationships, literature and nature as a way to honor the female self. In this self-help book Steinem’s basic premise is that women must trust themselves.
3. “Madame Bovary”, by Gustave Flaubert, 1857
Emma Bovary is a victim of a poor marriage to a boring husband and she escapes her life by reading romance novels and buying into the progaganda. She then runs through her husband's money by shopping and has extramarital affairs to divert herself. Yet never does Emma become introspective as she forges on to lessen her boredom, running into debt and signing on for unhappy liasons with poorly chosen lovers. Emma's demise is a reminder that unless one has a heightened awareness of her own needs and a strong sense of self, regardless of what means one chooses to act out, poor judgment ensues and there is little profit. Interestingly, Flaubert (a male author) never accounts for Emma's actions in terms of emotions.
Commentary: While these three very different books each deal with a woman's sense of self-discovery and self esteem, it is “Revolution from Within", a late-twentieth-century work of nonfiction, that is the most insightful for the modern women. Steinem's book is a personal odyssey that explains the societal predicament of women versus their inner longings and in this way is connected to the two novels. "Madame Bovary" is the most disturbing of the three titles, because Emma Bovary is not only doomed to fail, but doesn't choose to break free as does Edna Pontellier in her singular journey or Gloria Steinem's search for self esteem and '...mutual support and connectedness'. The readers should note that "Madame Bovary" is written by a man while both "The Awakening" and "Revolution from Within" are written by women.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Pre-Harry Potter: Great Young Adult Reading for Adults
1. The Dark is Rising Series, by Susan Cooper; “Over Sea, Under Stone”, 1965
In this first novel in the series, the three Drew children: 11-year-old Jane, 8-year-old Barney and 12-year-old Simon travel to Cornwall to stay at the home of their great uncle Merry. There, they realize that he is more than he appears, and actually may be linked to ancient Cornwall, the land of King Arthur. Following clues on an old treasure map, they soon find themselves in the middle of a battle between ancient forces of Dark and Light. Throughout Cooper’s series, children, both magical and ordinary, are the heroes and heroines. Other books, in order, are: “The Dark is Rising”; “Greenwitch”; “The Grey King”; and “Silver on the Tree”.
2. Abhorsen Trilogy, by Garth Nix; “Sabriel”, 1995
This fantasy novel is set in two neighboring countries, divided by a Wall: Ancelstierre, similar to the contemporary world and the Old Kingdom, where magic abounds. 18-year-old heroine Sabriel attends a boarding school in Ancelstierre but comes from the other side of the Wall; she is the daughter of Abhorsen, a sorcerer whose duty is to return to Death those magical beings that have either escaped it through their own evil will, or have been raised through that of others. When Sabriel’s father disappears, she must take up the bells of Abhorsen, and embark on an adventure to save him (and, it turns out, both of the worlds that she loves). Along the way, Sabriel is accompanied by a feisty cat, Mogget, who is a much more powerful spirit than she realizes and meets a prince who at first is a nuisance but eventually becomes a love interest. The other books in the trilogy involve Sabriel and her lineage, and take place primarily in the Old Kingdom. These are: “Lirael” and “Abhorsen”.
3. Tamora Pierce, The Song of the Lioness quintet; “Alanna: The First Adventure”, 1983
Set in the land of Tortall, in “Alanna”, 11-year-old Alanna, a noble-born girl pretends to be her twin brother in order to be accepted in training as one of the King’s Guard. Meanwhile, proficient at magic, her brother goes to a temple to become a mage. Excelling at her studies and possessing some useful magic skills, Alanna proves herself again and again, eventually befriending the prince of her native land, and becoming indispensable to her country. Other books in the series follow Alanna’s path – including the revelation of her identity; and her importance in the future of Tortall. These include “In The Hand of the Goddess”; “The Woman Who Rides Like a Man”; and “Lioness Rampant.”
4. Tamora Pierce ,The Immortals Quintet; “Wild Magic”, 1992
In “Wild Magic”, Daine is a 13-year-old orphan with an extraordinary ability with animals—she can speak to them, heal them, and eventually shape-shift into one herself. Daine has always felt like an outsider; however when a Temple Mage, Numair, discovers her and her “wild” talent, Daine learns that she actually has a rare and powerful gift. He teaches Daine to control her magic; along the way, Daine also learns about her parentage, and why she has this talent. Other books in this series include “Wolf Speaker;” “Emperor Mage”, and “The Realms of the Gods”
Commentary: In a post-“Harry Potter” world, it is easy to recognize that is not only children who love young adult adventure and fantasy novels. These are three of the best writers of stories for young adults whose work can be loved by readers of all ages. While the story-lines revolve around children or teenagers (in Pierce’s, the children sometimes do grow up), the stories themselves are epic fantasy adventures – and incredibly fun to read as their heroes and heroines, some imbued with magical powers, other ordinary young adults but with special gifts, fight in battles, discover that they possess certain talents, and travel through magical other-worlds. I’ve left off this list the Golden Compass Trilogy by Philip Pullman as there’s a religious aspect in it that I feel doesn’t apply as well to this theme. Of these three novelists, Nix’s work is the most compelling, and Pierce’s is the lightest (literally and physically), although still very enjoyable.
In this first novel in the series, the three Drew children: 11-year-old Jane, 8-year-old Barney and 12-year-old Simon travel to Cornwall to stay at the home of their great uncle Merry. There, they realize that he is more than he appears, and actually may be linked to ancient Cornwall, the land of King Arthur. Following clues on an old treasure map, they soon find themselves in the middle of a battle between ancient forces of Dark and Light. Throughout Cooper’s series, children, both magical and ordinary, are the heroes and heroines. Other books, in order, are: “The Dark is Rising”; “Greenwitch”; “The Grey King”; and “Silver on the Tree”.
2. Abhorsen Trilogy, by Garth Nix; “Sabriel”, 1995
This fantasy novel is set in two neighboring countries, divided by a Wall: Ancelstierre, similar to the contemporary world and the Old Kingdom, where magic abounds. 18-year-old heroine Sabriel attends a boarding school in Ancelstierre but comes from the other side of the Wall; she is the daughter of Abhorsen, a sorcerer whose duty is to return to Death those magical beings that have either escaped it through their own evil will, or have been raised through that of others. When Sabriel’s father disappears, she must take up the bells of Abhorsen, and embark on an adventure to save him (and, it turns out, both of the worlds that she loves). Along the way, Sabriel is accompanied by a feisty cat, Mogget, who is a much more powerful spirit than she realizes and meets a prince who at first is a nuisance but eventually becomes a love interest. The other books in the trilogy involve Sabriel and her lineage, and take place primarily in the Old Kingdom. These are: “Lirael” and “Abhorsen”.
