Author Topic: Annie Proulx's memoir.  (Read 56232 times)

Offline Jeff Wrangler

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Re: Annie Proulx's memoir.
« Reply #40 on: February 17, 2011, 10:46:11 pm »
Maybe she really is a bad-tempered, mean-spirited, snobbish old crank.  Being brilliant at what you do and being a wonderful person aren't necessarily the same thing.

Don't shoot the messenger.

Why would I shoot the messenger? Likely she is exactly that. But that still begs the question, Why write a memoir to show yourself to the world in that way?  ???
"It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide."--Charles Dickens.

Offline Monika

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Re: Annie Proulx's memoir.
« Reply #41 on: February 18, 2011, 04:38:08 am »
Why would I shoot the messenger? Likely she is exactly that. But that still begs the question, Why write a memoir to show yourself to the world in that way?  ???
I haven´t read it, so I don´t know that what extent this is the case, but Annie Proulx to me is someone who never make things more glamorous than they are - this goes for both her writing and her personal life. She says what she really thinks and writes what she really thinks. Might not always be pretty, but I admire her for it.

Marge_Innavera

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Re: Annie Proulx's memoir.
« Reply #42 on: February 18, 2011, 11:56:40 am »
Why would I shoot the messenger? Likely she is exactly that. But that still begs the question, Why write a memoir to show yourself to the world in that way?  ???

Well, that's where the "cantankerous" and "outspoken" schtick comes in.   ::)  

As far as shooting the messenger goes, anyone criticizing AP is justified in expecting a hostile reception. Doesn't happen consistently but the "OMG how can you say that!" reaction isn't unknown.  I assume that's why an earlier poster in this thread expected brickbats.
« Last Edit: February 18, 2011, 02:52:41 pm by Marge_Innavera »

Offline Front-Ranger

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Re: Annie Proulx's memoir.
« Reply #43 on: February 18, 2011, 05:29:46 pm »
I can think of several reasons why AP might want to portray herself in a poor light in her new book Bird Cloud. For one, it makes for a better book. Think of Frances Mayes' book about the house she renovated in Tuscany: Under the Tuscan Sun. The eccentricities, culture clashes and ineptness made for a better book. Another reason is that it is awkward writing one's memoirs and AP might feel more comfortable with a self-deprecating approach. She is often like that in her interviews referring to herself as "elderly", "set in her ways", and a person who has botched the marriage and/or mothering roles. But the reason I think is most likely is that AP thinks of herself somewhat as a character in her story, and we know her characters typically have more than their share of flaws!!

BTW, I was travelling in Wyoming one winter with Offline Chuck, EDelMar, and Rodney and whomever was driving (can't remember  ::)) got distracted by the view and drove straight into a snowbank! It took us about an hour to get unstuck, and if OCD hadn't been with us, we'd probably be stuck still!!

"chewing gum and duct tape"

Offline louisev

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Re: Annie Proulx's memoir.
« Reply #44 on: February 18, 2011, 06:23:52 pm »
Well, that's where the "cantankerous" and "outspoken" schtick comes in.   ::)  

As far as shooting the messenger goes, anyone criticizing AP is justified in expecting a hostile reception. Doesn't happen consistently but the "OMG how can you say that!" reaction isn't unknown.  I assume that's why an earlier poster in this thread expected brickbats.

i'm with you there, Marcia... god forbid anyone would criticize the helpless old lady with the multi-billion dollar company's intellectual property lawyers chasing down fanfic writers who only wished to pay tribute to 'Brokeback' - those orders came from 'Bird Cloud' herself.  But she's a saint nonetheless, huh!
“Mr. Coyote always gets me good, boy,”  Ellery said, winking.  “Almost forgot what life was like before I got me my own personal coyote.”


