I have a great love for fairy tales, whether they’re modified Disney movies or old Hans Christian Anderson classics. Recently, I was watching the Leslie Ann Warren version of “Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella,” mainly because I love the music, and I was struck by one of the themes to which I’ve never paid proper attention.
Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother had warned Cinderella that she had to leave the ball before midnight, and Cinderella firmly promised that she would remember. Yet, as she gazed into her prince’s eyes, she became distracted and forgot the promise that she had so insistently made. Only when the clock started to chime did she remember, and she almost didn’t make it out of the castle before her dress turned back into rags.
I let my mind drift a little, and immediately thought of the original story of “Beauty and the Beast,” in which the Beast, when allowing Beauty to return home, told her that if she did not return within a certain span of time, he would most certainly die. Beauty assuredly promised him that she would return within that span of time, and yet she allowed herself to be distracted by her family. She forgot the promise she had made until it was almost too late. The Beast was almost dead when she reached his side and proclaimed her love for him, breaking the spell.
The dwarves warned Snow White not to open the door of the cottage to strangers. She promised she would not open the door to strangers. Yet upon three separate occasions (according to the original fairy tale), she allowed herself to be tricked by her disguised evil stepmother, and opened the door to a stranger. She forgot her promise and almost died—three times! I'm not sure if that's foolishness, arrogance, or both!
In "Rumpelstiltskin," the young girl promised her first born child to the dwarf, but in her happiness over her newborn child, she forgot her promise until Rumpelstiltskin came to collect.
In "The Frog Prince," the princess conveniently (purposefully) “forgot” her promise to the frog who had rescued her golden ball. She didn’t want to allow him to eat off her plate or sleep in her bed. Only when the king heard of her promise did he enforce it, reminding her of the importance of remembering one’s promises.
There are other examples, but most fairy tales are too obscure for those who don’t make a point of reading them. I find it interesting both that many fairy tales deal with this theme of forgetfulness, and that I haven’t really ever consciously noticed it before.
I think the reason that I’m more aware of it now has to do with the fact that I’ve been reading through the first few books of the Bible. I’ve just completed my readings of Numbers and Deuteronomy, and I’ve begun reading the book of Joshua. Throughout these books are little reminders—both of God’s promises to Israel, and of Israel’s commitments to Him. It’s interesting how many times the Lord reminded His people of the covenant He had made with them. It’s interesting how readily Israel accepted the covenant, promising to follow all of God’s commandments. It’s interesting how quickly Israel forgot their promise.
I see examples of many different kinds of forgetfulness in Scripture. The people of Israel forgot their promise to follow God because they were distracted, because they were arrogant, because they were foolish, because they were fearful, but mainly because they were just plain sinful.
None of this surprised God. He knows humans are forgetful. That, I believe, is why He gave so many reminders. That’s why He recommended His people take special care to remember. He knew how easy it was for sinful man to forget.
"These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates." --Deuteronomy 6: 6-9
“Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit and home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land that the Lord swore to give your forefathers, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth.” --Deuteronomy 11: 18-21
In The Silver Chair, by C. S. Lewis, which I consider to be a modern fairy tale, Aslan gives Jill Pole four signs to remember (in order to aid her in finding the lost Prince Rilian). He tells her, “…Remember, remember, remember the signs. Say them to yourself when you wake in the morning and when you lie down at night, and when you wake in the middle of the night. And whatever strange things may happen to you, let nothing turn your mind from following the signs.”
Aslan knew Jill would forget the signs.
The story still had a happy ending. Prince Rilian is found, regardless of Jill’s forgetfulness.
Just as “Cinderella” marries her prince, regardless of her distracted forgetfulness.
Just as Beauty returns to her Beast just in time to love him back into a prince, regardless of her world-weary forgetfulness.
Just as “Snow White” awakens from her death-sleep to find her Prince Charming, regardless of her foolish/arrogant/etc. forgetfulness.
Just as the young woman in “Rumpelstiltskin” names the dwarf and keeps her baby, regardless of her blissfully ignorant forgetfulness.
Just as the princess in “The Frog Prince” transforms the ugly frog into a handsome prince, regardless of her intentional forgetfulness.
The true hero in The Silver Chair, and indeed in all of the Narnia stories, is not Jill Pole or any other human character. The hero is always Aslan. Aslan knew that if Jill had remembered the signs, things would have gone much more easily for her and all involved. But He also knew that she would forget the signs, yet He still worked all things together for good. Even though Jill forgot, He was still the one in control of the story.
And that’s true for Israel’s story, which, because I've been grafted into Israel, is also my story. I, like the Israelites, am forgetful. I make promises quickly, and forget them even more quickly. I know, and God knows, that if I were diligent to remember, if I fixed His truth on my mind and heart, if I reminded myself of His truth when I went to bed and when I woke up, if I reminded myself of His truth when I went about my daily life, then things would be much easier for me...and often much more pleasant for the people I encounter. But I am not the hero of my own life story. And God knows that there are going to be times, many times, when I forget.
Fairy tales are meant to teach morals, and many fairy tales have more than one moral. Certainly the value of keeping promises can be found in “The Frog Prince” and in “Beauty and the Beast,” as well as the reminder to not judge by appearances. “Cinderella” and “Snow White” are examples of how being kind to others, especially in times of suffering and humility, leads to happiness. I'm not sure, but I think that the moral of “Rumpelstiltskin” is “don’t tell the king that your daughter can spin straw into gold unless she really can,” or perhaps, “don’t promise your first born child to a dwarf unless you’re on a first-name basis,” or perhaps, "don't provide offspring for a greedy king who only loves you because he thinks you can spin straw into gold." That one's a little ambiguous, I guess.
In all of these stories, however, I don’t really see the main characters as the heroes. There is always another force at work, be it a royal servant who hears Rumpelstiltskin singing his own name (for whatever reason—having a name like Rumpelstiltskin probably made him a little loony) in the forest, a Fairy Godmother, or just plain magic. The characters don’t guide their own destinies, which is a very good thing.
If "Cinderella" were in control, she would never have gone to the ball.
If Beauty were in control, she would have returned to the castle to find nothing more than a dead Beast.
If "Snow White" were in control, her stepmother would have probably succeeded in killing her on the first try.
If the young woman in “Rumpelstiltskin” were in control, that dwarf would have won the custody battle.
If the princess in “Frog Prince” were in control, she would have remained a spoiled, selfish, promise-breaking child who never grew up. Which, by the way, would pretty much be my destiny, too.
But I’m not in control of my own story.
Though I’m forgetful and faithless, my God is faithful. Even though I make my life so much harder than it has to be with my forgetfulness, God is still working things out for good. I'm grateful that He's in control of my story...of HIS story.
And I’m grateful for these great truths found in the simplest of tales. Fairy tales were told and passed down and written partly to be reminders.
I, for one, can use all the reminders I can get.
Showing posts with label C. S. Lewis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label C. S. Lewis. Show all posts
Friday, April 6, 2012
Friday, March 16, 2012
Fiction Friday: Favorite Literary Quotes
I think that if I had to pick just one quote in all of literature to be my absolute favorite, I’d probably be in trouble. There are so many literary quotes that I love, but here are some of my favorites:
“They’re funny things, Accidents. You never have them till you’re having them.” --Eeyore, The House at Pooh Corner, A. A. Milne
“'Please, Aslan,’ said Lucy. ‘What do you call soon?’
‘I call all times soon,’ said Aslan.” –The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, C. S. Lewis
“'There are fourteen lines, I believe, all in iambic pentameter…. And each line has to end with a rigid rhyme pattern. And if the poet does not do it exactly this way, it is not a sonnet…. But within this strict form the poet has complete freedom to say whatever he wants…. You’re given the form, but you have to write the sonnet yourself. What you say is completely up to you.’” --Mrs Whatsit, A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L’Engle
“'Rat!’ he found breath to whisper, shaking. ‘Are you afraid?’
‘Afraid?’ murmured the Rat, his eyes shining with unutterable love. ‘Afraid of Him? O, never, never! And yet-and yet-O, Mole, I am afraid!’” –The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
“'The Guide says that there is an art to flying,’ said Ford, ‘or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.’” –Life, the Universe, and Everything, Douglas Adams
“'I’m sure Aslan would have, if you’d asked him,’ said Fledge.
