These are the archived discussions. To participate in active "Talk Literature" discussions go to the
homepage of ReadLiterature
Back To "Talk Literature" Archives
Jeannette Winterson "Boating for Beginners"
Posted by Michael Sympson on 19/9/2001, 23:56:36
If you read the author's remarks on her own webpage, then "Boating for Beginners" is supposed to be a pot-boiler, written for the money in the time of dearth before her "Oranges are not the only Fruit" finally saw the light of day. Should this be true, then Ms. Winterson is even a greater talent than I had given her credit for. The book is a riot, truly funny, over the mantelpiece looms Voltaire's scathing sarcasm. Of course there are some purely British insider jokes, and since we are at it let's give the media a bit of a flak too. It is the wonderful world of glittering tears and hallelujah-burgers from Genesis all the way to the latest televangelists. Praise the Lord! (And it is true: you CAN get your orgasms in a supermarket.)
Ms. Winterson sparkles with angular twists and turns and a seemingly inexhaustible supply of ideas and jabs, but to the readers pleasant surprise, it all falls into place, and a real story among "real" people develops characters we recognize, even in this warped apparition from a
parallel universe. Talent, fantasy and the language, if an author has this - and Ms. Winterson has it in abundance - then even potboilers turn out to be a delight to read; in fact it may even turn out
better than more ambitious projects where an author can be a tat too conscious of what she or he
is trying to do. (Yes, you guessed it, I am thinking of Ms. Winterson's "Gut Symmetries.") For the seeker of "profound ideas": the book develops the premise: "What would happen if we
took Northrop Frye seriously and used his method as a prescription of how to write narratives?"
Anyway: it is a pleasure to look into the workings of a rare talent. If this book really had been
produced in such a haste, as Ms. Winterson claims, than it is the most transparent sample from
her workshop so far - and I must say, the most appealing, despite her tremendous "Sexing the Cherry." If you like Douglas Adams' "Hitchhiker," then you are in for a treat, because this here is way better, and a good starting point to explore Ms. Winterson's work. Thing is: the book is only sporadically available in the US. and Winterson"s own US-publisher doesn"t even mention its existence. Why? You tell me!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Posted by Lale on 24/9/2001, 16:51:20, in reply to "Jeannette Winterson "Boating for Beginners""
It is amazing. Even though Jeannette Winterson was able to secure her own entry in Encyclopedia Britannica (not a mere mention in "Year Book", or "A Year in Literature" kind of collective entries), you cannot get any of her books through amazon.com or amazon.co.uk. Strange.
b. Aug. 27, 1959, Manchester, Eng.
British novelist noted for her quirky, unconventional, and often comic novels.
Educated at St. Catherine's College, Oxford, Winterson held various jobs while working on her writing. Her first novel, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit (1985), won a Whitbread Award as that year's best first novel. It concerns the relationship between a young lesbian and her adoptive mother, a religious fanatic. The Passion (1987), her second work, is a picaresque historical novel that chronicles the adventures of Villanelle, an enslaved Venetian woman who is rescued by Henri, a cook from Napoleon's army. Attempting to reach Venice, the two travel through Russia in winter.
Winterson's other novels include Sexing the Cherry (1989); Written on the Body (1992); Art and Lies (1994), about dehumanization and the absence of love in society; and Gut Symmetries (1997). Art Objects: Essays on Ecstasy and Effrontery, which covers various topics such as Gertrude Stein, modern literature, and lesbianism, was published in 1995. She also wrote screenplays for television.
Copyright © 1994-2000 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Posted by Michael Sympson on 24/9/2001, 19:19:25, in reply to "Re: Jeannette Winterson "Boating for Beginners""
Must be a cock-up by Amazon. When you go by title, you find all her books. "Oranges are not the only fruit," Written on the Body," Sexing the Cherry," Gut Symmetries," "The passion," "Art Objects" etc. - all there.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Posted by lale on 24/9/2001, 20:15:32, in reply to "Re: Jeannette Winterson "Boating for Beginners""
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~