a film version of Cassandra Darke
so I can add it to my long list of Scrooge favorites.
TO DO LIST for a fun start to the New Year: First, go ahead and read Cassandra Darke while it's still wintry outside. It won't take long, and it will inspire you "to keep Christmas in your heart all the year."
Next, take a look at these books and movies, in which Posy Simmonds -- cartoonist, illustrator, and writer extraordinaire -- re-enlivens Emma Bovary and Bathsheba Everdene. In her clever and crafty retelling of each story, Simmonds shifts their 19th century troubles into conflicts more pertinent and accessible -- and entertaining! -- to a 21st century audience.
Project #1
read Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert (1856)
watch the film -- so many good versions, pick one or more
read Gemma Bovery the graphic novel by Posy Simmonds (1999)
watch the film (2014)
Project #2
read Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy (1874)
watch the film --so many good versions, pick one or more
read Tamara Drewe the graphic novel by Posy Simmonds (2005)
watch the film (2010)
Extra Credit Project
No Posy Simmonds tie - in for this one,
but still a most enjoyable sequence:
read Emma by Jane Austen (1815)
watch one of the many good versions of the film
watch Clueless (1995)
I do have one quibble about the email that the juvenile delinquents send from Tamara Drewe's laptop. The subsequent action depends entirely on all three recipients knowing that all three of them have received the message. But look at the drawing: Andy has been bcc'd -- meaning that he would NOT know about the other two and the other two would not know about him. How could clever Posy Simmonds make such a crucial mistake -- and her editors let her down like this? My guess is that Simmonds thought the drawing would have a cute symmetrical look with one guy's name on each line of the email header, without stopping to think that it wouldn't make sense that way.
In the movie, it doesn't matter, because we hear the event described in conversation; but in the book, seeing the "bcc" totally botches the meaning. Has anyone else noticed? I can't find any reference to it as a "blooper," not even in this otherwise thorough review of the book:
"Jody opens up Tamara’s email and – drunk – addresses an email to Ben, Nick and Andy, subject: ‘Love’, text: ‘I want to give you the biggest shagging of your life’. And before petrified Casey can stop her, Jody presses send. Because she cc-ed the others, all three can see the message was sent to the other two as well as themselves."No! Incorrect! This description does NOT reflect what the drawing indicates. I'd feel better if the reviewer [Simon at astrofella] had read the text carefully enough to detect the error, as I did. Instead, it seems that he and perhaps most readers simply make a mental correction and move right along -- or maybe don't notice it at all.
In addition to overlooking the "bcc" mistake, Simon refers to Tamara as being on the phone to her mother, which can't be right because her mother is dead! I'm curious to read his long reivews of Gemma Bovery and Cassandra Darke, but I shall proceed wary of unreliable narration and less than careful attention to detail!
On the topic of carelessness, language blogger Brandon Robshaw [here's a good one] was recently calling out the error of referring to suffragist Emmeline Pankhurst as "Emily."
My thoughts in response: "Brandon, like you, I am a watchdog for sexism; but in this case, I might attribute the error to sheer carelessness.
"Emmeline Pankhurst was real, and deserves to be called by her name. Yet, even in fiction, such carelessness is frustrating. I recently read an otherwise well – written novel that confuses “Cc” and “Bcc” as methods of sending an email, although the plot twist depends on who has seen which email. Apparently neither author nor editor nor proofreader (nor numerous tolerant readers) understand or care that a “Bcc” message would not reveal every other recipient. Careless!
"Searching for some commentary on this rather important mistake and its impact on the subplot, I read a serious review that glosses glibly over the “Bcc” error; and — insult to injury –goes on to refer to a deceased character as alive and speaking on the telephone. Careless, careless!
"As careful readers, I think we may underestimate the very high tolerance for carelessness."
Brandon: "Agreed: carelessness is infuriating to the careful."
