Ahh I'm sorry this is so late!!
Wow? Is this an absolutely wonderful book? Do I recommend that everyone read it? Yes?
Alright, so although The Interrogative Mood is not a quality piece of literature, it is most definitely worth reading. When I heard about this novel I was more curious than anything, simply because I had never encountered a novel comprised entirely of questions. I was not expecting the mind-opening experience it provided.
Powell's questions are not organized in any way other than when certain questions branch off into related questions or dig deeper into the original thought. Some questions are completely random and ridiculous, while some are incredibly insightful and make you feel especially alive even before you have attempted to answer them. One of my favorite ridiculous questions is "How do you stand in relation to the potato?" (Powell, 1). Then "Do you like it when people sing "Happy Birthday" to you?" (130). The previous question is one of many that made me feel a little more connected with the rest of society, because if the answer was an obvious "yes", Powell would not have asked the question, which means that I am not the only person who feels awkward when people sing them "Happy Birthday". Then there are the questions that most readers could easily write an entire essay on. A few examples are "Do you realize that people move on steadily, even arguably bravely, unto the end, stunned and more stunned, numbed and more numbed, by what has happened to them and not happened to them?" (28) and "How did we go so wrong? Wasn't there a day on earth when not every sould was possessed of his or her own petty political and personal-identity agenda?" (18). Many questions throughout the novel force the reader to truly think, and also to make confusion their friend: "Is there enough time left? Does it matter that I do not specify for what? Was there ever enough time? Was there once too much? Does the notion of "enough time" actually make any sense? Does it suggest we had things to do and could not do them for reasons other than that we were incompetents? Did we have things to do? Things better done than not? Thus, important things? Are there important things? Are we as a species rolling together the great dungball of the importantly done into itself and making thereby a better world for the dungball rollers to follow us?" (12). I found myself failing to find the answers to many of these questions, and I realized that being aware of questions you can't answer is rewarding in itself.
The Interrogative Mood also contains allusions to literature we have read, thus deepening understanding of the texts it refers to. The introduction is an excerpt from Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself", one questions asks "Is a body catching a body coming through the rye regarded a good thing or a bad thing?" (7), and another asks "Would you like to go to Pondicherry?" (57). Powell may or may not have been referring to Life Of Pi with that last question, however that was the only reason I could think of for making a trip to Pondicherry.
Although it is nothing like the literature we deal with in school, the questions that make up The Interrogative Mood cause you to question everything from yourself to your beliefs to your society. I highly recommend this novel.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, LOveship, Marriage by Alice Munro
Although the continuous changing of characters, stories and times may be less appealing and confusing to others, I loved Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Mariage by Alice Munro. Each chapter consists of a completely new story, a new main character, a women, and is taken place in a new time period then the previous. All of the stories have similar stories though, all about life, the dificulties like death and illness, mariage problems and states of sheer confusion. The fact that every chapter has new characters, new issues and problems than the last, and flops between present and past within its own story makes the book more complicated, but enjoyable. While reading i could relax and get into the book, but also had to think, and keep my mind going in order to keep up the newest women, the newest affair, death or illness.
Mimosa
Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/Mimosa-True-Story-Amy-Charmichael/dp/087508821X/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262655476&sr=8-3
Over December break, I chose to read the book Mimosa. The book is written by a missionary - Amy Charmic
hael, and it discusses the true story of an Indian girl who chooses to defy the social standard and beliefs and begins to live a Christian life style.
I made a concious decision to read this book, even knowing that it was, perhaps, not the best 'literature.' While this could be interpretated as 'slackerish', that was not my intention. Not only was I interested in the topic, but I actually made a purposeful decision to read a book that was not as involved literature-wise as a means to compare and better understand the difference between 'literature' and 'writing'. In doing so I was able to come to better understanding what constitues a literary work.
Going off in that direction. I think its interesting to note that the book is not like any other memoir or novel I had previously read. While it was a true story it had a certain element of 'dream' in it, a sort of poetic stream of conciousness feel. The reader is neither introduced to the characters nor surroundings - but rather they are expected to gain an understanding as the events occur. In a sense, it is as if you picked up someone's diary and began to read it.
