For the most part, I try to be an optimistic sort of a fellow. That's hard thing to be in an increasingly pessimistic society. So what is it about dystopian novels which I find so appealing? I haven't a clue. Perhaps because I know most of them are going to end on a positive note, x number of pages later, whereas with real life, I have the same belief, but the script's end in not within immediate sight.
In William Sleator's 1974 young adult science fiction novel "House of Stairs", five sixteen year old are brought to a strange prison. It is the future, but we do not know much about this world other than it is a world of scarcity. All the children come from orphanages, but have nothing else in common. Their prison is a huge room with no visible walls, floor or ceiling. There is nothing but seemingly endless flights of stairs which seem to go nowhere. On one landing is running water in a basin which must serve as both sink and toilet. On another is a strange machine with blinking lights which occasionally produces food.
The machine rewards the kids when they exhibit certain behaviors, many of which they discover by accident, and others by experimentation. As the machine begins to require more elaborate and regimented behaviors, it becomes apparent that rewards are more frequent as their behaviors grow increasingly selfish and cruel. Two of the kids realize they are being manipulated and escape as far from the machine as possible. The novel ends with one of the most chilling lines I have ever read in a science fiction novel: "Without hesitation they began to dance."
Despite the chill of that last line, this is a book which had a profound impact on me when I read it first in high school. The social degradation the kids experience has been compared to William Golding's "Lord of the Flies", but I found it ending with a great deal more hope, at least for two of the kids. To me, it is a story about moral agency. The two characters who refuse to be manipulated are seen by the others as well as by their captors, as uncooperative and incorrigible failures. But in the end they still have the ability to chose their behaviors for themselves.
I'd like to see House of Stairs adapted for the screen, but I doubt it ever will be, as least not adapted well. Hollywood talks down to teens, doesn't think they can understand concepts of freedom of choice and social order. When books with such high concepts are adapted for screen, those concepts are expunged or replaced with CGI graphics, explosions, brain-numbing music, and adult actors in revealing clothing portraying teenagers in a hurry to grow up.
Children in general and teens in particular have a great desire to move the world in positive directions, but seldom are given the tools or permission to do so. If Hollywood truly listened to youth, they would learn that youth want better things than what the evening news offers them, that they rail against injustice and seek relationships that have a deeper meaning than "entertainment" shows offer. Perhaps one reason why dystopian novels are currently so highly popular in the young adult genre is because however frightening that literary world is, people their age not only have choices, but the courage and ability to make those choices. As much as I disliked the Twilight novels, I can say this: the characters therein did make positive choices (even though they felt compelled to do two dozen incredibly stupid things before they reached that point.)
Bookstores are filled with literary pabulum. Best seller lists suggest that there are many with strong appetites for the banal. But what about longevity? What about books that might not sell 17 million copies this year but nonetheless are in print decades later, enduring because they have a point, and not simply a glossy cover? What about books which require the exercising of a bit of gray matter over books that require no more brain function than watching a soap opera?
And if those books can require intelligent thought, why not movies?
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Friday, March 18, 2011
Book-into-movie wish list: "A Wrinkle in Time"
Since the publication and extraordinary success of the Harry Potter series, children's and teen novels are option for film as soon as they achieve any kind of fan base whatsoever. Some of these films never come to fruition, but it's nice that so much imaginative fiction is at least being considered for the screen. Of course, all too often filmmakers get dollar signs in their eyes and don't really have a love for the source material, merely the money they think they can make off an already established fan base.
Nonetheless, I still hope. I believe storytelling on the page and storytelling on the screen are two vastly different things. There are advantages and disadvantages to both. There are limitations to both. Being different mediums, don't expect an entirely "faithful" adaptation to even my favorite books. And what I deem the most important aspects of a story is seldom going to be what the screenwriter does or even the person sitting next to me in the movie house. For instance, I was mildly disappointed in the movie adaptation (2003) of "A Wrinkle in Time" (1962), my all-time favorite juvenile science fiction novel, by my all-time favorite juvenile writer, Madeleine L'Engle. In fact, in an interview she gave in-between the release of the movie and her death in 2007, I learned that she thought they messed up the story more than I thought. Perhaps because I had waited not-too-patiently for someone to adapt my favorite book since I had read it the first time nearly 30 years prior, I was more willing to make allowances for what they got "wrong". I'm sure I'd be more sensitive if it was my own story they messed up.
Due at least in part to our politically correct society, many of the religious aspects of the book were left out of the movie. I find this a bit ironic, but perhaps understandable. Perhaps the movie makers didn't want to open up any cans of worms. The author's works have been criticized and banned by some as being too religious (although religion in her fiction is generally only mentioned peripherally) and by others for her belief in a universal salvation (the very idea that God might love all His children!) This in itself didn't spoil the movie for me, although i don't understand why Hollywood is so shy about having characters express religious belief unless done so in a fanatic manner - do they truly believe that their audiences cannot accept the disparate beliefs of a fictional character without having their own beliefs threatened? Perhaps some do. But that is a topic for another post.
No, my biggest disappointment was the way the characters were presented. At 12 or 13 I fell in love with Meg Murry, my first "book crush". In the book she was awkward and very unsure of herself, bespectacled and not much liking herself, afraid to use the talents her parents had always insisted she possessed. I could relate to her somewhat, especially the first time I read the book. The movie portrays her as sullen but mostly self confident. The movie missed the point here: it was Meg's weaknesses which allowed her to triumph in the end; her weaknesses were actually her strengths. Her youngest brother Charles Wallace, which admittedly would be a difficult character to bring to the screen, is in the movie a bit of a snot, which wasn't the case in the original story. His weaknesses are his downfall in both book and movie, but I think more realistically portrayed in the book. Meg's twin brothers Sandy And Dennys are supporting cast in both mediums, but actually serve a purpose in the book, whereas in the movie they appear to be afterthoughts, little more than props. Actually, most of the characters suffered from this malady. Meg's schoolmate Calvin, and the three mysterious old women Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who and Mrs. Which are all more fully developed, believable and sympathetic characters on the printed page than on the screen. In adapting the tale for a more modern audience, the movie makers lost much of the soul of the characters.