Marge_Innavera

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Re: Annie Proulx's memoir.
« Reply #45 on: February 18, 2011, 09:19:30 pm »
I can think of several reasons why AP might want to portray herself in a poor light in her new book Bird Cloud. For one, it makes for a better book. Think of Frances Mayes' book about the house she renovated in Tuscany: Under the Tuscan Sun. The eccentricities, culture clashes and ineptness made for a better book. Another reason is that it is awkward writing one's memoirs and AP might feel more comfortable with a self-deprecating approach. She is often like that in her interviews referring to herself as "elderly", "set in her ways", and a person who has botched the marriage and/or mothering roles. But the reason I think is most likely is that AP thinks of herself somewhat as a character in her story, and we know her characters typically have more than their share of flaws!!

You know, that brought up to the front of my mind something I hadn't thought of in years.

This was a long time ago, and it was a TV talk show interview with Kirk Douglas. Somehow the subject of John Wayne came up, and Douglas didn't say anything hostile about him, but he said essentially that JW saw pretty much whatever he wanted to see; and concluded with:

"He really believed that he was 'John Wayne.' "

Offline Jeff Wrangler

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Re: Annie Proulx's memoir.
« Reply #46 on: February 23, 2011, 12:28:00 pm »
I can think of several reasons why AP might want to portray herself in a poor light in her new book Bird Cloud. For one, it makes for a better book. Think of Frances Mayes' book about the house she renovated in Tuscany: Under the Tuscan Sun. The eccentricities, culture clashes and ineptness made for a better book. Another reason is that it is awkward writing one's memoirs and AP might feel more comfortable with a self-deprecating approach. She is often like that in her interviews referring to herself as "elderly", "set in her ways", and a person who has botched the marriage and/or mothering roles. But the reason I think is most likely is that AP thinks of herself somewhat as a character in her story, and we know her characters typically have more than their share of flaws!!

Sure enough, but portraying your neighbors as ignorant hicks and rubes is not "self-deprecating." It just makes you look like a mean-spirited, horrible person.
"It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide."--Charles Dickens.

Offline Jeff Wrangler

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Re: Annie Proulx's memoir.
« Reply #47 on: February 23, 2011, 12:32:11 pm »
As far as shooting the messenger goes, anyone criticizing AP is justified in expecting a hostile reception. Doesn't happen consistently but the "OMG how can you say that!" reaction isn't unknown.  I assume that's why an earlier poster in this thread expected brickbats.

Sure enough, but since I'm the one who called AP a bad-tempered, mean-spirited, snobbish old crank, I'm not likely to shoot you for agreeing with me!  ;D
"It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide."--Charles Dickens.

Offline southendmd

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Re: Annie Proulx's memoir.
« Reply #48 on: February 27, 2011, 10:21:13 am »
I finished BirdCloud and enjoyed it.

To me, it didn't resemble the review posted above.  Hardly "shelter porn", the description of building the house is a recurring motif, set among fascinating and deep accounts of both her ancestors and the land itself.  I kept thinking of Michener:  extensive geology, geneology, surveys of flora and fauna--but with footnotes!

In fact, she reveals little of herself in any direct manner.  She doesn't really discuss her writing or her living family.  Rather we see her through her interactions in the building of the house, and in her attitudes toward the land, and her understanding of time slipping away.  The book seems more about the land than about her.  She has said that place and climate determine one's destiny.  The land, like her long and curious lineage, is both eternal and ephemeral, brutal and brilliant. 

One example is a tall, narrow window she built to frame the view of the tree favored by a pair of bald eagles.  In a passage right out of one of her stories, the tree is soon felled by weather, and the eagle window is now useless, an excellent metaphor for her house endeavor, and the futility of trying to wrangle nature.

She does seem reluctantly reliant on her crew for survival, and they are merely two-dimensional.  That she loves birds more than people is not surprising in one so reclusive. 

Of course it's easy to take phrases or sentences out of context and pronounce them to be precious.  However, in context, they sounded perfectly natural.  In fact, I found this nonfiction to be more readable than much of her fiction prose. 

Offline Meryl

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Re: Annie Proulx's memoir.
« Reply #49 on: February 27, 2011, 01:28:19 pm »
Thanks for an excellent review, Paul.  You're a real thinker there.   Might have a look at Bird Cloud:)
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