In terms of literary analysis, the book is not compleely empty. In fact, the thing that perhaps suprised me the most about this book was its parallel to our previous unit. Looking back it should have been more obvious from the beginning - the book speaks of a Christian girl in a non- Christian nation. Yet it dealt with something even slighly deeper than that. It spoke, in a sense, of her inner reconciliation. It dealt with the struggle she had - whether it was in fact, worth, the effort and time for her to go against the standards of society. I believe some of these themes came up in previous books we read, but weren't directly addressed in the same direct way - perhaps again because of the literary style.
It also addresses something that we perhaps didn't discuss as much - the idea that the struggle between the individual and society is not only timeless (as Larissa and I mentioned in our project) but also cross-cultural. In other words, many of us in 21st century USA deal with the same conflicts as Mimosa does in 20th century India. Not only do we struggle inwardly coming to terms with our own decisions, but outwardly as we suffer either praise or punishment for our own actions.
Other ideas and themes such as guilt and fear are evident in the text, as one would expect from a book which deals with struggle. However, it is also filled with provision, joy, and loyalty that comes with the reward of defiance of society. (It is evident in almost all the texts we read that to defience of society is praised).
Overall, while Amy Charmichael sometimes leaves the reader a little lost (as it occassionally lacks elaboration), I overall thoroughly enjoyed the book.
Over December break, I chose to read the book Mimosa. The book is written by a missionary - Amy Charmic
hael, and it discusses the true story of an Indian girl who chooses to defy the social standard and beliefs and begins to live a Christian life style.I made a concious decision to read this book, even knowing that it was, perhaps, not the best 'literature.' While this could be interpretated as 'slackerish', that was not my intention. Not only was I interested in the topic, but I actually made a purposeful decision to read a book that was not as involved literature-wise as a means to compare and better understand the difference between 'literature' and 'writing'. In doing so I was able to come to better understanding what constitues a literary work.
Going off in that direction. I think its interesting to note that the book is not like any other memoir or novel I had previously read. While it was a true story it had a certain element of 'dream' in it, a sort of poetic stream of conciousness feel. The reader is neither introduced to the characters nor surroundings - but rather they are expected to gain an understanding as the events occur. In a sense, it is as if you picked up someone's diary and began to read it.
In terms of literary analysis, the book is not compleely empty. In fact, the thing that perhaps suprised me the most about this book was its parallel to our previous unit. Looking back it should have been more obvious from the beginning - the book speaks of a Christian girl in a non- Christian nation. Yet it dealt with something even slighly deeper than that. It spoke, in a sense, of her inner reconciliation. It dealt with the struggle she had - whether it was in fact, worth, the effort and time for her to go against the standards of society. I believe some of these themes came up in previous books we read, but weren't directly addressed in the same direct way - perhaps again because of the literary style.
It also addresses something that we perhaps didn't discuss as much - the idea that the struggle between the individual and society is not only timeless (as Larissa and I mentioned in our project) but also cross-cultural. In other words, many of us in 21st century USA deal with the same conflicts as Mimosa does in 20th century India. Not only do we struggle inwardly coming to terms with our own decisions, but outwardly as we suffer either praise or punishment for our own actions.
Other ideas and themes such as guilt and fear are evident in the text, as one would expect from a book which deals with struggle. However, it is also filled with provision, joy, and loyalty that comes with the reward of defiance of society. (It is evident in almost all the texts we read that to defience of society is praised).
Overall, while Amy Charmichael sometimes leaves the reader a little lost (as it occassionally lacks elaboration), I overall thoroughly enjoyed the book.
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/Road-Movie-Tie-Vintage-International/dp/0307476308/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262648309&sr=8-1
Although there were aspects of the novel that i did not particularly love, overall The Road by Cormc McCarthy was enjoyable and compelling to read. As Ms. Parrish and i somewhat talked about in class today, the sentence structure is extremely simple, although the language itself is poetic and beautiful and uses unique, complex word-choice. This, i suppose, is what i did not like about the book. Sometimes i felt the short and abrupt sentences took away from the beauty of the writing itself. Then again, i think this was a deliberate choice by McCarthy as it went hand in hand with the idea being grappled with throughout the novel regarding love, hope and desperation and their ability (or inability, depending how you see it) to coexist.
