Bonus Books: George Sand, Mark Twain, Schindler's List, and Plato

There are many authors referenced throughout Gilmore Girls that are not on the official list. Lorelai and Rory rattle off book and movie titles without skipping a beat. References can fly by even the most attentive viewer. I have a friend who would pause the show and look up a reference when he didn't know it. Personally, I only cared about the literature references. Being the book nerd I am, I have started to add these author onto my reading pile. It’s not as if I need to add more to the 339 book list, but, hey, I am a perfectionist.

George Sand

George Sand was referenced in episode two during the exchange between Paris and the teacher when War and Peace, Anna Karenina, and all the Dickens passages were mentioned. The teacher says that “Dostoevski’s main authorial influences…” and Paris responds with “George Sand and Balzac.” Books by Dostoevski and Balzac appear later on the list, but George Sand does not. George Sand is one of those names I have come across in my literature studies, but never made the effort to look up. It turns out that George Sand is a French FEMALE novelist from the 1800s. She was born Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin, but chose George Sand as her pseudonym. Obviously, more people would read her work if they thought it was written by a man in that time period.

            I found one of her short stories, “The Devil’s Pool” online. It is a pastoral novella which has a heavy focus on nature and human relationships. It follows a young widower as he travels to meet a potential new wife. However, he ends up falling for the young woman who is traveling with him to watch over his children. Sweet, right? No. He is 28 and she is 15…and she doesn’t really want to marry him. But he persuades her that she should and she says yes. How romantic? Am I right?

            It isn’t a very complex story and much of the narrative is focused on the day to day life of the French country side. If you recall, Dickens and Tolstoy spent much of their novels focusing on the day to day life of different social groups in their novels. While I see the importance of recording the everyday life of the people, it can get a bit boring to read. 

Mark Twain 

            Mark Twain is one of my favorite nineteenth century American authors. If you remember, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is one of my favorite classic novels. Twain is probably best known for his humor and that is how Rory mentions him while golfing with her grandfather. Twain is noted for saying “Golf is a good walk spoiled.” I couldn’t have said it better myself! Golf is boring and the only entertaining way to play it is through Putt-Putt at the beach.

            Since no specific title by Twain was referenced here, I chose to read The Prince and the

Pauper, a text I always wanted to read, but never had the chance. I am sure you all know the basic plot of the story: two boys, a prince and a pauper, who realize they look exactly alike switch places and trouble ensues. Variations of this story have been told again and again through films like The Parent Trap and Mary-Kate and Ashley’s It Takes Two. I’m also pretty sure there is a Mickey Mouse version of the tale as well as a Barbie version. 

            This tale is so enticing because every person always wonders what their life could be like if they had taken different opportunities or were placed in different circumstances. More so, the idea of the double, or doppelganger, is a motif that stretches across time. There is an innate fear of our “evil twin” or our dark side. Even though Twain does not make the prince nor the pauper evil, that fear of the double is still present. What if someone can’t tell you apart? Can your identity be taken? These fears are at the root of many stories on television today (The Vampire Diaries, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Alias, Charmed, Supernatural).

            I enjoyed reading The Prince and the Pauper, but not as much as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Even though I liked the idea of the story, the writing did not draw me in as much as some of Twain’s other stories. Maybe it was the point in time that I read it, but I could not seem to really get invested in the book or the characters. That doesn’t mean that the book is not worth reading. It just means that I couldn’t connect to the story at the point in my life that I read it.

Schindler’s List by Thomas Keneally

            Schindler’s List, the movie, was referenced in episode two when Rory mentioned that she had been part of the German club at Stars Hollow High. If my high school had a German club, I probably would have joined it purely because I have family there (not because I can speak German).

            It is common knowledge among book lovers that you must, you absolutely must, claim Schindler’s List by Thomas Keneally is one of those instances. Maybe it is because I have a thing for Liam Neeson…

that the book is better than the movie. 99% of the time I adhere to this and it is usually true. I can only think of a handful of times when the movie is better than the book.

            All joking aside, the story of Schindler’s List is very intense and emotional both in book and movie form. However, seeing it on screen helps you visualize the horrors of the Holocaust. The black and white visuals make the story even more intense than it already is and made the story more engaging. Keneally’s writing style was not very engaging. The plot was there, but the narrative in which it was told was not. It is definitely an example of how a writer’s voice and style are essential to a story. A story can be exciting and moving, but if it isn’t told in the correct manner, it is not going to be as impactful to an audience. In the case of Schindler’s List, the movie tells the story better than the novel.

Plato

            Since Plato was name dropped in episode three, I decided to read Plato’s short piece “Crito” found in my trusty old AP Language 40 Essays Anthology. “Crito” is a dialogue between Socrates and his old friend Crito in which Crito tries to persuade Socrates to escape from prison. Socrates explains to Crito in this dialogue that he has accepted the results of his trial, which is

death. The entire exchange is propelled by questions, aka the Socratic method. Plato, who was a student of Socrates, wanted to showcase this method of reasoning. The Socratic method focuses on teaching through questioning. As a teacher myself, I see myself using this daily. Rather than just giving students facts or telling students what to think, I use higher order questions (There are three levels of questioning. I won’t bore you with them). We want to give students the tools for self-discovery and come to conclusions for themselves. Teachers are supposed to guide the discovery process and questioning is one of the ways to do so. Although I don’t agree with Socrates in this passage (I say, he should have saved himself), I understand his teaching process and what Plato was supposed to show in this passage.

