Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Religion
Religion and faith is a recurrent theme in book. What do you think the message is? What do you think Miss Lonelyhearts really believes about religious faith? How does his "Christ complex" affect the story?
Funny
I've seen "Miss Lonelyhearts" described as a black comedy. Did you view it as such? (I must have missed the funny part.)
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Kim's pick
Since we have "Miss Lonely Hearts" on deck, I'll go ahead and make the next pick: Saul Bellow's "Seize the Day," a "modern classic" that I've always felt a little remiss in never having read. We can discuss it mid-October. I'd say sooner, but I'm on vacation from end of this month until Oct. 10. How's everyone doing on "Miss Lonely Hearts"?
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Can you get there from here?
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?
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?
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?
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