‘Wouldn’t he know without being asked?’ said Polly.
‘I’ve no doubt he would,” said the Horse…. But I’ve a sort of idea he likes to be asked.’” –The Magician’s Nephew, C. S. Lewis
“There are some things you can’t share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them.” --Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, J.K. Rowling
“Sam looked at him and wept in his heart, but no tears came to his dry and stinging eyes. ‘I said I’d carry him, if it broke my back,’ he muttered, ‘and I will!’
‘Come, Mr. Frodo!’ he cried. ‘I can’t carry it for you, but I can carry you and it as well. So up you get! Come on, Mr. Frodo, dear! Sam will give you a ride. Just tell him where to go, and he’ll go.’” –The Return of the King, J. R. R. Tolkien
"'...If there's anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they're either braver than most or else just silly.'
'Then he isn't safe?' said Lucy.
'Safe?' said Mr Beaver.... 'Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you.'" --The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, C. S. Lewis
“'This must be a Thursday,’ said Arthur to himself, sinking low over his beer. ‘I never could get the hang of Thursdays.’” –The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
"There lives more faith in honest doubt,
Believe me, than in half the creeds." --"In Memoriam A.H.H." Alfred Lord Tennyson
“'Oh, Aslan,’ said Lucy. ‘Will you tell us how to get into your country from our world?’
‘I shall be telling you all the time,” said Aslan. ‘But I will not tell you how long or short the way will be; only that it lies across a river. But do not fear that, for I am the great Bridge Builder.’” –The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, C. S. Lewis
"Kindred spirits are not so scarce as I used to think." --Anne of Green Gables, L.M. Montgomery
I can’t think of an all-time favorite quote. I think the quote that I can personally relate to the most, though, is one that is spoken by Bilbo Baggins in The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien:
“I want to see mountains again, Gandalf—mountains; and then find somewhere where I can rest. In peace and quiet…. I might find somewhere where I can finish my book. I have thought of a nice ending for it: and he lived happily ever after till the end of his days.”
Mmm.
What are some of your favorite literary quotes?
“They’re funny things, Accidents. You never have them till you’re having them.” --Eeyore, The House at Pooh Corner, A. A. Milne
“'Please, Aslan,’ said Lucy. ‘What do you call soon?’
‘I call all times soon,’ said Aslan.” –The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, C. S. Lewis
“'There are fourteen lines, I believe, all in iambic pentameter…. And each line has to end with a rigid rhyme pattern. And if the poet does not do it exactly this way, it is not a sonnet…. But within this strict form the poet has complete freedom to say whatever he wants…. You’re given the form, but you have to write the sonnet yourself. What you say is completely up to you.’” --Mrs Whatsit, A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L’Engle
“'Rat!’ he found breath to whisper, shaking. ‘Are you afraid?’
‘Afraid?’ murmured the Rat, his eyes shining with unutterable love. ‘Afraid of Him? O, never, never! And yet-and yet-O, Mole, I am afraid!’” –The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
“'The Guide says that there is an art to flying,’ said Ford, ‘or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.’” –Life, the Universe, and Everything, Douglas Adams
“'I’m sure Aslan would have, if you’d asked him,’ said Fledge.
‘Wouldn’t he know without being asked?’ said Polly.
‘I’ve no doubt he would,” said the Horse…. But I’ve a sort of idea he likes to be asked.’” –The Magician’s Nephew, C. S. Lewis
“There are some things you can’t share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them.” --Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, J.K. Rowling
“Sam looked at him and wept in his heart, but no tears came to his dry and stinging eyes. ‘I said I’d carry him, if it broke my back,’ he muttered, ‘and I will!’
‘Come, Mr. Frodo!’ he cried. ‘I can’t carry it for you, but I can carry you and it as well. So up you get! Come on, Mr. Frodo, dear! Sam will give you a ride. Just tell him where to go, and he’ll go.’” –The Return of the King, J. R. R. Tolkien
"'...If there's anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they're either braver than most or else just silly.'
'Then he isn't safe?' said Lucy.
'Safe?' said Mr Beaver.... 'Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you.'" --The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, C. S. Lewis
“'This must be a Thursday,’ said Arthur to himself, sinking low over his beer. ‘I never could get the hang of Thursdays.’” –The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
"There lives more faith in honest doubt,
Believe me, than in half the creeds." --"In Memoriam A.H.H." Alfred Lord Tennyson
“'Oh, Aslan,’ said Lucy. ‘Will you tell us how to get into your country from our world?’
‘I shall be telling you all the time,” said Aslan. ‘But I will not tell you how long or short the way will be; only that it lies across a river. But do not fear that, for I am the great Bridge Builder.’” –The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, C. S. Lewis
"Kindred spirits are not so scarce as I used to think." --Anne of Green Gables, L.M. Montgomery
I can’t think of an all-time favorite quote. I think the quote that I can personally relate to the most, though, is one that is spoken by Bilbo Baggins in The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien:
“I want to see mountains again, Gandalf—mountains; and then find somewhere where I can rest. In peace and quiet…. I might find somewhere where I can finish my book. I have thought of a nice ending for it: and he lived happily ever after till the end of his days.”
Mmm.
What are some of your favorite literary quotes?
Friday, January 13, 2012
Book Review of "The Land of Darkness" by C. S. Lakin
The Land of Darkness is the third book in The Gates of Heaven series by C. S. Lakin. Each book in this series centers around different characters, so each book can stand alone as its own story.
The Land of Darkness is a fairy tale/fantasy, which focuses on two main characters: Jadiel and Callen.
Jadiel is a 12 year old girl who is at the mercy of her wicked and vain stepmother, Huldah. Huldah threatens to kill Jadiel's father (whom she has enchanted with her false beauty) unless Jadiel is able to find the leaves of the Terebinth Tree, which are fabled to bring eternal life and beauty to the one who chews them.
Callen is the 31 year old woodcarving apprentice of Jadiel's uncle. Stirred by drawings of a beautiful suspension bridge, Callen embarks on a quest to find this bridge. Along the way, he encounters Jadiel, and they find that their quests are connected. With the help of a strange, scarred man named Ebed, they find the Land of Darkness, through which they must pass before finding what they seek.
While this story was a little difficult for me to "get into," I immensely enjoyed the fairy tale elements found near the beginning. It was hard to mistake the fun traditional fairy tale aspects, such as the talking hoptoad, Jadiel's magical mirror and flute, and of course, the wicked stepmother (and her "Snow White" style magic mirror) and stepsisters. I think these simple touches added to the fairy tale feel, although I'm not sure that all these elements were necessary, and I would have preferred for the main action of the story to begin a little sooner.
Scripture and allegory were woven throughout this story as Jadiel and Callen followed the clues to the end of their quests. While some of the allegory wasn't obvious, most of it was easy to understand. Obvious allegory isn't what I usually prefer, but Lakin balanced it with enough mystery to keep me reading. I especially appreciated the use of parable in the story, and how Lakin connected it to other passages of Scripture in ways that I had never thought of before. I also enjoyed the idea of the healing Terebinth tree, and was pleasantly reminded of the magical healing apple from C. S. Lewis' The Magician's Nephew.
The characters, for the most part, were well thought out and believable. Jadiel's character seemed to represent childlike faith, while Callen was more of a "doubting Thomas." I didn't catch on to Callen's doubt until I was well into the middle of the book. I'm not sure if that was intentional or not. Jadiel's childlike love and faith were evident from the beginning. I loved the character of Ebed and all that he represented in the story.
As I said, this book was difficult for me to get into, but the plot was well-thought out, the characters believable, and the allegory unmistakable. This is a fanciful story which alludes heavily to the greatest story of all--God's redemption of mankind. I would recommend it to older children, teenagers, and those remarkable adults who, like me, have never outgrown a good fairy tale.
This book was provided by review by AMG Publishers.
The Land of Darkness is a fairy tale/fantasy, which focuses on two main characters: Jadiel and Callen.
