Book Discussion: Brokeback Mountain

[Front-Ranger]

As said:
      "You wouldn't do it, Ennis, so what we got now is Brokeback Mountain. Everthing built on that. It's all we got, boy, fuckin all, so I hope you know that if you don't never know the rest."

                 
..........

Plus, said too is:
        "separate and difficult lives".           
..............

And may I say that that is most of humanity finding itself in such separate and difficult lives ! Even most married couples, getting along or not, each think (some times or all the time) that they are in some ways in separate and difficult lives ! ??

Sadly, you are right, friend Artiste. Separate and difficult is the definitive phrase for many of us.

At least, some common tie like Brokeback Mountain with Ennis and Jack brought such joys to each and to both !!

Thanks for reminding us of that! You know, one of the first times I ever saw the movie, right after Jack said, "All we got now is Brokeback Mountain." I said to myself, well at least you had that!! There are people who never got the chance to have their Brokeback Mountain, not even for one day.

[Artiste]

Merci, thanks very much Front-Ranger !

Your post is very warm and educative about humanity !

Somehow, it also remind me of a recent international exhibition of works of art I saw for many days since I helped organised it; one work of art was such as lack of communications with some communication as it sought that as a reason for its creation.

It is like a sculpture, and I do not now why that sculpture relates to me, like Brokeback Mountain does. You want to know about it ? (In some ways Ennis and Jack are like sculptures that Annie created ?)

Au revoir,
hugs!

[Jeff Wrangler]

Here's something I'd like to share with my fellow Bettermostians. I'm not exactly sure where is really the appropriate place to post it. I'm posting here because what follows made me immediately think of the short story, though I suppose it might apply to the film as well.

Anyway, as I was doing my daily Bible reading today, I came across this comment in the devotional booklet that I follow:

"A story that is not cut and dried, not described with a tight boundary, can live and breathe and speak across geography and time. It is this space for interpretation that makes our scripture truly a 'living word.'"

Of course the writer was speaking about the Bible, but her words immediately reminded me of Annie Proulx's well-known comment about the reader "finishing" a story. I think it can truly be said that Brokeback Mountain is far from "cut and dried," and neither is it "described with a tight boundary." And it certainly speaks across "geography and time."

FWIW. ... 

[Front-Ranger]

That's so beautiful and true, Jeff! I especially like the part about "speak across geography and time." I know of no other author whose work is so focused on its geography and weaves its characters, timeline, and plot into the geography as does Annie Proulx's. Other Western authors come close, too. There's no doubt that the West of the U.S. influences those who live here and write about it in the most intense ways. All without resorting to references to Devil's Tower, Yellowstone, or Jackson Hole. Amazing!!

And Annie Proulx evoked the times of the 1960s and beyond accurately as well, without even mentioning the Kennedy assasination, hippies, the Beatles, etc. Instead, she touched on the things that would mean something to her characters, such as the draft, rodeos, the sinking of the Threasher, etc.

[Front-Ranger]

It is like a sculpture, and I do not now why that sculpture relates to me, like Brokeback Mountain does. You want to know about it ? (In some ways Ennis and Jack are like sculptures that Annie created ?)

Definitely, I would like to know more about this sculpture, Artiste! There is a tall tree on my property that always reminds me of Jack and Ennis. Sometime in its youth it suffered damage or a lightning strike and its trunk split into two. When I gaze up at the sky and see the graceful twin trunks twining around each other, I always think of Jack and Ennis and "The Wings" plays in my mind.

Annie Proulx listened to much music and viewed art and photography while writing the story. She often brings up artists such as Remington, Russell, and Richard Prince when discussing her work. She particularly mentioned Charles Russell, who popularized the West and cowboys in the 1800s. She also wrote an introduction for the book Working the West by William Matthews, a watercolorist who I know who illustrated Close Range, her collection of stories that Brokeback Mountain appeared in. Very soon a book about the Red Desert by a photographer is coming out in which she wrote an essay.

There is more information about art and Brokeback Mountain in this topic: How has your understanding of art changed?

[Artiste]

Merci Front-Ranger !

