My uncle has this saying, "It is better to read one book one hundred times than to read one hundred books." He claims its an old chinesse proverb. I decided to take his advice and read one of my favorite books, Lolita by Vladamir Nabokov, for a second time.
There are aspects of the narrative and writing style that I have taken notice to. For starters I find it curious that Nabokov spends so much time referencing social science within the first several chaptors of the novel. There is a mention of an ethnological study involving Humbert's (the narrator's) ex-wife and new husband. The study consisted of an experiment involving humans of various ethnic groups, crawling on all fours while subsisting on a diet of banannas, dates and water (30 Nabokov). Humbert also mentions working on a mysterious expedition to Artic Canada as a "recorder of psychic reactions" (33). From these experiences Humbert admits that he "concocted a perfectly spurious and very racy report" which was published in a psychology journal. That admission alone leads the reader to believe that Humbert is an unreliable narrator.
Another aspect of the writing that I have taken notice to are the long sentences. As a writer myself, I tend to like short brief sentences that get the point across without too many adverbs, adjectives, pronouns and other distracting language. I find that my writing is much stronger when I make my sentences as direct and clear as possible. Nabokov on the other hand loves to drag out sentences. This works very well in Lolita, it is more a characteristic trait of Humbert's than anything else. I have to admit that at times I felt a little impatient with the language. Some sentences are so long and so packed with information that I have to read them over again because I can't remember what was written at the beginning. Here's an example, "In the course of the sun-shot moment that my glance slithered over the kneeling child (her eyes blinking over those stern dark spectacles -the little Herr Doktor who was to cure me of all my aches) while I passed by her in my adult disguise (a great big handsome hunk of movieland manhood), the vacuum of my soul managed to suck in every detail of her bright beauty, and these I checked against the features of my dead bride" (39). It's a beautiful passage and works well but its way too long for my taste. I'm just not a talented enough writer to pull of such a long sentence I suppose.
Another thing that I want to point out is Nabokov's use of alliteration. Alliteration is the repeated use of words that start with the same letter. Nabokov is a master of this and it shows up often in the novel. The opening passage of Lolita is a great example of how well he uses this literary device. The first sentence alone is one of the most famous lines in the literary canon. He writes, "Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth. Lo. Lee. Ta" (9). The use of alliteration is abundant. Lolita, light, life, loins, all begin with an L and are all in the first sentence (which only consists of eight words, one of the shortest in the novel). Sin and soul make up the next sentence. Then we have tip, tongue, taking, trip, three (used twice), tap, teeth, all in the third sentence.
Lolita is by far one of the best novels I have ever read. Who better to read and learn by example from?
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Book Review: Convict's Candy (pt. 2)
Convict's Candy is a controversial novel that pushes the boundaries of street fiction and makes a good argument to the genre's legitimacy and purpose in today's literary market. Meadows and Poole give the reader a sympathetic (albeit sometimes confused) look of a MTF Tran-sexual, which is almost unheard of in African-American lit. By allowing the reader to see Andy grow from an innocent child with inherent feelings and desires, to an adult who has made the to choice to live life the best way she knows how, gives the reader a non-deviant look at Trans people, and how they come to be.
Another important topic is the issue of HIV/AIDS which is ravishing the black community. Candy gives the reader a view of how the virus spreads within prisons. The book inadvertently expounds the importance of condoms within prisons by showing the improvisation of prisoners who use things such as the fingers of latex gloves. The image of a man putting a tiny latex finger from a glove onto his penis is not an image I'm sure to forget.
Poole and Meadows wrote the book while in prison and claim to have based Candy off of real MTF transsexuals they came in contact with behind bars. This raw book could have only been written by someone who has spent a significant of time behind bars, not by someone who has spent years studying literature in graduate school.
Candy is not without flaws. The authors make cameos within the novel, giving it an awkward meta-fictional tone within some passages. Ironic that when the authors do appear, they spend their time defending their "manhood" and hetero-sexuality. Some of the dialogue given to the author-characters can be seen as downright homophobic, such as when Poole's character tells a fellow inmate not to call Candy a she since "it" was a he. Funny since Meadows and Poole make a painstaking effort to refer to Candy as "she" throughout the entire narrative.
