The photo is by Chin Bong Leng.
Fantasy and imagination push boundaries in content, style, and impact. Tales are reinvented. They move into new media -- music, theater, film, dance.There are no limits to the creative mind. Every day reality is enhanced. The line between young and old is crossed.
Angela Carter (1940-1992)-- Wonderful Verve and Invention
In the late Sixties and early Seventies, it wasn’t enough to rebel, and young writers and artists were dreaming of reshaping the world in the image of their desires. Simone de Beauvoir and Betty Friedan had done the work of analysis and exposure, but action – creative energy – was as necessary to build on the demolition site of the traditional values and definitions of gender.. . . In this context, Angela Carter made an inspired, marvellous move, for which so many other writers as well as readers will always be indebted to her: she refused to join in rejecting or denouncing fairy tales, but instead embraced the whole stigmatised genre, its stock characters and well-known plots, and with wonderful verve and invention, perverse grace and wicked fun, soaked them in a new fiery liquor that brought them leaping back to life. . . .
Her first collection of tales, Fireworks: Nine Profane Pieces (1974), was followed, five years later, by The Bloody Chamber, which has now become a classic of English literature, far beyond the moment and historical circumstances of its origins.
Read more of this excellent article by Marina Warner in: TheScotsman
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"We must all make do with the rags of love we find flapping on the scarecrow of humanity.”
― Angela Carter, Nights at the Circus
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More Complex than the Mythic Version
Edmund Gordon was Angela Carter's first biographer. The following excerpt is taken from Gordon’s Guardian article following the publication of The Invention of Angela Carter: A Biography
"This mythic version of Carter soon became the prevailing one. But the otherworldly figure conjured by her obituarists doesn’t do justice to her complexity. Her fundamental vigour, determination and courage all emerge powerfully from the story of her life; her wild, often gleefully crass sense of humour and her strong sexual energy are both conspicuous in her books; and her quick wit and personal charm are apparent in surviving TV footage. In her 40s, newly confident, Carter allowed her hair to turn grey, and grew it down to her shoulders. She became a mother just as she began to look like the cartoon image of a grandmother: her son, Alexander, was born in 1983. He brought her a great deal of joy, and the last decade of her life was also the happiest. "
The illustration, by Igor Karash, is from The Lady From the House of Love. a story from the Bloody Chamber book.
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Someone Walking a Tightrope
Lorna Sage (1943-2001), highly regarded British critic, author, and scholar became friends with Angela Carter in the nineteen seventies. They remained friends during the turbulent years of Angela's life. In 1990, Sage published a definitive study that explores the roots of Carter's originality, discusses all her novels, as well as some short stories and non-fiction.
Angela Carter's life – the background of social mobility, the teenage anorexia, the education and self-education, the early marriage and divorce, the role-playing and shape-shifting, the travels, the choice of a man much younger, the baby in her forties – is the story of someone walking a tightrope. It's all happening "on the edge," in no man's land, among the debris of past convictions. By the end, her life fitted her more or less like a glove, but that's because she'd put it together by trial and error, bricolage, all in the (conventionally) wrong order. Her genius and estrangement came out of a thin-skinned extremity of response to the circumstances of her life and to the signs of the times . . ."
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I Found That I Was Trembling
"I found that I was trembling. My breath came thickly. I could not meet his eye and turned my head away, out of pride, out of shyness and watched a dozen husbands approach me in a dozen mirrors and slowly, methodically, teasingly, unfasten the buttons of my jacket and slip it from my shoulders."
Angela Carter -- The Bloody Chamber
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"Fairy tales also offered her a means of flying – of finding and telling an alternative story, of shifting something in the mind, just as so many fairy-tale characters are shape shifters. She wrote her own – the dazzling, erotic variations on Perrault's Mother Goose Tales and other familiar stories in The Bloody Chamber – where she lifted Beauty and Red Riding Hood and Bluebeard's last wife out of the pastel nursery into the labyrinth of female desire." Marina Warner British Library
The illustration from the Bloody Chamber is by Igor Karash.
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He Looked At Me With Lust
“When I saw him look at me with lust, I dropped my eyes but, in glancing away from him, I caught sight of myself in the mirror. And I saw myself, suddenly, as he saw me, my pale face, the way the muscles in my neck stuck out like thin wire. I saw how much that cruel necklace became me. And, for the first time in my innocent and confined life, I sensed in myself a potentiality for corruption that took my breath away.” The Bloody Chamber
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An Original Voice
"Carter had always possessed a gift for controlled grotesquery, stylistic flourish, and thematic elegance. She could have remained a quite good, even excellent, Gothic Revival novelist, disturbing and accomplished, but instead chose to evolve into something quite different: an original voice meshed to original subject matter, with the intellect and instincts to become a novelist of the first rank." Jeff VanderMeer Scriptorium
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Wolves, Girls, and Angela Carter
There are three stories about young girls and wolves in the Bloody Chamber. Here is a description of Little Red Riding Hood as retold by Angela Carter. The original story, retold many times, dates back over 1000 years.
