Brokeback Mountain: Our Community's Common Bond > All Things Brokeback: Books, Interviews and More
William R. Handley: "The Brokeback Book"
chowhound:
Has anybody else read William R. Handley's recent book: "The Brokeback
Book - From Story to Cultural Phenomenon". If so, any observations? I
finished it a couple of days ago so thought I'd pass on some observations
of my own:
In general, I found some of the essays in this collection of interest but,
overall, I found the book of less interest than some earlier Brokeback
books. This is because the main focus here is not the movie or short story
itself but a number of cultural "contexts" into which the movie can be
slotted. For instance, Part 2 is entitled "Miles to Go and Promises to
keep: Homophobic Culture and Gay Civil Rights."
Because my interest is more in the movie and short story themselves than
in such contexts, I found the two essays which constitute the final
section, both of which do deal with the movie itself, the most appealing.
Susan McCabe's essay "Mother Twist" is a thoughtful discussion of various
aspects of the "maternal" that can be found in the movie. Equally
thoughtful is Calvin Bennett's "Passion and Sympathy in Brokeback
Mountain" in which he explores the concept of "sympathy" and the ways in
which Ennis may have changed towards the end.
I also enjoyed Patricia Neil Warren's survey of historical cowboys,
rodeos, and gay rodeos though, bizarrely, she has Jack dying at the age
of 43. Likewise, Judith Halberstam's essay "Not So Lonesome Cowboys" is a
persuasive investigation of the homoerotic overtones in the Western in
general though, very strangely, she believes that Ennis is a Latino who
is transformed into a white in the movie.
Indeed, it is mistakes like this which at times made me question whether
some of the writers had actually studied the movie or the short story with
due care. You'd expect the editor, William R. Hadley to get things right
but no, he has both tent scenes taking place specifically in the "pup"
tent whereas we all know in which tent it was that those two scenes
took place.
Jeff Wrangler:
--- Quote from: chowhound on July 26, 2011, 02:06:57 pm ---I also enjoyed Patricia Neil Warren's survey of historical cowboys,
rodeos, and gay rodeos though, bizarrely, she has Jack dying at the age
of 43. Likewise, Judith Halberstam's essay "Not So Lonesome Cowboys" is a
persuasive investigation of the homoerotic overtones in the Western in
general though, very strangely, she believes that Ennis is a Latino who
is transformed into a white in the movie.
Indeed, it is mistakes like this which at times made me question whether
some of the writers had actually studied the movie or the short story with
due care. You'd expect the editor, William R. Hadley to get things right
but no, he has both tent scenes taking place specifically in the "pup"
tent whereas we all know in which tent it was that those two scenes
took place.
--- End quote ---
Not to go OT on you, but I just have to shake my head in sadness over bloopers like this where authors clearly trusted to memory, didn't double check their facts, and were wrong.
Once upon a time, even books that were "edited" collections of essays, like this one, had editors and proofreaders who checked this sort of thing. I was forced to leave publishing almost 10 years ago, but even that far back already more and more publishers were leaving accuracy of content entirely up to authors--or editors, as in this case--and eliminating copy editors and proofreaders to cut production costs. More and more, in my reading I run across stupid mistakes that probably would have been caught had there been another pair of eyes to look at a manuscript.
Let's not forget that for whatever reason, even in the short story, the ages Annie Proulx gives for Alma, Jr., and Francine at the time of Ennis and Jack's final campout don't jive with the birth dates that she gives for them early in the story. ???
Front-Ranger:
I haven't obtained The Brokeback Book yet, but I believe I have read every other book on the movie and story that has been published. I, too, am waiting for a book about the movie itself, and I'm starting to get impatient. Books have been published on a couple of Lee's other movies, so why not Brokeback, which may turn out to be his masterpiece?
I've started an outline of what I would like to see this book include and here it is:
1. Introduction
2. Direction
3. Script
4. Performers
5. Soundtrack
6. Set Design
7. Costumes
8. Cinematography
9. Wuxia and Westerns
10. Impact
The trouble I'm having is that it's difficult to separate the story from the movie in many cases.
Jeff Wrangler:
You're a writer, FRiend Lee. If you're getting impatient, why don't you write it yourself? :D
--- Quote from: Tony-Ranger on July 28, 2011, 09:39:02 am ---I haven't obtained The Brokeback Book yet, but I believe I have read every other book on the movie and story that has been published. I, too, am waiting for a book about the movie itself, and I'm starting to get impatient. Books have been published on a couple of Lee's other movies, so why not Brokeback, which may turn out to be his masterpiece?
I've started an outline of what I would like to see this book include and here it is:
1. Introduction
2. Direction
3. Script
4. Performers
5. Soundtrack
6. Set Design
7. Costumes
8. Cinematography
9. Wuxia and Westerns
10. Impact
The trouble I'm having is that it's difficult to separate the story from the movie in many cases.
--- End quote ---
Front-Ranger:
I have been noodling away on it when I got stuck on my other writing projects. For some odd reason, I can write about Brokeback when my brain is too brokedown to write about any other thing. But my writings are just jottings and notes to be used by someone more worthy. :P I'm up to about 50 pages!!
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