Jadiel is a 12 year old girl who is at the mercy of her wicked and vain stepmother, Huldah. Huldah threatens to kill Jadiel's father (whom she has enchanted with her false beauty) unless Jadiel is able to find the leaves of the Terebinth Tree, which are fabled to bring eternal life and beauty to the one who chews them.
Callen is the 31 year old woodcarving apprentice of Jadiel's uncle. Stirred by drawings of a beautiful suspension bridge, Callen embarks on a quest to find this bridge. Along the way, he encounters Jadiel, and they find that their quests are connected. With the help of a strange, scarred man named Ebed, they find the Land of Darkness, through which they must pass before finding what they seek.
While this story was a little difficult for me to "get into," I immensely enjoyed the fairy tale elements found near the beginning. It was hard to mistake the fun traditional fairy tale aspects, such as the talking hoptoad, Jadiel's magical mirror and flute, and of course, the wicked stepmother (and her "Snow White" style magic mirror) and stepsisters. I think these simple touches added to the fairy tale feel, although I'm not sure that all these elements were necessary, and I would have preferred for the main action of the story to begin a little sooner.
Scripture and allegory were woven throughout this story as Jadiel and Callen followed the clues to the end of their quests. While some of the allegory wasn't obvious, most of it was easy to understand. Obvious allegory isn't what I usually prefer, but Lakin balanced it with enough mystery to keep me reading. I especially appreciated the use of parable in the story, and how Lakin connected it to other passages of Scripture in ways that I had never thought of before. I also enjoyed the idea of the healing Terebinth tree, and was pleasantly reminded of the magical healing apple from C. S. Lewis' The Magician's Nephew.
The characters, for the most part, were well thought out and believable. Jadiel's character seemed to represent childlike faith, while Callen was more of a "doubting Thomas." I didn't catch on to Callen's doubt until I was well into the middle of the book. I'm not sure if that was intentional or not. Jadiel's childlike love and faith were evident from the beginning. I loved the character of Ebed and all that he represented in the story.
As I said, this book was difficult for me to get into, but the plot was well-thought out, the characters believable, and the allegory unmistakable. This is a fanciful story which alludes heavily to the greatest story of all--God's redemption of mankind. I would recommend it to older children, teenagers, and those remarkable adults who, like me, have never outgrown a good fairy tale.
This book was provided by review by AMG Publishers.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Sunday Sum-Up: Asking
"I'm sure Aslan would have, if you'd asked him," said Fledge.
"Wouldn't he know without being asked," said Polly.
"I've no doubt he would," said the Horse.... "But I've sort of an idea he likes to be asked."
-From The Magician's Nephew by C. S. Lewis
My nephew's fifth birthday is this week. Also, three of my cousins are turning seven. This week. And that's first cousins, mind you. I also have a first cousin that's about to turn one next month, which means that he is more than thirty years younger than I am. Which is awesome. Also, next weekend, my grandfather is getting married, which is also awesome.
My financial state is always precarious, so I reasoned that I would not be able to make a trip to Kentucky next weekend for these multiple celebrations. But I really wanted to be there. I really felt like I should be there. And if something like this had happened a few months ago, I'm not sure I would have been prepared to handle it in the way that I'm handling it.
I started praying, asking God to make it possible for me to go to Kentucky next weekend. In the past, a few things would have prevented me from making such a request of the Lord. I would have reasoned that this was a selfish request. I would have doubted that God would be willing to grant me a selfish request. I would have concluded that it was pointless for me to even ask God for something selfish. I would have concluded that God already knew what I wanted, so if He wanted to give it to me, He would.
And while I still believe that when God blesses us, it's so that we can be a blessing to others, I don't know that my past attitudes were right. Selfish requests aren't always impure. I mean, I find myself praying, "Dear Lord, please let the Cardinals win the World Series." While I wish that my motives for such a prayer were, "I want the Cardinals to win so that Albert Pujols will have an even greater testimony of Your faithfulness so that he can continue to spread Your fame with renewed vigor," I really just kinda sorta want the Cards to win because I want the Cards to win. And maybe that kind of request isn't too pure.
But going home next weekend will mean a lot to me. I haven't seen my nephew or nieces, my mom and dad, my sister, brother, and brother-in-law, or my grandfather since May. I haven't seen most of my extended family since last Christmas. These are important celebrations that I want to experience, celebrate, remember. My family means a lot to me, and I don't want to wait until this Christmas to see them--when I will only hear about the celebrations I missed. I want to be there.
And with the work that God has been doing in my life over the past several months, I was able to say, "You know what, I have absolutely nothing to lose by asking for this." And I started praying, asking that God would enable me to go see my family this upcoming weekend. He knew I wanted to go. He knew I couldn't afford it on my own. He knew all of these things, but He wanted to be asked.
I am reading in Luke right now, and in Luke 11, the disciples ask Jesus how to pray. Jesus' immediate response is to give them the Lord's prayer. I guess in my mind, that's always where the cut off was. "Okay. Check. Got it. The Lord's prayer is how we should pray. "Father, Hallowed be Thy Name....'" That's not where Jesus really ends, though. After saying what we now know as "The Lord's Prayer," Jesus went into a parable about a man who went to his neighbor at midnight and asked for bread so that he could feed a visitor. Jesus concluded that the neighbor wouldn't give the man anything because of their friendship, but he would give him all he needed because of the man's persistence.
And then Jesus tells us to ask. "Ask, and it will be given. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened." I don't think Jesus was at all commanding us to treat God like Santa Claus. He wasn't saying, "When you pray, just bring God your 'Christmas list' and He'll get you a shiny new fire truck that lights up, makes noise, and squirts real water." Prayer isn't about asking for stuff as much as it's a means to align our own hearts with God's heart. But I think I'd forgotten that God really does want us to bring the desires of our heart to Him. That doesn't mean He'll always say yes, but if we don't ask, how can we ever expect to receive? It takes faith to ask, which is probably why God wants us to ask.
And after I started praying for God to provide a way home, a wonderful, generous family offered to pay for a rental car for my trip.
And then the day after I reserved the rental car, I had to take my own car into the shop (it's in no condition to make a trip to KY and back) to get my brakes fixed. This is going to sound weird, but God told me to get my brakes fixed. I was going to wait on it until after this trip, but apparently it was time to do it now. So I did it. And getting my brakes fixed (along w/ an oil change and new wiper blades) cost me about what I pay in rent. So I'm not sure how I'm going to pay my rent next month. And maybe going on a trip to KY doesn't seem like a really great idea all of the sudden, but I have already reserved the rental car. I've already made plans. I'm going...even if I'm not sure how I'm going to pay for everything.
God knows my situation. God knows everything that's going on around it. While I'm thoughtful and aware of the situation, I'm really not at all worried about it. I'm just asking Him to provide, and I am confident that He will. In the meantime, I'm having my faith stretched, which is an added benefit to everything.
"Wouldn't he know without being asked," said Polly.
"I've no doubt he would," said the Horse.... "But I've sort of an idea he likes to be asked."
-From The Magician's Nephew by C. S. Lewis
My nephew's fifth birthday is this week. Also, three of my cousins are turning seven. This week. And that's first cousins, mind you. I also have a first cousin that's about to turn one next month, which means that he is more than thirty years younger than I am. Which is awesome. Also, next weekend, my grandfather is getting married, which is also awesome.
My financial state is always precarious, so I reasoned that I would not be able to make a trip to Kentucky next weekend for these multiple celebrations. But I really wanted to be there. I really felt like I should be there. And if something like this had happened a few months ago, I'm not sure I would have been prepared to handle it in the way that I'm handling it.
I started praying, asking God to make it possible for me to go to Kentucky next weekend. In the past, a few things would have prevented me from making such a request of the Lord. I would have reasoned that this was a selfish request. I would have doubted that God would be willing to grant me a selfish request. I would have concluded that it was pointless for me to even ask God for something selfish. I would have concluded that God already knew what I wanted, so if He wanted to give it to me, He would.
