tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1817835476996956670.post7594833422152520659..comments2024-03-12T09:44:18.874-07:00Comments on Howling Frog Books: How to be a HeroineJeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14247515387599954817noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1817835476996956670.post-26402667113549043412015-06-29T09:56:51.761-07:002015-06-29T09:56:51.761-07:00You're right, Tom, that Ellis is not particula...You're right, Tom, that Ellis is not particularly interested in Art; she's writing mostly about role models for herself. Which, since she IS a writer, is kind of interesting. She does occasionally touch on the craft of writing.<br /><br />And yeah, Jane and Cathy are not in a competition. :) They are two different books. I still love Jane best, though--"steely" is a pretty good description!Jeanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14247515387599954817noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1817835476996956670.post-69483215777260436712015-06-28T18:43:19.995-07:002015-06-28T18:43:19.995-07:00Jane every time for me -- although I never feel th...Jane every time for me -- although I never feel that's the real competition. I think when people get into these arguments really, it's about Jane vs. Lizzie. (Still Jane for me, I love how steely she is.) I can't even imagine preferring wretched spoiled Cathy.<br /><br />I enjoyed reading How to be a Heroine, though she lost me during the sections about books I hadn't read. I'll want to go back after I've read some of the other books, like Valley of the Dolls, and see how Ellis's essays about those read when I know what she's talking about.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1817835476996956670.post-47672048832762540372015-06-26T10:17:58.916-07:002015-06-26T10:17:58.916-07:00I also disagreed with many of Ellis's thoughts...I also disagreed with many of Ellis's thoughts about books (and have no interest in Jilly Cooper or Valley of the Dolls), but still found this an interesting read. I'm glad you liked it overall.<br /><br />I changed my mind about Wuthering Heights the last time I read it. When I stopped feeling I was supposed to identify with Heathcliff and Cathy (who are horrible) and tried to take in the novel as a whole, it made a much better impression on me.<br /><br />As for princesses -- I think Disney princesses have become more of a "thing" in the last few decades, though I do remember some from my childhood: Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty. The Disney movie that made the strongest impression on me was Bambi.Loryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08519976394732029323noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1817835476996956670.post-37165503238812926902015-06-26T07:32:28.328-07:002015-06-26T07:32:28.328-07:00Whose idea was it - the answer is Ben Hecht, Charl...<i>Whose idea was it</i> - the answer is Ben Hecht, Charles MacArthur, and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wuthering_Heights_(1939_film)" rel="nofollow">William Wyler</a>.<br /><br />The ongoing "Disney princess" obsession is a phenomenon of the 1990s. Scroll down to "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disney_Princess" rel="nofollow">History and Conception</a>." Snow White and Sleeping Beauty and even Pocahontas and so on were retroactively drafted into the lineup.<br /><br />Cathy or Jane - maybe each character serves the artistic purpose of the book she is in? But it sounds like the reader who wrote this memoir does not have much interest in art.Amateur Reader (Tom)https://www.blogger.com/profile/13675275555757408496noreply@blogger.com