Ingls 1, I 1 Grao T&I

Dr. Rosala Rodrguez Vzquez 1 cuadrimestre

READING: NEWSPAPER REVIEW
Manageable Discontents
Farther Away! Essays by "onathan Fran#en
$y Philli% &o%ate
'he New (or) 'i*es
May +, -.+-
s !e s"ould all #no! $% no!, &onat"an 'ranzen is a serious !riter !"o (la%s )or t"e "ig"est
literar% sta#es, !"o is uncom)orta$le !it" merican TV consumerism, and !"ose last t!o no*els,
+T"e ,orrections- and +'reedom,- "a*e legitimatel% cata(ulted "im to t"e )ront ran#s o) merican
)iction. .ess #no!n is t"at "e "as also (u$lis"ed t"ree non)iction $oo#s, +/o! to 0e lone-
1essa%s2, +T"e Discom)ort 3one- 1a s"ort memoir2 and, no!, a second essa% collection, +'art"er
!a%.-
T"e non)iction o) (re4eminent no*elists is $ound to )ascinate, s"edding lig"t on t"eir mentalit% and
)ictional (ractice, e*en i) suc" aut"ors seem to $e gi*ing less t"an )ull energ% to t"is second4c"oice
genre. 5aul 0ello!, )or instance, !rote magni)icentl% essa%istic )iction, $ut "is actual essa%s (ale $%
com(arison6 similarl%, &o"n 7(di#e !as an e*er4grace)ul critic, $ut )e! o) "is non)iction (ieces stir
t"e $lood t"e !a% "is s"ort stories or no*els can. T"ere "a*e $een e8ce(tions, o) course, including
Virginia 9ool) and D. /. .a!rence or, in our o!n da%, &. :. ,oetzee and ,%nt"ia ;zic#. :ost
d%ed4in4t"e4!ool no*elists, "o!e*er, do not e8cel at t"e essa%, )or good reason< t"e% are !ired
ot"er!ise. nd so !e come to 'ranzen=s latest collection, !"ic", !"ile not nearl% as strong as "is
no*els, still "as its attractions, as mig"t $e e8(ected )rom so insig"t)ul and resource)ul a !riter.
T"e $oo# $egins !it" a commencement address, +>ain 9on=t ?ill @ou,- !"ic" ma% $e summarized
as< Get (ast %our adolescent $rooding6 turn o)) %our narcissism4(romoting social media6 drag
%oursel) out o) %our room6 engage !it" t"e natural !orld 1"e c"ose $irds2 and %our )ello! "uman
$eings6 tr% to lo*e, and em$race t"e "urt and messiness t"at lo*e entails. T"is message, deli*ered in
a casual colloquial st%le to t"e graduating class and in a more urgent manner else!"ere, runs
t"roug" t"e essa% collection. T"e aut"or is not s"% a$out (reac"ing sim(le moralit%6 "e can $e $ot"
"edge"og and )o8, and "ere "e is o)ten t"e "edge"og, !it" con*ictions $orn out o) a (ersonal crisis
and t"e lessons learned. T"at crisis, !"ic" "e discusses )reel% in t"ese (ages, stemmed )rom t"e
)ailure o) "is %out")ul marriage and "is attendant de(ression, guilt and s"ame. /is o*ercoming t"e
anguis" success)ull% is re(roduced "ere in !"at !e mig"t call a /ealing Aarrati*e.
It is no accident t"at t"e graduation s(eec" !as (resented at ?en%on ,ollege, t"e *er% same *enue
!"ere Da*id 'oster 9allace "ad gi*en "is )amous commencement address se*eral %ears (re*iousl%.
T"ese (ages are "aunted $% 9allace, !"ose suicide "it t"e aut"or, "is good )riend, "ard. In t"e title
essa%, 'ranzen goes o)) to an island in t"e 5out" >aci)ic ;cean to $ird4!atc", to recou( "is sense o)
identit% a)ter a grueling, $oring $oo# tour B and to allo! "imsel) to )eel, $% im(osed isolation, t"e
)ullness o) grie) t"at "e "ad $een #ee(ing at $a%. 9allace=s !ido!, ?aren, "as gi*en t"e aut"or
some o) "er "us$and=s as"es to distri$ute on t"at $eauti)ul island. T"oug" 'ranzen moc#s "imsel)
)or (la%ing at Ro$inson ,rusoe, t"is is essentiall% a solemn, som$er essa%, and a )la!ed one B too
attenuated )or t"e redem(tion it mec"anicall% deli*ers 1mission accom(lis"ed< "e cries and
s(rin#les t"e as"es2, too truncated to (rocess all t"e mur#% emotions t"at lie $eneat" t"e sur)ace.
+;nce, !"en !e !ere dri*ing near 5tinson 0eac", in ,ali)ornia, I=d sto((ed to gi*e "im a telesco(e
*ie! o) a long4$illed curle!, a s(ecies !"ose magni)icence is to m% mind sel)4e*ident and
re*elator%. /e loo#ed t"roug" t"e sco(e )or t!o seconds $e)ore turning a!a% !it" (atent $oredom.
