94. Wide Sargasso Sea

Well, at least it was short.

 I read Wide Sargasso Sea, by Jean Rhys yesterday. I started it at around 11 am and was done by 730 pm. It’s only 155 pages, which is very short to me.

This book, to me, is like slowing down to gawk at a car wreck. You don’t really want to see it, but you can’t look away. I didn’t particularly enjoy this book; the writing is choppy, silted and a little confusing. Yet I was compelled to keep reading to find out just how and when Antoinette goes stark raving mad.

It was disappointing, the going mad part, given the reviews of the book I was expecting a lot more drama, but it just wasn’t there. I didn’t feel any connection to the characters what so ever.

I used to watch the TV show Party of Five, not because I liked it, but because I hated the characters and I enjoyed watching their lives derail every single week. Charlie was ineffectual, Bailey selfish, Julia whined way too much and Claudia was just annoying. I got a perverse joy in watching their lives suck continuously while mine always looked better and better.

The Germans have a word for this. It's schadenfreude \SHOD-n-froy-duh\, noun: A malicious satisfaction obtained from the misfortunes of others. Read about it here.

It’s possible that if I had read Jane Eyre I might feel differently about Antoinette and her madness, but I haven’t. I have tried, but I couldn’t get into it. I’ve ever attempted a couple different versions of the movie, but no luck; I’ve never seen it all the way through.

As far as reading about a woman’s descendent into madness I can think of far better books to read. ‘The Bell Jar’, By Sylvia Plath and ‘I Never Promised You a Rose Garden ’, by Joanne Greenberg.  Personally I preferred ‘I Never Promised you a Rose Garden’ over ‘The Bell Jar’. It’s a very well written story about a young girl being treated for schizophrenia in the early 60’s. This is before any drug therapy was used with regularity, so it’s all about talking and cognitive behaviour therapy.  Deborah, the young girl, has a deeply personal fantasy world that is portrayed in a wonderful way. The writing is descriptive, creative and while reading about a girl going insane isn’t exactly ‘enjoyable’, it’s a good book.

I felt a lot of sympathy for Deborah and her struggle to remain sane. I didn’t feel any of the same sympathy for Antoinette. In the end I was left with the feeling that she brought it on herself.

Jean Rhys writing style was not one that I enjoyed, there’s very little description of characters thoughts and one must infer a lot by their actions and things they say. While this works in movies where one can also read body language it caused the characters in the book to remain singular in their dimensions. I didn’t feel I really got to know the characters’ befriended them. In a way it was as if I was hiding in the bushes watching all these things happen while lacking any context that helped their actions and words make sense.

I do not know how this book got on the 100 list. I certainly wouldn’t put it there. The back cover of the edition I have says “A masterpiece, surely one of the best novels of the century”, Doris Lessing, Sunday Telegraph. I don’t think we were reading the same book. 

Sure, maybe if you’re a Charlotte Bronte obsessed fan, this book will tidy up some parts of the Jane Eyre Story (I don’t know, as said, haven’t read it) but it’s FanFic. And while, as a Jane Austen obsessed fan who thinks ‘Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” is AWESOME, it’s NOT one of the best novels of the century and I would never try to put it there.

And just to back pedal, I think FanFic is very cool. I like it a lot, there’s some interesting  Harry Potter FanFic out there  just watch out  for the creepy (NSFW or Children) stuff. 

I’m not ‘looking down’ on this novel for that. It’s just that it’s not very good FanFic. That’s my problem with it.

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#38 Howards End, by E.M. Forester ~~ Part 2 of 2

Part 2

Please read Part 1, if you have not already. Thank you

It was with great reluctance that I finished ‘Howards End’ last night. I am like that with books I really love; I will often not read the last few pages, because I don’t want the story to end. But I did and it is a fantastic book start to finish. The end does seem a little bit short. Everything gets wrapped up a little too quickly, in my opinion, but that could be just because I really didn’t want to say good bye to the characters.