“She stands and moves within the invisible pentacle of her own virginity. She is an unbroken egg: she is a sealed vessel; she has inside her a magic space the entrance to which is shut tight with a plug of membrane; she is a closed system; she does not know how to shiver. She has her knife and she is afraid of nothing.” ― The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories
The Company of Wolves was made into a well received movie. Here is an excerpt from Roger Ebert's review:
"The Company of Wolves" is a dream about werewolves and little girls and deep, dark forests. It is not a children's film and it is not an exploitation film; it is a disturbing and stylish attempt to collect some of the nightmares that lie beneath the surface of "Little Red Riding Hood."
There are many links to The Company of Wolves movie on YouTube. This link will take you to an excerpt with the Wedding Scene.
The illustration from The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories is by KiKi McNee.
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yes I said yes I will yes . . . Molly Bloom
"I thought well as well him as another and then I asked him with my eyes to ask again yes and then he asked me would I yes to say yes my mountain flower and first I put my arms around him yes and drew him down to me so he could feel my breasts all perfume yes and his heart was going like mad and yes I said yes I will Yes."
Here is a link to read Molly Bloom's Soliloquy from James Joyce's Ulysses
Here is a link to see the wonderful actress Angeline Ball perform Molly Bloom's soliloquy
The photo above is from the film.
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Snow White by Anne Sexton
She would ask, Looking glass upon the wall,
Who is fairest of us all?
And the mirror would reply,
You are the fairest of us all.
Pride pumped in her like poison.
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Never Little Red Riding Hood
Abby Wambach (38), two-time Olympic gold medalist and World Cup champion,in her new book, “Wolfpack", shares lessons she learned from decades of training, failure and triumph on the field. It is based on the commencement speech she gave at Barnard College in New York last year that quickly went viral. “If I could go back and tell my younger self one thing, it would be this: ‘Abby, you were never Little Red Riding Hood; you were always the wolf,’” she told graduates. Here is a link to the article by Maya Salam: AbbyWambach
Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images
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The Hiccup Theater .. Pushing the Boundaries for 3 Years Old and up
Here is an excerpt from a review of Goldilocks and the Three Bears by Miriam Gillinson in the Guardian illustrating that there is no age limit on fantasy and the imagination.
The classic tale plays out on a lusciously crafted eco-friendly set by a company gently pushing the boundaries of kids’ theatre. . .
"We’re deep in the woods and inside the three bears’ home, which is dappled in golden sunlight. The walls are adorned with quirky scraps salvaged from the forest: a shiny cheese grater, a large wooden wheel and endless knick-knacks. Hiccup Theatre has reimagined Goldilocks from the bears’ perspective in a show for the over-threes that is neither too big nor too small but just right. . . Every last detail has been designed with care."
The illustration of the Three Bears is by Julian Narvaez.
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Movies
The Man Who Killed Don Quixote
The trailer is much fun and AO Scott's NY Times review is guarded but enthusiastic about this film that pushes the boundaries in multiple ways. Here is an excerpt:
""The Man Who Killed Don Quixote' has moments of slackness and chaos (the book does, too), but for the most part it’s a lively, charming excursion into a landscape claimed by Gilliam in the name of Miguel de Cervantes, the Spanish gentleman who gave Don Quixote life back in the early 1600s. The filmmaker’s devotion to the novelist adds luster and vigor to the images, but this is more than just an act of literary-minded reverence. It’s a meeting of minds — a celebration of artistic kinship across the gulfs of history, culture and technology . . . Gilliam, like Cervantes, is a wily inventor who also serves as an analyst and evangelist of the imagination."
Here is the trailer: The Man Who Killed Don Quixote
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Aladdin
Aladdin opens on May 24 and from the trailer it looks like Disney has pulled out all the computer graphics stops. The film is a live action version of Disney's 1992 animated film of the same name. The trailer is fun and Will Smith plays the Genie with original charm, verve, and imagination. Here is the trailer: Aladdin
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How Do You Live -- Update
Hayao Miyazaki, the Japanese master, has been working on a new Ghibli film inspired by a Japanese classic book (1937), How Do You Live. This is a coming of age story about a young man. Miyazaki has said the underlying theme of the story about a young man finding his identity is: "No matter how chaotic and cruel life may be, you should always live as a human being. You should always be true to your values." I found much of this information through a YouTube video by Tokyosaurus: How Do You Live
The illustration is from Miyazaki's wonderful My Neighbor Totoro. Here is a link to the delightful trailer:Totoro
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Amazing Grace
I feel that this documentary, released earlier this year, of Aretha Franklin in an amazing never before released concert, is a wonderful and inspiring film experience for all ages. The concert took place in a church in 1972. Here is the trailer: Amazing Grace
The photo in the poster is from the film,
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LitWorld is Pushing the Boundaries LitWorld brings reading, books, and empowerment to children around the world."Our core values guide all of the work that we do, . . . We partner with nonprofit organizations, individuals, and corporations who share these core values with us.
