Answers, I Have Answers!

So many answers that you may be sorry that you ever asked the questions.

Here goes:

1.) Are there any identifiable differences between Frau Hutten and Frau Schmitt?

ANSWER:  These are two different characters?  Oh my I am in trouble.  Frau Schmitt is tall?  No, no…I remember F. Hutten is ashamed of her drunken husband and has almost had enough.  While F. Schmitt is the humorless wife of the whimsical Herr Schmitt and together they have the fat and listless daughter…something with an E…Elsa?…and has almost had enough.  Night and day.  Apples and Oranges.

2.) If you were a ship, what kind of ship would you be? (I’d be a tugboat…I like to be helpful.)

ANSWER:  Easy–a swan in the love canal.  (I have a graceful neck).  Or The Minnow (because I get lost a lot).

3.) Is the shipboard society an accurate microcosm of society on the whole?

ANSWER:  Nope.  Have you noticed that everyone on this boat is white…and boring (except you Miss Treadwell–hugs!)

4.) Where’s Bebe?

ANSWER:  Oh my gosh that is not a pork chop!

5.) How much wood would a woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood? (That one always get me. I would guess a lot.)

ANSWER:  By chuck do you mean throw…because I don’t really think a woodchuck has the elbows or shoulders for high quality chucking of any kind.

Back to the ship!

Jon

A Few Questions To Ponder

Deepest apologies for not posting recently. This week has kept me crazy busy. So much so, that I have actually not read a page recently, but during our visit last week I couldn’t help but notice that I am considerably further along in the book then you are. So, consider this some catch-up time.

While you read, I thought you might like some food for thought. So here are a few questions that have been kicking around my mind as I read:

1.) Are there any identifiable differences between Frau Hutten and Frau Schmitt?

2.) If you were a ship, what kind of ship would you be? (I’d be a tugboat…I like to be helpful.)

3.) Is the shipboard society an accurate microcosm of society on the whole?

4.) Where’s Bebe?

5.) How much wood would a woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood? (That one always get me. I would guess a lot.)

Yours in a ponder,
Justin

Landlubberly

Justin, my dear twin, once again you are re-writing history (other (in)famous Justin history re-writes: the bubble blowing contest in which I schooled you, your insistence in believing that space aliens caused the fall of the Berlin Wall).  In your last post you quoted a conversation we had recently, here’s the tail end…

Justin: Super-Duper.
Jon: Yup, yup, yup.

I believe that  shortly after the aforementioned “yup, yup, yup” I went on to discuss my philosophy of art and love (here’s a reminder…they both include lots of glitter) and you ended the conversation with a monologue on the purpose of a young poet in the cornfields of Iowa (you, twin, can make the sestina culturally relevant again!).

Pretty deep…I think we’d fit in mighty nice on that ship.

My post today is focused on Porter’s use (or abuse) of the word landlubber (and its (much) lesser used proverb cousin “landlubberly”).  When I first encountered this word I thought to myself, “Interesting use of a little known word, Miss Porter.”  But she keeps using it…here’s an example:

News dispatches were rather nautical in character and the movements of ships unknown to landlubbers were thought worth mentioning…

…and now I’m pretty sure that Katherine Anne Porter is a pirate.

Argh!  I wonder if she’ll make some walk the plank (matey).

Well I’m off,

Jon

A Philosophical Moment

I have to admit…I sort of forgot who’s turn it was to post.

Over the last few days, as I’ve been industriously reading away at Ship of Fools, I’ve been logging onto the blog looking at the number of posts, statistics, etc, and each day I’ve  been wondering what has been taking you so long to get on the ball and add your latest thoughts. Well, today, I actually logged onto the blog itself, and lo and behold it was actually my turn to post. (Not only that, but you had posted twice!)

Well, egg on my face.

Anyway, I have been reading away like a mad man, I’m now about exactly half through the book and (**Spoiler Alert**) they’re still on the boat. In fact, I think they’ve traveled roughly 5 miles in the last 60 pages…at this rate they should reach Bremerhaven by roughly page 1376.

