The Pooh Perplex by Frederick C. Crews
In 1963, this light and amusing book gave the Literary Criticism world a much-needed jab in the ribs. This wonderful satire on conventional criticism is so cleverly written that I can believe that academics actually wrote this dribble (for dribble it is, if taken seriously). (Or perhaps I have simply spent too much time with Literary Critics.) In this collection of twelve essays, Crews rips poor Winnie-the-Pooh to shreds with his theories including Freudians, Aristotelians, and New Critics. In addition, he compares these works by Milne to Shakespeare and Dante. As a final act of hilarity, Crews twice looks at Pooh from a Religious angle, with different results each time (at one point, Eeyore is the embodiment of Christ, at another time, Christopher Robin is). This slim volume comes complete with ridiculous footnotes, tongue-in-cheek "questions and study projects," and hilarious biographical notes on the contributors.
If you enjoyed this book, please consider one of the following :
Fiction Recommendation : Winnie-The-Pooh by A.A. Milne. These delightful stories are wonderful in their childlike simplicity and playfulness. And the original illustrations by Shepard convey more emotion in their simplicity than Disney ever accomplished.
Nonfiction Recommendation : Pride and Promiscuity : The Lost Sex Scenes of Jane Austen by Arielle Eckstut. In 1999, two amateur Jane Austen scholars staying at an English state stumbled upon a hidden cache of manuscript pages and made the literary discovery of the century -- the lost sex scenes from Jane Austen's novels. Published here for the first time, the lost pages display Emma taking self-satisfaction to a whole new level, and reveal Henry Crawford's thorough exploration of "brotherly love" at Mansfield Park.
Nonfiction Recommendation : Postmodern Pooh by Frederick C. Crews. This sequel is, if possible, more trenchant and hilarious than the original. This is partly circumstantial, as the English Lit profession has become more self-parodying than ever. In 11 sham essays (complete with footnotes of brilliantly chosen actual texts), Crews takes on deconstruction, queer theory, gender/body studies, post colonial studies, chaos theory, etc.
If you enjoyed this book, please consider one of the following :
Fiction Recommendation : Winnie-The-Pooh by A.A. Milne. These delightful stories are wonderful in their childlike simplicity and playfulness. And the original illustrations by Shepard convey more emotion in their simplicity than Disney ever accomplished.
Nonfiction Recommendation : Pride and Promiscuity : The Lost Sex Scenes of Jane Austen by Arielle Eckstut. In 1999, two amateur Jane Austen scholars staying at an English state stumbled upon a hidden cache of manuscript pages and made the literary discovery of the century -- the lost sex scenes from Jane Austen's novels. Published here for the first time, the lost pages display Emma taking self-satisfaction to a whole new level, and reveal Henry Crawford's thorough exploration of "brotherly love" at Mansfield Park.
Nonfiction Recommendation : Postmodern Pooh by Frederick C. Crews. This sequel is, if possible, more trenchant and hilarious than the original. This is partly circumstantial, as the English Lit profession has become more self-parodying than ever. In 11 sham essays (complete with footnotes of brilliantly chosen actual texts), Crews takes on deconstruction, queer theory, gender/body studies, post colonial studies, chaos theory, etc.
posted by ActLikeOne | 8:38 AM
2 Comments:
Pooh rocks. At least, the original Pooh of literature does, not the bastardized post-1980 Disney version.
Disney's first three Pooh cartoons actually stayed true to the books, with wonderful narration by Sebastian Cabot and the characters coming to life from the pages of the books. After that, though, Disney took the franchise to Hell.
Megan shares her passion for Lincoln's legacy in Ride With the Assassin - historical fiction focusing on the Lincoln Assassination from a teenage witness perspective. The plot revolves around Mark, a boy who unwittingly helps John Wilkes Booth escape from Ford's Theater after he assassinates President Lincoln. For 12 exciting days he travels with Booth along his escape route. It is inspired by a boy who held the reins of Booth's horse on April 14, 1865.
Post a Comment
<< Home