Sookie Stackhouse epiphany

SPOILER: I've watched seasons 1, 2, and 3 of True Blood and read the first 8 books. Be warned.

I had an epiphany.

I'm on the ninth book of the Southern Vampire Mysteries series. Which is to say I am currently debating purchasing it, because although my lovely cousin sent me the first eight, I am having a panic attack that I do not have immediate access to all published Sookie material. However, I've been doing a lot of thinking about the difference between the books and the series, and I figured it out.

There are basically two types of POV- first person (I) and third person (she/he). Within third person, there are additional divisions based on which character(s) tell the story, and how much they know versus how much the reader knows. I won't get into it. But I do love the word omniscient. Anyway, I am an avid lover of story, be it in book, short story, movie, or television form. I love getting lost in flawed characters and complicated storylines. This is not the first time I've devoted a serious amount of thought to the difference between books and TV shows/movies. I even took "Novel into Film" at the castle, which had the potential to be a great class, except our crazy Belgian professor sucked. But he was beautiful to look at. I just didn't see much value in watching multiple versions of the Maltese Falcon. I also don't remember doing much actual comparison, concretely, of books versus movies. That doesn't mean it didn't happen. I was living in the Netherlands. It's possible that school was not my number 1 concern. Although actually, that's a lie. I adored my other classes. But the most useful thing I remember was our discussion of the Remains of the Day, and how although both versions were beautiful, the movie paled in comparison to the book.

In any event, I've been scanning True Blood versus Southern Vampire Mysteries forums and it hit me, almost embarrassing in its simplicity. All the changes made when the books were adapted into True Blood happened because the books are first person, and the show is in third person.

Think about it.

In a first person narrative, we're entirely in the narrator's head. We see, hear, think as she sees, hears and thinks. That provides us with a deep understanding of her and her world because the perspective acts almost as a running commentary. We only see other characters through the lens of her description. We only witness events as they happen to her. But in a TV show or movie, that's impossible. I'm sure it's been attempted, or somehow done in some way, but it's still not the same. The closest thing I can think of is Sex and the City. Carrie is in almost every scene. Grey's Anatomy is the  opposite: an ensemble cast.

I imagine that making the transition from first person book to third person TV show must leave a lot of empty space. Which is why they made all the changes. We can't very well have Anna Paquin narrate the entire show in a voiceover, so they had to beef up the other characters. And, in Jessica's case, create new ones.

Think about it. Every change (almost) can be explained by this theory.

1. In SVM, Eric kills Longshadow, but on TB Bill kills him. That way, he can be punished by the magistrate, and forced to create a new vamp, Jessica. More characters, more Bill. 
2. In SVM, Tara's alcoholic crazy mom was a thing of her childhood and she only occasionally appears. On TB, that's all current. More focus on an existing character. More drama. 
3. In SVM, Sam has a fairly simple backstory. On TB, his crazy pants shifter family takes up half of the third season. More Sam. Less Sookie. 
4. Lafayette is explained I think by how awesome he was, and how they wanted to keep him on the show. As for that random guy in his mother's nursing home that he hooks up with, the Wiccan, that all goes back to giving him a story if they wanted to keep him there. 
5. Eric is fantastic. Many people seem upset by his adaptation into the small screen, but I think he's brilliant. Although I did notice, the further along we get, the bigger they try to make him (physically, and storyline-wise). There is a moment in the second season when you realize, Holy Shit, Alexander Skarsgard is like 6'6. 

I won't go through every nuance, but you get the point. All of the changes, well, most of them, seem to be creating bigger, more complex characters to fill in the space left when you take away Sookie's first person narration. I'm happy. Satisfied. 

I also just found out who's playing the witch Hallow in the fourth season, from which I infer that Eric will be cursed and he will get together with Sookie. YES. 

Final notes: 

• The more I read of the books, the more amazing I think Anna Paquin is for portraying Sookie so amazingly. Think about it. The actress is a tiny, pale brunette. 
• I love Eric. Team Eric. 
• I hope the bookstore is still opened. 

XO

This is a post entirely about beautiful boots.

I found the perfect boots. It pays to be picky. Dozens of times over the past year I've been tempted to purchase "cute" boots from Target but I've stopped myself, intent on my belief that I would find THE boots, the boots that, like my black slouchy boots, I felt an instant connection with. It paid off. I had a dream about them on the airplane. Brown, knee-high, western boots. Worn brown leather. Stacked heel. One simple embellishment, nothing gaudy. The picture in my mind was so clear that I was sad when I woke up. 

