A History Lesson--Charlotte and Jane

For some time, I have harbored the false illusion that I once tried to read Jane Eyre but found it so boring that I couldn't make it through the first chapter. Henceforth, I have not, since this fictional occasion, felt any desire to return to the Brontes in any way, shape, or form. This being said, I am often confronted with questions of the literary nature posed by young and eager minds that I can't answer--and recently one came my way concerning a young girl by the name of Jane Eyre. Not having an answer for the question, I sought to find one by means of attempting anew to read the story. What I discovered, to my delight, is that I have never read this book before and the first chapter quite caught my attention! I have come to the conclusion that the book to which I previously referred was actually Wuthering Heights--a different Bronte sister entirely!

As I researched Jane and her creator Charlotte Bronte to gain some insight into the motivation of this narrative, I uncovered some fascinating new information (courtesy of Sparknotes, of course). Here's what I found out:

1. Either because of or in spite of its critique of Victorian assumptions about gender and social class, Jane Eyre (originally published under the male pseudonym Currer Bell) was one of the most successful novels of its era both commercially and critically.  This means that the Victorians, as perfect as they were, harbored secret desires to, so to speak, "balk the system".  Fantastic--I knew they had it in them.

2. The novel follows the form of Bildungsroman--a novel that tells the story of a child's maturation and focuses on the emotions and experiences that accompany and incite his or her growth into adulthood. *See Great Expectations and many other 19th century British works for further examples of this literary form.

3.  It is a fairly autobiographical narrative, based on Charlotte's experiences in boarding schools both as a student and teacher, including a crazy Evangelical reverend and a close friend who dies of tuberculosis. 

Stay tuned for more to come (I've only read 100 pages or so!).

I Can See! Blindness re-cap

OK, so I mentioned this book earlier in the summer--and it has taken me that long to finish it. I was forced to take long breaks in which I read other things and looked at pictures of baby pandas in an effort to rekindle my spirit and perspective on humanity. But finally, last night, I finished.

Here's the basic premise: An epidemic of blindness has broken out in a major city (what city? you ask, it could be any...)--people are struck with a white blindness for no apparent reason. The government panics and attempts to quarentine the blind into an old mental institution. One woman who is not blind goes along, not wanting to leave her husband, and what she sees is extremely disturbing. The basic need for survival will change people into something they never dreamed they could be.

This book was intense and intensely depressing, but the prose is beautifully written (it is a Portugese translation, none the less), and I did experience redemption upon completing the narrative. There is hope in this story, if only in the fact that people can survive horrible situations with the help and support of others. The movie is coming out sometime in the near future, and based on the read, I'm not sure I can see it. Plus, it looks really scary.

Tell me again George...about the rabbits

Have you met George and Lennie? You may have met them when you were in 9th grade--I didn't have the pleasure my first time as a freshman, but since I now live in a perpetual state of 9th-gradedness we run into each other on a fairly regular basis. Every October, to be precise.

As I get older, the concept of the American Dream hits me harder. The idea that life can be better, richer, more fullfilling just over the horizon often keeps me pedaling on what sometimes seems to me to be a stationary bike. I love my ___________ (fill in the blank with job, husband, son, dog, 2-car garage), but it seems that every new adventure meant to energize only further fuels my need for sleep. Thank God for Tivo; I can now watch my favorite shows from 7-8:30 instead of from 8-11. Is the Dream real or simply a figment of our over-active American imaginations?

It is George and Lennie who make me realize that the American Dream is real, somehow. That regardless of the outcome, hope for a better tomorrow actually makes us better today. Nobody wants to be like Curly or his defeated wife, who have given up and accepted that life is hard and always will be. It's George and Lennie that we look to for reassurance that it is OK to want more in spite of who or where we are.

You should read Of Mice and Men again (or for the first time). It is especially impactful in light of the current dark cloud hovering over our nation. It is only 107 pages long, so it won't cut into your shopping time too much. And it may change your life.

The Crucible of Civilization

Well, so much for writing more often. Happy mid-October! It is no longer back-to-school time, we have settled into a nice routine that consists of "I think I already turned that in..." and "oh, here it is, it was in the bottom of my backpack!" The joys of daily interaction with adolescents. This year, I have the unique pleasure of teaching 9th grade (that means 14 and 15-year-olds to those of you who are confused) all day long! God bless them, they are their own breed, and I can honestly say that I have never been bored at work.

