The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night
Posted by tom | Oct 27, 2007Elizabethtown Public Library began its conversation on The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night (note: begins with cartoon/reading) by Mark Haddon asking whether the book is really a good piece of literature. I'd hope so if it's being promoted by One Community, One Book, but you might remember my post regarding the surreal experience of coming across A Curious Incident in the One Community, One Book campaign.
The discussion group of which I was a part, was composed of six older women. I believe they all were retired school teachers. We all answered No, but it was highly informative regarding the autistic spectrum. We were the only group to reply with a firm negative, most other groups tried to tackle the question of what is good literature?
Yes, what is good literature? Here are some thoughts from the facilitator:
1. Enables us to relate to the human condition (e.g., Shakespeare's exploration of love, hate, ambition, greed, death).
2. Explores What is Truth?
3. Asks the Big Questions, note: doesn't need to answer them (e.g., Is there a God? What is the purpose of Life? What are we to do?)
4. Fun to talk about.
Background on Mark Haddon
1. Married with 1 child
2. Creative writer of children's lit and various screenplays including Agent Z and the Penguin (which made it to BBC)
3. Writing is like being gay. Coming out and hoping everyone doesn't run away. He left studies to find the real world by working with children with disabilities. Literary fiction speaks to us by speaking to the big questions. The model of Pride and Prejudice in which the boring people with ordinary lives birth emphathy in us as we connect with the human condition. Reading is all conversation. Most is all talk, but some listen, connects with the soul. The good book takes you to the edge of darkness and brings you back again. He's won a number of awards/prizes.
-Better be interesting from the first page. Yes, as we find a pitchfork in a dog and a first person account of the quest to find out who killed the dog by a child who doesn't fit in, loses his innocence, comes of age, finishes the book with breaking of the glass in order step out onto a hero journey to find his mother under the direction of Sherlock Holmes and accompanied by his white rat Toby for whom he is willing to die. Will his bigger dreams of mathematical/scientific studies come true? We're left hanging, but we do see him finding his mother who died of a heart attack (i.e., unable to care for him and moved out with his neighbor's husband), returning to live with his Dad, receiving closure with his own dog Sandy and the passing of A level math examination.
So is God involved in all of this? According to Christopher, no because no-one can live in the heavens. The author, he receives his answers from the atheistic religion of science, which provides all the answers, and mystery, through creative writing/literature.
I guess I should comment on the definition of good literature, which is broad enough to include this work and the role of God. But I lack the time today. Anyone has a first response? I'll hope to get to it over the next couple of days. I'll post the facilitator's questions tomorrow.
