When page one has our main character, age 14, being raped by her father ... there really is no place to go but up, right?
(I've am definitely turning to some nice YA literature next!)
The Color Purple was a hard book to read. Very profane, graphic, violent, sexual. Abused, ignorant characters living out their miserable, bestial lives. I plowed through about 150 pages out of friendly obligation before the book started looking up. And by looking up, I mean our poor, abused protagonist gets involved in a lesbian relationship with a lovable whore.
Someone tell me why modern literature is so graphic, so "edgy." It's as if writers feel required to take the most messed up, revolting situations they can possibly fathom, then inflict and mutilate their protagonists. Because modern audiences have "seen it all?" Reading the vulgarity of life is challenging; I don't enjoy it. It's that whole curious voyeur stuff -you keep saying to yourself, wow, that is some sick merde (because you swear in French to yourself). There was a lot of raunchy filth in this book. The ugliness of the situation made it hard for me to appreciate the mediocrity our characters achieve at the end.
And I guess that was kind of the point: Much of life is ugly, wicked, and painful. If you don't make the effort to see "the color purple" or, the beauty and love God has created for us, life is all pain with no point. BUT if you can force yourself to wake up and see God's love and to love others - that's all it takes to make life bearable. Then your dirty old step-father dies, leaves you a pretty house and you can make a living sewing pants with your previously abusive husband and share the now geriatric lovable whore.
I had to read the first line of the last chapter or I'd never had made it through.
I'd love to hear your take.
*****
A long time ago, I went to a little movie called Moulin Rouge. I LOVED it. I happened to be rehearsing The Sound of Music at the time and it made reference to my show. It had the amazing EwanMcGregor singing his beautiful heart out. It had a devastating ending. Greg and I went right out and bought the soundtrack afterwards.
When the movie came out on DVD, of course I bought it and we invited my favorite cousin (who had somehow missed it completely?!) and her almost husband over to watch it. THEY GOT UP AND LEFT IN THE MIDDLE! I was flabbergasted. Who couldn't LOVE this film.
So, now, when people recommend something they love to me, I have to remember to handle with care. Please, do not be offended by my opinions about this book; I am an unqualified hack with no teacher to impress by mimicking their insight.
Picture from irishview.com.
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Wait..I remember the lovable whore from the movie, but they had a relationship? p.s.- This is your blog, don't apoligize. My favorite movie of all time is Brokeback Mountain which I will continue to pester my family to watch, and still advocate for and I dont care how or why other people might be offended. Because I am gangster like that:)
Yes, Spielberg caught some flack for leaving the lesbianism out ... alas, you can't put everything from book to movie. Haven't seen Brokeback ... husband's a little squirmish like that.
I loved Moulin Rouge as well. I can't comment on The Color Purple, I haven't read it. I'd like to say I will, but it's at the bottom of a very very long list. Baz brought the movie musical back with that wonderful movie, so that we could watch Phantom be made into mediocrity. Does your cousin love the movie version of Phantom? That's what frustrates me the most about mormon culture sometimes, the love affair with the mediocre in the arts.
I don't think the edginess is a new fad. Have you ever read The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair? It revolutionized the meat industry and was singlehandedly responsible for the inception of the Food Safety Inspection Service. It's not an ancient classical book, but it's certainly more than a couple of years old.
Life is edgy!
I love the Color Purple, it is a raw and riveting story and shows what life was like for people who were forced to live out very sad lives. The idea of finding beauty even in such difficulty should resonate with everyone. I read that book in high school and I just loved it.
I also loved Brokeback Mountain- I am still mad it didn't win an Oscar. Stupid stuffy academy!
And The Jungle too! All these stories, aiming to teach us more about the truths of a certain time and place. So much to learn from books.
Have you seen the original versions of Fairy Tales? What Greek plays are not explicit in subject matter? Chaucer & Shakespeare love their dirty jokes. The Bible talks about a husband cutting up his raped wife and sending her body parts all over Israel (Judges 20:4-7).
The first time I read The Color Purple (before the movie came out), I found it excruciatingly difficult to read. But after I'd gotten through it, I did find it to be one of the more life-affirming books that I've come across.
I'd definitely say that modern literature is not edgy- if anything, most of it is mellowed down to the point of blahness because of the way that the publishing houses are forced to concentrate almost solely on bestsellers now. But take a look back at the Iliad, Shakespeare, Chaucer...in terms of sexuality and violence, almost anything written today is pretty tame in comparison.
(I've had the same experience with Moulin Rouge...I love it, and most of the people who I've tried to suggest it to haven't been able to sit through it.)
Yeah, Homer is really gorey. ALl those details in the Iliad of muscle being torn off the bone- ew! And yet, an AMAZING story that has influenced soooo very much.
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