And while I still believe that when God blesses us, it's so that we can be a blessing to others, I don't know that my past attitudes were right. Selfish requests aren't always impure. I mean, I find myself praying, "Dear Lord, please let the Cardinals win the World Series." While I wish that my motives for such a prayer were, "I want the Cardinals to win so that Albert Pujols will have an even greater testimony of Your faithfulness so that he can continue to spread Your fame with renewed vigor," I really just kinda sorta want the Cards to win because I want the Cards to win. And maybe that kind of request isn't too pure.
But going home next weekend will mean a lot to me. I haven't seen my nephew or nieces, my mom and dad, my sister, brother, and brother-in-law, or my grandfather since May. I haven't seen most of my extended family since last Christmas. These are important celebrations that I want to experience, celebrate, remember. My family means a lot to me, and I don't want to wait until this Christmas to see them--when I will only hear about the celebrations I missed. I want to be there.
And with the work that God has been doing in my life over the past several months, I was able to say, "You know what, I have absolutely nothing to lose by asking for this." And I started praying, asking that God would enable me to go see my family this upcoming weekend. He knew I wanted to go. He knew I couldn't afford it on my own. He knew all of these things, but He wanted to be asked.
I am reading in Luke right now, and in Luke 11, the disciples ask Jesus how to pray. Jesus' immediate response is to give them the Lord's prayer. I guess in my mind, that's always where the cut off was. "Okay. Check. Got it. The Lord's prayer is how we should pray. "Father, Hallowed be Thy Name....'" That's not where Jesus really ends, though. After saying what we now know as "The Lord's Prayer," Jesus went into a parable about a man who went to his neighbor at midnight and asked for bread so that he could feed a visitor. Jesus concluded that the neighbor wouldn't give the man anything because of their friendship, but he would give him all he needed because of the man's persistence.
And then Jesus tells us to ask. "Ask, and it will be given. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened." I don't think Jesus was at all commanding us to treat God like Santa Claus. He wasn't saying, "When you pray, just bring God your 'Christmas list' and He'll get you a shiny new fire truck that lights up, makes noise, and squirts real water." Prayer isn't about asking for stuff as much as it's a means to align our own hearts with God's heart. But I think I'd forgotten that God really does want us to bring the desires of our heart to Him. That doesn't mean He'll always say yes, but if we don't ask, how can we ever expect to receive? It takes faith to ask, which is probably why God wants us to ask.
And after I started praying for God to provide a way home, a wonderful, generous family offered to pay for a rental car for my trip.
And then the day after I reserved the rental car, I had to take my own car into the shop (it's in no condition to make a trip to KY and back) to get my brakes fixed. This is going to sound weird, but God told me to get my brakes fixed. I was going to wait on it until after this trip, but apparently it was time to do it now. So I did it. And getting my brakes fixed (along w/ an oil change and new wiper blades) cost me about what I pay in rent. So I'm not sure how I'm going to pay my rent next month. And maybe going on a trip to KY doesn't seem like a really great idea all of the sudden, but I have already reserved the rental car. I've already made plans. I'm going...even if I'm not sure how I'm going to pay for everything.
God knows my situation. God knows everything that's going on around it. While I'm thoughtful and aware of the situation, I'm really not at all worried about it. I'm just asking Him to provide, and I am confident that He will. In the meantime, I'm having my faith stretched, which is an added benefit to everything.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Use Your Words!
I've been planning a craft for the girls I watch that involves using words clipped out of magazines and newspapers. I guess I could *try* to get them involved in the actual word clipping, but I know that would go over about as well as if I asked them to do their own laundry. The youngest one (The Princess) wouldn't even know what I was talking about (I'm pretty sure she believes the Laundry Fairy comes and washes all her clothes and magics them back into her dresser. Well, okay, the Laundry Fairy does exist--and her name is Mommy...and sometimes Daddy). The oldest one (The Drama Queen) would freak out about how hard it is and act as though I were a horrible monster for even suggesting that I try to make her do it. The middle one (The Diva) would let me know that she was perfectly capable of doing it, but that she had better things to do and wouldn't waste her time on such a trivial activity. Long story short--I would fight a battle doomed to failure and end up cutting all the words out by myself. So I saved myself a lot of whining and just started clipping out words.
I've been clipping words out of magazines and newspapers for about a month now. My roommate told me I was going overboard, but I didn't listen. Turns out, I probably did go overboard, but now I'm kind of addicted to clipping out words, so I'm still doing it even though I've got a huge ziplock bag full of words! Every time I go to the library, I grab a handful of each of those free periodicals they have there. And I don't feel too bad about it, because as I've clipped the words, I've read some of the stuff in there. Some of it is actually pretty good, but most of it belongs on the bottom of a birdcage. I have a feeling a lot of those free periodicals end up getting recycled without having ever been read. I feel sorry for those periodicals. They were printed for a purpose that they will never realize, stacked on the wire rack of their dreams that will never come true. So I'm doing them a favor by putting them to some use--even if that use is viciously ripping them apart in search of "big, pretty words."
In my search for words, I've noticed that advertisers are some of the best liars in the world. For example, do you know what the word "unique" means? Do you know how many times I've cut the word "unique" out of different ads? If something is unique, then it's one-of-a-kind, right? Well, I seriously doubt that all of these similar products and services I've encountered are as "unique" as they claim. But slap the word "unique" on a page with big, pretty letters, add a picture of a cute kid, and all of the sudden suckers are going to get sucked in. That is, they would if every other "unique" ad didn't also have big, pretty letters and an equally adorable child. Maybe even holding a puppy, for good measure.
Words are some of my favorite things in the world. I like the idea that a bunch of symbols (letters) pieced together in a certain order has a meaning that we assign to it. I like that you can put those words together into sentences that also have meanings. I like watching toddlers learn to assign meanings to words, and I like hearing them put those words into sentences--figuring out language patterns. I like watching kindergartners and first graders learn to write out those patterns. I like watching them struggle with the MANY exceptions to those patterns. It's not that I like watching them struggle so much as it's interesting to me to watch their brains try to figure out this crazy English language. As much as the English language has been warped over the centuries, it's a wonder we have any grammatical rules left....
Some grammatical rules seem more important to me than others. I can't stand it when people use the wrong form of your/you're or there/their/they're, but I can live with a split infinitive (if James T. Kirk could do it on his five year mission, I can do it, too). I also don't mind it if you end a sentence with a preposition. And it's absolutely fine with me if you start a sentence with a conjunction (see what I did there?). I even like passive voice if it's used effectively. I think I'm more likely to be a grammar nazi when a broken grammar rule leads to difficulty in understanding the meaning that a writer is trying to convey. For example, the phrase "Your pretty" leads me to ask the question, "My pretty what?" Yet that doesn't explain why my ears bleed every time someone says, "I'm doing good" or "I'm real smart" or "He ran quick." I guess being the daughter of two teachers--one of whom was an English teacher--caused me to pick up on how proper grammar should sound.
I do think there's a problem with what people do with words today. That "unique" example is part of it. C. S. Lewis made a good point when he said, "Don't use words too big for the subject. Don't say 'infinitely' when you mean 'very'; otherwise you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite." I do that with the word "awesome." I use that word like I have to meet a quota. And when I use it, I'm not even using the original meaning. I'm using the watered-down 80's version of it. Word meanings change over time (another thing I really like about words), but sometimes I don't think it's a good thing. With "awesome," I keep using that word, but I do not think it means what I think it means. I call my friends awesome. Does that mean they fill me with awe every time I see them? Ok...maybe...but I think it more likely that they are just great people whom I like to be around. Maybe I should find a better word to describe my friends and save the word "awesome" for things that actually inspire awe--like God.
But I really really like the word "awesome," and I really really like using the word "awesome" because it's such an...awesome word. You see my problem? That--and I feel the need to repeat the word "really" to convey the really-ness of my like of the word "awesome."
You know what? Never mind. I'm pretty sure the English language is doomed to be a train wreck. I'm the only one of my friends who actually types out words when I text. I'm sure I annoy all my friends who are able to make sense out of the phrase: "Gng 2 prty @ Sue's 2mrw? 8pm. Cn u br dip?" I mean, I cause them so much trouble by actually typing it all out: "Are you going to go to the party at Sue's tomorrow? It's at 8pm. Can you bring dip?" All those extra letters to read. It's such a waste of time!
