There is a children's book about Gertrude Stein. Why someone thought this was an appropriate topic for a picture book aimed at ages 4-7 is beyond me. Exactly what child did they expect to be interested in an obtuse modern writer? And it was written in her style -- repetition, random statements, nonsensical sentences. I managed to make sense of it because I knew what the author was trying to mimic, but a kid would be lost. It wasn't funny (for kids), it wasn't engaging, it was trying far too hard. This book will only be picked up by other English major parents who can't believe there is a kiddie book about Gertrude Stein. And her lover.
Of course, I don't care for Stein in the first place. I can appreciate what she was trying to do with the repetition and meandering thoughts trying to mimic what the mind does. I really can admire the effort. But it's just not nice to read. I only had to read a novella in college, and I didn't make it through. I couldn't stand to read the same scene in a slightly different way ONE ... MORE ... TIME. I'm not much of an artiste, I guess.
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Welcome to my odditorium, a collection of curiosities made up of snippets about my life and occasional machinations on deeper subjects.
2 comments:
I've actually made it this far without reading Gertrude Stein. Not that it's anything to be proud of, I guess.
BUT, if you are interested in strange children's books, you should check out the blog Sweet Juniper. Every once in a while, he posts images from what he calls "Terrifying Nixon-Era Children's Books." Here's a link to those posts:
http://www.sweet-juniper.com/search/label/terrifying%20nixon-era%20children%27s%20books
Yikes! I think the dead bird one was most disturbing!
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