So I’ll just jump right in with my thoughts, I’ve been mulling over a transition paragraph and I just can’t think of one.

The book is more than ‘just a good story’ it can be read as social commentary on the British Class System during the early 1900’s. The book observes how this system affected all relationships in English society.

The inability to form relationships, the unwillingness to even try with people of ‘lower class’ and the failure to even relate to other classes are brought up though the conduct of the characters. The Schlegel sisters have Mr. Bast to tea. During the tea, they suggest to Mr. Bast that the company where he is a clerk may soon ‘go under’ and they advise him to leave before it occurs. They do this because of some offhand comments made by Mr. Wilcox earlier in the novel.  

Later they find out that 1.) Mr. Bast has taken a new job, with less pay and 2.) Mr. Wilcox misspoke in his advice and the company is as solvent as ever.

Helen is upset by this. “We – we, the upper classes- thought we would help him from the height of our superior knowledge – and here’s the result! [An unnecessary job move with less money]”

He [Mr. Wilcox] raised his finger. “Now a word of advice.”

“I require no advice.”

“A word of Advice. Don’t take up that sentimental attitude over the poor. See that she doesn’t Margaret. The poor are poor, and one’s sorry for them, but there it is. As civilization moves forward, the shoe is bound to pinch in places, and it’s absurd to pretend that anyone is responsible personally.” (pg. 199)

 There are also veiled comments about British Imperialism. Margaret visits Mr. Wilcox’s very impersonal offices (The Imperial and West Africa Rubber Company) and it looks like any other Bank or insurance company. “But perhaps she was seeing the Imperial side of the company rather than its West African, and Imperialism always had been one of her difficulties.”(pg. 204)

And comments about the drastic changes occurring in the world during the last decades of the 19^th century and the opening of the 20^th, “A motor–drive, a form of felicity detested by Margaret, awaited her.” (pg. 206)

...”The motor’s come to stay,” He [Mr. Wilcox] answered. “One must get about.” (pg. 207)

In this case it is similar to 'The Magnificent Amberson's' and the coming of age of George Minafer and coming of age of America. ‘Howards End’ is a little more subtle about it though, but it’s there just the same.

The Characters struggle with their relationships, as they each have set ideas about what the social norms are for their classes , but at the same time those norms are shifting, changing and there is much disagreement, especially between the Wilcox’s and the Shelegel’s over the treatment of the Bast’s.

I found myself thinking a lot about Jane Austen as I was reading. E.M. Foresters social commentary is very similar to hers. There is the same deep understanding, wit and possible contempt. As a Jane Austen lover I was heaven. I saw parallels between the Schelegel sisters and Eleanor and Mary Anne in ‘Sense and Sensibility’ (which could be another Emma Thomson thing) and of course Jane and Elizabeth in ‘Pride and Prejudice’.

I don’t know if that was intentional or happy coincidence. Either way this book was an immensely enjoyable read and I put it very high on my list of Favourite books.  Does it deserve to be on the 100 list? As much as I loved the book I’m not entirely sure. It is very good, an enjoyable read, well written and I suspect did bring to light the issues surrounding the class system and changes occurring in the world. It seems to be rather subtle about it thought which is great, it’s nice to not be slammed over the head with heavy moral overtones, but it would be easy enough to completely miss the commentary.

If I had read the book even just a few years ago I probably would have missed it myself and just thought of it as a good story.  I think I am comparing too much to ‘The Magnificent Amberson’s’ where the characters discuss the changes and issues and it is more blatant. In the end, I would say, yes this book deserves to be on the list because of its subtly and its ability to be ‘just a good story’ and scathing social commentary.

Now, go read it. 

Hot Guys and Books!

I'll start by mentioning that I am happily married - to a hot guy who reads books - yet a little bookish eye candy doesn't to any harm so... Thank you Alli Rense, for this site:

HOT GUYS READING BOOKS

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#38 Howards End, by E.M. Forester ~~ Part 1 of 2

Me and my book in my office.

