Brandywine Books
Leaning Into the Circle and Other Stuff
- Noted and illustrated: Serious artists gravitate toward each other.
- So you want to be a great writer? Perhaps you should ruminate on that at Waffle House.
- The Third Carnival of Children's Literature will be held next week at Sherry's Semicolon.
- Speaking of Kiddy Lit, there's a closeout sale of Jewish books on at KinderKlassics.com
- And in other news, Frank of Books, Inq.echoess Instapundit in rejecting Borders' and Waldenbooks' curious decision to let the current issue of Free Inquiry slide. The magazine, published by the Council for Secular Humanism, contains four of the Danish cartoons which have already been published all over internet. The bookstore executives believe "the safety and security of our customers and employees" would be jeopardized by distributing this issue--which only goes to show that if you riot and scream about things, you often get your way. No, that doesn't sound right. Maybe it goes to show that once liberals have labeled you a victim of western oppression, you can get away with murder. Hmm, is that the meaning here? Maybe it means these executives think Muslims are scary. That's probably the extent of it.
- phil
The Guardian's Guide to Wodehouse
By way of
Frank Wilson of Books, Inq, I learn that The Guardian has published a guide to one of my favorite authors,
P. G. Wodehouse. I didn't know he was so influential in American musicals.
My wife and I recently watched three episodes from the first season of
Jeeves & Wooster. Quite good. Lots of things to complain about should one want to complain that the TV dramas don't match the Wodehouse originals, but Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie are terrific as Jeeves and Bertie Wooster.
As everyone knows, adaptations aren't perfect. Take this explanation from Fry, quoted on the
Hat Sharpening Shop site: "Wodehouse described Jeeves' cough as 'like a sheep clearing its throat of a blade of grass on a distant hillside.' I tried practicing that but sounded more like a goat clearing its throat of a piece of cheese on a nearby hillside. These things are difficult."
Also, I finished an early Wodehouse novel,
Leave It to Psmith. Wonderful with a bit of romance. Since Lord Emsworth didn't own a pig in this story, I think he had not yet risen to his full height, but he wasn't the center of attention anyway. Psmith was hilarious, even if a bit of a communist.
Speaking of Plagiarism
It appears a conservative blogger with good credentials has
resigned in the light of
frequent plagiarism. I didn't know of Ben Domenech before today, but he has been blogging from the balancing side of the political aisle for the Washington Post as well
as other places. I suppose he will be out of the office for a while now.
In a related article by Nate Anderson on arstechnica.com,
plagiarism is rampant among students and even some professiors. "The cut-and-paste nature of the Internet and its massive store of content have made plagiarism an increasing temptation," he writes. "The last week alone brings us the story of an Australian judge who plagiarized sections of her legal rulings, the current national scandal of Chinese professors ripping off the work of other colleagues, and the admission that Oxford University is rife with student plagiarists."
I can't decide which is the funnier story: the fliching judge who took words from another legal decision or the Chinese journalism ethics prof who pitched copy from a
PhD grad student?
Say, I cut-and-pasted the above quotes, you know. It was easy. It felt good. *Does that make me a bad person?* Do I need help? - phil
Music, music, music
As Lars said, we have been tagged by
Michael for a music meme. Michael asks:
What are your top ten musical adrenaline rushes? . . . They are the ones that give you the biggest sensation of giddiness & make you feel like turning the car stereo all the way up if they should happen to come on. Genre mixing is encouraged.
Do I have to choose ten? Can I count to ten? I guess I'll try.
- Dvorak's "New World" Symphony (#9) is my long-time favorite symphonic work. The first and fourth movements inspire beautiful images within me if I give myself over to it's spell. Albert Bierstadt's paintings go well with this work.
- "The Indiana Jones March" by John Williams
- Rich Mullins' "The Color Green" - I think I heard the Irish-style flute line in another piece at a restaurant once, but I don't know how to track it down. I wonder if the wonderful jig part of this song is an echo of another song or work.
- John Michael Talbot's "Advent Suite," which asks, "Can you believe in the miracle coming?"
- Saint Saens' Symphony #3 is dramatic.
- "Peppermint Patty" in Vince Guaraldi's "The Charlie Brown Suite"
- Jars of Clay's whole "Redemption Songs" album is a boost of ads.
- I think I should add Henry Mancini's "Something for Sophia," though I don't own a recording of it. "Peter Gunn" is rush too.
- "Palladio" by Karl Jenkins, which is used as the Diamonds Are Forever theme for the old commercials.
- I guess if "Palladio" gets a vote, Elgar's "Pomp and Circumstance" gets one too. I wanted to play part of this work at my wedding, but my sweet wife wouldn't allow it. We settled for Chopin's "Military" Polonaise as the recessional. (Okay, okay, the first part isn't true. I had actually wanted to have Grieg's "Sigurd Jorsalfar: Homage March." The context of the music may be inappropriate for a wedding, but I think it's a beautiful, quiet march.)
