literaryanalysis

reading_rainbow

Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet | William Shakespeare

My husband found this at work today! 🤎

Texreader Exactly the same as my copy!! 2w

charl08 We watched this version (from the cover) at school. 2w

18 likes2 comments

lauraisntwilder

The Girl Sleuth | Bobbie Ann Mason

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It's interesting that the Melanie Rehak book (which is great!) has almost the same title and is the same color as the original, 1975 edition of this Bobbie Ann Mason book. Mason's book covers lots of sleuths, not just Nancy, and has Mason's personal commentary. I love Bobbie Ann Mason and her thoughts on the Bobbseys, Cherry Ames, Trixie Belden, and others were entertaining. I think I'd like to try a Judy Bolton, but probably not a Vicki Barr.

20 likes

staci.reads

So We Read On: How The Great Gatsby Came to Be and Why It Endures | Maureen Corrigan

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I wasn't far in to the tagged book before I realized I just had to do a reread of Gatsby along with it. I can't begin to count the number of times I've read Gatsby because I used to teach it, but So We Read On made it feel like a new experience. It's part literary criticism and part author study, but it's all heart because it's written by a Fitzgerald/Gatsby scholar who adores the book. I loved it! And I loved revisiting Fitzgerald's prose ❤️

Brooke_H Beautiful edition! 4mo

79 likes2 stack adds1 comment

CoffeeK8

Everything I Know about Love I Learned from Romance Novels | Sarah Wendell

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A great reminder about why romance books are so awesome! The book and cultural references are a little dated and white author centered but the underlying theme is still important!

Kerrbearlib Stacked! 6mo

42 likes2 stack adds1 comment

Blueberry

Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet | William Shakespeare

I answered earlier but now I want to add Shakespeare for his word play.

Two4Tuesday
@TheSpineView

TheSpineView Shakespeare! ❤️ 13mo

36 likes1 comment

BarbaraJean

The Fragrance of Sweet-Grass: L.M. Montgomery's Heroines and the Pursuit of Romance | Elizabeth Rollins Epperly

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead - Fragrance of Sweet-Grass discussion (4/4)

Were there new insights or perspectives that you gained through this reading?
Did this reading cause you to notice anything about LMM‘s work that you hadn‘t noticed before?

rubyslippersreads, TheAromaofBooks, willaful

willaful I'll have to answer this one later. I'm at my mom's (she just had surgery -- is doing fine!) and couldn't bring the book with me to check my bookmarks. 1y

TheAromaofBooks I appreciated that Epperly seemed more into fitting LMM's writing into a larger, world-events kind of context more than the nitty-gritty of LMM's personal life. It was interesting to think about which books were written before, during, and after WWI, and how those feelings impacted LMM's writing and themes. For instance, it made a lot of the weirdo-obsessions of Pat make more sense in the larger theme of “the war has changed everything.“ 1y

BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks Yes, I appreciated that aspect of her writing as well. She didn't try to shoehorn every book into a specific biographical context or match up every plot point to events in LMM's life. The current events context made much more sense--and really enriched my understanding of House of Dreams and Rainbow Valley especially. And YES about Pat. Like you, I thought the comparison of Pat and Jane was really well done. 1y

BarbaraJean @willaful Glad your mom is doing well!! Upon @TheAromaofBooks suggestion, I may post some more placeholders for further thoughts on different sections! I have quite a few notes and underlines that I could share and I know Sarah has plenty of notes, too 😁 1y

willaful I just finished -- handily, got three space on the March #ISpyBingo with this 😂 --and I agree with @TheAromaOfBooks that getting the wider context for the books was really interesting. I was also intrigued by learning about all the references and allusions. 1y

17 likes5 comments

BarbaraJean

The Fragrance of Sweet-Grass: L.M. Montgomery's Heroines and the Pursuit of Romance | Elizabeth Rollins Epperly

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead - Fragrance of Sweet-Grass discussion (3/4)

What significant points do you think Epperly really got right?
Were there any significant points you disagreed with?

rubyslippersreads, TheAromaofBooks, willaful

willaful I agreed with most of her personal reactions--about the way Anne loses her personality over time, & the richness of the Emily books.