C@ea",= "e said !it" "is (articular tone o) "ollo! (oliteness, Cit=s (rett%.= In t"e summer $e)ore "e
died, sitting !it" "im on "is (atio !"ile "e smo#ed cigarettes, I couldn=t #ee( m% e%es o)) t"e
"umming$irds around "is "ouse and !as saddened t"at "e could, and !"ile "e !as ta#ing "is
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Ingls 1, I 1 Grao T&I
Dr. Rosala Rodrguez Vzquez 1 cuadrimestre
"ea*il% medicated a)ternoon na(s I !as learning t"e $irds o) Dcuador )or an u(coming tri(, and I
understood t"e di))erence $et!een "is unmanagea$le miser% and m% managea$le discontents to $e
t"at I could esca(e m%sel) in t"e Eo% o) $irds and "e could not.-
;ne can read t"is (assage as $ot" com(assionate and gloating. 'ranzen man)ull% admits to
com(eting !it" 9allace, $ut cannot re)rain )rom similar com(arisons in "is )a*or, li#e< +It !as time
to acce(t )initude and incom(leteness and lea*e certain $irds )ore*er unseen, t"at t"e a$ilit% to
acce(t t"is !as t"e gi)t I=d $een gi*en and m% $elo*ed dead )riend "ad not.- T"ere is also t"e
occasional clun#%, e84graduate student diction< +I) $oredom is t"e soil in !"ic" t"e seeds o)
addiction s(rout, and i) t"e ("enomenolog% and t"e teleolog% o) suicidalit% are t"e same as t"ose o)
addiction, it seems )air to sa% t"at Da*id died o) $oredom.-
/ere are some reasons, I t"in#, t"at 'ranzen=s essa%s do not matc" "is )iction. 9"ile "is (rose is
al!a%s cogent, "e is not t"at consistentl% st%lis" a sentence !riter. Dssa%s (ut a di))erent #ind o)
(ressure on t"e sentence, calling )or more a("oristic com(ression and !it. /is no*els !or# $est
t"roug" (atient accumulation o) social detail and c"aracter de*elo(ment. 0% contrast, t"e I4
c"aracter in "is essa%s is not as strongl% de*elo(ed, nor as *i*id. /e is $etter a$le to con*e% moral
iron% $% dramatizing a )ictional con)lict t"an $% $aldl% stating "is *ie!s. 'inall%, since, as "e (uts
it, +)iction is m% religion,- "e ma% sim(l% $e a literar% monot"eist !"o "as ne*er )ull% gras(ed t"e
imaginati*e and e8(ressi*e (ossi$ilities o) non)iction6 "e=s not tr%ing to catc" t"at )ire. 9"en "e
s(ea#s o) t"e aut"ors !"o in)luenced "im, t"e% are all )iction !riters.
T"e collection )eatures a lo*el% (ersonal essa%, +I &ust ,alled to 5a% I .o*e @ou,- !"ic" $egins as
an amusingl% grum(% rant against cell("one users, !"o intrude t"eir (ri*ate +I lo*e %ou-s onto "is
(u$lic s(ace, and trans)orms into a touc"ing (ortrait o) "is (arents. 9e "a*e met t"ese t!o (eo(le
$e)ore, more or less, as l)red and Dnid, t"e (arents in +T"e ,orrections,- and t"e aut"or again
!rites !onder)ull% a$out "is stoical )at"er and o*erdemonstrati*e mot"er. T"ere are also se*eral
de)t Eournalistic (ieces o) eco4tra*el re(ortage, one in*ol*ing t"e #illing o) $irds in t"e
:editerranean, anot"er, t"e e))orts o) ,"inese $ird4!atc"ers in a countr% )acing radical "a$itat loss.
'ranzen (a%s tri$ute, in a series o) grace)ul a((reciations, to some quir#% and unEustl% neglected
!riters< &ames >urd%, Donald ntrim, >aula 'o8, 'ran# 9ede#ind 1i) onl% "e didn=t tr% to sell
9ede#ind to us as a (roto4roc#erF2. /e also argues t"at t"e great s"ort stor% !riter lice :unro "as
not gotten "er due. T"ese *alentines demonstrate "is generosit%, "umanit% and lo*e o) )iction, as
!ell as "is o!n (re)erence )or t"e morall% com(le8 o*er t"e sentimental. T"e struggle to $e a good
"uman $eing, against t"e (ulls o) soli(sism and narcissism, can $e glim(sed in e*er% (age o) t"ese
essa%s, !"ic" i) not"ing else o))er a telling $attle re(ort )rom !it"in t"e consciousness o) one o) our
maEor no*elists.
>"illi( .o(ate directs t"e graduate non)iction (rogram at ,olum$ia 7ni*ersit%. /is collections include +0ac"elor"ood-
and +gainst &oie de Vi*re.-
E/ercises:
1. Read t"e te8t again and loo# u( in a dictionar% t"e !ords t"at %ou do not #no!.
2. .ocate t"e (aragra("s !"ic" deal !it" 'ranzen=s +>ain 9on=t ?ill @ou-<
2.1 9"at is t"e aut"or=s o(inion a$out t"e 'ranzen=s $oo# c"a(terG
2.2 ccording to .o(ate, !"at is t"e main idea con*e%ed $% t"e c"a(terG Do %ou agree !it"
.o(ateG I) not, !"at !ould %ou addHc"angeG
2.3 Is 'ranzen=s c"a(ter a (iece o) )iction or notG 9"%H!"% notG T"in# a$out !"at .o(ate
states in "is re*ie!.
3. 9rite %ou o!n IJJ4!ord re*ie! o) +>ain 9on=t ?ill @ou-.
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