There you go. Do you feel enlightened? Have I helped with anyone's homework? Oh, I didn't include any reels or jigs for the highland bagpipes, but then I can never remember their names. I encourage
Daniel of Alien Soil to take this up, if he hasn't already, and anyone/everyone at
Thinklings.
Da Vinci Code Source and Spin
Did I miss where Dan Brown's wife, Blythe, was called to the witness stand to defend her husband on plagiarism charges? If
he worked off of her research primarily, I'd think her testimony would merit a hearing. Not that the trial is
not a publicity stunt for the prosecuting authors.
So if The Da Vinci Code is a poorly written book of bad history, why doesn't someone write essentially the same book better? Entertainment Weekly writer Jennifer Reese asks that question in a review of The Secret, by Javier Sierra, which was first published in Spanish in 2004. Reese states, "Brown's imitators invariably overthink, overplot, and overwrite their tortured historico-religious mysteries." Though she doesn't know if Sierra meant to imitate Brown, his novel does draw close parallels.
Isn't that what Brown did to write The Da Vinci Code? No, Biographer Lisa Rogak argues, Brown was inspired by what he read and experienced just as all of us are. Rogak concludes her Houston Chronicle article: "Perhaps Chilean novelist Isabel Allende said it best in her book Aphrodite: A Memoir of the Senses: "Copying one author is plagiarism. Copying many is research."
So, do you plan to catch the movie based on the bestseller? - phil
Spring Break
I think I'll take this week off to reflect and read more. I haven't been posting much anyway, because I've been reading to my wife, playing with my kids, and beating myself up. I do have reviews I want to put together, so I may have a flurry of good posts for next week or whenever I return. But you have to have something to say in order to write good posts, and I'm wondering if I have anything. I know that doesn't stop some, perhaps many, bloggers. It hasn't stopped me in the past, but lately it weighs me down.
So, I'm taking a spring break this week. Maybe I'll start writing one of the stories I've thought about for so long.
By His grace,
phil
St. Patrick's Day Quiz
As a service to our Irish readers, I direct your attention to this article in the Star Telegram of Fort Worth, TX, which asks which of the following
"Irish" beers actually come from Ireland?
A. Guinness Extra Stout, "Traditionally Brewed /St. James's Gate, Dublin"
B. Guinness Draught
C. Murphy's Red
D. Michael Shea's Irish Amber
E. Original Wexford Irish Cream Ale
F. Harp
G. Killian's Irish Red, "The Official Beer of St. Patrick's Day -- Get Your Irish On!"
As a bit o' help, only one of the above is from Ireland.
Favorite American Poem?
What is the most popular American poem? What's your favorite poem written in the USA? Oxford wants to know.
Vote for your favorite poem here. There are some good ones to choose from, but I think something from Longfellow should be on the list. "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day," maybe?
I won't tell you how I voted in this post, but it wasn't for the two most popular at the time.
[By way of
Books, Inq.]
Oslo Woman Draws Beer from Kitchen Tap
As a service to our Norwegian readers, I must pass on this news. Last weekend, a woman went to her
Olso apartment water faucet to clean up with nature's universal solvent. She got a sink full of beer instead.
Meanwhile on a lower level in the same building, a thirsty bartender asked his taps for some Oslo brew. He received the municipality's H
20.
Somehow, the water and beer plumbing were switched by the bartender while replacing the beer tanks.
Hmm. Someone in a frat house somewhere in America is thinking.
The History Behind The Da Vinci Code
With the enduring popularity of Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code and its upcoming movie adaptation, many bloggers and teachers have addressed the bad history in it. (Note this DVD from Ken Boa on the novel and the history. Also note Amy Welborn, who has a new book focused on Mary Magdalene.) I thought I'd address some historical matters too which, as I understand it, are the main appeal of Brown's novel. Sure, it may be a fun story, but most fans appear to be excited about the dismantling of accepted church history.
- Could Jesus have possibly survived the cross and lived happily ever after? No. There were plenty of politically powerful people who wanted him dead. There were hundreds of people of various economic levels who wanted him alive. Had Jesus survived the cross and moved away his disciples would have followed him and proclaimed the Kingdom of God in a new city.
- But those statement are based on the Bible and that's unreliable. No, the Bible is as reliable a history of the first century as anything we have, even more than Julius Caesar's writings and (I think) Plato's writing. We have great evidence to show that what we have translated into English and available at many bookstores is what the original writers intended to communicate. But the Bible stirs people up by claiming to be the Word of God, so critics try to destroy its credibility.