We value the child’s own story.
We value our community-based partners.
We value reading, writing, listening, speaking and viewing as powerful tools.
We value equity of access."
Here is a link to a one minute LitWorld video where the kids made me smile.
The photo is of a LitWorld Club in the Phillipines
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Dogs
What does an author of dog books and a dedicated dog advocate do to reach more people? C.A. Wulff, in addition to providing a home and a life for many dogs, is an author of several outstanding books involving, or about, dogs. These vary from a personal memoir (Circling the Waggins), to supporting dog rescue (How to Change the World in 30seconds),and helping dog owners (Finding Fido). She also writes a blog. Here is an excerpt and here is a link: Up On the Woof
"I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again : I have a hard time trusting people who don’t like dogs. I’m not talking about people who are afraid of dogs because of some trauma, I’m talking about people who for some arbitrary reason decide they don’t like dogs. For those of you who don’t understand my sentiment, let me explain . . .
Dogs are true. They are honest. They never seek to deceive. They don’t hold grudges. They are not manipulative or duplicitous. They are not cruel. They are full of love and joy. They are loyal. They are comforting. They are trustworthy. What’s not to like?"
The photo is of Ms. Wulff and Waldo. Waldo has passed on.
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Gabrielle Giffords and Minnesota Gun Owners for Safety
"The group, Minnesota Gun Owners for Safety, is the second of its kind from Ms. Giffords’ namesake organization, which she founded after the shooting that almost killed her. (The first, in Colorado, started in January.) Ms. Giffords and her husband, Mark Kelly, who is running for Senate in Arizona, own guns themselves and argue that gun ownership can coexist with significantly stricter gun laws.
That’s what makes Minnesota Gun Owners for Safety, and groups like it, so important. I can’t think of a better way to fix that disconnect than to show how in reality, people that love to hunt or have firearms at home for protection are also in favor of improving the background check system. Or keeping guns out of the hands of domestic abusers.
More and more people are responding to gun violence as a personal issue. They don’t want to see their neighbors or their family or friends get shot. People are pushing back against the false notion that any action to pass laws results in less freedom. In fact, it can bring us more.
Read More: Gabrielle Giffords NY Times
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Human Flow
The refugee crisis continues to grow.
Ruthless forces continue to create violence and brutality that affects all of us.
Over 65 million people in the world today have been forced from their homes
Nearly five million children from Syria alone are refugees.
I urge you to spend 2 minutes and 15 seconds of your life to see the exceptional documentary, Human Flow.
The photo is by Syriaby Sameer Al-doumy.
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The Planet Of The Dogs Series
The Planet of the Dogs series of children’s books tell the stories of the first time dogs came to planet Earth to teach people about unconditional loyalty and love -- and to help bring peace from invaders. Here is an excerpt from a review by
"Did you ever wonder how dogs came to be man's best friend? I'm sure that there is some historical explanation, although it may be shrouded in the mists of prehistoric times. But in your mind's eye think back to those times and just imagine for a minute that there is a planet far out in the sky, on the other side of the sun, inhabited by intelligent dogs who live in peace and happiness. As the book opens, the dogs learn that there is trouble on earth." --
Review by Wayne Walker for Home School Buzz and Stories for Children Magazine
We have free reader copies of all the books in the Planet Of The Dogs series for therapy dog organizations, individual therapy dog owners, librarians, teachers and independent bookstores. . . email us with a postal address at [email protected] and we will send you the books.
To read sample chapters of any book in the series, visit PlanetOfTheDogs
The Planet Of The Dogs series (including Castle In The Mist and Snow Valley Heroes, A Christmas Tale) is available from many Internet sources and through independent bookstores of all sizes.
The illustration from Castle In the Mist is by Stella Mustanoja McCarty.
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Lyra Returns In October -- Phillip Pullman's New Book
The first Book of Dust novel, La Belle Sauvage, introduces Lyra as a baby, as a huge flood hits Oxford and the 11-year-old Malcolm Polstead becomes her protector. The Secret Commonwealth is set 20 years after those events, and seven years after the end of The Amber Spyglass, the concluding volume in the His Dark Materials trilogy.
Lyra is no longer a child and life, warned Pullman, is not easy for this grownup version of a character readers first met as an 11-year-old running wild in Oxford with her daemon Pantalaimon. Now a student, she will travel across Europe and into Asia as she searches for a town said to be haunted by daemons.
“Things have been biding their time, waiting for the right moment to reveal their consequences for Lyra Silvertongue,” said the novelist. “The Secret Commonwealth tells the continuing story of the impact on Lyra’s life of the search for, and the fear of, Dust. I found it intriguing and deeply exciting to discover how great events can turn on a little moment, and how revenge can be nurtured and fed and watered till it grows beyond control.”
Excerpted from a Guardian Article by Alison Flood.
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"Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole." .. Roger Caras
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