Narrators

So my sister pointed out that JK Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series, calls Cassandra Mortmain (narrator of I Capture the Castle) "one of the most charismatic narrators I've ever met." I agree that as a narrator, her voice is light, witty and appealing. She makes the book fun to read, to be sure, and is definitely a narrator one would like to hear more from.

My sister incorrectly stated that Rowling called her one of the most important narrators in modern literature. That I would disagree with. Cassandra is an enjoyable character, but she is not a narrator that changed the book or the world. This has gotten me thinking--who are some of the great narrators? Is Nelly Dean in Wuthering Heights a significant enough narrator. Perhaps, but certainly not the most important in modern literature. Humbert Humbert from Lolita? We're getting there. Any narrator who can nearly convince the reader that his peculiar case of pedophilia is love has to be considered important. Nick Carraway? The Gatsby narrator is remarkable in my personal literary history. The clearly skewed narration was the first time I realized I'd have to question what I read from first person narrators. But the most important in literary history? Holden Caulfield has to be considered. The voice that moved generations of angst ridden teenagers must be included on this kind of list. Or Ellis' Invisible Man? Surely his hard-edged, underground story would not be the same through someone else's eyes.

Then there are the important third person narrators. Joyce's shifting perspectives in Portrait of the Artist make his omniscient third person a narrator to be reckoned with. Consider Austen's satiric, snarky drawing room comedies. Her third person narrator had voice, something that cannot be said of many third person narrations of the time.

So I'm not sure who I find to be the most important narrator of modern literature. Or, really, what modern literature includes. But thank you, Kat, for giving me this to ponder. What do you think? Who are your most important and influential narrators?

"Books are for people who wish they were somewhere else."--Mark Twain

So I've begun a blog. All the cool kids have one, so I thought I'd try it out. As I'm sure you know, I am enjoying my first summer off since 1998. It is awesome. As I'm sure you also know, I love to read. I love books more than I love most people. Possibly all people. So, I am starting a blog about books. It will be a way for me to record my musings on the things that I read, and help me start writing again.

So, without further ado.....

The first book I read this summer was Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. I have to say, I was pretty disappointed. I had heard good things about it from students and from friends, and while it was definitely some fun one-night brain candy, it did not change my life as I anticipated. It was a cheesy young adult book, but not even the best cheesy young adult book I've read lately (which would have to be the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series). The characters seemed to lack motivation. She loved him because he was hot. He loved her because...he wanted to drink her blood? Maybe it's just my ambivalence towards anything involving vampires, but I just wasn't feeling this book. I bought the sequel when I bought this one, thinking I'd be so engrossed I'd HAVE to finish it. Now, I can't really decide if I want to even bother with it. I finished Twilight in less than 12 hours, so I can't imagine the sequel will take much longer. It might be a good beach book.

The second book I've finished since school ended was I Capture the Castle. This was definitely the kind of book I wanted to begin my summer with. It had a Jane Austen quality, with a narrator that I definitely loved. 17 year-old Cassandra Mortmain is keeping a journal of her and her family's everyday experiences in their run down castle during the 30s in England. Her voice was fantastic--a mix of Harriet the Spy and Elizabeth from Pride and Prejudice. I was disappointed, at first, because I wanted it to be a true, Bronte-esque love story. But it wasn't. I finished it this afternoon and couldn't decide how I felt about the ending. I've since decided that I loved it. Smith could have easily opted for the schmaltzy ending, but chose the realistic one. It was light, but thought provoking and made me want to read and write.

Now I've moved on to Mansfield Park. I've always wanted to read more Austen. As of right now, I've only read Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion completely. Definitely left me with a taste for some Austen or Jane Eyre, so I'm definitely looking forward to finishing this one.

Any recommendations?