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Universal stories and Names
Sep. 18th, 2003 12:12 amI've been reading East of Eden and was struck by two passages tonight, that I felt an overwhelming need to comment on in my livejournal. East of Eden by John Steinbeck is one of those English Major books you avoid reading, b/c it's canonically considered good literature.
(If you are or have ever been an English Major, you know whereof I speak.) I was drug kicking and screaming into reading this book for an offline book club which meets periodically to drink lots of wine, eat, and dish on books. One of the members called to urge me to read it, stating it really takes off 50 pages in. She's right it does. Went through 200 pages in a day, rare for me. Anywho...back on topic so this doesn't drag on too long.
(Terseness is not my strong-point.)
What hooks us into a story? Why does a book or tv show or a fanfic or even a livejournal entry enthrall us? Take John Steinbeck's East of Eden for instance - it was written in 1952. Made into a movie in 1960s with James Dean. Then approximately 20 years later, in mid-1980s, made into a mini-series with Jane Seymore, Bruce Boxelietner, Timothy Bottoms. Now, in 2003 it is once again at the top of the best-seller list. Why? Steinbeck has been dead over 20 years. Look at Doc Who? Why did it last over 20 years on TV? Or Star Trek? Or Buffy the Vampire the Slayer?
[Selection From John Steinbeck’s East of Eden: Samuel Hamilton, Lee, and Adam Trask are attempting to find names for Adam's sons. In doing so, they pick up the Bible and start discussing the lasting importance of the Cain and Able story and why it still enthralls people. While discussing this story they wonder what it is about certain stories that grab our attention and last while others don't.]
Lee said, " Remeber Mr. Hamilton, I told you I was trying to translate some old Chinese poetry into English? No, don't worry. I won't read. Doing it, I found some of the old things as fresh and clear as this morning. And I wondered why. And, of course, people are interested only in themselves. If a story is not about the hearer he will not listen. And I here make a rule- a great and lasting story is about everyone or it will not last. The strange and foreign is not interesting - only the deeply personal and familar."
Samuel said, "Apply that to the Cain-Abel story."
And Adam said, "I didn't kill my brother -" Suddenly he stopped and his mind went reeling back in time.
"I think I can," Lee answered Samuel. "I think this is the best-known story in the world because it is everybody's story. I think it is the symbol story of the human soul. I'm feeling my way now- don't jump on me if I'm not clear. The greates terror a child can have is that he is not loved, and rejection is the hell he fears. I think everyone in the world to a large or small extent has felt rejection. And with rejection comes anger, and with anger some kind of crime in revenge for the rejection, and with the crime guilt - and there is the story of mankind. I think that if rejection could be amputated, the human would not be what he is. Maybe there would be fewer crazy people. I am sure in myself there would not be many jails. It is all there - the start, the beginning. One child, refused the love he craves, kicks the cat and hides his secret guilt; and another steals so that money will make him loved; and a third conquers the world - and always the guilt and revenge and more guilt. The human is the only guilty animal. Now wait! Therefore I think this old and terrible story is important because it is a chart of the soul - the secret, rejected, guilty soul." [pp. 268-269.]
Steinbeck's story is about two boys and the favor of a father for one boy over another. It is a story about rejection and the book has lasted over 50 years.
At the root of both Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel the Series are characters struggling with rejection, the anger of rejection and the guilt of commiting crimes because of it. Think about it. Spike's journey stems from this age-old pain, so does Angel's. If you don't watch these series? Think about the one's you do. The stories you write or grip you...how many of them deal with this pain? Rejected love either by a parent, a friend, a potential lover? Isn't it what we fear most when we post a story or write an entry? Perhaps Steinbeck speaking through his characters in this semi-autobiographical tale is telling the truth. The tales that stick with us and we tell over and over are variations on this common theme.
The other passage I found in East of Eden which inspired me to write this entry, comes just four or five pages earlies and is what spurs the conversation.
"Names are a great mystery. I've never known whether the name is molded by the child or the child changed to fit the name. But you can be sure of this - whenever a human has a nickname it is proof that the name given him was wrong."
From East of Eden, p. 261.
Names. Kalabrains does an analysis of first names on it's site.
http://kabalarians.com/ (gakked from aliera)
For my name's analysis: ( Read more... )
I've seen other sites similarly analyze names. How important are our names? My grandfather legally changed his name from August to Frederick, it did not suite him.
My brother and I chop half of our names off for most personal interaction. I've known people who pick their middle names and ignore their first names. So what is in a name?
Two late night musings...before I go back and read more.
