Sue,
i "discovered" Toni Morrison about 20 years after you heard of her!! that
was a great quote you included. you say Toni read this passage? i wonder
why she chose that piece, she always has a motive.....
a friend from America recommended Paradise to me. i totally forgot about
his mentioning it. one day i just picked it up and bought it.....i dont
know why....perhaps i liked the cover:-)
i read it and loved it. i was blown away. but it confused me like hell. i
tried to explain it to a friend and i couldn't. she tried to convince me
that it mustn't have been that good. so, i read it again and paid far more
attention to detail. i found that it was one of teh most original novels
i'd ever read. but still.....what the hell is it about?? there are so many
levels to it. i wasnt sure if it was my lack of understanding that caused
me to see numerous and often conflicting themes. i concluded that this was
Tonis intention (afterall, I couldn't be wrong now could i??:-).
i found a discussion about the novel on the net. i didnt really want to
read it, because i didn't want to be told what to think. i was a stubborn
17 year old! but i eventually read it, and it pointed out some amazing
things that i'd missed. so i read it again. and finally i thought i
understood it. i looked out for some of the quirks the critic had pointed
out, and i began to get what Toni was getting at. now, i couldn't tell you
what that is, but it sure is amazing. teh characters, although they are
caricatures of real life, are vivid and alive. religious themes, female
divinity themes, racism within black communities, mythology, intentional
contradictions or "mistakes", plus the fact that the concepts of Jazz,
Beloved, and Paradise were concieved as a trilogy by morrison lead one to
make the observation that Paradise shows Toni Morrsion playing an unlikely
role- leading us to open ended conclusions and showing a surprising sense of
humour, and she has a reputation as the most serious writer in modern
literature!
Mark wrote:
>'Beloved' is the only Toni Morrison I've read. As far as I'm
?concerned, that book alone puts her amongst the greats. >Beautiful,
>powerful, amazing book.
You know, this is one of the ones i haven't read. it is sitting on my shelf
to be read soon. i loved the movie- i became so totally engrossed that i
didnt notice the time, and i didnt eat my popcorn! i really can't wait til
i get to it!!
someone (can't remember who) commented that they enjoyed On The Road, by
Kerouac. i have to admit i have never seen teh appeal of this. i
attempted to read it and i couldn't finish it. i found it petrifyingly
boring. my friend insists that the book is genius, which i dont doubt.
it's supposed to be a totally new and unique style of writing, which indeed
i respect, but i'm not a fan.
i understand that Kerouac wrote for arts sake, and not necessarily to sell
half a million copies. yes, he needed to make his living, but he wasn't
guided by mass wants. and if that meant some people couldn't "get" his art,
then it's their loss really......much the same as Joni in some regards, i do
think.
Kerouac was lead down a path which brought his writing further and further
from the "conventional" novel as he developed his skill and created his art.
many readers were estranged along the way, but those that got him really,
really GOT him. i respect this integrity.
GARRET