We could go into more detail, but there are the basic facts. Brown's thriller is based on myths which appeal to those who dislike the Bible's message and don't care for sound history.
NY Times Tells It Straight
Describing The Da Vinci Code, a NY Times reporter says the novel "has been denounced by some Christians angered at what they say are its heretical ideas."
Some Christians, eh?
Said then the lost Archangel
. . . Farewel happy Fields
Where Joy for ever dwells: Hail horrours, hail
Infernal world, and thou profoundest Hell
Receive thy new Possessor: One who brings
A mind not to be chang’d by Place or Time.
The mind is its own place, and in it self
Can make a Heav’n of Hell, a Hell of Heav’n.
- from Milton's
Paradise Lost
Shout Out
Praise to
Mind & Media for the new blog design from
Natalie Jost. Much cleaner design.
Hey, Lars, have you heard of
Godbit Project? I just did and saw a small Norwegian connection.
And I see you were called out by
Gene E. Veith in relation to Adherants.com. How does it feel to be on
a list with Dr. Seuss and Walter Wangerin?
Author Martha Grimes on Mysteries and Da Vinci Code
In an interview with the
News & Observer, Mystery Author Martha Grimes comments on other mysteries, PD James, and The Da Vinci Code:
Q - What is your next book called?
A - I never tell anyone the title of the book before I finish it, although I always know the title before I begin. . . .
Q - Do you read mysteries in your spare time?A - Yeah . . . but I ordinarily really do not like series. I find them boring. I think the trouble is that most mysteries, and certainly series mysteries, are plot-driven. They are books in which the writer could easily have written an outline. They're driven by the plot instead of being driven by the characters. P.D. James is a really, really good writer. Actually, it's P.D. James' other books that I like more than the series.
Q - Have you read The DaVinci Code?
A - I'll tell you how much I read before I just couldn't stand it any longer. I think I read maybe 75 or 100 pages. And his writing is so terrible. I just couldn't get over the cliches. I couldn't get over the bad description. I mean, he had a terrific idea going, but it just amazed me that this thing was so popular. And I can only assume . . . people were getting sort of an education in art, in the Bible and all that stuff. People really like that. People like to think that they're not wasting their time.
The Beautiful Spanish
I don't listen to NPR often, but I did catch this
audio commentary by Cuban-born Ana Hebra Flaster who describes some of the beautiful expressions of her strain of Spanish. You know, there are many ways we can criticize pop culture, but I think one of its insidious influences is its steamrolling of beauties in language and creative expression. We don't want homogeneous entertainment, art, and language in America. We want creative freedom to celebrate life, love, truth, goodness, beauty, and community. We're healthier with this diversity. - phil
Abuse or Tough Love at Jesusland?
Sherry posts on her outrage at the allegations in Julia Scheeres' memoir,
Jesus Land. She says the book is filled with stereotypes and the typical stories bitter non-Christians tell about real and imagined people who are stupid enough to believe the Bible. In some eyes, everyone is a hypocrite. But are Scheeres' allegations true? Sherry hopes a responsible news organization, like
World Magazine, will investigate.
Sherry has posted the response from the
director of the New Horizons, the school in the memoir.
Da Vinci Code: Author Retracting Statements
Essentially, Michael Baigent is saying, "
let me take that back."
The lawyer defending Random House and Dan Brown against a lawsuit by two authors of a related work, which was far less popular than it became after
The Da Vinci Code captured readers' imaginations, confronted Baigent with his claim that many reviews of Dan Brown's book noted the similarities between it and his earlier work, supporting his claim that Brown copied Baigent's central theme for his novel. The lawyer charged that the reviews did not support that claim. Baigent reportedly said, "In that case, you are correct . . . I think my language was infelicitous, and I think I have to agree with you on that."
At one point, the judge asked Baigent why he was retracting statement to which he swore only several hours ago. Baigent replied, "I did not read them (book reviews) with the correct assiduity as I should have done." - phil
Tag: Da Vinci Code
And Now . . .
A man with a harmonica up his nose.
Oh. I'm sorry. The man appears to be out for the moment, so allow me to refer your attention to
the Ministry of Silly Walks.
Thank you. (What? No, no. Not at all. Thank _you._)
Cyrano de Bergerac
Forgive me if this displays profound ignorance, but until tonight, I knew of
Cyrano de Bergerac, the fun, romantic character of Edmond Rostand's play, but I did not know of
Cyrano de Bergerac, the French novelist on whom the play was based and whose birth day is today in 1619. Cyrano wrote a couple "
philosophical voyages," which appear to be something along the lines of
Gulliver's Travels.
Travel Guides to Nowhere
Yesterday's NY Times has a report on
best-selling authors of video game guides.
