Things I learned from Gene Stratton Porter today

[ailbhe]

Oirishness is genetic; there's a gene which controls accent and idiom which overrides upbringing and education entirely. To be sure to be sure. Also, Irish men admire bravery more than anything else in a woman (what?) and Irish character traits are also, like accent and idiom, genetic.

And admirable, so that's nice.

I'm glad this wasn't the first GSP I read. I might never have discovered "A Girl of the Limberlost" or "The Keeper Of The Bees" (was that why Atticus called Scout Scout in "To Kill A Mockingbird"?).

Comments

[helenprev.livejournal.com]

Crumbs. I've only read "Girl of the Limberlost" of hers, and only discovered that because my grandmother gave me her copy when I was about 10. I absolutely love that one.

You are admirable. But not in a 'just because you are Irish' sort of way... *grin*

[ailbhe]

She wrote the novels under duress; my understanding is that her books of proper nature-study stuff were only published on condition she also produced novels. But they are all lovely. The lunches in "Girl of the Limberlost" are always with me.

I think there was another one about, I am feeling vague, hungry grass? a garden with blue grass? a small child hungry for love? I'm really not sure.

[jane-dark.livejournal.com]

GSP is a combo of lovely and frustrating for me; I grew up loving Girl of the Limberlost, all the more so because GSP was a distant family relation, and it was only as an adult that I looked at Freckles, and could see the exaggerated Irish thing as problematic.

And then I found this article (http://www.nybooks.com/articles/22243), about her take on the Chinese and Japanese, and was horrified.

Apologies for the driveby comment; I used to blog on LJ more than I do, but I still love your writing.

[ailbhe]

Gosh, that's quite an article. I've only skimmed it. I think my favourite might be the Keeper of the Bees, really.