We were eating at Corky and Lenny's (Jew deli in Cleveland) when I realized that there was TJMaxx next door. I felt a pull, a cosmic, supernatural pull, not unlike the pull Sookie feels towards Eric after she's had his blood. Yes. I went there. I compared my love of boots to a fictional vampire show. Bite me. HAHA I DIDN'T EVEN PLAN THAT. Anyway, while my father was paying the bill (thanks Daddy!) I ran next door and there they were. I tried them on and realized, to my dismay, that the zippers were on the outside. To say I felt deflated would be an understatement. I sank to the floor, and then I saw them... hidden in an unmarked generic brown box marked "size five-and-a-half" with large, scawly sharpie. I knew instinctively that the boots inside were size 8.5 and would fulfill my every footwear desire. I was right. 

Backstreet Boys, Book Club, That One Tough Student (of the day)

Today we had a discussion about the images that surround us in my 8th grade class. One student asked, "Miss, don't you have 200 posters of the Backstreet Boys?" These students have had me for two years, so they clearly know about my former obsession. I explained that now I only have one poster. "Why do you still have one?" they asked. I was honest. I told them that I have an old poster hanging in my study for days when I feel frustrated with teaching, to remind myself of what it was like to be thirteen, to keep myself humble. "Being 13 is easy," one girl said. ... Am I missing something? No... she's just lying...


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S: Miss you like Cee lo? YOU'RE SO COOL. 
L: YES! I also love the Glee version. 
S: I take that back. This conversation never happened. 




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Last period I have a 7th grade book club. Truly, they are wonderful. They're a brilliant, rowdy, mostly-male group and although they have their moments for the most part it's wonderful. Often, I make things worse actually. They are expected to read silently (except while writing or discussing) but they have so many questions, so many wonderful questions, questions that other, more structured classes don't have time to address. So what ends up happening is that I answer their questions, and one, two, nine of them chime in, and then we're all talking about the consumerism allegory in The Star-Bellied Sneetches instead of reading. Here are some of the conversations we've gotten into: 

1. Whether going to a low-income public high school or an applications-only regional vocational high school will look better on a college application. 
2. The detailed reasoning behind why they all take MCAS. 
3. The travesty that is the writing of the first three Harry Potter books. 
4. How the length of flashbacks in a novel can make or destroy it. 
5. How aggravating it is when authors create inauthentic teen characters and how easily you can tell, because it sounds like your 70-year-old next door neighbor who goes out once a month wrote it. 
6. The religious undertones in The Chronicles of Narnia

I love it. It's difficult to control them sometimes, but it's for the best reason possible. They get in shouting fights about books. 

Another reason this class is so fun is because by the end of the day, I get silly. Today, one student left for the library with a pass. 

Student A: Where's he going? 

Me: Narnia. 

Student A: Oh, okay. 

ten minutes later... 

Student A: Wait, what? 

***

Weight Watchers changed how they calculate their points. I am struggling to hold onto the fledgling grip I have on NOT getting obese. 

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One of my students is having real trouble. She's new to the class, having been switched out of her homeroom due to bullying and drama (sometimes perpetrated by her). Today, I asked her to help another student and she didn't. I know she doesn't HAVE to help someone else, but she'd wasted three class periods refusing to take a writing test, and hadn't handed in the major assignment due 5 days ago. Then I caught her on photobotth (her desk partner's accommodations include a laptop). I snapped and wrote her up. She saw, became very upset, and tried to talk her way out of it. I ended up tearing up the referral for a couple of reasons: 

1. She explained earnestly that she was only using photo booth to check her hair (she said it so seriously, like, how dare I even conjure up the thought that she'd be taking silly pictures). I smiled. 
2. When I said, "I know something's going on with you, and that's why you're struggling with the writing prompt, but you have to give me something, some small thing I can do to help you," and she burst into tears. "I CAN'T TALK ABOUT IT," she gulped out. 

Some tiny, cynical part of me wondered if she was turning on the waterworks to guilt me. But I don't know her that well, so I realized I'd never know. Plus, how many times have you turned on the waterworks and then realized that you're actually upset? I've done that plenty. I guess there are a few things I really know for sure about this girl. 

1. Despite good and bad things she's done, things she's been caught for and things she's gotten away with, she is someone adults rarely listen to. When she gets to tell her side of the story, often the person listening has already made up his/her mind. 
2. She is a creative thinker that doesn't know she's a creative thinker because she hasn't been given or doesn't know she's been given creative freedom. 

I believed her. Plus, if she's just making it up to get out of work, the time and energy I'm spending trying to help her will make her feel so guilty that she'll turn it around anyway. I'm really good at that. 

I'm about to go make her what she called "A List of Nonthreatening Writing Ideas." Here's hoping that works. 

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How awesome was Glee this week? 

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xo