Bibliopath #6: In which an eldest sibling siblings
Dear reader,
A friend linked to this fascinating article, "Too Fast, Too Furious" from n+1. It is one part screed against the hastening pace of postmodern life, but other parts ring achingly true—"If one’s leisure time feels like work that one doesn’t have time for, work itself increasingly feels like work one doesn’t have time for"—and the enslaving 'oughts' of obligation and self-identity.
It then circles around to the place of the novel in all of this: "Today, the primary value of the novel no longer appears to be its capacity to deliver sensations or some sort of meditation on the way we live now; it is instead an object for deceleration, for ceasing time rather than killing it, for therapeutic rather than troubling purposes."
There is nothing wrong with this of course, but the 'ought'-ness of contemporary life can easily encircle reading as well: "I should read that" is something I find myself saying over and over again, either out loud or within my own head. However, the last place I want this humble newsletter to land is in the oughts, rather, that within the widening ocean of books, there are certain books which will do for you some of what they did for me—made my life better, either by slowing my brain down, or by spinning it up in a new and innovative place.
And sometimes this sensation can come from an unexpected place, like this book, What Katy Did by Susan Coolidge, is for Jo, I suspect Kaley and Kara would also enjoy it, if they haven't read it.This was described to me by Kathleen as roughly contemporary with Little Women, but less famous, for reasons lost to the vagaries of history.
There are obvious similiarities: it's mostly concerned with a group of siblings and the wholeness of their family life, and in particular, the Katy of the title who is the eldest sibling, and thus, lead provocateur. But one of my favourite genres is any book which captures the rhythms of actual family life and sibling relationships in all its miniature hatreds, constant quickfire feuds, and genuine affection, and this has all of the above in spades.
It is somehow also both laden with moral and virtue, and yet so genuine and honest in its load-bearing that I didn't mind at all.
And you, dear reader? What has your brain been spinning up?
Best,
Guan