The onset of October brought an introduction to the classical dramatic theories of the one and only Aristotle for my honors students. Though it is a review for me, I am always amazed at the influence the Greeks have had on Western Civilization--the introduction of performance literature among the many mind-blowing concepts they came up with. We just finished reading Oedipus the King (you know--killed his dad, married his mom, all in an effort to avoid fulfilling a prophecy that he would do just this), and are into Antigone right now. What an amazing woman! She was truly a feminist at heart, choosing to do what she knew was right in the face of powerful men who told her to back down. I admire her, and Sophocles for painting a picture (2500 years ago) of a female protagonist who is not crazy or weepy, but instead is strong and independent.

If you have never had the pleasure of meeting these wild and crazy Greeks for yourself, October is the month to do so. See if you can find them at your local library--or better yet, look them up on Sparknotes and read the summaries, then have intelligent conversations about them at dinner parties and never admit that you didn't read the actual Greek translation.

Carry on!

Back to School Greens

I love back to school time. I look forward to it probably more than I look forward to summer vacation. I always have.   I like to get new pencils (this year I got an awesome batch of High School Musical ones at the dollar store), sharpen them up, and get ready for the big day. It is almost here now, only two more angst-filled, nightmare-wielding, sleepless nights. Last night I had a slasher-themed nightmare, which didn't have anything to do with going back to school, but was quite exciting none the less. 

All this to say that with the school year starting and me going back to work, I will have more time to devote to this little book journal of mine. Sorry for those of you who have longed to hear about my summer reading. I will be sure to give you a recap shortly. I fall apart in the summer--no schedule, so many episodes of What Not to Wear, and my comfy green couch that called to me daily after I finished eating Doritos for lunch (only fresh veggies and fruits for sides during the school year). 

Until then, happy reading.

It is Great to Choose

Hello tiny computer friends. It has been over a week since I last wrote...truth be told, I have been avoiding you. It's 1984--we haven't been exactly connecting, you see.  The real deal is that I'm pregnant and tired and the book was making me depressed so we parted ways. It was amicable, don't worry.  I refuse to say that I disliked the book, since I would undoubtedly have learned many things through reading it. I have a deep respect for it, and will try again another time. Maybe.

That being said, while procrastinating about 1984, I read a couple of powerful books by two of my favorite young adult authors. I would like to consider myself somewhat of an expert in the area of YA lit, I read a lot of these books since one of my greatest passions in life is promoting literacy, particularly among teens (who mostly hate to read and aren't afraid to tell you). I aspire to write books aimed at teens, maybe I will share something with you in the future and you can tell me what you think. Anyway, there are some amazing stories out there.  Here's the skinny on two of them, both by local NW authors, which makes me love them even more:

Honey, Baby, Sweetheart, by Deb Caletti. I love Caletti. She has a gift for writing teenage girls who fly just under the radar. This book was a National Book Award Finalist--which it totally deserved. It is the story of Ruby McQueen, a smart and quiet girl living in Nine Mile Falls who is going through a crisis in her understanding of love. She lives with her independent, confident librarian mother who turns into a lipstick-crazy, short-skirt-wearing monster whenever Ruby's father decides to come visit, which is like every couple of years. Ultimately, Ruby and her mom will save each other. Heartbreaking story of hope.

The Sledding Hill, by Chris Crutcher. Crutcher has had all of his books banned in schools at some point.  Now, you have to know that this is a hot-button issue for me. I strongly oppose censorship and believe that young people will be stronger if they approach tough issues on their own, think critically, and come to a decision for themselves. Often they will come to the wrong decision, but then, so will I and I still wouldn't want anyone else to make my decisions for me. This book is about censorship in schools. It is about a small community's attempt to rid their school of indecent literature, fueled by a Chris Crutcher book. It is fascinating, you should really read it.  

I will keep you posted on my literary adventures. I was recently given Blindness, by Jose Saramago by a friend of mine. I think I will read that next. It won the Nobel Prize for Literature, for crying out loud. Quit acting like it's a cop-out.

Big Brother is Watching You

Well...let's just say I've only read like 10 pages of 1984. I did read half of The Other Boleyn Girl and a trashy romance novel called Something Borrowed, however. The Boleyn thing would just not ever end! I couldn't make it through. The other book was ok, not a super well-developed plot, but it was entertaining. So here I am, confessing to you because I have been slacking off. Actually, I have had the book in the bathroom, and haven't moved it out, so that is where I have been doing my reading of Orwell's thought-provoking work. And anyone who has a two-year-old knows that you never get to spend as much time as you would like in the bathroom. (too much information? no, I don't think so.)

So far (after 10 whole pages) I am bored with it. I don't generally do well with sci-fi or futuristic stuff. I know that I need to commit some time to it, though. Don't worry, I haven't given up yet. I'll get to it here soon.

On another interesting note, James is going to be a big brother. He keeps lifting up his own shirt, pointing to his emaciated-African-child-sized belly and saying "Baby, pleeeeeeease!" I swear I did not teach him this, so it is a bit frightening.