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Along with this wisdom there is Fun! The fun is that the reader gets to eavesdrop on centuries of conversations. Some women may protest a man entering this circle and sharing love advice for women, but Jackson freely admits that his views are subjective, not the final say, and does so without Hubris. I like this "Annie Hall" approach. As a reader I get to eavesdrop on love, on what appeals, from a man's perspective, and then I get to listen in on the sage women quoted throughout. It's a lively conversation.
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tales and sketches (arranged chronologically according
to date of publication -- from "My Kinsman, Major
Molineux" [1831] to "Feathertop: A Moralized Legend"
[1852]) is a truly wonderful anthology. But the editor,
James McIntosh, in the excellent Norton Critical
Editions manner, has also included the major "Prefaces"
from Hawthorne's collections of tales ("The Old
Manse"-- from _Mosses from an Old Manse_ [1846];
"Preface to the 1851 Edition of _Twice-told Tales_";
and "Preface to _The Snow-Image_), as well as
Letters, excerpts from Hawthorne's notebooks, and
finally, an excellent series of critical essays,
extending from Hawthorne's own time up to 1980
[among these is a full inclusion of Herman Melville's
wondrous essay of praise and idolatry, "Hawthorne
and His Mosses" -- first published in _Literary
World_ on 17 and 14 August 1850.].
Even though one might have one's own reasons for
having bias against Hawthorne the man, still the
quality of literacy and the insight into human
psychology and feelings is of such an exceptional
artistic and genius sort that one must leave those
qualifiers outside the temple when one comes inside
to ponder and meditate upon the spirit and wisdom
of this artist.
The best words in speaking of him, of honoring him,
perhaps come from himself and from others who knew
him and read him and were influenced, in whatever way,
by him.
* * * * * * * * *
"Lightly as I have spoken of these old books, there
yet lingers with me a superstitious reverence for
literature of all kinds. A bound volume has a charm
in my eyes, similar to what scraps of manuscript possess,
for the Mussulman. He imagines, that those wind-wafted
records are perhaps hallowed by some sacred verse; and I,
that every new book, or antique one, may contain the
'Open Sesame' -- the spell to disclose treasures,
hidden in some unsuspected cave of Truth."
--Nathaniel Hawthorne; "The Old Manse."
* * * * * * * * *
"When a new star rises in the heavens, people gaze
after it for a season with the naked eye, and with such
telescopes as they may find. In the stream of thought,
which flows so peacefully deep and clear, through the
pages of this book, we see the bright reflection of a
spiritual star, after which men will be fain to gaze
'with the naked eye, and with the spy-glasses of
criticism.' The star is but newly risen; and ere long
the observations of numerous star-gazers, perched up
on arm-chairs and editors' tables, will inform the
world of the magnitude and its place in the heaven of
poetry, whether it be in the paw of the Great Bear, or
on the forehead of Pegasus, or on the strings of the
Lyre, or in the wings of the Eagle. [from Norton
footnote: Constellations, here representing -- rough
power, dynamic inspiration, musical grace, lofty
majesty.]
--Henry Wadsworth Longfellow; from an unsigned
review of _Twice-Told Tales_, 1837.
* * * * * * * * *
"No man can read a fine author, and relish him to
his very bones, while he reads, without subsequently
fancying to himself some ideal image of the man and
his mind. And if you rightly look for it, you will
almost always find that the author himself has somewhere
furnished you with his own picture. For poets (whether
in prose or verse), being painters of Nature, are like
their brethren of the pencil, the true portrait-painters,
who, in the multitude of likenesses to be sketched, do
not invariably omit their own, and in all high instances,
they paint them without any vanity, though, at times,
with a lurking something, that would take several
pages to properly define."
-- Herman Melville; "Hawthorne and His Mosses."
* * * * * * * * *
Wondrous praise for this Artist of the Beautiful
and Insightful -- Revealer of the Heart and Mind...
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In 265 pages of simple, descriptive prose, 18-year-old Warren and his 20-year-old sister Joan flounder through a year of life after the quick successive deaths of their parents: their father from cancer and their mother by suicide. Brother and sister are left with the family home and "enough money to live on comfortably" in a small coastal Maine town. But they are not comfortable. Their physical world, while vibrant and full of detail, wears desperately thin.
Wallpaper collapses without warning. Curtains fade and unsavory smells fester and waft from sources unknown. The siblings cling and bond together in their helplessness. They screen phone calls obsessively to avoid "the enemies": alcoholic "Auntie E." and con artist uncle Steve, who surely are out to exploit them. Everyone, they imagine, is out to exploit them. In a touching exchange the two muse about getting a guard dog or building a moat: "protection from people in general".
Well-meaning townsfolk genuinely do want to connect with them, and their bumbling attempts are comical and strike painfully close to the heart. The real enemy attacks when Warren and Joan are looking the other way. Their father's former business partner Richard, using Joan and Warren's hermetic inaccessibility to his advantage, legally swindles the siblings out of their financial stake in the family-owned plant nursery. A heated standoff ensues. In a businessman versus brother and sister blowout, our heroes rise up in a powerful and united front. The dialogue here is spectacular, one of Bellows's real strengths.
The author demonstrates a profound grasp of the humor, hatred and intimate bond between brother and sister. He has keen insight into the workings and ambitions, or lack thereof, typically found in small-town Maine life. The prose is simple and honest. We instinctively trust Bellows; he seems to be taking us toward the light.
But we squirm midway through when the pacing slows to an exasperating crawl. Occasional nouns sag under the weight of one too many adjectives. Some scenes are repeated and we can't help but wonder if the author whiffed and is going in for another attempt. Warren is the narrator; this choice contributes to the drift.
Warren is an intelligent yet unambitious high school grad who passes his days cataloging microfiche at the local library and obsessing over household chores like retrieving mail. Together with his sister, he is able to create a protective shield. But he is incapable of reaching beyond it and opening his heart to the kind of help he desperately needs. Big sister is too distracted by her doltish and unreliable boyfriend to help.
But we like Warren. His pain is poignant and real. We might miss this gift of intimacy with him if he were a more dynamic character or, rather, if the author was less honest about the true nature of a shell-shocked teenage introvert. As Warren fumbles painfully to find the words "I need help" and a person to whom he can express them, we rally around him.
Ultimately, it is this honest treatment of our hero that keeps us flipping pages clear through to the end. The author speaks to us bravely through a challenging story without the use of gimmicks. And, in the end, we thank him. ON THIS DAY is a nice escape, and an honest and rewarding read.
--- Reviewed by Tanya Corrin
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