Re: JCO: Freaky Green Eyes: warning, some plot discussion

Hi, Eric. Wow, that's one of my favorite recent JCO episodes. I figured it
was based on some idiotic "private zoo" that she's seen. My fingers would be
itching too to go back at night and release those poor critters.
That episode in Freaky Green Eyes is a minor variant on the novel's main
theme: doing the right thing can hurt ,and people may despise you instead of
admiring you. The heroine of FGE is slapped around for releasing the animals
then shunned by her brother for what she decides to do about her murdered
mother.
Thanks for providing the real life backstory.
Cyrano

In a message dated 10/24/2005 9:09:29 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
erickarl78@hotmail.com writes:

<< es, I think that’s true Cyrano.
I'm sure there are countless examples of this kind of this thing happening
in Oates' life vs her work, but the example I can remember her talking about
specifically is a scene from her YA novel Freaky Green Eyes. The young
heroine of that novel visits a wealthy family who keep some wild animals
penned up in cages I believe. So the girl takes it upon herself to open the
cages secretly and free them all. Oates spoke about how she went to
someone's place and saw a very similar sight. She commented that since she's
unable to do this herself she created a character who could.

Eric >>
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Re: JCO: RE: Talent vs Experience

Yes, I think that�s true Cyrano.
I'm sure there are countless examples of this kind of this thing happening
in Oates' life vs her work, but the example I can remember her talking about
specifically is a scene from her YA novel Freaky Green Eyes. The young
heroine of that novel visits a wealthy family who keep some wild animals
penned up in cages I believe. So the girl takes it upon herself to open the
cages secretly and free them all. Oates spoke about how she went to
someone's place and saw a very similar sight. She commented that since she's
unable to do this herself she created a character who could.

Eric

>From: Cyranomish@aol.com
>Reply-To: jco@usfca.edu
>To: jco@usfca.edu
>Subject: Re: JCO: RE: Talent vs Experience
>Date: Sun, 23 Oct 2005 10:29:44 EDT
>
>Hi, Joy. I would call those crude reality stories "ways not taken" rather
>than experiences that JCO would have sampled had she had adequate time to
>spare.
> In other words, I think that the writer makes deliberate life choices,
>and
>perhaps JCO's stories were ways of exploring various options open to her
>and
>discarding ones that may have been tempting but ultimately unacceptable.
> For example: let's say I work for a boss who is mean. I fanticize
>about
>how gratifying it would be to cuss him/her out in front of the whole
>company,
>and how everyone would applaud my bold, incisive oratory. That's a
>pleasant
>scenario but not very likely to happen in my situation. So I (A) write a
>story about someone like me who cusses out someone like my boss and then
>has to
>take the consequences. (B) Send out resumes and find another job working
>for a
>different boss who is more to my liking.
> I haven't got the exact quote in front of me, but James Joyce said
>something to the effect that a writer should write a tragedy, not become a
>participant in a tragedy.
>Cyrano
>
>In a message dated 10/23/2005 9:56:05 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
>Cyranomish@aol.com writes:
>
><< So, are you saying that JCO keeps relying on talent instead of
>experience?
> Although I believe most of the stories reflect the crude reality she
>hasn't
>had
> the time to live.
>
> Joy >>
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