Grammar Girl

Sorry for the recent radio silence, Blogosphere, but there's been a lot going on lately and frankly I've been pretty exhausted.

Aside from a new job, one of the things on my plate right now is an online grammar class. It's part of a  copy-editing certificate I'm doing through the University of California. Apart from improving my grammar and editing skills, I'm hoping that the certificate will eventually help me to get a job in publishing.

Now, we never actually learned grammar in the California school system. We learned that a noun was a person, place, or thing; a verb was an action word; and an adjective was a describing word. That was pretty much the extent of it. My grasp of English grammar was good, but almost entirely instinctual, gained from reading a ridiculous amount of books at a young age. In fact, it wasn't until my senior year in college that I took a grammar course and began to learn about parts of speech in any real detail.

My question is, why? Why on earth are children not taught grammar in school? Judging from what I see on a daily basis, kids today are in desperate need of grammar lessons. When there are high school graduates who don't know the difference between "to" and "too," who use "your" and "you're" interchangeably, who have no clue about punctuation or capitalization, then there's something wrong with the system.

Can anyone shed some light on this? Why is PE mandatory while grammar, apparently, isn't worth our time?

WHITE TEETH by Zadie Smith

ISBN: 978-0140276336 (UK)

"'Keepers of the Eternal an Victorious Islamic Nation,' repeated Millat, impressed. 'That's a wicked name. It's got a wicked kung-fu kick-arse sound to it.'

Irie frowned. 'KEVIN?'

'We are aware,' said Hifan solemnly, pointing to the spot underneath the cupped flame where the initials were minutely embroidered, 'that we have an acronym problem' (page 295).

White Teeth, Zadie Smith's debut novel, is the last of her three published books that I've read. Of the other two, I picked up The Autograph Man in 2007 (my eco-criticism professor knew Zadie Smith at Harvard, and I was curious), and I read On Beauty last year when I stumbled upon the large print version of it at the little library at the foot of the road (the library is mainly patronized by elderly women, so most of the fiction is large print). 

Having now completed the Zadie Smith triumvirate, I feel I can sum up her work in one word: multiculturalism. But to add a few more words: multiracial, multinational, multifaith, and multigenerational families. Interracial couples with biracial children, either British or American. And another word: London. Having grown up in London, Smith writes the city with such intimate knowledge, such detail and love that you end up feeling like you grew up there too. And just one more word: humor. Lots of it.

White Teeth is the story of Archibald Jones, ordinary, bland, and predictable Englishman; and Samad Iqbal, a Bengali soldier who served with Archie in World War II. Samad and Archie are each other's best and only friends, both living in London, both working in dead-end jobs, both with wives over twenty years younger than them, and both with children they don't understand. Archie's wife is Clara, a Jamaican immigrant and recovering Jehovah's Witness. Samad's wife Alsana is a fiery and opinionated Bengali, chosen for him by an agreement between their families. Archie and Clara have a daughter, Irie, an awkward, intelligent girl who often acts as the voice of reason for the other characters in the book. Samad and Alsana have identical twin boys, Magid who wears neat button-down shirts, and Millat, who is a born hell-raiser. 

When the white middle class family of one of their classmates decides to mentor Irie and the two Iqbal boys, the three families are thrown into chaos as race, class, religion, science and morals collide, with far-reaching and unpredictable consequences. 

I have to say that, while it took me a while to get into this novel, in the end I really enjoyed it. The book spans three to four different generations of the different families, and there is a lot of backstory to cover. Some of the sections, such as those describing Archie's and Samad's experiences during the war, I found a bit tedious. Others, especially those told from Irie's point of view, I liked much more. I did like the way that all of the threads of plot come together in the end, including things from earlier in the book that I had forgotten about. The foreshadowing is subtle and really well done. There are also a lot of themes tying the different strands of the story together; among them: fate and chance, fundamentalism, and nature versus nurture. And then there is the motif of teeth: Clara's are knocked out, Irie's are uneven, and the Iqbal twins' are perfect. And always in the background there is that Western ideal of beauty and success: straight, gleaming white teeth.

