Listening, learning, living.

Or loving, laughing, whatever.

Either we are eating more around here, or just finding ways to dirty more dishes, because lately it seems like I spend a lot of my time washing dishes. Normally I don't mind this, as washing dishes is the sole household chore I don't actively hate (I think because it's connected with food; outside of food preparation and service purposes, I just don't understand the appeal of "clean," and never have) and I usually have a book on tape to keep me company. The last such book (after the travesties that were The Age of Innocence and The Historian) was Thomas Hardy's classic The Mayor of Casterbridge, and man, do I love old Thomas Hardy. I can thumbnail the plot: young man gets drunk at county fair and tries to sell off wife and child as a joke, but another man takes him up on the offer. Years later, wife and child return to the area after the death of the man who "bought" her, to see how the first man is getting on. Quite well, it turns out: he's the mayor of Casterbridge and a merchant of some repute. Soon after their arrival and reunion, however, the mayor's fortunes start to take a turn for the worse, and various community kerfuffles and tragedies ensue. The plots are really not the point of Thomas Hardy's novels; his characters and his turn of phrases are. Consider this zinger, when he's describing a run-down part of town:

"It was the hiding-place of those who were in distress, and in debt, and trouble of every kind. Farm-labourers and other peasants, who combined a little poaching with their farming, and a little brawling and bibbing with their poaching, found themselves sooner or later in Mixen Lane. Rural mechanics too idle to mechanize, rural servants too rebellious to serve, drifted or were forced into Mixen Lane."

It made for good listening, but when it was done, I found I was without a book on tape, but still had dirty dishes. I went looking for NPR but I couldn't find it on the FM tuner (or they were playing classical music on the regular station) so I switched over to AM and spent most of the last week listening to conservative talk radio. Oh, my. That WAS educational. I normally hit the times when either Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity were talking, and of course the burning story of the week was Arizona's new immigration law. I know NOTHING about Arizona's immigration law, and I can't say I'm much further ahead after listening to radio programs about it. But I will say this: forget Limbaugh. He's just out there, and the more his callers were out there, the more he liked them. But Hannity? Hannity's dangerous. Hannity almost makes sense, and if he was your sole source for the news, I'm sure he'd make total sense.

It was an education (combined with a fascinating article about Sarah Palin in last week's New York Magazine); I did a lot of thinking about politics last week. Suffice it to say that this week I got Thomas Hardy's novel Tess of the D'urbervilles from the library on tape, and can retreat to that. Thank goodness for Thomas Hardy.

Comments

[lesbrarian]

I LOVE THOMAS HARDY.

My first introduction to him came when I read Tess of the d'Urbervilles, thinking it would be cool to pun my name as Jess of the d'Urbervilles. After finding out how Tess fared, I decided that maybe wasn't such a hot idea after all. But he's just awesome, all convoluted sentences and depressing storylines. You might like his poetry, too.

First Penelope Fitzgerald, now Thomas Hardy. We're on a roll.

[Ruthiella]

I was wondering how you could listen to books on tape while doing dishes. It takes me about 10 minutes max to do dishes...but I typically don't cook much and I don't eat breakfast or lunch at home during the work week.

Here is my major problem with books on tape, which I have listened to on a few road trips: My mind wanders and miss parts. Then I have to back track. Then my mind wanders again.

I have never read any Hardy. A couple of people recommended "Tess of the D'urbervilles" to me and I tried to read it once or twice, but could never get into it.

[Citizen Reader]

Lesbrarian,
See, common ground. I knew we'd find it. And I'm so glad it's Penelope Fitzgerald and Thomas Hardy.

Well, I know the story of Tess (and I know the part when I'm going to want to holler, don't go in the woods with him, Tess, bad move!) and it's a downer, but I'm looking forward to it all the same.

You should totally still go by Jess of the d'Urbervilles. Very catchy.

Ruthiella,
Well, we don't have a dishwasher, and you'd be surprised at how many dishes two people can make. Especially with Mr. CR around--he's not a big "rinse the glass you were using to put something else in it" kind of guy. Not wanting to rinse and re-use a milk glass I understand, but juice and water? Come on.

My sister said something very similar the other day, about her mind wandering. Actually, I think I'm used to this, as sometimes my mind wanders while I'm physically reading too, although I do keep reading. I do sometimes miss things this way, but by and large I still get the gist, and a lot of the time the gist is more than enough for me.

I wouldn't start with Tess. What I'd do is see if I couldn't get a BBC production of one of his books--maybe Under the Greenwood Tree--and then maybe start with something like "Far from the Madding Crowd," which is pretty accessible. You also have to be in a classics mood--the writers from back then definitely had a more measured pace.

[Venta]

The only time I've ever used cliff notes was in high school when I had too read "The Return of the Native." When I was in college, I felt I had to atone for the cliff notes incident. I read every Thomas Hardy I could get my hands on. After a while I was in such despair, my friends begged me to take a break from Thomas Hardy. You have inspired me to read him again - this time without guilt. Have a great weekend, CR!

[Rachael]

Ooooh, that's the story of the Mayor of Casterbridge? Hmm, will have to pick up some Hardy some time soon.

Selling spouses and children. Hmm. Never would have guessed.