RE: JCO: A Bloodsmoor Romance

Hi Laurie:

> Some of the older relatives seem to live to a very
> old age. Even Rumford's grandfather is mentioned
> briefly--when Rumford is already middle-aged. I can't
> believe that JCO just didn't do the math. Are these
> old hangers-on supposed to suggest influences that
> survive longer than you might expect?

The math doesn't work in "Bellefleur" or "Mysteries of Winterthurn", either.
This seems to be a constant in the Gothic novels, presumably one of the
signs that we're dealing with meta-realities.

Steve



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Re: JCO: A Bloodsmoor Romance

Hi friends!
Jane, I was thinking of writing about this book
too. My experience was similar to yours. I was
reluctant to read such a long novel, but since we were
going to discuss it(!), I tried. I read a few pages at
a time in the bathroom. The first 60 pages were
tedious and confusing (all those sisters!), and then
suddenly I became interested and the book was promoted
to bedtime reading.
I now look forward to finding out what happens
next--unusual for me, as I usually don't have the
patience to read a novel. I enjoy the previews of what
is to come, and I find parts of the book quite
hilarious (though of course some of the humor is
rather macabre). Did you catch the bit about Daisy
Miller? I wonder how many little jokes I've missed.
Balloons are mentioned repeatedly. Why?
I smile when I read the references to the
perpetual-motion machine; when I was Canadian Consul
in Oaxaca, Mexico, I was approached several times by a
young man who had invented such a machine and wanted
to sell his plans to a foreign government.
I've read up on some of the real-life characters in
the book, such as Guiteau and Blavatsky. Perhaps JCO
bent some of the historic facts, or maybe not. I'll
refrain from commenting on these characters in order
not to spoil the book for others.
This is a fascinating look into the not-so-distant
past of our culture. Although some of the events,
attitudes, and customs seem rather dreadful or
pathetic, you can see their reflection in modern life.

Some of the older relatives seem to live to a very
old age. Even Rumford's grandfather is mentioned
briefly--when Rumford is already middle-aged. I can't
believe that JCO just didn't do the math. Are these
old hangers-on supposed to suggest influences that
survive longer than you might expect?
Laurie

=====
Better Edit!
http://www.betteredit.net
laurie@betteredit.net

"Wow, it looks a lot better than it did."
--MLIS student
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Re: JCO: A Bloodsmoor Romance

Hi Jane,
I recently found a "Bloodsmoor Romance" in a used book store. It was in
the "romance" section of the store and a clever book seller thought she
remembered the author and found it for me.

I love the cheekiness of the writing, but haven't finished it yet as I
got started on "Blonde a novel" and am also still working my way
through Bellefleur.

And yes I can keep track of all three books at the same time! I have
never been able to do this with other authors before, but my opinion is
that JCO is such an amazing author that she doesn't write about
characters, but gives us real, honest-to-gosh people. So the experience
of *reading* more closely mirrors *life* in that once you've met a
*real* person and learned a bit about them, you can pretty easily
re-connect with them when you meet them again. Whereas in *regular*
novels, the persons are "characters" acting in "plots", all of which
for me is more difficult to keep track of...

I'd love to discuss Bloodsmoor when I'm done, maybe in early Jan, so
I'll keep whatever notes arise here and respond later ......

Also would love to discuss Blonde (when I'm done)...... it's quite
amazing ... more another time.

happy reading
ruth

On 8-Dec-04, at 2:51 PM, Jane wrote:

