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spare living
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From: Pat Enciso <enciso.4>
Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1998 14:39:06 -0500
Dear CCBC-net writers and lurkers, I have been following the discussion of Cynthia Rylant's work with great interest, not only because I admire the depth and breadth of the discussants' insights, but also because Rylant's work has truly astonished me over the years. Like many of you I find in her writing a clarity of imagery and emotion that is unsurpassed in children's literature.
I wanted to hear about other people's perceptions of Rylant's portrayal of Appalachian living, particularly her descriptions of "spare living." I use the term spare living because, for me, Rylant always describes children and their loved ones who are aware of the sprawl of goods and money found in cities and communities with seemingly endless economic resources; but her characters are not constantly longing for those goods so much as they are attending to the needs of one another and the inner lives that grow out of looking hard for something that matters to you. Her characters look hard and long. Their answers do not come easily; they are not found on shelves. The center of their world is outside of the "mainstream" world of advertisements, ToysRus, and shopping malls.
This is not to say that the hardship of poverty, especially evident in the minimal resources children have for schooling and access to healthcare, goes unmentioned in her stories and poetry. What I find especially compelling about her work is the way she expresses the real sense of desire felt by her characters (I am reminded of May's desire for a store bought dress for her little girl; and Ellie's list of the wonderful gifts she might give her Christmas "match" if she were able to spend more than fifty cents; or the young family's caring, but direct statements to their daughter that it would be difficult to pay for food if they kept their stray cat) while dignifying their every effort to make the world whole, safe, and connected for one another.
Waiting to Waltz spoke to me when I first read those wonderful descriptions of Beaver, because it reflected the small Ohio town buildings, doings,and one-light way of getting through streets that I grew up with. I remember having long conversations with my brothers and sisters about whether or not we were poor. We knew about poor, we thought. OUr great aunt made our dresses (really old?shioned fabrics from Carolina mills), we didn't have shiny new furniture or shiny new shoes, our coats always fit better two years later, and we lived out in the country. Meanwhile, our basis of comparison lived up the road in a brand new home they had custom-built, they had lots of new clothes, new books, and always did well in school. One of the girls even had tons of makeup on her bedroom shelf, not to mention her own bedroom. That was rich.
Children compare themselves to one another when they are together and when they read about other children in books. Rylants images of children living in rural, Appalachian towns helps children grasp the complex relationship between having things and having a life. Rarely is this expressed in books for children in such beautiful prose.
I'd love to hear what others of you think of this aspect of Rylant's writing.
Pat Enciso
************************************* Patricia Enciso * The Ohio State University * School of Teaching and Learning * 205 Arps Hall * 1945 N. High St. Columbus, OH 43210 *
* 614h8B88 (office) * 614)2v95 (fax) * enciso.4 at osu.edu *
*
*************************************
Received on Tue 21 Jul 1998 02:39:06 PM CDT
Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1998 14:39:06 -0500
Dear CCBC-net writers and lurkers, I have been following the discussion of Cynthia Rylant's work with great interest, not only because I admire the depth and breadth of the discussants' insights, but also because Rylant's work has truly astonished me over the years. Like many of you I find in her writing a clarity of imagery and emotion that is unsurpassed in children's literature.
I wanted to hear about other people's perceptions of Rylant's portrayal of Appalachian living, particularly her descriptions of "spare living." I use the term spare living because, for me, Rylant always describes children and their loved ones who are aware of the sprawl of goods and money found in cities and communities with seemingly endless economic resources; but her characters are not constantly longing for those goods so much as they are attending to the needs of one another and the inner lives that grow out of looking hard for something that matters to you. Her characters look hard and long. Their answers do not come easily; they are not found on shelves. The center of their world is outside of the "mainstream" world of advertisements, ToysRus, and shopping malls.
This is not to say that the hardship of poverty, especially evident in the minimal resources children have for schooling and access to healthcare, goes unmentioned in her stories and poetry. What I find especially compelling about her work is the way she expresses the real sense of desire felt by her characters (I am reminded of May's desire for a store bought dress for her little girl; and Ellie's list of the wonderful gifts she might give her Christmas "match" if she were able to spend more than fifty cents; or the young family's caring, but direct statements to their daughter that it would be difficult to pay for food if they kept their stray cat) while dignifying their every effort to make the world whole, safe, and connected for one another.
Waiting to Waltz spoke to me when I first read those wonderful descriptions of Beaver, because it reflected the small Ohio town buildings, doings,and one-light way of getting through streets that I grew up with. I remember having long conversations with my brothers and sisters about whether or not we were poor. We knew about poor, we thought. OUr great aunt made our dresses (really old?shioned fabrics from Carolina mills), we didn't have shiny new furniture or shiny new shoes, our coats always fit better two years later, and we lived out in the country. Meanwhile, our basis of comparison lived up the road in a brand new home they had custom-built, they had lots of new clothes, new books, and always did well in school. One of the girls even had tons of makeup on her bedroom shelf, not to mention her own bedroom. That was rich.
Children compare themselves to one another when they are together and when they read about other children in books. Rylants images of children living in rural, Appalachian towns helps children grasp the complex relationship between having things and having a life. Rarely is this expressed in books for children in such beautiful prose.
I'd love to hear what others of you think of this aspect of Rylant's writing.
Pat Enciso
************************************* Patricia Enciso * The Ohio State University * School of Teaching and Learning * 205 Arps Hall * 1945 N. High St. Columbus, OH 43210 *
* 614h8B88 (office) * 614)2v95 (fax) * enciso.4 at osu.edu *
*
*************************************
Received on Tue 21 Jul 1998 02:39:06 PM CDT