I believe that in the future, vowels will be obsolete. Everyone will communicate using only consonants, even whilst speaking, so that all verbal communication will be reduced to a series of grunts. "Gd mrnng. Hw r y?" "Mrnng. M fn. Hw r y?" "Gd. Nd cff." "M t." Yeah. It'll be really confusing. To fix that problem, everyone's just going to be implanted with a device that eliminates all need for verbal communication. To save the time it would take for someone to verbally communicate a thought, the actual thought will actually be projected into another person's actual brain. ACTUALLY! This, of course, will lead to several technical glitches that will eventually make everyone completely telepathic. Everyone will know everyone else's thoughts all the time. Then everyone in the world will become uber paranoid and will never leave their houses again. Until one day a brave soul discovers an ancient book called a "Dictionary" and brings language back into a world that is desperately in need of a few good words.
Ooh. That would be awesome.
I've been clipping words out of magazines and newspapers for about a month now. My roommate told me I was going overboard, but I didn't listen. Turns out, I probably did go overboard, but now I'm kind of addicted to clipping out words, so I'm still doing it even though I've got a huge ziplock bag full of words! Every time I go to the library, I grab a handful of each of those free periodicals they have there. And I don't feel too bad about it, because as I've clipped the words, I've read some of the stuff in there. Some of it is actually pretty good, but most of it belongs on the bottom of a birdcage. I have a feeling a lot of those free periodicals end up getting recycled without having ever been read. I feel sorry for those periodicals. They were printed for a purpose that they will never realize, stacked on the wire rack of their dreams that will never come true. So I'm doing them a favor by putting them to some use--even if that use is viciously ripping them apart in search of "big, pretty words."
In my search for words, I've noticed that advertisers are some of the best liars in the world. For example, do you know what the word "unique" means? Do you know how many times I've cut the word "unique" out of different ads? If something is unique, then it's one-of-a-kind, right? Well, I seriously doubt that all of these similar products and services I've encountered are as "unique" as they claim. But slap the word "unique" on a page with big, pretty letters, add a picture of a cute kid, and all of the sudden suckers are going to get sucked in. That is, they would if every other "unique" ad didn't also have big, pretty letters and an equally adorable child. Maybe even holding a puppy, for good measure.
Words are some of my favorite things in the world. I like the idea that a bunch of symbols (letters) pieced together in a certain order has a meaning that we assign to it. I like that you can put those words together into sentences that also have meanings. I like watching toddlers learn to assign meanings to words, and I like hearing them put those words into sentences--figuring out language patterns. I like watching kindergartners and first graders learn to write out those patterns. I like watching them struggle with the MANY exceptions to those patterns. It's not that I like watching them struggle so much as it's interesting to me to watch their brains try to figure out this crazy English language. As much as the English language has been warped over the centuries, it's a wonder we have any grammatical rules left....
Some grammatical rules seem more important to me than others. I can't stand it when people use the wrong form of your/you're or there/their/they're, but I can live with a split infinitive (if James T. Kirk could do it on his five year mission, I can do it, too). I also don't mind it if you end a sentence with a preposition. And it's absolutely fine with me if you start a sentence with a conjunction (see what I did there?). I even like passive voice if it's used effectively. I think I'm more likely to be a grammar nazi when a broken grammar rule leads to difficulty in understanding the meaning that a writer is trying to convey. For example, the phrase "Your pretty" leads me to ask the question, "My pretty what?" Yet that doesn't explain why my ears bleed every time someone says, "I'm doing good" or "I'm real smart" or "He ran quick." I guess being the daughter of two teachers--one of whom was an English teacher--caused me to pick up on how proper grammar should sound.
I do think there's a problem with what people do with words today. That "unique" example is part of it. C. S. Lewis made a good point when he said, "Don't use words too big for the subject. Don't say 'infinitely' when you mean 'very'; otherwise you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite." I do that with the word "awesome." I use that word like I have to meet a quota. And when I use it, I'm not even using the original meaning. I'm using the watered-down 80's version of it. Word meanings change over time (another thing I really like about words), but sometimes I don't think it's a good thing. With "awesome," I keep using that word, but I do not think it means what I think it means. I call my friends awesome. Does that mean they fill me with awe every time I see them? Ok...maybe...but I think it more likely that they are just great people whom I like to be around. Maybe I should find a better word to describe my friends and save the word "awesome" for things that actually inspire awe--like God.
But I really really like the word "awesome," and I really really like using the word "awesome" because it's such an...awesome word. You see my problem? That--and I feel the need to repeat the word "really" to convey the really-ness of my like of the word "awesome."
You know what? Never mind. I'm pretty sure the English language is doomed to be a train wreck. I'm the only one of my friends who actually types out words when I text. I'm sure I annoy all my friends who are able to make sense out of the phrase: "Gng 2 prty @ Sue's 2mrw? 8pm. Cn u br dip?" I mean, I cause them so much trouble by actually typing it all out: "Are you going to go to the party at Sue's tomorrow? It's at 8pm. Can you bring dip?" All those extra letters to read. It's such a waste of time!
I believe that in the future, vowels will be obsolete. Everyone will communicate using only consonants, even whilst speaking, so that all verbal communication will be reduced to a series of grunts. "Gd mrnng. Hw r y?" "Mrnng. M fn. Hw r y?" "Gd. Nd cff." "M t." Yeah. It'll be really confusing. To fix that problem, everyone's just going to be implanted with a device that eliminates all need for verbal communication. To save the time it would take for someone to verbally communicate a thought, the actual thought will actually be projected into another person's actual brain. ACTUALLY! This, of course, will lead to several technical glitches that will eventually make everyone completely telepathic. Everyone will know everyone else's thoughts all the time. Then everyone in the world will become uber paranoid and will never leave their houses again. Until one day a brave soul discovers an ancient book called a "Dictionary" and brings language back into a world that is desperately in need of a few good words.
Ooh. That would be awesome.
Friday, July 29, 2011
Ficton Friday: Is This Real Life?
I forgot it was Friday. I forgot I was supposed to write a blog. So it's almost 11 pm, but that's still technically Friday, so I guess I'm still okay as long as I get this thing out before midnight!
I was watching a movie tonight (when I was supposed to be writing a blog). It's probably my second favorite movie. Shadowlands. It's a movie based on the later life of C. S. Lewis, when he met and married Joy Gresham. I love this movie 1) because it's about C. S. Lewis, 2) because it explores a lot of themes I appreciate--like pain, love, life, grief, and honesty (to name a few), 3) because it has amazing lines, amazing acting, amazing directing, and UH-MAY-ZING music, and 4) because it's a really sweet love story.
But despite the words "This is a True Story" that flash across the screen near the beginning of the film, I realize that it's not really a true story. Yes, it is based on actual events that happened in the lives of C. S. (Jack) Lewis, his friend and eventual wife, Joy Gresham, and her son, Douglas Gresham. But it's highly dramatized to the point that "true story" isn't really a fair or accurate description.
I'm pretty much obsessed with C. S. Lewis, and I've read a few biographies (including my favorite one, which was written by Lewis' stepson, Douglas Gresham. It's called Jack's Life, and I highly highly recommend it). I know that Joy Gresham wasn't drop dead gorgeous like she was in the movie. I know that she had two sons instead of just one. I know a lot of random little details that aren't really that important--like the fact that Jack Lewis couldn't drive a car like he did in the movie, or that the honeymoon trip he took with his wife was much different than what happened in the movie.
I like biographies about people I'm obsessed with, but otherwise, biography isn't my favorite genre. Therefore, the only biographies I've really read are about Lewis, Rich Mullins, and Madeline L'Engle. I have probably skimmed through some others, but I can only afford to have a few unhealthy obsessions with dead people.
Memoirs, though, are different. I really like them, if they're well-written. I think my favorite is Rocket Boys (AKA October Sky). Homer Hickam (the author of Rocket Boys) isn't all that interesting to me (in fact, I had to google him for his last name), but his story was interesting to me. It was a "true story," but it wasn't a biography. It was a memoir. And memoirs are different because not all of the details have to be accurate. It's okay to lie a little in the name of good literature.
I do the same thing--not so much with this blog, but I embellish things all the time in my socially awkward blog. That's not to say I'm completely making stuff up, but I'll often exaggerate or add somewhat fictitious details to "true stories" to make them funnier or more interesting. Storytelling is not the same thing as lying, and memoir is storytelling. It's just storytelling that's based on something real.
And I think that's why I can still appreciate Shadowlands so much. I know the characters/events are exaggerated or altered from reality. Watching/Reading a completely (or as close as they could get to it) accurate portrayal of someone's life would be boring (unless you're the sort who likes reading biographies). There's really just no harm in watching a film or reading a book that's based on real people and real events, even if a lot of what happens to those people and events in the movie/book wasn't real. I mean, I might be disappointed when I get to heaven and realize that C. S. Lewis and Anthony Hopkins are NOT the same person, but...nah...it probably won't matter at that point.
But I have to say that if I ever become a wildly famous author with a life tragic enough to make a movie out of, I really hope they get someone fabulous to portray me. I'm thinking a younger version of Julianne Moore. Because in my "based on a true story" movie, I'm SO going to have red hair.
I was watching a movie tonight (when I was supposed to be writing a blog). It's probably my second favorite movie. Shadowlands. It's a movie based on the later life of C. S. Lewis, when he met and married Joy Gresham. I love this movie 1) because it's about C. S. Lewis, 2) because it explores a lot of themes I appreciate--like pain, love, life, grief, and honesty (to name a few), 3) because it has amazing lines, amazing acting, amazing directing, and UH-MAY-ZING music, and 4) because it's a really sweet love story.
But despite the words "This is a True Story" that flash across the screen near the beginning of the film, I realize that it's not really a true story. Yes, it is based on actual events that happened in the lives of C. S. (Jack) Lewis, his friend and eventual wife, Joy Gresham, and her son, Douglas Gresham. But it's highly dramatized to the point that "true story" isn't really a fair or accurate description.
I'm pretty much obsessed with C. S. Lewis, and I've read a few biographies (including my favorite one, which was written by Lewis' stepson, Douglas Gresham. It's called Jack's Life, and I highly highly recommend it). I know that Joy Gresham wasn't drop dead gorgeous like she was in the movie. I know that she had two sons instead of just one. I know a lot of random little details that aren't really that important--like the fact that Jack Lewis couldn't drive a car like he did in the movie, or that the honeymoon trip he took with his wife was much different than what happened in the movie.
I like biographies about people I'm obsessed with, but otherwise, biography isn't my favorite genre. Therefore, the only biographies I've really read are about Lewis, Rich Mullins, and Madeline L'Engle. I have probably skimmed through some others, but I can only afford to have a few unhealthy obsessions with dead people.
Memoirs, though, are different. I really like them, if they're well-written. I think my favorite is Rocket Boys (AKA October Sky). Homer Hickam (the author of Rocket Boys) isn't all that interesting to me (in fact, I had to google him for his last name), but his story was interesting to me. It was a "true story," but it wasn't a biography. It was a memoir. And memoirs are different because not all of the details have to be accurate. It's okay to lie a little in the name of good literature.
I do the same thing--not so much with this blog, but I embellish things all the time in my socially awkward blog. That's not to say I'm completely making stuff up, but I'll often exaggerate or add somewhat fictitious details to "true stories" to make them funnier or more interesting. Storytelling is not the same thing as lying, and memoir is storytelling. It's just storytelling that's based on something real.
And I think that's why I can still appreciate Shadowlands so much. I know the characters/events are exaggerated or altered from reality. Watching/Reading a completely (or as close as they could get to it) accurate portrayal of someone's life would be boring (unless you're the sort who likes reading biographies). There's really just no harm in watching a film or reading a book that's based on real people and real events, even if a lot of what happens to those people and events in the movie/book wasn't real. I mean, I might be disappointed when I get to heaven and realize that C. S. Lewis and Anthony Hopkins are NOT the same person, but...nah...it probably won't matter at that point.
But I have to say that if I ever become a wildly famous author with a life tragic enough to make a movie out of, I really hope they get someone fabulous to portray me. I'm thinking a younger version of Julianne Moore. Because in my "based on a true story" movie, I'm SO going to have red hair.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Film Adapations of Books
I saw The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader for the second time today. I hadn't seen it since the day it came out in theaters. I only saw it today because they were showing it for free at the local theater as part of their free "Summer Kid's Movie Series" program, which is an ingenious way the local movie theater can make a lot of money by selling overpriced popcorn and soda. I felt silly coming to a "kids' movie" without any kids, and since kidnapping is still illegal, I tagged along with the family I nanny for...on my day off.
Now, I've already written a blog about my thoughts on the third Narnia movie, and I really don't want to go into it again. But the movie made me think about how some film adaptations of books are really well done, and how some of them really stink.
Some people confuse me for one of those people who expect film adaptations to be almost identical to the book. This just isn't the case. I took a class called Lit and Film in college, which was one of the most interesting classes I've ever had. And I agree with what the professor said--that a good film adaptation is one that properly captures the essence of a book. That doesn't mean a good film adaptation has to cover every intricate detail of a book in exactly the same way the book handled it. Sometimes things have to be changed for time (a 500 page book doesn't always fit well into a 90 minute movie) or because what works in print might not work well on screen. I know some people who like to nitpick over minor details that don't change the basic themes of the story. I'm not one of those people.
I am, however, one of those people who will get upset if I think a film did a bad job of translating a book on screen--particularly if I LOVED the book. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader wasn't horrible, but I do have some major problems with it because I think the filmmakers missed the point of the book (FYI, I LOVED the book).
There are a lot of film adaptations that I really don't like because I feel that the filmmakers didn't really grasp the main themes of the books they were trying to adapt. At the top of this list is Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (the third one). Not only did the filmmakers try to cram the theme of "time" into the movie, when the book really didn't have that overarching theme, but they left out all sorts of important themes and details that made the story understandable. If I hadn't read the book and were just relying on the film, I'd have no idea what was going on. And this was a common complaint I heard from people who hadn't read the book. They didn't understand the movie.
A Wrinkle in Time is another film adaptation that leaves a lot to be desired. It was a made for tv movie, but that doesn't give it the right to suck as much as it did. The movie got several small details wrong--which might have been redeemable if they had been done well. But almost nothing about this movie was done well. The vast majority of the actors were miscast (so even the good actors like Alfre Woodard gave dreadful performances). The writing was choppy and incoherent. It makes me a little angry because A Wrinkle in Time is my favorite book, but the film version made it look dreadful. So all of those people who like to see the movie first to see if they might like the book are now under the impression that it's a dreadful book. If you're one of these people, I urge you to go read the book. I promise it is SO much better than the movie. I'm hoping that eventually someone picks up the whole Time Quartet series and does some major motion pictures that don't stink. I do have to say, the music wasn't bad. And the kid they got to play Charles Wallace was cute. And Mrs Who was actually pretty likable. Other than that...meh. I've also heard that the Disney made-for-tv version of A Ring of Endless Light (another Madeleine L'Engle book) was also dreadful. Maybe I'll see it for myself one day.
I don't want to spend much more time griping about film adaptations I don't like, but here is a list of others that really bother me (I still might watch these movies from time to time, as I often still watch A Wrinkle in Time, if only because I like to relive parts of the story when I don't have time to read the book):
Tuck Everlasting
The Black Cauldron
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (the 2005 movie version--which was not redeemable even with Zooey Deschanel as Trillian AND Alan Rickman as Marvin. The cheesy 1980 BBC version, however, is epic!)
Twilight
First Knight
The Little Mermaid (Okay, I like the songs. And Sebastian. But Disney turned the self-sacrificing (and unnamed) Hans Christian Anderson protagonist into a selfish spoiled brat named Ariel)
Eragon
The Flight of Dragons (based off the book The Dragon and the George)
There are a lot of film adaptations of books that I really don't like, but there are probably a lot more that I do like. The Princess Bride is my favorite film, and it's one of my favorite books. I think one of the reasons I'm such a big fan of both the film and the book is that William Goldman wrote both of them (the book and the screenplay). Not every detail was the same. There were lots of omissions and changes in the film version, but the film was a hilarious and touching story that paid true homage to the book.
