He was an inordinate talker; in fact, he wore out three sets of false teeth, and I told about a friend of his one day -- a man that he had known there formerly, and who he had a great admiration for, of one Jim Smiley, and he said it was worth a man's while to know Jim Smiley. Jim Smiley was a man of gift; he was a man of parts; he was a man of learning; he was -- well, he was the curiousest man about always betting on anything that turned up that you ever see, if he could get anybody to bet on the
surface of appearances. Tim Keppel has pointed out not only that "Smiley's major departure [...] is her decision to tell the story from the viewpoint of Ginny and explore the inner lives of the so-called 'evil' sisters" (Keppel, p.105), but that "Smiley makes her most dramatic re-vision of Shakespeare" (Keppel, p.109) in the storm scene. This has traditionally been the scene when the audience form a bond of sympathy with King Lear because of his pathetic insanity, while in A Thousand Acres, the focus
‘Caroline, No’ all reached U.S top 40. Then they released their most famous song ‘Good Vibrations’ costing them $50,000. Mid 1967 an abandoned album ‘Smile’ was produced put was still bootlegged. Then produced ‘Smiley Smile’ which was an album which was almost identical as ‘Smile’. Off of ‘Smiley Smile’ the song ‘Heroes & Villains’ made top 20 Their Popularity was declining with the albums ‘Wild Honey’, ‘Friends’ and ‘20/20’ selling fewer and fewer copies and concert crowds thinned. 1968’s ‘Do it again’
Works Cited and Consulted Bradley, A.C. "King Lear." 20Lh Century Interpretations of King Lear. Ed. Jane Adelman. New Jersev; Prentice-Hall, 1978. Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of King Lear. Ed. Russell Fraser. New York: Penguin, 1998. Smiley, Jane. A Thousand Acres. New York: Fawcett Columbine, 1991.
the subsequent revelation of those secrets. In her novel, Smiley gives us a very simple moral regarding this patriarchal society: women who remain financially and emotionally dependent on men decay; those able to break the economic and emotional chains develop as women and as humans. Roots of A Thousand Acres can be seen in numerous novels and plays, the most obvious of which is King Lear. The parallels are too great to ignore. Smiley is successful because she fills in so many of the gaps left
King Lear is one of William Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies which involves a common story of three daughters vying for the love of their father. Jane Smiley parallels the story of King Lear in her novel A Thousand Acres. Though this novel is derived from the roots of King Lear and the basic plot is similar, the reader’s reaction to each work of literature varies greatly. One may wonder why the reader’s perspective on the play King Lear changes so drastically after reading the novel A Thousand Acres
Body and Visibility in A Thousand Acres The west insists on the discrete identity of objects. To name is to know; to know is to control. (Paglia, p.5) [Woman's beauty] gives the eye the comforting illusion of intellectual control over nature. (Paglia, p.17) If the male gaze is a tool to conceptualize reality, then -like an axe- it can also be used as a weapon. The Paglia quotes above refer not only to matters of epistemology or even ontology ("This is what we see; therefore, this is what exists")
a different source of dislocation." (Smiley, 16). Cecelia’s life turns upside down as she attaches herself to the chaotic world of Chairman X. She attempts to locate herself through him. She shops for "transformative items" (Smiley, 261) in an attempt to remake herself into something that Chairman X will want. It isn’t until Cecelia returns home to Los Angeles for the holidays that she feels "a fourth presence enter the room. It was her own sadness." (Smiley, 266). Cecelia tells Tim, "I come
runaway slave. It is not the story of the relationship between the ex-slave, Jim, and Huck. Jane Smiley makes major accusations; to the point the novel should be called “The Moral Pilgrimage and Relationship Building Journey of Huck and Jim,” which is not nearly as catchy as the original title. Smiley is wrong to assume Huck’s social maturity should be higher, and that he is responsible for Jim. Smiley apparently does not “hold any grudges against Huck…,” but rather “…Mark Twain, who knew how to
Women Finding Their Voices in A Thousand Acres "Women, just like nature or the land, have been seen as something to be used,' says Smiley.'Feminists insist that women have intrinsic value, just as environmentalists believe that nature has its own worth, independent of its use to man'" (Duffy 92). Larry Cook, the senile, old power holder and father in Jane Smiley's A Thousand Acres, is a prime example of a man who believes that women and land are nothing more than objects that exist on this earth
