Nothing particularly deep to say today. I've been a little tired these days. I'm still in the middle of reading Black Skin, White Masks. Some recent things happening in my life have made me go back to it. Fanon's a genius. BS, WM is a classic when it comes to understanding the ways in which racism influences personal relationships (romantic or otherwise).
I'm also in the middle of Wicked (it fleshes out the backstory of the Wicked Witch of the West, with a sympathetic eye). I'd definitely recommend it. This is the second time I'm reading it. The book has some meaty stuff in terms of the nature of evil and how it sometimes is a matter of perception. (But it goes further than just saying "One man's terrorist is another person's freedom fighter). It realistically fleshes out the world of Oz in terms of politics culture and religion. (The Wizard was a liar who used deception to overthrow Ozma, the legitimate ruler. And in order to concentrate the wealth necessary to actually build an Emerald City or a Yellow Brick road, he then used his power to exploit the neighboring kingdoms and disrupt their ecosystems. Basically the Wizard was a tyrant. The author, Gregory Maguire, also creates several religions for the land Oz. One is a pagan nature-based religion while another is more of an ethical monotheism... in fact, the witch is a "preacher's kid" ). There are also a number of other interesting touches which make the story rather compelling, especially if you are familiar with the original Wizard of Oz.
On deck:
I'm not sure if I'll actually make time to read this, but the other story which has been on my mind these days is M. Butterfly. It is allegedly based on a true story. (I guess truth can be stranger than fiction).
1 comment:
M. Butterfly is a great read. It is a true story, and I believe the play does include references. The whole reverse orientalizing presents just such an interesting way of seeing the colonial presence.
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