Concerning the sculpture that I have seen lately, I must note to you that it is graphic !
For the base, the artist who created this sculpture, told me that she researched a very long time ( I think over two years) ladies who had freed themselves and society. That base had therefore many, many photos of the free ladies, plus some clippings of some. But the top of the sculpture in 3D, accentuates the opposite: slavery; actual time as in islamic radicals who forced many ladies to wear something that show that such females are enslaved; can you guess what ?

Remember in the Brokeback Mountain movie how at least two scenes show graphically death; the gay man who had been tortured because he had been in an homosexual relation with another gay man; and, then the other scene shows how Jack was tortured too by a gang of anti-gays since they murdered him for being a gay man ??

Some Bettermost members and others will not accept that the Brokeback Mountain movie and Annie's story show homophobia in many ways !

Likewise, many think that islamic radicals love their wives even if they enslave them ! (To me, that is NOT love !)

Also to me, by extension, Annie tells us of harder times ahead (even in the USA) since such as islamic radical horrors as well as other terroisms or tortures or murders; and, I am happy that Jeff says that some stories like this one is not cut and dry, and cuts through boundaries.

And, as well as showing anti-gay times in the Brokeback Mountain movie, I see it too as anti-female to some extent... much of it !! And now before, during and after the current USA elections as more and more anti-female is spreading, and even most females do not realized that ? - that seems so to me !

Awaiting your news,
au revoir,
hugs!  Would you like me to provide possibly a pic of that sculpture ?

[retropian]

I posted this elsewhere, but it seems an appropriate idea to post here. I was thinking about the short story and the meaning of the title "Brokeback Mountain".

I know the term "Brokeback Mountain" is what's also known as a "Swayback Mountain", two peaks joined by a ridge which reminds one of a "swayback" horse. A horse whose spine sags between withers and rump. You can see it depicted on the movie poster under Heaths chin. I had always thought it symbolized Jack and Ennis, two peaks joined, but always to be separate. It occurred to me that what the author might have meant by picking that term as the title is revealed in the last line of the short story: "There was some open space between what he knew and what he tried to believe, but nothing could be done about it, and if you can't fix it you've got to stand it". What Ennis knew, and what he tried to believe are the peaks, joined, but always to separated by that "open space".

[Lynne]

I posted this elsewhere, but it seems an appropriate idea to post here. I was thinking about the short story and the meaning of the title "Brokeback Mountain".

I know the term "Brokeback Mountain" is what's also known as a "Swayback Mountain", two peaks joined by a ridge which reminds one of a "swayback" horse. A horse whose spine sags between withers and rump. You can see it depicted on the movie poster under Heaths chin. I had always thought it symbolized Jack and Ennis, two peaks joined, but always to be separate. It occurred to me that what the author might have meant by picking that term as the title is revealed in the last line of the short story: "There was some open space between what he knew and what he tried to believe, but nothing could be done about it, and if you can't fix it you've got to stand it". What Ennis knew, and what he tried to believe are the peaks, joined, but always to separated by that "open space".

Retriopian - I think that's a very nice observation.  Thank you for sharing it .
-Lynne

[retropian]

Retriopian - I think that's a very nice observation.  Thank you for sharing it .
-Lynne

Thanks for the nice comment.

[sel]

I posted this elsewhere, but it seems an appropriate idea to post here. I was thinking about the short story and the meaning of the title "Brokeback Mountain".

I know the term "Brokeback Mountain" is what's also known as a "Swayback Mountain", two peaks joined by a ridge which reminds one of a "swayback" horse. A horse whose spine sags between withers and rump. You can see it depicted on the movie poster under Heaths chin. I had always thought it symbolized Jack and Ennis, two peaks joined, but always to be separate. It occurred to me that what the author might have meant by picking that term as the title is revealed in the last line of the short story: "There was some open space between what he knew and what he tried to believe, but nothing could be done about it, and if you can't fix it you've got to stand it". What Ennis knew, and what he tried to believe are the peaks, joined, but always to separated by that "open space".

Thank you Retropian! Have just learnt something new about  my favourite movie/story. And also good food for thought.