            My sister has been taking a philosophy course this semester in college. She tells me about some of the passages she has had to read and I proofread her papers. Anything she has to say on the topic of Plato is probably ten times more interesting than what I just said.

Pictures

George Sand: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/54/George_Sand_by_Nadar%2C_1864.jpg/1200px-George_Sand_by_Nadar%2C_1864.jpg

The Prince and the Pauper:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/bb/Disney%27s_The_Prince_and_the_Pauper_%281990%29.jpg

Schindler's List

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/914HFOPuVwL.jpg

Plato:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/da/Plato_Pio-Clemetino_Inv305.jpg/220px-Plato_Pio-Clemetino_Inv305.jpg

Book #2: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

Book #2! Rory reads Huck Finn during her last week in public high school before transferring to Chilton, an elite private school. Of course, she is one of the few students who actually reads the book and references it later in life. As a high school English teacher myself, this makes me very happy. Maybe there are a few Rories or myselves in my classes who actually enjoy reading the books I assign. Huck Finn is a staple of high school reading; I was assigned to read this during my sophomore year of high school and it was “highly suggested” for the summer before I started college so I read it again. I’m pretty sure I am the only one who read it that summer. Instead of reading it again; I took this time to reflect on my life during my times reading it and my life now.

           

Huck <3

Looking back on this novel, I realized that Huck Finn was exactly the type of boy I would have a crush on in in my teenage years (and my friends will tell you it’s the type of boy I still find myself interested in today). I always had a thing for troublemakers; those with a mischievous smile and a touch of the devil in his eyes, as my grandmother would say. Obviously, these boys are not the most reliable for a relationship, but a good girl cannot resist. We like the bit of excitement they bring and,

for some reason, they have a knack for making you feel special. Huck fits this mold to a T. He’s constantly getting into trouble, but people can’t seem to help but fall for his charm. While people fall under his spell, they also desperately want to help him and take care of him. This is similar to how when we are attracted to these troublemakers, we hope we can be the one to change him. I have found myself in this situation countless of times. I hope that I am the one that will be different for these boys; that I am not just another girl passing by, but one actually worth sticking around for. But you cannot force someone to change or be the way you hope them to be in your imagination. The most you can do is just accept people for who they are and love them for it, which is exactly what Jim does with Huck. Jim accepts Huck for all of his mischievous ways and sticks wit him until the end.

Life on the River: Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summertime

One could argue that the Mississippi River is as an important character as Huck and Jim. Huck and Jim travel up and down the Mississippi River throughout the novel; it is a constant in their lives when nothing else is. Water has a profound impact on people. I had a river in my life, although I was not constantly travelling amongst it. My college was right on the river and I spent four years of my life within walking distance of it. Freshman year, I could see the river from my dorm room window. I was very lucky. Throughout my years at college, the river was a constant. Boys came and went; fights with friends faded away; and stresses from school eventually became manageable. The river was there through it all. It relaxed me and was a means for fun. It allowed many rebellious moments for college kids such as skinny-dipping. The river made us feel free the moment ; it unleashed an inhibition that we never knew we had. The river worked in a different way for Huck (as we know, he was way more rebellious than I), but remained a constant in his life throughout the novel when he had nothing else.

Humor Haha

Samuel Clemens, aka Mark Twain, is well known for his use of humor in his writing. However, this humor is not always discernable to the naked eye. Twain purposely hides his true humor underneath the slapstick humor of the story. Of course, it is hilarious to see Huck dress up like a girl to try to full adults, but the true humor lies in how Twain portrays life on the Mississippi River on the verge of the

Civil War. While Jim is not always portrayed in a positive light and Huck might not always treat him well, the focus on Jim as a character is very progressive of Twain. Twain uses this slapstick character as a means of commenting on how horrible the situation was around the Civil War and how people have not progressed as much as they thought since. Many people were appalled by Twain’s writing, claiming it was not politically correct. But what exactly is politically correct? Today, people walk on eggshells to not offend anyone; and it seems like many people walked around thinking this way. Humor was considered low brow, but, perhaps people did not understand Twain’s brand of humor which was ahead of its time.

Approved Book List

As a high school English teacher, I could not end this post without discussing banned books. If you are not aware, teachers do not have free reign to choose any book they want to teach. One, they have to fit the unit and overall theme we are supposed to teach (which is decided by the board). Two, they have to be on the pre-approved book list. And, third, there has to be enough copies in the school book room to be given to each student. My focus right now is the pre approved list. I do not have a problem with any of the books on the approved book list because, as of today, it is a very long list and contains many progressive books. However, Huck Finn, is still one of the most challenged books. This is mostly because of the use of the n word and Huck’s resistance to authority. While this book has not been banned in recent history, a world win of controversy always follows it. One of the best things about books, in my opinion, is that they expose us to a world that we may not be award of otherwise. Parents (who are the ones who usually challenge books in schools) may not want to expose their children to certain situations or examples, such as Huck’s disobedience. Huck, though, can provide a good example as he teaches young teens to be independent and creative (albeit, not in the most adult approved ways).

Pictures

Book Cover  https://mybookbagblog.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/huckfinn.jpg

MarkTwain 

http://newshour-tc.pbs.org/newshour/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/marktwain_cc_img_0.jpg