3. Tamora Pierce, The Song of the Lioness quintet; “Alanna: The First Adventure”, 1983
Set in the land of Tortall, in “Alanna”, 11-year-old Alanna, a noble-born girl pretends to be her twin brother in order to be accepted in training as one of the King’s Guard. Meanwhile, proficient at magic, her brother goes to a temple to become a mage. Excelling at her studies and possessing some useful magic skills, Alanna proves herself again and again, eventually befriending the prince of her native land, and becoming indispensable to her country. Other books in the series follow Alanna’s path – including the revelation of her identity; and her importance in the future of Tortall. These include “In The Hand of the Goddess”; “The Woman Who Rides Like a Man”; and “Lioness Rampant.”
4. Tamora Pierce ,The Immortals Quintet; “Wild Magic”, 1992
In “Wild Magic”, Daine is a 13-year-old orphan with an extraordinary ability with animals—she can speak to them, heal them, and eventually shape-shift into one herself. Daine has always felt like an outsider; however when a Temple Mage, Numair, discovers her and her “wild” talent, Daine learns that she actually has a rare and powerful gift. He teaches Daine to control her magic; along the way, Daine also learns about her parentage, and why she has this talent. Other books in this series include “Wolf Speaker;” “Emperor Mage”, and “The Realms of the Gods”
Commentary: In a post-“Harry Potter” world, it is easy to recognize that is not only children who love young adult adventure and fantasy novels. These are three of the best writers of stories for young adults whose work can be loved by readers of all ages. While the story-lines revolve around children or teenagers (in Pierce’s, the children sometimes do grow up), the stories themselves are epic fantasy adventures – and incredibly fun to read as their heroes and heroines, some imbued with magical powers, other ordinary young adults but with special gifts, fight in battles, discover that they possess certain talents, and travel through magical other-worlds. I’ve left off this list the Golden Compass Trilogy by Philip Pullman as there’s a religious aspect in it that I feel doesn’t apply as well to this theme. Of these three novelists, Nix’s work is the most compelling, and Pierce’s is the lightest (literally and physically), although still very enjoyable.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Intro to John Irving
1. “The World According to Garp”, by John Irving, 1978
This humorous yet tragic novel is a narration of the life of T.S. Garp. This begins with Garp's strange conception (his mother, a nurse during World War II sleeps with a wounded and unconscious Sergeant in order to become pregnant); moves on to Garp’s teenage years where he attends a New England boarding school and becomes interested in wrestling, writing and eventually sex – and where he meets the woman he will eventually marry. The rest of the novel concerns his adult years – in which he pursues becoming a writer and has three children. “The World According to Garp” is a good “starter-Irving” because it introduces themes that recur throughout his work, including wrestling, family, New England boarding schools, Americans in Europe, and anxiety concerning the loss of body parts (the weirdness of it all is hard to explain, except to say that it involves feminists who amputate their tongues; uni-cycling bears; and transsexual football players) and is joyously imbued with compassion for the human condition.
2. “A Prayer for Owen Meany”, by John Irving, 1989
A very small boy with a strange voice (it always sounds like he is screaming), Owen accidentally kills his best friend’s mother with a baseball and ever-after understands that he is an instrument of God. Narrated by John Wheelwright, a close friend of Owen’s during the 1950s and 1960s, this recounts various moments in Owen’s life during which John came to believe in Owen’s destiny. Strange (and often very humorous) moments include nine-year-old Owen being chosen to play the baby Jesus in a school play because he is so small (and the booming sound he makes when reprimanding his parents for attending, from his crib) – a Christman season that is ruined by Owen’s fainting when he claims that he has seen a gravestone with his own date of death carved into it. As the years go by, throughout prepatory school, Owen and John practice “The Shot”, a basketball move where John lifts Owen over his head so that he may dunk the ball (which takes on graver implications by the conclusion of “A Prayer for Owen Meany”). As he gets older, Owen becomes fixated on going to Vietnam, believing this is where is meant to serve as an instrument for God, and also to die. As the date approaches, Owen ends up placed in a fateful situation, in which he must make the choice he has spent his life preparing for. This is a life-affirming novel; wonderful in even its weirdest turnings.
3. “A Widow for One Year”, by John Irving, 1998
In this family-tale, told in three parts, the primary character is Ruth Cole. Ruth is first introduced in the summer of 1958, when, five-years-old, she walks in on her mother having sex with 16-year-old Eddie, her alcoholic father’s summer-assistant and a student at Philips Exeter Academy. The death of Ruth’s older brothers, years before she was born, has turned her mother into a semi-zombie, and Ruth is haunted by photographs of Tommy and Timmy hanging on the walls. Her father is a writer of children’s storybooks, and womanizer. Part two begins in 1990, and Ruth is now a famous writer; she is in Europe, doing research on prostitutes in Amsterdam, and she witnesses the murder of a prostitute by a client. The third segment of the novel is in 1995, and Ruth now has a small son and has literally been a widow for one year. On a trip to Paris, Ruth becomes involved in a whirlwind romance which leads to a happy marriage. By the end, through strange coincidence, certain characters from Ruth’s far-off past return, bringing the novel to a clean resolution.
Commentary: This flight is a good introduction to John Irving, particularly when read in order. “The World According to Garp” is a great entry-point into Irving’s strange, complex, often extremely funny worlds. Structurally, it is the most straightforward, and its weirdness is compacted because of this; also, themes that will recur throughout his work are present here – strange animals; limbs having lives of their own; loss of family; adultery; travel to Europe; New England and its boarding schools; problems with sex and sexuality; complex issues both family-related and ethical. “A Prayer for Owen Meany” has a slightly stranger bend, with its zealous and tiny main character, and its somewhat fractured narration; yet is still a story about the human spirit, and contains a lot of joy. “A Widow for One Year” is probably the “hardest read”…yet its story is powerful, and its experiments with Irving’s themes is great for a reader, particularly after having been introduced to them in other novels. A part of this novel has been made into an excellent movie, “The Door in the Floor.” Another candidate for a 3rd or 4th Irving novel is “The Hotel New Hampshire”, 1981; but this is such a lumbering bear of a book that unless you find that you love Irving, its wild breadth can be too much to deal with.