I.LOVE.THIS.BOOK!

Really There’s not much else to say at this point. I adore this book. First published in 1910, ‘Howards End’ takes a unabashed look at the English class system at the turn of the century with all its faults, foibles and joys. I find myself reluctant to write about it because nothing I can say is as good as the book itself. I just want everyone to sit down and read it.

So I’ll talk about some other stuff first. I think the most noteworthy thing to mention is that this book is #38 on the list. In a previous post about ‘Under the Net’ I commented on being tired of reading the same character over and over again in different books and I wasn’t just considering putting ‘Under the Net’ aside, but also considering no longer following the order of books.

As intrigued as I am with the next book on the list – ‘Wide Sargasso Sea’, I wasn't sure I really wanted to read it, yet. Even though the main character is a woman, she’s a woman on the brink of madness, likely driven there by her husband. The potential for the husband character to be similar to the men dominating the previous novels gave me a bad.

So I took a look at the 100 list and made a short list of the titles that appealed. They were: ‘Kim’, by Rudyard Kipling; ‘Howards End’, by E.M. Forester; ‘1984’, by George Orwell; and ‘Passage to India’ also by E.M Forester. The winner was ‘Howards End’.

I'll admit that I actually thought I was getting the story of ‘Remains of the Day’ in the ‘Howards End’ book and I recall the same thing occurring when I rented the movie ‘Howards End’. Both movies star Emma Thomson, who I love and Sir Anthony Hopkins (who is also awesome), so it's easy enough to get confused. (Even the movie posters sort of look the same.)

No matter, they are both wonderful stories. As soon as I saw a reference to The Miss Schelegels, I knew which story I was getting into.

E.M. Forester's writing is amazing, like Iris Murdoch, he has the ability to create delicious details with a few choice words. He describes a cold snowy day as tasting like cold pennies, (pg. 84) and I just adore that.

The story revolves around 3 groups of Characters; The Wilcox’s, who own Howards End (their country home), The Schelegel Sisters, and Mr. Leonard Bast.

The Wilcox’s are rich and traditionally British in their beliefs about the class system. They are stereotypical in their admonishing of intellect. Mr. Wilcox is a gentleman and as such has no need to sully his hands with labour and therefore has no need of an education beyond what he needs to know to capitalize on capitalism. (haha, I crack myself up)

I find this mindset fascinating. In this traditional setting the rich are the least intelligent (or appear to be) and look condescendingly on anyone with an education, or people who want a better understanding of the world.

The Schelegel Sisters, Margaret and Helen, are "cosmopolitan", they are well to do financially and choose to use their leisure time going to concerts and engaging in philosophical debates.

During a trip to the continent they meet and befriend the Wilcox’s, who, while uncomfortable with the Schelegels desire for knowledge and their paternal German heritage, see them as the 'same class' and therefore become friends. The story begins with a misunderstanding between the two families, which is quickly set to rights and though none of the characters seem especially like each other, yet they remain politely in contact as ‘good society’ does.

Soon Margaret Schelegel and Ruth Wilcox, the matron of the family, end up in what might almost be a close friendship. The result of this plays out in a curious and somewhat uncomfortable way. When Mrs. Wilcox dies unexpectedly she requests that the house, Howards End, be given to Margaret Schelegel. The Wilcox family promptly ignores this request.

Meanwhile there's Mr. Bast, who is poor yet comes to the attention of the Schelegel sisters at a concert. Helen inadvertently leaves with Mr. Bast’s umbrella and Margaret invites him to their house to retrieve it. This incident is quickly forgotten until, months later, Mrs. Bast shows up on the sister’s doorstep looking for her husband.

This sets a series of relationships in motion. These are odd relationships because of the differences in the characters class “A little mistake, we tried knowing another class – impossible.” (pg. 148)

I’m not entirely sure how Mr. Bast will reappear later in the story. Most of the story revolves around the relationships between the Wilcox’s and Schelegels and the constant foreshadowing of who will end up with Howard’s End in the end.