The quality of the writing is not the best I have ever read, but it is not bad either. I would describe it as mediocre at worst and sufficient as best. But again, as I said earlier, the novel could not have been written by an MFA graduate, but by someone who has lived closely within the prison environment.
Convict's Candy gives a good argument for the need of "Street Fiction." Just as the writers of the Renaissance wrote and published controversial stories and poems about the rawness of black life, so do the authors within this new movement.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Book Review: Convict's Candy (Pt. 1)
Many literary scholars see the Harlem Renaissance as the golden age of African-American literature. With writers like Zora Neal Hurston, Langston Hughes, Claude McKay and Nella Larson, it would be hard for any one to argue against the literary merit and credibility of the movement. This is the way that the Renaissance is seen now, but within the period during the 1920's-1930's, the artistic integrity of these writers were questioned, most notably by African-American scholars.
W.E.B DuBois, the father of the movement, often looked down upon the writings of Hurston and Hughes, calling them unsophisticated and tacky. To DuBois, the goal of the Harlem Renaissance or of the "New Negro Movement" as it was called then, was to put African Americans in the best light possible. Stories of black men beating their wives or of voodoo priests, such as the work of Hurston, were seen as playing into the dominant cultures view of Blacks. Hughe's "Red Silk Stockings," and "Mulatto" were described as putting Black's dirty laundry out for the world to read. In a pre-civil rights world, it is easy to understand the concern of "race leaders" such as DuBois.
The question was and still is, "where should artist draw the line between personal responsibility and artistic inclinations." We find ourselves asking this today with the onslaught of "Urban Fiction." Urban Fiction or Street Fiction is loosely defined as fiction that involves the culture of black inner-city youth. This so called culture includes violence, the glorification of murder, drug dealing, prostitution and so forth. Erotica is often a component of some of the best selling titles such as the work of Zane. In today's world of African-American writing, the question is if this new movement has any legitimacy or merit to it, or if it is just born out of mercenary interest?
This is a good place to introduce Convict's Candy. Convict's Candy is a novel co-written by Damon "Amin" Meadows and Jason Poole. Candy easily fits into the genre of street literature, and is as good of an example as anyone can find. Candy was written by Meadows and Poole while they both sat behind bars at an unidentified state penitentiary. It is the story of a black teenaged male to female (mtf) pre-op transsexual who is sent to a male prison.
After meeting the publisher, HICKSON (one name like Madonna), at a local Borders, he persuaded me to purchase the novel by giving me the above description. I took it home and was not disappointed. Candy is a ground breaking novel that does not easily leave the reader's psyche, long after the novel has been read.
The story begins with a pre-pubescent Andy Sweets who is born to a drug addict mother and pimp father. After the death of both parents, Andy is sent to live with his abusive Aunt Joyce and female cousins Lisa and Tammy. Andy would rather jump rope and dance to New Edition with his cousins than play ball with the boys. Because of this behavior, he is harassed by his classmates and beaten by Aunt Joyce. When Andy becomes a teen, he is kicked out of his Aunt's home after she reads his diary and discovers his homo-sexual attractions. Andy then moves to his best girlfriends home, where he will become a she and christian herself Candy. From there, the story follows Candy from a tragic love affair to her eventual prison sentence.
W.E.B DuBois, the father of the movement, often looked down upon the writings of Hurston and Hughes, calling them unsophisticated and tacky. To DuBois, the goal of the Harlem Renaissance or of the "New Negro Movement" as it was called then, was to put African Americans in the best light possible. Stories of black men beating their wives or of voodoo priests, such as the work of Hurston, were seen as playing into the dominant cultures view of Blacks. Hughe's "Red Silk Stockings," and "Mulatto" were described as putting Black's dirty laundry out for the world to read. In a pre-civil rights world, it is easy to understand the concern of "race leaders" such as DuBois.
The question was and still is, "where should artist draw the line between personal responsibility and artistic inclinations." We find ourselves asking this today with the onslaught of "Urban Fiction." Urban Fiction or Street Fiction is loosely defined as fiction that involves the culture of black inner-city youth. This so called culture includes violence, the glorification of murder, drug dealing, prostitution and so forth. Erotica is often a component of some of the best selling titles such as the work of Zane. In today's world of African-American writing, the question is if this new movement has any legitimacy or merit to it, or if it is just born out of mercenary interest?