This humorous yet tragic novel is a narration of the life of T.S. Garp. This begins with Garp's strange conception (his mother, a nurse during World War II sleeps with a wounded and unconscious Sergeant in order to become pregnant); moves on to Garp’s teenage years where he attends a New England boarding school and becomes interested in wrestling, writing and eventually sex – and where he meets the woman he will eventually marry. The rest of the novel concerns his adult years – in which he pursues becoming a writer and has three children. “The World According to Garp” is a good “starter-Irving” because it introduces themes that recur throughout his work, including wrestling, family, New England boarding schools, Americans in Europe, and anxiety concerning the loss of body parts (the weirdness of it all is hard to explain, except to say that it involves feminists who amputate their tongues; uni-cycling bears; and transsexual football players) and is joyously imbued with compassion for the human condition.
2. “A Prayer for Owen Meany”, by John Irving, 1989
A very small boy with a strange voice (it always sounds like he is screaming), Owen accidentally kills his best friend’s mother with a baseball and ever-after understands that he is an instrument of God. Narrated by John Wheelwright, a close friend of Owen’s during the 1950s and 1960s, this recounts various moments in Owen’s life during which John came to believe in Owen’s destiny. Strange (and often very humorous) moments include nine-year-old Owen being chosen to play the baby Jesus in a school play because he is so small (and the booming sound he makes when reprimanding his parents for attending, from his crib) – a Christman season that is ruined by Owen’s fainting when he claims that he has seen a gravestone with his own date of death carved into it. As the years go by, throughout prepatory school, Owen and John practice “The Shot”, a basketball move where John lifts Owen over his head so that he may dunk the ball (which takes on graver implications by the conclusion of “A Prayer for Owen Meany”). As he gets older, Owen becomes fixated on going to Vietnam, believing this is where is meant to serve as an instrument for God, and also to die. As the date approaches, Owen ends up placed in a fateful situation, in which he must make the choice he has spent his life preparing for. This is a life-affirming novel; wonderful in even its weirdest turnings.
3. “A Widow for One Year”, by John Irving, 1998
In this family-tale, told in three parts, the primary character is Ruth Cole. Ruth is first introduced in the summer of 1958, when, five-years-old, she walks in on her mother having sex with 16-year-old Eddie, her alcoholic father’s summer-assistant and a student at Philips Exeter Academy. The death of Ruth’s older brothers, years before she was born, has turned her mother into a semi-zombie, and Ruth is haunted by photographs of Tommy and Timmy hanging on the walls. Her father is a writer of children’s storybooks, and womanizer. Part two begins in 1990, and Ruth is now a famous writer; she is in Europe, doing research on prostitutes in Amsterdam, and she witnesses the murder of a prostitute by a client. The third segment of the novel is in 1995, and Ruth now has a small son and has literally been a widow for one year. On a trip to Paris, Ruth becomes involved in a whirlwind romance which leads to a happy marriage. By the end, through strange coincidence, certain characters from Ruth’s far-off past return, bringing the novel to a clean resolution.
Commentary: This flight is a good introduction to John Irving, particularly when read in order. “The World According to Garp” is a great entry-point into Irving’s strange, complex, often extremely funny worlds. Structurally, it is the most straightforward, and its weirdness is compacted because of this; also, themes that will recur throughout his work are present here – strange animals; limbs having lives of their own; loss of family; adultery; travel to Europe; New England and its boarding schools; problems with sex and sexuality; complex issues both family-related and ethical. “A Prayer for Owen Meany” has a slightly stranger bend, with its zealous and tiny main character, and its somewhat fractured narration; yet is still a story about the human spirit, and contains a lot of joy. “A Widow for One Year” is probably the “hardest read”…yet its story is powerful, and its experiments with Irving’s themes is great for a reader, particularly after having been introduced to them in other novels. A part of this novel has been made into an excellent movie, “The Door in the Floor.” Another candidate for a 3rd or 4th Irving novel is “The Hotel New Hampshire”, 1981; but this is such a lumbering bear of a book that unless you find that you love Irving, its wild breadth can be too much to deal with.
Monday, December 8, 2008
On Trial in Kafka, Camus, and Nabokov
1. “The Trial”, by Franz Kafka, 1925
Josef K., a junior bank manager, awakens one morning and is arrested by two unidentified agents for an unspecified crime. As Josef K. tries to defend himself, he becomes lost in a sea of bureaucracy, in which no one will tell him his crime. He is presumed guilty until declared innocent. Plot points involve an odd visit to the magistrate; an interminable and strange visit to the courthouse; and a surreal run-in with a priest, who shares a parable with him about the nature of the Law, which implies that K. is helpless within his predicament. Throughout “The Trial”, K. retains a sense of guilt – perhaps referring to the nature of original sin. The final, inevitable, scene demonstrates the view that an individual’s humanity is both destructible, and impossible to live without (much like in Kafka's “The Metamorphoses”, where the narrator is literally transformed into an insect, and then destroyed). Another note is that “The Trial” was published posthumously and unfinished; on his deathbed, Kafka asked his friend Max Brod to destroy the manuscript, but he did not.
2. “The Stranger”, by Albert Camus, 1946
In this slim novel, a young Algerian, Mersault, has just killed a man under relatively defensible circumstances. Once his trial begins, however, it is clear that he is not being tried for the murder but for his character, or lack thereof. The murder itself is ignored, and Mersault is eventually damned based on trivialities including his inability to cry at his mother’s funeral. “The Stranger” is best known for its existentialist nature (although Camus did not consider himself an existentialist), and its theme of the absurdity of human existence in an indifferent universe.
3. “Invitation to a Beheading,” Vladimir Nabokov, 1938
Set in a prison in a mythical totalitarian country, Cincinnatus C. waits for his execution. He has been imprisoned and sentenced to death for “gnostic turpitude”. Cincinnatus C.’s crime is never clearly understood by the reader or by C., except that he is “peculiar” and that others are made uncomfortable by his presence. Most disturbing to C. while he is in his cell is that he does not know when he will be executed. Most of the novel involves his wait, and his writing in his diary – he has ceased to see the world around him as “real”, and considers it and those who populate it to be an illusion. Despite the fact that there are signifiers throughout the novel alluding to the time of his death – the pencil that C. uses to write in his diary being worn down; the eating habits of a spider that occupies his cell; and the fact that his execution date is actually marked on a calendar that has been shown to him, C. cannot recognize them. When Cincinnatus C. is executed, he ceases at that moment to believe in death; and instead feels his spirit rise “to others like himself”.
Commentary: “The Trial”, “The Stranger”, and “Invitation to a Beheading” all have common elements: a protagonist who is being held accountable to an unknown crime; a bureaucratic system that is impenetrable; and an absurdist, existentialist quality in the nature of the accusations and in the relative weighting of human existence. Despite the fact that it was an unfinished novel, “The Trial” is the most comprehensive of these, showing a confused yet strangely guilty Josef K. attempting (and failing) to use reason to discover the nature of his crime. In “The Stranger”, the absurdity of the trial (for lack of remorse for minor assaults on human nature, not for the murder) is juxtaposed with Mersault’s dissociation from humanity, and basic inability to be ruffled by the punishment awaiting him. In “Invitation to a Beheading”, Cincinnatus C. wishes away the bureaucracy, its citizens, and their inconsistencies by viewing them as un-real; however, he finds himself unable to acknowledge the reality of his own deathwatch (he is, in fact, shown the calendar which marks the date of his death). In all three, disenfranchised outsiders are forced to question their own humanity by a threatening yet absurd group of spectators.
,
Josef K., a junior bank manager, awakens one morning and is arrested by two unidentified agents for an unspecified crime. As Josef K. tries to defend himself, he becomes lost in a sea of bureaucracy, in which no one will tell him his crime. He is presumed guilty until declared innocent. Plot points involve an odd visit to the magistrate; an interminable and strange visit to the courthouse; and a surreal run-in with a priest, who shares a parable with him about the nature of the Law, which implies that K. is helpless within his predicament. Throughout “The Trial”, K. retains a sense of guilt – perhaps referring to the nature of original sin. The final, inevitable, scene demonstrates the view that an individual’s humanity is both destructible, and impossible to live without (much like in Kafka's “The Metamorphoses”, where the narrator is literally transformed into an insect, and then destroyed). Another note is that “The Trial” was published posthumously and unfinished; on his deathbed, Kafka asked his friend Max Brod to destroy the manuscript, but he did not.
2. “The Stranger”, by Albert Camus, 1946
In this slim novel, a young Algerian, Mersault, has just killed a man under relatively defensible circumstances. Once his trial begins, however, it is clear that he is not being tried for the murder but for his character, or lack thereof. The murder itself is ignored, and Mersault is eventually damned based on trivialities including his inability to cry at his mother’s funeral. “The Stranger” is best known for its existentialist nature (although Camus did not consider himself an existentialist), and its theme of the absurdity of human existence in an indifferent universe.
3. “Invitation to a Beheading,” Vladimir Nabokov, 1938
Set in a prison in a mythical totalitarian country, Cincinnatus C. waits for his execution. He has been imprisoned and sentenced to death for “gnostic turpitude”. Cincinnatus C.’s crime is never clearly understood by the reader or by C., except that he is “peculiar” and that others are made uncomfortable by his presence. Most disturbing to C. while he is in his cell is that he does not know when he will be executed. Most of the novel involves his wait, and his writing in his diary – he has ceased to see the world around him as “real”, and considers it and those who populate it to be an illusion. Despite the fact that there are signifiers throughout the novel alluding to the time of his death – the pencil that C. uses to write in his diary being worn down; the eating habits of a spider that occupies his cell; and the fact that his execution date is actually marked on a calendar that has been shown to him, C. cannot recognize them. When Cincinnatus C. is executed, he ceases at that moment to believe in death; and instead feels his spirit rise “to others like himself”.
Commentary: “The Trial”, “The Stranger”, and “Invitation to a Beheading” all have common elements: a protagonist who is being held accountable to an unknown crime; a bureaucratic system that is impenetrable; and an absurdist, existentialist quality in the nature of the accusations and in the relative weighting of human existence. Despite the fact that it was an unfinished novel, “The Trial” is the most comprehensive of these, showing a confused yet strangely guilty Josef K. attempting (and failing) to use reason to discover the nature of his crime. In “The Stranger”, the absurdity of the trial (for lack of remorse for minor assaults on human nature, not for the murder) is juxtaposed with Mersault’s dissociation from humanity, and basic inability to be ruffled by the punishment awaiting him. In “Invitation to a Beheading”, Cincinnatus C. wishes away the bureaucracy, its citizens, and their inconsistencies by viewing them as un-real; however, he finds himself unable to acknowledge the reality of his own deathwatch (he is, in fact, shown the calendar which marks the date of his death). In all three, disenfranchised outsiders are forced to question their own humanity by a threatening yet absurd group of spectators.
,
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Memoirs of 1920s Paris
1. “Down and Out in Paris and London”, by George Orwell, 1933,
A story in two parts, although ostensibly a novel with a narrator (Eric), this is largely autobiographical. In the first part of the story, Orwell paints a portrait of living hand-to-mouth on the breadline of Paris, and describes work as a plongeur, a laborer, in Parisian restaurant kitchens. In Paris, the narrator lives in vermin-infested rooms, washes dishes in “Hotel X” and befriends those on the edges of society. The second part describes life on the road around London from a tramp’s perspective. There, the narrator studies begging with Bozo, a cripple with many stories to tell. This novel provides a fascinating portrait of the underbelly of Paris and London in the 1920s.
2. “A Moveable Feast”, by Ernest Hemingway, 1964,
A memoir in which Hemingway writes about his years in Paris in the 1920s, when he was a young, struggling writer, and a part of the American expatriate circle. In this slim volume, Hemingway describes this time as the happiest in his life. He also provides an enormous of amount of detail about places he frequented; and a tantalizingly small but fascinating insight into his personal life. Peopling the pages are his wife, Hadley, Ford Maddox Ford, Gertrude Stein, James Joyce, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. In fact, one of the highlights of this book is Hemingway’s description of a road-trip he undertook with “Scotty”. This is also singular in that during this period, Hemingway describes how he found his own writing-style.