> Early fall there was some mention of discussing A Bloodsmoor Romance. I
> just finished this long novel and would love to discuss it with others.
> Is anyone else ready to discuss this work? Here are some initial
> comments to help start a conversation:
>
> It took a while for me to get involved in this story. The beginning,
> with the abduction of Dierdre by a black silken balloon, seemed
> preposterous (and it never is clearly explained), and the the style of
> writing seemed tedious at first. Then after about 50 pages, I began to
> enjoy the language used by the narrator and to appreciate the parady of
> a Victorian romance. The narrator writes in a 19th-century style,
> complete with moralizing sayings, and she has no problem about leaping
> ahead of her story and then circling back to one of the strings she
> left
> hanging. As she tells the story of the five Zinn sisters, she often
> condemns their behavior. She appears to hold rigid, conformist views of
> proper behavior and etiquette, all the while making those views seem
> ridiculous to our more "modern" ways of thinking. Although she tells us
> the subject is ''Christian marriage, that treasure so ignorantly
> spurned
> by three of our young Zinn ladies, in their frenzied quest for their
> own
> fortunes in the wide world,'' the real subject seems to be the destiny
> of women in the 19th century and the ways it has carried on into the
> present.
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------
> Tone Clusters: The Joyce Carol Oates discussion group
>
> To send a message to the group, email jco@usfca.edu
> To subscribe, email majordomo@usfca.edu: subscribe jco
> To unsubscribe, email majordomo@usfca.edu: unsubscribe jco
>
>
There are two ways of living your life: one is as if nothing is a
miracle.  The other is as if everything is a miracle. -Albert Einstein

JCO: A Bloodsmoor Romance

Early fall there was some mention of discussing A Bloodsmoor Romance. I
just finished this long novel and would love to discuss it with others.
Is anyone else ready to discuss this work? Here are some initial
comments to help start a conversation:

It took a while for me to get involved in this story. The beginning,
with the abduction of Dierdre by a black silken balloon, seemed
preposterous (and it never is clearly explained), and the the style of
writing seemed tedious at first. Then after about 50 pages, I began to
enjoy the language used by the narrator and to appreciate the parady of
a Victorian romance. The narrator writes in a 19th-century style,
complete with moralizing sayings, and she has no problem about leaping
ahead of her story and then circling back to one of the strings she left
hanging. As she tells the story of the five Zinn sisters, she often
condemns their behavior. She appears to hold rigid, conformist views of
proper behavior and etiquette, all the while making those views seem
ridiculous to our more "modern" ways of thinking. Although she tells us
the subject is ''Christian marriage, that treasure so ignorantly spurned
by three of our young Zinn ladies, in their frenzied quest for their own
fortunes in the wide world,'' the real subject seems to be the destiny
of women in the 19th century and the ways it has carried on into the
present.

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Re: JCO: Where Are You Going...

It's here, towards the bottom of the page:
http://jco.usfca.edu/wgoing.html

Randy

-----Original Message-----
From: CoonHollow@aol.com
Sent: Dec 8, 2004 4:55 AM
To: jco@usfca.edu
Subject: JCO: Where Are You Going...

Does anyone have the citation for the 1966 LIFE magazine article detailing
the three abducted women whos served as a composite for Connie?

Anne D'Arcy, Ph.D.
Solano College


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Re: JCO: RE: Marya: A LIfe

In a message dated 12/8/04 5:24:05 AM, kgaffney@raritanval.edu writes:

Hi. There are a few scholarly books on Oates that have at least part of their analysis on Marya (Randy lists those monographs on his website). However, I have not come across any scholarly articles on Marya. At least there doesn't seem to be anything listed in the MLA database.
Karen

Yes, I've seen those, but the pickin's are slim.  Guess we'll have to write some!  I love using this novel in my classes, but so far all I have are gleanings from books of criticism to jump start my students into scholarly research.  Thanks!

Annie

JCO: RE: Marya: A LIfe

Hi. There are a few scholarly books on Oates that have at least part of their analysis on Marya (Randy lists those monographs on his website). However, I have not come across any scholarly articles on Marya. At least there doesn't seem to be anything listed in the MLA database.
Karen

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-jco@usfca.edu on behalf of CoonHollow@aol.com
Sent: Wed 12/8/2004 7:54 AM
To: jco@usfca.edu
Cc:
Subject: JCO: Marya: A LIfe


I have yet to find a single scholarly article about this novel...am I overlooking one?

Anne D'Arcy, Ph.D
Solano College

JCO: Where Are You Going...

Does anyone have the citation for the 1966 LIFE magazine article detailing the three abducted women whos served as a composite for Connie?

Anne D'Arcy, Ph.D.
Solano College

JCO: Marya: A LIfe

I have yet to find a single scholarly article about this novel...am I overlooking one?

Anne D'Arcy, Ph.D
Solano College