Unfortunately, the movie fared no better with setting. In portraying the world of Camazotz, a world which has traded away war and poverty and sickness for extreme conformity and lack of agency, the movie portrays a dark world reminiscent of George Orwell's 1984 or Tim Burton's Batman. What makes Camazotz terrifying in the book is how it looks so similar to our own world, so comfortingly familiar -- but a closer look under the surface shows something horribly wrong under the facade. And when then the children meet IT, the ruler of Camazotz -- well, the actual literary description of a brain setting atop a dais might not itself sound terrifying, but the evil is nonetheless palpable. In the movie, IT is reduced to 1950s "B" movie schlock. Here is where the storytelling medium of celluloid falls short -- it cannot conceive a way to portray evil without giving the appearance of ugliness or monstrosity. It has a difficult time portraying evil as benign as it often appears in reality.
So, whereas "A Wrinkle in Time" wasn't a bad movie, it wasn't a good one, either. It had its moments. But it could have been done better, and perhaps someday it will be, leaving its message of unconditional love intact. Of the book's four sequels, I think "A Wind in the Door" (1973) and "A Swiftly Tilting Planet" (1978) would lend themselves best to the screen. Both have messages which are sorely needed in today's world, not just by children, but also by adults. In an age when bullying runs rampart and differences are extolled but seldom truly accepted, we need the message in A Wind in the Door that the individual is lovable and an important part of the whole. And amid the fear and worry of our present day of a planet seemingly tilting out of control, A Swiftly Tilting Planet's message of small changes having lasting generational impacts would be most welcome.
Nonetheless, I still hope. I believe storytelling on the page and storytelling on the screen are two vastly different things. There are advantages and disadvantages to both. There are limitations to both. Being different mediums, don't expect an entirely "faithful" adaptation to even my favorite books. And what I deem the most important aspects of a story is seldom going to be what the screenwriter does or even the person sitting next to me in the movie house. For instance, I was mildly disappointed in the movie adaptation (2003) of "A Wrinkle in Time" (1962), my all-time favorite juvenile science fiction novel, by my all-time favorite juvenile writer, Madeleine L'Engle. In fact, in an interview she gave in-between the release of the movie and her death in 2007, I learned that she thought they messed up the story more than I thought. Perhaps because I had waited not-too-patiently for someone to adapt my favorite book since I had read it the first time nearly 30 years prior, I was more willing to make allowances for what they got "wrong". I'm sure I'd be more sensitive if it was my own story they messed up.
Due at least in part to our politically correct society, many of the religious aspects of the book were left out of the movie. I find this a bit ironic, but perhaps understandable. Perhaps the movie makers didn't want to open up any cans of worms. The author's works have been criticized and banned by some as being too religious (although religion in her fiction is generally only mentioned peripherally) and by others for her belief in a universal salvation (the very idea that God might love all His children!) This in itself didn't spoil the movie for me, although i don't understand why Hollywood is so shy about having characters express religious belief unless done so in a fanatic manner - do they truly believe that their audiences cannot accept the disparate beliefs of a fictional character without having their own beliefs threatened? Perhaps some do. But that is a topic for another post.
No, my biggest disappointment was the way the characters were presented. At 12 or 13 I fell in love with Meg Murry, my first "book crush". In the book she was awkward and very unsure of herself, bespectacled and not much liking herself, afraid to use the talents her parents had always insisted she possessed. I could relate to her somewhat, especially the first time I read the book. The movie portrays her as sullen but mostly self confident. The movie missed the point here: it was Meg's weaknesses which allowed her to triumph in the end; her weaknesses were actually her strengths. Her youngest brother Charles Wallace, which admittedly would be a difficult character to bring to the screen, is in the movie a bit of a snot, which wasn't the case in the original story. His weaknesses are his downfall in both book and movie, but I think more realistically portrayed in the book. Meg's twin brothers Sandy And Dennys are supporting cast in both mediums, but actually serve a purpose in the book, whereas in the movie they appear to be afterthoughts, little more than props. Actually, most of the characters suffered from this malady. Meg's schoolmate Calvin, and the three mysterious old women Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who and Mrs. Which are all more fully developed, believable and sympathetic characters on the printed page than on the screen. In adapting the tale for a more modern audience, the movie makers lost much of the soul of the characters.
Unfortunately, the movie fared no better with setting. In portraying the world of Camazotz, a world which has traded away war and poverty and sickness for extreme conformity and lack of agency, the movie portrays a dark world reminiscent of George Orwell's 1984 or Tim Burton's Batman. What makes Camazotz terrifying in the book is how it looks so similar to our own world, so comfortingly familiar -- but a closer look under the surface shows something horribly wrong under the facade. And when then the children meet IT, the ruler of Camazotz -- well, the actual literary description of a brain setting atop a dais might not itself sound terrifying, but the evil is nonetheless palpable. In the movie, IT is reduced to 1950s "B" movie schlock. Here is where the storytelling medium of celluloid falls short -- it cannot conceive a way to portray evil without giving the appearance of ugliness or monstrosity. It has a difficult time portraying evil as benign as it often appears in reality.
