I’ve been wondering if some of what seems to be missing in this book could be provided by the geography. I particularly liked the scenes down in Arizona. Some of this might be that I know and enjoy that country. But I also found the image of her uncle prospecting to be distinctive. And might Alice be most at peace when swimming at night?
The desert is contrasted several times with the snows of the mid-West. And later we get an unsuccessful vacation to a tropical island. So I was wondering, might we line up the people somehow with the places and make a map of the geography of Alice’s relations?
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
Plot and insight
OK, I have to ask this question, especially in light of Shanxi's bringing up "Jane Eyre."
Schutt's book seems to have no plot, at least not a plot or storyline that you could readily describe to someone else, the way you could, say, with "Jane Eyre." If I were to describe this story, I'd say it's something like: Girl loses father. Mother is kind of unbalanced. Girl is raised by relatives, grows up, discovers books, has some dysfunctional relationships, including one as an adult with her mother.
The "action" is minimal.
The narrator refers to her lit teacher Mr. Early and says "He loved sound, the way a sentence sounded. Mr. Early did not hang his hat on plot."
Then a few pages later she begins a chapter with "Plot abandoned in favor of insight..." referring to Wordsworth's "Lyrical Ballads." She also refers to Wordsworth's "spots of time" vs. linear narrative. (more lit professor showing through).
Do you think Schutt's own book is meant to be a work of "insights" and "sounds"? And does it succeed, with all of its admitted narrative gaps, on that level?
Schutt's book seems to have no plot, at least not a plot or storyline that you could readily describe to someone else, the way you could, say, with "Jane Eyre." If I were to describe this story, I'd say it's something like: Girl loses father. Mother is kind of unbalanced. Girl is raised by relatives, grows up, discovers books, has some dysfunctional relationships, including one as an adult with her mother.
The "action" is minimal.
The narrator refers to her lit teacher Mr. Early and says "He loved sound, the way a sentence sounded. Mr. Early did not hang his hat on plot."
Then a few pages later she begins a chapter with "Plot abandoned in favor of insight..." referring to Wordsworth's "Lyrical Ballads." She also refers to Wordsworth's "spots of time" vs. linear narrative. (more lit professor showing through).
Do you think Schutt's own book is meant to be a work of "insights" and "sounds"? And does it succeed, with all of its admitted narrative gaps, on that level?
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Inside
What do you make of what we are not shown of Alice’s childhood? We are given detailed accounts of her time with various relatives and hired help, but we don’t learn about her interactions with other children when she is little. Then rather suddenly we learn that she is dating an ever changing string of boys. But even that episode is told from a perspective inside the house. We know she goes to school. Does she have friends? Does she get on well or poorly with the other kids? Why is this left out?
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Jane Eyre references
Did anyone else pick up on the references to Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre? That was one of my favorite books in childhood, and I still like it.
1) In "Mr. Early," Alice mentions teaching at a small school like Jane Eyre and how she defends Mr. Rochester - "the caped, brooding Rochester, a man as ugly as my own Mr. Early, Rochester, who, in disguise, tested Jane and found her worthy..." Then, too, Mr. Early also has a wife ...
2) The "Little governess" passage in one of the chapters titled "Mother" - "Jane Eyre is a talker of such succinct or impassioned, memorable speech as in, how to avoid the burning pit of hell? 'I must keep in good health, and not die.' "
3) In "Short Identifications," Alice writes, "I was hoping for the discovery of a rich uncle from Madeira." The same uncle that gave Jane her fortune! Except in Jane's case, she wasn't expecting or hoping for it - it just came. And she gave most of it away.
4) How Alice's students don't understand Jane: "Most of them get mad at her or don't care what she does, if only she would get to it. Make a life in the brisk climes, honest and alone, or travel with your lover undercover in warm places, but in less than forty pages, please!" (Wow, how times have changed! Hehe.)
1) In "Mr. Early," Alice mentions teaching at a small school like Jane Eyre and how she defends Mr. Rochester - "the caped, brooding Rochester, a man as ugly as my own Mr. Early, Rochester, who, in disguise, tested Jane and found her worthy..." Then, too, Mr. Early also has a wife ...
2) The "Little governess" passage in one of the chapters titled "Mother" - "Jane Eyre is a talker of such succinct or impassioned, memorable speech as in, how to avoid the burning pit of hell? 'I must keep in good health, and not die.' "
3) In "Short Identifications," Alice writes, "I was hoping for the discovery of a rich uncle from Madeira." The same uncle that gave Jane her fortune! Except in Jane's case, she wasn't expecting or hoping for it - it just came. And she gave most of it away.
4) How Alice's students don't understand Jane: "Most of them get mad at her or don't care what she does, if only she would get to it. Make a life in the brisk climes, honest and alone, or travel with your lover undercover in warm places, but in less than forty pages, please!" (Wow, how times have changed! Hehe.)
The title
Why do you think the book was called "Florida"? Any theories about the suntan box?
There's a lot of geography covered in the book. The story moves around the upper Midwest, the Southwest, Florida, California and New York (these are the ones I can remember). Why so many locations?
There's a lot of geography covered in the book. The story moves around the upper Midwest, the Southwest, Florida, California and New York (these are the ones I can remember). Why so many locations?
Thursday, August 20, 2009
"Florida"
I'm going to get the conversation rolling before we fall too far behind.
What did you think of "Florida"? I had mixed feelings about it. I enjoyed Christine Schutt's writing style and was captivated by the early part of the narrative but became less intrigued as the main character aged and became reacquainted with her mother. I'm not sure I understood her trajectory into adulthood, exactly. Any insights?
What did you think of "Florida"? I had mixed feelings about it. I enjoyed Christine Schutt's writing style and was captivated by the early part of the narrative but became less intrigued as the main character aged and became reacquainted with her mother. I'm not sure I understood her trajectory into adulthood, exactly. Any insights?
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