This is a good place to introduce Convict's Candy. Convict's Candy is a novel co-written by Damon "Amin" Meadows and Jason Poole. Candy easily fits into the genre of street literature, and is as good of an example as anyone can find. Candy was written by Meadows and Poole while they both sat behind bars at an unidentified state penitentiary. It is the story of a black teenaged male to female (mtf) pre-op transsexual who is sent to a male prison.
After meeting the publisher, HICKSON (one name like Madonna), at a local Borders, he persuaded me to purchase the novel by giving me the above description. I took it home and was not disappointed. Candy is a ground breaking novel that does not easily leave the reader's psyche, long after the novel has been read.
The story begins with a pre-pubescent Andy Sweets who is born to a drug addict mother and pimp father. After the death of both parents, Andy is sent to live with his abusive Aunt Joyce and female cousins Lisa and Tammy. Andy would rather jump rope and dance to New Edition with his cousins than play ball with the boys. Because of this behavior, he is harassed by his classmates and beaten by Aunt Joyce. When Andy becomes a teen, he is kicked out of his Aunt's home after she reads his diary and discovers his homo-sexual attractions. Andy then moves to his best girlfriends home, where he will become a she and christian herself Candy. From there, the story follows Candy from a tragic love affair to her eventual prison sentence.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Its Time for Writing
My post from yesterday was the first new blog entry I've written in over a year. Its dated October 2009 but its actually copied from my previous blog. Writing it, I realized how rusty my writing skills are. Writing is like anything else. If you don't use it, then you lose it.
Its been over a year since the last short story I've written, and a year since the last poem I completed. I've also stopped writing daily in my journal like I use to; now I'm lucky if I write one new entry a month.
Not being in school any longer means that I don't have to write if I don't want to. And for the last year, I really haven't wanted to write anything. I was tired, burned out. It wasn't that I didn't have anything to say, its just that I didn't want to say it. I didn't want to think about anything. I just wanted to smile, and laugh and live and not think and not feel. Not regret. I just wanted to be.
My voice has come back to me somehow. Perhaps its because I'm journaling more. Or perhaps its due to something that even inspired the daily journaling. I think I've rested enough. Its time to feel. Time to think. Time for honesty. Time for writing.
Its been over a year since the last short story I've written, and a year since the last poem I completed. I've also stopped writing daily in my journal like I use to; now I'm lucky if I write one new entry a month.
Not being in school any longer means that I don't have to write if I don't want to. And for the last year, I really haven't wanted to write anything. I was tired, burned out. It wasn't that I didn't have anything to say, its just that I didn't want to say it. I didn't want to think about anything. I just wanted to smile, and laugh and live and not think and not feel. Not regret. I just wanted to be.
My voice has come back to me somehow. Perhaps its because I'm journaling more. Or perhaps its due to something that even inspired the daily journaling. I think I've rested enough. Its time to feel. Time to think. Time for honesty. Time for writing.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Book Review: Dark Reflections
Samuel R. Delany's Dark Reflections is a slow paced narrative about an aging black gay poet. I liken the experience of reading it to unwrapping a present you weren't expecting. It is one of the most beautiful, painfully honest novels I've ever read. The pain does not lie within the action of the novel such as in Sapphire's Push, but within the inaction of the protagonist.
Arnold Hawley is a man who is perpetually dissatisfied with life but looks for gratification through the praise of his poetry. Sadly, as he says in his own words, the sort of praise he wants "doesn't exist" but it doesn't stop him "from wanting it, though - wanting it so much!" Ironically enough, when he is given praise he often rejects it, and even feels insulted by it. Even when the deepest desires of his heart come close to being met, he finds some way to sabotage it through his own inhibitions and neurosis. Arnold is a character who is imprisoned by his own inability to accept his self.
The root of Arnold's neurosis is slowly unraveled by the novel's three sections which takes the reader farther into the protagonist's past. We meet Arnold at age 68, then again at 36 and finally as a 22 year old college student. Each section reveals traumatic experiences that lead Arnold to shut the world out. His sexuality is of most concern, since he often obsesses over it but feels no freedom to explore.