My main disagreement was re Teddy & Dean. I haven't reread the Emily books in a long time & I came to them later than Anne, when there was a revival of interest in Montgomery and many more books of hers were available than were at my childhood libraries. But I'm positive I was not on Dean's side of the triangle. 1y

willaful I think it's kind of funny that the author, while clearly seeing how far superior Teddy is for Emily as a life partner, is still captivated by Dean's broody Rochester-ness and assumes everyone else is too. 😂 1y

TheAromaofBooks I did agree with most of what she had to say (except about Anne of Avonlea; I felt like she was way too harsh on that book). There were also times that she made very sweeping statements about heroines only struggling because of their female status, without remotely exploring other possibilities (i.e. would Emily's family have been excited to have a BOY who was into writing poetry instead of farming...?? Maybe, maybe not). Like @willaful I felt ⬇ 1y

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TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) that she was WAY to easy on Dean. He's literally a groomer, but she doesn't really touch on the super creepy aspect of their age difference within the context of him “claiming“ her when she is a CHILD and then purposefully “molding her mind“ over the next decade. Instead, Epperly acts like they are intellectual equals, thus making Dean's “friendship“ a positive aspect of Emily's life. Very debatable. ⬇ 1y

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) Things I liked - I thought her analysis of Rilla was really well done, and I actually loved her analysis of House of Dreams, especially within its context of being written/published during the war. Aside from Dean, I thought the views on the Emily trilogy were quite good. Overall, while I quibbled with some details in each chapter, I found myself mostly agreeing with overall themes. ⬇ 1y

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) If you feel like posting a specific discussion spot for each section and/or chapter, I could probably share many more feelings 😂 I made a LOT of marginal notes! 1y

willaful @TheAromaofBooks Yes, she was overly harsh on AoA Anne. I don't think Montgomery ever meant Anne to be perfect. 1y

willaful @TheAromaofBooks Oh, good point about Dean grooming! (edited) 1y

TheAromaofBooks @willaful - I think she kind of ignores Anne being 16/17 in that book. It's an age where Anne is becoming an adult & learning the difference between imagination & reality, and learning that “magic“ doesn't have to be dramatic; romance CAN be found in the every day. Epperly caught some of that, but didn't give Anne a lot of grace. It's not a perfect book, but to say it's a book that “only children“ can really enjoy felt unduly harsh on both book ⬇ (edited) 1y

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) and readers!! 1y

BarbaraJean @willaful “captivated by Dean's broody Rochester-ness“😂 I can't stand Rochester (I think he's an ass) & I don't find Jane Eyre romantic AT ALL. But I did find the Rochester comparison very apt--they're both older men manipulating a young woman. Epperly does such a great job of pointing out all the little clues about Dean's possessiveness & manipulation, but never acknowledges the creepy groomer factor which NEEDS acknowledgement. @TheAromaofBooks 1y

BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks @willaful I thought the AoA chapter was the weakest & disagreed with a lot of it, but her emphasis on the difference between narrators in the various Anne books was fascinating. I'd never thought about it, but it makes sense—and I think she's right, it's one of the reasons Anne of Avonlea feels flat in so many places. Overall, I agreed with most of the points she makes and appreciated her close analysis of so many textual details. 1y

BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks Maybe we should have done this as a chapter-a-day style read!! I'm super interested to hear more of your notes - maybe I will go ahead and write several posts for discussion of each section!! I'll go back through my notes as well. 1y

willaful @BarbaraJean Yes, I kind of wish we had! It's hard to remember everything. 1y

TheAromaofBooks Some of the chapters were long, so it would have been a little more difficult to set up a reading schedule, but I did find myself scribbling a lot of marginal notes, both positive and negative. We all know I love expressing my opinions on books, and especially on books about books I love 😂 1y

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BarbaraJean

The Fragrance of Sweet-Grass: L.M. Montgomery's Heroines and the Pursuit of Romance | Elizabeth Rollins Epperly

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead - Fragrance of Sweet-Grass discussion (2/4)

