Author Topic: Annie Proulx work is a MASTERPIECE:Brokeback Mountain  (Read 10278 times)

pinku

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Annie Proulx work is a MASTERPIECE:Brokeback Mountain
« on: May 20, 2006, 05:05:32 am »

I will talk only about Brokeback Mountain. Annie’s style is of clipped sentences, disjointed words that produce a remarkable semblance of intense empathy for her characters. The sexual content of this story is highly sensual and seem terrifyingly real as if the scenes leap out from the pages of the book. She is a highly stylized writer and commands a unique mastery over the usage of language that in a way creates a league of which she is the sole owner. Her finely etched characters seem so absolutely real that you feel a surge of pain when Jack Twist dies.
She exhibits explosive finesse towards the end as the main protagonist Ennis enters a twilight zone, bereft of friends, family and most importantly his soul mate Jack Twist. Ennis is poor and living in abject poverty, pining for his love and pining so hard that you as a reader almost lament the death of Jack Twist. You’re assured that it is the end of the line for Ennis. A hopeless existence, a mere pretence of a life! Now, he dreams about Jack and wakes up crying or having ejaculated in sleep. This is real melodrama; the writer gifts Ennis’s hopelessness to you. You’re forced to introspect your own life and come up with parallels, for instance, I still dream of not doing well in my exams and waking up thinking I have failed.
This is a remarkable gift that this writer possesses for this is not a story but an almost unwanted intrusion into your own life. A chance to revise your own unfulfilled dreams, little tragedies, sorrows and the same feeling of helplessness that is now the fate of Ennis. Such was the brilliance of her dialogues that they were used in tact on the movie version. This shows the caliber of the writer. Absolutely riveting, a dazzling piece of work, exquisite execution and rendition akin to a beautiful song – This is a Major Literary
work.
« Last Edit: May 30, 2006, 05:31:02 pm by Phillip »

Offline Sheriff Roland

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Re: Annie Proulx work is a MASTERPIECE:Brokeback Mountain
« Reply #1 on: May 20, 2006, 05:46:20 am »
Beauty, pinku

 - lovely post

 - and welcome to our family of troubled, rejuvenated and to some extent - born again souls.

Hope you find here what you came looking for.
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Offline Aussie Chris

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Re: Annie Proulx work is a MASTERPIECE:Brokeback Mountain
« Reply #2 on: May 20, 2006, 06:15:42 am »
Great stuff pinku!  Well said!
Nothing is as common as the wish to be remarkable - William Shakespeare

pinku

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Re: Annie Proulx work is a MASTERPIECE:Brokeback Mountain
« Reply #3 on: May 20, 2006, 06:28:00 am »
I am an avid reader but this book has had a almost magical effect on me. I just keep on watching the movie, reading the story and listening the haunting track. For no rhyme or reason I am absolutely paralysed mentally. The biggest fool I am I feel this work of fiction is real and Ennis' pain is my pain. I keep on crying, it is like watching Satyajit Ray's Pather Panchali albiet on a different level. I am absolutely emotionally charged! What has she done? What spell has she cast?

Offline Sheriff Roland

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Re: Annie Proulx work is a MASTERPIECE:Brokeback Mountain
« Reply #4 on: May 20, 2006, 06:47:45 am »
This too shall pass - but the love will remain, and thus a cult is created. No seriously, I don't understand your references, but rest assured, that some of us, who have first been treated to the movie for many months can admit to the fact that life goes on, but the memory of those good feelings (admit it - there are very good feelings too!) will stay with you for a very long time and certainly the BBM experience will have been well worth it.

I've watched the movie about 10 times in the theatre, read the book about 15 times, heard the book a couple o times, and seen the DVD on an illegal copy (on my computor), and a store bought copy on my TV another 15 -20 times. You are not alone. Oh and I spend about 5 to 7 hours a day on this site!