So, whereas "A Wrinkle in Time" wasn't a bad movie, it wasn't a good one, either. It had its moments. But it could have been done better, and perhaps someday it will be, leaving its message of unconditional love intact. Of the book's four sequels, I think "A Wind in the Door" (1973) and "A Swiftly Tilting Planet" (1978) would lend themselves best to the screen. Both have messages which are sorely needed in today's world, not just by children, but also by adults. In an age when bullying runs rampart and differences are extolled but seldom truly accepted, we need the message in A Wind in the Door that the individual is lovable and an important part of the whole. And amid the fear and worry of our present day of a planet seemingly tilting out of control, A Swiftly Tilting Planet's message of small changes having lasting generational impacts would be most welcome.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Chocolate, Snow & That Small Town Feeling
Without intending to, I have started for myself a tradition. A couple of Saturdays ago I attended Olde Town Arvada's annual "A Chocolate Affair" which is a chocolate tasting festival and fund raiser I discovered only last year but which is now a decade old. So, I jumped on the bandwagon late. Still, I came, I ate, I conquered. Or something like that. The deal is you buy tickets at a buck a piece (bargain hunters take note: 6 tickets for $5) and use those tickets to purchase samples of chocolaty goodness from local, regional, and national vendors -- bonbons, cake, cookies, chocolate milk, donuts, ice cream, etc. The money goes to a local charity that provides counseling and treatment for abused children. There were carriage rides and storytelling (which I hadn't known about until after the fact, so I missed it, sadly so, as I love a good story.) And there was a treasure hunt with clues given at many local merchants in Olde Town Arvada.
A word about Olde Town Arvada. If you don't live in the metro Denver area, put some gas in the car and go. If you do live in the metro area, and you've never wandered about Olde Town Arvada... well, you're missing out. It's a small oasis inside of a rather large suburb, a bit of a refuge from hectic urban life. Pick a day. Mark it on your calendar. Use a pen. Come. No, I am not on the city council, nor do I work at the visitor's bureau. But I know whence I speak. Olde Town has a Mayberry-like charm, although it does have a bit more traffic.
Rheinlander's Bakery, which I've written about in a previous post, was one of the vendors at the Affair; they're the people who can make chocolate taste good even without sugar or gluten. How cool is that? There's Cheesecake Therapy, which is pretty much self explanatory, methinks. Do you like French fries? Do you think McDonald's or Wendy's has the best fries? Sorry, the best fries are served by Griff's, and their onion rings and cheeseburgers are pretty dang good, too. DiCicco's has lasagna that would make Garfield a very happy cat. There's a book store - a real bookstore, not a chain, and the public library is two stories high, with a nice quiet room that on a sunny day is a nice place to quietly read and catch forty winks. (Um, so I've heard -- I've never actually dozed off there...) There's a paint-your-own pottery store, and a candle store with a really cool double staircase which brought out my Inner Hardy Boy, although not enough so that I was brave enough to ask the proprietor if I could go exploring.
Insert note here about the many historical buildings in Olde Town - buildings that had character, before architecture became a cut-and-paste industry. The Arvada Historical Society resides in the Olde Town part of Arvada, as well, and the volunteers there are happy to tell you anything you want to know about any of the buildings or Arvada itself, which started with Colorado's very own Gold Rush.
There's an Army-Navy Surplus store there -- who doesn't love those? There's a candy store selling old fashioned candies (remember Rocky Road, Idaho Spud, Cherry Mash, Big Hunk, Zotz, candy cigarettes?) and old fashioned sodas and root beers (Cherwine, Duffy's, Stewart's) . Etta's Place is a tiny grocery store housed in a quaint (egads, did I just use the word quaint?) Victorian house -- among the groceries the sell are tasty Wisconsin cheeses and homemade jams; but what I really liked here was the memory it evoked of the little mom-and-pop grocery 4-1/2 blocks down the street from my grandmother's house, which I am my siblings oft haunted during most our visits in our childhood.
I frequent the conglomerates, the big chains, because of their convenience, because of their pricing. But sometimes I want to slow down and enjoy life at a more leisurely pace. This particular day started out sunny and not exactly warm, but seasonal. After getting an emissions test done on my car, I headed over to Mayberry -- I mean, Olde Town Arvada -- and somewhere along the way as I wandered in and out of shops, looking for clues and sampling chocolate, it started to snow. A few flakes at first, growing suddenly blustery, and for just a moment I considered heading home before the streets got icy. But I decided I wasn't yet finished. That might not seem significant unless you know me, and how much I dislike snow, especially if I have to drive in it. Give me a good torrential rainstorm over a moderate snowfall.
No, my tummy full of chocolate (it might be true what they say about chocolate containing endorphins) , my too-small hat not quite keeping the snow out of my ears, I found myself relishing even the snow. It was part of the experience. I was happy to be there. I felt more relaxed than I had all week. The snow temporarily abated. A friend came to join me, the snow kicked up again, we ate more chocolate and collected more clues for the treasure hunt (missing the deadline), and we visited Penzy's Spices while the snow continued its bipolar behavior between random flakes and mini-blizzard.
As I drove home, I found the traffic heavy in volume but the roads easy enough to navigate thanks to a Christmas present to myself of new tires. One segment of that journey treated me to a breathtaking vision of snow covered tree skeletons on both sides of the road which made me glad I hadn't wimped out and left early. Surprising to know I can enjoy snow at times other than sitting inside staring out the window with a good book in hand (although that's still my favorite way -- not even chocolate has the power to change my mind on that.)
A word about Olde Town Arvada. If you don't live in the metro Denver area, put some gas in the car and go. If you do live in the metro area, and you've never wandered about Olde Town Arvada... well, you're missing out. It's a small oasis inside of a rather large suburb, a bit of a refuge from hectic urban life. Pick a day. Mark it on your calendar. Use a pen. Come. No, I am not on the city council, nor do I work at the visitor's bureau. But I know whence I speak. Olde Town has a Mayberry-like charm, although it does have a bit more traffic.