[Oh in my last entry I mused Steinbeck could have misogynst tendencies - I've changed my mind. 100 pages in the point of view changes and we see a different side of the female characters.]
(If you are or have ever been an English Major, you know whereof I speak.) I was drug kicking and screaming into reading this book for an offline book club which meets periodically to drink lots of wine, eat, and dish on books. One of the members called to urge me to read it, stating it really takes off 50 pages in. She's right it does. Went through 200 pages in a day, rare for me. Anywho...back on topic so this doesn't drag on too long.
(Terseness is not my strong-point.)
What hooks us into a story? Why does a book or tv show or a fanfic or even a livejournal entry enthrall us? Take John Steinbeck's East of Eden for instance - it was written in 1952. Made into a movie in 1960s with James Dean. Then approximately 20 years later, in mid-1980s, made into a mini-series with Jane Seymore, Bruce Boxelietner, Timothy Bottoms. Now, in 2003 it is once again at the top of the best-seller list. Why? Steinbeck has been dead over 20 years. Look at Doc Who? Why did it last over 20 years on TV? Or Star Trek? Or Buffy the Vampire the Slayer?
[Selection From John Steinbeck’s East of Eden: Samuel Hamilton, Lee, and Adam Trask are attempting to find names for Adam's sons. In doing so, they pick up the Bible and start discussing the lasting importance of the Cain and Able story and why it still enthralls people. While discussing this story they wonder what it is about certain stories that grab our attention and last while others don't.]
Lee said, " Remeber Mr. Hamilton, I told you I was trying to translate some old Chinese poetry into English? No, don't worry. I won't read. Doing it, I found some of the old things as fresh and clear as this morning. And I wondered why. And, of course, people are interested only in themselves. If a story is not about the hearer he will not listen. And I here make a rule- a great and lasting story is about everyone or it will not last. The strange and foreign is not interesting - only the deeply personal and familar."
Samuel said, "Apply that to the Cain-Abel story."
And Adam said, "I didn't kill my brother -" Suddenly he stopped and his mind went reeling back in time.
"I think I can," Lee answered Samuel. "I think this is the best-known story in the world because it is everybody's story. I think it is the symbol story of the human soul. I'm feeling my way now- don't jump on me if I'm not clear. The greates terror a child can have is that he is not loved, and rejection is the hell he fears. I think everyone in the world to a large or small extent has felt rejection. And with rejection comes anger, and with anger some kind of crime in revenge for the rejection, and with the crime guilt - and there is the story of mankind. I think that if rejection could be amputated, the human would not be what he is. Maybe there would be fewer crazy people. I am sure in myself there would not be many jails. It is all there - the start, the beginning. One child, refused the love he craves, kicks the cat and hides his secret guilt; and another steals so that money will make him loved; and a third conquers the world - and always the guilt and revenge and more guilt. The human is the only guilty animal. Now wait! Therefore I think this old and terrible story is important because it is a chart of the soul - the secret, rejected, guilty soul." [pp. 268-269.]
Steinbeck's story is about two boys and the favor of a father for one boy over another. It is a story about rejection and the book has lasted over 50 years.
At the root of both Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel the Series are characters struggling with rejection, the anger of rejection and the guilt of commiting crimes because of it. Think about it. Spike's journey stems from this age-old pain, so does Angel's. If you don't watch these series? Think about the one's you do. The stories you write or grip you...how many of them deal with this pain? Rejected love either by a parent, a friend, a potential lover? Isn't it what we fear most when we post a story or write an entry? Perhaps Steinbeck speaking through his characters in this semi-autobiographical tale is telling the truth. The tales that stick with us and we tell over and over are variations on this common theme.
The other passage I found in East of Eden which inspired me to write this entry, comes just four or five pages earlies and is what spurs the conversation.
"Names are a great mystery. I've never known whether the name is molded by the child or the child changed to fit the name. But you can be sure of this - whenever a human has a nickname it is proof that the name given him was wrong."
From East of Eden, p. 261.
Names. Kalabrains does an analysis of first names on it's site.
http://kabalarians.com/ (gakked from aliera)
For my name's analysis: ( Read more... )
I've seen other sites similarly analyze names. How important are our names? My grandfather legally changed his name from August to Frederick, it did not suite him.
My brother and I chop half of our names off for most personal interaction. I've known people who pick their middle names and ignore their first names. So what is in a name?
Two late night musings...before I go back and read more.
[Oh in my last entry I mused Steinbeck could have misogynst tendencies - I've changed my mind. 100 pages in the point of view changes and we see a different side of the female characters.]
