Sometimes, the curtains aren't just blue

I like reading, and I have an internet connection.  So, it was only a matter of time before someone linked me this.

http://www.memecenter.com/fun/140145/blue-curtains

Sadly, this reflects a common attitude towards the study of English literature.  That it’s “wishy-washy”, and that English literature students just lounge around in ivory towers, wearing scarves and trying to find the deeper meaning of texts where no such meaning exists.

I completely disagree with that idea, and there is plenty of evidence to back up this view

Firstly, there are writers who have gone on the record saying that the literary devices in their work are intentional.  

When you write, you have to describe a whole universe.  You may choose to describe a world that is similar, or nearly identical to our own, but nevertheless, you have a very limited amount of words to describe this world and put your ideas across.  So if you go out of the way to point out the colour of the curtains, it’s probably significant.

Writers could also include these devices unconsciously. 

Perhaps more importantly, maybe this isn’t the question that we should be asking ourselves.  Arguably, the whole point of studying literature isn’t to determine what an author’s intentions were. If you can find a metaphor in a piece of writing that makes you think, or see the world from a different perspective, then does it really matter whether the writer wanted it to be there or not?

My Life in Formalism

If we could fly out of that window hand in hand, hover over this great city, gently remove the roofs, and and peep in at the queer things which are going on, the strange coincidences, the plannings, the cross-purposes, the wonderful chains of events, working through generations, and leading to the most outre results, it would make all fiction with its conventionalities and foreseen conclusions most stale and unprofitable.”

-Arthur Conan Doyle, The Complete Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

The other day I went to a lecture on Formalism, and the lecturer explained to us how, according to Formalism, literature uses literary devices to “roughen” or alter normal language and to defamiliarize ordinary situations. 

            Formalists like Victor Shklovsky contend that in our everyday lives we become so used to certain ideas or situations that we never stop to question them, or even notice them. We stop truly seeing.

            Later on, I nearly walked past my maths teacher. I just didn’t see her, because I wasn’t expecting to see her, and I wasn’t even paying attention to the people passing me on the street.  I just assumed that they were all complete strangers.

           

Question of the day:  Is there an unpretentious way of talking about how life imitates art?

Thoughts on: The Handmaid’s Tale by Margret Atwood

*spoiler alert*

There have been a slew of dystopian novels released over the past few years, largely in the wake of successful young adult series such as the Hunger Games and Noughts and Crosses.  So I thought it would be interesting to go back and read some earlier dystopian novels.  One of the most famous of these is The Handmaid’s Tale by Margret Atwood.

This novel was a real page-turner.  The tension is palpable, and it is really well written. 

I liked the way that some of the main characters, such as Nick and Cora were really ambiguously portrayed.  I wasn’t sure whether I liked them or not, and I think that that made the story much more realistic.  In a way, it mimics the way that people in Gilead must have felt; they were could never be sure whether they liked or trusted people, because anyone could be an Eye.

What also fascinated me was the way that in some situations, various individuals tried to construe certain elements of the society as being matriarchal and freeing for women, when in fact it clearly was not.

The bit that let me down was the ending.  Like so many dystopian stories, the narrative ends on an ambiguous note.  We are uncertain as to whether she is lead to safety or too her doom.

            And then there is a historical note at the end that tells us that she does.  The historical note tries to create another, different, ambiguous ending, but frankly, it just doesn’t have the same potency.

Kill the Love Triangle (or, at least knock it unconscious for a while)

 Twilight.  The Hunger Games.  It seems like in the last few years YA literature has developed a love triangle fixation.

Now, I don't think that there is anything inherently wrong with love triangles, and I do acknowledge that some people have complicated love lives, and literature should represent a wide variety of relationships.

However, the obsession with love triangles has to stop.

The most obvious reason why writers shouldn't be so trigger-happy when creating love triangles is that there are just way too many poorly written love triangles out there.  In the vast majority of cases it's really obvious which character the writer prefers and which characters will end up together.  The relationships themselves are often really unrealistic, with some fairly cringe-worthy dialogue.

Secondly, I find that love triangles are becoming so ubiquitous that there seems to be a perception that they are almost a prerequisite for a young adult novel.  For instance *spoiler alert* towards the end of the Chaos Walking series, Ness makes a vague attempt to set up a love triangle. However, he clearly doesn't show much interest in the plot device, and after a brief mention it disappears and is never referred to again.

The final problem with the over-usage of the love triangle in young adult literature is that it is becoming a cliché. While there are some well-written love triangles out there, because of the sheer amount of them, all love triangles are collectively seen as banal.

YA writers should give the love triangle a well deserved break.

What are your opinions on love triangles?  Are there any ones that you particularly love/hate?

Book review: A Room with a View by E.M. Forster

A Room with a View by E.M. Forester
(my own photo)

At the beginning of the summer, I set myself the admittedly slightly unrealistic goal of reading fifty books.  Now that the holidays are almost officially over, I can say with confidence that I'm not going to achieve that goal.  However, I did manage to read a lot of really great books, some of which I have been meaning to read for ages, and this is one of them.

A Room with a View is the story of Lucy Honeychurch, who travels to Florence chaperoned by her cousin, Charlotte.  When they complain about the fact that their room in the hotel doesn't have a view of the river, Mr. Emerson and his son George offer to swap places with them.  While Mr. Emerson sees it as a gesture of kindness, it is not seen as the "proper" thing to do.  Lucy has many interesting experiences while in Italy, including getting lost while sight-seeing, witnessing a murder, and going into the surrounding hills.  This holiday shapes her perspective on the world and her future actions.

Overall, it was an incredible book.  I thought that the characters were all very memorable and varied.  The relationship between Lucy and George was really romantic and I thought that it was beautiful.

While it didn't really have the satirical edge of Jane Austen, the social commentary was still really effective.  Sadly, too many of the issues that Forester discusses are still relevant today.

In conclusion, this novel is amazing in so many different ways, it has stood the test of time for all the right reasons.

Chances of finding it in my imaginary bookstore? 95%

Book Review: Completely Unexpected Tales by Roald Dahl

Completely Unexpected Tales by Roald Dahl
(my own photo)

Like so many other children, I read a lot of Roald Dahl when I was younger.  When I found this book I was immediately curious about it; would it be like the books I grew up with, or would it be something completely different?

It turned out to be a bit of both. While his stories do contain the fantastical elements of his children's books, they are definitely aimed at adults.

This book is a collection of short stories, and they are full of really dark humour, which I enjoy, but it also contained some really interesting premises and ideas.

They were nice, relaxing reading, and the stories covered varying themes and time periods. The stories were a good length; long enough to develop the characters and plot without being long-winded.

By calling the collection "Completely Unexpected Tales", it encouraged me to expect the unexpected.  I was always thinking ahead, and trying to figure out what the twist at the end was.  So, ironically enough, I managed to guess the twists in most of the stories, so they weren't really unexpected at all.

However, there is a unexpected surprise for all Harry Potter fans.

Chances of finding it in my imaginary bookstore:  75%