Although Zadie Smith writes in a style that most creative writing instructors would discourage (extra words everywhere, informal tone, elegant variation), it seems to work for her, and it gives her novels a truly original feel. 

So, if you want something different from most mainstream novels, or you like character-based, multicultural stories and/or sprawling family yarns, you might want to give this book a try.

SPIRITED AWAY by Hayao Miyazaki

Last weekend Big Chimp and I watched the coolest movie. Why bring this up on a book blog? Well, this particular film was recommended to us as an example of good storytelling by our creative writing professor a couple of years back. Of course, the same professor recommended that we study Mikhail Bakhtin's literary theories, so he doesn't have the greatest track record (I love literature, but chronotopes this and unfinalizability that, yawn).

Anyway, the film was Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away. I've never really watched anime before, so I didn't quite know what to expect, but wow it was good! I'm not a huge Disney fan (aside from The Lion King and Mulan, which are awesome films), so it was refreshing to see a cartoon that didn't involve a formulaic plot peppered with gender stereotypes randomly bursting into song (Disney did handle the English dubbing and US release of Spirited Away, but they stayed true to the original version, making only a few minor adjustments for the sake of clarification for Western audiences).


The film tells the story of ten year-old Chihiro, who is upset that she has to move to a new area away from all of her friends. The movie opens with Chihiro and her parents in the car on the way to their new house. Her father misses the turn off, and they end up on a dirt road in the middle of the woods. When the family decides to explore a strange-looking tunnel, they find what appears to be an abandoned amusement park, but is actually a spirit town whose chief attraction is a bathhouse for the spirits. When her parents are imprisoned by the sinister witch, Yubaba, Chihiro must work with a motley band of spirits and humans to gain freedom for her family.


Visually, the animation is beautiful. It feels like the creators have really taken the time to make it look nice, with vibrant colors and intricate details. We watched the English dubbed version, which sounded fine, though hardcore anime fans tend to prefer the original Japanese with subtitles. The plot is wonderfully bizarre, and at points a bit unsettling (I found myself exclaiming "What the f---?!" at regular intervals, but in a good way). I wish I had an imagination like Hayao Miyazaki's. I really do.


See this film! That's all I can say. You won't be disappointed.

Career choices for English majors

I had this epiphany during my first quarter of college. It's the only time in my life I can remember having an honest-to-God epiphany. The thing is, I had always loved reading and writing. From the day my sister taught me to read when I was five, I read everything I could get my hands on. I wrote poems in my journal when I was little, and was always making up stories in my head. I even had my first attempt at novel-writing at the age of 12 (it was about giant, super-intelligent anthropomorphic rats from outer space). I took AP English and got a high score on the test. I did very well on the verbal part of the SATs. And yet, someone had told me that English wasn't a real major; that I really should do a useful, non-humanities subject. So I entered college as a pre-biology major.

Back to the epiphany: it happened in my first quarter of introductory chemistry. There was the professor: an ancient man with a speech impediment, a southern accent, and a problematic rotator cuff. And he had tied a pair of scissors to a string and was swinging them wildly over his head as students in the front row ducked nervously (it was a practical demonstration of how electrons circle around the protons and neutrons of an atom). And that's when it occurred to me: there were people sitting in classrooms in other parts of the campus, discussing literature. Reading and analyzing novels and poetry! I felt like I needed to run out of the lecture hall. I've never had such a strong feeling of being in the wrong place.

I called a family member right after I got the papers signed that made me officially an English major. I felt like a great weight had been lifted from me. "Ohhh," came the voice at the other end of the line "but you can't do anything with an English major."