I loved the ideas and questions that the novel posed however. Because the story is of the long physical journey of a boy and his father towards the south, following a road, in search of something better, people like them, there is both a sense of hope as well as desperation which can be felt throughout the story. This gave it both a sense of optimism but also a depressing feeling of hopelessness. This father and son are building a bond, love and trust in one another as they move on towards the end of their journey and suffer through starvation, freezing temperatures and many more hardships along the way. I love depressing books, so maybe that is why it appealed so much to me, but i felt that the sadness engulfed in the happiness made the story extremely emotional and relatable.
One paradox i just wanted to address from the novel once again is that of hope and desperation. The book made me question, does hope evolve from desperation? or desperation from loss of hope?... The entire novel the pair are searching for the light at the end of the tunnel, or the southern coast at the end of their road, yet on multiple occasions each of the two spoke of wishing for death and the appeal that death had as opposed to trudging on through the snow to the unknown. It was as if they wished for death, a stop to their heard journey, yet perhaps death was the light at the end of the tunnel, or the final desired destination and they were simply unaware of that. "Nobody wants to be here and nobody wants to leave."..."People were always getting ready for tomorrow. I didnt believe in that. Tomorrow wasnt getting ready for them. It didnt even know they were there." Both of these quotes, i feel, show the central message of ambiguity between hope and despair grappled with in this novel.
Olive Kitteridge
Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Olive-Kitteridge-Fiction-Elizabeth-Strout/dp/0812971833/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262640407&sr=8-1
Because Ms. Parrish also posted about this book, I will try to add to what was already said and not be repetitive. I liked reading Olive Kitteridge because of the complexity and realness of the characters. I agree that Strout uses subtle, and often beautiful language which makes the novel enjoyable. However, I also agree that the town of Crosby, serves as simply a setting. The foundation of the novel that connects the vast population of characters together is Olive, who is linked to each character somehow. The novel is comprised of thirteen different stories, and honestly, the majority of characters besides Olive and her family were interchangeable in my mind. If the purpose is to focus on how Olive pulls the inhabitants of Crosby together, I feel it would be more effective for Strout to describe about four or five of the different people in depth, so we could at least remember them all. I agree that the structure of the novel is unclear, and still question the purpose of the multiple stories of families within Crosby, if Crosby is not central to the novel. Why not focus on solely people that were close to Olive, regardless of where they lived?
Although Olive is a gruff, cranky old school teacher, and most are either are afraid of her or hold a grudge against her, I found myself sympathizing with Olive throughout the novel. She pushes many people away, and suffers from this. She is truly a complex character, and I don't know if I am supposed to understand her, or if Strout wanted to leave her identity open for interpretation. However, I do know that she is capapble of being a heartfelt person. I would recommend this book solely because Olive's story is interesting and complex, but I cannot say that I enjoyed the content of the novel where she wasn't closely connected to the character's lives.
Because Ms. Parrish also posted about this book, I will try to add to what was already said and not be repetitive. I liked reading Olive Kitteridge because of the complexity and realness of the characters. I agree that Strout uses subtle, and often beautiful language which makes the novel enjoyable. However, I also agree that the town of Crosby, serves as simply a setting. The foundation of the novel that connects the vast population of characters together is Olive, who is linked to each character somehow. The novel is comprised of thirteen different stories, and honestly, the majority of characters besides Olive and her family were interchangeable in my mind. If the purpose is to focus on how Olive pulls the inhabitants of Crosby together, I feel it would be more effective for Strout to describe about four or five of the different people in depth, so we could at least remember them all. I agree that the structure of the novel is unclear, and still question the purpose of the multiple stories of families within Crosby, if Crosby is not central to the novel. Why not focus on solely people that were close to Olive, regardless of where they lived?