Anyway in my reading, I’ve noticed something funny. Do you realize how almost every conversation the characters have is full of profound, philosophical statements. As a study in contrasts look at a recent conversation that you and I had compared to a snippet of a conversation from the book. 

Jon: Hey, how’s it going.
Justin: Not too shabby. How about yourself?
Jon: Oh, I’d rate myself one step above okey-dokey.
Justin: Super-Duper.
Jon: Yup, yup, yup. 

Now here’s the level of conversation on the boat:

“No,” said Jenny, “to be unfaithful once is to be unfaithful once, and you can be repentant and get back in the fold just like an old-fashioned Methodist. I used to have a lover…who always said he never realized how much he loved me except when he was being unfaithful to me. There’s a flaw in that doctrine…but I was never able to convince him.” (168)

In response: 

“Love, he said, was a benevolent passion, full of patient kindness and fostering tenderness, faithful not by choice nor design but by nature, hardy and lasting, full of courage.” (168)

And this is a conversation between two people who have just met. Not since Pacey met Dawson have two characters fallen so easily into philosophical (and verbose) conversation.

Well, enough about that. Back to the boat.

Justin

Ping Pong Ding Dong!

I finally got to the infamous ping pong scene which you wrote about oh so long ago.  At first I was like “Bo-ring.  There’s about as much sexual chemistry here as there is between Paul Lynde and Mary LaRoche in Bye, Bye Birdie” (i.e. not a lot).  Then came the double entendres and the passionate hand kiss…and well, I was sent.  (Hand kisses really ring my bell…ding-a-ling-ling!).

Other than that my only reactions were discomfort at the Captain’s dinner table when everyone was aghast that Freytag doesn’t eat pork.  Not exactly a picture of tolerance, these ocean-travellers.

On a slightly related note here is a picture of tolerance:

The Bench Says It All

http://www.flickr.com/photos/glsims99/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

It’s from Flickr, taken by glsims99.

Until next time,
Jon

Quell Surpise

Hold on a second and let me get pretend to be surprised that your favorite character is the only animal on the boat.  You did after all make me read The Wind in the Willows.  Why I bet the only thing that could make Bebe more likeable to you was if he wore a monocle and drove a roadster…now that would be a story!

I like Jenny.

But I agree that all the characters are still confusing (and putting similarly named characters in the same room…David and Denny–what?!).  I’ve stopped trying to tie them to any back story I may already know.  I just enjoy each little vignette for what its worth and if I remember any traits of the characters that have previously been mentioned…why that is just frosting on the cake.  (mmm, frosting).

I’ve been cococting my own Ship of Fools backstory.   Since everyone on this journey has a back story filled with drama (no one’s just like, “I’m on vacation…look at that sea gull!”).  I’d be a young librarian on my way to rebuild Germany’s libraries after World War II.  Trying to leave behind memories of my broken heart…only to find my ex-lover(s) on the ship.  This boat is too small for us both Herr Glocken!  I won’t let you hurt me anymore Graf!  I miss your oily skin and double chins my sweet, sweet Elsa!

Dramatic, no?

I enjoyed that you slipped in just how far you were in the book and I admit that you are a bit further ahead (I still haven’t found the pingpong part!)  But I’m making good progress.

I’m working on themes found in this book…here’s what I’ve got so far

1. Travelling sucks.
2. Take airplanes.

It’s a work in progress.

Until next time…

Jon

Playing Favorites

That, Twinner, is an interesting question you pose:

Who is my favorite character?

After giving this much thought, making a thorough review of the 177 pages I’ve read so far, and revisiting the handy-dandy roster of characters in the front portion of the book, I have come to this conclusion:

Bebe.

That’s right, the Hutten’s seasick bulldog.

I can identify with his inability to gather his bearings, his desire to please, and his occasional bouts of seasickness. That and the dog is really the only character I can accurately remember in this sea of Fraus and Herrs, Captains, and Doctors.

Ship of Fools is sort of the novelistic equivalent of a Where’s Waldo illustration. Only, I don’t know who Waldo is or what he looks like, and he’s not wearing his eye-catching stocking cap. Each page is packed with so much detail (some enlightening, some extraneous) that I don’t know what I am supposed to be taking away from each episode.