PS: Ennis IS real - he certainly feels real to me too.
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Offline bbm_stitchbuffyfan

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Re: Annie Proulx work is a MASTERPIECE:Brokeback Mountain
« Reply #5 on: May 20, 2006, 09:38:10 am »
I know exactly what you mean pinku! The heartbreaking brilliance of this movie lies in it's seeming realism, amongst many other excellent factors...

I love this movie, book, soundtrack... Brokeback is the BEST.
If you'd just realize what I just realized then we'd be perfect for each other and we'd never have to wonder if we missed out on each other now
We missed out on each other now


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Offline ednbarby

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Re: Annie Proulx work is a MASTERPIECE:Brokeback Mountain
« Reply #6 on: May 20, 2006, 09:53:23 am »
We all feel your pain, pinku.  Ennis is real to all of us.  I've read the story 5 times, seen the movie 12 times, and seen a beautiful montage of the most poignant moments between Jack and Ennis on my computer countless times.  And my heart is still stopped and pulled into my throat every time I watch Ennis back away from the shirts hanging in his trailer closet.

Thank you for your lovely post.  You captured Annie Proulx's gift beautifully.
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Offline silkncense

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Re: Annie Proulx work is a MASTERPIECE:Brokeback Mountain
« Reply #7 on: May 20, 2006, 11:21:11 am »
Quote
This is a remarkable gift that this writer possesses for this is not a story but an almost unwanted intrusion into your own life. A chance to revise your own unfulfilled dreams, little tragedies, sorrows and the same feeling of helplessness that is now the fate of Ennis.

Pinku -  This is some of the 'message' I tried to express to others who also saw Brokeback.  Either their lives & choices have been perfect, or they are simply unaware, cause so many just did not see what I saw.
"……when I think of him, I just can't keep from crying…because he was a friend of mine…"

Offline Rayn

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Re: Annie Proulx work is a MASTERPIECE:Brokeback Mountain
« Reply #8 on: May 20, 2006, 11:40:54 am »

This is real melodrama;

This is a Major Literary work.


Yes to "a major literary work", but there is nothing "melodramatic" about Brokeback Mountain. 

"Melodrama is a drama, such as a play, film, or television program, characterized by exaggerated emotions, stereotypical characters and interpersonal conflicts." www.dictionary.com   

Brokeback is anything but melodrama and that's why it is great.

Rayn
« Last Edit: May 20, 2006, 01:48:38 pm by Rayn »

Offline Rayn

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Re: Annie Proulx work is a MASTERPIECE:Brokeback Mountain
« Reply #9 on: May 20, 2006, 02:17:27 pm »
OK - Am I missing something? 

I think what we all didn't understand and perhaps what pinku was or is too shy to tell us, is that he's not a native speaker of English.  He hasn't said so, but that appears to be part of the problem: Misunderstanding one another.  

Gosh that happens too often, doesn't it?   And I hope pinku does come back. No one's trying to run him off, you know.  We're just trying to understand one another...    I think?  Aren't we?  Huh? (confused grin)

Rayn

Offline Rayn

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Re: Annie Proulx work is a MASTERPIECE:Brokeback Mountain
« Reply #10 on: May 20, 2006, 04:10:43 pm »
Annie Proulx's writing is concerned with a particular American idiom, the kind you say British people ridiucule; the kind some of us are using here.
« Last Edit: May 21, 2006, 12:42:30 am by Phillip »

vkm91941

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« Reply #11 on: May 20, 2006, 05:11:53 pm »
This thread has been modified at the request of Philip, our Webmaster and administrator.  Personal Attacks of any kind are not allowed on this forum.  Please respect this rule in the future and enjoy your time here.  Thank you for your cooperation.

pinku

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Re: Annie Proulx work is a MASTERPIECE:Brokeback Mountain
« Reply #12 on: May 20, 2006, 05:56:02 pm »
Many eminent critics have described the movie as a melodrama! Among them are Ann Hornaday of Washington Post and Phil Hall of Film Threat!

pinku

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Re: Annie Proulx work is a MASTERPIECE:Brokeback Mountain
« Reply #13 on: May 21, 2006, 01:02:12 am »
Quote
Brokeback Mountain possesses handsome and sympathetic lead players, magnificent scenery, heartbreaking melodrama, righteousness and cultural import.


