The French Lieutenant's Woman

The French Lieutenant's Woman
by John Fowles
Featured on Time Magazine's Top 100

        I had a professor in graduate school who was constantly talking about this book as a phenomenal example of post modernism. He would then give away the ending. This was not the only book he did this with, but it was the only one I remember being consistently on the draw with the old hands-to-the-ears-hum-loudly to keep the ending from being revealed. So, when I started the book I really did not know what all to expect.

         The novel is about a Victorian Era love affair that takes place at the same seaside town that Jane Austen wrote about in Persuasion, but it is written from the point of view of a narrator in the mid 20^th century. He maintains the voice of a Victorian narrator, but he is also aware of what will happen in the future, and the significance (or lack of significance) the events of the novel will have. The story examines issues of class, gender, and societal rules in much the same way a good book of that era would, but with a conscious self-awareness that can be funny, as well as achingly poignant. The main character, Charles Smithson, is a man who is about to inherit a large sum of money. Like most rich Englishmen in literature, he is idle, introspective, and in the middle of a doomed relationship. He is about to marry someone who is exceedingly safe, and who will not make him happy. I am reminded of Leland Archer’s engagement in the novel The Age of Innocence. Charles meets a woman named Sarah Woodruff, a woman in the town who is whispered about because of a vague incident from her past. There are many reasons why a pursuit of Sarah would be disastrous for Charles, but he does it anyway--innocently at first, and then with a dogged determination.

           There is an interesting strain that runs through the novel that deals with the then innovative ideas of Charles Darwin. Charles Smithson is an avid naturalist, and throughout he is interested in collecting fossils. What I found interesting to consider was the idea that novels are sort of fossils, with their essence frozen as an image or idea of what the cultural value system was when it was written. Indeed, throughout the novel the narrator would quote poems by Tennyson, prose from Thomas Hardy, and excerpts from period books of etiquette. We see the value system then. We know it has evolved, but we see the connections.

        I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  Like The Age of Innocence, it was a book I was wary of when I picked it up, but was glad when I read it. I was also very glad that I had been quick in that grad school class to hide the ending from myself. I don’t know how much I would have enjoyed it had a known the ending ahead of time.

         There is a film version, with Jeremy Irons playing Charles Smithson, and Meryl Streep playing Sarah Woodruff. I have not seen it, but have heard good things. Honestly, if I can’t get my wife to sit down and watch a simple black and white four hour samurai epic in Japanese with subtitles, how realistic would it be to expect to see the French Lieutenant’s Woman?

Coming soon…Brideshead Revisited

And I'm Back

So.

        It’s been a little while. There have been a series of events that have conspired to keep me from blogging as much, and because I am, first and foremost, a very lazy person, this was all I needed to take a break. And now break time is over. I spent some time looking at my two lists, and how I was doing in terms of knocking out material. I have now read half of the Time Magazine 100 Best list. (It’s an alphabetical list. I can cross out “F” and “W.” Watch out “B” and “C.” I’m coming for you!) As for the Pulitzer winners…it’s a little less impressive. There have been 85 books to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction/Novels. I have read 26 of them. The biggest gaps come during the 1980s, 60s, 40s, and 30s. I’m also beginning to worry about the availability of some of these books. Lots of them are out of print, and tracking down a copy might be something of a chore. And to reiterate, I’m pretty lazy. See above.

        But, not to worry. I have enough books to occupy me for the next couple of weeks at least. And who knows, maybe some of those fat cats at the publishing houses will hear the outcry of you, dear readers, and your combined voices will prompt them to put those dusty volumes back into circulation. Take that fat cats!

Empire Falls

Empire Falls
by Richard Russo
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 2002
           When I was 20 I incorporated one of my mom's books into my collection. (The statute of limitations ran out years ago. It is mine now.) It was a book called Straight Man, and it promised a scene where a man did something zany with a goose. How did it promise that? By putting a zany looking goose on the cover, that's how. The novel dealt with a college professor going through a career and relationship crisis which began to take physical tolls on him. The narrator was fun, and refreshingly light even as he discussed rather weighty material, and even when I couldn't sympathize with him, I still enjoyed the way he articulated his point of view. I thoroughly enjoyed the novel, but was willing to leave my Russo-reading days behind me. Then one day I picked up a book called Nobody's Fool, which I faintly remembered had been a movie in the early 90s. I read it very quickly, and again, enjoyed it immensely, and, once again, was willing to put my Russo-reading days behind me. What I liked about both of his novels were the vivid character sketches, and the atmosphere provided by his small town New England settings. But the problem was there seemed to be something missing that held them back. Then came Empire Falls.
           This is a masterwork. Russo's other work had prepared me for his incredible characters. But the largeness of Russo's vision on this project is what elevates Empire Falls from the status of a great book that I enjoyed reading, to becoming something really special. It is not just the characters in this novel that live, it is the place itself. Russo creates a history for his setting that makes the experience of seeing how his characters operate all the more meaningful. We see their story, but we see them in the context of the larger narrative of the city of Empire Falls. The central character, Miles Roby, runs a diner called the Empire Grill. He, like a lot of Russo's protagonists, is a man stuck in a rut. His wife has just left him, his career is stuck, and he is going through an existential crisis. This crisis is played out both in the present, and in a series of revelatory flashbacks where we see Miles as a young man witnessing his mother have a relationship with a wealthy man. The present shows us the decline of Empire Falls, while the past shows us what might have been. We also have the story of Mrs. Whiting, the town's matriarch, who seems oblivious to the fact that Empire Falls is not the thriving community it once was. This provides the narrative with a class struggle, but also gives a character who could come off as shrill and negative, a level of depth and dignity that would not exist in a similar story. Mrs. Whiting is not the villain, she is simply a character with her own needs and wants. And, most importantly, she is a key figure in the story of Empire Falls.
          In 2005 HBO made a short mini-series adaptation of Empire Falls, which I have only seen bits and pieces of. What struck me about the film was that it had the same easy-going feel that the novel had. A friend of mine watched the first part of one of the episodes and said it was boring (and it also lost every argument I will ever have with him where I suggest he read a Richard Russo book). I don't know if watching the film version would be enhanced by reading the book first, and since all arguments along that line are sort of silly thought exercises, I won't continue except to say that, yes, it probably would. But I don't know, and since I can't unread the novel, I will never know. One thing that I noted when it came out was the cast. Ed Harris plays Miles Roby, and the supporting cast was filled out with Helen Hunt (remember when she was in everything?), Paul Newman in his last on-screen performance, and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Interesting side note: Philip Seymour Hoffman had a bit part in Nobody's Fool, which was made when he was still the dude who wore the tie-dyed shirt in Twister and screamed, "It's coming," and had nowhere near the stature that he has now.
             Since he won the Pulitzer for Empire Falls, Richard Russo has written three more books, one of which is sold in Target, and each time I look at books in Target I pick it up, and then put back down. Because for some reason I think that someone who has a record of three for three is not good enough. Or maybe I just don't like shopping for books at Target. Or maybe I don't like the title. That Old Cape Magic? What kind of name is that? Whatever. I'm sure one day I will read them all. And love them all. And what kind of title is That Old Cape Magic? A good one, that's what kind. I'm sure it fits the story, and why not buy it at Target? Or somewhere else? I'm just ridiculous.
Coming Soon: