The Re-Educaton of a Reader - The Color Purple by Alice Walker

I have loved to read for as long as I can remember. Recently, however, it has come to my attention that there are some G A P I N G holes in my literary education. For example: I have read every Austen and Bronte you can get your hands on, but somehow had never, until 4 years ago, managed to read a Charles Dickens novel in its entirety. So, with a little help from my mom, the English Teacher, and a couple of good friend, the English Majors, I am setting a course to re-educate myself by filling in some of those gaps.





The Color Purple by Alice Walker
first published 1982
295 pages
winner of the National Book Award for fiction, and the Pulitzer Prize for fiction

(recommended by an English Major)

Synopsis -

Taking place mostly in rural Georgia, the story focuses on the life of women of color in the southern United States in the 1930s, addressing numerous issues including their exceedingly low position in American social culture. The novel has been the frequent target of censors and appears on the American Library Association list of the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 2000-2009 at number seventeen because of the sometimes explicit content, particularly in terms of violence. 

My thoughts -

I knew before I started this would be a good book. I had read two of Walker's short story collections in college, and they were some of my favorite discussions in class. So, as per usual, I just waited about 15 years before picking up her most famous work of fiction. :)

This book is an excellent work. I found the epistolary format to be especially effective at telling Celie's story in her own words. Celie's words were not easy to read - often they were devastating. Her story is sometimes brutal, but often beautiful. Despite the difficult subject matter, I flew through the pages, laughing and shaking my fist and crying and rejoicing in turn. 

While I understand why this book has been frequently challenged, I wouldn't stop a teen from reading it. I think it's an honest and forthright depiction of the way in which women were treated in our country, and it's not something we can pretend or ignore away. I would hope this novel would open up conversations about racism and sexism that are important.

I think this will be a novel that will remain with me for a very long time. I'm so glad I finally decided to read it. Highly, highly recommended.

Finished - 4/25/16

Source - South side library

MPAA rating - PG-13 for violence and sexual situations

My rating - 5/5

The Re-Education of a Book Lover - Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

I have loved to read for as long as I can remember. Recently, however, it has come to my attention that there are some G A P I N G holes in my literary education. For example: I have read every Austen and Bronte you can get your hands on, but somehow had never, until 4 years ago, managed to read a Charles Dickens novel in its entirety. So, with a little help from my mom, the English Teacher, and a couple of good friend, the English Majors, I am setting a course to re-educate myself by filling in some of those gaps.




The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

(first published 1915)

44 pages


Synopsis -
"As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect. He was laying on his hard, as it were armor-plated, back and when he lifted his head a little he could see his domelike brown belly divided into stiff arched segments on top of which the bed quilt could hardly keep in position and was about to slide off completely. His numerous legs, which were pitifully thin compared to the rest of his bulk, waved helplessly before his eyes." 

With this startling, bizarre, yet surprisingly funny first opening, Kafka begins his masterpiece, The Metamorphosis. 
It is the story of a young man who, transformed overnight into a giant beetle-like insect, becomes an object of disgrace to his family, an outsider in his own home, a quintessentially alienated man. A harrowing -- though absurdly comic -- meditation on human feelings of inadequacy, guilt, and isolation, The Metamorphosis has taken its place as one of the most widely read and influential works of twentieth-century fiction. 


Thoughts -

The choice of reading this short work came about after a conversation with my husband - "What do you mean you've never read Metamorphosis?" I realized it was less than 50 pages and couldn't think of a good reason not to, so here we are.

Knowing this was a work of absurdist fiction (and understanding what that means) made this much easier for me to digest. I'm not sure I would have had any idea what the author was trying to do if I'd read it in middle school or high school. As an adult, the symbolism is easy to grasp and fairly overt - as a tween, I'd probably have needed a fair bit of direction from my teacher to figure this whole thing out.

I was surprised at how easily the story flowed - for some reason I expected it to be "harder" to read. I also, honestly, didn't realize quite how depressing the story was. There are no happy endings here, folks. None.

I would say I'm satisfied I read this. It's a good work to be familiar with, and it was quick and easy enough that I'm glad I didn't put it off for another 20 years. 