Sourced from http://www.metacritic.com/video/titles/brokebackmountain

Offline Rayn

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Re: Annie Proulx work is a MASTERPIECE:Brokeback Mountain
« Reply #14 on: May 21, 2006, 03:46:12 am »
Everyone is entitled to an opinion, a personal view, but no one is required to agree with every opinion.  Critics are just people with opinions.  In my opinion, Brokeback Mountain is not a melodrama.  In fact, I feel that calling BBM melodramatic is an insult to the author.  I also think critics who claim it is melodramatic are using incorrect diction when they write about Brokeback Mountain.  That's how I feel based on what I know (an educated opinion) and I stand by it. 

Yours truly,
Rayn

pinku

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Re: Annie Proulx work is a MASTERPIECE:Brokeback Mountain
« Reply #15 on: May 21, 2006, 04:18:08 am »


Quote
Some convenient pivots for a heart-tugging brochure of romance in Dixie land are certainly in place: handsome lovers croon in front of panoramic Southern American landscapes humming with natural activity and pastoral life, while a melodramatic boon in the background configures them as partners picking the fruits of forbidden love.
sourced from : http://www.infilm.com.au/reviews/brokebackmountain.htm


Offline Aussie Chris

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Re: Annie Proulx work is a MASTERPIECE:Brokeback Mountain
« Reply #16 on: May 21, 2006, 06:24:52 am »
--- With reference to personal attacks and moderation ---

I think people should remember that we are a family here, and that everyone here has a responsibility to get along with everyone else.  No one person's opinion is more right than any other.  BetterMost was created by Phillip as a way for us to move forward in our lives, and we are privileged to be here:

Quote
BetterMost was created so that we could explore the movie's themes and its impact on each of us, and then how we can apply those themes to our own lives.  What can we take from this film and build on within ourselves.  Maybe you need encouragement to follow through on your own dreams, but have not done so out of fear or need support so you don't feel like you are doing it all alone.  Perhaps there are issues in your own life dealing with love or sexuality that you want to safely discuss with a compassionate group of people.  Perhaps you fear your life is already destined to end up like Ennis and want to find a way to make sure that doesn't happen.

We all come into this with one point of commonality - we've all been touched by Brokeback Mountain and we can all relate to the characters and the messages of the film.  At first, I'm sure we're all going to dwell heavily on the movie itself, and that's fine.  But eventually I want to see us move forward together as online friends to carry on our lives in a way that honors the film even after it's no longer obsessing us to the point of distraction.

I would go so far to say that the petty squabbles we seen in this thread are exactly NOT what we want to see here.  One of the messages I took away from Brokeback Mountain was that I wasn't going to stand by while one person hurts another and calls it "an opinion".  A cultural attack (including the American-ese versus the English-ese debate) is not an opinion, it is racism, and it is not welcome here.

There is only one qualification to join BetterMost and that's to have a love for Brokeback Mountain and want to make positive changes in your life.  The sentiments in the OP of this thread are beautiful as are many of the replies.  I ask that all posts from now on are written with the reader's feelings in mind.  If you do not agree with a post and wish to say so, it is not difficult to word your thoughts positively and constructively.  If you cannot do this, or if you do not think it is important consideration, then please save yourself (and the rest of us) the trouble, buy yourself a diary, and write to the only person that wont disagree with you or get offended (that's you by the way).
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Offline silkncense

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Re: Annie Proulx work is a MASTERPIECE:Brokeback Mountain
« Reply #17 on: May 21, 2006, 11:22:10 am »
Victoria -

I am glad these threads are being monitored and rudeness is being deleted.  That was the reason for my
Quote
OK - Am I missing something?
post.  I hope you didn't think I was trying to continue the issue - I was trying to get those involved to look at what they were posting.