And even though I’ve seen the movie I can’t remember how it all turns out in the end. In fact, there are a couple of turns in the story that were a surprise to me and I didn’t remember at all. I like that.

Meanwhile, totally changing the subject, after picking up ‘Howards End’ at the Library I happened to go to an AMAZING second hand book store in West Vancouver, BC called “The Ambleside Book Barn” (no website) where I picked up a copy of ‘Remains’ of the Day’, by Kazuo Ishiguro. Weird coincidence?

I also bought ‘Passage to India’, a new-to-me copy of ‘Memoirs of a Geisha’ by, Arthur Golden (I’ve given up of my sister ever returning the copy I lent here years ago) and ‘Mr. Baggin’s’ by John D. Rateliff, which is a history of the writing of ‘The Hobbit’. SWEET!

I will never have free time again.


Part 2 on it's way...

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Talking Points

Disclaimer: I've had a scorching bad headache for days, so all typo's, bizarre sentences and unintelligible writing can be blamed on that, not me. Okay, thanks.

After I wrote about my questions about the 100 list I did go back and read over the talking points. The page doesn’t answer and of my ‘how and why questions ’ about these books, but rather, ask more questions (thanks!) and leave it up to the readers, book clubs, intrepid (foolish?) bloggers and really anyone to provide their own answers to these questions.

Having lived in the world of academia for the last three years I’ve forgotten about the concept of “no wrong answers”. I spend most of my days working on school work and most of that time is working out what I think the teachers what as the right answers. I do this because my opinions on Philosophy and Religion are waaaaayyyy out there, and not going to win me any marks during my exams. (but that’s a discussion for another time, and probably a totally different blog)

The result of this is that I am a little wary of my own opinions about these books and am a little fearful of “getting it wrong”.

But when it comes to books and reading, there really are no wrong answers. I can read a book and love it, while my closest friend might hate it and that’s okay.

The Talking Point’s questions that’s stand out for me are the following.

1. Which books would you omit and which would you add to our list? What is your top ten, or top one hundred?
2.  Any list of "best novels" is open to debate. What do you think should be the criteria for judging the best novels of the century? What makes a book one of the best?
3.  Is it possible to compare books as different as Ulysses, The Great Gatsby, and Brave New World? Are there any features that unite these three books? More widely, are there any literary features that unite the best books as a whole? How would you compare one of the books on the list to your favourite book that did not make the list?
4.  There are eight women novelists represented on the list. Which other women novelists might have been included? Would there be more women novelists on a list compiled from books published in the nineteenth century? From a list of books published in the last fifty years?

Point one, is very personal opinion based. I would omit The Ginger Man, no doubt, because I didn’t like it. I would put 'Lord of The Rings' in my Top Ten because I loved it and think everyone should read it because it’s awesome. Pretty lame arguing points to be sure, but that brings about point 2 – by what criteria does one judge a book? In the last post I talked about Displaced English Majors method and I like it and suspect a similar criteria was used by the board members.

I would use a similar method as well. Adding in a question about how a book potentially changed writing styles and altered the way that people perceived writing. 'The Hobbit' and 'Lord of the Rings' altered forever the genre of Fantasy fiction and I would hazard an ill informed guess that they helped push the genre towards the mainstream. If I actually bothered to do some research I could probably find out for sure, but I haven’t and probably won’t.

I like point 3 the best. The list contains books that are unbelievably similar, see previous post, and books that are completely different – their examples of 'Ulysses' and 'Brave New World' are stand outs in this. I don’t think the two are comparable; yet coming to the next question in point three raises the question about the books as a whole. A question I don’t think I’m qualified to answer – yet. I’ll try to remember to get back to it when I’m finished the list.

Then there’s point 4 about women. There are a lot of great women authors missing from this list, Jane Austen for one and perhaps L.M Montgomery and Alice Walker.