But that’s my problem and not yours. 

Amid the ocean of detail I did come across what perhaps has been my favorite line in the book so far:

“Stop tying everything up in your neat little bowknots!”

The funny thing is, I say the exact same thing when I get frustrated.

Justin

Your Welcome, The 80s, and Twins

Hallo hallo!

First off you’re welcome for the trip down memory lane…I remember many a night we spent in our shared bedroom in Slater reminiscing about Mother’s Tea memories (”Oh how I to-ed and fro-ed…and away I went!” and “The tea was a delight, such weather!  such teacakes!”–and then I’d be like “Justin we have to go back to college tomorrow…time for sleep.”) that I thought you might appreciate another return visit.

Second, it’s funny that Mr. T haunts your reading of Ship of Fools for me its another 80s icon, Max Headroom

Max Headroom

“Herr Glocken’s head appeared between the l-l-l-long curtains. Long curtains.”

And how about me randomly picking a second (!) book that features twins in this blog about twins reading.  Amazing no?  First it was the ninety-six twins of Huxley’s dystopic Brave New World and now Ric and Rac–that troublesome twosome of Lola’s wreaking havoc with their high sea shenanigans.

What a happy coincidence.

So do you have any favorite characters (goodness knows there’s plenty to choose from!).

My favorites right now are the abovementioned Herr Glocken and Herr Graf, the invalid, and his angry nephew Johann…what’s up with them?

Well I’ll read on now and find out,

Jon

I Pity the “Fools”

Thank you for that trip down memory lane with your colorful invocation of the Annual Mother’s Tea. I remember many an afternoon practicing polkas and other traditional dances. I remember my moving rendition of “Heel and Toe, and Away We Go” brought a tear to many eye.

Perhaps, I missed my true calling in life. I could have had quite the career as a professional folk dancing. I could have done for folk dancing what Beyonce has done for pop music.

I have a Ship of Fools-related confession to make. Ever since you’ve picked this title, I read the title and I instantly think of Mr T saying “I pity this Ship of Fools.” From there it went to imaging Mr. T summarizing key plot points (e.g. “I pity the fool who takes a boat from Veracruz to Bremerhaven” or “I pity the fool who forced La Condesa into exile”).

But now, it’s gotten a bit out of out hand, I now imagine  Mr. T’s voice reading the entire book. This has lead me to two thoughts:

1.) I spend a lot of time while reading this book pitying fools.
2.) Mr T. should think of a second career as an audiobook performer. (In my imagining his reading of Mrs. Treadwell is absolutely heartbreaking.)

Well, I best get back to the Ship. Here’s wishing you smooth sailing.

Justin

To and Fro and Away We Go

Your last mention of to-ing and fro-ing has transported me back 20+ years to a beautiful spring day in Slater.  It’s first grade and the students of Slater Elementary are hosting the mother’s tea–celebrating our maternal affection through a series of circle dances.

Actually when you mentioned the narrative to and fro-ing it made me think of the gentle undulations of a sea voyage…the narrative reinforces the very journey the characters are on…Miss Porter you are a genius!

I haven’t got to the ping pong match, but I for one find table tennis to be inherently erotic…just like head cheese.  But I was surprised to find out that little Lizzi had any kind of romance on the ship…Jenny love’s description of her was less than kind:

…the discouraged face with the double chin, the crease of fat like a goiter at the base of the throat, the oily skin, the faded gray eyes without the light of spirit, the dull thick hair, the heavy haunches, the gross ankles.

Gee Jenny love, you forgot her hunched back and love of bell-ringing (because that description makes here sound like Quasimodo–but I guess even Quasi had his Esmerelda.  Note:  I’m citing the Disney musical movie and not the actual book, which I haven’t read).

And how can ankles be gross?

Oh I just realized that I got Lizzi mixed up with Elsa–who the hell is Lizzi?

This description reminded me of Aldous Huxley’s less than kind description of Linda in Brave New World.

I’ve just got to the part where they leave Cuba…in case you want to know so you don’t give anything too good away (i.e.  things involving ping pong).

Best,

Jon