What would you say is Epperly‘s overall thesis about LMM‘s heroines and their quest for romance?
Is it clear throughout the book?
Do you agree with her conclusions?

rubyslippersreads, TheAromaofBooks, willaful

willaful Unfortunately I'm not quite done, so I'm not sure I can answer this. I think she does demonstrate some progression on Montgomery's expression of the ideas, but I'm not sure all her conclusions were supported. 1y

TheAromaofBooks I appreciated that Epperly seemed to recognize that LMM's different heroines were seeking different types of romance beyond just girl+boy=marriage. I especially enjoyed her chapter on Pat/Jane and their romance of the home. Where she fell down a little for me were times that she said that LMM only had her characters find love/marriage because it was “expected“ - in a negative way. I don't think LMM loved writing romance, but I don't think it's ⬇ 1y

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) because she didn't like romance or didn't want her characters to be married. I just think it wasn't her favorite thing to write. When Epperly quoted someone who said Dean was “the nearest L.M. Montgomery ever got to creating a plausible lover“ I kind of threw up in my mouth. 😖 I'm not sure why the analysis we've read all are down on Gilbert/Gilbert and Anne together/seem to think LMM was reluctant to have them together. @willaful 1y

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willaful @TheAromaofBooks LOL! Yes, I also found the negativity around Gilbert odd. Perhaps she blames Gilbert for the diminishing of Anne in some of the later books? Not really fair to him. 1y

TheAromaofBooks @willaful - I think I've never been bothered by the “diminishing“ of Anne, because I just feel like the focus was on other characters. Being an established, married, humdrum adult in your 30s/40s just isn't as interesting or engaging reading as a focus on the younger generation. I never felt like Anne herself became less of herself, she's just not as prominently featured. I thought Epperly's constant complaint about it was a little strange. ⬇ 1y

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) Especially when she was griping about it in Rilla... literally the name of the book is RILLA of Ingleside, so I don't find it strange that Anne isn't the main character?? 1y

BarbaraJean @willaful @TheAromaofBooks I also liked Epperly's expansion of “romance“ to include beauty & home, not just love+marriage. BUT I got annoyed at how many times she criticized LMM for including a traditionally romantic happy ending. Yes, LMM was writing in a time when that was expected, but as Epperly points out, she subverts so many conventions on the way there. That's where I disagree with Epperly--the love/marriage ending doesn't cancel out the ⬇ 1y

BarbaraJean (Cont'd) rest of what LMM was doing in challenging conventions. Just because Valancy and Barney end up married doesn't negate the way Valancy flaunts conventions in nursing Cissy and staying with her and Roaring Abel. I wished there had been a better/longer analysis of Blue Castle, because I think there's a lot more there to explore re: Epperly's theme of the pursuit of romance. 1y

BarbaraJean @willaful @TheAromaofBooks I also don't get the negativity about Gilbert + Anne. I think LMM does SO much by showing how Anne's pursuit of romance gradually changes & grows as she matures. The shift from a schoolgirl fascination with melancholy, inscrutable heroes to realizing that love is found in someone who fits you as a companion and friend, as well as a lover. THAT to me is the common thread in (and what I love about) an LMM romance! 1y

willaful @BarbaraJean Yes, I think that progression is valuable. And there's nothing wrong with it ending in a happy ending with the right person!

1y

TheAromaofBooks @BarbaraJean - I completely agree. You did a great job voicing what was nagging me about Epperly's sort of anti-traditional-ending attitude - I never feel like LMM's heroines are compromising themselves/the lessons they learned/their personal growth to achieve that HEA. Anne marrying Roy would have been a tragedy because doing so would mean Anne wasn't true *to herself* - same with other alternates (Emily/Teddy vs Emily/Dean). Epperly somewhat ⬇ 1y

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) glosses over the idea that LMM's insistence that her heroines end up marrying someone who is an equal partner to them, who respects them, who listens to their opinions and thoughts, who is unafraid of their intelligence and independence - that that in and of itself subverts the “traditional“ HEA of the time, and I think is a huge part of the reason that her stories have remained so popular and feel, in a way, timeless. I would say that ⬇ 1y