After the Modern Library published their list, The Radcliff Publishing House also came out with their own list, which contains many of the same books and Authors, as well as including authors that are not American white males, which dominate the Modern Library list (also mentioned in the talking points). After I’ve completely this list – I think I’ll read that one! (it's has 'Winnie the Pooh' on it!!)

All of this babbling is coming to a point which it that I am now coming to the realization that having a list of WHY they chose these books would be counter-productive. The whole idea, as the said is to get people talking about books. It leaves it open for people to come up with their own reasons the books should or shouldn’t be on the list and creating their own lists.

I should have just listened to them in the first place.


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Footnote: The Non-Fiction list is some kind of Awesome too.





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Questions about the 100 Books list

I am starting to question this list. Yes, I’m only what (?), five books in but still as I’ve mentioned, ad nauseam, these last few books have been awfully similar to each other. The main characters, in my mind, have been completely interchangeable and none standout as amazing.

My questions about this list are WHO and WHY?

Who are the people behind this list? And Why did they choose these books?

There are answers out there – the best resources I can locate are here:
THE MODERN LIBRARY

At the Modern Library’s site there is both the Board Member’s List – the one I am working on, along with a number of other fellow bloggers and A Readers List – which I know some other bloggers are working on. And a list of "talking points",
Here, one can see the Members of the Board which is impressive. So that answers one of my questions the WHO.

But WHY? They say that the purpose behind the list is to get people talking about great books. Now this is true, but it still doesn’t answer why these books specifically were chosen or how they came to the decision about these particularly books. So another question – HOW? What criteria did they use, how long were books debated, did they vote, argue? Are there Transcripts?

Yes, my geekiness is showing because I would give anything to have been able to watch all those great authors sitting around debating books for this list. That would have been so cool. *sigh*

Meanwhile I’m left wanting. What I want is just a blurb, just a sentence about each of the books and why they decided they made it on the list. But I can’t discover that anywhere. If by chance, you reading this, know where I can find some information about this, please let me know.

Meanwhile people reading the books have to come up with their own criteria. Alli at Displaced English Major has created her own system for each of the books. (she is also is reading them in reverse order, same as me. Has expressed similar options on the books as me (especially the spoiler in Sheltering Sky, which you will experience if you click on the next link, btw), and posted a video of the Reading Rainbow Theme song, same as me. I’d say I think we’d make great friends and I’d like to meet her one day, but that sounds stalkerish and creepy.)

Anyhoo…

When reviewing the books she asks the following questions:

Is the book well written?
Is it groundbreaking in someway?
Is it an enjoyable read?

I have no intention of ripping off these questions, but they great questions and I keep them in mind as I read. The tricky thing is that though each book, in my opinion, can be a yes to at least one of the questions, not all of them are a yes to all three. So if the Board of Directors used similar criteria for the creation of the list, how do they justify all of them?

I don’t think there’s an answer out there and that’s okay. It’s got me thinking, it’s got a lot of people thinking and maybe that is the point of not explaining the why and how. The mystery makes people talk, read and be curious, and that’s kinda cool.


Footnote: So here’s my last question, again, remaining unanswered, is there a list of all the books that almost made the cut, but didn’t? Cuz, I really want to see that list too.




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Blog Hop Friday.

Crazy for Books hosts the blog hop. I'm not sure if I'm setting this up right. This is my friday listing this awesome idea.

Please let me know if I'm missing something... Thanks so much. Now go read...

The question of the Day

Do you judge a book by its cover?

I try not to, but honestly I do. I have ever since I was a child. How could I not when the cover art on Children's Books is so interesting and diverse? A book "looks" good based on the cover art. It grabs my attention and asks me to take it off the shelf. 

Yes. Once I've picked it up I do read the back cover or the inside flaps and that will help me decide if I want to read it. Even a book was an amazing cover, may still get put back on the shelf if the story isn't interesting to me. 

I will read a book that I don't like the cover art on. The cover of the edition of Under the Net, I have from the library is really horrible, but I am still (was) reading the book. It's a good book. Ignore the ugly cover.