Finished - 1/23/16
Source - Kindle
MPAA rating - PG-13, I guess, because they make kids read it in junior high apparently?
My rating - 3/5

The Re-Education of a Book Lover - Part Two: The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

I have loved to read for as long as I can remember. Recently, however, it has come to my attention that there are some G A P I N G holes in my literary education. For example: I have read every Austen and Bronte you can get your hands on, but somehow had never managed to read a Charles Dickens novel in its entirety. So, with a little help from my mom, the English Teacher, and a couple of good friend, the English Majors, I am setting a course to re-educate myself by filling in some of those gaps.

For my next selection, I've chosen The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne.  (I actually might have read this before - I don't know if I'm familiar with the story because I've seen a movie, or because I actually read it in high school....either way, the details are fuzzy enough that reading it seems a good idea.)

originally published in 1850

(I'm listening to an audiobook version read by Kristen Underwood)

Synopsis from publisher:

Having been found guilty of adultery, Hester Prynne is forced to wear an embroidered scarlet letter “A” as a punishment for her sin. While her vengeful husband embarks on a quest to discover the identity of her lover, she is left to face the consequences of her infidelity and find a place for herself and her illegitimate child in the hostile environment of 17th-century puritan Boston. Nathaniel Hawthorne's tense narrative astonished readers with its unparalleled psychological depth when it first appeared in 1850, and the novel now stands as one of America's literary landmarks.

My thoughts:

First Impression - 8/22/12

 I definitely do not remember the "prologue" to this novel, and I have to admit to checking a couple of times to make sure I was listening to the right book! The author's ramblings about life as a customs-house officer seemed like an odd way to begin a novel, and I was quite honestly about to give up until the actual story began. While there were certainly parts of the customs-house narrative that I could relate to - the inexplicable love a person finds for the place of their birth; the frustration at the corruption of politicians - most of that first section was honestly just not that interesting to me.

However, once I got into the actual story, things changed. I think I am actually enjoying this novel! I had forgotten how authors from this time often addressed the reader directly - that has taken some getting used to. But I think the writing has a nice flow, and I am definitely engaged in the story of Hester Prynne - how did she get here? What is she going to do next?

Second Thoughts - 8/28/12

AND now I remember I'm reading Hawthorne and I'm not going to get "how she got here" or "what happens next", am I?

It's easy to see why today's youth would dislike this novel - I'm sure the typical 11th-grader who is assigned The Scarlet Letter in English class thinks they are being given some type of punishment. It's themes of guilt, remorse, and revenge may be universal, but in today's culture we do not think of them in the same way Hawthorne did in the 1850's.

I was thankful to see Hester finally getting angry, and showing some spirit when she confronted Chillingworth. She had been soooo good up to this point, that I was having a hard time connecting to her character. My favorite in the novel is Pearl - that little girl reminds me of my own kids so much that I just love her. I can't figure out why Hawthorne seems to insist that she is some sort of demon-child - she sounds just exactly like my daughter most days. =)

I definitely think I am having a better experience with this novel in audio form. I think I would have a hard time reading some of Hawthorne's paragraphs upon paragraphs of descriptions and inner thoughts - listening to them seems to engage my imagination in just the right way.

Last Word - 9/2/12

I read that Hawthorne patterned the character of Hester in part after his own wife, Sophia. Toward the end of the novel, I realized that I was really starting to like Hester, and appreciate how much strength and spirit Hawthorne gave her. In many ways, she was almost a feminist heroine - her free thinking and resourcefulness made her a woman quite a bit before her time.

I think I enjoyed this novel more than I expected I would. There were definitely parts that dragged, and times when I felt like rolling my eyes (Dimmsdale is just ridiculously annoying), but as a whole it was a good reading experience. I'm glad I chose to listen to this on audio - I think it might be the route I take for a lot of these 'classics' that I'm planning to experience.