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) Kilmeny is a much better example of romance from the time. And while it's a perfectly pleasant tale, it completely lacks the emotional depth of her other books, in part because I've never felt confident in Kilmeny's long-term happiness, because I've never been confident that Eric genuinely loves/respects Kilmeny as a person instead of just Kilmeny as an object. Contrasted to other HEAs throughout LMM's work - even less in-depth ⬇ 1y

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) ones like Peter/Donna in A Tangled Web - there is such a difference in the way LMM presents women and their right to their own autonomy within a relationship. @willaful 1y

willaful @TheAromaOfBooks Having finished now, I get a sense -- possibly based on my own strong bias towards romance -- that the author felt conflicted as an academic/feminist and as a romance reader. It probably didn't help that romance in the 90s was pretty dire in many ways. Note how she says that Valancy and Barney being so similar is unconventional in romance, which is no longer at all true. cont.
(edited) 1y

willaful And I don't think was entirely true then; the only type of romance she specifically mentions is Harlequins, which leaves an entire world unexplored. She seems to personally favor the “Rochester“ sort of romantic hero: “Could the boy next door inspire worship? And passion coupled with friendship seems to work against the most powerful patterns of conventional romance, where mystery discourages friendship.“ cont. (edited) 1y

willaful She may be genuinely noting what she saw in the literature here, but I also got a sense that it reflected her own tastes -- very much prefering Dean to Teddy, for example.

She does give Montgomery credit at the end for the “liberating contribution to the conventional romance story--having the friend become the lover“ but without seeming to truly appreciate the value of that.

I'd love to see her update this book using current romances! 1y

13 likes17 comments

BarbaraJean

The Fragrance of Sweet-Grass: L.M. Montgomery's Heroines and the Pursuit of Romance | Elizabeth Rollins Epperly

I am behind and haven‘t finished the last two chapters yet! But I thought I‘d go ahead and put some questions out there and then go finish my reading 😆

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead - Fragrance of Sweet-Grass discussion (1/4)

Have you read much literary analysis/literary criticism before?
What was it like reading this type of analysis of beloved, well-known favorites like the Anne and Emily books?

rubyslippersreads, TheAromaofBooks, willaful

rubyslippersreads I‘m behind (although I‘m pretty sure I read the Emily chapters years ago). Will try to catch up soon and answer. 1y

willaful This is honestly just the sort of literary criticism I enjoy. It's not too academic for me to understand and has an emotional component to it. It probably helped that I mostly agreed with her. 😁 1y

TheAromaofBooks I'm with @willaful - I felt like this was approachable but still felt “legit“ in its tone and structure. I haven't read a lot of literary analysis because I get really emotionally attached to books and don't always want to hear what others think 😂 1y

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BarbaraJean @willaful Me too! It's accessible, and pretty much based in the text rather than pulling from esoteric literary theories. And I enjoy a closer reading of books I love. @TheAromaofBooks Yes, exactly--it was scholarly without being exclusive. 😂 😂 on the emotional attachment--I think this was one of the issues we both had with Magic Island!! 1y

willaful @BarbaraJean “pretty much based in the text rather than pulling from esoteric literary theories.“ Yes! And I don't mind reading critique I don't agree with when it's coming from a place of love. 1y

TheAromaofBooks It felt like Magic Island was bending over backwards to connect every single thing that happened in every single LMM story connect to LMM's personal life, so it devolved into what felt more like conspiracy theories than actual literary critique haha Epperly had a much more balanced approach so that for the most part I appreciated her thoughts even when I didn't agree with them. 1y

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LitsyEvents

The Fragrance of Sweet-Grass: L.M. Montgomery's Heroines and the Pursuit of Romance | Elizabeth Rollins Epperly

via @BarbaraJean So apparently the 24th is next Saturday—who knew? 😆 I‘m not as far into this as I‘d like, but am hoping to catch up and get some questions posted next weekend! All are welcome to join in—let me know if you‘re not tagged and you‘d like to be. #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

LitsyEvents original post https://www.litsy.com/web/book/2545/The-Fragrance-of-Sweet-Grass-L-M-Montgomerys... 1y

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