Ginny’s as a Barren Whore in A Thousand Acres Into her womb convey sterility, Dry up in her the organs of increase, And from her derogate body never spring A babe to honor her. (King Lear, I.iv. 285-288) Within the logic of the novel, it is soon established that Ginny understands and feels external reality through her body, and the most important instance of this is her bodily urge to have children. The sight of Rose's daughters, contrasted with her own miscarriages, Ginny says, "affected me
Rose’s Breast Cancer in A Thousand Acres Pete, representing erratic male rage in the novel, has a history of abusing Rose. This climaxes when he breaks her arm. It follows a terrible logic that since male rage hurts her body, so does her own, the impetus of which is provided by the patriarchal system. Ginny's description of Pete fits Rose equally well, with an anger that "would be quiet, but corrosive, erupting at odd times" (31). Rose's breast cancer symbolizes the way she is literally consumed
Body and Nature as Signifying System in A Thousand Acres The fascinating aspect of theories about the bodies, is that our bodies lie somewhere in the grey area between the physical and the intellectual realm (in itself testifying to the falsity of such dichotomies). On the one hand, they are biological; genetically programmed flesh. On the other, they are continuous sites of signification; embodying (no pun intended) the essentially textual quality of a human subject's identity. A Thousand Acres
Morrison vs Smiley In the articles of Toni Morrison and Jane Smiley, they spoke upon having The adventures of Huckleberry Finn canonized because of the use of racial slurs and racism. But after reading over and over Toni Morrison didn't want the book to be canonized because she read and understood it. Jane Smiley on the other hand wanted the novel gone. Now the debate is should Huck Finn stay or should it go. “Let me hasten to point out that, like most others, I don’t hold any grudges against Huck
The “Smiley Face” Questionnaire Here is an example of a “Smiley Face” Questionnaire. Notice how the questions are constructed in a positive statement, and how the responses are structure so that responses can be categorized and ordered. Now, read and respond to the following survey questions: Think about a group that you have participated in, but that has ended. Please describe the group. A group that I have participated in is a poetry and writing group in high school. This group was formed to
Covert Control in A Thousand Acres Though there are instances of overt control and destruction performed by the patriarchy upon both women and nature, the most pervasive forms the Apollonian controlling impulse takes, are covert. What Ginny says about Larry, also goes for the system of which he is the ultimate signifier: "I feel like there's treacherous undercurrents all the time. I think I'm standing on solid ground, but then I discover that there's something moving underneath it, shifting from
on our own earth and beyond the limits of our universe.. It is through nature that we are able to exist in the first place, and it is through nature that we can continue to live. In “King Lear” by William Shakespeare and “A Thousand Acres” by Jane Smiley, the authors both illustrate just how important nature really is in the world through actions of Goneril and Ginny. Even though “A Thousand Acres” is a modern retelling of the famous “King Lear,” both authors bring out the elements of nature, which
Good Will, by Smiley, and Train Dreams, by Dennis Johnson, are two adventure packed novellas, each unique in the way the authors tell the story. “Good Will” is a story about the Miller family and their life on their self-sufficient farm. Robert, Elizabeth, and Tommy all do their part to ensure the farm is running in tip-top shape. “Train Dreams” is the adventure of Robert Grainier and his life in the tough northwest. Smiley and Johnson wrote their novellas using two distinct writing techniques to
Rachel lose the property. Furthermore, Pat even doesn’t let Rachel see five children. Smiley wrote, “At the same time he was fighting me in court for full custody and had twice moved the children secretly so that I couldn’t get in touch with them” (50). It is a truly
Some people look at chores as a bad thing. When in reality they are not all that bad. After reading, The Case Against Chores, by Jane Smiley, I must say that I disagree with her perception of chores. Ms. Smiley states that the reason for chores is for “developing good work habits or, in the absence of good work habits, at least habits of working” (Smiley, 2009, p. 274). However, chores teach us things such as responsibility and how to go above and beyond what might be asked of us. As a child