Dark Reflections shows us images of gay life in New York and Boston in the 1950's, 60's and 70's. The infamous Stonewall Inn is used as the setting where Arnold and his gay friends are free to be open and to be who they truly are. I was surprised to learn that Stonewall was a traditionally black and Latino bar. Another note of importance is that the gay men in this novel come in all different shapes, sizes and colors. Delany takes a cue from Walt Whitman when describing the masculine beauty of these characters.
Dark Reflections is a story about how quickly life flashes by and how much society has changed over the past 50 years. Dark Reflections is an ode to a time gone by that can only be observed with distance, regret, and unrequited longing.
Arnold Hawley is a man who is perpetually dissatisfied with life but looks for gratification through the praise of his poetry. Sadly, as he says in his own words, the sort of praise he wants "doesn't exist" but it doesn't stop him "from wanting it, though - wanting it so much!" Ironically enough, when he is given praise he often rejects it, and even feels insulted by it. Even when the deepest desires of his heart come close to being met, he finds some way to sabotage it through his own inhibitions and neurosis. Arnold is a character who is imprisoned by his own inability to accept his self.
The root of Arnold's neurosis is slowly unraveled by the novel's three sections which takes the reader farther into the protagonist's past. We meet Arnold at age 68, then again at 36 and finally as a 22 year old college student. Each section reveals traumatic experiences that lead Arnold to shut the world out. His sexuality is of most concern, since he often obsesses over it but feels no freedom to explore.
Dark Reflections shows us images of gay life in New York and Boston in the 1950's, 60's and 70's. The infamous Stonewall Inn is used as the setting where Arnold and his gay friends are free to be open and to be who they truly are. I was surprised to learn that Stonewall was a traditionally black and Latino bar. Another note of importance is that the gay men in this novel come in all different shapes, sizes and colors. Delany takes a cue from Walt Whitman when describing the masculine beauty of these characters.
Dark Reflections is a story about how quickly life flashes by and how much society has changed over the past 50 years. Dark Reflections is an ode to a time gone by that can only be observed with distance, regret, and unrequited longing.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
MGO=C
Yesterday I met an author on Broad street while he was selling his books. We had a good hour long discussion on Urban Fiction, Latin America, and writing. He explained a classic story writing formula, MGO=C. M is for the Main Character, G is the character's goal, and C is the character's opposition. When this comes together within a narrative C (Conflict) is created. Out of all the creative writing courses I've taken, and all the writing advice books I've read, I've never come across a formula so simple yet so relevant and accurate. This is what my stories are missing, it is conflict.
In the last fiction writing course I've taken, my teacher told me that my story was good and well written yet there was no real conflict. My story is of a fourteen year old black girl living on a
cotton share cropping plantation in Georgia during the year of 1895. My protagonist goal is to become a teacher. Yes, my protagonist has opposition but my creative writing teacher felt that her opposition wasn't very complicated and not really opposition at all. See, my protagonist's own teacher is black, so that seems to dilute race as a real opposition to her obtaining her goal.
I told the author I met yesterday about the plot of my story and he agreed with my teacher. He said that a character's opposition must not only be bigger than the character, but it must be monstrous. He used the story of David and Goliath as an example. He said the story would not be at all interesting if Goliath was the protagonist and his opposition was David. He's right!
So now I must look at the story and try to find or create a monstrous opposition. My poor protagonist. I love her a little too much to give her a hard time but I'm afraid the story won't be worth anything without beating her up a little.
In the last fiction writing course I've taken, my teacher told me that my story was good and well written yet there was no real conflict. My story is of a fourteen year old black girl living on a
cotton share cropping plantation in Georgia during the year of 1895. My protagonist goal is to become a teacher. Yes, my protagonist has opposition but my creative writing teacher felt that her opposition wasn't very complicated and not really opposition at all. See, my protagonist's own teacher is black, so that seems to dilute race as a real opposition to her obtaining her goal.
I told the author I met yesterday about the plot of my story and he agreed with my teacher. He said that a character's opposition must not only be bigger than the character, but it must be monstrous. He used the story of David and Goliath as an example. He said the story would not be at all interesting if Goliath was the protagonist and his opposition was David. He's right!
So now I must look at the story and try to find or create a monstrous opposition. My poor protagonist. I love her a little too much to give her a hard time but I'm afraid the story won't be worth anything without beating her up a little.
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