Author Topic: William R. Handley: "The Brokeback Book"  (Read 17577 times)

Offline chowhound

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William R. Handley: "The Brokeback Book"
« on: July 26, 2011, 02:06:57 pm »

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.

Offline Jeff Wrangler

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Re: William R. Handley: "The Brokeback Book"
« Reply #1 on: July 26, 2011, 02:31:12 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.


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.  ???
"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 Front-Ranger

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Re: William R. Handley: "The Brokeback Book"
« Reply #2 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.
"chewing gum and duct tape"

Offline Jeff Wrangler

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Re: William R. Handley: "The Brokeback Book"
« Reply #3 on: July 28, 2011, 11:52:42 am »
You're a writer, FRiend Lee. If you're getting impatient, why don't you write it yourself?  :D

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.

"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 Front-Ranger

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Re: William R. Handley: "The Brokeback Book"
« Reply #4 on: July 29, 2011, 09:11:22 am »
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!!
"chewing gum and duct tape"

Offline Jeff Wrangler

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Re: William R. Handley: "The Brokeback Book"
« Reply #5 on: July 29, 2011, 09:38:29 am »
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!!

Fiddlesticks!

Just keep jotting and noting when the spirit moves you. Then some day sit down and organize the jots and notes into a coherent plan and go for it!
"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 Front-Ranger

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Re: William R. Handley: "The Brokeback Book"
« Reply #6 on: August 16, 2011, 10:26:27 pm »
The Brokeback Book is on its way to me!!
"chewing gum and duct tape"

Offline Front-Ranger

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Re: William R. Handley: "The Brokeback Book"
« Reply #7 on: August 22, 2011, 04:14:17 pm »
I started reading The Brokeback Book, all set to be disappointed, when suddenly I found it fascinating! I'm currently reading the introduction by William R. Handley that discusses the context of the story (and brings up Wister's The Virginian) and the movie (mentioning many classic Westerns as well as Thelma and Louise  :o). I'm looking forward to a previously unpublished interview with Annie Proulx and several of the chapters, which are all written by different people.

I STILL think another book (or more) needs to be written about the movie, discussing Ang Lee's direction, the screenplay by Diana Osana and Larry McMurtry, and aspects such as the cinematography, the costuming, actors, sets and props, locations, etc.
"chewing gum and duct tape"

Offline Front-Ranger

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Re: William R. Handley: "The Brokeback Book"
« Reply #8 on: August 29, 2011, 12:32:15 pm »
The interview with Annie Proulx was everything I hoped for and more. Kudos to Michael Silverblatt for his amiability and keen perception! I'm on the last chapter now. The chapters written by Patricia Nell Warren, Judith Halberstam, and Gregory Hinton were interesting (but what a blooper Warren made when she said Jack died at age 43!!), but overall the last half of the book was quite disappointing with way too much psychobabble. Another interesting chapter was "Backs Unbroken: Ang Lee, Forbearance, and the Closet" by Mun-Hou Lo.

I just got really tired of the debate over whether Brokeback Mountain is a gay film and why people don't want to classify it as such.
"chewing gum and duct tape"

Offline milomorris

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Re: William R. Handley: "The Brokeback Book"
« Reply #9 on: August 29, 2011, 04:30:41 pm »
I just got really tired of the debate over whether Brokeback Mountain is a gay film and why people don't want to classify it as such.

Are saying that people are debating over the subject matter? Or is it a debate about genre?
  The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.

--Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.