Commentary: “A Moveable Feast” and “Down and Out in Paris and London” are terrific bookends. While Orwell’s search was journalistic, and Hemingway’s, written years after the fact, is narrative, both describe the same time, in the same city, as viewed by two young, struggling writers who would go on to great accomplishment. Separately, they are heartbreaking and wonderful; small glimpses into the lives both of a time and of a person; together, they form a fuller, more intense snapshot of Paris (and London) in the 1920s. A minor note is that interestingly, Orwell cloaks his identity and in the preface for “A Moveable Feast”, Hemingway remarks that the reader can either take the work as fiction or non-fiction.
A story in two parts, although ostensibly a novel with a narrator (Eric), this is largely autobiographical. In the first part of the story, Orwell paints a portrait of living hand-to-mouth on the breadline of Paris, and describes work as a plongeur, a laborer, in Parisian restaurant kitchens. In Paris, the narrator lives in vermin-infested rooms, washes dishes in “Hotel X” and befriends those on the edges of society. The second part describes life on the road around London from a tramp’s perspective. There, the narrator studies begging with Bozo, a cripple with many stories to tell. This novel provides a fascinating portrait of the underbelly of Paris and London in the 1920s.
2. “A Moveable Feast”, by Ernest Hemingway, 1964,
A memoir in which Hemingway writes about his years in Paris in the 1920s, when he was a young, struggling writer, and a part of the American expatriate circle. In this slim volume, Hemingway describes this time as the happiest in his life. He also provides an enormous of amount of detail about places he frequented; and a tantalizingly small but fascinating insight into his personal life. Peopling the pages are his wife, Hadley, Ford Maddox Ford, Gertrude Stein, James Joyce, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. In fact, one of the highlights of this book is Hemingway’s description of a road-trip he undertook with “Scotty”. This is also singular in that during this period, Hemingway describes how he found his own writing-style.
Commentary: “A Moveable Feast” and “Down and Out in Paris and London” are terrific bookends. While Orwell’s search was journalistic, and Hemingway’s, written years after the fact, is narrative, both describe the same time, in the same city, as viewed by two young, struggling writers who would go on to great accomplishment. Separately, they are heartbreaking and wonderful; small glimpses into the lives both of a time and of a person; together, they form a fuller, more intense snapshot of Paris (and London) in the 1920s. A minor note is that interestingly, Orwell cloaks his identity and in the preface for “A Moveable Feast”, Hemingway remarks that the reader can either take the work as fiction or non-fiction.
Intro to Neil Gaiman
1. “Stardust”, by Neil Gaiman, 2001
In this fairy tale, young Tristan Thorn promises his beloved that he will find a fallen star for her, which has fallen beyond the Wall separating their small English village from faery-land. Thus promising, he crosses the wall and heads towards the star. Soon it turns out that Tristan’s connections to this enchanted land lie far beyond his intention to find the star…this is a slender, whimsical, and satisfying tale.
2. “Neverwhere”, by Neil Gaiman, 1998
When Richard Mayhew discovers an injured girl named Door one night, he decides to help her…and soon learns that by helping her, he has left the ordinary world of London Above and become a part of the invisible world of London Below and now there is no trace left of his former existence. Motivated by forces beyond his control, Richard decides to assist Door on her quest to find the assassins who murdered her family. In the mysterious London Below, familiar London continues to exist but in strange iterations – for instance Knightsbridge is a bridge, “Night’s Bridge.” As Richard, Door, and several companions that join them along the way seek for answers, they are also stalked by the assassins that have already hurt Door’s family, and would hurt them. Soon, Richard will be confronted with the most difficult choice of all…
3. “American Gods,” by Neil Gaiman, 2002
In this ambitious, complex novel, Gaiman grapples with the onslaught of the information age, and introduces panoply of Gods first invented by humans, and now far removed from modernity. Shadow, the protagonist, becomes the only human who can “save” the older Gods in what is a battle between the past and the slick future. Beginning when Shadow is released from prison, he is soon approached by a mysterious figure who hires him in his quest. Shadow’s life becomes increasingly discomfiting and acquires supernatural aspects (including the recurring appearance of his dead wife Laura and his growing surety that he is not dealing with mortals). As the stakes grow higher, it appears that the fate of all mythological Gods is at risk, as is Shadow’s life.
Commentary: As an introduction to Gaiman, these move from simplest (a “Princess Bride”-like fairy tale) to complex, the ambitious “American Gods.” Similarly, although all filled with Gaiman’s dark humor, the progression here is from light to dark. “Stardust” is beautiful, whimsical fairytale with hidden amusing nuggets for the modern reader; “Neverwhere” is a dystopic fairytale, in which a magical but grimy world exists beneath (as opposed to next to) the modern one; and “American Gods” loses the guise of fairy tale and surmises that Gods – and not very nice ones – live and dwell and even kill among human kind. Also of note, is that in each of these a decision is made to cross into a netherworld; in “Stardust”, Tristan easily chooses; in “Neverwhere,” Richard’s nature dictates a choice; and in “American Gods,” a Faustian bargain is made that draws into a disturbing and co-existent world.
In this fairy tale, young Tristan Thorn promises his beloved that he will find a fallen star for her, which has fallen beyond the Wall separating their small English village from faery-land. Thus promising, he crosses the wall and heads towards the star. Soon it turns out that Tristan’s connections to this enchanted land lie far beyond his intention to find the star…this is a slender, whimsical, and satisfying tale.
2. “Neverwhere”, by Neil Gaiman, 1998
When Richard Mayhew discovers an injured girl named Door one night, he decides to help her…and soon learns that by helping her, he has left the ordinary world of London Above and become a part of the invisible world of London Below and now there is no trace left of his former existence. Motivated by forces beyond his control, Richard decides to assist Door on her quest to find the assassins who murdered her family. In the mysterious London Below, familiar London continues to exist but in strange iterations – for instance Knightsbridge is a bridge, “Night’s Bridge.” As Richard, Door, and several companions that join them along the way seek for answers, they are also stalked by the assassins that have already hurt Door’s family, and would hurt them. Soon, Richard will be confronted with the most difficult choice of all…
3. “American Gods,” by Neil Gaiman, 2002
In this ambitious, complex novel, Gaiman grapples with the onslaught of the information age, and introduces panoply of Gods first invented by humans, and now far removed from modernity. Shadow, the protagonist, becomes the only human who can “save” the older Gods in what is a battle between the past and the slick future. Beginning when Shadow is released from prison, he is soon approached by a mysterious figure who hires him in his quest. Shadow’s life becomes increasingly discomfiting and acquires supernatural aspects (including the recurring appearance of his dead wife Laura and his growing surety that he is not dealing with mortals). As the stakes grow higher, it appears that the fate of all mythological Gods is at risk, as is Shadow’s life.
