I just finished a clever book by Mallory Ortberg called Texts from Jane Eyre that is both funny and insightful in its twist on literary criticism. Ortberg examines dozens of classic texts, from The Epic of Gilgamesh through The Hunger Games, and retells portions of their respective narratives in the form of texts between characters. Iconic voices are distilled into 140 characters, and though the point of the exercise is humor, such reduction actually focuses the reader’s attention on key conflicts that are often masked, or just seem less interesting, in the original texts.
Ahab becomes a prankster distracting his shipmates. Plato just can’t seem to get Glaucon to understand his allegory. And King Lear really blows it with his daughters.
Since this is a book intended for today’s high school/college audience, there is a fair amount of risqué language, so reader beware. Texts from Jane Eyre is a quick read that I think both students and teachers will enjoy. Perhaps rewriting canonical texts as text conversations would be a good classroom activity, allowing students to incorporate their 21st century voices into timeless literature. There are many good passages, but here are a few of my personal favorites:
A couple’s dialogue clarifies the sexual tension in John Donne’s famous poem, “The Flea.”
Tyler Durden steals the narrator’s pants in Fight Club while reminding him that “You are not your pants.”
Marius, in Les Miserables, doesn’t seem to know what all this revolution stuff is about.
Hamlet hates how his mom makes tuna sandwiches.
Henry David Thoreau proclaims his desire for self-sufficiency, but he needs to borrow his buddy’s cabin.
Daisy desperately asks for a ride from Nick after her incident in the valley of ashes in The Great Gatsby.
And Jake and Brett, from The Sun Also Rises, have the most inappropriate (yet, sadly reflective of these days of “sexting”) relationship of all.
If you are interested in a new way of interpreting classic literature, Texts from Jane Eyre may be a fun resource for you. Enjoy!
Ahab becomes a prankster distracting his shipmates. Plato just can’t seem to get Glaucon to understand his allegory. And King Lear really blows it with his daughters.
Since this is a book intended for today’s high school/college audience, there is a fair amount of risqué language, so reader beware. Texts from Jane Eyre is a quick read that I think both students and teachers will enjoy. Perhaps rewriting canonical texts as text conversations would be a good classroom activity, allowing students to incorporate their 21st century voices into timeless literature. There are many good passages, but here are a few of my personal favorites:
A couple’s dialogue clarifies the sexual tension in John Donne’s famous poem, “The Flea.”
Tyler Durden steals the narrator’s pants in Fight Club while reminding him that “You are not your pants.”
Marius, in Les Miserables, doesn’t seem to know what all this revolution stuff is about.
Hamlet hates how his mom makes tuna sandwiches.
Henry David Thoreau proclaims his desire for self-sufficiency, but he needs to borrow his buddy’s cabin.
Daisy desperately asks for a ride from Nick after her incident in the valley of ashes in The Great Gatsby.
And Jake and Brett, from The Sun Also Rises, have the most inappropriate (yet, sadly reflective of these days of “sexting”) relationship of all.
If you are interested in a new way of interpreting classic literature, Texts from Jane Eyre may be a fun resource for you. Enjoy!