It's been forever since I last posted, I think waaaaay back at the end of September. All I can say is that the only excuse I have is online games and being a first grade teacher. I have not, however stopped reading, in fact I'm getting ready to "turn in" in a moment and pick up a book this evening. I have completed a few plays since last I posted.
I read Tom Stoppard's Travesties, which I enjoyed and could imagine the action unfolding in my mind's eye quite nicely. I had directed a Stoppard piece way back in college for my senior seminar project, After Magritte, and Travesties did not disappoint. The absurd quality present in some of Stoppard's work was indeed present in this piece. And in keeping with the absurdism trend, I picked up some Ionesco, another of my favorites when it comes to absurdist theatre.
I read both The Lesson (disturbing) and The Chairs (funny and sad at the same time). The Lesson shocked me to be honest, and I kept thinking of Oleanna for some reason. I wonder if Mamet was at all influenced by Ionesco when he penned that fantastic piece of theatre. I was not expecting the conclusion, while I should have been tipped off from the stage directions, I simply thought that perhaps the characters would lose control and the whole thing would just erupt in a big cyclone of craziness, much like The Bald Soprano, but no so with this gem. Ionesco took a dark turn and the whole think ends with a very disturbing scene, one which the maid doesn't think too unusual. Quite well written and again I could see this piece being staged and being very painful to witness.
Finally The Chairs, just too much, but in a good way. This is the kind of Ionesco that I like, the comedy was there, throughout, but of course he took a strange turn at the end. Absurdism at it's best. I especially like how all of the "guests" save one are invisible. I would love to perform this piece, I think the female lead, Old Woman, in the show has a terrific role, swinging back and forth between respectable woman of society and strumpet. I really enjoyed her lines and her action. I would also love to direct this show. The stage movement alone is a challenge, not to mention the set pieces and lighting. Overall this is a challenging production and a play with a fairly overt message. The male lead, Old Man, is constantly putting off sharing his opinion, simply telling all of his "guests" that the Orator, who is expected presently, will speak for him. The unfortunate business happens at the close of the play when Old Man, leaps out the window to his death and the audience is met with a dumb Orator, who has little if anything to share in regards to the Old Man. Brilliant on the part of Ionesco.
I am hopeful that I will not have any further lengthy hiatuses, but I make no promises. With the holiday break forthcoming I should have more time on my hands, but as usual, I've plenty of projects to keep me busy. Rest assured I am still reading, just not commenting on my thoughts as much as I should.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Sunday, September 26, 2010
I've always wanted to read this one...
My Antonia, by Willa Cather will be the next book I tackle. I've always wanted to read this book but do not own a copy. With my Kindle, I was able to purchase it for free and will begin reading it this evening.
According to the information provided by Amazon.com, My Antonia was first published in 1918 and is essentially the tale of a young girl whose parents have moved to Nebraska to farm the land. The story follows her and an orphaned boy, Jim Burden, who is the narrator of the story. I've heard this is a wonderful romantic novel, and after Penguin Island, I need something a little less in the head and a little more in the heart.
According to the information provided by Amazon.com, My Antonia was first published in 1918 and is essentially the tale of a young girl whose parents have moved to Nebraska to farm the land. The story follows her and an orphaned boy, Jim Burden, who is the narrator of the story. I've heard this is a wonderful romantic novel, and after Penguin Island, I need something a little less in the head and a little more in the heart.
Perhaps this would have been better if France had chosen elephants rather than penguins
While I did enjoy Penguin Island by Anatole France, I believe I only enjoyed it because I had a semblance of a background in French history. Having performed in the Marat/Sade years ago I had to complete a crash course in French history and I think that without that prior knowledge I would not have appreciated this book for what it was.
Anatole France painted an interesting picture of the history of the country of France through the eyes of Penguins made human as a result of a botched baptism by a blind monk. Believe me, I too was on the verge of tossing this book out the window at first and think that had I been more interested in the subject matter, I would have enjoyed the book much more. As it stands now, I would not recommend this book unless one is very interested in a satirical look at how France became France, at least up to the early 1900's.
Removing the "human" element from the story of French history by anthropomorphizing penguins was an interesting choice on the part of France, however I felt that this choice made understanding the direction of the novel difficult at times. Also the fact that he threw in both references to both the Christian faith and the gods and goddesses of Rome and Greece, created a sometimes difficult to follow narrative. I was also at times confused as to who was narrating this novel. For some parts we are being spoken to by a first person narrator, at others by a third person omniscient narrator. The transition between these two narrators had no rhyme or reason nor forewarning and resulted in my having to turn back several times to see whether or not I had missed something.
While not as dense as Dickens, this book was indeed challenging and as I indicated earlier may have proved more enjoyable if I was indeed more interested in French history. Thus, I can say that I can check this one off the list, but will not be revisiting it ever in the future.
Anatole France painted an interesting picture of the history of the country of France through the eyes of Penguins made human as a result of a botched baptism by a blind monk. Believe me, I too was on the verge of tossing this book out the window at first and think that had I been more interested in the subject matter, I would have enjoyed the book much more. As it stands now, I would not recommend this book unless one is very interested in a satirical look at how France became France, at least up to the early 1900's.
Removing the "human" element from the story of French history by anthropomorphizing penguins was an interesting choice on the part of France, however I felt that this choice made understanding the direction of the novel difficult at times. Also the fact that he threw in both references to both the Christian faith and the gods and goddesses of Rome and Greece, created a sometimes difficult to follow narrative. I was also at times confused as to who was narrating this novel. For some parts we are being spoken to by a first person narrator, at others by a third person omniscient narrator. The transition between these two narrators had no rhyme or reason nor forewarning and resulted in my having to turn back several times to see whether or not I had missed something.
While not as dense as Dickens, this book was indeed challenging and as I indicated earlier may have proved more enjoyable if I was indeed more interested in French history. Thus, I can say that I can check this one off the list, but will not be revisiting it ever in the future.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)