Commentary: As an introduction to Gaiman, these move from simplest (a “Princess Bride”-like fairy tale) to complex, the ambitious “American Gods.” Similarly, although all filled with Gaiman’s dark humor, the progression here is from light to dark. “Stardust” is beautiful, whimsical fairytale with hidden amusing nuggets for the modern reader; “Neverwhere” is a dystopic fairytale, in which a magical but grimy world exists beneath (as opposed to next to) the modern one; and “American Gods” loses the guise of fairy tale and surmises that Gods – and not very nice ones – live and dwell and even kill among human kind. Also of note, is that in each of these a decision is made to cross into a netherworld; in “Stardust”, Tristan easily chooses; in “Neverwhere,” Richard’s nature dictates a choice; and in “American Gods,” a Faustian bargain is made that draws into a disturbing and co-existent world.
Humorous Drunken Brits
1. “Right Ho, Jeeves”, by P.G. Wodehouse, 1934
Protagonist Bertie Wooster, becomes hopelessly entrenched in the love affair of close friend Gussie Fink-Nottle. Several pairs of young lovers, including Gussie and Bertie’s cousin Angela all find themselves at a country house in Market Snodsbury. Under Jeeves’ advisory, Bertie determines to reconcile all the young couples by ringing the fire bell at night, in hopes that the young men will rush to the damsels in distress. With this having failed, Bertie ill-advisedly tries to buck Gussie up with a few stiff ones, not realizing that Gussie has already been getting acquainted with the method. Skipping over many plot points, a highlight of “Right Ho, Jeeves” is a ridiculously funny drunken speech delivered by the sloshed Gussie Fink-Nottle, as he awards prizes to the Grammar School of Market Snodsbury.
2. “Cocktail Time”, by P.G. Wodehouse , 1958
This hilarious novel begins when the young-at-heart sexagenarian Earl of Ickenham knocks the hat off his in-law Beefy Bastable with a sling-shot, using a brazil nut. Assuming that the3 outrage was perpetrated by a member of the Drones, Club, Beefy pens a novel “Cocktail Time,” about the misdeeds of the young…but when it becomes a massive hit, Beefy begins to fear for his conservative political career. He enlists the help of his nephew, Cosmo, by having him claim authorship. The plot thickens as romances fill the air, and a bidding war for “Cocktail Time,” by major Hollywood studios, ensues.
3. “Lucky Jim”, by Kingsley Amis, 1954
Jim Dixon is a junior lecturer at a British college, who by day skulks around campus avoiding those who most wish to speak with him; and at night is usually in hot pursuit of a good stiff one. His job is in constant danger, due to his habit of lurking and shooting off and his definitive lack of ability at his job. Soon, despite Jim’s efforts to avoid a senior college staff member, he ends up at his country-side home and preposterous situations abound, “Lucky Jim” finds himself continually worse for the wear in this terrifically comic novel. Please note that “Lucky Jim” has one of the funniest descriptions of a hangover that pen has ever put to page.
Commentary: These novels combine in a humorous threesome in which unresolved romantic situations abound, as do retreats to the country, and one too many cocktails. They each also feature a moment classic in its hilarity: In “Right Ho, Jeeves,” one of Wodehouse’s earliest works, this is Gussie Fink-Nottles’ inept speech; in “Cocktail Time,” this is the narration of the the Earl of Ickenham’s plot to pop off Beefy’s hat with a brazil nut; and Amis’ description of Jim’s hangover is a triumph.
Protagonist Bertie Wooster, becomes hopelessly entrenched in the love affair of close friend Gussie Fink-Nottle. Several pairs of young lovers, including Gussie and Bertie’s cousin Angela all find themselves at a country house in Market Snodsbury. Under Jeeves’ advisory, Bertie determines to reconcile all the young couples by ringing the fire bell at night, in hopes that the young men will rush to the damsels in distress. With this having failed, Bertie ill-advisedly tries to buck Gussie up with a few stiff ones, not realizing that Gussie has already been getting acquainted with the method. Skipping over many plot points, a highlight of “Right Ho, Jeeves” is a ridiculously funny drunken speech delivered by the sloshed Gussie Fink-Nottle, as he awards prizes to the Grammar School of Market Snodsbury.
2. “Cocktail Time”, by P.G. Wodehouse , 1958
This hilarious novel begins when the young-at-heart sexagenarian Earl of Ickenham knocks the hat off his in-law Beefy Bastable with a sling-shot, using a brazil nut. Assuming that the3 outrage was perpetrated by a member of the Drones, Club, Beefy pens a novel “Cocktail Time,” about the misdeeds of the young…but when it becomes a massive hit, Beefy begins to fear for his conservative political career. He enlists the help of his nephew, Cosmo, by having him claim authorship. The plot thickens as romances fill the air, and a bidding war for “Cocktail Time,” by major Hollywood studios, ensues.
3. “Lucky Jim”, by Kingsley Amis, 1954
Jim Dixon is a junior lecturer at a British college, who by day skulks around campus avoiding those who most wish to speak with him; and at night is usually in hot pursuit of a good stiff one. His job is in constant danger, due to his habit of lurking and shooting off and his definitive lack of ability at his job. Soon, despite Jim’s efforts to avoid a senior college staff member, he ends up at his country-side home and preposterous situations abound, “Lucky Jim” finds himself continually worse for the wear in this terrifically comic novel. Please note that “Lucky Jim” has one of the funniest descriptions of a hangover that pen has ever put to page.
Commentary: These novels combine in a humorous threesome in which unresolved romantic situations abound, as do retreats to the country, and one too many cocktails. They each also feature a moment classic in its hilarity: In “Right Ho, Jeeves,” one of Wodehouse’s earliest works, this is Gussie Fink-Nottles’ inept speech; in “Cocktail Time,” this is the narration of the the Earl of Ickenham’s plot to pop off Beefy’s hat with a brazil nut; and Amis’ description of Jim’s hangover is a triumph.
