•3:52 PM
I got back from my very satisfying visit to Godric's Hollow and Ottery St. Catchpole to discover that the spectacular Bubandpie had tagged me for the best meme ever. It was a challenge to answer the questions without just copying her excellent work, so definitely go read it as well.1. If you could host a party with seven literary characters, whom would you invite and why?
I'd invite Georgie and Lucia so that they could play piano duets for us. Not to be outdone, Thea Kronborg would sing something gorgeous. Charles Swann would regale us with all the latest Parisian gossip. His wife Odette, despite her checkered past, would be a welcome addition. I'd want Thursday Next to tell us all about her fascinating work in Jurisfiction, and we'd need Kilgore Trout for some comic relief.
2. Who is your literary role model?
For writing: Jo March. For cooking: Fritz Brenner. For knitting: Molly Weasley. For gardening: Mary Lennox. For parenting: Uncle Alec and Atticus Finch.
3. Which literary house would you like most to live in?
4. Which literary couple would you like most for parents?
5. Pick three literary characters you would like to have as siblings.
Jem Finch, Ender Wiggin, and Joey Pepper. Joey would be the oldest; he'd be so exhausting to parent that Dr. and Dr. Murry would be very relaxed when it came to the rest of us. Jem would be second, the ideal older brother and adventurous companion. I'd be next (the pampered and petted only girl), and Ender would be the brilliant baby who went on to save the universe.
6. Who is your favorite literary villain?
Richard III. We just saw the play at the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival. I worried that I wouldn't love this production, because the last time I saw it, Ian McKellan played Richard at BAM (years ago, before the movie came out). Sir Ian is a hard act to follow.
It turns out my worries were unfounded. Chris Edwards was fabulous as Richard. Shakespeare totally understood the concept of the hot bad boy, and Mr. Edwards made the very most of his character. Delish.
7. Name a character that most people dislike, but that you do not. Why do you like him/her?
Poor Fagin. He's just trying to get by. He finds those homeless kids on the streets, gives them life skills, feeds them, and shelters them. What--he can't be rewarded for all his selfless work?
8. Which minor character deserves a book of his/her own, in your opinion?
Phoebe Caulfield. I'd love to read about her brother through her eyes, and what it was that kept her from sharing his feelings of alienation and despair. I've read everything Salinger has ever published, and I still want more. Here's your chance to come out of seclusion, J.D.!
9. Which character do you identify most with in literature?
Elizabeth Shulman. She's a woman devoted to her family, religion, and culture who finds a way to define herself as an individual while remaining true to her ideals. I wish she lived next door.
10. If you could go into a novel, which one would it be and why?
So hard to choose! So I'll cheat instead. I'd adventure by day in The Lord of the Rings, but jump out and into Farmer Boy at mealtimes (including Second Breakfast). Whenever I read the descriptions of Mrs. Wilder's bounteous tables to my children, we all groan with desire and envy. I'd bed down in a comfy spot in Dr. Seuss's Sleep Book, then wake up rested and ready to rejoin The Fellowship.
11. Name 3 - 7 books that you rarely see on people’s favorite book lists that are high on your own.
The Diamond in the Window, by Jane Langton
Pilgrim's Progress, by John Bunyan
Roadside Geology of New York, by Bradford Van Diver
The Talisman, by Stephen King and Peter Straub
Little Dorrit, by Charles Dickens
Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson
Anna and Her Daughters, by D.E. Stevenson
12. Which is your least favorite book of those that are considered "classics?"
12. Which is your least favorite book of those that are considered "classics?"
Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck. Ugh, please make it stop.
Jenna, Annette, Julie Q., Kara, and Brillig, consider yourself tagged!
13 comments:
Holy hannah, cool meme! But as I was reading it, I kept thinking how in the WORLD would I answer these questions? And now I'm tagged, so I'll have to figure out a way. :)
Uhhhh... wow. This one is going to require a lot of thought! Your answers were fantastic.
I'll get to it. I promise. I just have no idea when. it requires way more brain power than I currently (or perhaps EVER) have at my disposal.
The Murrys! Perfect, perfect answer. (I knew there were other books I was forgetting about that had that kind of dad - wise, learned, sympathetic.)
And Fagin teaching life skills - I love it.
What wonderful answers! Especially the Murrys for parents - I hadn't thought of them, but they would be great. Also, Richard III. Also, Ender.
Wheee! Anna and Her Daughters on this rich list/post!! I think I love you.
Now, let's talk Hog's Head and get some Avada Kedavraing going here...
Ender as a sibling? Not Peter?
Yeah, me either. ;-)
Oh and pretty much off-topic, you have a new and well-deserved award for your sidebar.
I must say, I am a little lost in reading this. My effort in visiting well read people, in blogland, is an attempt to stretch myself. I don't think it is working. I only recognize a few names and titles in your list. I would do better to read instead of blog. By the others comments, it sound like you did a good job.
Way to go, Luisa! I'm so glad you like Dickens. Not many people do these days. Can't beat him for character descriptions. Those people come right out of the page and live.
I just posted this meme, too, and learned from Veronica Mitchellb that you and I chose the same parents. AND we both chose a character from Dickens for #7. Off to explore the rest of your blog now...
OK...I could immediately tell that I am way out of your league when it comes to the literary world. The last books I read were to the kids titled Hank the Cowdog. I honestly can't remember the last one I read but it was a good one. Now Hank the Cowdog may not rank up with some of the folks that you mentioned, but the books made the kids laugh...all of us kids!! :-)
Hank the Cowdog is AWESOME!
Erm.
...Sorry.
;-)
Great meme. I'd love to participate. It may take me a while to put it all together (and what fun that will be!). But first I have a bit of Harry left to read. I've even been avoiding the internet for fear of spoilers - they are everywhere, even in people's comments, ahem. I must hide myself until I finish the darn thing!
I agree about the Murrys ... they would be great parents. Although I picked being raised by Atticus Finch as a single dad.