Rheinlander's Bakery, which I've written about in a previous post, was one of the vendors at the Affair; they're the people who can make chocolate taste good even without sugar or gluten. How cool is that? There's Cheesecake Therapy, which is pretty much self explanatory, methinks. Do you like French fries? Do you think McDonald's or Wendy's has the best fries? Sorry, the best fries are served by Griff's, and their onion rings and cheeseburgers are pretty dang good, too. DiCicco's has lasagna that would make Garfield a very happy cat. There's a book store - a real bookstore, not a chain, and the public library is two stories high, with a nice quiet room that on a sunny day is a nice place to quietly read and catch forty winks. (Um, so I've heard -- I've never actually dozed off there...) There's a paint-your-own pottery store, and a candle store with a really cool double staircase which brought out my Inner Hardy Boy, although not enough so that I was brave enough to ask the proprietor if I could go exploring.
Insert note here about the many historical buildings in Olde Town - buildings that had character, before architecture became a cut-and-paste industry. The Arvada Historical Society resides in the Olde Town part of Arvada, as well, and the volunteers there are happy to tell you anything you want to know about any of the buildings or Arvada itself, which started with Colorado's very own Gold Rush.
There's an Army-Navy Surplus store there -- who doesn't love those? There's a candy store selling old fashioned candies (remember Rocky Road, Idaho Spud, Cherry Mash, Big Hunk, Zotz, candy cigarettes?) and old fashioned sodas and root beers (Cherwine, Duffy's, Stewart's) . Etta's Place is a tiny grocery store housed in a quaint (egads, did I just use the word quaint?) Victorian house -- among the groceries the sell are tasty Wisconsin cheeses and homemade jams; but what I really liked here was the memory it evoked of the little mom-and-pop grocery 4-1/2 blocks down the street from my grandmother's house, which I am my siblings oft haunted during most our visits in our childhood.
I frequent the conglomerates, the big chains, because of their convenience, because of their pricing. But sometimes I want to slow down and enjoy life at a more leisurely pace. This particular day started out sunny and not exactly warm, but seasonal. After getting an emissions test done on my car, I headed over to Mayberry -- I mean, Olde Town Arvada -- and somewhere along the way as I wandered in and out of shops, looking for clues and sampling chocolate, it started to snow. A few flakes at first, growing suddenly blustery, and for just a moment I considered heading home before the streets got icy. But I decided I wasn't yet finished. That might not seem significant unless you know me, and how much I dislike snow, especially if I have to drive in it. Give me a good torrential rainstorm over a moderate snowfall.
No, my tummy full of chocolate (it might be true what they say about chocolate containing endorphins) , my too-small hat not quite keeping the snow out of my ears, I found myself relishing even the snow. It was part of the experience. I was happy to be there. I felt more relaxed than I had all week. The snow temporarily abated. A friend came to join me, the snow kicked up again, we ate more chocolate and collected more clues for the treasure hunt (missing the deadline), and we visited Penzy's Spices while the snow continued its bipolar behavior between random flakes and mini-blizzard.
As I drove home, I found the traffic heavy in volume but the roads easy enough to navigate thanks to a Christmas present to myself of new tires. One segment of that journey treated me to a breathtaking vision of snow covered tree skeletons on both sides of the road which made me glad I hadn't wimped out and left early. Surprising to know I can enjoy snow at times other than sitting inside staring out the window with a good book in hand (although that's still my favorite way -- not even chocolate has the power to change my mind on that.)
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Christmas Favorites
I love Christmas tales. Whether it be schmaltzy Christmas movies on the Hallmark Channel, the yearly Anne Perry Christmas mystery offering, or Richard Paul Evans's yuletide tear-jerker, or a perennial favorite - I love them. I don't necessarily wait for this time of year to read them, either. The themes of these tales are of love and forgiveness, redemption and reconciliation.
There is no shortage of children's picture books on the Nativity, some retelling the story in simplified language, and others taking the text directly from the Gospels of Luke and Matthew and some from Isaiah. Those are my favorites, because the prose tells the story beautifully and I don't feel it's too difficult for even small children to understand, so it doesn't need to be re-written. Two of these I love because of the artwork as well as the text. Both sadly are currently out of print, but happily are available inexpensively at used bookstores online.
First is "The Nativity", illustrated by Juan Wijngaard. His beautiful watercolors drawn in a Renaissance style and framed to appear as church windows, with calligraphic text, make for a very enjoyable read.
Second, and probably my favorite, is Jan Pienkowski's "The First Christmas". Pienkowski's illustrations leave a lasting impression. They have at once both fairy tale and somber qualities to them. Vividly colored backgrounds and black silhouettes fit together beautifully. The author plays a bit with place and time - the manger is in a forest and the flight into Egypt is set against the background of a Gothic castle - and fashion - Mary's hair is in pigtails as she hangs laundry taken from a modern looking laundry basket. It sounds like it shouldn't work. Perhaps the anachronisms is what does make it work; the illustrations give the tale a timeless quality, and for this reader at least eloquently shows the love of God for all people through all ages. Search for it under the author's name and the two titles it was published under during its 25 year publication history: "The First Christmas", and simply, "Christmas".
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Three of my favorite Christmas titles are texts in the Public Domain: Henry Van Dyke's "Keeping Christmas", William Sydney Porter's (more commonly known as O. Henry) "Gift of the Magi", and Charles Dickens's "A Christmas Carol". All of these are available for as little as a dollar or even for free in various electronic formats on such sites as Project Gutenberg.
"Keeping Christmas" is a sermon Henry Van Dyke delivered in 1924, based upon Romans 14:6. In less than 500 words, he asks simple questions and gives much food for thought, starting with contrasting observing Christmas Day and keeping Christmas Day, and then reminding us to step outside ourselves to meet the needs of others, to do our part to make the world a better place: "to trim your lamp so that it will give more light and less smoke, and to carry it in front so that your shadow will fall behind you." This is a piece well worth reading every month of the year.
O. Henry's 1906 short story "Gift of the Magi" begins with: "One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all. And sixty cents of it was in pennies." How many opening sentences grab you like that? Many of you already know the story: young financially struggling married couple sell their most cherished possessions to buy a Christmas present for the other. It's been adapted but once for the big screen and but a few times for television, with a contemporary retelling coming to the Hallmark Channel this month. I mention this because here is a story primed for the likes of Hallmark: heavy on the sweet and sentimental. Don't get me wrong: I like sweet and sentimental, especially in Christmas stories; I've been watching syrupy Christmas tales and sappy Christmas romances for two weeks on the Hallmark Channel. But O. Henry's tale is more than just a tear-jerking tale. It is the simple story of two people who love each other so much that they are willing to give up what they most value to acquire something for who they most value. And what could be more Christmasy than that?
I don't generally count among my own personal favorites what others have deemed "classics". Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" is an exception. After watching many movie adaptations and listening to a few radio plays (my favorite being Jonathan Winters' reading for NPR), last year I discovered the full text hiding many years upon my bookshelf. Everybody knows the tale: old miserly curmudgeon visited by apparitions who force him to examine his life, past, present and future, and reintroduce him to the human race. It's a powerful morality tale of second chances, of redemption from our own worst enemies - ourselves. And although there are many great radio plays and movies adapted from the book, I think the book offers a great deal more.
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Last but not least is Richard Paul Evans' picture book "The Christmas Candle" from 1999. Evans's selfish protagonist Thomas is anxious to get home to his family of a cold Christmas Eve, and he stops in at a chandler's shop for a candle for his lantern. He scorns the beautifully designed candles in favor of a plain and simple and cheap one. But after he leaves the chandler's shop, with a cryptic warning ringing in his ears, he discovers the plain candle illuminates in strange - and at first unwelcome - ways. Oil illustrations by Jacob Collins show poor beggars and waifs which under the light of the candle appear in turn to be Thomas's mother, brother and sister. It is not until Thomas has given away everything he possesses to care for those he supposes to be his family members that the lantern's light show him the truth. And it is not until he arrives home, cold and broke, that the light of understanding enters his mind and heart. I've gotten a little choked up when I have read this tale aloud to family and friends. It is a great tale of giving of oneself, seeing things in a pure light - the light of Christmas.
There is no shortage of children's picture books on the Nativity, some retelling the story in simplified language, and others taking the text directly from the Gospels of Luke and Matthew and some from Isaiah. Those are my favorites, because the prose tells the story beautifully and I don't feel it's too difficult for even small children to understand, so it doesn't need to be re-written. Two of these I love because of the artwork as well as the text. Both sadly are currently out of print, but happily are available inexpensively at used bookstores online.
First is "The Nativity", illustrated by Juan Wijngaard. His beautiful watercolors drawn in a Renaissance style and framed to appear as church windows, with calligraphic text, make for a very enjoyable read.
Second, and probably my favorite, is Jan Pienkowski's "The First Christmas". Pienkowski's illustrations leave a lasting impression. They have at once both fairy tale and somber qualities to them. Vividly colored backgrounds and black silhouettes fit together beautifully. The author plays a bit with place and time - the manger is in a forest and the flight into Egypt is set against the background of a Gothic castle - and fashion - Mary's hair is in pigtails as she hangs laundry taken from a modern looking laundry basket. It sounds like it shouldn't work. Perhaps the anachronisms is what does make it work; the illustrations give the tale a timeless quality, and for this reader at least eloquently shows the love of God for all people through all ages. Search for it under the author's name and the two titles it was published under during its 25 year publication history: "The First Christmas", and simply, "Christmas".
------------
Three of my favorite Christmas titles are texts in the Public Domain: Henry Van Dyke's "Keeping Christmas", William Sydney Porter's (more commonly known as O. Henry) "Gift of the Magi", and Charles Dickens's "A Christmas Carol". All of these are available for as little as a dollar or even for free in various electronic formats on such sites as Project Gutenberg.
"Keeping Christmas" is a sermon Henry Van Dyke delivered in 1924, based upon Romans 14:6. In less than 500 words, he asks simple questions and gives much food for thought, starting with contrasting observing Christmas Day and keeping Christmas Day, and then reminding us to step outside ourselves to meet the needs of others, to do our part to make the world a better place: "to trim your lamp so that it will give more light and less smoke, and to carry it in front so that your shadow will fall behind you." This is a piece well worth reading every month of the year.
O. Henry's 1906 short story "Gift of the Magi" begins with: "One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all. And sixty cents of it was in pennies." How many opening sentences grab you like that? Many of you already know the story: young financially struggling married couple sell their most cherished possessions to buy a Christmas present for the other. It's been adapted but once for the big screen and but a few times for television, with a contemporary retelling coming to the Hallmark Channel this month. I mention this because here is a story primed for the likes of Hallmark: heavy on the sweet and sentimental. Don't get me wrong: I like sweet and sentimental, especially in Christmas stories; I've been watching syrupy Christmas tales and sappy Christmas romances for two weeks on the Hallmark Channel. But O. Henry's tale is more than just a tear-jerking tale. It is the simple story of two people who love each other so much that they are willing to give up what they most value to acquire something for who they most value. And what could be more Christmasy than that?
I don't generally count among my own personal favorites what others have deemed "classics". Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" is an exception. After watching many movie adaptations and listening to a few radio plays (my favorite being Jonathan Winters' reading for NPR), last year I discovered the full text hiding many years upon my bookshelf. Everybody knows the tale: old miserly curmudgeon visited by apparitions who force him to examine his life, past, present and future, and reintroduce him to the human race. It's a powerful morality tale of second chances, of redemption from our own worst enemies - ourselves. And although there are many great radio plays and movies adapted from the book, I think the book offers a great deal more.
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Last but not least is Richard Paul Evans' picture book "The Christmas Candle" from 1999. Evans's selfish protagonist Thomas is anxious to get home to his family of a cold Christmas Eve, and he stops in at a chandler's shop for a candle for his lantern. He scorns the beautifully designed candles in favor of a plain and simple and cheap one. But after he leaves the chandler's shop, with a cryptic warning ringing in his ears, he discovers the plain candle illuminates in strange - and at first unwelcome - ways. Oil illustrations by Jacob Collins show poor beggars and waifs which under the light of the candle appear in turn to be Thomas's mother, brother and sister. It is not until Thomas has given away everything he possesses to care for those he supposes to be his family members that the lantern's light show him the truth. And it is not until he arrives home, cold and broke, that the light of understanding enters his mind and heart. I've gotten a little choked up when I have read this tale aloud to family and friends. It is a great tale of giving of oneself, seeing things in a pure light - the light of Christmas.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
"The Best Burger in [George]town"
Yesterday a friend and I hung out in Georgetown, walking around and checking out all the little shops there. And wondering about why the people of Georgetown and neighboring Silver Plume have such an affinity for the color purple. I didn't make a tally of all colors of all buildings, so perhaps since it is such a unique building color there seemed to be a disproportionate number of purple buildings. I've nothing against purple; I'm just not used to seeing it. Perhaps, as my friend suggested, at one time there was a sale on purple paint. One building was closer to mauve; we speculated that was the last of the purple paint, mixed with white in order to stretch it.
All that walking around in brisk mountain air considerably cooler than what we've been used to in Denver stimulated our appetites. At the visitor's center we looked at a list of local restaurants and the woman who worked there told us Ed's 1859 Cafe had "the best burgers in town." Well, a statement like that, you just have to check out! Not having sampled the hamburgers in other area restaurants, I cannot say if they truly have the "best in town" - we plan to return to Georgetown for further investigation - but their cheeseburgers were good! I got mine with all the fixins, save mayonnaise, and all the lettuce, tomatoes, onions, catsup, mustard and pickles fell out the edges of the burger. Now, I know that many people think a "real" burger is nice and neat, staying inside a bun and having minimal condiments and vegetables. Nope, sorry. A real cheeseburger has all the fixings, requires two hands to eat and requires at least two napkins. Their Angus burgers come with your choice of cheeses and in quarter or half pound sizes. We didn't try the sweet potato fries, but they did look yummy, as did the soups I saw many of the customers ordering.
It's a popular spot, apparently: it was so busy we had to arm wrestle an elderly couple for the last table. Okay, I made that up. A table did open up by the time we got to the counter to place our orders. But clearly there was both a regular clientele there and other tourists like ourselves, and although there was outside seating available, they weren't hurting for customers.
The back of their menu had a picture of "Ed", also known as "Edwina", a dog who lived for 16 years before going to doggy heaven. Next time I go I'll have to ask for the story behind the naming of the cafe.
All that walking around in brisk mountain air considerably cooler than what we've been used to in Denver stimulated our appetites. At the visitor's center we looked at a list of local restaurants and the woman who worked there told us Ed's 1859 Cafe had "the best burgers in town." Well, a statement like that, you just have to check out! Not having sampled the hamburgers in other area restaurants, I cannot say if they truly have the "best in town" - we plan to return to Georgetown for further investigation - but their cheeseburgers were good! I got mine with all the fixins, save mayonnaise, and all the lettuce, tomatoes, onions, catsup, mustard and pickles fell out the edges of the burger. Now, I know that many people think a "real" burger is nice and neat, staying inside a bun and having minimal condiments and vegetables. Nope, sorry. A real cheeseburger has all the fixings, requires two hands to eat and requires at least two napkins. Their Angus burgers come with your choice of cheeses and in quarter or half pound sizes. We didn't try the sweet potato fries, but they did look yummy, as did the soups I saw many of the customers ordering.
It's a popular spot, apparently: it was so busy we had to arm wrestle an elderly couple for the last table. Okay, I made that up. A table did open up by the time we got to the counter to place our orders. But clearly there was both a regular clientele there and other tourists like ourselves, and although there was outside seating available, they weren't hurting for customers.
The back of their menu had a picture of "Ed", also known as "Edwina", a dog who lived for 16 years before going to doggy heaven. Next time I go I'll have to ask for the story behind the naming of the cafe.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Words that simply aren't used often enough
Okay, I admit it. I am a word geek. There, I have said it. There are some words which simply say things better than their more common counterparts. Here's a challenge for my readers: use these words in conversation during the next week.
>>> akimbo
with hands on hips, elbows bent outward.
Peter Pan stood akimbo whilst mocking Captain Hook. In comic books, the villains stand akimbo while laughing maniacally over their nefarious plans, while costumed superheroes stand akimbo, their country's flag flapping majestically behind them, after defeating nefarious malefactors. Don't just stand there, people! Be you good or evil, if you truly want people to take notice of you, stand akimbo!
>>> gelid
very cold, icy, frosty. Latin, 1600–10; gelidus icy cold.
Choosing to take public transportation rather than driving to work, I find myself being exposed to extremes in temperatures which challenge the wisdom of that choice. Most days, I don't mind; I relish the relative coolness of early morning in late summer or the "brisk" walk to the bus stop in the winter before the sun has risen. But there are days where the descriptions of "hot" and "cold" fall short. I discovered a splendid word last year. A coworker asked me how cold my walk in had been. I replied it was positively gelid. At his request I defined the word and he suggested I might be but one of a handful of people on the planet who would ever use it. Nonetheless, I insisted, for the day in question, no other word would do. A week or so later he pointed me to a story in the local paper where a sportswriter describe a recent game night using that very term. I felt justified; my coworker remained unconvinced. A couple months ago, I came across the word in Christopher Fowler's mystery The Victoria Vanishes. So I see the word isn't entirely extinct. However it might need help of people like you to give it the recognition it deserves.
>>> kerfuffle
a great commotion.
This is a great word I used once to quell an escalating argument among the children of some friends. "Hey!" I demanded, "What's all the kerfuffle about?" Each child immediately began to defend his own stance, and then the commotion petered out as the new word sunk in. I believe the meaning was readily discerned - after all, they knew they were squabbling, and that an adult would intervene for no other reason. But new knowledge rendered their arguments moot, and peace was restored, at least temporarily.
>>> malefactor
a criminal; a person doing harm or evil toward another.
>>> nefarious
wicked, vile, from Latin nefarious, equiv. nefās offense against divine or moral law.
The sorts of deeds malefactors commit. Some criminals are merely bad; others are nefarious!
>>> rascal
a dishonest or unscrupulous person; a mischievous person or animal.
Whichever meaning you chose, unscrupulous person or mischievous person, this word has sadly fallen out of common use. How could this happen? I was reminded of this wonderful word by being referred to as such (second meaning, thankfully) a couple weeks ago. Not as common as they once were, but are still recognized by most people, are hooligan, whippersnapper and scoundrel. Meriting honorable mentions are rapscallion, varlet and miscreant.
So there you have it: a dozen words which not only convey specific meanings, but are fun to say and will make you the life of any party. Well, maybe not the life of the party. But using these words will certainly leave an impression upon others.
>>> akimbo
with hands on hips, elbows bent outward.
Peter Pan stood akimbo whilst mocking Captain Hook. In comic books, the villains stand akimbo while laughing maniacally over their nefarious plans, while costumed superheroes stand akimbo, their country's flag flapping majestically behind them, after defeating nefarious malefactors. Don't just stand there, people! Be you good or evil, if you truly want people to take notice of you, stand akimbo!
>>> gelid
very cold, icy, frosty. Latin, 1600–10; gelidus icy cold.
Choosing to take public transportation rather than driving to work, I find myself being exposed to extremes in temperatures which challenge the wisdom of that choice. Most days, I don't mind; I relish the relative coolness of early morning in late summer or the "brisk" walk to the bus stop in the winter before the sun has risen. But there are days where the descriptions of "hot" and "cold" fall short. I discovered a splendid word last year. A coworker asked me how cold my walk in had been. I replied it was positively gelid. At his request I defined the word and he suggested I might be but one of a handful of people on the planet who would ever use it. Nonetheless, I insisted, for the day in question, no other word would do. A week or so later he pointed me to a story in the local paper where a sportswriter describe a recent game night using that very term. I felt justified; my coworker remained unconvinced. A couple months ago, I came across the word in Christopher Fowler's mystery The Victoria Vanishes. So I see the word isn't entirely extinct. However it might need help of people like you to give it the recognition it deserves.
>>> kerfuffle
a great commotion.
This is a great word I used once to quell an escalating argument among the children of some friends. "Hey!" I demanded, "What's all the kerfuffle about?" Each child immediately began to defend his own stance, and then the commotion petered out as the new word sunk in. I believe the meaning was readily discerned - after all, they knew they were squabbling, and that an adult would intervene for no other reason. But new knowledge rendered their arguments moot, and peace was restored, at least temporarily.
>>> malefactor
a criminal; a person doing harm or evil toward another.
As most translations of the Bible render Luke 23: 33, Jesus was crucified between two "criminals". At least one translation refers to the other men as "evil-doers", which comes closer to the Latin root malefactor: to act wickedly, do an evil. Both the King James version and the Darby translation give us a little extra flavor: "And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left." Now doesn't that just sound more intriguing than "criminals"?
>>> nefarious
wicked, vile, from Latin nefarious, equiv. nefās offense against divine or moral law.
The sorts of deeds malefactors commit. Some criminals are merely bad; others are nefarious!
>>> rascal
a dishonest or unscrupulous person; a mischievous person or animal.
Whichever meaning you chose, unscrupulous person or mischievous person, this word has sadly fallen out of common use. How could this happen? I was reminded of this wonderful word by being referred to as such (second meaning, thankfully) a couple weeks ago. Not as common as they once were, but are still recognized by most people, are hooligan, whippersnapper and scoundrel. Meriting honorable mentions are rapscallion, varlet and miscreant.
So there you have it: a dozen words which not only convey specific meanings, but are fun to say and will make you the life of any party. Well, maybe not the life of the party. But using these words will certainly leave an impression upon others.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Re-read: "To Kill a Mockingbird"
This past July marked the 50 year anniversary of the publication of "To Kill a Mockingbird". It has long been one of my favorite books, one I read every five years or so. I had planned to re-read it this year before knowledge of the anniversary came to me, so the many news stories I heard on NPR made for a happy coincidence.
This time I had decided to listen to the audio version. I don't know how many times I have read the book nor do I remember how old I was when I first read it (I think I was around twenty.) Each time I read it my own life experiences give me the opportunity to experience the story with new eyes, and this time was no exception. Part of that might be listening to it rather than reading it. Having someone read to you is a delicious experience, especially if the narrator can speak in the character's voice. I don't mean voice imitations; I don't mean a woman narrator speaking like a man or vice versa, although that does add richness to the experience (anyone who has ever heard the myriad of voices Jim Dale evokes while narrating the Harry Potter books knows what I mean there.) Rather, I mean a narrator who draws the listener into the story so completely as to make it sound like you are hearing the story firsthand. Roses Pritchard narrated the version I listened to, and she is such a narrator.
The story is one of the handful of books Hollywood ever got "right". But as powerful as the movie was, and as wonderful as Gregory Peck portrayed Atticus Finch, the movie pales in comparison to the power of the book. It is of course a tale of racial prejudice and injustice and a small town's awakening consciousness. Some have criticized the novel for what they consider its one dimensional portrayal of African Americans, and for perpetuating a more subtle form of racism by an equally one dimensional portrayal of whites as saviors. If the story were set today, or even at the time the book was written, fifty years ago at the height of the Civil Rights movement, I might agree with that assessment. But the story was set in a different time, in post Great Depression America.
I am certainly not saying that the times made those prejudices and injustices right. They were wrong then just as they are wrong now. They did, however, exist, much more strongly and blatantly then than they do now. What rights were conferred by law and what actually took place were unfortunately different things. It took men and women of both races to stand up against their friends and courage to challenge society's beliefs - and their own - to make those laws a vibrant reality for all regardless of race. That is the second reason I challenge that one-dimensional assessment: the book is full of characters who did the right things despite being afraid or confused, despised, ostracized and even persecuted for it.
Atticus Finch defends the falsely accused Tom Robinson not only because he is court appointed to do so but puts his full efforts into it because it is the right thing to do, and he actively teaches his children Jem and Scout a better way to live than what the community is teaching, preparing them for greater challenges he knows are coming, and the way in which he handles bitter disappointments and failure. Despite their own flaws, Calpurnia, Reverend Sykes, Miss Maudie, Aunt Alexandra and Uncle Jack each teach the children something. Even "minor" characters Dolphus Raymond, Link Deas and Walter Cunningham Sr. prove themselves more valiant than they first appear.
The movie focused on the two main intertwining stories of Tom Robinson's trial and the mysterious neighbor Boo Radley, but left much out. The novel also explores the themes of drug addiction, social and economic class, fascism, and being a Christian not only in word but also in deed. Pretty heady stuff for a child to witness and try to make sense of - and the story is told entirely through the eyes of young Jean Louise "Scout" Finch. Wise beyond her years she may be, she is still growing up in a confusing, rapidly changing world. Still, make sense of it she does, through keen observation, loving relationships with her father and other adults, growing first apart from her brother and then drawing again closer to him, and finally, the passage of time and the greater understanding that brings. Perhaps that passage of time is why I myself see the story with fresh eyes every time I read it.
This time I had decided to listen to the audio version. I don't know how many times I have read the book nor do I remember how old I was when I first read it (I think I was around twenty.) Each time I read it my own life experiences give me the opportunity to experience the story with new eyes, and this time was no exception. Part of that might be listening to it rather than reading it. Having someone read to you is a delicious experience, especially if the narrator can speak in the character's voice. I don't mean voice imitations; I don't mean a woman narrator speaking like a man or vice versa, although that does add richness to the experience (anyone who has ever heard the myriad of voices Jim Dale evokes while narrating the Harry Potter books knows what I mean there.) Rather, I mean a narrator who draws the listener into the story so completely as to make it sound like you are hearing the story firsthand. Roses Pritchard narrated the version I listened to, and she is such a narrator.
The story is one of the handful of books Hollywood ever got "right". But as powerful as the movie was, and as wonderful as Gregory Peck portrayed Atticus Finch, the movie pales in comparison to the power of the book. It is of course a tale of racial prejudice and injustice and a small town's awakening consciousness. Some have criticized the novel for what they consider its one dimensional portrayal of African Americans, and for perpetuating a more subtle form of racism by an equally one dimensional portrayal of whites as saviors. If the story were set today, or even at the time the book was written, fifty years ago at the height of the Civil Rights movement, I might agree with that assessment. But the story was set in a different time, in post Great Depression America.
I am certainly not saying that the times made those prejudices and injustices right. They were wrong then just as they are wrong now. They did, however, exist, much more strongly and blatantly then than they do now. What rights were conferred by law and what actually took place were unfortunately different things. It took men and women of both races to stand up against their friends and courage to challenge society's beliefs - and their own - to make those laws a vibrant reality for all regardless of race. That is the second reason I challenge that one-dimensional assessment: the book is full of characters who did the right things despite being afraid or confused, despised, ostracized and even persecuted for it.
Atticus Finch defends the falsely accused Tom Robinson not only because he is court appointed to do so but puts his full efforts into it because it is the right thing to do, and he actively teaches his children Jem and Scout a better way to live than what the community is teaching, preparing them for greater challenges he knows are coming, and the way in which he handles bitter disappointments and failure. Despite their own flaws, Calpurnia, Reverend Sykes, Miss Maudie, Aunt Alexandra and Uncle Jack each teach the children something. Even "minor" characters Dolphus Raymond, Link Deas and Walter Cunningham Sr. prove themselves more valiant than they first appear.
The movie focused on the two main intertwining stories of Tom Robinson's trial and the mysterious neighbor Boo Radley, but left much out. The novel also explores the themes of drug addiction, social and economic class, fascism, and being a Christian not only in word but also in deed. Pretty heady stuff for a child to witness and try to make sense of - and the story is told entirely through the eyes of young Jean Louise "Scout" Finch. Wise beyond her years she may be, she is still growing up in a confusing, rapidly changing world. Still, make sense of it she does, through keen observation, loving relationships with her father and other adults, growing first apart from her brother and then drawing again closer to him, and finally, the passage of time and the greater understanding that brings. Perhaps that passage of time is why I myself see the story with fresh eyes every time I read it.
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