Some of the film adaptations I like are very different from the books, but they're still enjoyable AND they retain the basic thematic essences of the books. Pollyanna is one of these. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (in case you're confused, I mean the Gene Wilder one) is another. I do like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (the Johnny Depp version), and it IS closer to the book thanthe Gene Wilder version "Willy Wonka," but I don't like it as much. The Neverending Story is another film I love that doesn't follow the book very well, and it makes me sad that they tried to make it more like the book by making an absolutely horrendous sequel. And another sequel--which thankfully, I have not seen.
Here's a list of film adaptations I really like:
Jurassic Park
Jurassic Park: The Lost World
October Sky (based on a memior originally published as Rocket Boys--it's an anagram)
All of the Harry Potter films except for Prisoner of Azkaban (I just can't forgive it)
Ramona and Beezus (I would love to see more Ramona movies!)
The Hobbit (the Rankin Bass cartoon version, since the live action one hasn't come out yet)
The Return of the King (again, the Rankin Bass version)
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (the Peter Jackson ones)
The Bridge to Terebithia (both the 80s version and the more recent version of this)
Winnie the Pooh (even after Disney mutilated A. A. Milne, I still like it)
The Phantom Tollbooth
2001: A Space Odyssey (the book was written at the same time as the film, but I think it still counts)
The BBC versions of The Chronicles of Narnia (they only did up to the Silver Chair...which makes me sad)
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
A Christmas Carol (while almost any version--including Mickey's Christmas Carol and Scrooged--is likable, my favorite version is the Patrick Stewart one)
10 Things I Hate About You (based on Taming of the Shrew. True story.)
Alice in Wonderland (again, pretty much any version of this would do--including the Johnny Depp version which was very unlike the original Lewis Caroll story. I like what they did with it)
Anne of Green Gables/Anne of Avonlea
Hook (which was based off Peter Pan, which was a book)
Matilda
Holes
The Little Prince
The Secret of NIMH (Based on the book Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH--they changed a lot, but the movie was still amazing!)
The Face on the Milk Carton (made for tv and really cheesy, but it's not too bad)
The Jungle Book
I'm sure I could name more, but...that would take longer than I want to spend on typing a blog.
There are rare occurrences when I actually prefer the film version of a story to the book. The Wizard of Oz is one of these. Perhaps if I had read the book before seeing the Judy Garland/Ray Bolger rainbow-riffic classic movie from 1939 (the same year my daddy was born--which makes me extra sentimental about it), I might feel differently. But I tried to read the book as a grown up. I found it dreadful and unimaginative. I get that it was a political commentary and all that, but that didn't increase my enjoyment of it. I much preferred the musical film version.
Another musical movie I preferred to the book was Phantom of the Opera. The book wasn't the worst thing I've ever read, but it couldn't compete with the haunting genius of Andrew Lloyd Weber.
I also preferred the happy ending Disney version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame to Victor Hugo's classic where everybody dies (hopefully didn't ruin that for you). The incredible songs, again, didn't hurt either.
I have to admit I also liked the 90's version of The Three Musketeers way better than the book. Rebecca De Mornay. Keifer Sutherland. Chris O'Donnell. Tim Curry. Oliver Platt. Oh, and Charlie Sheen LONG BEFORE he went crazy. Ah, what a great flick! I had a cassette tape of the song "All For Love." Yep. I was awesome.
Right now I'm anxiously awaiting a couple of film adaptations. I've read that they're probably going to do "Magician's Nephew" (Chronicles of Narnia) before "Silver Chair" (and that "MN" isn't coming out until 2014). So I'm not holding my breath for those. I wouldn't be surprised if they got dumped. Which is sad. But after seeing what they did with "Dawn Treader," I'm not sure I want them messing with Puddleglum.
But I'm getting a little excited (along with a lot of people) about The Hunger Games, which is set to come out in March of next year. I'm thinking that The Hunger Games is the new Harry Potter, at least in terms of waiting for the next movie to come out. Oh...and I'm waiting for the final HP movie, too...but it will be here VERY soon!
Other books I'd love to see made into good major motion pictures are:
A Wrinkle in Time and the other books in the Time Quartet (as I said before)
A Ring of Endless Light and the other Austin Family books by Madeleine L'Engle (actually starting with Meet the Austins)
The Chronicles of Prydain (The Black Cauldron was based on the first two books, but it fell sadly, sadly short. I would love to see the whole series done in epic live action LOTR style.)
The Bunnicula Series
The Space Trilogy by C. S. Lewis
Again, there are probably others, but this blog is long enough.
How about you? Are there film adaptations you LOVE? Are there film adaptations you HATE? Are there movies you like better than the books? Are there any books/series you would LOVE to see made into movies?
Now, I've already written a blog about my thoughts on the third Narnia movie, and I really don't want to go into it again. But the movie made me think about how some film adaptations of books are really well done, and how some of them really stink.
Some people confuse me for one of those people who expect film adaptations to be almost identical to the book. This just isn't the case. I took a class called Lit and Film in college, which was one of the most interesting classes I've ever had. And I agree with what the professor said--that a good film adaptation is one that properly captures the essence of a book. That doesn't mean a good film adaptation has to cover every intricate detail of a book in exactly the same way the book handled it. Sometimes things have to be changed for time (a 500 page book doesn't always fit well into a 90 minute movie) or because what works in print might not work well on screen. I know some people who like to nitpick over minor details that don't change the basic themes of the story. I'm not one of those people.
I am, however, one of those people who will get upset if I think a film did a bad job of translating a book on screen--particularly if I LOVED the book. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader wasn't horrible, but I do have some major problems with it because I think the filmmakers missed the point of the book (FYI, I LOVED the book).
There are a lot of film adaptations that I really don't like because I feel that the filmmakers didn't really grasp the main themes of the books they were trying to adapt. At the top of this list is Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (the third one). Not only did the filmmakers try to cram the theme of "time" into the movie, when the book really didn't have that overarching theme, but they left out all sorts of important themes and details that made the story understandable. If I hadn't read the book and were just relying on the film, I'd have no idea what was going on. And this was a common complaint I heard from people who hadn't read the book. They didn't understand the movie.
A Wrinkle in Time is another film adaptation that leaves a lot to be desired. It was a made for tv movie, but that doesn't give it the right to suck as much as it did. The movie got several small details wrong--which might have been redeemable if they had been done well. But almost nothing about this movie was done well. The vast majority of the actors were miscast (so even the good actors like Alfre Woodard gave dreadful performances). The writing was choppy and incoherent. It makes me a little angry because A Wrinkle in Time is my favorite book, but the film version made it look dreadful. So all of those people who like to see the movie first to see if they might like the book are now under the impression that it's a dreadful book. If you're one of these people, I urge you to go read the book. I promise it is SO much better than the movie. I'm hoping that eventually someone picks up the whole Time Quartet series and does some major motion pictures that don't stink. I do have to say, the music wasn't bad. And the kid they got to play Charles Wallace was cute. And Mrs Who was actually pretty likable. Other than that...meh. I've also heard that the Disney made-for-tv version of A Ring of Endless Light (another Madeleine L'Engle book) was also dreadful. Maybe I'll see it for myself one day.
I don't want to spend much more time griping about film adaptations I don't like, but here is a list of others that really bother me (I still might watch these movies from time to time, as I often still watch A Wrinkle in Time, if only because I like to relive parts of the story when I don't have time to read the book):
Tuck Everlasting
The Black Cauldron
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (the 2005 movie version--which was not redeemable even with Zooey Deschanel as Trillian AND Alan Rickman as Marvin. The cheesy 1980 BBC version, however, is epic!)
