Classics Narrated

 

The difference between the almost right word & the right word is really a large matter--it's the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.
- Mark Twain, Letter to George Bainton, 10/15/1888; ref. twainquotes.com. 

Twain is no longer here to speak for himself, except through his work; as he's provided words for me to use, I'll try to say something on his behalf (amazing effrontery, but one can only try...)

We just passed the twenty-fifth observation of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. January 2011 also saw a great deal of media coverage over a sanitized version of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from NewSouth Books, which substitutes the word "slave" for the "N-word." We have a black President. "What's in a name? A rose by any other name would smell as sweet..."

As a narrator who has recorded two of Twain's works so far, I agree with the legion of literary critics who've praised his "ear," that is, his scrupulous attention to rendering text, especially dialogue. He gets his jokes right, his timing right, and also his moving emotional passages. This was no hothouse flower of a literary gentleman, but the most popular lecturer of his day, the forerunner of our stand-up comics. He knew audience response first hand, and considered posterity, delaying publication of his unabridged Autobiography until 100 years after his death. Through most of his career, Twain revised and rewrote diligently, and was very far from letting a key word slip in through negligence. (That Autobiography is different, as it was virtually a stream-of-consciousness meandering monologue dictated to a secretary, late in life, not the careful composition of earlier work. By then, Twain perhaps was overly impressed with his own genius.)

 

Any book that's actually read is more than the author's contribution; the reader's response is the rest of the phenomenon, and to the extent that a story remains memorable and popular, it influences its culture. Consider the cultural competition: by now, the silent film "Birth of a Nation" is in itself a dead letter, but as the greatest hit of the silent movie era, expressed very directly the view that Reconstruction was a terrible error, "miscegenation" a fate worse than death, and black people a lower form of life. Still vibrant, and more insidious in its racism, "Gone With the Wind," romanticized the plantation system, and showed black people as subservient (more or less capable, but always dependent) while turning a blind eye to the lash, the noose, and the "bright" slaves that showed the result of white men sexually exploiting black women. Then again, I don't think the "N-word" comes up in it very often.

 

So how does that word function now? In the mouth of a white person, it's awkward at best, a vile insult at worst, or a way for a racist to openly proclaim. Used between blacks, it can operate almost like a lodge recognition sign; we're part of the same group, candid, and unified. Attempts to stretch it are problematic. I recall the scene in the movie "Bulworth," when Halle Berry's character tries to use it to show how righteous Warren Beatty's unhinged senator character has become; or in Bob Fosse's "Lenny," when Dustin Hoffman as Lenny Bruce does an extended ethnic recognition/insult routine, & says sotto voce to a black nightclub patron, "You were almost ready to punch me out, weren't you?" But the Lenny Bruce theory of weakening hate words by common use (as shown in that scene) doesn't work. There's still too much power in them.

 

Which brings me back to Twain, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and the "N-word." His use of that word throughout that novel demonstrated the pervasive, almost unquestioned and unquestionable racism of that time and place (Missouri, circa 1840). Questioning that racism is why the abolitionists were so reviled, North and South. Very few people then could have been unaware that slavery was a fact of life in the North (leaving aside the Northwest Territory) until the early nineteenth century. Slavery was integral to the economic growth of America as long as land was the predominant source of value. The Industrial Revolution started to change that. (For Twain's take on that, we could look at A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.) But history, at least as a story, is malleable, almost quicksilver, influenced not only by the victors of war, but the winners of peace. After the "election" of Rutherford B. Hayes as President, Reconstruction ended, white supremacy returned to the South, and segregationist southern legislators enjoyed disproportionate power in Congress through seniority, the "yellow dog" Democratic voting tradition, and white northern indifference to the plight of black people.

 

The corruption of the administration of Twain's friend U.S. Grant helped to undermine Reconstruction. This helped justify southern "Redemption," the racist terrorism and bullying that would go on for decades in America. It's still unusual to see the words "treason," or "traitors" applied by American historians to Confederates. Amazingly, some contemporary apologists claim Confederates were actually defending the Constitution by fighting for States' Rights.

 

To me, taking the "N-word" out of Huck Finn is lying about the history of America, & the pervasive racism that existed, persisted, & persists to this day, nationwide. "Black codes" & discrimination in the North followed the legal end of slavery there, and set the pattern for segregation & Jim Crow laws in the South. Additionally, post-Civil War vagrancy laws, chain gangs, & other prison labor extended de facto slavery for many southern blacks until the Civil Rights era, with the threat of lynching & race riots ever present (see "Slavery by Another Name," by Douglas A. Blackmon.) Only the Civil Rights movement, with Dr. King as its foremost leader, started to bring equal citizenship to black Americans.

 

Twain avoided combat in the American Civil War. How could he fight for the Union, against childhood friends who probably fought for the Confederacy? How could he fight to support a society's commitment to a system based on legalized kidnapping, murder, assault, extortion, rape, & racism, if he fought for the South? When he went West with his brother, it was to escape that war & find opportunity. Racism came with him, as he reacted to Native Americans with hatred and disgust. Confronting racism came as his imagination developed, finding in the shadows of the sunny boyhood drawn in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, the great comic, dramatic & moral possibilities realized in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

 

The difference between lightning & the lightning bug? Power; like guns, strong language wounds or not, depending on where it's aimed. If lightning is aimed, who's aiming?

 

 

 

 

After almost a month's delay, this podcast is back in action. Lyme disease, rather than the flu, turned out to be the problem. The antibiotics seem to be kicking in now, so, God willing, episodes should resume on a regular basis. Thanks for patience and understanding. -Scott G.

Just a quick note to explain to any subscribers who may trouble to look into why it's been a week since the last episode of Lorna Doone: I've been down with flu, pretty stiff case, but hope to be back in recording mode early next week. Thanks for your patience! - Scott G.

Scott Gadwa

www.classicsnarrated.com

183 Guinevere Ridge

 Cheshire, CT 06410

 203-623-9408 scottgadwa@juno.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 Summer Reading Becomes Summer Listening

Cheshire, Connecticut, July 31, 2007 -- Tired of lugging a heavy book to the pool? Searching for stories the whole family can enjoy on the next vacation road trip? More and more Americans are listening to books via audio podcast - quickly, easily, and in most cases, for free.

Scott Gadwa provides high-quality, family-friendly readings of classic novels and short stories at www.classicsnarrated.com. All readings may be downloaded free of charge from the Classics Narrated website, or from Apple's www.iTunes.com. This website is a strong example of an emerging trend - the use of Apple's iPod and related technologies to stream narrative content at home, at work, and at play. Previous audio book formats were awkward and unwieldy - requiring the listener to carry around and change out multiple disks or cassettes. In addition to its compact size, the new technology allows listeners to subscribe to their favorite podcasts, meaning they can receive regular downloads of new episodes with no extra effort.

All books and short stories on the Classics Narrated website are in the public domain, enabling Scott G. to share these timeless works without charge. Full-length novels Kim and Lorna Doone take the audience on journeys of intrigue and adventure through India under the British Raj, and lawless Restoration England. Driving to New Hampshire? Download The Great Stone Face by Nathaniel Hawthorne, an American parable about the state's beloved icon, the Old Man of the Mountain. Crossing New York's Tappan Zee Bridge? Try The Legend of Sleepy Hollow on your car stereo. More than an entertaining story of a ghost and a love triangle, it paints a vivid picture of early American country life, from schoolroom to harvest feast, in a place that would later lie in the bridge's shadow. The Man Without a Country by Edward Everett Hale explores the meaning of American patriotism, at a time when the country was nearly torn apart. The good old days theme takes a more outrageous turn with O. Henry's The Ransom of Red Chief, where cowboys and Indians fill the imagination of a kidnapped child who turns the tables on his bumbling abductors.

This summer, whether driving to the family reunion, relaxing at the beach, or waiting at the airport, why not catch up on your reading via audio podcast?

Narrator Scott G. studied literature and acting at Brown University, and worked for over a decade in bookselling. His vocal talents are in demand from assorted community organizations, including the Connecticut chapter of Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic and his local church, e.g., as Narrator for congregational retelling of the Passion of Our Lord on Palm Sundays. He was inspired to start podcasting by many years of reading aloud nightly to his two daughters. The Classics Narrated website is a way to share literary gems, many almost forgotten, with a larger audience.

 For more information contact Scott Gadwa at 203-623-9408.

 Website: www.classicsnarrated.com

On www.iTunes.com, use search keywords: "Scott Gadwa"

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Now well in to the story of Lorna Doone, it seems appropriate that something other than my deliberations in choosing this appear to welcome visitors. With the latest episode (vol. 1, chapters 20 & 21) I have started to use chapter markers and additional art. For now, I don't plan to revise previous episodes, but could do so, if listeners want. Within the next day or two, tips for downloading episodes directly from this web page, without visiting iTunes, will appear for PC users. Reports from family members have made it clear that it's not quite as straightforward as it should be. Further information from listeners (still more from visitors who were frustrated in their attempts to download) would be most welcome.

My narration of the last chapter of Kipling's "Kim" has just been released, so a choice on the next major project I undertake is imminent. In the next day or two, I plan to add a note with thoughts on "Kim," and also Hawthorne's "The Great Stone Face," but here's what's mainly on my mind- For those who have been kind enough to listen to my podcast, please let me know if this seems worthwhile: R.D. Blackmore's "Lorna Doone." Here's why it interests me: -First, I had a horrible misconception of what the book is. I thought it was some imitation of Sir Walter Scott, merely derivative. In fact, it's flavor and setting are quite distinct. This is a story of England's West Country, during the Restoration, when the law didn't reach into the far corners of the kingdom, and robber barons were not metaphorical. -Second, nothing to do with cookies, despite Nabisco. The connection must be the prized butter of Devon mentioned in the story, and shortbread. Of course, using real butter in mass-produced cookies would probably leave them stale and rancid, so I credit Nabisco with doing a good job of capturing the taste in their butterless recipe, though the romantic in me is disappointed. -Third, the characters. There is modesty and integrity in both Lorna and Jan Ridd, which made them a pleasure to know. There is also an occasional pungent proverb, showing Jan's strong judgment. -Finally, the language. I had the pleasure of recording part of this book for Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic, Connecticut chapter, and found what seemed to me a "voice" for Jan Ridd, who tells this tale. The accent would be the West Country of England, which seemed to me to fit the "pirate accent" that we know in America from Robert Newton's classic portrayal of Long John Silver in Treasure Island. The rector of our church, an English lady from Somerset, confirmed that. Of course, I'm open to suggestions; please bear in mind that this podcast is limited to works in the public domain (unless you own the rights, in which case I'd be happy to negotiate). Unless persuaded to the contrary, I expect to start podcasting "Lorna Doone" by next Tuesday, May 29th.