LJ
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Offline ProwlAmongUs

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Re: Annie Proulx work is a MASTERPIECE:Brokeback Mountain
« Reply #18 on: May 24, 2006, 09:20:50 pm »
There are so many opinions and variation in definitions, it's difficult to pin down a genre sometimes. The College Handbook of Creative Writing defines melodrama as: "A play or movie with implausibly exaggerated actions and emotions and not much depth or literary value."

No matter what "handbook" we use, the true value of Brokeback Mountain lies with the those who love it and with the enormous reaction from the public.
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Offline Jane

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Re: Annie Proulx work is a MASTERPIECE:Brokeback Mountain
« Reply #19 on: May 29, 2006, 12:57:59 pm »
(I would go so far to say that the petty squabbles we seen in this thread are exactly NOT what we want to see here.  One of the messages I took away from Brokeback Mountain was that I wasn't going to stand by while one person hurts another and calls it "an opinion".  A cultural attack (including the American-ese versus the English-ese debate) is not an opinion, it is racism, and it is not welcome here.)

Thank you for that, from a Brokeback addicted Brit. :) :) :) :)
Boy am I glad I found this place. As us Brits would say, cheers!! ;)
« Last Edit: May 29, 2006, 12:59:50 pm by Jane »
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Offline Rayn

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Re: Annie Proulx work is a MASTERPIECE:Brokeback Mountain
« Reply #20 on: June 02, 2006, 02:37:15 pm »
--- With reference to personal attacks and moderation ---

A cultural attack (including the American-ese versus the English-ese debate) is not an opinion, it is racism,

Well, Chris... I certainly understand the feeling behind what you're saying, and we've shared a lot in private letters on this subject, for sure, but I'm not sure about the use of "racism" with regard to what went on here, I mean... American English vs. British English is a cultural issue to some people, but personally I don't think it can be described as racist or even as one culture versus the other.   

The English language has developed in unique ways in the world in several different countries.  There isn't one superior English that stands above the others.  There are different forms of English, that's all.  They all hold their own distinct and different places.  There's nothing to argue about when it comes to that, but I don't think the word "racism" really applies to what happened here.  As I recall, no one attacked anyone's race and, as you know, I was in the thick of it.

Anyway, I too am glad "the interaction" was monitored, policed and taken care of as neatly as it was.  Thanks for being there when we needed you.  I thanked Phillip as well.  I've been away owing to what happened... a bit gun shy, to be serious, but I'm ok now.

Rayn
« Last Edit: June 02, 2006, 02:41:59 pm by Rayn »

Offline Shakesthecoffecan

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Re: Annie Proulx work is a MASTERPIECE:Brokeback Mountain
« Reply #21 on: June 04, 2006, 12:07:01 pm »
I am in the process of reading EVERYTHING Proulx has written, just finished Wyoming Stories and am now on Post Cards. I have read The Shipping News years ago, but I'll tell you, Brokeback Mountain is the most powerful thing of hers I have read. I've read it took her a long time to write it too, and I thinks it really effected her. 
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Offline starboardlight

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Re: Annie Proulx work is a MASTERPIECE:Brokeback Mountain
« Reply #22 on: June 04, 2006, 12:45:32 pm »
pinku, you love and passion for the story is apparent to all of us, and we all have that in common. I think the objection to the word "melodrama" come from the fact that to most English speakers, the word has a connotation of being exaggerated drama or even false drama. Brokeback Mountain is real. It doesn't exaggerate and it's definitely not false drama.
« Last Edit: June 07, 2006, 12:58:45 pm by starboardlight »
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Offline Rayn

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Re: Annie Proulx work is a MASTERPIECE:Brokeback Mountain
« Reply #23 on: June 07, 2006, 12:56:28 pm »
(to) most English speakers, the word has a connotation of being exaggerated drama or even false drama. Brokeback Mountain is real. It doesn't exaggerate and it's definitely not false drama.


Yes, starboardlight, exactly!

Peace,
Rayn