Coming of Age in Jewish New York
“Coming of Age in Jewish New York: the 1930s and 40s”
1. “World’s Fair”, by E.L. Doctorow, 1985
“World’s Fair” is set in the 1930s in the Bronx and is primarily narrated by nine-year-old Edgar Altshuler. During this time, there is growing concern about Hitler’s assumption of power in Europe; at the same time The World’s Fair has come to New York for the first time. In this coming of age story, Edgar perceives the Jewish New York world around him; grapples with the idea of what it is to be an American Jew; and is an accidental observer of the greater concurrent historical issues.
2. “The Chosen”, by Chaim Potok, 1967
“The Chosen” is the story of two Jewish boys growing up in Brooklyn in the 1940s. Reuven, the narrator of the story, is the son of a scholar, and practices a more modern Judaism; Danny is the son of a Hasidic Rabbi, and is torn between his desire for knowledge of the secular world and the path that has been chosen for them. Their friendship allows them growth in unprecedented ways. “The Chosen” also wonderfully depicts a Brooklyn defined by its Jewish inhabitants, and their grappling with recent history and the outside world, including World War II, the death of Prsident Roosevelt, and the struggle for the creations of Israel.
3. “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay,” by Michael Chabon, 2000
Beginning in 1939, Josef Kavalier arrives from Prague in New York as a refugee, where he will live with the family of his 17-year-old cousin Sammy Klayman. Both young men are fans of Harry Houdini, and share a passionate love for the burgeoning comic-book industry. Soon, they have created their own Comic Books, featuring character the Escapist, who combines the traits of Houdini, Batman, and the Phantom among others…and who in many ways represents themselves, Jewish young men either forced to escape from their roots (Kavalier) or dealing with being on the outskirts of society (Clay). At the same time, they both must grapple with the outside world, with its all too real threats, predominantly Nazi occupation throughout Europe.
Commentary: These three novels are all set in the same time period, and all have young Jewish men as their narrators. Set in Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Manhattan; against the backdrop of World War II; these coming of age tales each draw a colorful, yet somber picture of New York during this era. They complement each other: the serious yet secular Edgar Altshuler is an interesting foil for the more religiously-oriented Reuven and Danny; Kavalier and Clay acknowledges the immigrant tale, and also more directly invokes the American dream. It is also interesting to note that in terms of ages of narrators, the order is “World’s Fair,” “The Chosen,” and “Kavalier and Clay” while in terms of time of writing, the most somber, “The Chosen” was written in 1967; “World’s Fair” in 1986; and the most light-hearted and comic, “Kavalier and Clay” in 2000.
1. “World’s Fair”, by E.L. Doctorow, 1985
“World’s Fair” is set in the 1930s in the Bronx and is primarily narrated by nine-year-old Edgar Altshuler. During this time, there is growing concern about Hitler’s assumption of power in Europe; at the same time The World’s Fair has come to New York for the first time. In this coming of age story, Edgar perceives the Jewish New York world around him; grapples with the idea of what it is to be an American Jew; and is an accidental observer of the greater concurrent historical issues.
2. “The Chosen”, by Chaim Potok, 1967
“The Chosen” is the story of two Jewish boys growing up in Brooklyn in the 1940s. Reuven, the narrator of the story, is the son of a scholar, and practices a more modern Judaism; Danny is the son of a Hasidic Rabbi, and is torn between his desire for knowledge of the secular world and the path that has been chosen for them. Their friendship allows them growth in unprecedented ways. “The Chosen” also wonderfully depicts a Brooklyn defined by its Jewish inhabitants, and their grappling with recent history and the outside world, including World War II, the death of Prsident Roosevelt, and the struggle for the creations of Israel.
3. “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay,” by Michael Chabon, 2000
Beginning in 1939, Josef Kavalier arrives from Prague in New York as a refugee, where he will live with the family of his 17-year-old cousin Sammy Klayman. Both young men are fans of Harry Houdini, and share a passionate love for the burgeoning comic-book industry. Soon, they have created their own Comic Books, featuring character the Escapist, who combines the traits of Houdini, Batman, and the Phantom among others…and who in many ways represents themselves, Jewish young men either forced to escape from their roots (Kavalier) or dealing with being on the outskirts of society (Clay). At the same time, they both must grapple with the outside world, with its all too real threats, predominantly Nazi occupation throughout Europe.
Commentary: These three novels are all set in the same time period, and all have young Jewish men as their narrators. Set in Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Manhattan; against the backdrop of World War II; these coming of age tales each draw a colorful, yet somber picture of New York during this era. They complement each other: the serious yet secular Edgar Altshuler is an interesting foil for the more religiously-oriented Reuven and Danny; Kavalier and Clay acknowledges the immigrant tale, and also more directly invokes the American dream. It is also interesting to note that in terms of ages of narrators, the order is “World’s Fair,” “The Chosen,” and “Kavalier and Clay” while in terms of time of writing, the most somber, “The Chosen” was written in 1967; “World’s Fair” in 1986; and the most light-hearted and comic, “Kavalier and Clay” in 2000.
Comedies of Manners
1. “Love in a Cold Climate”, by Nancy Mitford, 1949
Set around and preceding the outbreak of World War II, this is largely a comic novel; and a comedy of manners. Narrated by Fanny, a family friend of the Montdore’s, the basic plot is that Lord and Lady Montdore are determined to marry off their beautiful daughter Polly; Polly is determined to marry her a middle-aged widower “Boy” Dougdale. Soon, Polly’s equally lovely cousin, Cedric Hampton, arrives at the estate and is welcomed into the family; near the end, Cedric confides to Fanny that he has started a love-affair with Boy. This also describes, in less comic terms, Fanny’s early years of marriage to Alfred Wincham.
2. “Uncle Fred in the Springtime”, by P.G. Wodehouse, 1939
One of the first Blanding Castle novels, set outside of London on a country estate (Blandings Castle). In brief, Lord Emsworth of Blanding Castles becomes increasingly concerned when his precious pig, the Empress of Blandings, is taken away in order to become “fit.” He calls in a sprightly, older acquantaince, Uncle Fred (the uncle Pongo Twistleton, who Fred calls upon to aid the Empress) In order to achieve this, Fred must pose as the honorable Roderick Glossop; Pongo as his Uncle; and Polly as his daughter. However, the path is not smooth – Glossop appears; and other adversaries pop up along Uncle Fred’s merry way. Soon love is in the air, and the purchase of an onion soup bar becomes a most serious question in the uniting of two young lovers, while the saga of the Empres’ rescue continues apace…..