Finished: 8/31/12
Source: Des Moines public library
MPAA rating: PG? probably for subject matter, although it's really pretty tame
My rating: 7/10

The Re-Education of a Book Lover: Part One - Hard Times by Charles Dickens

I have loved to read for as long as I can remember. Recently, however, it has come to my attention that there are some G A P I N G holes in my literary education. For example: I have read every Austen and Bronte you can get your hands on, but somehow have never managed to read a Charles Dickens novel in its entirety. So, with a little help from my mom, the English Teacher, and a couple of good friend, the English Majors, I am setting a course to re-educate myself by filling in some of those gaps.

First up - Hard Times by Charles Dickens (suggested by an English Major)

originally published in 1854

Synopsis:

Classic 1845 novel offers a powerful indictment of the dehumanizing effects of mid-19th-century industrialization. Thomas Gradgrind raises his children, Tom and Louisa, in a sterile atmosphere of strict practicality. With no guiding principles, the young Gradgrinds sink into lives of desperation and despair, played out against the grim backdrop of Coketown, a wretched industrial community.

First Impression - 5/26/12

I think I'm most surprised about how much I'm actually enjoying the writing. I know Dickens wrote serialized novels, and was paid by how long he could make them, so I always expected his work to be a bit of a slog - page after page of nothing much. I knew he wrote a good story, but thought the reading of it would be more difficult. Pleasant suprise!

I'm reading a Kindle edition, and it tells me I'm about 23% finished. Mostly so far we've just been introducing characters, and (predictably, based on the title) most of them seem to be miserable. This first section is entitled "Sowing", and spends much time explaining Gradgrind's idea that children should be raised with only facts - no imagination. His kids chafe, but can't break free. Free-spirited Sissy Jupe is introduced into the mix, and is so far the only breath of fresh air in the bunch.

Second Thoughts - 6/1/12

Well, with a title like "Hard Times" I knew it wouldn't be a cheery read, but holy cow. Dickens clearly had issues with the disparity between the "haves" and the "have-nots", and this novel seems to be a not-so-subtle dig against the mill and factory owners of the time.  Additionally, he is railing against the Utilitarians, a philosophy of the day promoting rationalism and facts over imagination and compassion. (Thanks, Wikipedia!)

"It is known, to the force of a single pound weight, what the engine will do; but, not all the calculators of the National Debt can tell me the capacity for good or evil, for love or hatred, for patriotism or discontent, for the decomposition of virtue into vice, or the reverse, at any single moment in the soul of one of these its quiet servants, with the composed faces and the regulated actions. There is no mystery in it; there is an unfathomable mystery in the meanest of them, forever."  (location 1281)

So, certainly not the lightest of reads. And yet, I'm finding a lot of humor that I hadn't expected. Many times I've found myself chuckling at Dickens' clever descriptions or bits of irony.

"She was a most wonderful woman for prowling about the house. How she got from story to story was a mystery beyond solution. A lady so decorous in herself, and so highly connected, was not to be suspected of dropping over the bannisters or sliding down them, yet her extraordinary facility of locomotion suggested the wild idea." (location 3478)

Dickens' characters are somewhat predictable - his good guys are very good, and his bad guys very bad. There are not a lot to like in this novel - I have sympathy for one or two, but even they frustrate me at times - I want to tell them to get a spine! But I know it's the style of the time, and I'm still very drawn into their story. I just completed section two - "Reaping" - and Louisa's showdown with her father is heartbreaking. Ultimately, the novel is making me want to read more Dickens, which is great!

Last Word - 6/2/12

Whew. Question for the audience - are all Dickens novels this depressing? Because, seriously, this one was a bit of a downer. Nothing good happened nearly the entire novel through. The moral of the story seems to be that life isn't fair, and good people will get shafted every time. (of course, the bad people get shafted, too, so at least he doesn't play favorites.)

That said, I did enjoy the novel. I was continually surprised at how easy a read it was - Dickens certainly has a different style than modern novelists, but I didn't find it difficult or slow going in any way. I think this was a great start to my re-education. It has certainly motivated me to keep going with my challenge!

Finished: 6/2/12
Source: my kindle
MPAA rating: PG - if it wasn't so depressing, it could be made into a Disney movie.
My rating: 7/10


Next up in my re-education: The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin