Is it just me, or is Brit lit way more in to children characters than American lit? Christopher, even though he's autistic and "different," is still very reminiscent of an English fondness for the exceptional child. When I think of the great American novels, there aren't a lot of kids, like Moby Dick and The Great Gatsby and The Sun Also Rises and all of Henry James and Edith Wharton and the Beats. I mean, there are notable exceptions like Catcher in the Rye and Huck Finn and To Kill a Mockingbird, but children don't seem as pervasive as in Brit lit, where there's this great fondness for starting at the beginning (Dickens and the Brontes and Kipling and Joyce and Carroll) and possibly more cynicism about the adult world (and corrupt old aristocracies), and, of course, the peculiar British school system. Am I just imagining this?
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Having said that, my favorite kids in literature are the Americans Holden Caulfield (Salinger) and Frankie Addams (McCullers) and Joel Knox (Capote). Who are yours?
One of my favorite Brit writers is Nick Hornby, and his stories are all about men who have refused to grow up.
Robert Heinlein has some great teen protagonists in the books I read growing up, such as "Have Space Suit Will Travel," and I remember John Knowles "A Separate Peace" from eighth grade, but that's about it.
I remember preferring reading books with kids as protagonists; they're conveniently innocent for the reader. Now that I'm older, I identify more with flawed protagonists -- Lord knows I have enough flaws myself.
Oh, I loved "A Separate Peace." I had a great romance with that boarding-school book as an adolescent. I saw myself as Gene, Phineas' friend, sort of in love with and jealous of Phineas.
"A Separate Peace" is like the American counterpart to the British "Goodbye, Mr. Chips."
I think the best boarding school book I've read, excluding "Catcher in the Rye," is "Becoming a Man," which is an autobiography.
What kind of flawed protagonists, George?
Tyler Durden, those types. Those who feel they don't fit in the world.
Or the Hornby characters who are too afraid/lazy to grow up and take some responsibility. You know, characters like me.
Dude, I want to see you join a fight club. You'd never win because you'd always be way ahead but then take mercy on your opponent at the last minute. You're too kind hearted.
(Did you Robert Riley has taken up cage fighting, by the way? Apparently he's a real badass)
I love the two record-store employees in "High Fidelity." Love them. They perfectly captured a type.
I think you are far superior to any of the Hornby males, though.
I wish I could have joined a fight club; the point wasn't always putting the smackdown on some dude, it was getting the smackdown put on you.
I may not be a Hornby male now, but eight years ago ... there's a reason I was a film and video studies major, and it wasn't because I wanted to be the next Kubrick.
On The Street question for 3B:
"Do you think you can take me in a cage match?"
By Robert Riley
Oh, that's the most awesome On the Street, especially if he asked girls or little kids! Hehe
He invited me to the fight. But it would be me and Mike Shields and some sportos in the audience, and then after I'd probably have to go to some seedy Topeka strip club to drink with them — you know, just to be sociable. I told him I didn't want to see him lose, and he said, "I won't lose."
You want the smackdown? Are you a masochist, pal? Why didn't you say so? I can slap you around.
Speaking of chillins, as our old-time African-American friends so poetically say, remind me to tell you a story from today involving Ron, barbecue and orgasms.
It'd also be a good question for when he sees Hugh Jassel again.
Well, I guess I now know what there is to do in Topeka: cage fighting and strip clubs. Heck, with Topeka right there, who needs Vegas?
And of course I'm a masochist. Why else am I still at my current job?
But it's time to start blogging about work. Tonight was a particularly bad night. I just wanted to put my hands over my ears and do Groaning.
Did I tell you I wanted to write a novel about journalism last month?
No, you didn't tell me about the novel. What's the premise?
I think it's OK to do groaning at work, as long as you don't do sex.
Also, it sort of amuses me that you and I are both working tonight and still find time to make literary contributions to our club, while our fellow club members idle away their weekends in illiterate silence.
No premise, just concept. I wanted a satirical look at what egotistical, clueless jerks some journalists can be. It was inspired by "Thank You For Smoking."
Saturday night's all right for fighting, just not blogging, I guess.
Correction: Erin and Ben were busy reading, so I guess that is an adequate excuse.
Christy. God knows where she is. She claims she has a family thing.
I guess it is Mother's Day now. But if we find out she was watching "Not Another Teen Movie," we're going to have to straighten her out (Yes, I did check the TV listings).
OK, the Ron-barbecue-orgasm story while I wait to catch.
Ron (I don't think you know him, G; he was one of my students) covered the Sertoma barbecue contest. Jared shot photos. Jared gave me a pic of a BBQ team called "John's Orgasmic Slabs." I said, "Do you have another picture?" he said he'd look. Then Ron's story comes in. Before I can read it, I say, "Hey, you didn't have the Orgasmic people in it, did you?" And he says yeah, it's the lead. I say we're not going to make references to orgasms. And he disagrees. He says "orgasmic" just means "something really, really, really good" (actual quote). I say, yeah, really good like what? He misses the point. He says there's a long tradition of comparing food with sexual climax. I say, really? I hadn't realized that, big fella, but I believe there is no such tradition in the pages of the J-W. I say, if you want to stick to your guns you have to clear it with Dennis. So he calls Dennis, and Dennis immediately says ix-nay on the gasm-orgay. Duh. You gotta love these young pups.
Also, Ron is a vegetarian, and one week he had to cover the taxidermy convention, and two other weeks he had to cover smoked meat conventions. Hehe.
Addendum: But the kid part of that story is that John was asking me about our profanity policy and saying orgasm wasn't profane. And I said, well, you wouldn't want to explain that word to your 6-year-old, would you? And he said you'd just tell the kid that it meant something "really, really good" (actual quote. But note: He used two reallys, whereas Ron used three ... you do the math). Anyway, I said that could get you in trouble, because next thing you know you're kid will be at a friend's dinner table and tell the friend's mom that something tastes orgasmic. Then you'll be getting a visit from SRS.
You can't lie to kids, which ties in with your honesty analysis of Chrsitopher's story.
Are we talking about the book?
Yes, Ben, didn't you see how I tied the conversation back to the book in my last post?
Did you just join the chat to reprimand us or are you going to answer my questions?
Oh, yes, I always use the first person singular when scolding.
"Erin, are we going to be late for work again?"
"Charlie, are we going to pee on the floor again?"
"Maggie, are we going to bite this jogger?"
I'll answer the questions just as soon as I get done reading this other book.
Crap, I meant "first person plural," of course.
Hey!
Yes, I was at my sister's. I was watching "Clue" with my nephews. They'll totally back me up on this.
But how did you know I love "Not Another Teen Movie"?
Also, my props to British authors as well. But I'd add Robert Cormier to the list of Americans who write effective children/YA characters, such as in "The Chocolate War" and "I Am The Cheese."
CL, "Not Another Teen Movie" seems right up your alley. I mean, you skipped out on kc and me to see "The Corpse Bride" (at lease I think that was the movie) so you could see the end of "Airplane 2."
KC, Ron is going in my book.
Yeah, but "Airplane II" is NEVER on!
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