Although Olive is a gruff, cranky old school teacher, and most are either are afraid of her or hold a grudge against her, I found myself sympathizing with Olive throughout the novel. She pushes many people away, and suffers from this. She is truly a complex character, and I don't know if I am supposed to understand her, or if Strout wanted to leave her identity open for interpretation. However, I do know that she is capapble of being a heartfelt person. I would recommend this book solely because Olive's story is interesting and complex, but I cannot say that I enjoyed the content of the novel where she wasn't closely connected to the character's lives.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Catch-22
Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/Catch-22-Joseph-Heller/dp/0684833395
Catch 22 by Joseph Heller based on the second half of World War II. It actually took me quite a while to get into the plot, because it involves a lot of military terms and tactics that I had to look up so that I could understand what exactly I was reading about. However, once I reached about the halfway point of the book, I really started to enjoy it, and I would definitely recommend it to others in our class.
The book is told from different points of view, and this made it a little confusing to read. The majority of the plot is told from the view of Yossarian, the main character. I really didn't like Yossarian at first because he was so odd, but I found that he is actually a very entertaining character to read about. Yossarian is afraid of dying, and he believes that dying in a war fighting for your country is just about the worst way to die. The text is in third person, and it's almost satirical- I found myself laughing out loud a few times at what I was reading. Heller describes the war in a seemingly light mannerin the first part of the book, but in the second half, he reveals the terrors and hardships of war. There is rape, murder, a great number of deaths everyday, and of course the terrible feeling that you are going to die everyday, not to mention the fact that your friends and comrades are dying daily. By the end of the book, Yossarion refuses to fly anymore missions, because he is upset by the death of one of his dear friends. He is then forced to face a court appearance, or simply be sent home with honorable mention. What he decides to do is interesting indeed, and crucial to understanding the morals issued throughout the novel.
Then of course there is the Catch. Catch-22 that is. The Catch-22 is mentioned a few times throughout the book, and each time it is described differently-of course this leads to confusion. It is ultimately a law of paradox and circular reasoning- if a victim is found being illogical, they can be punished for it. The first time it is mentioned, Yossarian (looking for a way out of a bombing) declares that he is insane, but is told that according to Catch-22 he is actually sane by saying that, because of course he would want to save himself from going out on a mission. the second time it states that it is illegal to read-and where is this law found? Why in the writing of the Catch of course! which would involves reading. The last time the Catch is mentioned, it is defined as a law that states that anything a soldier can't prevent the enemy from doing is allowed. What to think of all of this...
I think that overall, the book was a great read and really interesting, but you definitely have to have patience when you're starting it-it will get better! A note on the author's craft- I thought that the telling from different points of view, but yet from one outsider's view was really clever and it certainly made the plot more interesting, even if it was more confusing at the same time. The flashbacks that Heller included helped to explain events that he mentioned previously in the text, and each chapter is titled with either the name of a person, a battle, or a place that is involved in the plot. There are so many different characters that it's at time hard to keep track of them, but they all certainly add to the different levels of what was going on in the text.
p.s. keep in mind that when you are a man in the army, about to die, you are going to be craving sex, apparently all of the time...that's involved a lot in the text (which I didn't know when I picked it out!) The whores in Rome are important characters, even though they sound unimportant. But they are...
The Secret Life of Bees
For my outside reading assignment for December break, I chose to read 'The Secret Life of Bees" written by Sue Monk Kidd. The book was a phenomenal pick and I am guessing that several of you have already read it, because it has been on the New York Bestseller's list for a substantial amount of time.
With its complex arguments and conflicts, "The Secret Life of Bees" demonstrates the burdened lifestyle young Lily Owens, must encounter each and every day. At age four years old, Lily Owens kills her mother in an accidental shooting. Throughout the novel, we experience Lily's journey as she searches for love and compassion that was lost along with her mothers' life. Interestingly enough, the only compassion Lily finds is when she is with her African caretaker Rosaleen and when she runs away from her father with Rosaleen and comes across three African women who are bee keepers and live in a pink house. Lily is forced to make a decision between being loved while shunned because she is a white girl living in a house full of African women, or return home to her father where happiness ceases to exist.
Throughout the novel, Lily finds comfort and strength through religion and bees. Kidd uses these small insects that usually represent fear and panic and instead demonstrates the support these tiny creatures hold for Lily.
http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Life-Bees-Monk-Kidd/dp/0143114557/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262562782&sr=8-1
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