Twilight
First Knight
The Little Mermaid (Okay, I like the songs. And Sebastian. But Disney turned the self-sacrificing (and unnamed) Hans Christian Anderson protagonist into a selfish spoiled brat named Ariel)
Eragon
The Flight of Dragons (based off the book The Dragon and the George)
There are a lot of film adaptations of books that I really don't like, but there are probably a lot more that I do like. The Princess Bride is my favorite film, and it's one of my favorite books. I think one of the reasons I'm such a big fan of both the film and the book is that William Goldman wrote both of them (the book and the screenplay). Not every detail was the same. There were lots of omissions and changes in the film version, but the film was a hilarious and touching story that paid true homage to the book.
Some of the film adaptations I like are very different from the books, but they're still enjoyable AND they retain the basic thematic essences of the books. Pollyanna is one of these. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (in case you're confused, I mean the Gene Wilder one) is another. I do like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (the Johnny Depp version), and it IS closer to the book than
Here's a list of film adaptations I really like:
Jurassic Park
Jurassic Park: The Lost World
October Sky (based on a memior originally published as Rocket Boys--it's an anagram)
All of the Harry Potter films except for Prisoner of Azkaban (I just can't forgive it)
Ramona and Beezus (I would love to see more Ramona movies!)
The Hobbit (the Rankin Bass cartoon version, since the live action one hasn't come out yet)
The Return of the King (again, the Rankin Bass version)
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (the Peter Jackson ones)
The Bridge to Terebithia (both the 80s version and the more recent version of this)
Winnie the Pooh (even after Disney mutilated A. A. Milne, I still like it)
The Phantom Tollbooth
2001: A Space Odyssey (the book was written at the same time as the film, but I think it still counts)
The BBC versions of The Chronicles of Narnia (they only did up to the Silver Chair...which makes me sad)
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
A Christmas Carol (while almost any version--including Mickey's Christmas Carol and Scrooged--is likable, my favorite version is the Patrick Stewart one)
10 Things I Hate About You (based on Taming of the Shrew. True story.)
Alice in Wonderland (again, pretty much any version of this would do--including the Johnny Depp version which was very unlike the original Lewis Caroll story. I like what they did with it)
Anne of Green Gables/Anne of Avonlea
Hook (which was based off Peter Pan, which was a book)
Matilda
Holes
The Little Prince
The Secret of NIMH (Based on the book Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH--they changed a lot, but the movie was still amazing!)
The Face on the Milk Carton (made for tv and really cheesy, but it's not too bad)
The Jungle Book
I'm sure I could name more, but...that would take longer than I want to spend on typing a blog.
There are rare occurrences when I actually prefer the film version of a story to the book. The Wizard of Oz is one of these. Perhaps if I had read the book before seeing the Judy Garland/Ray Bolger rainbow-riffic classic movie from 1939 (the same year my daddy was born--which makes me extra sentimental about it), I might feel differently. But I tried to read the book as a grown up. I found it dreadful and unimaginative. I get that it was a political commentary and all that, but that didn't increase my enjoyment of it. I much preferred the musical film version.
Another musical movie I preferred to the book was Phantom of the Opera. The book wasn't the worst thing I've ever read, but it couldn't compete with the haunting genius of Andrew Lloyd Weber.
I also preferred the happy ending Disney version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame to Victor Hugo's classic where everybody dies (hopefully didn't ruin that for you). The incredible songs, again, didn't hurt either.
I have to admit I also liked the 90's version of The Three Musketeers way better than the book. Rebecca De Mornay. Keifer Sutherland. Chris O'Donnell. Tim Curry. Oliver Platt. Oh, and Charlie Sheen LONG BEFORE he went crazy. Ah, what a great flick! I had a cassette tape of the song "All For Love." Yep. I was awesome.
Right now I'm anxiously awaiting a couple of film adaptations. I've read that they're probably going to do "Magician's Nephew" (Chronicles of Narnia) before "Silver Chair" (and that "MN" isn't coming out until 2014). So I'm not holding my breath for those. I wouldn't be surprised if they got dumped. Which is sad. But after seeing what they did with "Dawn Treader," I'm not sure I want them messing with Puddleglum.
But I'm getting a little excited (along with a lot of people) about The Hunger Games, which is set to come out in March of next year. I'm thinking that The Hunger Games is the new Harry Potter, at least in terms of waiting for the next movie to come out. Oh...and I'm waiting for the final HP movie, too...but it will be here VERY soon!
Other books I'd love to see made into good major motion pictures are:
A Wrinkle in Time and the other books in the Time Quartet (as I said before)
A Ring of Endless Light and the other Austin Family books by Madeleine L'Engle (actually starting with Meet the Austins)
The Chronicles of Prydain (The Black Cauldron was based on the first two books, but it fell sadly, sadly short. I would love to see the whole series done in epic live action LOTR style.)
The Bunnicula Series
The Space Trilogy by C. S. Lewis
Again, there are probably others, but this blog is long enough.
How about you? Are there film adaptations you LOVE? Are there film adaptations you HATE? Are there movies you like better than the books? Are there any books/series you would LOVE to see made into movies?
Monday, February 21, 2011
My Favorite Writery Things
I feel like making lists. Here goes!
My Five Favorite Fiction Books:
1) A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L'Engle
2) Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C. S. Lewis
3) The Return of the King by J. R. R. Tolkien
4) Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis
5) The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
My Five Favorite Non-fiction Books:
1) Rich Mullins: An Arrow Pointing to Heaven by James Bryan Smith
2) A Grief Observed by C. S. Lewis
3) A Circle of Quiet by Madeleine L'Engle
4) Jack's Life by Douglas Gresham
5) Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands by Paul David Tripp
My Five Favorite Authors:
1) C. S. Lewis
2) Madeleine L'Engle
3) Lloyd Alexander
4) J. R. R. Tolkien
5. J. K. Rowling
My TEN Favorite Book Series / Companions:
1) The Time Quartet by Madeleine L'Engle
2) The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis
3) The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander
4) The Austin Family books by Madeleine L'Engle
5) The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien
6) Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling
7) The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy "Trilogy" by Douglas Adams
8) The Anne of Green Gables books by L. M. Montgomery
9) The Winnie the Pooh books by A. A. Milne
10) Space Trilogy by C. S. Lewis
My TEN Favorite Things to Listen to While Writing/Editing:
1) Rich Mullins
2) Mitch McVicker
3) Jars of Clay
4) Tenth Avenue North
5) The Beatles
6) Star Trek soundtracks (don't hate on my nerd music...it's beautiful--no words to distract me)
7) John Williams
8) Switchfoot
9) Chicago (the band, not the musical)
10) K-Love Radio
What are some of your favorite authors, books, series, and things to listen to while writing or...whatever?
My Five Favorite Fiction Books:
1) A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L'Engle
2) Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C. S. Lewis
3) The Return of the King by J. R. R. Tolkien
4) Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis
5) The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
My Five Favorite Non-fiction Books:
1) Rich Mullins: An Arrow Pointing to Heaven by James Bryan Smith
2) A Grief Observed by C. S. Lewis
3) A Circle of Quiet by Madeleine L'Engle
4) Jack's Life by Douglas Gresham
5) Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands by Paul David Tripp
My Five Favorite Authors:
1) C. S. Lewis
2) Madeleine L'Engle
3) Lloyd Alexander
4) J. R. R. Tolkien
5. J. K. Rowling
My TEN Favorite Book Series / Companions:
1) The Time Quartet by Madeleine L'Engle
2) The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis
3) The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander
4) The Austin Family books by Madeleine L'Engle
5) The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien
6) Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling
7) The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy "Trilogy" by Douglas Adams
8) The Anne of Green Gables books by L. M. Montgomery
9) The Winnie the Pooh books by A. A. Milne
10) Space Trilogy by C. S. Lewis
My TEN Favorite Things to Listen to While Writing/Editing:
1) Rich Mullins
2) Mitch McVicker
3) Jars of Clay
4) Tenth Avenue North
5) The Beatles
6) Star Trek soundtracks (don't hate on my nerd music...it's beautiful--no words to distract me)
7) John Williams
8) Switchfoot
9) Chicago (the band, not the musical)
10) K-Love Radio
What are some of your favorite authors, books, series, and things to listen to while writing or...whatever?
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