I think the reason people are skeptical  about the English major (and humanities majors in general) is that there's this old notion floating around that says the only thing someone can do with a degree in English is become an English teacher. This can be really frustrating if, like me, you majored in English but have no desire to become a teacher. I mean, English teachers are great, brave people. I have a friend who is an English teacher, and several other friends who are training to become teachers. That being said, it's just not for me. So it was always annoying when in college I encountered people who gave me a concerned, confused look when I told them that, despite studying literature, I had no plans to go into teaching. Sometimes they would even try to persuade me into being sensible. "You could teach until you write your first best-seller," a friend's well-meaning but rather patronizing father once suggested.

This bothered me so much that I discussed it with my (amazingly awesome) Early Modern Literature professor during my senior year. She told me that the reason people have the idea that you can't do anything with an English major is that the English major doesn't prepare you for a specific type of job, like engineering or architecture does. What it does do is give you the basic skills for a wide range of different careers; skills like communication, creativity, research, and analysis. It's not a vocational degree, and it is very much what you make of it.

So, in the spirit of breaking through myths about English literature students, here is a list of a few of the jobs suitable for English graduates, courtesy of prospects.co.uk. Some of these require specialized skills, which is why it's a good idea to do internships while you're still in college or after you graduate, and to take some practical classes to learn things like software programs.

(One of the careers missing from this list is lawyer. Students who take an English degree tend to earn among the highest scores on the LSAT and the best grades in law school, along with philosophy, history, economics, and political science graduates).

• Advertising account executive - acts as a link between three to four client accounts and an advertising agency and has overall responsibility for the smooth running of a campaign; coordinates the activities of the advertising and administrative teams.
• Advertising copywriter - usually works in a creative partnership with an art director to conceive, develop and produce effective advertisements. Copywriters are usually involved with creating the slogans, messages and straplines and may also have a role in the production process of a campaign.
• Arts administrator - provides administrative support for a wide range of arts and cultural organisations.
• Academic librarian, Information officer, Records manager - responsible for the acquisition, organisation and dissemination of information and materials within the library system or information unit.
• Charity officer - has responsibility for aspects of marketing, public relations, organising events, finance.
• Editorial assistant - assists senior editorial staff in the administration of the commissioning, planning and production of books, journals and magazines. This role is a recognised starting point for editorial and publishing careers.
• English as a foreign language teacher/English as a second language teacher - teaches English to international students either in the UK or overseas.
• Lexicographer - writes, compiles and edits dictionaries, monitors and records uses of language and uses databases to interrogate a wide range of evidence. Lexicographers consider both the meaning and usages of words and compile definitions in a structured manner.
• Marketing executive - involved in business development, market research, planning, product development, pricing, packaging, advertising, PR and sales. Marketing executives may also be known as marketing assistants or coordinators
• Newspaper journalist- researches and writes stories for publication in local, regional and national press.
• Press officer - acts as the official media contact for a specific public or private organisation, handling all media interest.
• Primary school teacher and Secondary school teacher - teaches in state and independent schools, sixth form and further education (FE) colleges.
• Programme researcher, broadcasting/film/video - supports the production team, collects, verifies and prepares information for film, television and radio productions. This can be seen as apprenticeship for a production role.
• Public relations officer - uses all forms of media and communication to build, maintain and manage the reputation of companies and organisations.
• Runner, broadcasting/film/video - fetches, carries and does any small jobs needed for the production department of a film, video or television company. This is an entry-level role.
•  Writer - may write in a number of wide and varied forms including prose, poetry and material for the theatre, screen and radio and reviews. Most writers work freelance and are self-employed.

Happy World Book Day UK!

I logged into Twitter today to discover that it's World Book Day today here in the UK and in Ireland. According to the website, 


World Book Day was designated by UNESCO as a worldwide celebration of books and reading, and is marked in over 100 countries around the globe... World Book Day is a partnership of publishers, booksellers and interested parties who work together to promote books and reading for the personal enrichment and enjoyment of all. 


What an awesome idea!


So in the spirit of the holiday, what are you reading right now? What great books have you read recently, and what are your favorite ever books? 