OR
2. “Thank You, Jeeves”, by P.G. Wodehouse, 1934
The first published Jeeves novel: Bertie Wooster insists on playing his banjolele and Jeeves leaves Bertie’s service. Chuffy, Jeeves’ new master enlists Jeeves’ assistance in convincing an American millionaire to give him cash. Meanwhile, the impoverished Chuffy has fallen in love with Pauline…as the comic novel ensues, situations arise including the destruction of Bertie’s banjolele, but Jeeves’ manages to save the day; unite the lovers; and return to the employ of Berties.
3. “Vile Bodies”, by Evelyn Waugh, 1930
This satirical novel, set between World War I and the impending World War II, describes the doings of young London society. The protagonist, Adam Fenwick-Symes, and his fiancée, Nina, flit from party to party; from event to event, continually becoming engaged and re-engaged with no real emotional commitment, and following both the rise of destruction of their friends with no true emotion. The desolation by the end is quite different than the romantic, light-hearted beginning, although strong satire runs throughout.
Commentary: All three (or four) novels are British comedies of manner, written around the same period. Nancy Mitford’s work addresses the role of a family, and particularly that of a woman, during this period; Wodehouse’s pieces are the least serious and the most comic; and “Vile Bodies” is the most somber, viewing the bright, gay London social life as at best ephemeral, and at worst verging on tragic. Nevertheless, all three depict satirically, or comically, society life in the 1930s. It is also worth noting that Mitford and Waugh were quite close friends and Mitford, in particular, was a great admirer of Wodehouse’s.
Set around and preceding the outbreak of World War II, this is largely a comic novel; and a comedy of manners. Narrated by Fanny, a family friend of the Montdore’s, the basic plot is that Lord and Lady Montdore are determined to marry off their beautiful daughter Polly; Polly is determined to marry her a middle-aged widower “Boy” Dougdale. Soon, Polly’s equally lovely cousin, Cedric Hampton, arrives at the estate and is welcomed into the family; near the end, Cedric confides to Fanny that he has started a love-affair with Boy. This also describes, in less comic terms, Fanny’s early years of marriage to Alfred Wincham.
2. “Uncle Fred in the Springtime”, by P.G. Wodehouse, 1939
One of the first Blanding Castle novels, set outside of London on a country estate (Blandings Castle). In brief, Lord Emsworth of Blanding Castles becomes increasingly concerned when his precious pig, the Empress of Blandings, is taken away in order to become “fit.” He calls in a sprightly, older acquantaince, Uncle Fred (the uncle Pongo Twistleton, who Fred calls upon to aid the Empress) In order to achieve this, Fred must pose as the honorable Roderick Glossop; Pongo as his Uncle; and Polly as his daughter. However, the path is not smooth – Glossop appears; and other adversaries pop up along Uncle Fred’s merry way. Soon love is in the air, and the purchase of an onion soup bar becomes a most serious question in the uniting of two young lovers, while the saga of the Empres’ rescue continues apace…..
OR
2. “Thank You, Jeeves”, by P.G. Wodehouse, 1934
The first published Jeeves novel: Bertie Wooster insists on playing his banjolele and Jeeves leaves Bertie’s service. Chuffy, Jeeves’ new master enlists Jeeves’ assistance in convincing an American millionaire to give him cash. Meanwhile, the impoverished Chuffy has fallen in love with Pauline…as the comic novel ensues, situations arise including the destruction of Bertie’s banjolele, but Jeeves’ manages to save the day; unite the lovers; and return to the employ of Berties.
3. “Vile Bodies”, by Evelyn Waugh, 1930
This satirical novel, set between World War I and the impending World War II, describes the doings of young London society. The protagonist, Adam Fenwick-Symes, and his fiancée, Nina, flit from party to party; from event to event, continually becoming engaged and re-engaged with no real emotional commitment, and following both the rise of destruction of their friends with no true emotion. The desolation by the end is quite different than the romantic, light-hearted beginning, although strong satire runs throughout.
Commentary: All three (or four) novels are British comedies of manner, written around the same period. Nancy Mitford’s work addresses the role of a family, and particularly that of a woman, during this period; Wodehouse’s pieces are the least serious and the most comic; and “Vile Bodies” is the most somber, viewing the bright, gay London social life as at best ephemeral, and at worst verging on tragic. Nevertheless, all three depict satirically, or comically, society life in the 1930s. It is also worth noting that Mitford and Waugh were quite close friends and Mitford, in particular, was a great admirer of Wodehouse’s.
Welcome to The Traveling Chair: Book Flights
At The Traveling Chair, books will be parceled in discrete, relevant, and contextual packages called “Book Flights”. As in wine-tasting, when one is given small amounts of wine that together create a larger taste-picture, each book flight allows access to a literary concept.
For now, this is a small site whose main premise is that, with reading, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Through these flights, the reader will be given not only access to material, but satisfying understanding of a topic – a miniature education.
The Traveling Chair is the anti-thesis to Barnes & Noble and to Amazon. People want to read, now more than ever – but unlike boutique stores, or locavore restaurants, there is currently no way to simplify the overwhelming process of finding a book that one will enjoy. The Traveling Chair’s unique allows reading and knowledge to be attainable luxuries.
For now, I will be posting my own flights. Soon, I'll have collaborators and will have a broader range of updated, curated, flights courtesy of those with either literary interests, or expertise in their field. If you have a flight, please let me know and I'll send you a working model of how its done!
Thanks,
The Traveling Chair
For now, this is a small site whose main premise is that, with reading, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Through these flights, the reader will be given not only access to material, but satisfying understanding of a topic – a miniature education.
The Traveling Chair is the anti-thesis to Barnes & Noble and to Amazon. People want to read, now more than ever – but unlike boutique stores, or locavore restaurants, there is currently no way to simplify the overwhelming process of finding a book that one will enjoy. The Traveling Chair’s unique allows reading and knowledge to be attainable luxuries.
For now, I will be posting my own flights. Soon, I'll have collaborators and will have a broader range of updated, curated, flights courtesy of those with either literary interests, or expertise in their field. If you have a flight, please let me know and I'll send you a working model of how its done!
Thanks,
The Traveling Chair
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)