The challenge for the industry's two biggest publishers — Prima Games, a division of Random House, and BradyGames, a subsidiary of Pearson — is how to capitalize on computer technology without being undone by it. In a world of virtual play, they want to prove that a physical book is the best, most effective sidekick.
One author says, "It's like writing a travel guide to a place that doesn't exist."
Those Arrogant Fantasy Authors
Here's a post on MetaxuCafe about
enjoying fantasy because its writers are arrogant.
The fact is, I tend to enjoy myself the most when the author/director fully embraces his mantle of "creator" and show us a world where the differences are revealed in all their alien glory, rather than grudgingly explained away, as if to say "see, see, its not all that different after all!"
I think bold would be a better word than arrogant.
The Poles of Critiquing Christian Fiction
Mark Bertrand summarizes a post on Christian fiction by Author
Mary DeMuth, in which she asks, "why do some Christian books behave as if Christianity was for dolts? . . . [The Lord] He deserves well-thought-out arguments, compelling and redemptive stories, and theology that sets folks free."
Mark points out two roles common to discussions about this: "On the one hand, there are folks with no firsthand knowledge of the fiction in question assuring us that it's all crap . . . At the opposite end of the spectrum, there are the blindly optimistic cheerleaders . . ."
Truth and Love
"If you say you love, but don't tell the truth, you aren't loving.
If you tell the truth, but fail to love, you aren't telling the truth."
Heard from
Tim Keller in a sermon series on Galatians. - phil
Tag: grace, love, truth
Publisher Liability
A publisher said, "In the case of a memoir, we do rely on the honesty of our authors." Does this statement reflect a publisher's attitude before James Frey's memoir meltdown or afterward? If before, do you think Frey's situation would make the publisher cautious, perhaps beginning to verify certain claims by a memoirist?
Well, the statement comes from an article in
Thursday's USA Today and describes current attitudes. Publishers can't afford to fact-check their non-fiction books and trust their authors to be honest.
Brian Tart, editor in chief and publisher at Dutton, echoes Scharlatt's sentiments. "We're not hiring people to check the facts of the books, and we're not changing how we do things at all. But it's a time when we all have to look our authors in the eye and say, 'We trust each other, right?' "
What do you think? Is that enough? Should a publisher be legally liable in part for the lies of an author or is this a market function, by which I mean the publishers who sell lies or poorly researched books will go under because readers want factual, even truthful, non-fiction?
And that's another question: do readers actually want factual non-fiction? Frey's book is still selling well. Is it because, like the watchers of reality TV, readers don't care that it's fake?
Tags: memoir, James Frey, non-fiction
Would You Trust It?
Think of a few of your favorite authors, those who always write stories which have not or have rarely disappointed you. Writers you think of when you see the statement, "If it's written by _____, it has to be good."
Now, imagine learning that the next book by one of your favorites is a modern story of Jesus' initial incarnation. He wasn't born in Bethlehem 2000 years ago; in this novel, he is born in the States somewhere about 1980.
Would you still trust the author to deliver this idea in a strong story, or would you be more skeptical, even to the point of passing it up? Maybe, I'm talking to myself, but while I can understand the appeal of retelling the life of Christ in various ways, I don't respect this variety of that story. Jesus' life is a unique story. I don't think it can be credibly retold in modern times. I'm open to fiction on Jesus' life in ancient Israel--Ben Hur, The Robe, and recent novels from Rice and Wangerin--but Jesus in modern New York with modern day religious/political zealots? I don't think so. What do you think? - phil
Jerry Falwell on the Salvation of Jews
Here's a curious dustup. Through
Opinion Journal's Best of the Web today, I learned of a Jerusalem Post report on the claims
of Televangelist John Hagee and Rabbi Aryeh Scheinberg that they "have apparently persuaded leading Baptist preacher Jerry Falwell that Jews can get to heaven without being converted to Christianity." The Post headline: "Falwell: Jews can get to heaven."
I'm sorry. The headline and the article don't match. And Falwell refutes it. - phil
And Now for Something Completely Different
A tiger being eaten by a toad. Cheers.
(Perhaps, I should say "a tigger.")
Da Vinci Code: Poking Fun
Headline from The Age, an Australian newspaper, on that court battle in London:
Da Vinci author faces accusers who want his holy blood.
Let me take a moment to say that I have not sympathized a bit with the "non-fiction" authors, Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh, who are filing this suit against Dan Brown, however a couple details raise my doubts against Brown. Brown's bad guy is named Sir Leigh Teabing, the last name being an anagram of Baigent, and that character refers to the "non-fiction" book in question. That reference is quoted at the top of The Age article.
Proves nothing but Brown's awareness of the book, but details like these feed those willing to believe a conspiracy. - phil