I'll go first. I'm currently reading Otherland: City of Golden Shadow by Tad Williams, White Teeth by Zadie Smith, and Grimoires: A History of Magic Books by Owen Davies. 


I recently read The Road by Cormac McCarthy, which I really enjoyed in a bleak, depressing sort of way.


And my favorite ever books are the Harry Potter series (my best friend was shocked when I told her this. She shouted "But you're an English major!" But I can't lie. I love Harry Potter and the books are amazing.) I also love Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Tailchaser's Song by Tad Williams, Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, and A Separate Peace by John Knowles. 

Creative Writing 101

Since the post with quotes from famous authors the other day was pretty popular, I've decided to do another one. I found these writing rules from Kurt Vonnegut a couple years back, while I was researching a term paper for a class on contemporary authorship. It comes from the introduction to Bagombo Snuff Box. Vonnegut writes:

Now lend me your ears.  Here is Creative Writing 101:

1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.
2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.
3. Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.
4. Every sentence must do one of two things—reveal character or advance the action.
5. Start as close to the end as possible.
6. Be a sadist.  No matter sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them—in order that the reader may see what they are made of.
7. Write to please just one person.  If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.
8. Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible.  To heck with suspense.  Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages.

The greatest American short story writer of my generation was Flannery O’Connor (1925-1964).  She broke practically every one of my rules but the first.  Great writers tend to do that.


All of these rules make sense to me, except for number eight. I think that all stories require suspense. I would ideally want the reader to be furious if cockroaches ate the last few pages, because they were that eager to find out how the story would end.


What about you? Do you have any writing rules that you live by? If so, what are they?

THE UNWRITTEN, VOLUME 1: TOMMY TAYLOR AND THE BOGUS IDENTITY by Mike Carey and Peter Gross

 

978-1401225650

I don't read many graphic novels, although Big Chimp introduced me to Neil Gaiman's work a couple of years ago and I really enjoyed the Sandman series. This graphic novel is similar (not surprisingly as the author also wrote the Lucifer series, a spin-off of Sandman) in that it is packed with many literary and historical references, making it more of an adult-level read. The illustrations, done by Peter Gross, are vivid and do a great job of setting the mood of the story.

Tom Taylor is the son of best-selling writer Wilson Taylor, author of a wildly successful fantasy series starring Tom as a (Harry Potter-esque) boy wizard. Ever since Wilson mysteriously disappeared -- leaving his son none of his immense fortune -- Tom has been forced to earn a living making appearances as his magical alter ego, Tommy, at comic book conventions. But suddenly things turn very strange. A cult springs up, members of which believe that Tom Taylor is actually his fictional counterpart brought to life by magic. And lurking in the shadows is a powerful group that seems to control literature for its own sinister ends. Could members of this group be behind the malicious rumors that Tom Taylor killed his father, and was Wilson even Tom's father at all? The solution may lie in Wilson's mysterious map, which marks the geographical locations of all the major novels in the western canon. As crazed fans call for his assassination, and self-professed "characters" from his father's books begin to make contact with him, Tom wonders just how firm the line between fact and fiction really is... and whether it exists at all.

I really enjoyed reading The Unwritten, and I'm looking forward to the next volume. I loved the overload of literary allusions: there was Harry Potter, obviously, but there were also references to Charles Dickens, Mary Shelley, Oscar Wilde, Rudyard Kipling, and Mark Twain. And there was plenty of philosophical discussion about the power and importance of stories, which appealed to me, but the book definitely wasn't short on plot. There was plenty of action, suspense, and just plain gore to go around.

I would recommend this book to anyone familiar with, and interested in, the western literary tradition. You don't have to be a comic book fan to appreciate it. The only real complaint I have is that the cursive handwriting in certain sections is difficult to read. And for those less acquainted with the classics, the long section told from Kipling's point of view might be a bit on the tedious side. Overall there's plenty here for fans of fantasy, horror, and the classics to be excited about, as well as those who are interested in the power of stories and the ways in which they help shape society.